Sita coy, Naidu says 'Ahoy'!
Just as in the early days of NDA-I, and the UF before that, Chandrababu Naidu has become the unofficial coordinator of the Opposition gathbandhan. In fact, whether it becomes a 'mahagathbandhan' or a loose network of smaller state-level bandhans (tie-ups) now depends on the Andhra CM's political savvy -- on whether his skills can be brought to bear on papering over the differences between the Congress and regional powerhouses.
The CPI-M too is none too happy either, maybe the reason why party general secretary Sitaram Yechury's bonhomie with Rahul Gandhi has ebbed. The Congress's stance on the Sabarimala issue, on which it's vying to outdo the BJP as the champion of Hindu angst, despite the party chief favouring a pro-woman line, has certainly upset the CPI-M leader.
Temple jumble
Rahul's temple-hopping is setting off some disturbances within the Opposition sphere. For one, it has not gone down well with the Marxist party, which feels its staunch secular credentials would get damaged if it is seen in proximity with the Congress. In addition, in Madhya Pradesh, the Congress is displaying some softness towards savarnas, who have their reasons to be miffed with the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government. That's why Mayawati too got spurned.
It seems the DMK too is uncomfortable with Rahul's 'Hindu Lite' turn, fearful that its pro-Dravidian, pro-minority street cred would get hurt if it consorts with Rahul in this mood. Plus, MK Stalin, it seems, is not ready to part with more than 5-6 seats for the GOP. Deve Gowda too has expressed similar apprehensions to Yechury and others. Yechury, it seems, complained to Sonia Gandhi. This is the situation in which Naidu has taken over the role of alliance-making, trying to smoothen the creases, the way Harkishan Singh Surjeet did two-and-a-half decades ago. Unlike Yechury, Babu has a personal agenda too. He's convinced Governor ESL Narasimhan is plotting his overthrow.
Bam Bam Bhole
A GOP veteran, in semi-retirement, recently quipped, "Now we have two Hindu parties, one Vaishnavite (Ram bhakt) and the other Shaivite (Shiv bhakt)". The leader of the latter is losing no occasion to prove it too. Nearly stumped by a googly from a young journalist in MP, who asked why he was often infantilised as 'Pappu', he cited his Shivbhakti as the reason.
Not known for quick retorts, Rahul Gandhi surprised the journalist by asking if she was aware of Lord Shiva's popular name -- "Bholanath". He prefers to be "Bhola" like the Lord, he said, and prefers not to respond to jibes of the opponents. The applause he got, however, seems like making his potential allies a bit jittery, just as the crescendo over the Ram mandir is making BJP allies uncomfortable.
Curious case of divorce
Lalu Prasad Yadav's elder son Tej Pratap is not falling in line despite getting two hours of brainwashing from Lalu when he visited the Yadav patriarch at a Ranchi hospital. He vanished soon after, then sent a message from Haridwar, pressing his family to back him on his divorce plea, which is to be heard on November 29. His marriage was not even five months old when Tej Pratap filed a divorce petition, citing irreconcilable difference with wife Aishwarya.
Apparently, Ash, daughter of RJD leader Chandrika Rai and granddaughter of former CM Darogha Prasad Rai, has political ambitions (and wants to give a leg-up to her father too). She wants to contest the Lok Sabha polls and focus on politics, while Tej Pratap has a maverick spiritual streak. He is apparently in search of Radha, and just wanted some post-marital 'ras leela'. All was kosher till Tej Pratap visited Vrindavan and started dressing up as Krishna. He's apparently convinced Ashiwarya's no Radha, and does not want to be her ladder in power politics.
Santwana Bhattacharya
The author is Political Editor, TNIE.
Email: santwana@newindianexpress.com