Kanimozhi as IT minister?
Would the first official task handled by Pratibha Patil, after she assumes the office of the President, be administering the oath of office to a woman minister being inducted into the Union Cabinet?
The political grapevine keeping track of Tamil Nadu politics would like one to believe so.
The rumour doing the rounds is that DMK chief M Karunanidhi’s daughter, newly-elected Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi, would be made a Union Minister on July 25, immediately after Patil becomes the President unless her rival B S Shekhawat can conjure up some impossible magic, which will mean that the first woman President of the country would have the pleasure of administering oath to another woman as her first official responsibility.
The loose ends regarding Kanimozhi’s induction have been tied up, asserts the Tamil grapevine, claiming that Karunanidhi’s son M K Stalin, during his recent visit to the capital, had a hush-hush meeting with United Progressive liiance A chairperson Sonia Gandhi on the issue.
In fact, it is even being claimed that Kanimozhi will get the IT & Communication portfolio, and A Raja will go back to the Environment ministry.
So, let’s wait and watch, till July 25, to find out if the poet-politician will handle matters related to technology and business in the IT & Communication industry.
--Utpal Borpujari 

UNPA’s assurance
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi, who is acting as UPA presidential nominee Pratibha Patil’s chief spokesman and campaign manager, might be stepping up his offensive against rival NDA nominee Bhairon Singh Shekhawat as the polling day draws closer. But make no mistake, it is not no sign of any sense of panic either on his part either personally or the UPA camp.
Dasmushi is only playing the usual campaign rules to perfection: offense is the best form of defence, in this case defending Pratibha the candidate.
He, however, has no doubts about Pratibha’s victory. The reason behind the confidence is not really because the United Progressive Alliance, its Left allies and the BSP account for a clear majority in the Presidential Electoral College. That majority might not be foolproof assurance of the victory when there is no much talk in the air about the conscience vote.
The fact is that he has a secret assurance from the newly born United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA), obtained three weeks ago, that the front would “abstain” from voting and not back Shekhawat.
In one of his “desperate” back-channel contacts with former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, probably around June 22, the latter had reassured him that  United National Progressive Alliance  would eventually take a decision to abstain in the Presidential poll, and not back Shekhawat.
--K Subramanya