Winning good will and incurring ill-will!

A senior top team member has lately stopped inviting his deputy to the Ministry functions or conferences.   As a result, the deputy has become conspicuous by his absence at both at the routine and special Ministry events like the regular conferences progress review meetings, agreement signing events etc. The top team member has distanced his deputy from all Ministry functions ever since the latter won accolades from the party leader for taking the initiative to settle a major strike that threatened the working of a key department coming under the purview of this Ministry, they say. It is well-known that the top team member in question is a very ambitious one who once had his eye on the highest office in the country.