Vis-a-Vis

M.G. VAIDYA RSS ideologue versus PRAKASH JAVDEKAR BJP spokesperson

"Those who are terming Sonia Gandhi's resignation as a drama should resign first."

"We don't agree with Vaidya's perception. It's his personal opinion, not a policy statement of the RSS."

EPILOGUE: Sonia's resignation has thrown up divisions within the Sangh Parivar again.

VOICES

"The CPI(M) is now the main team of the Congress. This time we'll tell the people that voting for the Congress will only strengthen the CPI(M)."

Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool Congress chief

"Office of profit has a wide dimension and the law is equal for everyone. If you ignite a fire to burn someone, it will turn on you."

Jaya Prada, Lok Sabha MP

"A defamed person (Abhishek Verma) is threatening to file a defamation case against me and other NDA leaders at the instigation of a defamed government. What a joke."

George Fernandes, NDA convener

"I have asked Swami Ramdev to be Bihar's brand ambassador. He hasn't turned down my request."

Nitish Kumar, Bihar chief minister

"When Sachin bats, I'm glued to the TV. I forget to bathe and eat. He'll come back with a bang."

Lata Mangeshkar, singer

THE BUZZ OF THE WEEK

With two junior ministers in the External Affairs Ministry, E. Ahamed and Anand Sharma, engaged in a fierce turf war, the prime minister is often forced to step in and remind them that he holds the foreign portfolio too.

PICTURE SPEAK

REGAL: Prince Charles (right) with Amarinder Singh

Not surprisingly, the state Government pulled out all the stops to accord a royal reception to the Prince and his wife Camilla Parker Bowles, who were exposed to carefully-sanitised meetings with potters and organic farmers in villages to raising a toast with the Patiala peg at the grand dinner at Amarinder's Moti Bagh Palace. It was after eight decades that the British royalty had kept its date with the Patiala royal descendants.

Amarinder made the most of the opportunity to showcase his own princely credentials as well as the much-trumpeted commitment to the cause of peasantry which forms a crucial vote bank in the state. And Charles made the right noises about the worsening economic plight and debt-driven suicides among the Punjab farmers and advocated switch to a sustainable, organic way of farming. The high point of the royal trip was the launch of the Prince of Wales Bhoomi Vardaan Foundation, a Britain-funded NGO which will be promoting organic farming in Punjab in line with Amarinder's much-touted scheme to popularise high-value crops.

However, the royal trip had its share of controversy. The Opposition Shiromani Akali Dal slammed Amarinder for displaying paintings and photographs of the old British monarchy at his palace during the royal couple's stay, deriding it as "an insult to the freedom struggle and the spirit of Independent India". But Amarinder has reasons to savour the royal trip, a welcome break from the humdrum of politics.

-By Ramesh Vinayak

DIED: Of a heart attack in Ahmedabad, Chandrakant Bakshi, celebrated Gujarati writer, political and social commentator and former sheriff of Mumbai.

DIED: West Bengal CPI(M) Secretary and member of the party's politburo Anil Biswas, 61, following a massive cerebral haemorrhage after attending a meeting to finalise the strategy for the coming state Assembly elections.

DIED: Founder of pharma giant Ranbaxy, Bhai Mohan Singh, 89, who was awarded a Padma Shri for his contribution in civic matters. He was also the co-founder of Max India.

PICTURE SPEAK

BATTLE ROYALE: Srikantadatta Bangalore palace

The Karnataka Government had acquired the palace land through a special Act in 1996, forcing Prince Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wodeyar to take legal recourse. While the case is pending before the Supreme Court, his sisters-princesses Kamakshi Devi, Indrakshi Devi, Visalakshi Devi and daughters of late Gayathri Devi-have opted for an out-of-court settlement. The delay, they aver, has cost them a fortune in property and wealth taxes and has left them in dire financial straits.

The Kumaraswamy Government is now studying the legal implications for a lasting solution.

-By Stephen David

PICTURE SPEAK

KOIRALA: Dangerous liaisions

According to the report Salem said, "Deewani was murdered by Anees as suggested by Manisha Koirala. The reason for his elimination was a money transaction" which had gone sour.

Seems it's going to be a while till Bollywood breathes easy.

-By Prerana Thakurdesai

Index