THE CITIZEN starts a new weekly column, GRAPEVINE, to record the buzz in and outside the corridors of power in Delhi. Needless to say the writer(s) remain “Anonymous”!
Bad Recipe
The Ambanis have fallen foul of the government in power. This ‘raid’ on their offices for having ‘bought’ and/or ‘leaked’ sensitive documents from the Ministry of Petroleum was preceded by other enquiries on smaller issues that let it be known to those who were watching, that Mukesh and Anil Ambani, were certainly not in good odour with the government. Strange, as the Ambani’s who had flourished under the Congress led government were widely believed to have a finger in every political pie (read ‘party’). Clearly not! And perhaps too many fingers and too many pies seems to be the problem here, with the new dispensation liking loyalty of the Adani kind! The Ambani’s, unfortunately for them, like to spread out their favours--- a little ‘spice’ for a political party that is not the BJP in Maharashtra, a little ‘tarka’ for MPs in the Opposition, a little ‘dessert’ for the media not too close to the ruling dispensation---- a recipe for disaster!!
Silent Channel
There was one national television channel that just went silent when the news of the government probe into corporate ‘theft’ of documents broke. Any guesses? Well, it was CNN-IBN openly owned by the Ambani’s who have sunk some good money here. However, as the other channels were screaming themselves hoarse CNN-IBN could not black out the news, and so reported it as just another headline, focusing instead on Bihar and Nitish Kumar’s bid to form the government with dabs on the auction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s suit, and deep sea diving in Australia!! The others showed no such sympathy, despite the grapevine buzz that the Ambanis have ‘helped’ other television channels as well. But then this is just a buzz, and surely ‘help’ that is just a buzz, does not require favours to be returned!!
Dapper Mufti
Peoples Democratic Party leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed who likes to be out of the glare of spotlights, got a little taste of the social media recently. A photograph with a journalist went viral over the social media, with the Kashmiri youth often crossing the limits of decency in their comments. But Mufti did look pretty dapper, in checked trousers, and a T-shirt---not the usual garb that he is seen out in. The interest was more in the man now trying to be the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, more so as his casual attire and big smile was so far removed from the dour, serious, phiran clad PDP patron that the Kashmiris see most of the time. Delhi-ites of course are used to the more relaxed look, although Mufti has moved out of national politics a long time ago to work the regional strings of power.