Reports that the country was heading for a severe scarcity of the staple food were sweet music to the ear of a purohita who knew the alternative was to import sufficient stocks to cover the shortfall.

However, Number One who knew that there were wheeler-dealers ready to exploit the situation had quietly assigned the job of handling the rice imports to some mandarins in the finance sector. 

Upon learning about the new arrangement about rice imports, the highly disappointed one had left for Mannar to find some means of soothing his aching heart, they say.