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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.
When Trinamool Congress (TMC) announced author /journalist Sagarika Ghose among the four candidates for the upcoming elections to the Rajya Sabha elections, it was a clear indication that the party supremo Mamata Banerjee has had her way in picking the candidates. Except for selection of the Dalit Matua community leader Mamata Bala Thakur, sister of Union Minister Shantanu Thakur, by Abhishek Banerjee, Didi has held her ground on having saner, experienced voices in the Parliament. While Mamata opted to re-send Sushmita Dev, former president of the Congress’ women’s wing and ex-Lok Sabha MP from Assam who joined TMC in August 2021, she also decided to renominate Nadimul Haque, a sitting Rajya Sabha MP, for another term. Haque is also a Urdu language journalist. Both Dev and Haque are considered to be close to the Bengal CM. TMC sources were surprised by the nomination of Ghose, a personal friend of the CM. Mamata is known to personally interact with Ghose and her family during her Delhi visit. However, what surprised political circles was Sushmita’s come-back .Daughter of former Union minister Santosh Mohan Dev, Sushmita was sent to the Rajya Sabha by the TMC in 2021 but she stepped down in August 2023 to make way for social activist Samirul Islam who was nominated by the TMC. “Can’t believe Mamata di has nominated me back to Rajya Sabha in 6 months,” says Sushmita. Meanwhile, Congress continues to play its RS cards close to its chest. Tipped to win 8 seats in the RS polls ,it is reportedly toying with the idea of fielding Raghuram Rajan, Abhishek Singhvi from Karnataka, party treasurer Ajay Maken from MP and Salman Khurshid from Bihar.
In a significant move, PM Narendra Modi conferred Bharat Ratna, nation’s highest civilian award Bharat Ratna, on two late non-Congress PMs — PV Narasimha Rao and Chaudhary Charan Singh– and agricultural scientist Dr MS Swaminathan, who is considered the father of our Green Revolution. Honouring former PM Charan Singh with Bharat Ratna, a prominent Jat leader from Western UP, had a positive impact on his grandson and Rashtriya Lokdal Party leader Jayant Chaudhary. An emotional Jayant not only declared that PM Modi’s gesture had “floored him”, he also made it clear he was going to be with the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls. The award for Charan Singh and Dr Swaminathan — who had recommended a formula for fixing the MSP– clearly comes at a time when farmers from Punjab and Haryana are gearing up to take part in the ‘Dilli Chalo’ protest on February 16 for higher income. They were planning a rerun of their 2021 protest against farm laws. Union ministers Piyush Goyal, Arjun Munda and Nityanand Rai have held a first round of talks with farm leaders in Chandigarh. In conferring Bharat Ratna on former PM Narasimaha Rao, PM Modi acknowledged his “visionary leadership” in opening India to “global markets, fostering a new era of economic development”. For a Congress President, whose body was not allowed inside the AICC in 2005, it was Modi who built a samadhi for Rao in Ekta Sthal, Delhi a decade later. BRS/TRS leaders were happy about the honour for Rao as he hailed from Telangana.” Of course, in his own inimitable way Rao had paved the way for Ram Mandir. Just as LK Advani had.
Ahead of what seems like a concerted move by southern states like Karnataka and Kerala for a sit-in protest about “lack of funds from Centre” in Delhi, PM Modi slammed the politics over the “north-south fund fight” fuelled by the Congress. He made it clear that there could be no divisive politics over government funds. “Divisive politics over national resources is dangerous. We cannot see state funds in a narrow prism,” he said speaking on the Motion of Thanks in the Rajya Sabha. It was a day when Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and his team landed in Delhi to do a brief sit-in protest over lack of funds. The Congress government in Karnataka is struggling to fulfil the six guarantees it had promised while coming to power in May 2023. CPI(M) in Kerala may not have a freebie burden like the Congress in Karnataka but the growing traction of PM Modi and BJP in the state has got a worried Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan to do a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar. Flaying the Opposition CMs, PM Modi questioned the tone and tenor of the Karnataka leaders.“Humara tax, humara money; ye kaisi bhasha boli ja rahi hai? Charging the Congress of trying to divide the country over funds, Modi reminded the Southern states that the eastern states had mobilized oxygen supply during Covid or the way they keep up supply of coal, it would be short-sighted to underestimate the importance of any region in the country. “Mera desh Bangalore, Chennai, Telangana, Puri sab jagah hai. I don’t discriminate against states,” he said.
Is West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s jibe about Congress not in a position to cross 40 Lok Sabha seats in 2024 proving too costly for the Grand Old Party (GOP)? Upset with Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra passing through her state, the TMC supremo had challenged the Congress to take on the BJP in the Hindi heartland states. She was upset that the yatra had traversed through Bengal’s six districts and compared it to a “mere photo opportunity” for “migratory birds” as she felt its aim was only to disturb Muslim votes. Citing the challenge posed by an I.N.D.I.A partner like the TMC, PM Narendra Modi — speaking in the Rajya Sabha on Motion of Thanks to the President– decided to play on the number challenge for the Congress. “A challenge has been posed before you from West Bengal that the Congress will not be able to cross 40 seats in Lok Sabha. I pray that you can secure 40,” he said. Modi also referred to Rahul as “yuvraj” saying that he was presented as a “start-up” but turned out to be a “non-starter”. Indulging in some banter with LoP Mallikarjun Kharge, Modi wondered how he had managed to give a long speech in the House.”Then, I realised that the two commandos who are usually here were not present. Kharge ji, after realising there were no umpires or commandos, kept hitting 4s and 6s,” he said referring to the absence of Rahul and Jairam Ramesh in Delhi. Attacking the Congress for being outdated, Modi felt it had also outsourced its work.
In his last ‘Motion of Thanks’ reply to President Droupadi Murmu’s address to the Parliament, PM Narendra Modi exuded super confidence about returning to office for a third term with at least 370 seats for the BJP and 400 seats for the NDA. He taunted the Opposition for losing “the courage to contest elections”. In an obvious reference to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s plans to shift to the Rajya Sabha, Modi said “Some seats were changed last time too…I have also heard that many people now want to go to Rajya Sabha instead of Lok Sabha.” Sonia Gandhi walked out half way through his speech. He asserted that the “third term of our government is not very far now. Only 100-125 days remain to go.” Modi promised that India would become the third-largest economic power in the world in his third term and expressed confidence that his next term would see some “very big decisions”. Modi was in form as he took the Congress to the cleaners for not finding its mojo in its decade in the Opposition and attacked it for squandering its time in launching-relaunching the same product — a veiled reference to Rahul Gandhi. Quoting a 1959 speech of Jawaharlal Nehru, Modi showed how the first PM felt that the “Indians were lazy”. Showcasing his own government’s work of building 4 crore houses for the poor, Modi said if his government were to work at the speed of Congress “it would have taken 100 years to do this work. Five generations would have passed by then.”
For once Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge must be happy with the kind of impact his Rajya Sabha speech is making. For reasons best known to him, he used a BJP campaign tagline and got the ruling party to make it go viral. Kharge’s remarks that the BJP would be getting “abki paar, 400 paar” — video clip — was posted on BJP’s X handle. It was all the attention that he could ask for. Since he spoke in motion of thanks to the President’s address, PM Narendra Modi was present in the House. In his speech, Kharge was heard saying, “You have a majority, with 330-334 seats. This time it will be above 400,” evoking laughter from the PM and all senior ministers. Kharge’s remarks indicated that he had come a long way since the time he had complained about how I.N.D.I.A bloc CMs like Mamata Banerjee or Nitish Kumar before he joined the NDA were not taking his calls. The BJP could not have been more happy that Kharge, a Dalit leader of the Congress from Karnataka, had endorsed a big win for the party. The Congress leader’s clip with an imaginary header from PM Modi “I need new haters, the old ones have become my fans” was naturally on its social media post. Meanwhile, aiming to surpass its 2019 performance of 303 seats, the party recently launched its campaign theme song “Sapne Nahi Haqeeqat Bunte Hai, Tabhi Toh Sab Modi Ko Chunte Hain (we do not spin dreams, but weave reality, which is why people choose Modi)”.
