A few months back, a senior BJP leader also an MP, who has been responsible for the wins and losses of a few States, more wins actually, was distraught about the state of affairs in his party. Discussing informally with this columnist about it, he pointed out that one of the major challenges faced by the party was the question of leadership. A fact, he stressed, everyone and his aunt knew about. But sadly, he said, the two people who need to know about it just refuse to admit it. One does not need to be a very canny observer of politics to know whom he was referring to!

When the UPA Government set up the Justice Rajinder Sachar Committee, which was known as the Prime Minister’s High Level Committee for preparation of Report on Social, Economic and Educational Status of the Muslim Community of India, it raised the hackles of many people in this country, both political and non-political.

“Deflated and disappointed, I wondered how much I was to blame for the debacle: whether we had lost the election over health care; whether I had gambled on the country’s acceptance of my active role and lost. And I struggled to understand how I had become such a lightening rod for people’s anger. Bill was miserable, and it was painful to watch someone I loved so much hurting so deeply” — Hillary Rodham Clinton.

On Friday evening, those watching the CNN-IBN were witness to a spectacle, which is not so often witnessed. An angry and obviously upset veteran advocate, Ram Jethmalani was spewing vitriol against the interviewer and the journalistic community in general. The interviewer/anchor’s angst was why the “angry old man” had decided to take up the case on behalf of Manu Sharma, the alleged killer of the lissome late model, Jessica Lal.