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An IAS officer

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Orders of Kherawala in a day or two

Orders of M H Kherawala as new CBDT Chairperson are being issued in a day or two.

Joshi to be DG ITBP !

V K Joshi is being appointed DG of the ITBP in a couple of weeks. He is 1971 batch IPS officer of Bihar cadre.

Tenure of Priya to expire

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Motwani to go to Port of Spain

Y P Motwani, Second Secretary, US (North), has been moved to Port of Spain.

1990 batch IAS to get super-time scale

1990 batch IAS officers in Madhya Pradesh are being given super-time scale next month.

1974 batch IPS gets DG rank

B P Rao has been promoted to the rank of DG in Assam. He is 1974 batch IPS officer.

Rajasekhar to join MEA

C Rajasekhar, Counsellor in Port of Spain, has been transferred to the headquarters of the Ministry of External Affairs.

Orders of CCIT next month

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Rajagopalachari goes to Mazar-E-Sharif

K Rajagopalachari, First Secretary in Prague, has been shifted to Mazar-E-Sharif.

IPS changes in Assam

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AN IMAGINARY INTERVIEW WITH SONIA GANDHI

I call on a friend who celebrates Christmas the old fashioned way. He goes house to house with a choir singing carols and spread goodwill. We are discussing the materialism that has crept into festivals when his mobile rings. His mood changes after the call and he looks worried. Seems his lead guitarist has fallen ill and at such short notice he is worried about getting a replacement. Now I am a pretty good guitarist and in the spirit of brotherhood I offer to fill in.

The next day I get a call that I should meet the Choir outside 10 Janpath as Sonia has invited the choir to sing in her home. I reach there at the appointed time and after a detailed security drill we are ushered into Sonia's home. We are requested to set up next to the impressive Christmas tree in the living room. We do so and soon Sonia and Rahul walk in and wish the Choir and sit down to enjoy the carol singing. After the carol singing is over Sonia invites the choir very graciously for high tea.

Seems she has noticed me and someone from her staff requests me to follow him as Sonia wants to have a word with me. I am ushered into a room that looks like a library.

Sonia: Is this a new way you've found to interview me???
Me: No Madam…. this choir's lead guitarist feel ill and in the spirit of brotherhood I'm just filling in!!!
Sonia: Okay ….. so you've been writing a lot about the coffee served in my home and I'm sure on heresy…. so now try the coffee firsthand!!!

Sonia orders her staff to get Coffee and Christmas Cake.

Me: Madam would you be kind enough to answer some questions??
Sonia: Be frank…. you want an interview??
Me: Yes Madam.
Sonia: Okay… fire…. this is my Christmas gift to you!!!!
Me: Madam what is your explanation on the misadventures of Natwar and his son Jagat??
Sonia: Nothing wrong in getting political donations. And as Congress had stood by Saddam he wanted to make a generous donation to the Congress Party.
Me: So you do agree that money was made by Congress on oil sale??
Sonia: Let me finish….. Natwar was authorized to act on behalf of the Congress Party….. but when he returned he informed me that Saddam had posted the Vouchers to Congress's Delhi address and we would receive the Vouchers soon.
Me: So Congress got the Voucher via post and encashed it!!
Sonia: Patience……. the Voucher never reached Congress and I did ask Natwar about the Voucher quite a few times and he blamed the Iraqi postal service!!!
Me: Okay after everything was exposed why did you not chuck him out of the Cabinet…. why the wait???
Sonia: Well he got his Royal friends together and they informed me that if he was expelled from the Cabinet they would sit on hunger strike outside my house.
Me: Well that would have been good… as all of them are grossly overweight and you could have given them an opportunity to loose weight!!!
Sonia: I don't run a VLCC kind of outfit….. these Royals would have converged on Delhi and put up camps in 5 Star Hotels , eaten sumptuous meals and then sat outside my house and at night they would have partied with Page 3 lot. The last thing I wanted was Royals picketing outside my house….. would have been royal pains!!!

