Steal the show

The video of two women being paraded naked in Manipur has put the Bharatiya Janata Party on the defensive. Manipur is a BJP-ruled state and the horrific visuals have led to a wave of condemnation. However, the party, which is known for dominating the narrative, is not ready to accept the criticism. Party managers are trying hard to launch a counteroffensive on the Opposition by claiming that Manipur-like incidents of sexual assault on women have also taken place in Opposition-ruled states. Last Friday, the West Bengal BJP president, Sukanta Majumdar, was asked to rush to address the media at the BJP headquarters to claim that a woman in Bengal had been paraded naked by members of the ruling Trinamul Congress for daring to file a nomination under the BJP in the panchayat polls. Majumdar was asked to get the member of Parliament, Locket Chatterjee, along for the address. At the press conference, Chatterjee was seemingly choked with tears, as if to stress that the alleged incident in Bengal was no less horrific. Although party managers appeared happy with her effort, Majumdar didn’t look pleased. Locket, the actor-turned-politician, had clearly stolen the show.

Foiled plans

Bihar is waiting with bated breath to see which way its politics will turn. The chief minister, Nitish Kumar, and the deputy CM, Tejashwi Yadav, have not been seen together in public or at government programmes of late. There are rumours that the two are miffed with each other. At the root of this hearsay is the same old struggle for who gets to rule Bihar.

Opposition unity has gained momentum after the Bengaluru meeting and, as per the political grapevine, Nitish was to take to the national highway to strengthen this front. However, he has been deferring a change of guard in the state. “We know there was a deal between Nitish and the RJD chief, Lalu Prasad, when the Grand Alliance government came to power in August last year. However, only those two leaders and Tejashwi are privy to it. None of us or in the RJD know the details or conditions,” said a senior Janata Dal (United) leader who has spent several decades with Nitish. The spanner in the deal has been put by the Congress, which is now leading the coalition, INDIA, for all practical purposes. Nitish was expecting to be anointed at least the convenor of the alliance, if not the chairperson. He had worked hard for it. On the one hand, this has been delayed and can only be taken up at the next meeting in Mumbai, possibly sometime in August. On the other, there are plans to appoint an 11-member coordination committee for the alliance; this would undermine the role of the convenor. Given the flux, there is nothing left to do other than wait and watch.

INDIA that is Bharat

Politicians are exploring various ways of using INDIA, the acronym of the Opposition alliance. The JD(U) national president and Lok Sabha member from Munger came up with one such way. As journalists surrounded him in Patna on his return from the Opposition meet in Bengaluru, he claimed to have seen a video in which the prime minister, Narendra Modi, was asking people to vote for INDIA. “Now Modi is also seeking votes for us. We think it will be better for him to leave the poll battlefield and seek votes for INDIA full time,” he said. Rattled BJP leaders are worrying about how to deal with the situation because they will not be able to condemn the 26-member INDIA in their speeches and taking its full name, the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, will not be practical. “We are considering countering it by talking about Bharat and using the slogan, “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”. Let there be a battle between INDIA and Bharat. We will win hands down,” a senior BJP leader said. It is in anticipation of this counter from the National Democratic Alliance that many in the Opposition are using the tagline, “Jeetega Bharat”.

Fluid equations

Equations are forever changing in politics. It is thus difficult to keep up with loyalties. For instance, at the NDA meet last week, the Kuki People’s Alliance — its leader, Wilson Hangshing, had to flee Imphal mobs and has been booked by the Manipur Police for incitement via a news interview — was in attendance. As was the Mizo National Front, which is pushing for a separation of Kuki areas from the BJP-ruled Manipur. Meanwhile, a notable absence from the INDIA meet in Bengaluru was the Makkal Needhi Maiam, led by the actor, Kamal Haasan, who had walked along with Rahul Gandhi in the Bharat Jodo Yatra.