07-21-2008, 01:38 PM
<b>At UPA dinner, 'men who matter' sit at high table</b>
21 Jul 2008, 0205 hrs IST,TNN
Dinner meeting
NCP chief Sharad Pawar with daughter and party MP Supriya Sule leave after UPA's dinner meeting in New Delhi. (PTI Photo)
More Pictures
NEW DELHI: Equations in politics change faster than weather. At the previous dinner Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had hosted for his UPA colleagues, the pride of place at coalition chairperson Sonia Gandhi's table was reserved for the Karats â Prakash and Brinda.
Now that the Left had strayed away into the Opposition camp, those who gave Sonia company were women MPs from the UPA family â Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule, PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti, DMK chief Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi and Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit. The men at the table were Rahul Gandhi and LJP leader Ramvilas Paswan.
For his part, Singh, too, chose as fellow diners at his table those who mattered most at the moment â Mulayam Singh Yadav, Amar Singh, Sharad Pawar, IUML MP and minister E Ahamed, Shibu Soren, Pranab Mukherjee and P R Dasmunsi. Another interesting but subtle shift in focus was culinary.
At such dinners over the past four years when Left leaders were important guests â fish occupied a major place on the menu. This time round, though fish was served along with mutton and chicken, it seemed to have missed that predominant position.
<b>
Though no politics was discussed, the gestures said a lot. "The mood was upbeat and convivial," said an MP. Intended to be a show of solidarity, all the Congress chief ministers were present. Vilasrao Deshmukh of Maharashtra, Tarun Gogoi of Assam and Y S R Reddy of Andhra Pradesh were seen mingling with the MPs.</b>
Another man drawing attention was Rajya Sabha member and legal expert Ram Jethmalani. The PM and Sonia exchanged pleasantries with almost every guest. But the evening did not have exactly an easy air about it. One minister playing a key role in managing the numbers and chalking out the strategy for the debate beginning on Monday left much before the dinner was over. "I have some urgent work to do," he was heard saying.
Some Congress functionaries and young MPs regrouped and met elsewhere to do things assigned to them.
21 Jul 2008, 0205 hrs IST,TNN
Dinner meeting
NCP chief Sharad Pawar with daughter and party MP Supriya Sule leave after UPA's dinner meeting in New Delhi. (PTI Photo)
More Pictures
NEW DELHI: Equations in politics change faster than weather. At the previous dinner Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had hosted for his UPA colleagues, the pride of place at coalition chairperson Sonia Gandhi's table was reserved for the Karats â Prakash and Brinda.
Now that the Left had strayed away into the Opposition camp, those who gave Sonia company were women MPs from the UPA family â Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule, PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti, DMK chief Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi and Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit. The men at the table were Rahul Gandhi and LJP leader Ramvilas Paswan.
For his part, Singh, too, chose as fellow diners at his table those who mattered most at the moment â Mulayam Singh Yadav, Amar Singh, Sharad Pawar, IUML MP and minister E Ahamed, Shibu Soren, Pranab Mukherjee and P R Dasmunsi. Another interesting but subtle shift in focus was culinary.
At such dinners over the past four years when Left leaders were important guests â fish occupied a major place on the menu. This time round, though fish was served along with mutton and chicken, it seemed to have missed that predominant position.
<b>
Though no politics was discussed, the gestures said a lot. "The mood was upbeat and convivial," said an MP. Intended to be a show of solidarity, all the Congress chief ministers were present. Vilasrao Deshmukh of Maharashtra, Tarun Gogoi of Assam and Y S R Reddy of Andhra Pradesh were seen mingling with the MPs.</b>
Another man drawing attention was Rajya Sabha member and legal expert Ram Jethmalani. The PM and Sonia exchanged pleasantries with almost every guest. But the evening did not have exactly an easy air about it. One minister playing a key role in managing the numbers and chalking out the strategy for the debate beginning on Monday left much before the dinner was over. "I have some urgent work to do," he was heard saying.
Some Congress functionaries and young MPs regrouped and met elsewhere to do things assigned to them.