Pawar-ful display

Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar’s party may have expressed chagrin at his not being designated number two in the Cabinet after Pranab Mukherjee’s departure. But his clout within the government was well in evidence last week when Food Minister K V Thomas called a press conference to discuss the government’s preparations for drought in parts of the country. Now, the poor chemistry between Thomas and Pawar is among the government’s worst-kept secrets. Yet Thomas called off the conference at the last minute — at Pawar’s request. No official reason was given but sources said Pawar wanted to address the media after holding a meeting with his colleagues in the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on drought, which he chairs.