Coffee comes and I take a sip and its really very good. Sonia looks at me for approval and I compliment the Coffee and the cake.

Me : What is your Party's reaction to the sting operations???
Sonia: All I can say is that Congress has come out as a relatively cleaner Party.
Me: Madam you know what saved Congress …… it is in Power and its Leaders have avenues to make more money … I am sure had a similar sting been done when NDA was in power maximum number of Congress MPs would have been entrapped.
Sonia: There is a saying ' jo pakdaa gaya hai wohi hai chor'!!!!
Me: Yes…… but don't the exposés show how ethically bankrupt our Politicians have become???
Sonia: Yes I'm taking Congressmen ki class and instructing them to be ethical!!!
Me: Madam I heard that you had instructed them to be careful!!!
Sonia: No no ……. the exact words were 'ethically careful'!!!
Me; Imagine an ex CM of Congress was entrapped and Congress has taken no action against him!!
Sonia: Churchill has blamed his misdemeanors on Feni….. he says the sting operators first got him high on Feni …. he has informed the Party about the brand and has demanded stringent action against the bottler of the Feni brand!!!
Me: Madam then the BJP MPs can use the same excuse….they'll sue Johnny Walker or 100 Pipers???
Sonia: No they cannot…. I've got this excuse patented for the Congress and no one can use it without Congress's prior permission. And if they want to use this they'll have to agree to some give and take!!!

Sonia orders her staff to refill my cup and asks them to get some chocolates.

Me: Madam what is the problem in reshuffling the Cabinet…. the aspirants have all become nervous wrecks !!!
Sonia: Well one thing is for sure with the sword of reshuffle hanging Ministers have been performing. In fact as per my assessment efficiency has gone up many fold because of the impending reshuffle!!!
Me: So do you plan to keep the sword hanging for the rest of this Government's term???
Sonia: Everything has an optimum use….. these guys will get used to the hanging sword if its used too long and become complacent. So I feel its now time to reshuffle the Cabinet….. reward the good and out with the bad!!!
Me: And of course you decide whose good and whose bad???
Sonia: Not at all Manmohan Ji does this… I only okay his recommendations!!!
Me: What if Manmohan overlooks your recommendation and goes ahead with his own reshuffle??
Sonia: Do you think Congressmen would accept any decision which does not have my stamp of approval!!!
Me: And how do intimate to them which decision does not have your approval???
Sonia: Such a situation has still not arisen yet…..but remember Congressmen are very perceptive!!
Me: Wish they were so perceptive when it came to understanding the public's wishes!!!

Rahul peeps in and tells his Mom that they have an appointment.

Me: Seems tyaag runs in your family…. you did tyaag of PM's post and now Rahul has said that he could have become PM ten years back!!!
Sonia: You will recall that Congressmen were demanding that Rahul become PM but he refused…. this is what he meant!!!
Me: People have started comparing Rahul with Prince Charles….. when do you plan to give him responsibility in the Party of Government???
Sonia: In due course!!!
Me: Madam why don't you go in for forward integration…. like appoint him as the Ambassador to Vienna where he can learn the ropes of diplomacy and meet his girlfriend more often so that they can get married…. after his marriage you can get him back to India and then make him the MEA and put him on the road to becoming PM!!!
Sonia: Well Rahul is here and she's there….. don't you know that distance makes the heart grow fonder???
Me: Madam there is another adage…. out of sight out of mind!!!!

Sonia has now started seeing her watch which is a polite indication that my time is up.

Me: So Madam you are going to Mauritius to usher in the New Year???
Sonia: My God you people really are very inquisitive!!!
Me: Madam any New Year resolutions???
Sonia: Well I have resolved that I will not break my New Year resolutions!!!
Me: That is like saying 'all out for no loss'…. thank you for your time and Madam Wish you and your near and dear a very Happy New Year!!!
Sonia: Same to you.

Bharat Kumar

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Andhra Bank ranked No 1

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Interviews today

Interview for the post of Director (civil) in SJVN is scheduled to take place today i.e on December 27.