West Bengal CM and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee is clearly upset with Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra making its way into her state. She is so miffed with the Congress action that she feels the entire yatra is a bid to revive the Left Parties in the state — a battle she had fought hard to eliminate. She feels any softness on the yatra at this stage could allow the Left Parties to make a comeback in Bengal. It is felt that the idea of yatra in Bengal itself was something that CPI(M)boss Sitaram Yechury perhaps worked out with Rahul .That’s perhaps why Didi has given instructions up to the district level not to cooperate with Congress functionaries. Bengal Congress leaders are finding district officials so paranoid that they are finding it difficult to make even basic travel arrangements for Rahul Gandhi. This at a time when the yatra is about to re-enter the state for a second phase on January 31. Interestingly, in the first phase when Rahul Gandhi entered Bengal he was greeted with posters of “Didi for PM”. Mamata, who has announced she will go alone for 2024 is apparently determined to take on the BJP, win on her own at least 40 out of the 42 Lok Sabha seats. She also wants to vanquish Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Choudhury from his Berhampore Lok Sabha seat. The only concession for the Congress that she is willing to make is Malda Dakshin seat and that too for the sake of Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury, as he is a kin of the late ABA Ghani Khan Choudhury, an old colleague.
At Tirupati, if it is rendering of Bharat Ratna MS Subbulakshmi’s Sri Venkatesa Suprabhatham that invokes Lord Venkatesa every morning, it is interesting that in Ayodhya too MS’s invocation to Sri Krishna made it to the playlist with the nadaswaram playing her Tamil song during the pran pratishtha ceremony. It was the rendition of her hugely popular Tamil devotional song Kurai ondrum illai — a song set in Carnatic music — in praise of Sri Krishna/ Lord Venkatesa that was written by veteran Congress freedom fighter and former governor general of India CR Rajagoplachari. Of course, there were many South connections and contributions to the making of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Most important of course is the beautiful idol of Ram Lalla sculpted by Arun Yogiraj from the unique Krishna Shila stone found in Mysuru. But the “mangal dhwani” that resonated during the consecration ceremony certainly makes for interesting details in its composition. Apparently over 50 exquisite instruments came from 18 different states for this auspicious occasion and resonated for nearly two hours. Asked to comment on the selection of MS’s song at the ceremony, Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai linked it with the coincidence of PM Modi listening to rendering of Carnatic music by Sikkil Gurucharan, who is supposed to be related to MS, sitting in Kambar Mandapam at Srirangam temple, near Trichy. It was a musical rendering of Kamba Ramayanam. The BJP leader also shared how his state had hugely contributed for the temple cause, including a single person donating as much Rs 25 cr by cheque.
From all indications, it is becoming clear that Congress leader Sonia Gandhi will not be contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Rae Bareli — a seat that she has represented since 2004 for four terms. As such she has not visited her constituency or has been taking any interest in her voters. Perhaps this was one of the reasons that she did not attend the pran pratishtha ceremony. Congress sources say she would prefer to be a Rajya Sabha MP and is actually looking to get elected from Himachal when the vacancy rises early April. It will be a seat vacated by BJP chief JP Nadda. With daughter Priyanka Vadra having a house in Shimla, the Gandhi family feels Himachal is their second home. Sonia has been telling Congress leaders how Himachal has been close to Indira Gandhi. Though she is an outsider, Sonia will not be the first outsider MP for the state. Sources point out that post Emergency there was Mohinder Kaur (1978-84) — mother of now BJP leader and former Punjab CM, Capt Amarinder Singh — who had got elected as RS MP for one term. As for Rae Bareli — a seat once represented by Indira Gandhi and considered to be family turf — there is a buzz that it may go to the next generation. With the Samajwadi Party featuring Rae Bareli among the 11 seats where it is willing to back the Congress, looks like it could soften the electoral battle if either Priyanka Vadra or Rahul Gandhi wish to enter the fray from UP.
It was the ninth time that Nitish Kumar was sworn in as Bihar CM on January 28 evening with the support of the BJP. He has been backed by the BJP six times as CM. It may be recalled that Nitish had walked out of the NDA Government in Bihar in August 2022 to form the Mahagatbandhan Government along with the RJD and the Congress. He had then charged the BJP of engineering a split in his party, Janata Dal (United). He had won the state assembly elections along with the BJP in 2020. Then what made the BJP accept him back? Why has the BJP with 79 MLAs acquiesced to backing Nitish on his terms? Only that he doesn’t get Sushil Modi as deputy CM. The BJP got two deputy CMs — an OBC and a forward caste leader. Before re-admitting Nitish, the BJP central leadership did hold wide consultations with its allies before taking a view on his return. BJP sources said it was the horror of the return of jungle raj with the elevation of Tejashwi Yadav as deputy CM. In fact Nitish himself was experiencing the rough side of the RJD; he was under pressure to hand over power to the RJD leader by Holi. “We did not want Bihar to slip into jungle raj like Bengal,” said a BJP leader. Nitish has seen what going alone in Lok Sabha elections had cost him. In 2014, Nitish got two seats and lost deposits in 36 seats. In 2019, when he fought along with the BJP, he got 16 seats. He used the opportunity of Bharat Ratna for his mentor Karpoori Thakur to get out of RJD stranglehold.
Has PM Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Tamil Nadu ahead of the consecration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya rattled the ruling DMK? Though his official visit was to inaugurate the Khelo India event in Chennai, PM’s continued presence in the state and his visit to Ram temples retracing Bhagwan Sri Ram’s steps in Ramayana has generated a lot of public interest and political buzz. His interaction with potential allies and instructions to state BJP head K Annamalai to prepare for a booth-level meeting at the earliest as a follow-up of his visit have revealed that the BJP is seriously planning for 2024. His brief roadshows in Chennai and Srirangam generated a lot of interest. PM Modi visited Rameshwaram – where Sri Ram and Sita worshipped Lord Shiva in the form of jyotirling. He also visited Kothandaramaswamy Temple in Dhanushkodi. TN BJP leaders feel it is the success of Modi’s two day visit that has got the state government to ban watching live telecasts of Ayodhya Ram Mandir programme. FM Nirmala Sitharaman who is attending a Kamba Ramayana function at Kanchipuram protested attempts to stop temples from organising events to mark Ayodhya event. A BJP spokesperson said “We were told by the police not to organise any programme in the temple in Ambathurai (near Dindigal) village because of Christians living there. Can you believe this?” Meanwhile, the Kanchi Shankaracharya has already reached Ayodhya endorsing the Ram Mandir consecration.
It’s only the third week of January, yet PM Narendra Modi has already visited South three times — with one visit to Kerala, Andhra and Karnataka thrown in, and twice over to Tamil Nadu, including this time to inaugurate the Khelo India on January 19. His visit to Chennai was quite packed with political buzz. No, it isn’t just the idea of the PM’s brief road show in Chennai that is being talked about. It is the rush among leaders of regional parties to have an audience with him, in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Everyone wants to make the best use of the couple of hours that the PM will be spending at the Raj Bhawan. He is going to be spending the night there, before he leaves for Trichy to visit the holy city of Srirangam as part of his 11-day anushthan before consecration of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. At least 3 leaders– Premalatha Vijayakanth, widow and heir apparent of late actor Vijayakanth, who is heading the DMDK will be meeting him. TTV Dinakaran of Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam and nephew of VK Sasikala, and former CM O Paneerselvam have also sought time. Meanwhile, it is learnt that former CM and AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami has made it clear that he may not be attending the mandir consecration because of “pain” in his leg.
