14 THE WEEK • JULY 21, 2019
APERITIF
PARTY SNACKSILLUSTRATIONS JAIRAJ T.G.CRACKING VICE
Vice President Venkaiah Naidu is feeling a little lonely at the
top. A talkative man with a fondness for speaking in rhymes,
he says protocol issues are restraining his interactions these
days. So, to get over the problem, he commissioned a new
hall at his residence, for the benefit of those who want him
to release books or grace events. “That way, I get to see a lot
of people and talk to them. They also get a venue at no cost,”
quipped Naidu at a recent book launch.SETBACKS AND
SOJOURNS
As the Congress-JD(U) gov-
ernment hangs by a thread in
Karnataka, owners of back-
water resorts in Kerala are
preparing to make hay. In the
past, legislators of the ruling
coalition, who were being lured
by the opposition in Karnataka,
had found safe haven in such
resorts. The latest political crisis
has made the resort owners
so cheerful that they are busy
sprucing up their properties.
Some say “powerful persons” in
Bengaluru have already put out
feelers that validate their great
expectations.SOUND ECONOMICS,
GOOD CHEMISTRY
Chief Economic Adviser K.V.
Subramanian and Principal
Economic Adviser Sanjeev
Sanyal complement each other
very well. During a Q&A session
after he presented the Union
finance ministry’s economic
survey, Subramanian was asked
about a key term in the survey—
the investment-driven virtuous
cycle model. He explained
that high levels of investment
were needed to cut through
the economic morass, and that
it would start a virtuous cycle
of events that would end up
benefiting the economy. Sanyal,
possibly absorbing the mood of
the hall, stepped in and made
it plainer. We wanted export-
driven growth, he said, and
not a huge growth in domestic
consumption.