VSThe workers and the leaders of the movement are perpetually confronted with a dilemma, it has become a kind of tradition. Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra is the top priority of all party leaders these days. But Gujarat assembly elections are also approaching. Not to mention the small and medium leaders, even those at the top – like the party general secretary – are in the mood to spend their time in the yatra, instead of exercising electoral functions. Those on election duty continue to check with Yatra on-duty leaders – whether the latter should be in Bharat Jodo Yatra or in Gujarat? As if they had a grudge.
Governor active, CM lackluster
Governor of Goa PS Sreedharan Pillai’s yatra left CM Pramod Sawant puzzled. The Governor of Goa roams the state as a representative of the people, like an ordinary politician does. Over the past 15 months, Sreedharan has visited 100 villages in Goa spread across 40 wards and panchayats. He interacts with people as well as panchayat leaders to understand their problems and demands. Now, if the Governor himself engages in so much touring, what will the CM do? A similar scenario was seen in another BJP-ruled state.
Bangladesh in Gujarat elections
What is the connection between the elections in Gujarat and Bangladesh? Nothing to be honest. But all of a sudden, a connection emerged. It all started with the “No Money for Terror” conference. As soon as Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was present at the conclave, declared that “terrorism has no religion”, the terse comments and reactions from the pro-Hindutva lobby began to flock. Why enter into delicate territory, especially the elections in Gujarat, they argued. Realizing his “mistake”, the Home Secretary also immediately changed the subject of the debate by raising the issue of attacks on Hindus and Hindu temples in Bangladesh. All this under the eyes of his Bangladeshi counterpart. The pro-Hindutva lobby is full of praise for the interior minister.
New name for Guwahati?
When it comes to finding or making an icon your own, nothing beats the skills of BJP. Yet the problem in the North East was unique – the party could not find a local icon. Then, all of a sudden, the bigwigs in the state government as well as the party organization went into active mode. Soon, the BJP gets their hands on the story of an Assam warrior, Lachit Borphukan. Around 400 years ago, he had created a lot of trouble for the Mughals, defeating them twice on the battlefield. Now, Prime Minister Modi will unveil his statue on November 24-25. In short, BJP has also managed to unearth an icon in the Northeast. It doesn’t stop there. The buzz is that the government of Assam has already started preparing to name Guwahati after Lachit.
BJP’s new know-it-all
A top BJP leader has joined the Parliamentary Council for the first time. A former bureaucrat, he is also the author of several books. In his conversations, he nonchalantly refers to himself as Saraswatiputr (Son of Devi Sarswati, considered goddess of wisdom). He has every reason to practice vanity. After all, he has written dozens of books. But the question is why is he so vocal about it? By the way, among the pantheon of BJP scholars, Murli Manohar Joshi is considered to be at the top. Yet, we have never seen him boast of his wisdom. What explains this? Maybe because Joshi ji didn’t write as many books as this new leader. After all, in a democracy, it is “numbers” that count.
Nishank, the writer
When it comes to writing books, there is none like former Uttarakhand CM Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’. He doesn’t even remember the names of all the books he’s written so far. Not even the one taught in some foreign universities. In party circles, the leader is often referred to as ‘likhadi‘, a reference to his talent as a writer.
When Nadda made a “visible” mistake
Recently, BJP Chairman JP Nadda made a mistake in handling the media. He only realized his mistake after being informed by an official of the party’s media cell. On polling day in Himachal Pradesh, Nadda first left her home to visit a temple and then, together with her entire family, went to vote. Even though there was a large gathering of media channels in his home, only one channel accompanied him. Nadda didn’t realize that the other channels also wanted to cover her temple run and voting exercise. As a result, the BJP leader was only “visible” on one channel while a big party leader stole the show on multiple channels. When the reasons for this “mistake” were examined, Nadda realized that it was her own madness. He has now asked the media department that he should be told quickly if he feels he is making a mistake. It takes character to accept your own mistake.
Less money, more trails
It’s a maze. There is a limited liability company, and as it happens, it has an owner. This landlord has just returned from ED custody in a case related to bank fraud. However, this company would have transferred money borrowed from the banks to another company – classic case of back and forth of funds. This second company invested money in the land held by a company owned by the brother of the aforementioned owner. As soon as the amount for the apartments built on this land was received from the buyers, it was quickly returned to the brother’s company. After that, the companies owned by these brothers were bought by someone else. Now the ED tracks the money trail. The new owners fear that the apartments they own are attached. Next week, their CFO is due to appear before the ED.
Bharat Agrawal is Executive Director of Dainik Bhaskar Group and columnist.
By special arrangement with Dainik Bhaskar and translated by Ram Lal Khanna from the original in Hindi. Edited by Anurag Chaubey.