So what is driving out leaders like Milind Deora out of the Congress in Maharashtra? Lack of popular mandate? Or short shrift from Rahul Gandhi and his team? Possibly loss of access to Rahul Gandhi. In fact many of Rahul’s close aides were surprised that when Deora exited there were reports that he had no access to Rahul and was actually seeking to reach him through an appointment via Jairam Ramesh. But then, Milind is not alone. It is being said senior Maharashtra leaders like former Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, former CM Prithviraj Chavan have also been getting a raw deal from the former Congress President. Neither Shinde nor Chavan have been able to meet Rahul in the past few years. Reportedly, BJP had reached out to Shinde to switch sides and are also tapping his daughter Praniti Shinde, Maharashtra PCC working president. When the Congress came to know of the BJP’s overtures to the father-daughter duo, it got into damage control mode. While efforts were made to molly-coddle senior Shinde, the AICC ensured Praniti was aboard the special aircraft that carried leaders from Delhi to Imphal to launch Nyay Yatra. Though BJP leaders have denied reaching out to Shinde, Congress sources feel Praniti is being eyed as a fresh face for Solapur Lok Sabha seat. If Shinde joins BJP it would bring closure to controversy over his remarks on Hindu terror that he had made at Congress’ Chintan Shivir in Jaipur in 2013 that RSS and BJP were running terror camps.
Udhayanidhi Stalin is upset with his father? Perhaps, yes! Udhayanidhi who was expected to be elevated as Deputy CM did not turn up at the residence of his father to take his blessings on Pongal on January 15. Because his father, DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister on January 13 dismissed ‘rumours,’ speculations that his son is being made deputy CM. Stalin also asserted he is healthy. Such rumours were being spread by those opposed to the January 21 DMK Youth Wing Conference in Salem, to be held under its chief Udhayanidhi, Stalin said. At a time when youth across the state were getting ready for the Salem conference, those engaged in rumour-mongering “spread false information about my health,” he said in a Pongal greetings message. “I am healthy and cheerful. I am working, working, working,” the 70-year-old leader added. Interestingly, the news of the elevation of Udhayanidhi was apparently leaked to the media from quarters close to Stalin’s family. But other power centres in Stalin’s family apparently told him to delay his elevation — because it won’t go down well before voters ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Also it will give a handle to the opposition, particularly the BJP, to reiterate that the DMK, like the Congress, is plagued by dynastic politics. So Stalin decided to put it off till the Lok Sabha elections? Perhaps, say insiders. As a preparatory step before his elevation, Udhayanidhi even met Modi on January 4 to ostensibly invite him to Chennai for the Khelo India Games in what he described as a “courtesy call.”
Guess it is in the nature of I.N.D.I.A. front, you could be a member of the group and still not belong to it. Well that is what is happening to at least two main stakeholders in the I.N.D.I.A. bloc — the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Leaders of both the parties met for the first time early this week to discuss seat sharing arrangements for the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi, with the Congress expressing the desire to contest four of the seven Lok Sabha seats, and the latter seeking to expand the scope of the discussion to include an alliance in Gujarat, Goa, and Haryana. The Congress leaders, however, told AAP representatives that their current mandate was limited to discussing seat sharing in Delhi. Interestingly, the Congress leaders did not even mention Punjab. Congress sources pointed out that the AAP was mainly interested in increasing its footprint across India and was keen to fall back on the Congress apparatus to grow. Delhi Congress leaders are not too comfortable working with Arvind Kejriwal. With ED noose tightening on Kejriwal, political analysts point to the way even an obliging Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann — who has been relentlessly flying Kejriwal around in state aircraft – had decided to make himself scarce for once and pushed off for a 4-day vipassana break in Andhra. “Our Punjab unit is determined to fight the Lok Sabha polls on their own. But for the electricity subsidy, the AAP Government has done nothing here,” says a Congress MP from Punjab.
Ahead of the inauguration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an audio message posted about the 11-day ‘anusthan’ (special ritual) that he will follow from January 12 as prescribed in the scriptures, which have to be followed before consecration. For the first time the audio connect did not dwell on temporal matters; it was entirely his way of telling the nation to focus on Ram bhakti and get away from the political distraction of boycotts of the consecration. The audio message posted on his official YouTube channel, he explained he was going to Ayodhya “only to represent people of India during the consecration”. With this, Modi ably silenced some cynical shankaracharyas who were questioning his spiritual competence to participate in the consecration ceremony. He also sent a message across to the political class in India not experiencing the reality of Ram Mandir. Modi also spoke about starting his ritual from Nashik Dham-Panchavati, a sacred land where Bhagwan Shri Ram spent a lot of time. Though Modi did not specify what the ritual is going to be,it is likely that he may undertake a fast. Abstaining from food is not unusual for him. During the navratras, he is known to abstain from food.
Buoyed by its electoral successes in Karnataka and Telangana, the Congress is looking to resurrect itself in Andhra Pradesh, where it was decimated following the bifurcation of the state in 2014. Towards this end, the Congress has inducted Sharmila Reddy, sister of Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. The party hopes that Sharmila will take on her brother. Sharmila has been promised a Rajya Sabha berth from Karnataka and a suitable AICC position to deliver Andhra — elections to the state assembly will be held along with Lok Sabha. This devious strategy of the Gandhis to play the sister against the brother in Andhra has stunned many Congress leaders. Party sources recall that CBI and ED cases against Jagan were filed while UPA was in power. In this backdrop it is not clear how Sharmila’s move to invoke legacy of her late father and Andhra chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR), who died in 2009, work in Andhra and for the Congress. It is being said Jagan did reach out to convince Sharmila via an uncle from joining the Congress. But then Sharmila has been in touch with Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar ever after the Congress won Telangana– a state where Sharmila feels she did her bit to help the Congress by keeping her party (YSRTP) out of the fray. It is another matter that Telangana CM Revanth Reddy did not want any role for Sharmila in his state as she hailed from Andhra. With a track record of working as national convener of YSRCP, Sharmila has resented Jagan for not recognising her contribution when he swept to power in 2019. Some sibling rivalry this!
For a leader who was hoping to emerge as the PM face or at best as national convenor of the I.N.D.I.A front, it is odd that Nitish Kumar should find himself once again at the starting line. Yes, at the end of 2023 the Bihar CM found he was almost back to the beginning, getting unanimously re-elected as president of Bihar’s ruling Janata Dal (United), a party he had help found nationally in October 2003. At the party’s national executive in Delhi, he was re-appointed party chief after close aide Lalan Singh stepped down. It is widely believed JDU Lok Sabha MP Lalan Singh had to make way for Nitish as the CM had become extremely suspicious of growing proximity between RJD leader Lalu Prasad and Lalan Singh; it was speculated that Lalan Singh could join a Tejashwi Yadav-led government in Bihar as deputy CM. Nitish who is prone to be circumspect of those close to him, grew very suspicious of Lalan Singh after Union Minister Giriraj Singh claimed Lalu Yadav had told him that “… the JDU will merge with RJD soon”. That buzz was dismissed by Tejashwi Yadav himself. With Lok Sabha polls 2024 round the corner, it is likely that time is running out for Nitish Kumar to hand over the baton to RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, who is now Deputy CM. Nitish’s lasting contribution to Bihar would be hiking reservation from the existing 60% to 75%.
