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The third term consecutive BJP government in Haryana proactively introduced seven laws before the state legislature’s winter session, even as Congress’ failed CM aspirant Bhupinder Singh Hooda declined handing over the leader of opposition (LoP) post to another party colleague. Before the session began intensive in-fighting broke out for the LoP post with Hooda deferring the appointment though Congress has legitimate claim with 37 MLAs to hold the post. Holding Haryana’s state legislature to ransom Hooda said the LoP would be decided only after the results of the Maharashtra state assemblies are declared on November 23. His stand of “If it ain’t me, it won’t be anyone else,” has already set the ball rolling with a majority Congress MLAs seeking fresh political pastures with strong indications of en masse defections to the BJP, says senior BJP leader Mahendra Jain. “Not only in Haryana, but also in Maharashtra, mass defections are likely from the Congress party and the Sharad Pawar/Uddhav Thackeray led political formations respectively post November 23, 2024. There will be a big political Khela in the two states,” Jain predicts. Ironically, after the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress party was unable to secure the LoP status for Rahul Gandhi in India’s parliament have elected only 44 MPs back then while Hooda’s obstinacy does not allow the party to legitimately designate Harayana’s LoP despite commanding required numbers for the same. The BJP is exploiting the situation to engineer a Congress breakup in Haryana while ensuring the same in Maharashtra at the expense of the UBT and Sharad Pawar’s NCP in a repeat performance.
In a solemn ceremony, Justice Sanjiv Khanna was sworn in as the 51st Chief Justice of India on November 11, succeeding Justice DY Chandrachud, who retired on November 10, 2024. The oath was administered by President Droupadi Murmu during a ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The event was attended by key figures including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, and former CJI Chandrachud. Justice Khanna’s appointment follows the recommendation of Justice Chandrachud, who had recommended him as his successor on October 17. Justice Khanna’s tenure as CJI will last until May 13, 2025. Despite his short tenure, Justice Khanna has opted not to move into the official CJI Bungalow at 5, Krishna Menon Marg. Following the swearing-in, Justice Khanna proceeded to the Supreme Court to preside over the day’s proceedings, hearing 47 cases alongside his colleague, Justice Sanjay Kumar. In his parting address Justice Chandrachud expressed a deep sense of satisfaction with his service, stating, “I won’t be able to deliver justice from tomorrow, but I’m content.” Justice Chandrachud, like other former Chief Justices, will enjoy several post-retirement benefits which have recently been enhanced to include round-the-clock security at their residence, along with a personal security guard available 24/7 for five years post-retirement. He will also get six months of rent-free Type-VII accommodation in Delhi, similar to facilities provided to Union Ministers. Lifetime entitlements include domestic help and a chauffeur, ensuring that their household needs are met and they lead a comfortable life.
In a significant political development, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has placed her trust in former cabinet minister and senior Left Front leader Abdus Sattar by appointing him as the chief advisor to her government on minority affairs. Sattar, an influential figure of CPI(M) who served as the Minister of State for Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education under the Left Front government. He has been tasked with addressing ongoing disputes related to Wakf properties and will advise the Department of Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education on initiatives for minority welfare. Interestingly, Sattar quit the Left Front way back in 2011 by joining the Congress before aligning with the TMC. This appointment, sources suggest, highlights TMC’s strategy to strengthen its appeal among the state’s educated minority communities. With the BJP’s growing influence in West Bengal and traditional opposition forces such as the Left and Congress losing traction, Sattar is seen as a critical asset for Banerjee’s administration, given his progressive reputation and deep organizational skills. A TMC leader pointed out that Sattar will complement prominent TMC leaders like Firhad Hakim and Siddiqullah Chowdhury. Interestingly, CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said that Didi’s appointment of Sattar reflects an acknowledgment of the developmental work undertaken during the Left Front regime and is also a rebuttal to TMC’s earlier narrative that the Left did nothing for minorities.
Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde, deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and former CM Uddhav Thackeray have started singing the same tune. They keep on telling the media, “I am not hankering for Maharashtra’s chief ministership.” Over the past few days, the three leaders have been interviewed by leading dailies and news channels. Each has been repeatedly asked about his prospects to be the next CM. In response, each has reiterated that a decision about this issue will be taken after the assembly election results on 23 November. The issue had become a hot topic soon after the Lok Sabha election when Uddhav Sena’s spokesman Sanjay Raut publicly suggested to Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) to project his leader as the next CM. The move was immediately scuttled since veteran leader Sharad Pawar of NCP and state Congress president Nana Patole rejected it. Now that the polls are away in just four days, the issue has been resurrected. Shinde has predicted that the ruling Mahayuti will win around 160 seats in the 288-member house. Fadnavis has been consistently saying that the issue will be decided by Shinde, BJP’s Central leaders and another deputy CM, Ajit Pawar. This stance of the three top leaders in Maharashtra is interpreted as a precaution to ensure that the boat is not rocked at the opportune time.
He has been very vocal on sanatan dharma and has been taking potshots at BJP and Hindu religion. But ever since Udhayanidhi Stalin was appointed deputy chief minister of Tamil Nadu he seems to have toned down his anti-sanatan stand. Of course, he has shown his aggressive side by insisting on wearing a T shirt with DMK logo on it at every public appearances, a practice that has irked opposition to the extent of filing legal action. This defiance is yet to be resolved. But there is evidence that he is mellowing down, a visible change from his aggressive defiance. Recently, Udhayanidhi was tasked with completing a full audit and stock taking of the DMK government’s welfare schemes and doles obviously aimed at the 2026 Assembly elections. To get a first hand report Udhayanidhi visited several constituencies, met the local party workers and government officials. But when he visited Thoothukudi with Minister for Fisheries Anita Radhakrishnan and Social Welfare minister Gita Jiwan in tow, the powerful and bespoke Kalaignar family’s Kanimozhi( MP for that constituency ) was missing from the scene. The media was quick to pounce on this glaring absence. Udhayanidhi was quick to reassure the media that this stock taking move and audit had been undertaken at the request of the chief minister and that his foster aunt was travelling abroad. He also took pains to reassure the media that he would revisit Thoothukudi in a few weeks with Kanimozhi. There was a time when Udhayanidhi would have flared up at even an indirect reference to Kanimozhi’s relevance. Times are changing
The absence of Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and other senior NCP leaders from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election rally at Chhatrapati Shivaji Park in Dadar, Mumbai on November 14 strengthened speculation that NCP could possibly be an unreliable link in Mahayuti. This notwithstanding the fact that the deputy CM had attended a Modi rally in Pune barely two days earlier. Ajit Pawar’s party is a crucial partner in the ruling alliance, alongside Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and the BJP. But then NCP candidates Sana Malik, Nawab Malik, and Zeeshan Siddique were also notably absent from the event, which featured leaders from the Shinde Sena and the Republican Party of India (RPI) led by Ramdas Athawale. While the rally was meant to highlight the coalition’s solidarity, reports suggest that NCP leaders are upset over the BJP’s batenge toh katenge campaign. BJP sources said despite Ajit Pawar’s unease with the BJP’s aggressive Hindutva agenda, it is likely that he will stay on the side “which benefits him”. That is he could walk to any side which will make him the CM or as Nawab Malik told Times Now “Ajit Pawar will be king maker”. BJP sources said UP CM Yogi who coined the slogan has been much in demand among party candidates. “We have been forced to cancel meetings of top leaders to accommodate Yogiji”, said a party manager. As for contrary assertions by Ashok Chavan and Pankaja Munde on batenge toh katenge, these are being viewed more as a desire to project themselves than pose any serious ideological counter to the main party discourse.
Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar has raised apprehensions about his future moves, once again. Over the past few days, Ajit has betrayed his ambivalence about the way campaigning is proceeding in Maharashtra. While this is being commented upon, his absence at the final rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on November 14 has been noted with concern within the ruling Mahayuti. Neither Ajit nor any of his NCP’s candidates turned up for the PM’s rally organised by chief minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and the BJP. As Ajit failed to appear on the dais, the media attention has focussed on his possible calculations after the assembly poll results are out on 23 November. Already, he has rubbed Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis the wrong way by objecting to UP CM Yogi Adityanath’s slogan batenge toh katenge. Ajit had observed that such slogans will not work in Maharashtra, whose culture was different from that of UP. Ajit’s insistence on fielding former minister Nawab Malik from Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar constituency in Mumbai despite the BJP’s open objections had created some strain within the Mahayuti. Now, Malik has told the saffron formation that Ajit’s NCP will not be a part of the next government if Yuti’s campaign strategy is not changed. Ajit’s another confidant, Dilip Walse Patil had said a few days ago that some fresh combination can occur after the election. Ajit has not refuted neither statement. Hence, he is under close observation by the other two partners of Mahayuti.
