Tejashwi Yadav takes a cue from BJP, conducts surprise raids

Strict inspection

• While people were anticipating raids by the Central law enforcement agencies, the Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and deputy chief minister of Bihar, Tejashwi Yadav, proved that he could do the same and with much better results. Recently, he took a few aides and raided three government hospitals in the state capital, including the Patna Medical College and Hospital. The health department was with the Bharatiya Janata Party till he took over a month ago after the Nitish Kumar-led JanataDal (United) quit the National Democratic Alliance and joined hands with the RJD. Tejashwi was shocked by the gross mismanagement and was flooded with complaints when he reached the PMCH. Groggy-eyed hospital bosses rushed to meet Tejashwi as soon as they learned about his visit and were duly reprimanded. People accompanying the RJD leader shot everything on their mobile phones and uploaded the videos on social media. The BJP and its former health minister, Mangal Pandey, stayed mum. Tejashwi has given an ultimatum to the health department officials to improve the services. But the buck did not stop here. He next raided the control room of the urban development department which was also previously with the BJP. Sources say many more raids in different departments are in the offing.

Tough task

• Sunil Bansal, an aide of the Union home minister, Amit Shah, and the BJP in-charge for Odisha,West Bengal, and Telangana, is focused on realising the latter’s dream of achieving a 120-plus assembly seat target in Odisha. Before the 2019 assembly polls, Shah had claimed that the BJP would win more than 120 out of 147 assembly seats in Odisha. But the BJP managed to win only 23 seats. Bansal visited Bhubaneswar earlier this week after taking charge of Odisha. He went straight to the party office as soon as he arrived. He gave guru mantra to cadres on how to strengthen the party at the booth level and also discussed the roadmap for the 2024general elections. But just one day after, the Biju Janata Dal gave the BJP a shock by organising a huge welcome for the Odisha CM, Naveen Patnaik, on his return to Bhubaneswar from Delhi after he was conferred a lifetime achievement award for his contributions to politics. More than 50,000 people turned up to greet Patnaik. The BJP was so worried by the grand welcome that it tried to divert attention from his popularity by raising the issue of how people faced difficulties during the rally to welcome the CM.

Swift blame

• These days, if Nitish Kumar becomes angry with anybody, he calls him a BJP agent. Nitish was in Delhi to unite the Opposition when he was questioned about his erstwhile colleagues— the poll consultant-turned-activist, Prashant Kishor, and the former Union minister, RCP Singh. His ire knew no bounds and he asserted that Kishor does not know the ‘ABC of politics’ and anointed him a BJP agent. Kishor has scripted wins for several parties in different states, including the JD(U) in Bihar. When it came to Singh, the chief minister was livid. “What is his status? You should not even ask me about him. His words have no value. He went with the BJP so I threw him out,” he allegedly said. A senior JD(U) leader revealed that Nitish was peeved with the duo because of their unrelenting criticism about development, governance and the failure of prohibition in Bihar. “But people should now be cautious in criticising him[Nitish]. They will be labelled BJPagents,” the senior leader cautioned.

Crucial event

• The ruling BJP in Karnataka is certainly working overtime to win the 2023 assembly elections. The CM Basavaraj Bommai, and the party president, Nalin Kumar Kateel, have a point to prove and they are going all out. While Bommai wants to convince the BJP leadership in Delhi that he should be the face for the state polls, Kateel is trying to tighten his hold in the state. The solution for both seems to be ‘Janaspandana’(People Connect), which is meant to commemorate the third anniversary of the BJP government in Karnataka. The twice-postponed event could make or mar the fortunes of the two.

Old ties

• The Union railway minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, has kept the request of the BJP member of parliament from Bhubaneswar, Aparajita Sarangi, of changing the name of Bolgarh railway station to Manikagouda. Bolgarh is an important part of Sarangi’s constituency and renaming the station after the presiding deity would enhance her support base ahead of the 2024 general election. Vaishnaw himself sent the letter to Sarangi, informing her about the decision. Sarangi continues to talk about her ‘dear friend’ and IAS batchmate,Vaishnaw. “Was such a pleasure, laughed heartily over old memories,”she had tweeted after meetingVaishnaw last year.

Footnote

• MV Govindan has taken charge as the state secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Kerala. He will succeed Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, who had resigned to seek medical treatment. Like Balakrishnan and the Kerala CM, Pinarayi Vijayan, Govindan is from Kannur. Many in the CPM welcomed the choice. While no one questions the ability of Balakrishnan, the involvement of his sons in criminal cases had clouded his tenure. Now that an old-school communist is heading the state unit, the cadres too are charged up.