A day ahead of PM Modi’s visit to Ayodhya to inaugurate its airport and its redeveloped Ayodhya Dham Railway Station, the Congress decided it must also draw media attention to its wobbly Ayodhya stand. The party felt the best way to keep media interest alive would be to half disclose whether any of its top leaders would be attending temple inauguration on January 22. While initially a top party leader at an informal media interaction did indicate that Sonia Gandhi would be attending the event, for some reason effort was made by the same leader to obfuscate that Sonia’s participation would only be known on January 22. “A decision will be taken at an appropriate time, and communicated at an appropriate time,” said Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh. Why was the Congress playing hide & seek with Bhagwan Ram’s sentiment? “For the Ram temple opening, someone from the Nehru-Gandhi parivar has to be there. As a Rae Bareli MP, Soniaji would be best advised to accept the invite — never mind what her partners in the I.N.D.I.A front like the TMC, the DMK or the Left Parties may say. Only we have a political stake in North India. None of I.N.D.I.A partners have any stake in the Hindu votes in north India,” pointed out a Congress leader. After all it was late PM Rajiv Gandhi, who had opened the locks of Babri Masjid in 1985. Party sources also admitted that Sam Pitroda’s views on Ram Temple were so out of sync with today’s India and had boomeranged on him, forcing the party to officially distance itself from his views
Does Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s public spat with Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman have more to do with the way his aunt Kanimozhi has been receiving help from the Centre in combating floods in her Thoothukudi Lok Sabha constituency? It seems so. Stalin Jr who represents an assembly segment in Chennai-Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni, seemed to be struggling to reach out to flood hit in Chennai, when Kanimozhi had already managed to reach her constituency because of a tip off from the Centre and be with her voters. Apart from taking IMD red alert warning seriously, Nirmala also had a chat with her. The FM had taken up the issue of mobilising NDRF support for southern TN districts with Home Minister Amit Shah. In fact, Kanimozhi publicly went on to acknowledge in a post on X the kind of help she received from the Centre via FM. It appears Udhayanidhi tried to step out of his home in Chennai only to compete with his aunt who seemed to be doing well in her constituency. So it seems Udhayanidhi’s petty quarrel with the FM over TN not asking “anyone’s father’s money but only a share of the tax paid by its people” could be more of a point he wanted to settle within the family
Exactly a month from now the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Temple in Ayodhya would have been inaugurated by PM Modi on January 22. Yet, what is really making news is that if those being left out of the event — like Uddhav Thackeray are complaining about being missing from the guest list, it seems those included like Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, are not too happy about receiving the invites. The two leaders received the invites personally from Nripendra Misra, former principal secretary to PM Modi and chairman of the temple construction committee of Shri Ram Janmboomi Teerth Trust. Have the Ayodhya invites put the Congress leaders in a fix? Probably. That is because neither Sonia nor Kharge are known to patronise temples or are practising Hindus. Lok Sabha MP Adhir Choudhury too has been invited. When asked whether any of their leaders would be at Ayodhya, party functionary KC Venugopal curtly replied, “You will know about the party’s stand… on January 22.” Party sources said the Congress leadership seems to be guided by the Left Parties and the DMK which want to mobilise counter opinion against Ram temple. However, at the CWC meeting Kerala leader Ramesh Chennithala who took a strong position in the Sabarimala Temple issue and forced the CPI(M)to change its stand, suggested that the Congress ought to form a panel to assess mood within the party. He felt any move against the Ram temple could cost party votes in the North. Brushing aside such fears a CWC member said,”Ram temple will matter only in UP. In Bihar, we tackle Ram with caste census.”
Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah seems to be in the habit of courting controversy with luxury. If in his last stint in office he had trouble over an expensive Hublot watch that he was wearing, this time it is the private luxury jet he took to Delhi to attend an official appointment with PM Modi. Of course, the entire blame for flying Siddaramaiah in style would go to Karnataka Minorities Affairs Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan. A close aide of the CM, Zaheer had played an important role in weaning away Muslim votes towards the Congress from the BRS in Telangana. High on Telangana victory, Zaheer uploaded pictures of the CM and a few colleagues enjoying their luxury ride aboard his jet. What riled everyone in Karnataka political circles was that the CM had gone to meet PM Modi to seek funds for drought relief. By the time he returned to Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah was questioning PM Modi travelling in a special jet commensurate with his office. Hounded by queries on his travel mode, the CM lost his cool. Or maybe the info that the entire HD Devegowda family had met with PM Modi had unsettled him. In March 2016 when Karnataka Assembly had witnessed stormy scenes over a Hublot watch Siddaramaiah had worn and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy led the charge, saying it was worth Rs 70 lakh. After days of being evasive, the CM finally admitted that the watch, a gift from a doctor friend, cost Rs 7 lakh and he would declare it a state asset.
More than suspension of 141 Opposition MPs, what has taken centre stage is mimicry and humiliation of the Vice President of India and Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankar by suspended members. The issue escalated with PM Modi speaking over phone to Dhankar on December 18 to express “pain” over disrespect shown to his office by suspended Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee who mimicked his style of presiding over the House. Dhankar shared in a post that the PM shared his own experience of being at the receiving end but “the fact that it could happen to a Constitutional office like the Vice President of India …was unfortunate.” The Opposition has also been humiliating the Chair by boycotting meetings called by him. This led him to play Jat card in the House as he made it clear to Congress leader P Chidambaram that Kalyan’s mimicry act videographed by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, had “ravaged” his office and was a personal insult to him. He said, “…I had suffered… Mr Chidambaram, your party put a video on Instagram, which was withdrawn later on. That was a shame to me. You used the official Twitter (now X) handle of the spokesperson to demean me, insult my background as a farmer, my position as a Jat, insult my position as a chairman…these are too serious issues.” President Droupadi Murmu said she was dismayed by the incident. Meanwhile Mamata Banerjee tried to pin the blame on Rahul Gandhi saying “you would not even come to know about this had Rahulji not taken the video.”
Reports about proceedings at the I.N.D.I.A meeting where Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and RJD leader Lalu Prasad made no concession to translate their Hindi speeches into English for Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin and DMK leader TR Baalu may not bode well for the Opposition alliance. Imagine TN, the second top performing state in terms of GDP after Maharashtra should be told by a state that is among the bottom 5 that the state should learn Hindi as it is a “national” language, certainly doesn’t augur well for Nitish’s transition to national politics. Let us contrast this with the way PM Modi has evolved over the years from being a three-term CM of Gujarat. As PM in the last 9 years Modi has been trying to reach out to people from across the country and now he is making an effort to reach out to them in their own language via AI-based translation Bhashini. Yes, Bhashini was a new experiment he carried out with his speech at Kashi Tamil Sangamam last week. The simultaneous AI-based Tamil translation was done through Bhashini. As for the I.N.D.I.A Delhi meet outcome, it has left three leaders disappointed — Nitish, Lalu and Sonia Gandhi. While Nitish was hoping to be declared convenor and Lalu was hoping Nitish would demit the CM post to elevate his son Tejashwi, Sonia was completely outwitted by Mamata’s move to project Mallikarjun Kharge as PM face. Full marks to Didi for unscrambling the line-up of leaders within I.N.D.I.A. As of now, she holds the aces. A kinder view of Nitish is that he was trying to teach DMK a lesson for opposing sanatan dharma.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s decision to embark on the Bharat Jodo Yatra 2.0 sometime in January in the run up to Lok Sabha polls, caught party leaders by surprise. By deciding to embark on a journey from the North East — sometime in January — Rahul had clearly decided to keep away from the nitty-gritty of planning and campaigning for the 2024 elections, party sources said. Either he wants to use the yatra as a face-saver for the 2024 outcome that is expected to go in favour of the BJP. Or he is merely shirking his responsibilities towards the party as its star campaigner. Party leaders are also surprised by the manner in which he has decided to latch on to slogans against “unemployment” and “inflation”– slogans raised by those who breached Parliament security. Why is a senior Congress leader like Rahul Gandhi giving legitimacy to slogans given by two “out of work” young men who trapeze from visitor’s gallery into the Lok Sabha chamber in utter breach of security? Is it because they were echoing Rahul’s charges against the Modi government at a time when it was not finding traction among voters in the North. To make matters worse Rahul even treated security breach in Parliament as a non-issue and wanted the entire focus to be on unemployment instead. In a post, Rahul asked “Where are the jobs? The youths are desperate. We have to focus on this issue and give jobs to the youth.” Party leaders were disappointed that Rahul was in no mood to confront the government on security failure.