The kerfuffle following Ricky Ponting’s straight–from–the–shoulder observation of Virat Kohli’s form was unnecessary. In the course of an International Cricket Council (ICC) conducted interview before the five-Test series between India and Australia in Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the former Australian captain said that Kohli has scored only two Test centuries in the last five years (186 against Australia in Ahmedabad in March 2023 and 121 against the West Indies in Port of Spain in July 2023). In these circumstances, he wondered if any other player would have been picked for the national side. While Kohli — described by Ponting as one of the greats in the same interview — himself did not respond to Ponting’s appraisal of his form, a seemingly annoyed India head coach Gautam Gambhir virtually questioned Ponting saying: “What does Ricky Ponting have to do with Indian cricket? He should be talking about Australia.’’ Gambhir’s retort was churlish. The media seeks the opinions of former greats as a build-up to events and in this case Ponting was interviewed by none other than the ICC because of the importance of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Ponting has gone to the extent of saying that the series between India and Australia — from the backend of his career – has always been a high-stakes affair, not far from the relevance of the Ashes. Ponting has played 560 matches for Australia across formats, scored 27483 runs with 71 x 100s and 146 x 50s and led Australia in 77 Tests. He is also a World Cup-winning captain. To question his credentials is downright absurd.
Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath packed a lot of wit and humour while taking potshots at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge who had mocked Hindu sadhus straying into politics and occupying high offices “in saffron robes”. Yogi reminded Kharge that he may have forgotten some crucial parts while recollecting his family’s sacrifices “for votes”. Yogi alleged Kharge purposely glossed over the tragic death of “his mother and sister” in an attack by Razakars as he feared losing Muslim votes. Addressing a rally in Achalpur in Vidarbha, the UP leader said, “I am a Yogi, and for me, the nation comes first, while for Mallikarjun Kharge, appeasement politics comes first.” He was responding to Kharge’s comments on the “batenge toh katenge” remark. He recounted Kharge’s childhood tragedy during the political unrest in Hyderabad during India’s independence. Kharge was born in the Bidar region of erstwhile Hyderabad state, ruled by the Nizams. The Razakars were a paramilitary force that operated in the princely state with a primary objective to maintain the rule of the Muslim Nizams of Hyderabad and prevent the accession of Hyderabad to India. Incidentally, at the very rally where Kharge was pouring scorn on Yogi’s saffron attire, the Congress chief was trying to generate some sympathy for himself by talking about how he had narrowly escaped the wrath of razakars. He didn’t name the razakars; he merely said how his father was relieved that his only son had been “saved”. “Even our house was burnt. I don’t want to talk about those who attacked us.”
India’s Test team – thrashed 3-0 by New Zealand – will look upon the five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia with trepidation rather than hope. After the 2-0 win against Bangladesh, the Rohit Sharma-led team seemed to have reached the doorstep of the ICC World Test Championship final. But in a matter of 10 playing days from October 16 to November 3, all the hype around a third consecutive WTC final turned into slough of despond because drawing a blank from the available 36 points from three Tests against New Zealand meant winning four of the five Tests in Australia to qualify for the WTC final. India could be disappointed when the fourth Test begins in Melbourne on Boxing Day (December 26). Of course, putting it across the Pat Cummins-led Australian side will drive the Indian team that competed hard to bring down the home side in the two previous series of 2018-19 and 2020-21. Preparing “designer turners’’ in Pune and Mumbai did not help the home team in any way as New Zealand’s two left-arm spinners, Mitchell Santner and Ajaz Patel, sent the home team packing, capturing 13 wickets in Pune and 11 wickets in Mumbai. The five pitches in Australia will not afford copious turns to the slow men, but Cummins will deploy the smart off-spinner Nathan Lyon – he has taken 60 of his 259 wickets at home in 15 Tests against India — to the full. India has to muster all its wits, hour by hour, session by session, and day by day, deliver with the bat, ball, and field well in each Test match to make the series riveting.
With ongoing investigations by CBI on close associates, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has deployed a new weapon to run down the probe agency. On the 161st birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore on May 7 Mamata pointed out that the stolen Nobel Prize medallion of Tagore was yet to be recovered by the CBI. “I still feel sad that the Nobel Prize has not been recovered. The incident dates back to the Left (Front) regime,” she noted. The medallion was stolen in 2004 from the museum at Visva Bharati University founded at Santiniketan in Birbhum district. The Prime Minister, is the chancellor of Bengal’s only central university – Visva Bharati. Then, CPI (M) Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had promptly handed over the probe to CBI which permanently closed investigations in 2009, citing lack of new leads. In 2016, the CID in WB had arrested a folk singer suspecting his role in the robbery. In 2017 Mamata urged CBI to hand over the case to the state CID, which the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) had declined. However, Tagore’s Nobel medallion, a replica of the actual gold medal, is not the only one stolen in recent years. Children rights activist Kailash Satyarthi’s Nobel medallion was similarly stolen from his Delhi residence in 2017 but, recovered by the Delhi Police within five days.
Tamil Nadu BJP, under former IPS officer K Annamalai, has turned vibrant. Despite a motley crew – only four MLAs – the issues Annamalai has raised has piqued interest for the saffron party. Even DMK leaders and relatives are keen to join BJP, many of them unsure of surviving the generational shift within DMK. With CM M K Stalin’s son Udhayanidhi assuming a bigger role, seniors in DMK are feeling side-lined. Many MPs are considering moving out. Former AIADMK MP Sasikala Pushpa Ramaswamy was first to join BJP. After that, some sitting DMK MPs evinced an interest to enrol before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. While Sasikala Pushpa became BJP vice-president and former DMK MLA A G Sampath got a similar post. Significantly, Suriyaa Siva, son of DMK Rajya Sabha MP Tiruchi Siva, joined the BJP saying he was ignored in the Dravidian party because of the ongoing cold war within. His exit may not affect his father as they were not on talking terms. Suriyaa’s entry into Kamalalayam BJP in T Nagar Chennai will, however, shake up the DMK. What must worry the DMK leadership is talk of more seniors shipping out. All in all, Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent visit to Chennai has really paid off.
On May 6, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s office received an unusual request from the office of Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, about a handful of Congress leaders seeking access to the Central Hall of Parliament. The manner in which the request was made, when Parliament was not in session, seemed a little odd. Kharge wanted to garland the portrait of Motilal Nehru on his birth anniversary. Normally, when a portrait of a dignitary is to be garlanded, the Lok Sabha makes necessary arrangements for it. Leaders are then invited to come and join in paying tributes. For some reason Kharge decided to pay tribute to Motilal Nehru — a former Congress President in pre-Independent India — inside Parliament. It’s not clear whether he wanted to flaunt his loyalty to the Gandhi family or, if he was trying to assert his tenuous status as Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha — a position that the Congress may find difficult to hold on to beyond two months with many party MPs in Rajya Sabha set to retire. The Congress needs a critical tally of 10% of the strength of the House or, it will meet the same fate as it does in Lok Sabha.
There is a strong buzz that former Indian cricket captain and incumbent BCCI president Sourav Ganguly could be the President’s nominee for the Rajya Sabha. In that event, he will follow in the footsteps of master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, the first ever sports person nominated to the Rajya Sabha or to the Council of States in 2012 by the UPA Government. Ganguly’s nomination seems a distinct possibility as the second sportsperson after boxing champion Mary Kom was appointed to Rajya Sabha in April 2016 and has completed her term. Speculations around Ganguly as Rajya Sabha MP gained currency following Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Sourav Ganguly’s residence over dinner with his family last week. A day after Shah’s visit, Ganguly also spoke of his close relations with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He similarly showered praise on minister and Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim. Once elevated as a Rajya Sabha nominee, Sourav Ganguly, who is worshipped as an icon in Bengal, may no longer feel pressured to manage the balancing between the BJP and TMC. Aware of abounding conjecture, Ganguly asserted he has known Amit Shah since 2008. “While playing, I used to meet him. There’s nothing more than that”. He also pointed out that as BCCI president he worked closely with Shah’s son, Jay Shah who is BCCI secretary.
BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa, in an expose on the AAP Government of Punjab, has cited the posting of notorious policeman K S Sandhu (Kuljinder Singh) as DSP (Detective), Mohali allegedly at the behest of main accused in the Bhola drug case Sarabjit Singh. Sirsa said Sandhu was used to carry out the illegal action of picking up BJP spokesman Tajinder Singh Bagga from his home yesterday. Sirsa further said that DSP K S Sandhu was the notorious Kuljinder Singh, who was posted as DSP (Detective), Mohali on instructions of drug lord Sarabjit Singh. He also played an audio of a purported conversation between Punjab DGP and the drug lord. “Why was this ‘defaulter cop’ Kuljinder, with links to criminals, used by the AAP Government to pick up Bagga? Why is Punjab favouring a dismissed cop to do its hatchet job?” he asked. Meanwhile, a petition filed by the Punjab Government before the Punjab & Haryana High Court in the Bagga case was adjourned to May 10 as the matter pertained to a different Bench, according to ASG Satya Pal Jain representing the Delhi Police. Explaining Bagga’s release, he said the BJP leader was taken into Police custody after the search warrant was issued by a competent Delhi police officer. His medical examination was conducted; he was produced in court and the court released him.
