Tea-ing off

Will Vodafone and the new government see eye to eye on the Rs 20,000-crore tax dispute? Asked what transpired when Vodafone Group External Affairs Director Matthew Kirk met top bureaucrats last week, a finance ministry official offered a mild joke by way of reply. This was a courtesy call, he said, and when he offered them green tea (his favourite), they said they would prefer the normal black tea with milk and sugar. Ergo, just like the difference of opinion on the tax dispute the two weren't on the same page on the choice of refreshment either.