Indira Gandhi re-employs over half a dozen retired civil servants in various capacities

Gunning For Urs

Although elections to the Karnataka Assembly are not due for another two years, a mid-term poll later this year cannot be ruled out. Chief Minister R. Gundu Rao is determined to wreck the career of his erstwhile mentor and political guru, Devraj Urs. In the flush of the Dharwar by-election victory, he engineered enough defections from the Congress (U) into the Congress (I) to deprive former chief minister Urs of his position as leader of the Opposition in the Assembly and all the perks that it entails.Not content with that, Gundu Rao has been taunting Urs to resign his Assembly seat, which he won before the parting of ways with Mrs Indira Gandhi, and seek re-election. With Urs showing no signs of obliging his former chela, Gundu Rao is toying with the idea of dissolving the Assembly and calling a mid-term poll. The only fly in the ointment is that there is no guarantee that Mrs Gandhi would want Gundu Rao to continue as leader of the new Assembly - it is not doing the image of the party any good to have scandals involving his Cabinet colleagues hitting the headlines regularly.

Coup In Academe

The ruling Congress(I) party in Orissa has started spreading their influence in universities systematically in a bid to foist their own sympathisers in high posts. The latest victim was N.K. Sahu, vice-chancellor of Sambalpur University and noted historian who brought glory to the university and the state by his ceaseless effort to locate Lanka of Ramayana age. According to informed sources Sahu was allegedly ousted from his post in what intellectuals in the state describe as a "midnight" coup in mid-May without any fuss. The decision to oust Sahu was taken by a group of pro-Congress (I) teachers at a meeting presided over by Supply Minister Upendra Dixit. In an action reportedly backed by the state Government Sahu was stripped of his powers, keys were "snatched" from him and he was asked to hand over charge to an administrator at midnight.

The coup has thrown a shock wave among the majority of teachers and students but its fallout will be felt only when the university reopens after the summer recess.

Return Of The Old Guard

Prime Minister Indira Gandhi seems to feel that retired civil servants are better advisers than serving ones. Since her triumphant return to power, she has re-employed over half a dozen of them in various capacities. Recently, she has sought the services of B.D. Pandey, her cabinet secretary till 1977, as chairman of the committee to look after the functioning of the Railway Ministry. According to government rules, a senior retired officer, if called back to serve the Government is entitled to draw the same salary and perks he was drawing at the time of retirement. Other officials who are now serving the Government in various capacities are B.B. Vohra, former petroleum secretary, K.R. Puri, former Reserve Bank governor, and S.M. Aggarwal, former communications secretary. Aggarwal, being the executive president of Hindustan Times is not entitled to any government remuneration. He is a member of the committee which has been appointed to review the functioning of the telecommunication network in the country.

Solanki Wins A Round

For Gujarat Chief Minister Madhavsinh Solanki it was only a small victory. Ratubhai Adani, a senior Congress (I) leader and detractor of the ministry was called to Delhi last fortnight following an air-dash to the capital by Solanki, and told in no uncertain terms that he should confine his activities to organisational and social matters. A constant critic of Solanki, Adani has spent the past year trying to build up a band of dissatisfied Congressmen who will back him up.