Two days back senior Congress leader and lawyer P Chidambaram was heckled by Congress legal cell members, even called a TMC agent, when he appeared in the Calcutta High Court to oppose a PIL filed by Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the Congress group leader in the Lok Sabha. The Bengal Congress leader did not express remorse over the incident and instead chose to describe it as a spontaneous expression of outrage by the party’s legal cell. His defence that he wasn’t even present in Kolkata was at best, a weak explanation. The case pertains to the 2017 sale of the West Bengal government’s entire 47% stake in Metro Dairy to Keventer Agro, the project’s only private partner which, a short while later, sold 15% of its stake to a Singapore-based firm at a higher price. Adhir Ranjan filed the petition in 2018, demanding a CBI probe into what he alleged was a scam. What some Bengal leaders can’t understand is how Chowdhury continues to wield multiple posts — he remains PCC chief though he failed to win a single seat in the last assembly elections. Besides, he continues to be the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee. And to top it all, he continues as leader of the Congress group in the Lok Sabha. No doubt, Chidambaram will find a subtle way to settle the score.
In a major relief for former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar, the Jalandhar Police has written to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) saying that no case was made out of the complaint filed against Jakhar over alleged “casteist remarks” he purportedly made in reference to former CM Charanjit Singh Channi during a TV interview. A complaint was filed against Jakhar by Jalandhar-based Vijay Kumar. The police said there was nothing on the basis of which a case could be registered as the complaint was made by a “third person” who was “not the alleged victim” and hence had “no locus standi” to register a case against Jakhar. Besides, the police investigations also revealed that portions of Jakhar’s bite to the TV channel was edited out and then re-joined, giving it an out of context connotation. Jakhar has welcomed the clean chit from the police insisting that the TV interview was projected “out of context”. He is keen to attend the Udaipur Chintan Shivir (May 13-15) where he wishes to air his views. “I am not invited but will certainly make it a point to go there,” he says. Ironically, he is not alone. Many Congressmen are likely to land up in the “city of lakes” just to thrash out a few points.
An interesting aspect of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent visit to Chennai was that he stayed at the CRPF campus at Avadi, instead of residing at Raj Bhavan. That is because he was scheduled to next visit Puducherry. The buzz about Shah’s visit and that staying outside Raj Bhavan also allowed the Home Minister to schedule a number of appointments, including a meeting with an emissary of an influential leader of the DMK. Though there is speculation about who the leader was, it looks like everything was done so that it stayed below radar and eluded the prying eyes of the TN police. Meanwhile, Shah’s visit to Bengaluru on May 3, coinciding with suggestions by senior BJP functionary B L Santosh that only his party has “courage” to change a Government, put the Basavaraj Bommai Government in a spot. However, in an anti-climax of sorts, Amit Shah met with veteran leader B S Yediyurappa and other state leaders at Chief Minister Bommai’s residence over lunch; significantly BJP office-bearers meeting was called off. Bommai enjoys full backing of Yediyurappa. BJP sources admit changing Bommai, a Lingayat leader, would be a huge risk for the party. Endorsing Bommai, BJP national secretary Arun Singh says “Bommai is a common man. People like him for the way he is working for the poor and farmers under PM Modi’s leadership.”
Looks like the Modi Government has decided to keep the DMK Government in Tamil Nadu in the loop, at least on Sri Lanka. With a possible PM Narendra Modi trip to Colombo and, considering DMK’s uneasy equations with the Rajapaksas, Delhi thought it better to have DMK on board. That is why, responding to the Tamil Nadu Assembly’s resolution — passed in mid-April — seeking permission to supply rice and essential medicines as aid to the troubled island nation, External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar conveyed to Chief Minister M K Stalin that the state’s request to provide assistance to Colombo may supplement what is already being provided by the Government of India (GoI). Jaishankar added that Sri Lanka preferred inclusive distribution. An effusive Stalin thanked the Jaishankar and responded that the state government would consider deputing TN Chief Secretary to coordinate with GoI while supplying the relief material. Interestingly, the MEA’s approval for Tamil Nadu’s aid to Sri Lanka comes even as state BJP chief K Annamalai visited Jaffna on invitation from the Ceylon Workers Congress. Annamalai was critical of the DMK Government for trying to politicise the aid issue without mention of the help GoI was already providing to Sri Lanka that includes, financial credit of US $3 billion, 4 lakh tonnes of fuel and 40,000 tonnes of rice.
The Congress went all out defending Rahul Gandhi’s night out in Kathmandu, even as the video of his evening at the nightclub has gone viral. While his evening at Lord of Drinks was picked from a Facebook post, the fact that Rahul had reached the Himalayan kingdom, along with three of his friends, was confirmed by a report in Kathmandu Post. He was apparently attending the wedding of his Nepali friend Sumnima Udas on May 3. Sumnima, a former CNN correspondent, was getting married to Nima Martin Sherpa. The bride’s father Bhim Udas, former Ambassador of Nepal to Myanmar, confirmed that he “had extended an invitation to Rahul Gandhi to attend the wedding of his daughter “. Latching on to the invite, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said Rahul had not landed in Nepal without an invitation, alluding to PM Modi’s surprise visit to Islamabad in December 2015 to celebrate former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif’s birthday. “Maybe after today, PM Modi and BJP may decide it is illegal to attend a wedding. Last I checked, having a family in this country, having friends in this country, attending weddings, engagement ceremonies was a matter of our culture and civilization. It has still not become a crime in this country to marry, be friends with someone or to attend their wedding celebrations,” said Surjewala.
One thing the much-publicised engagement between poll strategist Prashant Kishor (PK) and the Congress leadership has done is demonstrated the capacity of the two sides to keep future options open. At the same time, the PK-Congress engagement pushed Congress President Sonia Gandhi to take decisions; to usher in changes — at least in election-bound states. Like revamping Himachal, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. While in Haryana, Sonia decided to completely back Bhupinder Hooda, handing the PCC to him, in Madhya Pradesh Kamal Nath opted out of heading the CLP in order to prepare for the 2023 assembly battle. Now it’s easy to see why leaders like Digvijay Singh are betting big on the Udaipur brainstorming session scheduled in May for the emergence of a rejuvenated Congress. Engagement with PK also brought to the fore the Priyanka-Rahul divide. Sources point out that it was only Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who backed PK while Rahul was less than enthusiastic. In this context, party leaders questioned Priyanka’s dominating role over Congress matters, she was seen taking an interest beyond her limited domain of Uttar Pradesh. “She is in charge of UP. Why did she operate out of a porta cabin from 10 Janpath and not AICC? She wants her finger in every pie. Rahul has never done that,” says a miffed Himachal leader.
No one in the Congress party believes former Union Minister K V Thomas, known to have easy access to 10 Janpath, was censured by the A K Anthony headed AICC disciplinary committee only for attending CPI (M)’s meeting in Kannur, Kerala. Thomas had also hailed Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as the “pride of Kerala”. In the past, Anthony himself attended functions of rival parties. What got Thomas into trouble then? Buzz is that he fell out of Rahul Gandhi’s favour as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), an office he held between 2014 and 2017. Rahul was upset that Thomas failed to bring out a single report faulting purchases made by the Modi Government when he headed PAC, any report to bolster his chowkidar chor hai campaign. Thomas makes way for Mallikarjun Kharge. The Congress chose to club the disciplinary action against Thomas and former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar and announced the removal of both leaders from all held party posts in view of their “anti-party activities”. The joke is on the Congress leadership where Jakhar is concerned as he held no positions. A miffed Jakhar, who didn’t reply to the AICC show-cause notice, said: “I have been longer in Congress than anyone else.” His only fault, he claims, is that more MLAs backed him as CM after Capt Amarinder Singh’s exit.
Aware that political VIP culture doesn’t go down well with citizens, Prime Minister Narendra Modi avoids travelling during peak hours in Delhi. When he has to, he takes the metro to avoid discomfiting commuters. To attend NIA meetings or events in South Delhi, Modi opts for the metro. His standing instructions: wherever possible, traffic may not be halted. Taking cue from Modi, Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai and his ministers also decided to eschew this ” zero traffic rule” when commuting in Bengaluru. CM Bommai issued an order stating he does not want the zero traffic rule applied for him. The Bengaluru Traffic Police also issued an order to keep traffic signals free even when ministers travel and ambulance fare also allowed to travel. Meanwhile, reports indicate that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, whose autobiography titled One Amongst You was released recently, is irked by news media persons. A reporter from a leading English daily was not allowed to cover the function presided over by Stalin since he was sporting a black shirt. This colour code is peculiar in a state that celebrates the colour black in Tamil films. From superstar Rajnikant to popular film numbers celebrating the colour black– Karuppu tan enukku pidicha colouru.
