Friends want to rename Jaitley's gossip point in Lodhi garden after him

Congress' Rajeev Shukla and former attorney general Mukul Rohatgi, are planning to write to the New Delhi Municipal Council to declare the corner where Jaitley used to sit as "Jaitley's point"

Ever since he rejoined active politics in the late 1990s, the late Arun Jaitley would gather each morning with his friends from different fields at a point in Lodhi Gardens. They would take a round or two, and then sit for an extended gossip session. The group included Jaitley's friends from his school and college days, lawyers, journalists, businessmen, and politicians of various parties. One among this group would bring tea for the rest every day. On Sundays, there would be samosas and kachoris too. Now, some of his friends, including the Congress' Rajeev Shukla and former attorney general Mukul Rohatgi, are planning to write to the New Delhi Municipal Council, the civic body responsible for the upkeep of the park, to declare the corner where Jaitley sat with his friends “Jaitley Point”.

 

A self goal

 

Uttar Pradesh Energy and Additional Sources of Energy Minister Shrikant Sharma, who is also the state government spokesperson, has been waxing eloquent about the work done by his department to ensure round-the-clock electricity in urban areas and power supply in rural areas as much as possible. However, his colleague in the council of ministers, Dara Singh Chauhan, who holds the portfolio of forest, has caused much embarrassment to Sharma by stating just the opposite. Chauhan recently wrote to Sharma, complaining about erratic power supply in his Assembly constituency in Mau district. This, he said, was breeding resentment among farmers. The letter was leaked to the media and became viral before being lapped up by the Opposition to target the ruling dispensation. At a time when the Adityanath government is preparing for bypolls in 13 UP Assembly seats, the episode has left the government in disarray.

 

Brand Govinda

 

The Madhya Pradesh government, say sources, has roped in film actor and former Congress Member of Parliament Govinda as brand ambassador for the state. Chief Minister Kamal Nath will make an announcement to that effect just before the state investment summit, Magnificent MP, kicks off next month. Govinda will help promote brand Madhya Pradesh as a tourist and investment destination. He met Nath at the state secretariat in March, but Nath's aide R K Miglani then said the actor was the chief minister’s friend and he met him “in that capacity only”.