Modi stars in Bahuguna's territory

The recent visit by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to disaster-hit Uttarakhand might have sparked off a controversy over his "Rambo" image and improbable rescue feat. But the story that went largely unreported was his undoubted star power. Officials in the state secretariat said Modi's visit to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna's office to discuss issues related to the disaster generated so much curiosity and commotion among the staff members and secretariat employees that senior Congress leader Rita Bahuguna Joshi had to intervene and plead with staffers to get back to their desks and maintain decorum. Joshi, incidentally, is Bahuguna's sister.