Looks like there is finally going to be a truce in the Congress for 2024. Nearly two years after they wrote to her seeking wider consultation and involvement, Congress President Sonia Gandhi reached out to rebels who have been questioning the way the party is being run. In a gesture that is bound to be reassuring to the Congress cadre, Sonia picked most of the prominent G-23 leaders to be part of subject committees for the Udaipur brainstorming session of the AICC between May 13 and 15. From Ghulam Nabi Azad to Anand Sharma, Shashi Tharoor to Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Manish Tewari to Mukul Wasnik, most of the G-23 leaders were placed on the six different subject committees. They were expected to prepare papers for the brainstorming session for Congress delegates. While Azad and Tharoor are on the political committee with Mallikarjun Kharge as convenor, the economy committee headed by P Chidambaram has Sharma and Tewari, the farmers committee is headed by Hooda and the organisational committee is headed by Wasnik. Some prominent G-23 signatories did not make it to Sonia’s list including Kapil Sibal, Prithviraj Chavan, Renuka Chowdhury and Vivek Tankha. Brainstorming on the five state assembly results, scheduled in the first week of April, was delayed by the pre-occupation of the Gandhi family to dissipate intra-party disillusionment.
Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan (PTR), who was encouraged by Chief Minister M K Stalin, to develop a working relationship with the Centre and interact with FM Nirmala Sitharaman seeking ways to improve state finances is being side-lined gradually. For the World Economic Forum’s 2022 Annual Meeting scheduled next month, Stalin has deputed Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu instead of PTR. The CM’s pick has apparently surprised state bureaucratic circles. Thennarasu is brother of Lok Sabha MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian. The buzz in DMK circles is that by opting for Thennarasu, Stalin has sent a message to the party cadre that his son Udhayanidhi’s supporters do enjoy certain privileges. At Davos, the TN government is likely to set up a special lounge for the entire duration — May 22-26. A while back Stalin had deputed Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma. Subramanian and Thennarasu to meet the Governor R N Ravi. The meeting lasted for 45 minutes and Thennarasu said that the main agenda discussed was about the anti-NEET Bill. It was Thenarasu who conveyed Stalin won’t attend his tea party. While leaders from some other Indian states are also likely to visit Davos. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and some senior union ministers are also expected to participate in the WEF summit, one of the most high-profile congregations of the world leaders
Rumours abound that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy may call for snap polls two years before his tenure ends. He has a long way to go to implement his welfare schemes to win back the confidence of the people. However, of late, there have been reports that Jagan has decided to go to the people and spend most of the time touring different parts of the State to oversee the implementation of his welfare schemes and get direct feedback from the people. The recent reshuffle of the cabinet and the appointment of YSRC regional coordinators, district party presidents and in-charge ministers ahead of the party plenary in July gave rise to a talk in political circles as to whether Jagan was contemplating early elections. Jagan is going to tour the districts as frequently as possible to communicate with people, his vision for the State. He reportedly instructed the AP State Road Transport Corporation authorities to keep ready two bullet proof buses with all the facilities for his district tours. Hereafter, Jagan will travel only in these bullet proof vehicles. During the tours, the chief minister will conduct Racha Banda (public forums) with villagers and also visit village secretariats to oversee their functioning. As usual opposition BJP is completely clueless about Jagan’s next move.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is increasingly demonstrating a tendency to deploy the Punjab Police to settle his old political scores with foes. Much to their grief, his former AAP colleagues Kumar Vishwas and former Delhi MLA Alka Lamba, tasted a dose of Kejriwal’s new penchant to outsource his desired policing action through borrowed powers. Officials from the Punjab Police department came knocking on poet Vishwas’s house in Ghaziabad and pasted a notice on Lamba’s house about making her a co-accused in the FIR and summoned her to join their probe. Vishwas tweeted about how the Punjab Police not only refused to disclose the name of the complainant but also, failed to upload the copy of the FIR against him on their website. In the run-up to the Punjab polls, Vishwas had accused Kejriwal of collaborating with Khalistanis; even as Kejriwal countered with a rebut describing himself as a “sweet terrorist.” Lamba claimed police officials threatened her of “consequences” if she failed to appear before the SIT. Former Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu was the first to denounce the state police for being puppets in the hands of Kejriwal while the new Punjab PCC chief wrote to the state DGP demanding withdrawal of the FIRs against Vishwas and Lamba. It remains to be seen if Lamba’s party continues rallying behind her.
In the backdrop of recent clashes in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri area, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath issued a series of directions. All organisers are henceforth required to submit an affidavit promising to maintain peace and harmony before permission is given. Only traditional religious festivities will be allowed and new events to be denied permission, a tweet from CM Yogi’s official account said. Yogi’s announcement assumes significance as the festivals of Eid and Akshay Tritiya will likely fall on the same date early next month. He has also cancelled the sanctioned leave of all police and administrative officials in the state till May 4 asking them to report back on duty within 24 hours. Yogi’s preventive action is linked to the surprise Jahangirpuri riots. There was no intelligence that the Hanuman Jayanti procession would be disrupted. Reports indicate the main Jahangirpuri riot accused Ansar received a phone call and he then gathered a few trouble makers outside the mosque even as the VHP procession approached. Probe is on to establish who prompted Ansar to confront the VHP procession. Of the three Hanuman Jayanti processions police are ambiguous about its clearance to the VHP procession. There was a SDPI protest rally in Jantar Mantar in Delhi the same day. Did the SDPI prompt Ansar? Ansar who hails from Bengal is affiliated to AAP.
Seems like some Congressmen do not repose much faith in election strategist Prashant Kishor who made a detailed presentation to the party leadership on poll strategies for the 2024 general elections last week. Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s decision to get his ideas vetted by a panel indicates that all is not well for PK. Notably, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra stayed away from PK’s presentation. A Bihar leader points out how PK was of little help in states like Bihar, where the recent by-election for Bochahan saw the Congress registering only 1336 votes, far less than even NOTA. Meanwhile, PK’s possible role in the Congress has already had a political fallout in Telangana. Kishor is said to be still working with the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), even as the Congress is a sharp critic of the K C Rao government. The BJP opposition in Telangana exploited PK’s Delhi role in the Congress to suggest a possible TRS-Congress coalition in the state. Denying any possibility of collaborating with KCR, AICC in charge of Telangana Manicka Tagore tweeted that “Rumours of a Congress coalition with TRS are totally false. The Congress won’t move back an inch from its commitment to save Telangana from the TRS and BJP.” In the thick of all this Rahul Gandhi is travelling abroad for a short holiday.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal summoned Punjab state government officials to Delhi, sans the state’s Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, to discuss the power supply situation spooking leaders of Congress, Akali Dal and the BJP alike. Criticism flowed in from at Kejriwal’s attempt to remote-control Punjab. Punjab Chief Secretary, PSPCL and other Punjab power department officials met Kejriwal to discuss AAP’s pre-poll promises, including 300 units of free power. Delhi’s Power Minister Satyendra Jain and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha were also present. Red flagging Kejriwal’s intentions, former CM Captain Amarinder Singh tweeted: “Arvind Kejriwal has taken over Punjab much before it was expected to happen. That Bhagwant Mann was a rubber stamp was a foregone conclusion, now Kejriwal has proved it right by chairing Punjab officers’ meeting in Delhi.” Ironically, even as Punjab reels under a financial crisis, the AAP Government will buy luxury Sports Utility Vehicle – Toyota Fortuners for ministers and Multi Utility Vehicle – Toyota Innova Crystas for MLAs. Although CM Bhagwant Mann denied this, the state transport department has sought Rs 18 crore from the finance department to purchase vehicles for ministers and legislators. The Delhi meeting was preceded by ADGP Gaurav Yadav’s appointment as Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Yadav and Kejriwal are batchmates who cleared civil services in 1992, opting for IPS and IRS respectively.
