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Another tweet from an MP

There is a second Indian political presence on Twitter, besides Shashi Tharoor, the minister of state for external affairs. And that is of K. Sudhakaran, fellow MP from Kannur in Kerala.

Recently, he too narrated how the bureaucracy was still stuck in the formal language of the Raj era, rejecting applications written in the casual style of an e-mail. Using SMS style spelling to fit in 140 characters, Sudhakaran said, 'I didn't realise the telegraphic language of the e-era is alien to a section of babus while attaching an e-mail I received along with my note to a ministry'. The 'babus' returned the e-mail, saying, 'sir the attachment has several spelling mistakes; hence please ask the petitioner to resubmit'.

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Staying put

It is a classic Catch-22 situation. Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, like several other ministers, has been cooling his heels at the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) guest house in Asiad Village, waiting for his official bungalow to be readied. But it might be a long wait.

The house he has been alloted is 14 Akbar Road. But it is not empty because its current occupant, Mani Shankar Aiyar, who lost the Lok Sabha election, has not been able to shift to 12, Safdarjung Lane, allotted to him. The reason: Margaret Alva, who was appointed Uttarakhand governor in July is yet to vacate the house.

With senior Congress heavyweights in line, Deshmukh has little option but to bide his time.

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Too much on PM's mind?

That Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has a lot on his plate is an understatement. From reviving the economy to delivering on various flagship programmes and kickstarting some of the ambitious poll promises, a normal day is anything but full for the workaholic that he is. Little wonder that at a recent function on literacy day Manmohan Singh seemed to be momentarily lost in thought.

As proceedings got under way, a young woman came up to the dais to present him a bouquet but for some strange reason he had not noticed her presence. It required a gentle prod from Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal to remind him of the woman's presence.

The prime minister immediately got up to receive the flowers. But after the programme, word spread that the prime minister was overworked.

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Who will be Mamata's private secretary?

Four months into her tenure as railway minister, Mamata Banerjee is still scouting for a private secretary after withdrawing her request for N. Manju Prasad, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer who switched cadres from West Bengal to Karnataka.

Her close aides say Banerjee wants an efficient IAS officer as she has to juggle both ministry work and prepare for elections in West Bengal. Though applications have begun pouring in, Banerjee is being extremely choosy. In the minister's reckoning the private secretary must not only be adept at multi-tasking, speak her language Bengali but, above all, must have no connection with her political rival.

'He or she must test Left negative!' an aide exclaimed.

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Downpour washes away drought debate

After several weeks, drought was not the central topic of discussion at a cabinet meeting. The reason, the heavy downpour calmed the sentiments of several ministers, who otherwise appeared disturbed over the impact of drought on their states.

According to one minister, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself would start the debate on drought in the past, but the heavy rainfall during the past few days was seen as a very welcome sign for the economy.

Another minister believed the actual reason for not holding a debate was something else. Ministers were so agitated by the finance minister's austerity drive there was little room left for any further debate!