Sudipta Sen of the Saradha group is giving sleepless nights not just to investigators, investors and agents but also to his namesakes. Recently, a business analytics software and services company had to issue a press release to point out that their Regional Director (South-East Asia), CEO & MD’s picture was being erroneously used by some sections of the media as the Saradha scam accused. The poor fellow’s fault was that his name was Sudipta K. Sen. Earlier, another Sudipto Sen, whose father had been accused of running a similar money collection scam in the early ’80s, had to speak to the press to clarify that he was not involved in the Saradha scam and had no links with the company.

Corporate Congress?

There are no hangers-on when you meet the Karnataka Congress President in the run-up to the state elections. In fact, if you fix up an appointment, almost every day till the scheduled meeting, you are sent reminders. The place you get to meet him is neither the president’s residence nor his office, but at a plush five-star hotel. You find everything organised, just like how well-oiled PR machinery does it when you meet a CEO. Once the interview is done, you are subtly asked when the interview will appear and if it takes time to appear, you are not bugged with calls. It is almost as if the party is run like a corporate house. If only they run the state as efficiently in case they come to power.

Yes he can, or can he?

The future of India’s secularism now depends on the actions of BJP patriarch L.K. Advani, quipped a Left leader, while interacting with some journalists. He said the Congress may not be able to block Narendra Modi from emerging as the Prime Ministerial candidate of the BJP. “Only Advani will be able to do that,” he said, citing media reports that said Advani is upset with his party’s unilateral projection of Modi as its next leader.

The Left leader said Modi is popular only among BJP sympathisers and it is the “corporate media” that is behind building ‘Brand Modi.’

Poor communications

The Department of Telecom has been at the receiving end ever since the 2G spectrum scam got exposed. From the CAG to the Supreme Court and recently the JPC, all have pulled up the department for faulty processes and flawed decision making. But all that criticism is like water off a duck’s back. Now the DoT is in the dock for sending proposal notes to the Empowered Group of Ministers just a few hours prior to the meeting, giving no time for the ministers to go through the document.

The DoT's modus operandi has irked some of the Ministers who have complained to the Cabinet Secretariat. After the ministers complained, it hauled up the DoT saying that the practice of sending notes at the last moment was contrary to set procedures. DoT has also been told to contact the Ministry of Finance for scheduling the EGoM meetings only after the note has been circulated well in advance.

And they wanted to keep it quiet

Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma was scheduled to meet Finance Minister P. Chidambaram last week to persuade him not to change the conditions under which a foreign investor is said to ‘control’ an Indian company. Now, this is one discussion that Sharma wanted to do quietly away from media glare as any indication that the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion was trying to help foreign investors through loosely defined rules could be counter-productive.

So, when some newspapers carried stories about the meeting on the day it was to take place, the DIPP was not happy. It’s learnt that the DIPP sent an angry missive to the Finance Ministry saying that such “media leaks” should be checked. It was, however, quite surprising when the meeting got cancelled with no indication of a later date when it could happen. Perhaps, it is the Government’s way to dodge the media. Or perhaps the Finance Minister’s way to show the DIPP who is in ‘control’.

Nervous Nakao

New Asian Development Bank President Takehiko Nakao was as candid as he could get at the 46th Annual Meeting of the bank held at Greater Noida. He opened his remarks at a panel discussion by announcing that he was very nervous. Not because his former boss was part of the panel. Nakao said he was nervous because his wife was sitting in the banquet hall as part of the audience. This would be the first time she would hear him talk as ADB President at an official event, Nakao said, sending those assembled into peals of laughter.

It was not immediately known whether his wife gave him 10 out of 10 or not, but one thing was clear: it does not matter if you make a mark on the audience, if your wife thinks it’s not great, your effort will have no meaning.

Prabhu on power

Suresh Prabhu, former Union Power Minister, had some interesting comments to make about the power sector in the country. He said India is probably the only country which continues to make losses on a commodity which is in such a great demand and there is a huge shortage.

Isn’t it strange that everybody in the power ecosystem seems to be losing out, he asked.

“The producers, bankers, State electricity boards and even consumers all are at the receiving end. Consumers do not get power even if they pay money, companies willing to generate power do not get fuel, and industries willing to pay more face power holidays. There is something grossly wrong in the way we tackle the sector,” he said.

You do, you’re damned

T.S. Vijayan, who took over as the new Chairman of the IRDA a couple of months ago, was caught in a quandary at his maiden public conference. He was to speak on recommendations of the Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission at an event in Hyderabad recently. “If I say that the recommendations are good, I would cease to be chairman of IRDA as the panel recommended its merger with some other regulators. How do I support it?” Vijayan quipped. But he made his veiled opposition to the views by suggesting that he would “oppose them from a customer point of view” and there was a need for a debate on the issue!

Tailpiece

BPL bribe?

On Railway Minister Bansal's nephew getting arrested while allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 90 lakh, as a part payment for promotion to a Railway Board Member Post, here’s a cheeky comment doing the rounds: Given the large-scale graft scandals plaguing the Government, Rs 90 lakh is almost like a BPL amount on the bribery index!

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