Netaji Mulayam Singh Yadav’s second son Pratik Yadav’s marriage is being held in Safai today. Pratik is to marry Arvind Singh Bist’s daughter Aparna. Both are old friends. But Netaji has clearly told both Pratik and Aparna that they shouldn’t nurse any political ambitions because he has decided that Akshilesh will succeed the political empire. But he is happy with the alliance and is throwing a grand reception on December 7 in Lucknow.

There is a lot of unrest inside the Congress regarding Anand Sharma. Actually it is Anand Sharma who gave the party feedback that FDI in retail space was something even the BJP-ruled states didn’t have a problem with FDI. Sharma had been given the responsibility to speak to the chief ministers of BJP-ruled states. Now even the Modi government has registered its opposition with the Central government regarding the move. Modi says that he had told Anand Sharma to come up with a cooperative chain similar to that of Amul and that there was no question of agreeing to FDI in retail. The chief minister of Himachal Pradesh is speaking in the same vein – which means its face-off time between Anand Sharma and BJP-government states.

Niira Radia’s Vaishnavi Communications may well have formally shut shop, but it is heard that the company has been bought over by Mukesh Ambani. Most of those working with Vaishnavi have gone to work for Mukesh. Several big journalists from electronic media, who have until now been obliged by the company are now ready to please Mukesh Ambani, too.

Advani’s favourite Sudheendra Kulkarni has already been released from jail in connection with the cash for vote scam. Now it is time for him to shake off his heavy political mantle, too. While Kulkarni hails from the Maharashtra-Karnataka border, his relations with Maharashtra run deeper. His doctor wife and family still live in Mumbai. So Kulkarni is pretty excited that the BJP has decided to bring him to Rajya Sabha, that too from Maharashtra. Kulkarni owes it to both Gadkari and Advani.

The list may already have opened up a Pandora’s box of allegations and counter allegations, but the government is shying away from making public the names of those on the list. Actually, it doesn’t matter what the reason is but the excuses the government is giving about it are nothing short of naïve. The Indian government says that there is double taxation treaty between India and France, and so we can’t make the names of the people public. What no one can understand is what does this double taxation has to do with the names of Indians who have accounts in Swiss banks. For, this money hasn’t been earned by working or doing business in France and neither does any of the 792 Indian have any business dealings with France. This money belongs to India, which is languishing in foreign banks to evade taxation. The Indian government has argued that under double taxation treats only those names can be made public who will have cases against them. Only the Manmohan Singh government knows why it is so interested in protecting these people.

The BJP high command is shocked by Vasundhara’s silence on Madrena issue. They believe that of the 250 ticket seekers, at least 60 are from outside. Rita explains without stating it that Mohan Prakash has played a big role in getting these outsiders Congress tickets. Interestingly, he himself is an outsider in the party.

Remember how tow Assembly members filed a petition against Jagan in the high court and asked for a CBI enquiry against him about various matters, and the court gave the permission for a CBI enquiry? In the same way, later YSR Reddy’s wife and son Jagan had filed a petition against Chandrababu Naidu at the Andhra Pradesh High Court, and it has passed an order. The court has given a green signal to an enquiry against Chandrababu by the CBI, Income Tax and the ED. Which means the Congress has got a big matter to cash on. With this Chandababu has joined the list of other Opposition leaders such as Mayavati, Mulayam, Badal, Chautala, Jayalalithaa, Lalu, Jagan, Madhu Kauda who are under a CBI investigation.

The BJP’s stance during the Parliament’s session could be a strict one. Sushma Swaraj will herself take on the responsibility of speaking on the Lokpal Bill. If Advani does not speak about the black money, Varun Gandhi may do it as the first speaker on the issue. Yashwant Sinha will speak about the rising cost of living. The BJP may also raise questions on the FDI scam. The party may also take a tough stand on the Land Bill. Apart from that, BJP’s youth leader Varun may also speak about the recent killings of RTI activists.

Since Sonia could not go for the rally in Uttarakhand, her speech was read out in the state by Congress leader Vijay Bahuguna. This speech was an attack on Team Anna and Anna himself had been addressed in stern terms. Someone should ask that if a reader had to be chosen for the aggressive speech against corruption, why Bahuguna and no one else? Because people have still not forgotten that Bahuguna was a judge in the Bombay High Court and the reasons because of which he had to resign.

The government is still keeping a keen eye on Team Anna. The group of Congressmen who Team Anna has attacked is doing everything in its capacity to bring out skeletons from its closet. The Congress ministers have unleashed all its investigative agencies on Team Anna. The newest casualty Kiran Bedi was the result of an attack from a Congress leader. The new issue deals with Kiran Bedi’s NGO. At a gathering, this leader told a news channel that Kiran Bedi and her family draws fat salaries from the NGO, and that includes her daughter. The minister told the journalist that Kiran Bedi alone draws a salary of Rs 1,70,000 a month. He also said that Bedi’s NGO was not transparent about its sources of income and so the investigative agencies may look into that, too. Which means the tirade on Team Anna continues.