Novel demand

The Rajya Sabha member and national working president of the Janata Dal (United), Sanjay Kumar Jha, recently demanded a Nobel prize for the Bihar chief minister, Nitish Kumar, at a public meeting. Jha argued that the veteran leader should be given the prize for his stellar work in the field of women’s empowerment and tackling climate change in the past 20 years. Jha also cited the development of Bihar as another reason. Although he is not the first JD(U) leader to make this demand, his words carried more weight than those of others. While the audience at the public meeting applauded him, the idea did not catch on. However, it did cause much mirth in political circles. While some labelled it an attempt to take sycophancy to another level, others laughed at it as a ploy to be in the good books of Kumar. Leaders from the Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal also could not stay away from the developments. They threw up their hands in despair and accepted defeat. “We demanded Bharat Ratna for our party president, Lalu Prasad, but Jha has beaten all of us single-handedly by demanding a Nobel for Kumar,” a senior RJD leader shared with a twinkle in his eyes.

Coached response

The Aam Aadmi Party’s newest entrant and civil service entrance coach, Avadh Ojha, was schooled during a TV interview. A member of the AAP’s media team interrupted a BBC interview when the reporter questioned Ojha about his praise for the Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi, and the Uttar Pradesh CM, Yogi Adityanath. While Ojha diplomatically deflected the question by comparing his utterances to Sachin Tendulkar’s praise of Brian Lara, the AAP media member reminded the reporter not to ask “ulta-seedha sawaal”. Ojha then detached his collar mic saying that, “the line will be decided by the party’’. He later apologised on X for the same.

In a tizzy

The AAP is in a tizzy over seat distribution for the upcoming assembly polls in Delhi. The Speaker, Ram Niwas Goel, and the chief whip, Dilip Pandey, have announced that they will not contest. Speculation is rife over the former deputy CM, Manish Sisodia, shifting out of his pocket borough of Patparganj to a seat in South East Delhi. In 11 out of the 70 seats announced so far, six have gone to people who defected from the Congress or the BJP and three AAP incumbents have been dropped. The party leader, Arvind Kejriwal, has personally presided over the joining ceremonies of fresh defectors to AAP.

Two faces

Soon after the Bharatiya Janata Party won a Muslim-majority seat, Samaguri, in the assembly bypolls, the Assam CM, Himanta Biswa Sarma, declared that his party would focus on six minority-dominated seats in the 2026 assembly polls. All these seats were won by the Congress in 2021. It was seen as a shift in the Assam BJP’s policy towards the Bengali-speaking ‘Miyan’ Muslim population. But after a cabinet meeting held in Delhi on Wednesday, Sarma announced a ban on the consumption of beef. This was seen as a volte-face by Sarma following unease within the sangh parivar over his overt wooing of the Muslim population. The ban on beef is seen as another shrill polarising move by the BJP. Clearly, a leopard never changes its spots.

Seasonal activity

‘Tis the season of yatras in Bihar. The RJD leader, Tejashwi Yadav, is already on one to meet party workers and common people. The Rashtriya Lok Morcha founder and Rajya Sabha member, Upendra Kushwaha, has also embarked on a tour to spearhead the membership drive for his party. Nitish Kumar, too, is all set to go on the Mahila Samvad Yatra. Sources said that the Union minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader, Chirag Paswan, and the Congress are also planning yatras in the state. But why so many yatras in December? A senior JD(U) leader connected it to winter. “It is easier to hold yatras during winter in comparison to scorching summer or the rainy season. Besides, people in the rural areas have some time on their hands after planting the rabi crop and can attend public meetings in large numbers,” the JD(U) leader said.

New star

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra entering the Lok Sabha as the member of Parliament from Wayanad is a rare instance of three members of the same family being in Parliament. Not only Opposition members but even those from the ruling coalition are waiting to interact with her away from the media’s glare. A senior BJP MP and former minister was seen congratulating Gandhi Vadra in the Parliament lobby. The leader later justified his action by saying that political rivalries should not be carried outside the House and that this lesson had been taught to him by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. “Inside the House I will not spare my opponents but I will not carry the bitterness outside,” he said. The leader, on the condition of not being identified, made a prophecy: if Gandhi Vadra conducts herself well then she will ultimately overshadow her brother, Rahul Gandhi.