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Marco Mishra
'Despite being cut down to size in recent months, he hasn't given up playing the role of the prime minister's envoy at large.'
Vajpayee recovers!
'The prime minister, having recovered his sang froid, is once again in communicative mode.'
The Lotus-Eaters
With such writings on the wall, you would think the BJP leaders would sit up and take notice. But no, not them!
Vajpayee goofed!
The UTI scandal, Sangh Parivar purists argue, took place because the PM persists with the ways of successive Congress regimes.
Uma weds Govindacharya... Yes?
Poor Uma Bharti. A private television channel has married her off to her BJP colleague without informing her!
Sushma's self-goal
'We hear the normally tranquil Vajpayee ticked off Swaraj, who, expectedly, wept and proclaimed her innocence. Later, her friends in the media orchestrated a salvage operation, but it was too late.'
Nothing less, nothing more for Musharraf
President K R Narayanan is not swayed by the excitement generated by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's visit.
George the jobless
Once a roaring tiger, now a silent pussycat -- that is Vincent George today.
Divided they stand
Instead of experience and familiarity with local conditions dictating the choice of party officials in charge of the states, extraneous factors seem to have weighed the most with Jana Krishnamoorthi.
Fresh fodder for Laloo's friends
Finally, there is a breakthrough into the scandal closest to the RJD chief's tender heart!
Good Friend Mulayam
The Samajwadi Party chief will align himself with Sonia's Congress for the Uttar Pradesh election. True or false?
To Pervez With Love
Who fashioned that historic epistle that took away Pakistan Chief Executive Pervez Musharraf's bark?
BJP=Congress
Sangh Parivar hardliners want the BJP to pursue its ideological agenda or else sit in the Opposition. The liberals argue that wielding power would help advance its cause.
Snip, snip, snip
And there goes Brajesh Mishra's wings!
Advani, Atal & the Parivar
The Sangh Parivar has finally realised it does not pay to act spoilsport with the government. Various off-shoots of the Parivar will, henceforth, not criticise the government. In public, at least.
Sonia finds her voice
'You people thought she could not speak without a written script... Have you noticed how she let fly at Advani without any paper in hand?' exultant Congressmen asked.
When numbers don't add up...
A JPC to examine the issues thrown up by tehelka.com would have seen the NDA either at par or a few members lesser than the Opposition. This was a gamble the Vajpayee government did not want to take.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
'Sonia's past cannot, will not, stand scrutiny. So long as she heads the party, the Congress will be vulnerable,' said one former member of the Narasimha Rao government.
The Patron Saint
L K Advani returns to guide the BJP's fortunes.
Man of mean might
Is N K Singh pressurising Vajpayee to retain his services?
We want middlemen!
Many soldiers and civilian officers feel the opposition to middlemen of arms manufacturers is misplaced.
Brajesh Mishra's going, going...
Key members of the Sangh Parivar believe his continuance in the PMO is untenable.
So what's new?
The Tehelka.com tapes are just the tip of the iceberg...'
Clever Mr Advani
Remarkably, the home minister is not obsessed with Hindi. He seems to think in English...
The Reader-Leader
Poor Sonia Gandhi. She has a huge problem on her hands. She cannot speak extempore for more than a moment or two.
Sushma's Socialist Hangover
Once a socialist, always a socialist. Nobody epitomises this more than the I&B minister.
Miffed with the mukhota
Sangh Parivar leaders feel all that the PM seems good for is bhashanbazi.
Sinha masters tricks of the trade
The finance minister bungs a spanner in the selection of IDBI's next chairman, at a former premier's behest.
Out with Sinha!
The finance minister, it is said, no longer enjoys the confidence of a most influential industrial house.
Strongman Mishra
The PM's principal secretary isn't going to fade away, rest assured.
Jaswant proposes, Atal disposes
The external affairs minister seems to have made a habit of it -- proposing something and then being shot down by the PMO.
What's cooking at the Foreign Office?
