Politics, like cricket, has a way of turning dropped catches into match-winning moments. Ravneet Singh Bittu seems to be a living proof. After a sharp verbal exchange with Rahul Gandhi outside the new Parliament building—where Gandhi labelled him a “gaddar”—Lady Luck appears to have quietly taken Bittu’s side. Inside saffron circles, that single word is now being described as a political Sanjeevani. With Bittu’s Rajya Sabha term ending on June 21 and his MoS (Railways) profile not exactly setting the House on fire, a second term had looked uncertain. Until, of course, the retort came: Bittu declaring he would never stand with “desh ke dushman”. The plot thickened when Prime Minister Narendra Modi jumped in during the Rajya Sabha speech, framing the remark as an insult to the Sikh community—instantly boosting Bittu’s stature as a key Sikh face in the BJP. With Punjab elections due in 2027, a BJP leader summed it up neatly: “Bittu ji ke dono haathon mein laddoo.”
Cabinet rejig buzz comes back
Surprise has quietly become the BJP’s preferred operating system. If uncertainty were currency, the saffron corridors would be positively flush. Once again, speculation is back in fashion—this time over an “imminent” Union cabinet reshuffle. With the first phase of the Budget session set to end on April 2, the rumour mill says Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has a habit of linking such moments with cabinet exercises, may spring yet another surprise soon after. Sources hint the reshuffle could be performance-based—which is a polite code for underperformers being shown the door to make way for younger faces. A familiar list of ministries is doing the rounds, from cooperation and agriculture to law, finance and minority affairs, mostly at the level of minister of state, with a few Cabinet tweaks to accommodate allies like the JD(U) and RLP. As one BJP leader quipped, “It’s expected—the surprise is when and how.” And, of course, the organisation and media wings may be the next.
Top-down turns bottom-up
A twist in paramilitary appraisal rules—juniors are now reviewing seniors. Yes, really. The CRPF Directorate General (Organisation) issued an order on February 4, allowing Group B officers to provide inputs on the performance of their Group A bosses. Annual evaluations, usually top-down affairs, are suddenly getting a “from the trenches” perspective. Imagine the mess halls buzzing: “Wait, my junior is grading me?” Some are calling it a bold reform, others call it a brave new bureaucracy. Within the paramilitary, the move is seen as a step toward ground-level feedback and shaking up traditional hierarchies. And honestly—try this in the IAS or IPS, and the passive-aggressive post-it notes alone would need their own task force.
Glitch rattles SAIL rumour mills
It turns out even Maharatna PSUs are at the mercy of temperamental servers. For a few jittery hours, the steel industry was abuzz after the name of SAIL chairman and managing director Amarendu Prakash quietly vanished from the Public Enterprises Selection Board website. No press release, no farewell speech, just a digital disappearing act. Naturally, the speculation machines went into overdrive. Was this the start of a top-level shake-up at the Steel Authority of India Ltd? A sudden corporate coup? Or simply another case of bureaucratic suspense without popcorn? As it happens, the culprit was far less dramatic: a server-related technical glitch. Once Prakash’s name reappeared on the portal, calm was restored, and the conspiracy theories were politely escorted out. Still, the episode was a reminder of how twitchy the ecosystem around Maharatna appointments can be. For a brief window, the glitch handed fresh talking points to Prakash’s critics, despite his tenure running comfortably till April 2, 2026. Moral of the story: in Delhi, even a missing line can move so much.