Union Tourism Minister K J Alphons
Union Tourism Minister K J Alphons, who is apparently preparing plans to trigger a dramatic increase in both foreign and domestic tourist figures, ended the last year in a unique way. He and his family — around 15 of them, including his children and grandchildren — set out on a bus to Agra and also visited Jaipur. This family tour to the two popular tourist destinations of north India seems to have provided Alphons insights into issues tourists face on a day-to-day basis at major tourist spots to help him address them better.
Sartorial Shift
The Makar Sankranti get together organised by Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu saw him and his predecessor Hamid Ansari walking in together to greet those gathered for the occasion. However, what grabbed maximum attention was Naidu’s sartorial choice. The entire political class, used to his Tamil/Kerala style of wearing dhoti, was surprised to see him wearing dhoti in the traditional Telugu style for the occasion. He seemed equally comfortable in this style as he is in his regular style.
Feasts Galore
Union Minister Vijay Goel and Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari have set the tongues wagging in the ruling party circles in the national capital. Tiwari hosted a Makar Sankranti lunch on January 14 where he served traditional meal from eastern UP and Bihar. Vijay Goel, a former Delhi BJP unit chief, hosted lunch on January 20 where he served delicacies from Chandni Chowk. However, surprisingly, Goel skipped Tiwari’s feast called ostensibly to woo the Purvanchalis in the national capital. On Saturday, Tiwari was not seen at the lunch hosted by Vijay Goel.
Books Apart
Former telecom Minister and DMK leader A Raja said he had written much of his book 2G Saga Unfolds while he was in “deep anguish” in jail. However, the publisher he had a contract with then decided to pull out and he was left searching for another publisher. Then came Narender Kumar from Har Anand Publications who was willing to take on the project. Interestingly, Har Anand has also published two books by Subramanian Swamy, one of the petitioners on whose plea a CBI probe was ordered in the 2G case. One of these books was Hindus Under Siege-The Way Out.
Strengthening Bonds
South Block is reaching out to African countries so that they do not feel left out. The Indian High Commission in Tanzania took up the initiative this week, as it hosted leading experts and top ministers from Tanzania and got Indian experts from Indian Council for World Affairs. This interaction with African countries is a follow-up engagement with Africa, as more than two years have passed since the India-Africa Forum Summit.