Sep
13
Interesting article from the New York Times on Governor Sarah Palin, titled “Once Hired, Palin Hired Friends and Lashed Foes“. It could as well have been titled, “Palin: A Profile in Personal and Political Vendetta“.
Reading which reminds me of what someone wrote about former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda. “When in New Delhi, Gowda would act as the Prime Minister of India from 6 AM to 6 PM. From 6 PM to 10 PM, he would act as if he were the Chief Minister of Karnataka. And from 10 PM till midnight, as if he were the Panchayat President of Hardhanahalli village!”
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Tags: Deve Gowda, Hardhanahalli, Karnataka, New Delhi, New York Times, Prime Minister, Sarah Palin
Matty on 
September 14th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
If I’m correct that last thing on Dharithara Gowda would be, “from 10 pm to midnight, he would be the DM of Hassan”
September 15th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
GD, you are right. I couldn’t remember the last part of that quote, so I kinda made it up. Any idea who said this?
September 19th, 2008 at 8:54 am
heres’ the link.
http://www.indianexpress.com/r.....t_id=80541
It was said by CM Ibrahim.
Verbatim
I cannot conclude this without sharing a story from the brief period of Gowda’s prime ministership. Pravin Jain, the Indian Express picture editor in Delhi and his team had figured early on that the greatest photo-op in that period was the prime minister found asleep in his public appearances. They would catch him sleeping at functions, felicitations, in cabinet meetings, even while meeting foreign dignitaries and, sure enough, the front page was theirs for the asking. So one day, inevitably, I got invited for tea by C.M. Ibrahim, then information and broadcasting minister, and Gowda’s closest confidant and hatchet-man (though now they are estranged).
“Arrey bhai, Shekharji,” he said, “aap apne photographer ko bolo na kyon us bechare ke peechey pade hain (why won’t you ask your photographers why they are stalking that poor fellow)?” What can I do, I asked. If the prime minister is found sleeping in his public appearances, it is front page news. Why don’t you reason with the prime minster instead to be more alert, I added. Ibrahim’s answer was as hapless as it was — it now turns out — prescient. “Arrey bhai, yeh aadmi saara din prime minister nahin hai (this man is not a full-time prime minister),” he said. “From nine am to seven pm, he is prime minister of India, from seven pm to midnight he is chief minister of Karnataka, from midnight to two am, he is district magistrate of Hasan, then at 4.30 am he has to get up for puja, then breakfast, and then back to being prime minister of India. So when can he sleep?”