Risky game
The Bharatiya Janata Party has started playing ‘Kaun banega CM’ with its ally in Bihar, the Janata Dal (United), which is led by the current chief minister, Nitish Kumar. First, it was the Union home minister, Amit Shah, who brought up the question during an interview. Other BJP leaders quickly followed suit. With just nine months left for the assembly polls, people were expecting fireworks from the JD(U). To everyone’s surprise, the JD(U) chose to maintain a studied silence. This unnerved the BJP as the JD(U) is one of the two crutches supporting the BJP-led coalition government at the Centre. The BJP also recalled Kumar’s unique position in Bihar, his ability to switch effortlessly from one alliance to another, and how his support constitutes the key difference between a win or a loss in the Lok Sabha or the Vidhan Sabha elections. Meanwhile, leaders of the Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar also started making noises to attract Kumar. As realisation dawned on the saffron party, its leaders quickly started singing paeans to Kumar, asserting that he was the face of the National Democratic Alliance in the state and would lead the coalition in the upcoming assembly elections. However, the JD(U) continues to remain silent on the issue, leading to more worries for the BJP. Sources close to Kumar have revealed that the JD(U) is preparing for a ‘hard bargain’ for the assembly polls. Indications are that the saffron party could face a tough time at the negotiation table.
Unresolved mystery
The sudden stepping down of the Odisha governor, Raghubar Das — he has been succeeded by Hari Babu Kambhampati — has sparked speculation in political circles. Many observers have wondered whether the results of the Jharkhand assembly polls had something to do with the Centre taking Das out of the Odisha Raj Bhavan. Perhaps the BJP’s central leadership wants Das to return to active politics in his home state, where he was the CM before losing an election.
Raghubar Das
The BJP failed to oust the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha in the recent polls and thus needs an experienced leader like Das to take charge of the state. Das could be given a plum post. When he quit his office on this week, all the top BJP leaders were present at the Bhubaneswar airport to bid him farewell.
Intolerant tune
Intolerance scaled new heights at the birth anniversary celebrations of the former prime minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, organised by senior BJP leaders in Patna. All hell broke loose when the singer, Devi, started rendering Gandhi’s favourite bhajan , “Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram”. As soon as she sang the next line, “ Ishwar Allah tero naam ” — it embodies the ancient Indian philosophy of communal harmony — both the audience and the organisers started hurling abuses at her.
Devi apologised and changed the line to “ Shri raghunandan jai siyaram , janakivallabh Sita Ram ” but the ruckus continued. Several BJP leaders argued that the problem was with the mention of Allah’s name in the song, alleging that Gandhi had inserted it to replace the original version. A saner voice in the BJP said, “The hungama was unwarranted. There might be older versions, but it is a fact that Gandhi popularised it.” Those not affiliated with any political party were left wondering whether to sigh ‘Hey Ram’ or ‘Ya Allah’ at the unnecessary chaos.
Forked tongue
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief, Mohan Bhagwat, frowning upon the increasing demands for a survey of Mughal-era mosques has split the saffron family. Hindu seers have rejected Bhagwat’s message of harmony. An editorial in the RSS-linked Organiser justified the drive to look for temples under mosques as a quest for “civilisational justice”. The editor of the weekly, however, has clarified that he supports Bhagwat.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the militant arm of the RSS, has landed in a tough spot. While supporting the drive against mosques, it doesn’t want violence to spill. “We support Bhagwatji’s message but publicly we can’t speak against the ‘dharmacharyas’,” one VHP leader said. The forked tongue narrative allows it to maintain plausible deniability.
Publicity drive
The Arunachal Pradesh CM, Pema Khandu, is going all out to get the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, India’s biggest hydel project, off the ground despite sustained protests by the locals. During a recent tour to Siang, Khandu tried to convince, cajole and even scare the locals into supporting the project. SUMP, he said, will secure the future of the Siang river and the Adi community, ensuring the facilitation of talks between the locals and government. Khandu’s speech was a lesson in public engagement, observers said.