Theories galore

Has anyone noticed how some members of the Bharatiya Janata Party are falling over each other - at least publicly - to defend Rahul Gandhi's decision to take a vacation bang in the middle of the Budget session of Parliament? Adding, albeit snidely, that his absence will not be felt, a senior Union minister was seen fighting indignantly for the right of MPs to take leave: "What if it was a serious medical problem? Everyone has the right to time off," he said. Congress MPs, meanwhile, are working overtime churning out their own theories on Gandhi's sabbatical. One of them said that during an earlier vacation, he had gone to attend a session of vipassana (ancient technique of meditation) in a hidey-hole in Uttarakhand. Presumably, that's where he is this time too. But some others denied the possibility.