On waiting list

The DMK-Congress spat over the three seats in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election had its moments of tension. But, at least, one leader, Union minister and the DMK emissary Dayanidhi Maran had his patience tested. Last Tuesday, during the peak of the tussle, he came to meet finance minister and UPA’s chief troubleshooter Pranab Mukherjee. Maran waited alone for almost 20 minutes as Mukherjee was busy listening to the RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s speech in Lok Sabha. One of Mukherjee’s aides, who sent three chits to the minister alerting him that Maran is waiting, later quipped, “You can't blame Pranabda. After all, if the DMK had actually withdrawn support, then the government had to depend on Lalu and others to avoid a collapse.”