In a hurry to show “mamu” Shivraj Singh Chouhan the door, did PM Modi go for an unflattering pick in Madhya Pradesh? Well, that’s what came across when news of Mohan Yadav, an OBC leader and three-time BJP MLA, replaced a popular leader such as Shivraj, who has been CM for18 years. Party cadres and leaders were shell- shocked that no courtesies were shown to either Shivraj or seniors like Narendra Tomar, Kailash Vijayvargiya and Prahlad Patel who had contested the polls. While Tomar has been offered the Speaker’s post, Patel who belongs to the influential Lodh community was in the race for CM’s post. Was Modi making the same mistake in Madhya Pradesh that he did in Uttarakhand where he had tried a series of three CMs before settling for Pushkar Singh Dhami? Or is he trying to reduce MP to Gujarat, where only Modi Guarantee would matter. Yadav was apparently not aware that he was being picked for the top job. Party sources say that what went in Yadav’s favour was he was seen as a vocal Hindutva leader. As a higher education minister he had announced plans to make Hindu epic ‘Ramcharitmanas’ as an optional subject in colleges in 2021. But then he got embroiled in the controversy of alleged irregularities in the construction of Mahakal Lok corridor. Not many can forget that the 900-metre-long corridor had suffered damage in May due to a windstorm. The Congress had made it a poll issue in his election. Did Modi pick him only because he managed to defeat the Congress?
The I-T department has seized ‘unaccounted’ cash amounting to upwards of Rs 300 crore in multiple raids across Odisha and Jharkhand reportedly linked to Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand, Dhiraj Prasad Sahu. Even while the department has apparently been still trying to get more counting machines to record its haul, the Congress has been battling to disown any connection with Sahu’s cash hoarding. In fact even before I-T put a final figure to Sahu’s cash stash, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh pontificated about how ”only the MP can and should explain” how the huge amounts of cash that “have been reportedly unearthed by the I-T authorities from his properties”. He clarified that the Congress had nothing to do with Sahu’s business. But then images of cash bundles stock-piled in Dhiraj’s home got BJP leader Amit Malviya to post a video linking Dhiraj with Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, dubbing it a journey to connect “the thieves of India”. Malviya captioned the video “Congress is CorruptionKiDukan”. “Nearly Rs 300 crore recovered from the premises of Congress Rajya Sabha MP Dhiraj Sahu in Jharkhand is a living proof of this.” Meanwhile, Sahu’s colleagues are surprised how he managed so many terms in the Parliament without substantially participating in the proceedings. “He hardly opened his mouth in the House. The raids now reveal his real clout in the party,” recalled an old timer.
In a much anticipated move, the BJP picked up a tribal leader and former Union Minister Vishnu Deo Sai as its new chief minister of Chhattisgarh. BJP leader and Union Minister Renuka Singh Saruta, who was in the race described Sai’s selection as “for the first time a party worker from the tribal community belonging to a farmer’s family has been elected”. She underscored the fact that Sai had won the recently concluded assembly polls from Kunkuri in north Chhattisgarh, a region that the BJP had swept picking up all the 14 seats in the region. It was in this region that the BJP managed to defeat the Congress including its deputy chief minister TS Singhdeo from Ambikapur by 94 votes. In the run up to the elections, home minister Amit Shah while addressing a meeting in Sai’s constituency had already indicated that he would get an important assignment if he was elected. Besides, Sai became a natural choice as he is considered close to former CM Raman Singh. Having been a prominent figure in the BJP, Sai has held various positions as he hails from the influential Sahu (Teli) community which has a sizable presence in the Durg, Raipur and Bilaspur divisions. He served as BJP State President from 2020 until 2022. And has also worked with PM Modi in his first cabinet. In fact after being appointed, all that Sai had to say was “I will work to fulfil ‘Modi Ki Guarantee’. Congress leaders conceded that they could never have a tribal CM in the state after late Ajit Jogi — the state’s first CM –got ruled out as an ST in 2019.
BSP supremo Mayawati officially appointed nephew Akash Anand as her successor in the party. She will, however, continue to monitor Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. In naming her UK educated nephew Akash as her political heir, Mayawati may not have disappointed those who have worked closely with her. Anand’s appointment comes days after the BSP drew blank in the recent round of assembly elections where Mayawati had made an effort to campaign Akash’s name. His name figured in the second place in the list of BSP’s star campaigners for the Himachal Pradesh assembly election. However, Akash’s steady rise in BSP has come with a cost as it has alienated all those who worked with Mayawati as a team. “All those who founded BSP have left. She has named a successor only to manage BSP properties. The BSP which was a movement that we all long worked for is now virtually over,” pointed out a former BSP leader. He recalled how over the years the party has been steadily losing steam. “We came to power on our own in Uttar Pradesh in 2007 with 205 MLAs — that was a year after Kanshi Ram passed away. There was a huge sympathy wave in favour of the BSP. In 2012, our numbers went down to 80 MLAs. In 2017 our numbers was reduced to 19 and in 2022 only one BSP MLA won. In 2027, I can see we will be wiped out,” predicts Ambeth Rajan, who had once worked with Mayawati.
Normally a Congress MP’s meeting with party president Mallikarjun Kharge should not be news. However Karti Chidambaram’s meeting with Kharge created a buzz that the Sivaganga MP could be in the reckoning to be the next PCC chief of Tamil Nadu. While Kharge may have no issue promoting a younger leader like Karti, it is not clear if Rahul Gandhi would accept him. For the past few days, Karti was seen toeing the party’s official line. Like he came out completely denouncing the move to expel Mahua Moitra for sharing her login password. Party sources said ahead of Lok Sabha 2024 polls, the Tamil Nadu unit has been looking for a new PCC chief. Incumbent party chief KS Alagiri is originally a P Chidambaram loyalist but he may now find he does not enjoy that sort of support within the state unit. Except perhaps from CWC member and Lok Sabha MP Manickam Tagore. As AICC functionary, Tagore has apparently been batting for extending Alagiri’s term till the Lok Sabha polls. Sources say Tagore is rooting for this as he is eyeing the post once the polls are over. Karur MP S Jothimani is known to be close to Rahul Gandhi. However, some of her initiatives such as landing up in Manipur uninvited when Rahul was there irked the leadership. She tried to recover the loss of face by launching baseless attacks on TN BJP chief K Annamalai. But nothing seems to be working for her.
TMC MP Mahua Moitra was expelled from the Lok Sabha on the cash-for-query case within hours of the Ethics Committee tabling its recommendations. Mahua was not allowed to speak in the House following a 2005 precedent set by former Speaker Somnath Chatterjee when 10 MPs and one Rajya Sabha MP were expelled from the Parliament following a sting operation by Cobra Post in a cash-for-query scam. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla largely relied on Chatterjee’s ruling to conduct the proceedings which went off quite smoothly. Both the Congress and the TMC insisted that Mahua should be given a chance to say her version. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahald Joshi made it clear that since in 2005 the MPs who were expelled did not get a chance to speak. Ethics Panel member Aparajita Sarangi pointed out how Mahua did not use the opportunity the panel gave her to put out her version; she had walked out mid-way. The BJP fielded a tribal MP from Maharashtra, Dr Heena Gavit, to explain the enormity of Moitra’s action — how it had brought disprute to class of MPs as such and this stigma had to be removed through harsh steps. After the House expelled her, Mahua read out from a prepared text outside the Lok Sabha, cheered by senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Perhaps the hiccups in the I.N.D. I.A.front post Congress rout in assembly polls also got a makeover. Mahua’s expulsion from Lok Sabha temporarily united the Opposition.