So self-assured is Brajesh Mishra of Vajpayee's backing that even as he steps on Jaswant Singh's toes he makes no attempt to be subtle or, if you please, diplomatic.
A time for terror...
According to messages intercepted by the intelligence agencies, among the buildings the outlawed Kashmiri group wants to blow up are South Block and North Block.
Atal & Ayodhya
A Cabinet minister urged the PM that he defend Advani, Bharti and Joshi. Advani had demurred and said he would not like to suggest that Vajpayee defend him or the others.
Gentle, generous Atal
The PM's critics are fuming: How dare he extend a lifeline to a man who is threatening to do stuff to his Principal Secretary Brajesh Mishra!
ISI in Parliament!
'BJP leader Dr J K Jain is struggling with an all-important question: Is he Pakistan's man in India?'
The Taming of Jagmohan
Even Vajpayee, our sources tell us, is put off by the Union urban development minister's "mulishness"...
How Medha's helping Ayodhya!
VHP chief Ashok Singhal was quick to point out what he called the double standards of the media when NBA leaders thumbed their noses at the highest court.
Sonia G's mix-up!
Sonia finally agreed to address the convention. But when the appointed hour arrived -- Mrs G made herself scarce.
The call of foreign shores
Rare are the men who can resist free foreign travel. And Vice-President Krishan Kant is not one of them.
Jethmalani vs CJI, Round II
The former law minister's frustrations have all spilled out in book-form now. And his main target is Dr A S Anand!
Oh, Save Our Moneyed Souls!
Who's that character who said Prime Minister Vajpayee was tender-tender about the Brothers Hinduja?
The Return of Sushma
Vajpayee, no doubt a large-hearted man, was persuaded to take in Swaraj by Advani.
The Dream Job
Now that Ajay Raj Sharma has done a few things to straighten out the Delhi Police, efforts are on to ease him out.
How Vajpayee almost didn't make it
Just two days before the prime minister left for the United States, there was a move to cancel the tour.
K for Kashmir
The 'K' word seems to be dogging Vajpayee all through his American sojourn.
Who's that man?
All you need to know about Sudheendra Kulkarni and his doings...
With friends like these...
...Home Minister L K Advani sure doesn't need enemies!
Coffee, Tea, and Madam
Madam Gandhi went to Kashmir recently...
Ram's (double) standards
How the former law minister speaks from both corners of his mouth.
Sacking, sacking, sacked!
If you ask us, and we are sure that you will, Ram Jethmalani asked for it.
No holds barred!
Thackeray's man fights Vajpayee's for the chairmanship of LIC!
The Solitary Dissenter
Law Minister Ram Jethmalani wanted Farooq Abdullah to be given a sympathetic hearing.
The counterfeit heroes
Those who actually resisted the Emergency keep their peace while others falsely claim credit.
Nobody likes me, everybody hates me...
The media, feels Minister Paswan, is after his blood. And how.
Sinha is no sinner
Don't believe them people who say Yashwant Sinha is a bad man. He isn't...
The super civil aviation minister
The man who tells the civil aviation minister what to do.
Silence of the sphinx
Kuldip Nayar wanted to know if an investigation was held into the charges against former Union Minister for Urban Welfare Ram Jethmalani...'
Such is politics!
'So he motivated, of course with the usual incentives, a lot of MPs to rise against the move. Thus, a purely private campaign was cloaked in the great mumbo-jumbo of workers' interests, the ills of privatisation, etc.'
Just why were the Sikhs killed?
'Failing to strike elsewhere thanks to the security measures, the mercenaries and their masters got desperate. Finally, as Clinton touched down in New Delhi, a very frustrated ISI ordered the militants holed up in the mountains near Chattisinghpora to target the Sikhs.'
Look, he stole my thunder!
'Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh brewed himself a bit of trouble when he received Big Bill at Palam airport'.
Ms Crusader
'Now that her new films are hard to come by, it is Shabana the campaigner that one gets to see more than Shabana the actress.'
