When the Boss sat down & listened
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spent more than four hours and 20 minutes on Saturday with the BJP’s newly appointed central office-bearers and party cell members. Insiders said the meeting felt like a family gathering, with Modi hearing all 65 members and seeking feedback. In a senior functionary’s words, “He came, he heard us and showed the way.” Modi spoke about taking the party forward with its ideology towards Viksit Bharat. He encouraged them to share ideas, keeping the mood light with wit and laughter. For the 65 newly appointed office-bearers, it was a pep talk—and a lesson in patience and commitment.
Chai moment at Namo Café
Chai Par Charcha has a new address. The BJP’s familiar poll-time tea exercise has resurfaced inside the party’s Namo Café, where the office-bearers gathered for chai and informal charcha following formal meetings with the PM and other leaders. Talk turned to strategy, including countering Opposition narratives after GenNext protests and questions over performance and policies. Namo Cafe, with books ranging from the Vedas to modern times, is fast becoming the “adda”. One MP called the experience as enriching as Modi himself. The cafe also saw a rush after the PM’s long Saturday stay at the office.
Brahmin twist to guv shuffle
BJP may have a gubernatorial surprise up its sleeve, with August 31 emerging as the likely deadline after Sunday’s round of meetings. A new Brahmin face could be part of the reshuffle. The name doing the rounds is Rajya Sabha MP Ghanshyam Tiwari of Rajasthan, for Uttar Pradesh. Incumbent Governor Anandiben Patel is now the state’s longest-serving Governor, ahead of 2027 polls. Tiwari, a Brahmin, could resonate. Such move would mean quitting the RS, where his term runs till 2028, opening his seat to a new face. A leader said the move could soothe disgruntled Brahmin voters. Other senior leaders may also get gubernatorial assignments, creating room for new faces. Long-serving governors may be shifted too.
No rest for Nadda after discharge
There is clearly no rest for Union Health Minister JP Nadda, who, discharged from AIIMS last week after an angioplasty, was back in office mode within hours, despite being advised a week’s rest. Hours after returning home, Nadda was meeting Health Ministry officials, and the conversation quickly shifted from his health to the country’s. With swine flu, dengue, malaria and influenza strains raging, he reviewed the ministry’s preparedness. With swine flu and dengue surging in Delhi and NCR, he also called Delhi Health Minister and senior officials for a preparedness meeting. Nadda has held five to six high-level meetings in three days.
Rahul caught everyone napping
Rahul Gandhi’s dharna at the Parliament Street police station gave the Congress’s youth campaign a shot in the arm, but took parts of the party and the government by surprise. Gandhi was due at 11.30 am on Friday for a convention marking his father, Rajiv Gandhi. Instead, he headed for the police station zone and demanded an FIR over pellet injuries suffered by a student. Delhi Police and intelligence agencies did not see it coming. Otherwise, “he would have been stopped much earlier,” said a source. Randeep Singh Surjewala came with Gandhi. Priyanka joined later. As Gandhi refused to move, Priyanka and Surjewala held back-channel talks with police officers over the FIR wording.
The file that refuses to move
The UPSC file on Punjab DGP is gathering dust. Nearly two months after the UPSC sent Punjab a three-name DGP panel, the AAP government still sits on the file even though the Supreme Court has directed an immediate decision once the panel arrives. The shortlist comprises 1992-batch IPS officers Gaurav Yadav, Sharad Satya Chauhan and Harpreet Singh Sidhu. Yadav has continued as acting DGP since July 2022. With Assembly elections due in February, the delay is attracting attention. If no decision comes before the polls, Yadav could become the country’s longest-serving acting police chief. It will also raise fresh questions over the government’s reluctance to clear a long-pending appointment.
