The government is not ready to let go off Team Anna so easily. So during a meeting with the prime minister, a Congress leader asked what of such an incident had happened with a Congress leader? Obviously, they would have tried to bring it under the Prevention of Corruption Act. If the government-owned airlines gives a 75 per cent discount to those who have got a bravery award, the already bleeding airlines goes into more loss. If someone takes full-fare money from sponsors and then uses the discounted fare at the cost of making the airlines incur more losses, what is it, if not corruption? The government gives the discount for travel, not for the trust owned by a person. The minister said that instead of asking for full fare for air travel from different organisations. It would have been better if Kiran Bedi had charged them for lectures and then donated that amount to her trust or NGO. To support his argument, the minister referred to the corruption case slapped against A K Antuley and said that all that Antuley had done was said that in lieu of the work done, this much amount of donation should be made to a particular organisation. But back then, this was considered corruption and the minister was punished for the same.

Digvijay Singh is a tad indifferent about the UP elections. The reason being the Congress’ first list doesn’t have his son-in-law’s name, who had wanted to contest the elections from Ram Nagar. Since then Digvijay’s indifference to the elections has only increased. Mohan Prakash and Beni Prasad, on the other hand, have become more active than ever.

Congress’ corridors are still trying to figure out the answer to the moot question that how much more will Sandeep Dixit run the party to the ground? While talking about the Anna issue in the Parliament, he forgot to mention Rahul Gandhi and his speech from a day ago. In some matters, he is also called the de facto CM of Delhi because not only does he keep track of people’s wellness schemes but also plays a big part in giving out funds for the schemes for the NGOs. He came in contact with Arvind Kejrival and Kiran Bedi because of such schemes. It is also said that he also gets along with several anti-Sonia leaders in the BJP. The newest development is regarding the suitcase full of currency notes on the Bhopal Express. Dixit says that although the suitcase was in his AC first-class coupe, it belonged to his friend Mathur. The question now is that if Mathur is really such good friend with Dixit, then why was he traveling in the same train as Dixit’s attendant in the second AC compartment? Does this money have to do anything with the Commonwealth Games? Dixit has close ties with Bhopal, since he has his NGO there, and it is also believed that he has invested in property in and around Bhopal last year. So in a country where crores crave for a small piece of roti everyday, how does it matter if a public representative or his friend’s bag is discovered stuffed with money?

Rahul Gandhi is going back to the US on August 22, back to his ailing mother. Priyanka Gandhi will be back in India on August 23. Which means that from now on, one or the other Gandhi will be present in Delhi. It is being hoped that Sonia is better and that she will be back in India by August 30.

Karnataka’s Lokayukta Santosh Hegde really wants to be either the President or the Vice President of India. His father K S Hegde has also been the Lok Sabha speaker.

A small issue prevented Munde’s admission into the Congress, otherwise the party strategists were ready to give a big shock to the BJP in Maharashtra. Manik Rao and Prithviraj Chavan were leading the issue from the front and Digvijay Singh from the Congress was bargaining and brokering the deal. Vilasrao Deshmukh has been kept away from the entire plot although Deshmukh and Munde live adjacent to each other in the same building in Worli, Mumbai. Actually, Munde wanted a seat in the Cabinet the minute he joined the Congress, while Congress didn’t think it would be appropriate, and so we would have to wait awhile. And in any case, people from outside the party have always gained more. Take Beni Prasad Verma (who might get a new post in the Cabinet reshuffle) as also Sanjay Nirupam, Mohan Prakash, Madhusudan Mistry, for instance.

Ram Jethmalani doesn’t have a dearth of cases but of well wishes. He is into an overdrive to resurrect his political career, and he has managed to find a special place in the heart of not only Advani’s core group but Advani himself. Jethmalani’s house is holding a lot of pooja and religious ceremonies recently, all of which have to do with prayers for his long life.

On the brink of returning back to the BJP, Uma Bharti is back to her old ways. This Wednesday on the occasion of her guru Pejawar Swami’s 81st birthday, she organized a big programme in New Delhi’s vasant Kunj located ashram. She gifted him a bag of Rs 81 lakh, and Advani too was present there. Apart from him, Baba Ramdev, Ashok Singhal, Sadhvi Ritambhara and Govindacharya were also present there. Advani laid himself prostrate in sashtang pranam to Ramdev, and his wife Kamla and daughter Pratibha were also there. Uma especially invited them on the stage. Having lived 5-6 years outside, Uma has finally realized the importance of the stage.

The Congress also feels that Anna and company’s people are trying to meet their own ambitions. For instance, Kiran Bedi, who couldn’t become the capital’s police commissioner, is now eyeing the CVC’s post. Unable to become a part of the NAC, Arvind Kejriwal wants to have a say in the UPA, while Santosh Hegde wants to become the Lokpal, while Anna wants to see all of these disciples of his become something or the other.

At a rally by Sonia Gandhi in Tamil Nadu, P Chidambaram, G K Vasan, and Jayanthi Natarajan were supposed to come but at the last minute, none of them could. Actually, all three of them wanted to show their displeasure to Sonia Gandhi.