Returning the genie to the bottle
'Critics of the Sangh Parivar may find it hard to believe, but it is true that senior RSS and BJP functionaries are totally embarrassed by the Water controversy.'
Sell one, sell another
'The decision to hive off loss-making steel plants run by SAIL will be announced soon.'
Politician in lawyer's coat
'A few days ago Chidambaram met Advani. BJP leaders insist the party would be willing to go
more than half way to rope in the TMC leader.'
CBI makes music
Abhishek Verma, sleuths say, is singing like a canary. In the process, he has unravelled the racket he ran with former deputy director of Enforcement Directorate Ashok Aggarwal.
Rao returns!
At state investitures and prime ministerial banquets you can now see Narasimha Rao. You will also see Congress bigwigs -- party chief Sonia Gandhi included -- treating him with utmost deference!
Mr Considerate
Nothing, repeat nothing, should be done to jeopardise the passengers' lives, was Prime Minister Vajpayee's directive to the crisis management team.
The stuff CBI is made of
The probe into the Abhishek Verma affair shows that the premier investigating agency has finally acquired a backbone.
Saffron brigade sees red
How the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh made a last-ditch effort to effect a rapprochement with Kalyan Singh.
Caught in the crossfire
How the battles between Advani and Vajpayee found Kalyan in between.
Annoying the majority
Four men get in, and forty are put out. But while Ramakrishna Hegde hinted darkly at conspiracies, Shotgun Sinha kept his peace...
The Ghost of Thuglak
'The Congress high command abandoned the idea to replace Orissa Chief Minister Girdhar Gamang with Janaki Ballabh Patnaik. The decision had been taken, but at the last moment it persisted with the status quo. Why?'
One brahmin too many
'Mishra, you see, is a brahmin like Vajpayee. So it looked like a brahmin was
trying to hoist another -- a fact which the aggrieved Kalyan Singh was
double-quick to latch on to.'
Sulky Sush
'With Kushabhau Thakre disavowing any intention to seek a second term as party president, Swaraj has her gaze firmly on his job. Till then, she and husband Kaushal plan to orchestrate a campaign in the media to bestow victimhood on her'.
French over Italian
'Sharad Pawar is sick and tired of everything Italian. Which is why he has now decided to acquire a French connection.'
Vengeance is Vajpayee's
'The BJP leadership is fully aware of Kalyan Singh 's perfidious play. Although a decision about his fate is yet to be taken, senior leaders do not want to remove him. But Vajpayee is in no forgiving mood.'
Three questions and some politicians
'Why wasn't any of the three bigwigs of the Delhi BJP taken into the ministry? How come Jagmohan again became a minister after Vajpayee dropped him following his me-first role in the telecom controversy? How did Ram Jethmalani return to the ministry?'
Back-stabbed!
'Those privy to the goings-on in the Congress had known for several weeks that the 10 Janpath establishment was out to finish Singh.'
'If Indians are ready to do it, what can we Italians do?'
'The editor concludes that Sonia was such a poor student that not one of her contemporaries whom he met was willing to vouchsafe that she cleared her high-school examination.'
The truth about the Sonia show
'Her managers and the interviewer had agreed on a list of questions. Even the order of questions was pre-arranged. Yet most of Sonia's replies had to be recorded many times over because she got a word wrong or needed to consult the script.'
Sangma unhappy with Pawar
'We had agreed to set up units all over the country and field candidates all over, but Pawar thinks India is only Maharashtra...' Now the former Lok Sabha Speaker is all set to go his own way after the election.
Ms Clueless knows her cue
'A few handpicked journalists, chosen essentially because of their pro-Congress proclivities, return with the impression that Sonia Gandhi is much cleverer than she is credited to be.'
Madam will bow out!
'Yes, Sonia Gandhi is opting out of the prime ministerial race. In a few days time, our sources say, she will announce this and may name Dr Manmohan Singh for the top job.'
Uneasy lies the head...
'Both the President and prime minister are cordiality personified whenever they meet. But the damage has been done. And not entirely by them.'
