In the grand tradition of shooting the messenger, the grand old party has possibly taken innovation a step further: they’ve denied their own messenger a microphone. The worker who dared raise concerns about the crumbling of the Gambhira bridge, the same incident that killed 11 — was barred from meeting Rahul Gandhi. Perhaps the bridge fell under the weight of internal factionalism? With bridges within the Congress collapsing faster than infrastructure, it’s clear the real construction issue is party unity. Rahul’s Bharat Jodo Yatra may span the nation, but in Gujarat, the party can’t even build a bridge between itself and its own conscience. Talk of the state, indeed.
‘More AAP leaders may be jailed ahead of polls’
Former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal has raised concerns that two more of his party leaders may soon be jailed. Speaking at a rally on Thursday protesting the arrest of AAP MLA Chatur Vasava in Gujarat, Kejriwal accused the BJP of using arrests as a tool to intimidate political opponents. He warned that AAP leaders Isudan Gadhvi and Gopal Italia could be targeted too and possibly arrested before the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections. Despite the pressure, Kejriwal asserted that neither he nor his party would be deterred by such ‘vengeful tactics’.
BJP hunts for a state unit president
The BJP, once famed as the “party with a difference,” is now best described as the “party with indifference” — at least when it comes to naming its Gujarat state president. C.R. Patil’s term ended a year ago, but the musical chairs continue. Why? Because internal factions are too busy measuring egos to measure leadership qualities. Apparently, finding one agreeable name among so many aspiring kings is harder than winning a Lok Sabha seat in Kerala. The suspense is killing no one, but the drama is so rich, it deserves its own Netflix series: Game of Thorns: Gujarat Edition.
Dilip Singh Kshatriya
Our correspondent in Gujarat
dilipsingh@newindianexpress.com