Looks like the Congress has still not come to terms with the results of the Hindi heartland with a section of the party blaming it squarely on the EVMs. In fact the party seemed so split on the issue that former MP Digvijay Singh claimed that “any machine with a chip” could be hacked; he even ignored the fact that the Congress had won Telangana and Karnataka through EVMs. Kamal Nath complained that some candidates did not even get 50 votes in their villages. It is not clear if the Congress leaders actually started believing in the media hype they were winning the four state assembly polls. In contrast, Karti Chidambaram, Lok Sabha MP from Tamil Nadu, came out completely endorsing the EVMs. Digvijay Singh admitted that he had been opposing EVMs ever since they were introduced in the 2003 assembly elections under the Supreme Court orders. The EVMs were first used in 2004 Lok Sabha polls which had brought UPA-1 to power. With the BJP winning 163 seats in the 230-member assembly in MP, Singh appealed to SC and EC to save “democracy”. Of course, if he had only seen the kind of work and effort BJP leadership had put in his state — 40 lakh karyakartas working through the year reaching out to 64,000 polling booths to reach 51 % vote share as part of Amit Shah’s strategy.
An unusual tweet from PM Modi’s handle caught everyone’s one eye. It was the use of emojis in the post that had gone viral. Modi took a sharp dig at the “anti-BJP forces” after the Congress’s dismal performance in the Hindi heartland states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in recently held polls. What had redeemed the Congress prestige was its win in Telangana. Endorsing a TV Today anchor’s clip “Melt down e Azam” that chided the Opposition for building a new narrative of North-South divide to explain why voters in the North and the South voted differently, Modi suggested that “May they be happy with their arrogance, lies, pessimism and ignorance”. At the same time, the PM warned about their alleged “divisive agenda”, saying “an old habit of 70 years can’t go away so easily. For some reason DMK MP Senthil Kumar picked up this narrative and mocked BJP victory in the North by saying it can only win in Gomutra states. “They can’t come to South India.” Even as his comments were expunged by the Chair, the MP remained defiant as he went on live on TV channels. It is being said it was a livid Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin who got Dr Senthil Kumar. S to apologise via a tweet as he did not want it to be a mega controversy like his son’s Udhayanidhi’s remarks on sanatan dharma.
No sooner did the assembly results indicated that the BJP was winning the three states in the Hindi heartland — Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, a Congress spokesperson was alert enough to embark on her next important political task. That of insulating both Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka from any blame of losing these polls. She promptly told a national TV, “Can we blame our CMs and our PCC chiefs who were given full freedom, for failing to deliver the states?” She was referring to the leeway and free hand given to outgoing CMs Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, and Kamal Nath as PCC chief in Madhya Pradesh. The Congress high command had not interfered at all in election work in these three states, but Gandhis did offer Karnataka-like guarantees. Yet people seem to have opted for PM Modi’s assurance of delivery on governance. The much awaited reality of Ram Mandir being open to people from January 2024 also seems to have worked on the voters. If anything came as a surprise, Congress sources admitted that it was losing Chhattisgarh from its fold. As Congress leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam tersely put it, the party had been sunk by the curse of “sanatan dharma”. As for winning Telangana, the Congress feels it has only the BJP to thank for. If the BJP had not removed Bandi Sanjay Kumar as state chief “We wouldn’t have been voted in. Everyone was sick and tired of KCR and his family,” says a Congress leader.
The Congress in Telangana is hopelessly caught in a cleft stick on the ‘Rythu Bandhu’– a popular scheme of fund transfer to farmers managed by the BRS Government. The party is not sure if it had protested too much and stopped the scheme just ahead of polling on November 30. Would the farmers be angry with the Congress that it had stopped the disbursal of the funds on a silly pretext? After all, the incumbent government BRS government had secured permission from the ECI on November 24 to disburse funds under the scheme. With 10 rounds of ‘Rythu Bandhu’ already disbursed to 73 lakh farmers the current round would have been extended to all, beginning November 28.The ECI, which granted permission earlier rescinded its decision in just 48 hours apparently with a complaint lodged by Telangana PCC chief A Revanth Reddy. Congress sources now feel the basis for Reddy’s complaint to the ECI against stopping Rythu Bandhu was very frivolous. In fact, the Congress has even disputed the veracity of the complaint. “How can the statement of state finance minister T Harish Rao announcing the schedule of the disbursement be the basis of blocking the scheme? We feel the ECI has worked hand in glove with BRS only to give a stick to beat the Congress,” says a party manager. He says the Congress had made only one request to the ECI and that too in October. Which means Revanth Reddy will be the fall guy if he fails to clinch Telangana polls.
Now that the votes have been cast in Rajasthan, Congress election managers are finally letting off their steam against one over-priced star campaigner, Imran Pratapgarhi, who not only called off half a dozen programmes at the last minute but had left the party hugely embarrassed because of his erratic ways. It is being said he played truant in Telangana too. Hugely popular for his shayari, Pratapgarhi has been quite elusive and is known to even charge the party for his efforts. It is precisely for his campaign work that he got elected to Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra in 2022 overlooking local claims, and was appointed to head the Minority Department of the AICC. Party sources said Pratapgarhi was taking everyone for granted because he had patronage of Priyanka Gandhi as he hailed from UP. Well if the Congress cadres were putting up with the whims of a Pratapgarhi, they discovered getting Sachin Pilot into a campaign mode had become a logistic hazard. It was all because CM Ashok Gehlot decided not to make any arrangements for his rival. It was finally left to the AICC to make a last-minute arrangement for a chopper to ferry Sachin across constituencies. Even this wasn’t done not because Sachin was close to the Gandhis. It is being said even the Gandhis felt a bit tricked when they found there were different names in Sachin’s candidates’ list that was given to Sonia and Rahul Gandhi for the CEC meeting. Maybe Sachin was trying to get as many names of his candidates cleared.
When Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee launched an all-out attack on the BJP this week warning that central agencies would target it after the 2024 general elections, it seemed more a bid to assert herself within the TMC rather than taking an aim at the national party. Yes, her warning that if central agencies arrest four of her party leaders, the West Bengal police would arrest eight state BJP leaders seemed plain bluff and bluster. TMC watchers pointed out that Mamata was compelled to do some sabre-rattling at a party event as she wanted to put her nephew and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee in his place. It was on Didi’s orders that Abhishek’s posters had gone missing. It is being said Mamata had taken a tough view on Abhishek only to reassure old-time TMC backers. For some time now Abhishek has been asking Mamata to dump those TMC leaders who have fallen foul of the law. At least five high-profile TMC leaders, including four legislators of whom two were state ministers, are now in judicial custody after they were arrested by the ED and the CBI in multiple corruption cases. The jailed leaders are all die-hard Mamata loyalists. With Abhishek having handpicked all next generation TMC MLAs in 2021 polls, Mamata is feeling increasingly isolated in the party.
For the November 30 Telangana assembly elections, the Congress seems to be focussed on garnering minority votes, virtually hoping it would be a repeat of its Karnataka win. No, it is not just relying on its Minority Declaration that has promised huge allowances of Rs 10,000-12,000 for Imams, Muezzins and Khadims, it is doing much more. Like relying heavily on an aggressive push by Karnataka Minority Affairs Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan who has been sort of camping and canvassing in the poll-bound state. Following instructions of CM Siddaramaiah a few Karnataka Muslim Congress leaders too have been campaigning in Telangana. It may be recalled that minister Ahmed had stirred controversy by stating how Karnataka’s BJP MLAs were now forced to show respect to a Muslim Speaker UT Khader in the Karnataka Assembly. The Congress feels encouraged to tap Muslim votes as Asaduddin Owaisi’s party AIMIM would be contesting only nine seats. The AIMIM was contesting seven seats on which it had sitting MLAs and was fielding two extra seats. The Congress has fielded five Muslim candidates against AIMIM’s eight. Besides Minister Khan who has been working on the ground, nine more Karnataka ministers were deployed on election work. Deputy CM and KPCC chief DK Shivkumar also got 48 other senior leaders — mostly MLAs and MLCs — appointed as AICC cluster in-charges. A party manager conceded that post Diwali there were coordinators deployed across all the 119 constituencies.
