Passive smoking

CHATTERBOX

Left MPs who smoke better beware what they discuss in a little corner of the Central Hall of Parliament reserved for smokers. Members of Parliament from their parties overheard some junior MPs of the CPI(M) loudly complaining about the "dictatorial, fascist attitude" of West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee over the handling of the Nandigram issue. Bangla being one of the easier languages to understand, one north Indian MP had no difficulty in deciphering this unhappiness. "One of the other MPs saw that I was inordinately interested in the conversation and asked his colleague to hush up," he said in glee. Tobacco-induced candour is not much good for party morale, it seems.

Somnath clears the air

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee remained absent from the House following the incidents in Nandigram, prompting Opposition members to ponder whether he had chosen to abstain from proceedings as it was his party, the CPI(M), which found itself in an awkward position. The whispers grew into murmurs and finally the Speaker's office had to issue a clarification on Friday that Chatterjee was in fact suffering from some respiratory problem and had been advised complete rest by his doctors.

Blunt Naidu

Former Bharatiya Janata Party president Venkaiah Naidu cannot be accused of bashfulness. Naidu, election management in-charge for Uttar Pradesh, was in his element playing spin doctor to the party's campaign in the politically crucial state when out of the blue a journalist asked him whether there was any move to bring ousted BJP leader Uma Bharati back into the party fold.

Naidu, who had been at the end of Bharati's harangue on more than one occasion when he was the party president, did not miss a beat before saying, "Hamein aur koi kaam nahin hai kya? (Do you think we have no other work?)". One can't get any clearer than that.