This is the first time that the Speaker and the Opposition leader are at loggerheads over the Lok Sabha’s Secretary General. The BJP has its own questions and doubts, and is shocked at the active participation of India’s biggest corporate family on the appointment of the secretary general. Every question is important, be is a regular one or one asked during the question hour; the questions may be sponsored but what about the intentions? And it is during such differences that the real face of our democracy comes to light.

The investigations of Shaila Masood’s murder may have been handed over to the CBI, but when the list of close friends of this RTI activist was sifted, several interesting facts came to light. Among them include the names of two prominent Cabinet ministers of Manmohan government, a Congress secretary who is closest to Rahul Gandhi, former vice chancellor of Jamia, a minister of Madhya Pradesh government, an Assembly member, a close relative of the chief minister, the owners of two big newspaper groups, the chairman of a tourism corporation and three IAS and two IPS officials. For now only Tarun Vijay’s name has come out in the open, and that too because as the president of the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Trust, Tarun had given the responsibility of making a film of late Mukherjee to Shaila. They became close during the process. She met Kamalnath and Jairam Ramesh during her “Project Tiger” movement. She was also in-charge of the Anna campaign in Madhya Pradesh. Prima facie, the investigation agencies suspect that the mining lobby and a prominent police officer (IPS) may have a hand behind her murder. Should we understand from this that “Wo shokh intequam ka khangar nahi raha/ shishagaron ke sheher mein pathhar nahi raha”.

The son of the most important minister in Manmohan Singh’s government works for the biggest corporate house of India takes a morning flight to Chandigarh and finishes his work by evening. The industrialist whose application he had presented to Chief Minister Huda gets a license. And the entire proceeding is seen through by an IAS Officer from the 1982 batch, who is said to be close to the chief minister nowadays. This same officer played a big role in granting land to Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. The officer himself lives in Chandigarh, but his family lives in the guest house of the state irrigation department. His children study in a school in Delhi, so the capital doesn’t seem to be too far off to him.

The all-powerful in Congress Ahmed Patel has got a clean chit from the Delhi Police in the “cash for vote” scam. The sources reveal that when Patel was trying to save the government following the nuclear deal and had to meet some Parliamentarians at the Delhi-based Le Meridian hotel, he spoke to an important official in an intelligence agency and went back without reaching the hotel. But he still managed to get what he wanted. He has also got a clean chit in the matter that he never ever spoke to Suhel Hindustani. A miffed Amar Singh is now pointing out who is the biggest beneficiary of the whole affair. Why is there no action taken against him? Just one question: “Nadir tu kyon sambhal ke kadam rakhta hai yahan/ Zauke bisaal kyat ere andar nahi raha?”

The Congress Rajmata is not keeping well, the Congress itself is on shaky ground, a few lawyer-politicians are steering the party, so a growing directionless party and government is urging the core group of Sonia confidantes to have the coronation of the prince in order to give the party a new lease of life. The auspicious time for the same may be October, and just before that Dr Manmohan Singh may also officially become unwell and spell out his inability to take care of his office. But the biggest hurdle in the entire process is coming from Sharad Pawar and old Karunanidhi, who are unsure about taking orders from a young Rahul. But this is the Congress readers, there is a remedy for every problem, the antidote is here itself, and this message has been given to Pawar and Karunanidhi. Mamata didi already agrees to it.