Dilli Gupshup: What was Modi thinking?

The Bharatiya Janata Party meeting on the media had the self-styled Pradhan Mantri-in-waiting teaching BJP spokespersons the finer points of briefing journalists, television appearances, talking points etc.

After all, before he moved to Gandhinagar way back in 2001, Narendra Modi was the news television channels's best friend, the go-to-talking-head.

A poster with Modi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani at the session drew comment among some participants.

Some BJP spokespersons were seen pointing out the order of faces on the poster -- Modi followed by Vajpayee and then Advani.

Earlier, photographs of national and local leaders were inserted between Vajpayee and Advani on BJP posters.

The order changeth...

Delhi Gupshup...

Narendra Modi may have set his eyes on Delhi, but Delhi continues to be the I-so-badly-want-to-be PM's weakest link.

The assembly election in the national capital is due in three months, but the BJP has not yet got its act together.

Now, there is a possibility that Chief Minister Sheila Dixit may save her turf, ironically due to her bitter adversary Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party.

The Modi camp would like Delhi BJP chief Vijay Goel -- who wants the party to project L K Advani as its prime ministerial nominee -- to be replaced by Harsh Vardhan as other possibilities -- like projecting Kiran Bedi and Ravi Shankar Prasad as the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate for Delhi -- have receded.

But Goel's supporters point out former Delhi health minister Harsh Vardhan’s rather lack-lustre performance as the BJP chief for three consecutive terms when Dixit gained control over the capital.

Delhi Gupshup...

Oscar Fernandes is unlike many Cabinet ministers loathe to share their portfolios with their ministers of state.

Both Sarvey Sathyanarayana and Dr Tushar A Chaudhary salute Oscar, their senior minister at the ministry for road transport and highways.

The charming Fernandes -- a trained dancer -- has distributed the bulk of his work to his junior ministers, empowering both Sathyanarayana and Chaudhary.

This hasn't gone down well with the babus at Transport Bhavan who ignored the ministers of state during the C P Joshi and Kamal Nath eras at the ministry.

These high-and-mighty babus are now compelled to report to the MoS-es and take orders from them.

Delhi Gupshup...

Congressmen are intrigued why Ambika Soni quit her high-profile position as chairman of Parliament's standing committee on human resource development.

Soni cited her involvement with Congress organisational affairs as the reason for her resignation.

After all, she is the general secretary in Congress President Sonia Gandhi's office.

Party insiders though attribute her decision to her differences with Oscar Fernandes, who headed the committee earlier.

Delhi Gupshup...

RRam Vilas Paswan, who adores publicity, was in confession mode in the Rajya Sabha recently.

Paswan demanded Rs 1 crore as compensation for soldiers martyred at the Line of Control.

The former Union minister felt if sportspersons could get Rs 1 crore as prizes for their performances, why could not soldiers, who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the country, be honoured similarly?

Then, Paswan remarked candidly, "I had made this demand before, but it was not published in the media, therefore I am reiterating it." :))