Senior Congress MP Ambika Soni.
Going? Going? Staying!
Veteran Congress leader Ambika Soni was the centre of media attention on Friday after some channels reported that she had quit the party. Her phone rang incessantly after the news was telecast. The Congress, which suffered a jolt Friday afternoon with the exit of Gujarat veteran Shankersinh Vaghela, prepared for another firefight, even as Soni, party general secretary in charge of three hill states, said she has only asked the party leadership to relieve her of the charge of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand due to health reasons.
She is also in charge of Jammu and Kashmir. Her critics in the party argued the Congress was anyway set to appoint a new leader in charge of Assembly election-bound Himachal and Uttarakhand. The name of Sushil Kumar Shinde is doing the rounds as Soni’s replacement.
Gift After Speech
AIADMK MP Vijila Satyanath, in a special mention, spoke about the impact of GST on weavers of Tamil Nadu. During her speech on Thursday, she used a saree from her district — Thirunelveli — as a prop. Later, she gave the cream-coloured silk saree with a green border to Trinamool MP Derek O’Brien for his wife. A small handwritten note stated, “Kindly accept a small gift with a bundle of love.”
Name Confusion
Lok Sabha MPs had some light moments on Friday when Speaker Sumitra Mahajan called out names of members who wanted to make Zero Hour mentions. She called out Satyapal Singh, looking at the Baghpat MP who was engaged in a conversation with party MPs Nishikant Dubey and Shivkumar Udasi. Singh did not understand why the Speaker was calling him but ran to his seat.
This, even as Sambhal MP Satyapal Singh Saini was heard shouting from the back benches: “Madam, I am here.” Another confusion arose when Mahajan called out Inner Manipur MP Thokchom Meinya. Meinya did not realise the Speaker was calling him. When he said he had some trouble understanding Hindi, Mahajan remarked, “Is your name different in English?”
