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| Tuesday, 16 July 2002 |
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Jus' one Jaswant..! Very few people know that there was a near possible fiasco when the Indian foreign minister visited Sri Lanka a few days ago. The Indian minister was met at the airport by the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister. "That man is an imposter, he is not the Indian foreign minister!" exclaimed the Sri Lankan minister as he watched his counterpart descending the ramp. "Quick call security" "But sir" "No buts, the man could be on a suicide mission", whispered the foreign minister. "But sir it is the Indian minister". "It is not. I have met the Indian minister many times and this is not him". "Sir you are mistaken", "I am not". "Okay sir, why don't you conduct a small test. Just call out loudly, the minister's name. If it is a pretender he will not react quickly enough". The Sri Lankan minister yelled out in a loud voice. "Jaswant!" The Indian minister looked across the crowd and waved across to the Sri Lankan foreign minister. "See sir, I told you it is him", said the official at his elbow. "But where are his epaulets?" "What epaulets sir?" "Jaswant always had epaulets on his shirt like an army officer". "Maybe he changed his tailor sir". "And his barber too?" "Why not sir?" "I wish I had a barber who could change curly hair to straight hair just like that". "Maybe superior Indian technology sir. And sir I think it is time you went and talked to him. We don't want India threatening us with the bomb like they are always threatening Pakistan, just because you didn't greet their minister when he arrived". "What if he is a suicide bomber?" whispered the minister. "Does he look like a suicide bomber?" "Suicide bombers never look like suicide bombers," said the minister. "Why don't you call his name again sir, quickly", "Jaswant!" "Yes," said the Indian minister. "You look very different". "Ah these foreign trips do one a lot of good, especially after two years of sitting couped up in my little room dropping bomshells". "Arrest him. Arrest him," shouted the Sri Lankan minister hysterically You are not Jaswant ?" "I am Yeshwant ," said Yashwant. Jaswant has taken over my post of Finance minister and is now busy making bombs to drop on the Indian tax payer. I have been given his post. Glad to meet you name's Yeshwant Sinha, India's new foreign minister. "I thought there was jus' one Jaswant", said the minister to his wife that evening. "How was I to know that there was jus'one Yashwant too..!"
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