Poster war

While the rest of India was splitting hairs over what the Budget could throw up, a poster campaign over Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi's leave was unfolding in Allahabad last week. Two indignant Congress party functionaries put up a poster saying, "When Rahul goes on leave, Priyanka must be made officiating vice-president." A former Congressman then went ahead and announced a cash prize for the person who "found" Rahul Gandhi. Incidentally, the two members who were asking Priyanka to step in had been expelled from the party in an earlier instance when they had put up a poster mentioning Sonia Gandhi's illness and demanded - even then - that the party's stewardship be handed over to Priyanka. Their expulsion was later revoked.