External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. (File)
That ties with Russia have got priority was evident on Tuesday, as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj attended an event at the Russian embassy on the occasion of that country’s National Day. Usually, ministers of state or officials at the rank of secretary attend such events. But after the Sochi summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin last month, it seems that South Block is giving signals to the West about New Delhi’s proximity to Moscow.
Away And Missing
Neither former PM and JD(S) chief H D Deve Gowda nor son H D Kumaraswamy, the chief minister of Karnataka, will attend the first iftar hosted by Rahul Gandhi as Congress president on Wednesday. While they have been invited, the father-son duo is hosting an iftar in Bengaluru the same day. So it is left to Danish Ali, the JD(S) secretary general, to represent the party at Rahul’s iftar. Among others missing, senior CPI leader D Raja is away in Coimbatore on a party meeting, as are other top leaders of his party. Trinamool Congress will be represented by party Lok Sabha MP Dinesh Trivedi.
Crackdown On Casuals
While colleges routinely make headlines for imposing a dress code, a Union ministry has now joined the list. In an unusual move, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued a “dress advisory” for its staff. Issued on Tuesday, the order reads: “All officials/staff/contractual/outsourced appointees are advised to be attired in appropriate formal, clean and decent clothes. Casual attire should be avoided in the office.”