Rejig in post-Delhi polls
Whatever be the soundbites coming from Delhi post-Assembly results, of BJP’s increased voteshare and seats (however minuscule the number is), the party top brass is not taking the ‘debacle’ lightly. Unlike the GOP upper-middle brass, which is spending time blaming each other, the BJP is back to action mode. The PM is said to have quietly held a meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah and his BJP chief JP Nadda. Apart from the party machinery, the central parliamentary board could be revamped in tandem with the cabinet. Some of the senior leaders are expected to be adjusted in the party organisation, without upsetting the existing status quo too much.
Buzz is, the young Tejasvi Surya (Karnataka), Jamyang Tsering (Leh MP) and two from West Bengal could be brought in as junior ministers. Bengal unit chief Dilip Ghosh, who hits the headlines regularly for all the wrong reasons, may be brought to the centre, since his abrasiveness is being seen as counter-productive in the local context. This new sensitivity comes after the Delhi polls, where they feel the MoS, Finance, Anurag Thakur, may have overplayed his hand with those ‘goli maaro’ slogans, perhaps right out of the power game.
Alliance expansion?
Another fallout of the Delhi polls and changed Maharashtra equations could be an alliance expansion. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s frequent trips to Delhi are being seen in that context. If the buzz is to be believed, YSR Congress has been persuaded to join the government, and so have JD(U) and AIADMK. Quite a few names are in circulation in Lutyens’ Delhi in this regard — from Rajiv Ranjan and Kavita Singh of Nitish Kumar’s party to Mithun Reddy and Vijai Shah Reddy of Jagan’s party and Vidyalingam and Ravindranath Kumar from the OPS and EPS camps. However, there’s
always a slip between the cup and the lip!
Warning issued
Based on intelligence agency reports, PM Narendra Modi, it seems, has issued a warning to his Cabinet ministers to not let their family members and in-laws attend the various embassy and high commission parties in Delhi. Invites to these power-packed dos are usually highly coveted. Not because ministers attend them (they usually don’t), but because bureaucrats and those who frequent the power corridors, the infamous ‘middlemen’ of Lutyens’ Delhi, often show up at these parties, where wine and conversations flow. The PM, it seems, has cautioned his colleagues to avoid such social dos where traps can be laid.
To be or not to be in Rajya Sabha
Will Priyanka Gandhi enter the Rajya Sabha from Chhattisgarh? There are as many views on this as there are Congress men and women. One section feels she should surely take up the offer and not repeat her brother Rahul Gandhi’s mistake of remaining non-committal. Rahul stayed away from the UPA cabinet despite several overtures, thus passing up on an invaluable opportunity to get administrative experience in government. A fact which will always be held against him. One section feels she should concentrate on UP. There are also those who think she should maintain a low profile as her political efforts are yielding little result except for creating more confusion in the party. Both the brother and the sister, many Congress sympathisers claim, have lost their brand equity because of their indecision and patchy political work.
Judges transfer
Justice S Muralidhar’s transfer to the Punjab and Haryana High Court from Delhi saw an unprecedented response from the Delhi Bar Association, which decided to strike work. This was done despite the judge asking the lawyers not to do so. Third in the list of seniority, Justice Muralidhar is undoubtedly popular among the lawyers, and has served the Delhi court for the longest time. But if Supreme Court Collegium sources are to be believed, the transfer would be helpful for his subsequent elevation as chief justice of one of the higher courts.
Trump booster
Whether the trade deal comes through or not, President Donald Trump and family’s visit is proving to be a big booster for the ITC brand. Like all other US presidents before him, Trump would be staying at ITC Maurya. The US Secret Service is taking over the hotel and the Indian security agencies are marching the roads leading to the hotel. Like his predecessors, Trump will naturally be staying at the Presidential suite. ITC hopes this would help the company shore up its share prices, on a downslide since the Union budget.
Santwana Bhattacharya
The author is Resident Editor, Bangalore,TNIE Email: santwana@newindianexpress.com