• Sonia's decline
• The Fading Queen
• Empty threats
• The Second Coming
• Mr Precedent
• On her majesty's service
• What happened that night
• Divided they stand
• Had we known...
• Jaya won't tango with Sonia
• Vajpayee is safe till November
• A walk along the Guruswamy trail
• And the culprit is...
• A truth 'bout Bihar
• Why Guruswamy had to go
• Cooked!
• Taming of the PM
• Created Controversy
• All for a photo
• Stephen Solarz gets a job
• Presidential reservation
• Shourie's coming!
• The Zero of the day
• How Sushma gambled and lost
• Fight in Family
• We eat dogs!
• The Great Men Friday
• Clash of the Southies
• Taming of the loose cannon
• All's under control in Laloo zone
• Slips and shuffles
• Jaya ticks again!
• The eagle has fallen
• Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall...
• Endless Wait
• Nemesis catches up with Bezbourah
• Najma's games
• And into the trap walked Pawar!
• Mum's the word
• The menace of the other Gill
• Lord, save him from himself!
• Why Amma Didn't Do It
• Promises are for breaking
• Rule, Vajpayee, rule!
• Who is that man?
• Ambition! Ambition!
• When Lady Congress went a-calling...
• Memoirs of a nuke Monday
• Surviving Jaya
• Wholly Mother, they called you the Father!
• She proposes, he disposes
• An unhappy lot, this
• By George! Pawar's in a jam!
• Night Games In New Delhi
• And Kesri came tumbling after...
• The seventh heaven
• A star is born!
• Gill fiddles as Laloo runs riot
• The sadhu attempt
• Devious VP
• Dishonourable intent
• A cause for celebration
• The daughter did it!
• Quit, darn it!
• Jumped, or pushed in?
• Bliss, Advani style
• Sonia to take to the road. And Kesri doesn't yet know
• Et tu, Brute?
• Madame is not
ready
• Madame did it!
• Awaiting the boot
• Play for Parliament
• When I went to Russia...
• Too old, too old
• Marriage of hatemanship
• Jeez, the guy must be rollin' rich!
• Oh Chacha, my Chacha!
• The brother also rises
• Dark Karachi secrets
• Gimme work!
• Nirvana, the Mayawati way!
• Flashback to a Gujralian goof
• Of short, squat, under-the-belt jabs
• Into the grave you go...
• Mending the Presidential heart
• The game Big Daddy played
• The Somnus Club
• United they pulled
• Pushy tales, cushy jobs
• A magnificent obsession
• More of Gujral
• Gujral, Gujral go away...
• Presidential diplomacy
• Mosquito raj
• Kesri's secret account abroad
• Tiger turns alsation
• When Gujral was young...
• Temper, temper flying great
• The old man and his masterplan
• Some entertaining Kesri tales
• Arun Nehru escapes unscathed
• Hail, Karnataka!
• Woman trouble for Delhi cops
• Now, a Pawar-Yadav nexus
• Iftar parties, BJP and Sangma
• Bofors, a Gandhi trust and Quattorochhi
• A most murky scandal
• A mole in the Congress headquarters?
• CBI boss faces home minister's wrath
• Suspicious congratulations
• P Chidambaram losing in publicity race
• Chandra Swami's back to intrigue
• Foreign affairs and Kesri
• Convenient scapegoat
• Bachchan in the red
• Deve Gowda's instant solutions
• Vaghela's midnight call
• Chandra Swami's fan following
• Businessmen in trouble
• The Mystery of the Missing Watches
• Why Sitaram Kesri is angry with the AG
• The Weepy Congress Chief
• Hassles of an uncommon accused
• A foreign affairs capsule
• A solemn Sangma now
• Cash at the back door, please!
• Once bitten, twice shy
• The last-minute bench
• Advani and the hawala club
• Fear of the law, at last
• Breakfast with the President
• Rao still on Rex
• A sleepy PM
• A matter of protocol
• A jinxed leader
• Power brokers all
• Sore with TMC ministers
• Past imperfect, future uncertain
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