It will be Ram vs Rome from today

With the Madhya Pradesh Chief minister Ms. Uma Bharti all set to be arrested on Monday, the BJP - in search of an issue for long - has decided to make it to Ram vs Rome in the days to come and take maximum advantage of this divide in the fortcoming Assembly polls in the states as crucial as Maharashtra and Bihar.

Now no part-timers in Banks and PSUs

Manmohan Singh government has, of late, decided that there will be no part time directors in the banks and PSUs. Enough is enough, Manmohan too has now started showing his teeth.

Chaturvedi breaks jinx !

The Cabinet Secretary, BK Chaturvedi, of 1966 batch has got the coveted post setting at rest all the speculations that since the Cabinet Secretaries in the past have been from alternate batches, this time it will be the turn of 1967 batch.. Zafar Saifullah was from 1959 batch, TSR Subramaniam of 1961, Prabhat Kumar and TR Prasad were of 1963 batch and Kamal Pande is from 1965 batch. And this was the reason that the next Cabinet Secretary was expected from 1967 batch.

Krishna Kumar is Secretary NRI Affairs

S Krishna Kumar has been appointed first Secretary in the newly created Department of Non-Resident Indians Affairs. He is 1969 batch IAS officer of Karnataka cadre.

Goyal appointed Vice-Chairman of CAT

Former Chief Secretary of Haryana, L M Goyal, has been appointed Vice-Chairman of the CAT. He is retired 1966 batch IAS officer.

Chaturvedi is PS to Ahluwalia

Indu Shekhar Chaturvedi has taken over as PS to Vice-Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia. He is 1987 batch IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre.

Pani to be CS Orissa on September 1

Commissioner Handlooms in the Government of India, Subas Chandra Pani, will take over as Chief Secretary of Orissa on September 1. 1972 batch IAS officer Pani would succeed 1967 batch IAS officer Pratip Kumar Mohanty who is retiring.

Shrivastava to join Environment Ministry !

Sameer Shrivastava, an IRS officer, is likely to join the Ministry of Forests and Environment in the Government of India as a Director.

Mishra appointed PS Finance Manipur

R C Mishra has been appointed Principal Secretary Finance in addition to Relief and Disaster Management in Manipur. He is 1978 batch IAS officer.

IPS changes in Madhya Pradesh

K C Verma will be new IG of Jabalpur Zone.V K Singh IG Jabalpur Zone has been shifted to the PHQ.Indore SP V Madhukumar has been moved to PHQ.Adarsh Katiyar has been made Indore SP. Jaideep Kumar has been appointed IG Gwalior.Meenakshi Sharma will now be SP SAF Khargone.

FORUM
Aaj Ki Aawaz

Was this the right time for this AICC Session????? With the Government keeling over and all Governance parameters way below expectations, this sure was a bad time to hold this session. The reasons ....to 'maskaa polish' Sonia.....to put a halo on her for her so said Qurbani...... Rahul's entry on Congress's centre stage.....the Venue...Delhi....... ...all these may be okay but the timing sure sucks!!!!

As Sonia mentioned NDA and BJP, I am sure many would have hummed....Jaane kaha gaye woh din?? When inflation was at its lowest, Rupee was going from strength to strength, Stock Market was booming, business confidence touched new heights, on the International front India was emerging as a power, Domestically India was stable and strike and strife free, purchasing power was going up, common man was happy......why did she have to remind us of that Government and make us draw comparisons???

Jaane kaha gaye woh din,
When development, confidence and stability made Indians grin.

Jaane kaha gaye woh din,
When progressiveness was not a sin.

Jaane kaha gaye woh din,
When all our past insecurities where put into the bin.

Jaane Kaya gaye woh din,
When nothing seemed could do India in.

Jaane kaha gaye woh din,
We voted them out so now why this lamenting din (noise).

Jaane kaha gaye woh din,
Yeh hai raath woh theh din.

From her Speech seems Sonia and her speechwriter need to press the Refresh button more often.....today this Government is perceived as unstable and incapable and she needed to tackle these perceptions.........or it may also be that with no answers to the problems plaguing India under this Government there was no other option but to 'call the pot black so that the kettle can look white'!!! And in her speech she did this amply.

We must strongly object to Forbes giving Sonia the number three slot.......how is this possible....Sonia is an absolute Authority in her Party, Sonia is an absolute Authority in this Government........she is Numero Uno. She rules over a Billion plus people.......yes, it is a different subject that her Party landed up in power on the back of an anti incumbency Vote and not on a pro Congress or pro Sonia Vote.........could this have been the reason for the Number three position allotted to her????

In so many years Congress has not been able to coin any new slogans.....in sessions like this one being held they will shout out....so ando aage chalo hum tumhaare saath hai.......and when someone pops it....jabh takh suraj chand rahegaa so and so tehraa naam rehegaa!!!! In this area they need a Venkahiah Naidu - sample of his kind of slogans.......Go ahead, you are our head... standing , sitting or lying in bed!!!! ......Your name is indelible , inedible and incredible!!!!

All sloganeering is done for the attention of the Leadership and for the cameras........even today as the cameras panned the audience, and as the audience were oblivious of the camera, you could see them shouting slogans emotionlessly...in fact looked more like jeering than cheering!!!! But, once they became aware of the cameras......the jeering turned to cheering!!!!! In Congress circles sloganeering without catching the attention of Leadership or cameras is considered as firing 'khaali cartoos' (dummy bullet)!!!!

The Resolutions during this Session will be a marker as to who is in and who is out!!!! Also seems now Manmohan Singh is the Prime Minister Finance.....in other areas Madam and the Congress stalwarts have their say!!!!

Paswan's LJP is gaining strength.....LJP's motive is also LJP.........Laloo Jhatkao Party........they want to shock Laloo out of 'Power' in Bihar!!!! Could the Railways ultimately cost Laloo Bihar....this is Paswan's steely resolve!!!!!

Uma Bharti may just make UPA look awful. If Uma Bharti resigns she becomes a martyr......and she resigns on a matter that has a Nationalistic hue...... makes the resignation of the Tainted Five a forgone conclusions!!!! UPA is worried.......Under Pressure Alliance........could become Ulta Pulta Allinace!!!!

B Kumar

WHISPERS ---- CORPORATE WORLD :---

Hazarika to be Director Onshore ONGC

A K Hazarika is all set to become Director Onshore ONGC. His name is believed to have been cleared at all levels.

Interview from today

PESB will start three days interview from Monday to select CMDs of five subsidiaries of the Coal India Limited.

LIC Housing office to be shifted

LIC Housing Finance office is being shifted from Patna to Ranchi.

Rungta to retire

O P Rungta Senior Executive President of the GRASIM is retiring by this month end.

Bajaj Allianz has new Sales head

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company has appointed Ajay Singh as head of sales. He assumed charge at Pune headquarters.