'Green' minister

At a recent conference, a humble admirer achieved what many critics have been unable to — turn Environment Minister and erstwhile Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan red in the face. While delivering the vote of thanks, the person concerned said, “Madam, you are green like the forest and clean like the environment that’s why you are the environment minister.” Sure enough, the comment left the minister – who was incidentally dressed in a green salwar-suit – at a loss for words. Natarajan perhaps is more at ease with being compared to her predecessor Jairam Ramesh than the pristine forest greenery.