When Congress leader Sonia Gandhi shifted to Jaipur as Delhi’s air pollution level spiked last week post Diwali there were a lot of concerns about her health. More than that, many in the party wondered about the real purpose of her visit. Did she really choose Jaipur to recover from horrible Delhi weather or there is more than that meets the eye? Sonia was apparently there to iron out differences between CM Ashok Gehlot and son Rahul. Party sources said it seemed only logical. That’s because whenever she is advised by her doctors to shift to a place where the air is not so polluted as in Delhi, she usually visits Goa; .Jaipur can’t be considered a health resort. Sonia rushed to Jaipur after Rahul had a head-on clash with CM Gehlot over ticket distribution. Party sources said Gehlot was heard asserting how he has been a two-term CM and has the experience to pick and endorse candidates on his list. Sonia decided to have a pep talk with Gehlot and make it easy for Rahul. Clearly, the CM was visibly upset with the way Congress leadership denied tickets to his close aide Mahesh Joshi from his Hawa Mahal constituency in Jaipur. Last year, Joshi along with three other ministers — Shanti Dhariwal, Pratap Khachariyawas and Dharmendra Rathore were served show-cause notices for going against the party whip in 2022. While the high command decided to spare Dhariwal and Khachariyawas, axe fell on Joshi and Rathore.
Exactly three months after inducting him into the CWC, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge targeted Shashi Tharoor by removing him from the All India Professional Congress (AIPC) — an organisation that Tharoor had founded six years ago to draw professionals to the Grand Old Party. For some reason, Kharge thought it fit to replace Tharoor with Praveen Chakravarty, a former venture capitalist and investment banker, who had worked with the UPA programme on financial inclusion of the unbanked poor. Praveen is credited with designing NYAY or minimum income programme for 2019 polls. Nonetheless, party circles were surprised that Kharge should go in for the replacement in the midst of assembly elections. Tharoor was listed as a key campaigner in poll-bound Telangana. After the reshuffle, Tharoor opted out of the campaign. This brings up an interesting question. At a time, when Kharge has not been able to put in place his own AICC team, why was he singling out Tharoor? It was felt Tharoor was eased out of AIPC because he had dared to contest against Kharge for the post of Congress President. At the same time, it is being said Kharge is not being given a free hand to reshuffle AICC because of tussle between Rahul Gandhi and sister Priyanka over appointments. Significantly, Tharoor had exit thank you only for Rahul Gandhi.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman who was visiting Rameswaram over the weekend, had a surprise heartwarming interaction with local fishermen. Always open and accessible, a group of local fishermen frantically came over to meet her late evening to inform her about how a few fishermen had been arrested by the Lankan Navy just then. Keen to find an immediate solution, the Minister immediately called up the Indian Embassy in Colombo; after all she had only recently visited Sri Lanka. The phone call worked. In a matter of minutes, the Indian fishermen were let off at mid-sea itself. In the morning, as Sitharaman was on the way to a government programme, the fishermen came over to thank her for the prompt action. On her part, she merely told them how the Modi Government’s policies in the last 10 years have “secured the lives of fisherfolks in this region”.
Congress leaders are still wondering whether former PCC chief and ex-CM Kamal Nath is overplaying his confidence of winning Madhya Pradesh assembly elections. Or does he have something up his sleeve? His latest warning to state police and district administration officials, it was felt, betrayed more a sense of bluff and bluster, than real confidence. Imagine a person who was briefly CM saying “No one will be spared, six more days are left, do whatever you want to, but you also have to spend the next five years under a Congress regime.” Party sources conceded that such hollow threats by Nath were bound to be counterproductive in a close contest with the BJP. Attacking the Congress as “Dhamki ki Dukan”, the BJP feels the upcoming assembly election in 2023 for 230 seats is expected to witness largely a closely contested battle between the BJP and the Congress. In addition to these two major parties, the Samajwadi Party and AAP have also nominated their candidates for the polls. The BJP has pledged to offer free ration to the underprivileged for the upcoming five years and provide LPG cylinders to women at a cost of Rs 450. Additionally, the BJP is committed to establishing the Madhya Pradesh Institute of Technology and the Madhya Pradesh Institute of Medical Sciences if it secures victory in the state. Another key promise from the BJP is the provision of 100 units of electricity for Rs 100.
On the back of the Lok Sabha Ethics Panel adopting on November 9 the report recommending Mahua Moitra’s expulsion from the Lok Sabha in the ‘cash for query’ case, the TMC pulled a surprise on November 13 by appointing Moitra as the district president of Krishnanagar, the constituency she represents in the Lok Sabha. How did this high profile MP who has always been on uneasy terms with her constituency secure party assignment? In fact TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee had in the past warned Moitra to stay clear of constituency politics as she was hardly known to visit her Lok Sabha area and was forever traveling abroad. Reportedly, Moitra caught hold of TMC leader and Mamata’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee, who was responding to ED related summons. Not only did she butter him up by organising his papers, improving English of the text of the submission and provided some legal aid, she also appealed to him to ensure that the TMC doesn’t abandon her at this stage. Looks like her efforts to get into the good books of Mamata’s nephew worked. The TMC has now thrown a life-line to her and got a party shield. But there is no way she can be saved from expulsion from the Parliament. That is because the precedent for summary expulsion of 11 MPs for corrupt practice was set by none other than former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee following a sting operation in 2005. The Supreme Court had upheld the expulsion. The transgressions of those MPs in the sting pales in comparison to Moitra caught in a shopping spree.
In a bid to revive its fortunes ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP has once again decided to fall back on the charisma of its tall Linagyat stalwart BS Yediyurappa in Karnataka by appointing his son BY Vijayendra as the president of state’s BJP unit. Vijayendra, an MLA from the Shikaripur constituency replaces Nalin Kateel. The appointment comes six months after the Congress ousted the BJP government in the Karnataka Assembly polls with a landslide win. Vijayendra will be the 10th Karnataka’s BJP state chief. In the recent assembly elections, Vijayendra won as an MLA from Shikaripura constituency, once represented by his father. The BJP’s top leadership is yet to announce the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the southern state where it lost the mandate in the assembly elections. After quitting electoral politics, BS Yediyurappa had widely campaigned for the BJP across the state during the assembly election to help the saffron party to retain power. Interestingly, there were a lot of central BJP leaders vying to lead the state unit including Shobha Karanadlaje and CT Ravi. However, this time it was decided that the party should not risk ignoring Yediyurappa as it did during assembly polls. That too at a time when the ruling Congress is breaking up into various factions. There is already a talk that Congress minister Satish Jharkhioli has support of 65 MLAs rooting for him as CM.
