New Delhi, May 28
Long after the Ministry of Health began its search for the “perfect” anti-tobacco ambassador to draw the attention of youth away from tobacco products (an average Indian starts tobacco use at 17.8 years), it finally signed up singer Shaan last fortnight.

This, after top icons including Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar excused themselves from the coveted but challenging assignment, which would have required the ambassador himself to not just project an anti-tobacco image but say no to tobacco products in his own practice.

Days before World Tobacco Day (May 31), top sources in the Health Ministry today admitted to The Tribune that they had a tough time finding an ambassador against tobacco until Shaan obliged.

“We wrote to Aamir Khan requesting him to do the job for us but he expressed his inability citing the ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ ad campaign he was doing at that time for the Commonwealth Games. We later found him smoking on screen in ‘Dhobi Ghaat’, his own production,” ministry officials said.

Actor Amitabh Bachchan was also approached by the government given his mass appeal across segments, but he excused himself saying he was engaged with the Gujarat tourism advertisement campaign.

Similar was the response of cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, who reportedly kept away from the offer, given his own habit of occasional smoking.

“We were in touch with prospective ambassadors through our civil society partners in Mumbai, especially the Salaam Bombay Trust, which helped us sign Shaan. He has even composed a song to aid the anti-tobacco awareness movement,” ministry sources said, adding that they were deeply concerned about acclaimed actors with mass appeal - like Shah Rukh Khan - smoking on screen and in public.

Another major worry of the government is the repeated projection of women smokers in Hindi films. Recently, the ministry took exception to Aishwarya Rai smoking in ‘Guzaarish’. “The film would have been as good without the smoking act. Likewise, we were perturbed to see actress Deepika Padukone smoking in ‘Dum Maro Dum’. This has become a routine and its implications for our hero-worshipping public can be dangerous,” officials said.

Alarmed by the trend, the Health Ministry is in the process of notifying the much-awaited “smoke-free movie” rules under the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act which bar onscreen smoking.

The rules had been delayed following opposition from the film lobby citing its freedom of expression. “We had sought an A-certificate for films with smoking scenes, but we have now toned down that request and agreed to have warning scrolls every time a film has a smoking scene,” government sources said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday kept the suspense alive on the much-awaited reshuffle of the Union Cabinet. "When I go back home I will apply my mind," Manmohan Singh told reporters when asked about the next Cabinet re-shuffle.

He was interacting with journalists while returning from a tour of Ethiopia and Tanzania.

When pressed further, the Prime Minister said he would not like to discuss matters like Cabinet reshuffle at a press conference.

"As far as Cabinet reshuffle is concerned, I don't like to discuss this matter in a press conference," he said.

After a minor re-shuffle of the Union Cabinet in January, the Prime Minister had said he would carry out a "more expansive exercise" after the Budget Session of Parliament.

In the January reshuffle, Singh did not drop any of the ministers but changed portfolios of several of them in order to give a fresh look to his government facing a series of scams.

On corruption, the Prime Minister said the government was sincere in its efforts to curb corruption. He, however, admitted that there have been some "aberrations".

He said the government will support new ideas that will help clean Indian politics of the scourge of corruption. — PTI

Hyderabad, May 28
The simmering succession battle in the First Family of the Telugu Desam Party came to the fore today when party chief N Chandrababu Naidu’s brother-in-law N Harikrishna walked out of the party’s annual conclave in a huff.

The dramatic development followed a rift over posters at the meeting venue projecting Naidu’s industrialist-son N Lokesh as the future leader. According to party sources, Harikrishna, son of the TDP founder and Telugu matinee idol late NT Rama Rao, was peeved over the manner in which Naidu was promoting his son as the successor.

A large number of banners carrying pictures of Lokesh and his cut-outs dotted the route leading to the venue of “Mahanadu”, the party’s annual general meeting, at Gandipet on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

Harikrishna, a Rajya Sabha member who is pitching for his actor-son “Junior NTR” to take over the reins of the party, created a ruckus at the meeting, refused to address the gathering and left the venue in a huff.

Also a member of the party’s politburo, Harikrishna shouted at senior leader Y Ramakrishnudu, who went up to him and invited him to address party workers. Making angry gesticulations, the maverick leader left the dais and was later seen confabulating with his confidants.

Significantly, Junior NTR, the 28-year-old filmstar who is the family’s chosen political successor to his grandfather, kept away saying he was busy with shooting.

The development came in the midst of a succession war between the families of Naidu and his late father-in-law, NTR. The two families are divided over the question of who should take over the legacy of NTR -- Lokesh or Junior NTR?

Though there is no immediate need now for Chandrababu Naidu to declare his heir, the talk about grooming his son to step into his shoes is gaining momentum in the party desperately looking for a dash of youth to infuse new hope and enthusiasm.

Lokesh, the 31 year-old Stanford management graduate, presently heads a Telugu news channel apart from looking after the family-owned company, Heritage Foods Limited.

Party circles are, however, divided over the choice of successor. Some feel that Lokesh, though educated abroad and gifted with managerial skills, lacks mass appeal and glamour. 

New Delhi, May 28
Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj’s comments on the controversial Reddy brothers of Karnataka came in handy for the Congress to attack the BJP and deflect attention from recent controversies over the 2G Spectrum and Commonwealth Games scams.

Presented with a readymade opportunity by warring BJP leaders, the Congress lost no opportunity to hit back at its arch political rival over Swaraj washing her hands off the induction of controversial mining magnets as ministers. The Congress, in fact, called senior leaders of the saffron party as “Neros” who fiddled in Delhi while Karnataka burned.

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said Swaraj’s assertions “Once again underscore the fundamental reality of the BJP that money talks and Yeddyurappa and Reddy walk”. “While Karnataka burns with corruption, the Neros of BJP fiddle in Delhi. It does not require any imagination to find out from where the fiddle came. It definitely came from Bangalore,” he said responding to the recent controversy to hit the BJP over the leader of Opposition’s remarks.

Swaraj has said that the decision to give cabinet berths to the Bellary mining brothers - Janardhan and Karunakar Reddy - was taken by Arun Jaitley in his capacity as Karnataka party in-charge and senior leaders M Venkaiah Naidu and Ananth Kumar and that she had “no role in the political making” of the mining barons.

Tewari, however, dismissed the defence saying, “The question is not who opposed Yeddyurappa and Reddy. The question is why were they appointed.” The Reddy brothers-Janardhan, Karunakar and Somasekhar-have been allegedly involved in a multi-million mining scam in the state.

BRIEFLY

9 pilgrims die as boat capsizes
Lucknow: Nine pilgrims, including a woman and eight minors, drowned after their boat capsized in Betwa river near Jhansi in Bundelkhand this morning. The lives of the pilgrims ended tragically after the boat ferrying them capsized when they were on their way to offer a ‘chaadar’ at a mazar, said the police. “While six people died on the spot, three succumbed on their way to hospital,” confirmed DSP OP Singh. According to the police, the pilgrims were going to offer a ‘chaadar’ at a mazar in Datiya in Madhya Pradesh when the accident took place. “Those who died include a woman, six girls and two boys. All of them were local people. The rescue operations are over as all have been accounted for,” added Singh. — TNS

Koda link costs Mumbai Congress chief his job
Mumbai: Mumbai Pradesh Congress Committee president Kripashankar Singh is on the way out following his links with former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda. According to sources, Kripashankar, who met with Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on Friday, was asked to put in his papers.

The decision to sack Kripashankar followed a probe by the CBI which threw up proof about his financial dealings with Koda’s associate Kamlesh Singh, who is also in jail on corruption charges. — TNS