Delhi Confidential: Old School

TWO SENIOR politicians displayed old school courtesies on Monday in Rajya Sabha. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu wanted to invite former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda to his granddaughter’s wedding, scheduled next week. As soon as the House adjourned in the morning after obituary remarks to Lata Mangeshkar, Naidu sent a word to Gowda. But soon after Naidu felt that he should himself go to meet Gowda, who was still in the chamber of the House, given his age and health. Naidu asked Rajya Sabha officials if the Chairman can enter the chamber when the House is not in session, to which he was told that there is no such precedent. Naidu went inside the chamber to meet Gowda, who was by then walking towards the Chairman’s office. Although Naidu insisted that they meet in the chamber only, Gowda said they should meet in the Chairman’s chamber. Both then went to Naidu’s chamber, where he extended the wedding invite to Gowda.

The Interruptions

PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi’s 100-minute-long speech on Monday was interrupted by two opposition leaders – Congress’s Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and TMC’s Saugata Roy. But Modi did not react to the interruptions sharply, except when he told Chowdhury that it should not cross limits. According to him, when he saw the Congress leader’s (Rahul Gandhi) speech being disturbed by his party MPs, he had sent a note to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi to see to it that it does not happen. With the 74-year-old Roy, Modi was jovial. When some BJP MPs tried to shout down the TMC MP, he said: “You should give a chance to Dada… Because at this age, he is trying to take the joys of childishness.”

Warm Welcome

WEST BENGAL Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who arrived in Lucknow on Monday to address a joint press conference and a virtual rally with Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday, did not expect the Samajwadi Party chief to take time out of his hectic campaign schedule and land up at the airport to welcome her. As Akhilesh warmly greeted her with a shawl, Mamata affectionately remarked that a formal reception was not required. “Jeetne ke baad dete na,” she quipped. “Now that you are here, we will win [the election],” Akhilesh responded with a smile. The TMC supremo also plans to visit Varanasi soon.