Bitter ties
The prime minister, Narendra Modi, is known to share a warm relationship with the Nationalist Congress Party veteran, Sharad Pawar. The same, however, cannot be said of the PM’s confidant and Union home minister, Amit Shah, who has been launching personal attacks against the 84-year-old Pawar recently, raising many eyebrows within the Bharatiya Janata Party. Shah’s outburst started ever since Pawar met the PM to gift him pomegranates brought by farmers from Maharashtra. The Modi-Pawar meeting sparked talks of the two factions of the NCP coming together and warming up to the BJP. As speculation grew in political corridors, Shah lashed out last month, accusing Pawar of being the progenitor of the politics of “dhokha” (treachery) and “vishwasghat” (betrayal). Pawar responded by saying that it was unbecoming of the home minister of the country to use such words. The senior leader also hit back at Shah, branding him a “tadipaar”, referring to his externment from Gujarat by the Supreme Court. This week, Shah attacked Pawar again by terming him worthless as the agriculture minister of the country under the United Progressive Alliance. Rumours have it that while Modi may be ready to warm up to Pawar, Shah is firmly against it.
Brain teaser
Can the chief minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, recite the names of all the members of his cabinet and their portfolios in front of a camera without reading from a piece of paper or being prompted by his close associates? This is exactly the challenge that has been thrown at Kumar by his former aide and poll consultant-turned-politician, Prashant Kishor. The Jan Suraaj party leader’s challenge comes amid renewed speculation across party lines about Kumar’s physical and mental well-being. Kumar has been showing symptoms of dementia for the past couple of years and Kishor asserted that he was not in the mental shape to stay the CM of a big and complex state like Bihar. The JS party leader had demanded a medical examination of Kumar’s mental soundness previously but has taken a different tack with his latest dare.
Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor during the formal launch of his new political party as Jan Suraaj Party at Veterinary College grounds, in Patna, Wednesday, Oct. 2,2024. PTI
Kishor has claimed that “If [Kumar] does so, I will take back my entire agitation and stand in his support once again.” The newest politician on the bloc has repeatedly called to question Kumar’s ability to rule and added that the CM was physically and mentally tired, advising people to allow him to hold the post for 10 months more before fresh assembly elections are held in Bihar.
Restive state
Bihar seems to be restive once again. Several hundred rounds of bullets were fired in the dreaded Mokama area of Patna as gangs of the muscleman and a former member of the legislative assembly, Anant Singh, clashed with Sonu-Monu. Sonu Singh is a protégé of the former gangster and Uttar Pradesh MLA, Mukhtar Ansari (now deceased), while Anant Singh’s wife, Neelam Singh, represents the Mokama constituency in the legislative assembly. Sonu and Monu Singh, too, have worked for Anant Singh for some time before parting ways. Nobody is sure who triggered the incident in which automatic assault rifles and pistols were used, but it spread such terror that the common people locked themselves indoors and the local police looked helpless. None was killed in what looked like a fight for supremacy but it reminded everybody that gangsters are still active in Bihar where they are part and parcel of socio-political and economic life, thriving on the inaction of the government and the fear of the people. Acting swiftly after the firing, Sonu and Anant Singh both surrendered and are now in jail. Sources in the police said that the two feuding parties proved to be an even match due to which their kingpins thought it better to return to jail and live and let live rather than take chances and kill or get killed. In all probability, they will return again before the assembly elections.
Local minefield
Illegal mines in Odisha are suddenly back in focus again after the Union minister for coal and mines, G Kishan Reddy, said that minerals are national property and no one should try to loot them. His statement has stirred a hornet’s net. He was inaugurating the Third National Mines Ministers’ Conference along with the Odisha CM, Mohan Charan Majhi, at Konark and said that steps need to be taken to curb illegal mining. His remarks have revived the debate on why the Centre remained silent on recommending a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation as recommended by a commission that probed illegal mining activities in Odisha from 2003 to 2011. The Opposition has also asked why no action has been taken to collect the Rs 59,000 crore from companies as recommended by Shah Commission, accusing the Centre of remaining silent to appease big-shots in the country involved in the mining business.