When Rahul Gandhi pushed off to Kedarnath on a three-day visit in the midst of elections in Hindi heartland states, it was widely believed that the temple visit was more to improve his Hindu credentials than for any spiritual significance. Party sources admitted that Rahul found he was not being welcomed to campaign in Madhya Pradesh as much as his sister Priyanka was in a state that goes to polls on November 17. PCC chief and CM aspirant Kamal Nath was seen trying to maintain a distance from Rahul; it was as if Nath was cold shouldering Rahul. While Kamal Nath was not seen accompanying or sharing the spotlight with the Gandhi scion, he was not even endorsing or referring to Rahul’s programmes in the state — in his X handle. He was only making references to public rallies addressed by Priyanka Vadra. In contrast, former CM Digvijay Singh made it a point to be part of Rahul’s rally in Ashok Nagar, Guna. Sources said it is possible Nath was uncomfortable with Rahul’s utterances about caste census and OBC politics. He probably did not want any controversy with Rahul around. It may be recalled Nath got I.N.D.I.A front to call off its Bhopal rally soon after Sanatan Dharam controversy. Several Congress leaders have also not been comfortable with Rahul’s neo OBC politics and wondered if it would yield desired results. Meanwhile, Rahul is yet to chart out his campaign plans for Rajasthan that goes to polls on November 25.
Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai attended the “Naam 200 Commemoration” in Colombo, Sri Lanka, honouring the 200-year journey of Indian-origin Tamils who endured historical injustices, including loss of citizenship and harsh working conditions on tea plantations. During the “Naam 200 Commemoration” event, the FM reaffirmed India’s unwavering support for the Indian-origin Tamil community in Sri Lanka. However, what won hearts of the Tamils in the island was her visit to Nallur Kandaswamy temple in Jaffna. There when priests asked Nirmala to whom should the special puja at the temple be dedicated. She said it should be dedicated to the inseparable bond between the Indians and the Lankans. During her visit, Nirmala also highlighted the Tamil community’s remarkable resilience and commitment. As a part of this commitment, the FM, along with Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe, unveiled the Thondaman Vocational Training Centre, which was upgraded with Indian assistance and provided school supplies for 10,000 children in plantation areas. In addition to the event, India and Sri Lanka entered into a MoU on solar electrification of religious places in Sri Lanka. India will allocate Rs 82.40 crore as part of the Indian grant assistance of RS 107.47 crore earmarked for the promotion of Buddhist ties between the two nations. India will continue collaborating with Sri Lanka on debt treatment while the island nation attempts to emerge from last year’s grave economic crisis, the FM assured Sri Lankan leadership.
For a person whose own political future is bleak, BJP MP Maneka Gandhi seems to have once again thrown herself head long into her old passion – wildlife protection issues. She got her NGO to file a complaint against YouTuber Elvish Yadav for using snake venom at rave parties in Noida, UP. Attacking Yadav for being on the run, Maneka wanted to know why the famous influencer was on the run. “This is a grade 1 crime, seven years in jail, a wildlife crime. King cobras die when their venom is taken out. Their venom is for digesting food. Without the venom, they can’t eat anything and thus they die. There are very few cobras and pythons in the country. It is a crime to own them, catch them or use them,” Maneka was heard telling TV channels. Demanding Yadav’s immediate arrest, Maneka Gandhi said her NGO was keeping a watch on Yadav for a long time as he used snakes in his YouTube videos. Then they found out that they sell snake venom. In a statement, a shocked Elvis Yadav dismissed Maneka’s charges as baseless and fake. According to the complaint filed by People For Animals, the NGO, contacted Elvish and asked him to organise a rave party and get Cobra venom. “Elvish gave us the name of one Rahul whom we contacted. He said he could organise the venom wherever we want. He then came to Sector 51 Banquet hall with the venom. The Noida police then came to the venue along with the DFO and arrested the organisers,” the complaint said.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal seems to have taken a lesson from Jharkhand CM Shibhu Soren who skipped five summons of ED in the land scam case and instead moved the Supreme Court challenging it. Soren didn’t get much relief from SC as it asked him to approach the high court. Making an identical legal point, Kejriwal in his letter to the ED made the big point about how the summons came in the way of political work — mainly election work. He skipped the ED summons, landed with Punjab CM Bhagwant Singh Mann in Madhya Pradesh for an election campaign. It was surprising that Kejriwal remained oblivious to the fact that the SC had already passed the ED on its back for establishing a money trail of Rs 338 crore while denying bail to Delhi’s deputy CM Manish Sisodia in the liquor scam early this week. Maybe it is this money trail that must have alerted the wily CM. That is why in a closely guarded move, Kejriwal seems to have changed his mind of appearing before the ED at the last minute. The ED issued the summons notice to Kejriwal on October 30 asking him to be present at its headquarters at 11 am on November 2. Shooting off a scathing letter to the agency, Kejriwal said “The summon notice is illegal and politically motivated. The notice was sent at the behest of the BJP. Notice was sent to ensure that I am unable to go for election campaigning in four states. ED should withdraw the notice immediately.”
There is strong buzz in Karnataka’s Congress circles that chief minister Siddaramaiah would like to hand over the reins to one of his trusted cabinet colleagues and Dalit leader Dr G Parameshwar rather than fall into machinations of the JD(S) like HD Kumaraswamy which is trying to bring down his government along with the BJP. He is reportedly reluctant to hand over charge to PCC chief and deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar (DKS), who belongs to the dominant Vokkaligga community. The stories of multiple recoveries made by the I-T department have simply shocked those in the government. What kick-started the buzz about leadership change was the dinner hosted by Parameshwar for Siddaramaiah and his loyalists in the Cabinet like Dr HC Mahadevappa and Satish Jharkioli last week. The dinner assumed significance as DKS is apparently pushing for giving South Bengaluru status to Ramanagar district. JD(S) leader Kumaraswamy who made Ramanagar a separate district during his stint as CM feels DKS is perhaps playing into the hands of the builder lobby. The Congress leadership is hugely relying on DKS to manage the assembly elections across states. DKS has become the face of the Karnataka model of freebie governance in Telangana; he even said Telangana freebies are better than Karnataka. That means it is quite clear this deputy CM is no push over.
Nothing has disturbed the Congress more than Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust inviting PM Narendra Modi for the consecration ceremony of the grand Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22. Why has the invitation been extended only to PM Modi? Opposition leaders wonder if it had become a party event just ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Congress leader Salman Khurshid, who had legally opposed the temple, wanted to know if the invitation was being sent to only one party. For the first time, the Congress feared Ram Mandir could become a factor in poll-bound elections in state assemblies in the Hindi heartland. Perhaps, what must have unsettled the Congress was the way PM Modi responded to the invite on X. “Jai Siya Ram. Today is a day full of emotions. I feel very blessed. It is my good fortune that in my lifetime I will witness this historic occasion.” In his Vijaya Dashami address, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat appealed to people to hold functions in nearby temples on January 22. Bhagwat said, “Our Lord Ram, whose picture also adorns the original copy of our Constitution, will enter his temple in Ayodhya on January 22. We won’t be able to attend the ceremony because of security reasons…” Meanwhile, the Deepotsav tradition in Ayodhya which began with the Yogi Adityanath government in 2017 has set a target of lighting 24 lakh ‘diyas’ (earthen lamps) this year. The VHP has planned to launch a nation-wide campaign of asking each household to light five earthen lamps during Diwali and dedicating it to the 500 year wait for the Ram temple.
It is not just the Gandhis who have a fondness for the furry friend. Yes, we have seen Rahul Gandhi traveling all the way to Goa to pick up a pair of Jack Russell pups for his mother Sonia and himself. But we know little about West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s bond with the furried. She recently got two Labradors to join her household – Strong and Smile. They arrived purely for security reasons. Yes, they arrived following several security breaches in her Kalighat residence. According to sources, both of them are well-trained to spot bombs or explosives in the vicinity. ‘Strong’ and ‘Smile’ have spent nearly a year training with Special Forces — the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). Post security breach, Mamata, a Z-category protectee got the canines’ for her round-the-clock safety. Since she likes to spend time with the dogs during her spare time, it was she who reportedly gave their names. Security agencies were quite worried about the kind of breaches that were taking place at her residence. There were apparently two serious breaches in her security. Couple of days ago an unknown man breached the security fence and entered her house. In the second instance, a car laden with weapons entered the lane of CM’s residence.
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.