In a city of political weathercocks, the comfort level of the UPA government became evident in two seemingly unrelated incidents. But both have a common theme.
This past week Amitabh Bachchan visited New Delhi to receive his national award for best actor. A day earlier, he attended a high-profile dinner at corporate lobbyist Suhel Seth’s residence. For the first time in 20 years, there was no Amar Singh by Bachchan’s side.
It was the end of a long chapter of a family friendship. In the early 1990s, Amar Singh had taken Bachchan door-to-door in Lutyens’ Delhi, asking for relief in his income tax and other cases, winning reprieve from a spate of government agencies.
This was after Bachchan had fallen out with the Gandhi. Today, with Amar Singh being shown the door, is a Bachchan-Gandhi reconciliation in the offing? No one is sure as the Gandhis are still uncomfortable with Bachchan’s wife Jaya.
Also looking for reconciliation is Anil Agarwal of the Vedanta group. His flagship ventures in Orissa, the takeover of Cairn India’s oil operations in Rajasthan and expansion of steel plant have been blocked by the UPA government.
His apparent proximity to home minister P. Chidambaram - who once served as a board member on one of Vedanta’s companies and appeared as a counsel - has suffered heavily. In short, Agarwal is desperate to do a deal with the Congress and to win friends in New Delhi. But has drawn a blank so far.
Agrawal is knocking at the doors of Lord Krishna to salvage his business empire.
He is organising a three-day Gita recitation in Delhi’s Kamani auditorium. Invitations have been sent to a range of politicians, civil servants, senior editors and lobbyists. The turnout will offer a clue to Vedanta’s future.
