Changed tune

It is not uncommon for ministers to give the credit for all their achievements to the tallest leader of their party. This is especially true of the ruling regime. Members of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government are expected to make it clear on each occasion that they are working under the ‘margdarshan’ of the prime minister, Narendra Modi. Even senior ministers of the cabinet have mostly conformed to this unwritten rule, except for Nitin Gadkari, the road, transport and highways minister, who never misses an opportunity to take digs at the leadership. However, it seems that Gadkari has finally begun toeing the line. All the recent tweets by the minister, celebrating the accomplishments of the transport sector, have phrases such as “under the visionary leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi Ji” or “Modi Ji’s vision of #AatmnirbharBharat”. Gadkari, who has strong connections with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, was known to be that rare minister who could question Modi in closed-door meetings and speak his mind privately with journalists. But one such purported conversation was leaked and allegedly led to his undoing. It must be noted that the Union home minister, Amit Shah, who is the second most powerful leader in the party, has also been giving all the credit to Modi. Party leaders have been kept on their toes reading the political messaging in such transformations.

Get in shape

If there is one person in Karnataka whose health appears to have benefitted greatly from the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra, it is the state Congress president, DK Shivakumar. The walkathon undertaken by Rahul Gandhi has been perfect for the 60-year-old Shivakumar, whose physical sloppiness threatened to derail his ambition of heading the next government if his party wins the assembly elections scheduled for the summer of 2023. While the former chief minister and senior Congress leader, PC Siddaramiah, is known for exercising regularly in spite of his advanced age, Shivakumar was always found wanting in that department. Walking with Rahul Gandhi seems to have helped Shivakumar trim down a great deal — he even managed to turn up in t-shirts towards the end of the yatra in the state.

Free gift

Many people in Ayodhya are blessing the PM, Narendra Modi, and the CM, Yogi Adityanath, for the leftover mustard oil that they could collect on the night of October 23, the eve of Diwali. Modi was the chief guest at a function in the temple town where the state government used 60,000 litres of mustard oil to light over 15 lakh diyas. After the event, the local residents waited patiently for the leaders and the security personnel to leave and then raced to collect the residual oil from the earthen lamps at all 37 ghats of Ayodhya before the lathi-wielding police chased them away. When asked by reporters, they said it was a great moment for them because the oil was Rs 200 per litre in the market whereas the leaders have given them “an opportunity to collect it for free”.

Behind the veil

The moment the Bihar CM and Janata Dal (United) leader, Nitish Kumar, lifted his kurta to show the bandaged wound on his belly to media persons and talked about his lacerated toes, it tore away the veil of secrecy behind which bureaucrats operate. He had been badly injured two weeks ago when the steamer he was riding on to review the preparations for the Chhath festival dashed against the pillar of a bridge near Patna. Although the incident was reported in the media, the public servants vehemently denied that Kumar received any injury. The lifting of the kurta has exposed their lies.

Kumar avoiding public meetings had raised speculation about the well-being of the ruling Grand Alliance. By showing his wound, the CM provided an excuse for not travelling to campaign for the JD(U)’s ally, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, in the upcoming assembly bypolls. He even managed to convince people about how hard he has been working for the coalition in spite of being hurt. No wonder then that Kumar is considered a veteran when it comes to political machinations.

Better foe

The Kerala unit of the Congress has long been confused about who its real rival is. The obvious answer is the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The Congress state president, K Sudhakaran, has been bent on targeting the CM, Pinarayi Vijayan. However, the governor, Arif Mohammad Khan, has been engaged in a stiff battle with the Left Democratic Front government, which has accused him of pushing the saffron agenda. While Sudhakaran is among the senior Congress leaders who have found no fault with the governor, several Congress parliamentarians from the state have slammed Khan. This has left the Congress wondering who is the better of the two foes.

Footnote

The leader of the Opposition in the Bihar legislative council, Samrat Choudhary, has been seen sporting a saffron turban lately. He is one of the potential CM candidates of the BJP and has taken a vow to keep the headgear tied till he dislodges Nitish Kumar. “This is like a shroud for his political career and it will keep reminding [him] about my vow whenever he sees me,” Choudhary said. Meanwhile, JD(U) leaders, pointing out the tilted power equation in their favour, ruled out any chance of that happening in the next decade.