Clinton copped out

Hillary Clinton's sudden shop stop for a pair of ill-fitting pants sent security agencies into a tizzy

Hillary Clinton's sudden shop stop for a pair of ill-fitting pants sent security agencies into a tizzy

When it comes to women, nothing drives men mad like shopping. And this, irrespective of stature or situation.

Little did the city's security agencies anticipate that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would get them all worked up when she'd go on an impromptu shopping spree on Monday.

Quite a handful: Congress President Sonia Gandhi introduces her son Rahul Gandhi and Dr Karan Singh to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during a meeting at her residence PIC/RAJEEV TYAGI

Hillary, who was to visit senior political leaders like Dr Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi and LK Advani on her return from Delhi University early evening, chose to stop by at the Santushti Complex in Chanakyapuri for some pant shopping instead. She set foot in a designer store, and picked up some Indo-Western dresses and a pair of trousers that didn't really fit. Incidentally, former First Lady of Britain Cherie Blair too had shopped in the same circle on her India visit last year. And Hillary, too, had dropped in at the same store during her 2008 tour of the Capital. This time around, she spent half an hour there.

Protection forces had made elaborate security arrangements according to her previous plans, but were in for a shock and had to rearrange guard immediately. "We do not take any chances when VVIPs are visiting the country. Hillary is from America, an ex-President's wife and currently the Secretary of State. We had the details of all the places she was visiting on Monday. They had been fortified hours in advance to avoid any untoward incident. However, we came to know about her shopping plan only two hours before, and had to hurry to have things in place pronto," said a police official. He also added that although everything went fine, it was quite a challenge to get everyone posted at a place originally not on her itinerary.u00a0u00a0

How DU played safe

Around 300 security personnel were appointed to guard Hillary at her hotel and other places, said police officials. "The only venue that worried us was the Delhi University's North Campus. We did not want anyone to protest, or try and disrupt her visit. It wouldn't have looked good. Thankfully, everything went well," one of them said.

But the trousers didn't fit!
At the TexIndus store at the Santushti Complex in Chanakyapuri, Hillary picked up a jacket in saffron with peacock motifs, a silk camisole, and boot-cut trousers in crepe.

The bill: Rs 20,000, which she paid by her credit card. "The trousers weren't available in her size, so we took the measurements. The customised purchase will be delivered to the embassy soon," revealed Vijaylakshmi Dogra, owner of the store.