The Congress is smacking its lips in anticipation of assembly polls due in Karnataka next year, having secured the resignation of Rural Development Minister K S Eshwarappa over the unnatural death of civil contractor Santosh Patil. The Congress is also immensely relieved to shift the political battle from contentious issues, like the hijab and halal meat, to core issues of BJP mis-governance like corruption. BJP leaders, however, feel the Congress campaign will head nowhere and end like the sting CD on former minister Ramesh Jharkhioli in 2021. Minister Jharkhioli had also resigned but the probe has meandered ever since. Karnataka BJP also charged that contractor Patil was originally a Congress worker, adding that he carried out works without required sanctions from the authorities. It alleged that the 40% commission scam was a ‘toolkit’ developed by the Congress. If this is true, then why did Eshwarappa, a prominent Kuruba face, offer to quit? It seems he had little choice as an FIR had been filed against him. The deceased contractor, who made the corruption allegations against the minister, had also marked it to the PM. Patil had been given oral instructions for a Rs 4-crore project in the rural parts of the State. Patil’s grievance was that he did not receive any payments for the job even 18 months after project completion. Eshwarappa’s pleads innocence and asks “How can payment be released without a work order?”
Politics of protests, confrontation has peaked in Tamil Nadu. Chief Minister M K Stalin skipped the ‘at home reception’ – a tea party — hosted by Governor RN Ravi at Raj Bhawan on April 14 to mark the occasion of the Tamil New Year. The DMK and allies boycotted the event as a mark of protest against the Governor who did not forward the anti-NEET Bill to the President for approval. If the ruling DMK is still sulking over NEET, the opposition BJP grabbed headlines after countering attempts to disrespect PM Narendra Modi made by the DMK, which removed his portrait from panchayat offices. In two separate incidents in Thanjavur and Coimbatore districts, the PM’s photo was put back at the Veppathur town panchayat office (VTPO) after a huge uproar. The VTPO chairman Anjammal had removed Modi’s photo that adorned the civic body office. In Coimbatore, BJP state president K Annamalai also placed a portrait of PM Modi in a ration shop to raise awareness about the Union government’s welfare schemes. Meanwhile, the race for Rajya Sabha vacancies in Tamil Nadu has picked up. While Congress is pushing for two seats, CPI (M) wants DMK to nominate prominent editor N Ram. Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal whose RS term from UP is ending in July will visit Chennai on April 16 to attend a function and meet CM Stalin.
Madhya Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan seems to be in a mood to change his own image. Taking a cue from Yogi Adityanath, Chouhan decided to go after trouble-makers in the state with bull-dozers. He cleared strong action against those who created trouble during Ram Navami procession in Khargone. In a major development, the state government demolished houses of accused involved in the violence to recover the damage caused to properties. So far 45 properties including 16 houses and 29 commercial properties have been demolished — these were mainly illegal constructions. While the jury is still out on this sort of instant justice, the Government has taken a tough view as six policemen were injured in the violence — one of them an SP received a bullet injury. In this context, Chouhan ticked off Congress leader Digvijay Singh for tweeting pictures of an incident outside MP just to “foment” trouble in the state. Even as the state was contemplating action against the former CM, Digvijay deleted his controversial tweet but blamed the police for not being prepared.
Following the electoral reverses in the recently held Assembly Elections in five States, the Congress has gone for an organizational overhaul in Goa, Punjab and Uttarakhand. In fact the kind of changes the party has made is making everyone wonder if the new appointments were to deliver results. In Goa, the Congress went for a 38-year-old fresh hand Amit Patkar who had only recently become active. He was picked as he gave a good fight to Goa Minister Nilesh Cabral in the Curchorem assembly seat. The only criteria of selecting him was that he came from a well-known Congress family. He was also viewed as resourceful. In Punjab the Congress opted for a three-term Gidderbaha MLA Amararinder Singh Raja Warring to replace Navjot Singh Sidhu. Ironically, Sidhu was replaced the same day as Imran Khan lost his vote of confidence in Pakistan. Party sources said Warring was picked as he had displayed a capacity to fight the Badals of Akali Dal. His real test of course would come up how he steers the party in Sangrur Lok Sabha by-poll — a seat vacated by AAP CM Bhagwant Mann. In Uttarakhand, the party has picked Yashpal Arya as CLP leader — someone who was in the BJP till the last minute and rejoined the party just before polls. Meanwhile, in Himachal, BJP seemed better prepared. While J P Nadda is camping in Shimla even for upcoming civic polls, Congress leaders skipped a meet called by Rajeev Shukla.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate on April 14 the “Pradhanmantri Sanghralaya (museum)”, which acknowledges the contributions of all previous Prime Ministers of the country while a redeveloped Block I will also exhibit a number of gifts received by first PM Jawaharlal Nehru, which have so far not yet been part of Nehru Memorial Museum. The inauguration of the museum will coincide with the birth anniversary of the architect of the Indian Constitution Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar. The government says the museum will sensitize the younger generation about the leadership, vision and achievements of all the 17 former Prime Ministers: Jawaharlal Nehru, Morarji Desai,Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, P V Narasimha Rao, HD Devegowda, I K Gujral and Dr Manmohan Singh. The “Pradhanmantri Sanghralaya” is an endeavour by PM Modi to acknowledge the contributions of all his predecessors irrespective of ideology or tenure in office. The design incorporates sustainable and energy conservation practices. No tree has been felled or transplanted. The total area of the building is 10,491 square meters .Families were contacted for information about the former Prime Ministers. Holograms, virtual reality, augmented reality, multi-touch, multi-media, interactive kiosks, computerized kinetic sculptures, experiential installations have been leveraged to make the exhibition content highly interactive. At a recent BJP Parliamentary party meeting, PM Modi asked his party MPs to visit the museum and spread the word among youths in the country.
When Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab CM Bhagwant Singh Mann picked Mandi for their roadshow on April 6 — the party’s first event in Himachal in the run-up to assembly elections later this year, they chose it because it was Chief Minister Jairam Thakur’s home ground. However, a week later AAP has announced it is dissolving its state unit. Delhi’s Health Minister Satyendra Jain, who is in charge of the Himachal, announced the dissolution after AAP state president Anoop Kesri joined the BJP before party president J P Nadda’s road show in Shimla. Kesri joined BJP as he found local leaders were sidelined. “We were toiling for AAP for the last 8 years but it neglected state party workers. There was disregard towards the people of Himachal Pradesh. During a rally in Mandi, no space was given to any leader from the state other than Delhi and Punjab CMs.” Kesri’s entry into the BJP was facilitated by I & B minister Anurag Thakur; he took along with him several AAP leaders. Congress leaders also acknowledge that the way BJP chief Nadda is camping in Shimla it is going to be a direct contest between BJP and the Congress. And there is no scope for a third player.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s brief meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Parliament House on March 6 is in many ways a throwback to his interaction with Modi way back in November 2019. Only circumstances were vastly different then. There was a stalemate in government formation in Maharashtra — the state was under President’s Rule after Shiv Sena had walked out on its pre-poll partner BJP and was exploring a new coalition. At that time Pawar was holding the trump card. The buzz then was that the NCP would join Team Modi in Delhi. Three years on, when Pawar met Modi, he was a humble self-vouching not to head UPA or aspire to provide a national alternative. It was possibly because the situation for Maha VIkas Aghadi (MVA) has gotten a lot tougher. Those linked to MVA are facing actions and being probed by central agencies. It has actually been a matter of niggling worry for Pawar. He even mentioned as much while emerging from his interaction with Modi. ED attaching properties of Samna editor Sanjay Raut; he flayed it as Raut was a “journalist”. Pawar is also upset that another of his aides Nawab Malik was arrested. This news came just when Pawar was recovering from action on Anil Deshmukh. Pawar’s worry is that these ED actions could create legal hurdles for the NCP.
On the back of a record win of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved a saffron cap to be worn by all BJP leaders, MPs and MLAs. On BJP’s 42nd Foundation Day on April 6, Modi, BJP chief JP Nadda along with other office bearers were seen sporting the new saffron cap. The new caps, which have the party’s symbol (Lotus) embossed on it, come with a message “a new cap, a new mission”. It was designed by the BJP Gujarat unit and is somewhat similar to the traditional cap of Uttarakhand — Brahma Kamal — which was worn by the Prime Minister on the Republic Day. This new cap has been made quite fashionable to attract the youth, and was distributed to all the MPs in the BJP’s Parliamentary meeting by Gujarat BJP President CR Patil. A lot of thinking went into designing the cap. A thin patch of embroidery has been put on the cap and a plastic ‘Lotus ‘ (BJP’s election symbol) has been pinned. Modi approved the final one, which was designed in Surat. Modi wants the party to be using the new saffron cap widely in the Gujarat Assembly election, which is due later this year. From now onwards, all BJP workers will be seen donning a saffron coloured cap.
