Priyanka's Place

Tarun Tejpal March 12, 1997 00:00 IST Priyanka's Place -0001-11-30T00:00:00+0553

SINCE everyone has an opinion on Priyanka's government house, I may as well put mine on record too. First let's get the niceties out of theway. For one, I think she's a very handsome woman who's managed to maintain a dignified low profile even though she's at the age when callow young hormones are routinely running amok. For another, even residual Jawahar and Indira genes make her a formidable political prospect, especially in a charisma-starved nation. And finally she's following the family scr-ipt. Neither Rajiv, Indira, or Nehru were prodigies: they all blazed forth from shy, tentative beginnings. And yes they all married commonly. Now that we've covered our flanks, let's get to our stand on the house. Well, I don't think she, and Robert Vadra (what sort of surname is that?), should have got it. A large, very large bungalow—ludicrously big even for starred generals, hoary secretaries and humble politicians—in the prettiest part of Delhi, ought to carry a serious premium. Especially considering the capital is a house-strapped city where hardworking middle-class professionals pay tens of thousands for two-bedroom apartments, and senior government employees queue up interminably for a roof.