Prime Minister's wife organises ladies day out

For Gursharan Kaur, wife of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, life is not all about cutting ribbons and attending ceremonies of newborn babies. She also has to see to it that the wives of her husband's council of ministers are not left out of the social map.

And this is precisely why she will be hosting a party for the better halves of Singh's council of ministers.

The wives of Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and Deputy Speaker C S Atwal, Rajya Sabha Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and Deputy Chairman Rehman Khan as well as wife of Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia are among the invited guests who will break bread with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

The lunch is to be held on December 20, on the lawns of 7, Race Course Road, and men will be strictly kept out of the meet.

According to sources in the Prime Minister's Office, the idea struck Gursharan Kaur after recently attending the wedding of a politician's son in the capital.

"She felt that she did not really know anything about the wives of her husban''s Cabinet colleagues and since the Prime Minister had already hosted a dinner for the council of ministers, it seemed only appropriate to invite the wives of ministers," said an aide attached to Gursharan Kaur.

In fact, to make sure that there are no glitches, her staff would be at the entrance and ask for names of all the ladies so that Gursharan Kaur knows who she is talking to. "It is also an effort to bring back the neglected social role of the Prime Minister's wife," said the aide.

It is not uncommon for the Prime Ministers to be in attendance without their spouses. PV Narasimha Rao, for instance, was a widower, while HD Deve Gowda's wife preferred to stay in Bangalore. Atal Bihari Vajpayee of course was a bachelor.

Not that Singh's Cabinet colleagues are taking things lying down. According to one aide, a Cabinet minister did say that Gursharan Kaur was being selective in her hospitality, "all in jest," the aide was quick to add.

Kaur has been evolving her own style, of late, combining homespun wisdom and on-the- job experience. She is reputed with going to the market without security to buy vegetables and reportedly cooks the Prime Minister's meals in the 7 Race Course road kitchen.

It will be interesting to see what Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's plans are for that day. Will he brave it out or plead work and excuse himself.