A FRUGAL FLEETThe new Himanta Biswa Sarma-led Assam cabinet has decided that some belt tightening is in order, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s calls for austerity measures in the wake of the West Asia crisis. Key to the drive will be the downsizing of the convoys of the governor, chief minister, ministers and senior officials. However, even earlier, Sarma had been operating with a lean convoy, compared to many other chief ministers. Despite being in the Z-plus protection category, his convoy within Guwahati usually had only six vehicles, with no ambulance or jammer vehicle. For trips to districts, which usually entail a larger entourage, Sarma is said to be considering a “caravan-style” transport, which will allow all the officials to travel with him in one large vehicle. The idea, apparently, is to use the travel hours for administrative discussions, saving both time and resources.UP’S ‘OUTSTANDING MLA’ | COMMITTED BACHELOR Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath often takes light-hearted jibes at the bachelor status of his finance and parliamentary affairs minister, Suresh Khanna. At an Ujjwala Yojana event in Lucknow in March, the CM had joked that the septuagenarian Khanna had chosen not to marry so that no one could beat him with a rolling pin if a gas cylinder did not reach home in time. At a book launch in April, he quipped that UP had benefited as it allowed Khanna to devote himself fully to government work. All that dedicated effort has now earned Khanna a formal honour. On May 15, the 73-year-old was named Uttar Pradesh’s ‘outstanding MLA’. The award cited his legislative experience, knowledge of parliamentary procedure, contribution in the House, and overall conduct and performance. Incidentally, Khanna is a nine-time ‘undefeated’ legislator from Shahjahanpur.ROBE REVERSAL Ex-CM Mamata Banerjee’s turn as a lawyer at the Calcutta High Court on May 14—arguing a case linked to attacks on her Trinamool Congress partymen and their offices—has not gone down well with the Bar Council of India (BCI). The BCI has now demanded details of Mamata’s enrolment and practice status from its Bengal wing. In February, she had made history as the first sitting CM to argue in the Supreme Court, challenging the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bengal. Strangely, that had not ruffled feathers at the BCI. Guess loss of power also leads to loss of influence in other areas.TRADING PLACES With assembly polls less than a year away, Punjab’s politics is hotting up. After seven of its MPs jumped ship and joined the BJP last month, Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party has snared ex-Akali Dal minister Surjit Singh Rakhra. But Rakhra and his brother, the US-based Sikh billionaire Darshan Singh Dhaliwal, have also had a curious relationship with the BJP. Dhaliwal was stopped at the Delhi airport and turned back in 2021, allegedly for supporting the farmers’ protest over the farm laws. But after the repeal of the farm laws, both brothers were active in the BJP’s global Sikh outreach.PERFORMANCE ANXIETY Ministers in the Andhra Pradesh cabinet can breathe a little easier. CM N. Chandrababu Naidu has decided to spare them the public scrutiny and ridicule over their performance rankings, which were based on how quickly ministers cleared e-files. Media reports of the rankings had caused some discomfort within the coalition regime. Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party had not taken kindly to news of their chief’s falling scores. With the party going public with its misgivings, Naidu possibly felt that a bit more circumspection was needed.—with Ashish Misra, Anilesh S. Mahajan, Arkamoy Datta Majumdar and Prasad Nichenametla- EndsPublished By: Shyam BalasubramanianPublished On: May 22, 2026 19:09 IST