After Didi, Stalin Now Telangana CM‘s National Ambition Comes To Fore, Appoints A Hindi PRO In Delhi
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) is sparing no efforts to make a pitch for the PM’s office in 2024. Towards this end, he has decided to widen his acceptance in the Hindi media. Possibly on the advice of poll strategist Prashant Kishor. Aware that his competitor Mamata Banerjee has a natural advantage because of her following in the media as she has been a Rail Minister, Rao has decided to reach out to national media by appointing a PRO in Delhi, which came through during a 3-day stay. The appointment of the PR person was handled by KCR’s daughter and Telangana MLC K Kavitha. Meanwhile there is talk that the Centre may go in for appointing a more hands-on governor who will effectively handle the state. The present incumbent Tamilisai Sounderajan is being seen as too soft on the TRS dispensation. In her own words she admits she has good equations with the TRS Government. “I am straight forward and I function with transparency. I always wish for good relations with the government”, said Tamilisai. Earlier, there were talks of her being nominated as a Vice President candidate. But, after a recent visit to Delhi, when she did interact with PM Modi, Tamilisai may have realized she does not have much of an option.
Even as Congress President Sonia Gandhi went out of the way to be on the right side of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin — not bothering about protocol while agreeing to catch up with the DMK leader in his party office in Parliament House– and also attending the inauguration of the DMK office in Delhi, a miffed Rahul Gandhi chose to stay away. It is being said Rahul was upset over the manner in which Stalin had focused on his meeting with Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, visiting a Government school and taking a lot of interest in AAP’s model of schools. Stalin’s tango with Kejriwal, particularly on the back of the Congress’ defeat in Punjab to the AAP was perceived as a hostile step by Rahul. However, Sonia went the extra mile to be nice to Stalin with the hope of clinching two Rajya Sabha seats for Congress from Tamil Nadu come June. For his part, Stalin has been cold to Congress and, did not drop in at 10, Janpath as he usually does. It is quite another matter that he asked Sonia to inaugurate the Murosali Maran library in the DMK party office. For the first time, Stalin decided to visit all top Central ministers, to pursue matters of his state.
In a significant move, Nepal’s Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba arrived in New Delhi on April 1, 2022, and among his first engagements was a visit to the BJP headquarters where he met BJP president J P Nadda. It was Deuba’s first visit to India after becoming PM in July 2021. What is of particular interest is that Deuba, as a Nepali Congress leader heading a five-party left-wing coalition, would choose to visit the BJP office. It seems like a throwback to the times when a visit to the Communist Party of China headquarters in Beijing was considered a de rigueur. However, party sources said, PM Narendra Modi has always been keen that the party headquarters should be able to receive global leaders. The significance of the Nepali leader visiting the BJP office is also that increasingly, India’s neighbours have begun to see the value of building bridges with New Delhi rather than going anywhere near Beijing, after the recent economic collapse of Sri Lanka that has sent alarm bells ringing in South East Asia. To Deuba’s credit it must be said he withstood the pressure of signing up any pact with China on its Belt and Road Initiative. He also made clear to China that he does not want any projects with strings attached.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s standing in the BJP is vastly enhanced, especially after he managed to win both the Rajya Sabha seats from the state for the NDA alliance, dealing a blow to attempts by Congress-led opposition parties to corner one seat. Home Minister Amit Shah was immensely happy with Sarma’s strategy to clinch the twin wins. It is significant that the Congress came a cropper despite tying up with AIUDF. Apparently five of Badruddin Ajmal MLAs cross-voted for the BJP while one Congress MLA cast an invalid vote. The Congress suspended Siddique Ahmed, its MLA from Karimganj South, from primary membership of the party for writing ‘one’ instead of ‘1’ on his ballot paper as per voting protocol. While Sarma ensured a smooth win for BJP’s Pabitra Margherita and coalition partner United Peoples Party Liberal (UPPL) candidate Rwngwra Narzary, the Congress camp was in tatters. In fact, because of the setback in Assam, Congress President Sonia Gandhi went into overdrive last week to ensure at least two Rajya Sabha seats from Tamil Nadu. She is also in touch with Sharad Pawar for two seats from Maharashtra. Sources said the Congress is looking to get one seat from Jharkhand notwithstanding the political upheaval there. Following this round of biennial elections, the BJP has notched up a tally of 101 seats in Rajya Sabha.
The deployment of Tamil Nadu police for the DMK event in Delhi to manage security instead of Delhi police came at a cost for the influential Lok Sabha woman MP from South Chennai Thamizhachi Thangapandian. According to party sources, her very expensive phone was stolen at the event. Though it is not clear how exactly she lost it, a police complaint is yet to be filed. Her younger brother, Thangam Thennarsu is a minister in Stalin’s Government. Tamil news media is miffed with the State Police who let the thief get away while screening the media at the venue and even acting tough with them. Meanwhile, Chief Minister MK Stalin seems to have taken Delhi by storm. Parts of East Delhi were splashed with posters of him and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal together, applauding his visit to the Government school. A fitness freak, Stalin was found doing his brisk early morning workout at Nehru Park close to Tamil Nadu Bhawan in Chanakyapuri. Even at that hour people queued up to ask him for a selfie. Meanwhile, even as DMK MP Tiruchi Shiva showered encomiums on TMC MP Mahua Maitra calling her a “tigress”, Stalin avoided any reference to the TMC leader who lost the Goa polls. Instead, he preferred to mention Arambagh TMC MP among his guests in his tweet.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, in Delhi on a three-day visit, has a jam-packed schedule. Details of his engagements released by the CMO revealed back-to-back meetings lined up with several Union ministers on day one itself. He first met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament House at 1 pm. Thereafter, Stalin had a meeting lined up with Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari at his residence at 2.30 pm. An hour later, it was back to Parliament House for tete-e-tete with Home Minister Amit Shah with the TN CM concluding his day by calling upon Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at his Akbar Road residence. In between these meetings Stalin also dropped in at the Central Hall of Parliament to catch up with his DMK MPs. Interestingly, while Stalin was at the DMK office, senior DMK leader TR Baalu brought along Congress President Sonia Gandhi for a brief interaction. On day two of his sojourn, he will call upon Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and end the work day meeting with Commerce & Industry minister Piyush Goyal at Udyog Bhawan. Stalin will also meet Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the afternoon with the duo going to inspect government schools and Mohalla clinics. On the third day, Stalin is expected to meet up with Opposition leaders including Sonia Gandhi.
Farewells are always an emotional time more so, in the Rajya Sabha where biennial elections are held every second year when one-third of the members retire. On March 31, the Rajya Sabha chair had set aside the entire day to bid farewell to the 72 members whose term will end come early July. Even as some members got emotional, there were some lighter moments witnessed too. Like when DMK leader Tiruchi Shiva reminisced and said he would miss the presence of Congress deputy leader Anand Sharma — he is retiring as Himachal MP– in the opposition bench right in front of him. Sharma would always borrow his pen whenever he needed one within the house. An amused Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, who was presiding as chair of the house, asked Shiva if Sharma made it a point to return his pen after use. Shiv revealed his house secret then and said, “I used to only give Sharma the pen but retain the cap with me.” At this point, Naidu recalled how, when he and S Jaipal Reddy worked together; they similarly encountered resistance from other members they asked to share their pens. “When we would ask people for pens, they would hide it in their trouser pockets,” he said.
Looks like Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot afford to ignore Karnataka any more. Governance issues in the state have been long ignored because of the BJP central leadership’s preoccupation with elections to the five state assemblies. This has led to the situation really deteriorating. Chief Minister BS Bommai has a clean image but, reports of rampant corruption are being made out against his ministers – not only against those who joined the BJP from the Congress, but also those originally hailing from the BJP. Home Minister Amit Shah flew into Karnataka to attend the 115th birth anniversary of Lingayat seer Siddalinga Shivakumar Swami in Tumkur. The event was a show of strength by former Chief Minister BS Yediyuruppa and his son, Vijayendra. Until March 10 the Congress was very confident of making a comeback, whenever the elections were held. This notwithstanding, the fact is that PCC chief DK Shivkumar and the CLP leader K Siddaramiah do not see eye to eye. Morale of Congress workers touched a new low after the BJP swept the assembly elections – winning four out of five states. It is in this context that Rahul Gandhi has begun his 2-day visit to the state to boost the sagging mood of the Congress’ state unit. He also paid a visit to the Lingayat seer in Tumkur.
Will Stalin Forgive And Forget UPA-2 Tribulations Of DMK And Back PC After Sonia Meet Up On April 2?
