Of open secrets and derailment of agenda: What makes Venkaiah Naidu angry

The Rajya Sabha Chairman and leaders of various political parties hold a meeting everyday before the start of House proceedings. On Wednesday, Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu expressed his displeasure that details of such meetings were finding their way in media reports. Opposition members have also been upset that details of Naidu’s meetings with their leaders were being reported in the media. After the Rajya Sabha was adjourned on Tuesday when Opposition members protested comments by Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah on Assam’s National Register of Citizens issue, Naidu called Leader of the Opposition, Ghulam Nabi Azad, to his chamber and conveyed his unhappiness over the way a good discussion was derailed towards the end.

Mamata’s hospitality

Members of the 15th Finance Commission have had a chance to compare notes about the hospitality dished out to them by various state governments. They have not been disappointed overall but were genuinely surprised by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. When she invited the Commission to her office, she poured out tea for the members herself and stood around to ensure every officer was served with refreshments. It is not clear if a Bengal package is in the works at the Commission.

Durga’s China connection 

A Durga puja organising committee of a Kolkata suburb met the Chinese consul general in Kolkata, Ma Zhanwu, on Sunday to speak to him about their recent visit to the Yunnan province. The committee visited Cangyuan county, popularly known as the Bottle Gourd Town. The representatives from Salt Lake told the consul general that they planned to build a bottle gourd in the pandal complex for their Durga puja celebrations in 2018, which led them to visit the town. According to a statement by the Chinese consul general in Kolkata, the committee told him it had also invited Chinese artistes for cultural performances during the puja celebrations, and sought help to set up Chinese snack booths.