Party time

A lunch hosted by former Haryana chief minister and senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda in the capital on a pleasantly sunny afternoon saw an unprecedented turnout of party leaders. Some guests recalled that the last time one saw such a gathering was probably a decade ago, when the Congress party was, similarly, out of power. Amid all the bonhomie and back-slapping that followed, a senior Congressman proposed that party treasurer Motilal Vora should host the next big lunch. The treasurer is known in the party circle for being tight-fisted; so another leader, Ghulam Nabi Azad, suggested that even a tea party, if organised by Vora, would be appreciated. When asked about the probable date, Vora turned the tables on Azad, suggesting that his younger counterpart (Azad) should do the honours.