Congressmen are keenly awaiting Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s meeting with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on April 2 in Delhi at the inauguration of DMK’s new office. The three- storied DMK office on Deendayal Upadhyay Marg, built as per Supreme Court orders, may well cause much heartburn all the same. The DMK was allotted the land in 2009 and has become the second party, after BJP, to move into its own building. The BJP relocated into its headquarters constructed on the same road in February 2018. The Congress is yet to begin work on its plot. The Sonia-Stalin meeting is expected to settle matters for the Rajya Sabha biennial polls coming up in June in Tamil Nadu. The DMK had offered a RS seat as per the seat sharing pact it entered into with Congress during the 2021 assembly polls. Intense jostling for this one seat is ongoing with former Finance Minister P Chidambaram foremost among aspirants. Currently a Rajya Sabha MP from Maharashtra, Chidambaram’s wishes to get elected from Tamil Nadu. He went out of his way to woo Stalin. Sources, however, say it will be difficult for Stalin to forget the harrowing time the Karunanidhi family faced in 2013 under UPA-2 from various enforcement agencies and still back Chidambaram.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was caught completely off guard recently when Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann paid him a courtesy visit. What took the PM by surprise during the one-on-one meeting was the manner in which the AAP CM, who is a Lok Sabha MP, made a personal pitch to Modi for a bail out for Punjab out of its financial mess, while seeking Rs 50,000 crore annually for two years to maintain Punjab’s fiscal health. Mann made a fervent plea for a Central Government financial package of Rs 1 lakh crore in stark contrast to the arrogance displayed by AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal since winning the state assemblies. A more down to earth, Mann is aware of the impending trouble ahead so, the simple man CM displayed touching humility while seemingly anxious to fulfil poll promises. Clearly, the AAP which got a humongous mandate sees no way it can keep the promises made, including Rs 1,000 for every woman per household or, even free power without hand holding from Modi. Mann blamed previous governments for leaving a whopping burden of Rs 3 lakh crore. It is not just AAP that finds it difficult to fulfil election promises as even the DMK, which rode into power using Prashant Kishor’s freebie lollipops, has since not implemented anything tangible after one year in office.
In some ways the complete rout of the Congress in the five assembly elections seems to be doing some good to the party. It has got the party leadership back to the drawing board. Sonia Gandhi has taken charge of the situation and reached out to all those who worked with her in the past. She has essentially got in touch with her core personal staff, the people acquainted with the Congress culture and its core leaders. She is relying on inputs of Vincent George, PP Madhavan and SV Pillai to help her navigate through these troubled times. Former Madhya Pradesh CM Digvijay Singh, with whom Sonia held meetings, may be given a key organisational role. Singh, a two- term CM, is a good bet as he likes to interact with people. Sonia is falling back on Singh after Kamal Nath refused to shoulder any AICC responsibility as he prefers to focus on MP. Sonia also exposed the hollowness of rebellion of the G-23 leaders. She exposed them by showing the petty and narrow aspirations of some of these leaders. Most of them became quiet after meeting her. If Bhupinder Hooda’s limited interest was to ensure control of Haryana PCC, another G-23 signatory Anand Sharma wanted to be projected as Himachal CM; he even lobbied among Himachal MLAs without much success.
What peace deal have the Gandhis — Sonia and Rahul – worked out with G-23 leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad and Bhupinder Singh Hooda? Though leaders who met the Gandhis merely talk of an inclusive leadership, buzz is that some G-23 signatories will get party assignments. Azad, who is already in the CWC, is tipped to take charge of poll-bound Karnataka, as pressure mounts on Rahul Gandhi to put his boys like KC Venugopal, Ajay Maken, Harish Chaudhary and IAS officer K Raju out to pasture for ruining Congress fortunes in the recent polls. Venugopal remained unfazed and went on to claim his presence when Rahul chatted up with Hooda. Asked to confirm the same, a miffed Hooda said: “He walked in to meet Rahul when I was leaving.” For some reason Rahul is unable to forego Venugopal who hails from Kerala, who was the reason he picked Jebi Mather as the Kerala Rajya Sabha candidate over many seniors, raising the hackles within the party. Many are questioning the undue promotion of Mather and feel it could force Rahul to search for a Lok Sabha seat outside Kerala come 2024.
Much has been written about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s immense interest in his own state of Gujarat that goes to polls later this year. Of course, Gujaratis do not need him to do a 9 km road show from Ahmedabad airport to the BJP party office in Gandhinagar to vote back a party that has been in power in the state since 1995. It is enough for them that Modi is PM; it makes every Gujarati feel he is presiding over India’s fate from South Block. But then, when it comes to elections and people’s choices Modi is not one to take any chances. The Gujarat state has already seen three CMs — Anandiben Patel, Vijay Rupani and Bhupendra Patel – after he left it in 2014 and became PM. Rupani’s five years in office ended in September 2021 after becoming an area of concern for Modi. It has been his effort to ensure that the fall out of the Rupani years did not dovetail incumbent CM Bhupendra Patel’s tenure. That is why in the two days that he spent in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, Modi consciously avoided sending out grim reminders from the Rupani era. He even avoided sharing a platform with Home Minister Amit Shah, who was in Gandhinagar on one of his official programmes. Reason: Rupani was seen as being close to Shah.
Initially, Punjab Congress leaders were enamoured when Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was ostensibly left “alone” to expand his Cabinet. No one from the AAP Delhi high command supervised the inductions of 10 ministers. Former PCC chief Sunil Jhakhar tweeted: “Seems Mann has come of age already much to the chagrin of AAP bosses in Delhi. That explains the absence of even the two regents, what to talk of Supremo himself at the oath ceremony. It’s good, as Punjab deserves a CM who is an authority unto himself (rather) than a remote controlled one.” When five Rajya Sabha picks — Cricketer Harbhajan Singh , Delhi IIT Assistant Prof Sandeep Pathak, Delhi AAP MLA Raghav Chadha, Lovely University founder Ashok Mittal and Ludhiana businessman Sanjeev Arora who is into cancer care — were announced and, as the new ministers settled in, it became apparent the hands off approach was only a facade. What is at work is Arvind Kejriwal’s Delhi Model in Punjab. Though Kejriwal did not attend the swearing-in ceremony of the new ministers, he web chatted with them online the same day. Every minister has an AAP worker from Delhi attached to them. It is said that Kejriwal tries to be like Modi without the apparent wherewithal. Buzz in political circles also revolves around Kejriwal likely to ease out Mann sooner than later to assume control of a full state himself.
In an interesting development, Pushkar Singh Dhami was elected leader of BJP’s Uttarakhand Legislature Party, ending a fortnight-long suspense over his swearing-in as Chief Minister since he lost the election from the Khatima assembly seat. Forty-six-year-old Dhami was chosen by PM Narendra Modi, who backed the young leader, being impressed by the former’s working style. In the last eight months, Dhami restored the BJP’s credibility and helped the party win 47 seats. Soon after news of Dhami’s defeat, Modi called him up over his work to boost the party’s fortunes. The PM was aware Dhami’s defeat was a result of political intrigue hatched by BJP leaders like Ramesh Pokhriyal and decided to support him. Even some Congress MLAs (besides BJP MLAs) have now offered their own seats to get him elected to the state assembly. The one person happy with Dhami’s elevation as CM is Uttar Pradesh’s former deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya, who similarly lost polls from Phulpur. As an MLC, he too feels he can comeback just like Dhami and was quick to greet the new CM. In Goa, Modi ensured that his choice Pramod Sawant got re-elected as CM and put paid to the ambitious Vishwajit Rane who delayed government formation over his candidature. Modi is repeating all four CMs in the states just won by BJP.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister-designate Yogi Adityanath visited New Delhi to confer with the BJP top brass, including PM Narendra Modi, over the final touches to his new cabinet. A number of new faces are expected to replace the previous cabinet as also the set of Deputy Chief Ministers. Erstwhile Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya lost the elections while Dinesh Sharma who did not contest elections may also not find a place in the Cabinet. Yogi may go in for four deputy CMs this time around, including a woman, with a focus on streamlining governance. Baby Rani Maurya, former Uttarakhand Governor, who contested from Agra Rural is likely to be inducted as Deputy CM. A Jatav leader, she belongs to the same caste as BSP supremo Mayawati. Others tipped to make Deputy CMs this time around are: Brajesh Pathak, a Brahmin BSP leader who joined BJP, Satish Mahana, seven-term MLA from Kanpur, and AK Sharma, former IAS officer in the PMO and Bhumihar leader who is an MLC. While Mahana’s elevation may not be an issue, Yogi had resisted inducting Modi’s man AK Sharma into his team last year. In his second term Yogi will have little choice to resist Modi’s picks. Others tipped to join Yogi’s team are: Former ED Director Rajeshwar Singh and former Kanpur police Commissioner Aseem Arun.
Free and frank deliberations at the Congress Working Committee meeting, where G-23 leaders swore by the Gandhi family, brought an anticlimactic end to the dismal Congress performance in five state assemblies. The Congress cadre is upbeat on the likely prospect of “Organisational Changes” post Holi that party chief Sonia Gandhi will undertake. Many party leaders want Sonia to rein in some of the men working in Rahul Gandhi’s office who are blamed for adversely impacting ticket distribution in Punjab. At the CWC meet, Sonia herself was quite forthcoming about her mistakes in dealing with Punjab. When G-23 leader Ghulam Nabi Azad pointed out that Captain Amarinder Singh shouldn’t have been removed so close to elections — Sonia admitted that it was all her mistake. She had delayed replacing the CM and, protected him even in the face of complaints coming in from MLAs. AICC in charge for Punjab Harish Chaudhary, however, pinned the blame for the Congress rout on Navjot Singh Sidhu and his constant feuds with Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi. Surprisingly, unlike her mother Priyanka brazened out her dismal performance of just two seats in UP — a fall from seven in 2017 — to renewed efforts she had made after nearly a decade. Playing the youth icon, Rahul pushed for the inclusion of those below 30 in party posts.
