Deep Throat

Bad Coffee Day

P. Chidambaram found himself in a bit of a soup when he lou­dly complained about the price of coffee (Rs 180 a cup) and tea (Rs 135) at Chennai airport바카라�s Café Coffee Day outlet. Trolls took him to task, saying he sho­uld have walked out of the arri­val lounge and had a cup of filter coffee for Rs 50 at a nea­rby kiosk. Others wondered how a former FM could be unaware of high prices in places where rents are sky high. A few local partymen were perplexed that PC didn바카라�t know about CCD prices even though one of his kin allegedly owned franchises in Malaysia바카라�and how much a local businessman had to pay to become a franchisee.

Off-Hand Slight

Mamata Banerjee바카라�s relationship with the Gandhis goes back many decades. As a first-time MP, she was made MoS for sports and youth affairs by then PM Rajiv Gandhi, who later exhorted voters during a 1989 poll rally in Calcutta to vote for her 바카라�even if you don바카라�t vote for the Congress바카라�. Later she broke away to float her own Trinamool Congress. Though her relations with Sonia Gandhi remained warm, it바카라�s not the same with Rahul바카라�perhaps due to his absence at Mamata바카라�s 2011 swearing-in ceremony, a landmark moment for her. And maybe it hurt more as Rahul didn바카라�t skip Omar Abd­ullah바카라�s swearing-in in Srinagar. Rahul바카라�s absence may have been just inertia or his office failing to inform him in time, but Didi seems to remember the 바카라�slight바카라�.

Past Forward

The ripostes come fast and fur­ious these days. One such was former PM H.D. Deve Gowda바카라�s reply to Rahul Gandhi바카라�s acc­usation that his party, JD(S), was the BJP바카라�s B team. Given his party바카라�s often tactful approach to its smaller rival, the Cong­ress president바카라�s barb seemed a tad out of character. But then, it followed a noisy Rajya Sabha poll last weekend, after which the Congress welco­med 10 JD(S) leaders into its fold. Reminding Rahul of  when Siddaramaiah바카라�then with JD(S)바카라�was deputy to a Congress CM 12 years ago, Gowda returned the serve, ­saying: wait until the polls to see who바카라�ll be the B team.

Overheard Laloo Yadav, now in Delhi for treatment, says an anti-BJP coalition must have the Congress at its core, though the party seems more likely to play second fiddle to regional parties.