Talebearer

Praful vs Montek

The differences between Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia have apparently deepened. Patel holds Ahluwalia responsible for delaying the modernisation plans of airports. And now, we hear, the Communists have decided to take Patel’s side, accusing the Plan panel chief of acting as a “Super Cabinet Minister”. In fact, several allies of the Congress in the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) are unhappy with Ahluwalia, but with the man enjoying the full backing of the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi, don’t expect him to back down.

—Kushan Mitra

SEBI’s ‘hidden’ agenda?

There is intense speculation in the stock market that SEBI is gearing up for the introduction of physical settlement in derivatives (trades in F&O are cash settled). Brokers believe that with the introduction of short sales, the foundation has already been laid by SEBI. Says a trader: “Delivery-based transactions will restore the parity between those who go long and short.” But whether SEBI can muster the courage to push for the next phase of market reforms remains to be seen.

—Rishi Joshi