Bulldozer toys are selling briskly, like hot vadas, all over Uttar Pradesh. Parents are indulging children with toy replicas of bulldozers following BJP’s victory! This was one election when bulldozers and JCB machines could trump the Lotus symbol for their sheer public fancy. In fact, even as BJP workers celebrated the victory, the bulldozer turned into a mascot for the party. This was because Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had forewarned gangsters, henchmen and the remaining UP mafia bosses to expect steamrolling governance that would bulldoze them to the ground if he came back to power. The bulldozer was an almost constant in Yogi’s campaign speeches. He even famously said once, that while bulldozers were used to build expressways and highways, “At the same time, we are (also) using it to crush the mafia that exploited people to build their (illegal) properties.” It is pertinent to note that Yogi’s main political rival in UP, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had pejoratively termed Yogi as ‘Baba Bulldozer’ while claiming the BJP CM would lose the elections. Interestingly, since BJP came to power in 2017, over 67,000 acres of government land was unshackled from the hands of goons and mafias in the state through the rampant use of bulldozers.
There is a sense of awe that the BJP picked up all the eight assembly seats in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh, with a comfortable majority. BJP sources said Lakhimpur Kheri which is barely 100 km away from Lucknow, couldn’t have voted differently from the rest of Awadh, a region hamstrung by poverty that boasts an eclectic mix of voters comprising poor Brahmins, Kurmis and other OBCs. What about anti-BJP sentiments whipped up in the aftermath of the four farmers mowed down by a car linked to Union Minister Ajay Mishra’s son? Sikh farmers belonging to the Terai region did protest against the farm laws. Apparently, the protest did not find peoples’ favour. Four lives were also lost in the immediate aftermath of the car encounter, through public lynching that rubbed off any public sympathy or BJP antipathy, over the incident. Another optic BJP overcame was of bodies floating across the Ganges during the Covid-19 pandemic that was played up to the hilt by the opposition combine. Fact being, shallow burials along the riverside is common practice among the poor of central and eastern UP. It was not the first time this occurred; it happened in 2015 and 2018 too. In Western UP, the BJP managed to win 46 of the 58 seats, even retaining tricky propositions like in Deoband because of the SP-RLD tie-up.
The historic re-election of an incumbent government in Uttar Pradesh after a gap of 37 years made Prime Minister Narendra Modi issue an appeal to intellectuals to stop analyzing it from the prism of caste or class. Please do not look for motives of castes/class in the way people vote, he urged. Things have changed in Uttar Pradesh, in his Varanasi — in his Lok Sabha constituency for two terms that he has represented. People are voting on deliverables. The spectacular re-election of Yogi with 255 BJP MLAs has an interesting backstory — some of its key ministers, in fact as many 11 of them had to bite dust. Yes, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya narrowly lost to Pallavi Patel of Samajwadi Party, sister of Apna Dal leader Anupriya Patel from Sirathu. Apna Dal is an NDA ally. So did sugarcane minister Suresh Rana to Rashtriya Lok Dal in Shamli. As for Akhilesh Yadav, he finally came to terms with poll results and accepted he may not have won but improved his tally from 47 in 2017 to 111. He could not bail out defectors. Two BJP ministers who joined him like Swami Prasad Maurya and Dharam Singh Saini were humbled. Only Dara Singh Chauhan managed to win.
Veteran Congress leader AK Antony (81), whose Rajya Sabha term ends on April 12, informed Congress president Sonia Gandhi he will not seek re-election. He leaves Delhi to go back to home state Kerala. Antony’s exit will mark the end of his 52-year electoral and parliamentary journey, which started as a Kerala MLA in 1970, after being Congress youth leader of the students’ wing. His highly decorated innings included three stints as Chief Minister of Kerala, including being the youngest CM at age 37, 10 years as PCC president, five terms as MLA, three stints as Union minister and five terms in the Rajya Sabha. Antony’s stand on the Rajya Sabha seat is in stark difference to that of former PM, Dr Manmohan Singh. When Dr Singh’s Rajya Sabha term from Assam ended in 2019, he was re-elected from Rajasthan. Party leaders wonder about the need for Dr Singh in the Rajya Sabha as he enjoys all facilities in Lutyens’ Delhi as a former PM. Meanwhile, Antony in a 3-page letter to Sonia, expressed dismay over young leaders misguiding Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi over national issues. Antony is upset with erstwhile news anchors taking positions on Congress policy matters. Antony as CWC member has been a sounding board for Sonia Gandhi on party matters.
Like Mamata Banerjee who led Trinamool Congress to a landslide victory in the West Bengal Assembly polls in 2021 but lost her seat, so too was the case of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. PM Modi led BJP to victory with 47 seats but Dhami lost. Sources say Dhami would have won had he listened to party managers, refrained from Katima, he had represented for two terms. “We had advised Dhami to move out of Katima as another party functionary was working the assembly seat for the past five years and should have contested from there. We told Dhami to contest from Dehradun, a safe seat as a BJP candidate had passed away,” BJP leader RP Singh says. The Congress won Katima. Uttarakhand Congress leaders feel Dhami was done in by rivals like Ramesh Pokhriyal who funded his defeat. The Congress’s below par results is blamed on its divided house not having kept out turncoats. BJP turncoats like Harak Rawat joined the party at the eleventh hour, but people defeated his daughter-in-law Anukriti Gosain Rawat from Lansdowne. “The mood in Devbhoomi was against turncoats,” says Yashpal Arya, another BJP turncoat who won from Bajpur, but could not get son Sanjeev Arya elected from Nanital.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi dispatching four ministers to Ukraine’s neighbouring countries to oversee airlifting of students, regional political parties in Indian states like the DMK in Tamil Nadu and the BJD in Odisha are keen for a political slice of the action. They are keen to ensure the Modi government doesn’t get all the credit for bringing home the students from Ukraine. After the initial bad experience of DMK minister KS Masthan, who went to receive Ukraine returnees at Chennai airport, being greeted with Bharat mata ki Jai has served as a wakeup call for regional Indian political formations. To wean away students from backing BJP/ Modi, TN has now set up a @tnhdelhi 24×7 help desk to coordinate arrivals from Ukraine. About 1200 students belonging to the state have so far arrived. “Our Government has set aside a budget of Rs 3.5 crore to ensure they reach home from Delhi,” says a DMK MP. A chat with External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar helped DMK’s team of MPs deciding against traveling to the conflict zone. TN is also playing copycat with Odisha’s idea of setting up a helpline for its students in Delhi and flying students back to Bhubaneswar– so far 77 Odia students have gone back. Interestingly, both Naveen Patnaik and MK Stalin have written similar letters to Modi regarding the students’ future.
TRENDS & VIEWS
Editor’s Note: Big Punch In Small Pack
It is the Third Anniversary of Short Post and as a news media startup launched during the Covid-19 pandemic it certainly feels better than good to find ourselves where we are today. Here, I must cite the unstinted support of our seasoned contributors, all senior editors in the country, who brought a great degree of maturity and sagacity to the Short Post newsroom. But for them, our tagline “Authentic Gossip”, an Oxymoron, would not have matured viably. Our user numbers may be small but our stories have created the desired impact among people who matter — decision makers and influencers. We offer a big punch in a small pack and Short Post with its 225-word stories has been punching above its weight category. Having posted close to 3,000 stories in the last 36 months, Short Post, I feel, is an idea whose time has come.
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If you look at the media landscape – print, TV and digital — it is a mixed bag. There are job losses as some outfits have closed down while a lucky few were bailed out by large corporate houses. Yes, there is a lot of action in the digital space. However, the entry of corporate houses has raised the question of independence of news media outfits. Sadly, there are just a handful of independent media outfits in the country that are highly respected for their neutrality. At Short Post, our credo is not to take sides, prejudge issues or be biased but, informing readers of behind-the-scenes happenings. In essence, Short Post strives to be a neutral editorial platform — neither anti-establishment nor pro-establishment.
As I said last year, disruptions in the media world are moving at a fast and furious pace. Technology is playing a very big role in how content is generated and consumed. But, we are neither alarmed nor perturbed as it is all a part of the evolution process. What gives us comfort is that AI is unable to create original gossipy content. And that is the news arena where we have achieved a distinction.