18 THE WEEK • JUNE 30, 2019
APERITIF
PARTY SNACKSFormer ministers who could not find a place in
Narendra Modi’s new cabinet are in a rush to find slots
for their personal staff. Two dozen leaders have been
calling up newly inducted ministers, asking them to
accommodate “one or two” of their people. Pralhad
Joshi, who is in charge of three ministries, has been
the most accommodative. He has taken in former
health minister J.P. Nadda’s personal secretary and
staff members of his mentor Ananth Kumar, who died
last year. Skill Development Minister Mahendra Nath
Pandey has helped the team of former telecom
minister Manoj Sinha, who suffered a surprise defeat
in Uttar Pradesh.
Some former ministers are holding on to their
teams, though, hoping that they would be back in the
government when Modi decides to expand his cabinet.GOOD SAMARITANS
CHOW-TIME, NOT SHOW-TIME
Union Minister Smriti Irani and a lady official of her
ministry walked in unannounced to the Saravana
Bhavan restaurant at Delhi’s Connaught Place at
lunchtime on June 18. There was no security person-
nel accompanying Irani, nor was there any special
arrangement made for her. She was ushered to a table
like other guests, and the two ladies were seen chat-
ting and laughing over plates of dahi-vada. Irani also
obliged a few young girls who wanted to take selfies
with her. Apparently, she goes there every three or
four weeks, and her visits are always casual and un-
announced—a happy contrast to the usual VIP visits
to public places.ILLUSTRATIONS JAIRAJ T.G.