Flattery by the book

Guess what Union Food Minister K V Thomas gave Pope Francis at a recent meeting with him? Thomas, who was part of a delegation to the Vatican when John Paul II and John XXIII were canonised early this week, met the Pope along with members of an Indian delegation seeking his blessings. Now, the minister is prone to handing over a copy of his hagiography on Sonia Gandhi entitled Sonia: The Beloved of the Masses to any dignitary he meets. He did not omit the Pope from this distinction either. But this was not enough for Thomas; he even tried to pressure his officials to get a photo of him handing over the book published.