<i>Batata wadas</i> and land Bill

Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh says he finds the standing committee report on land Bill more or less acceptable but denies having any discussion with panel chairperson Sumitra Mahajan. “I have met her just twice, once over tea and poha and later over batata wadas. All we spoke of was about Ahilya Bai Holkar, the large population of Malayalis in Indore and how most school teachers there are Malayalis,” he says. Which is to say that they spoke on all things except land. He hails the report as acceptable and shrugs away the fact that Mahajan belongs to the Opposition, saying all are friends. It’s another matter that he has rejected the key recommendations which would hurt the private sector, indicating the size of his ring of friendship.