The Hindu : New Delhi News : New Year bashes or show of strength?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 11, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

New Year bashes or show of strength?

Sujay Mehdudia

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, DPCC president Ram Babu Sharma with two newly-elected MPs Janardhan Diwedi (left) and Jai Prakash Agarwal, at a function in New Delhi on Tuesday. -- Photo: R ajeev Bhatt

NEW DELHI: The advent of 2006 has brought with it New Year bashes by political parties and individuals providing fertile ground for fresh political gossip and a possible head count to outclass each other. The recent changes in the AICC and the unopposed election of three Congress candidates to the Rajya Sabha from Delhi provided an excuse for the rival camps in the Congress to show their might.

It all began with the luncheon by Delhi Assembly Speaker Chaudhary Prem Singh this past Friday in honour of the newly-elected Rajya Sabha members, J.P. Aggarwal, Janardhan Diwedi and Karan Singh. Speculation was rife about who all would turn up and as it happened, the party saw the presence of a number of MLAs and AICC leaders including Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and DPCC president Ram Babu Sharma. However, two members of the Chief Minister's Cabinet -- Raj Kumar Chauhan and Arvinder Singh Lovely -- were missing. Both were in Dubai, but Mr. Lovely for an official function and Mr. Chauhan on a private visit.

On Saturday, Outer Delhi Member of Parliament Sajjan Kumar threw his annual lavish "desi lassi, makki ki roti and saag" party sans any political personality. On Monday Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit hosted a luncheon for mediapersons, senior officials and her Cabinet colleagues along with some MLAs at her residence. Interestingly, a very limited number of Congress legislators were invited to the party that saw the presence of most members of the BJP legislature group in the Delhi Assembly. Ms. Dikshit moved around and mingled with her guests and personally catered to almost all individuals. Her body language and assertions on various issues reflected a new confidence she had acquired in recent weeks. She openly gave "bytes" to the "byte savvy" electronic media and discussed issues ranging from Commonwealth Games, Statehood to illegal constructions and making Delhi a clean city.

Missing from the party were the DPCC president and even Members of Parliament, some of whom had been invited for the same event last year.

On Tuesday it was the turn of Mr. Ram Babu Sharma to felicitate the new Rajya Sabha members and show his strength. Not only did a majority of the sitting MPs turned up for the get-together organised at the DPCC office at Talkatora Road, but a large number of MLAs also marked their presence at the event. Prominent among those present included AICC treasurer Motilal Vora, Rajiv Shukla, Mr. Diwedi, R.K. Anand, R.K. Dhawan, sitting MPs Ajay Maken, Jagdish Tytler, Sajjan Kumar and AICC secretary Pervez Hashmi. The food was lavish but unlike Ms. Dikshit's party that was strictly a limited affair, a large number of unwanted guests gate-crashed to Mr. Sharma's party to mark their presence with senior leaders of Delhi as well as AICC. "With the new team of office-bearers likely to be announced shortly, everyone wants to be seen on the right side of those who matter. The rush at the party indicates the kind of expectations that people have from the new set-up," summed up a senior leader.

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