Surprise visit

The Union education minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader, Dharmendra Pradhan, arrived secretly in Patna earlier this week. Nobody in his party even got a wind of it. The chief minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, sent his principal secretary to receive and bring Pradhan to his official 1, Aney Marg residence, where their rendezvous lasted for around two hours. Pradhan was later lodged at the state guesthouse. As the information about Pradhan’s visit spread, it left the entire National Democratic Alliance rattled with senior BJP leaders rushing to meet Pradhan late at night. Pradhan flew out in the morning, leaving everybody guessing about the purpose of his secret visit and what he could have discussed with the CM. Kumar, too, did not reveal anything. Senior leaders speculated that either Pradhan had come as the emissary of the prime minister, Narendra Modi, to thaw the frosty ties between the Janata Dal (United) and the BJP or to discuss a drastic reshuffle in the state cabinet. Some saw the visit as an indication of an offer to Kumar to shift to the Centre, while others thought it was to seek his support for the upcoming presidential elections. The answer is still blowing in the wind.

Sign language

What do you do in Bihar to project yourself as a chief ministerial candidate? You show your affection for cows. The CM, Nitish Kumar, and the former CM, Lalu Prasad, have done it and now, the minister of state for home affairs and the BJP leader, Nityanand Rai, has chosen to tread the beaten path. Clad in a lungi, he fetched a pail and sat down to milk a cow at his farmhouse in Vaishali district of Bihar in the presence of several mediapersons. Cameras went berserk to capture the moment. He went on to tend to organic vegetables being cultivated there and then took a spade to collect garbage in the area. Spectators realized that Rai was projecting himself as a leader of the Yadavs and the party’s chief ministerial face. Yadavs are numerically the largest caste in the state and have traditionally been involved in cattle rearing. The BJP is currently the largest party in Bihar and believes that sooner or later it will head the government. Rai does not want to miss the opportunity of becoming CM and is leaving no stone unturned. He was instrumental in celebrating the 1857 hero, Veer Kunwar Singh, on victory day in the state with the Union home minister, Amit Shah, as the chief guest. He also hosted lavish dinners for party leaders at his farmhouse, and is now hoping for them to just say amen.

Survival strategy

Last week, 21 of the 25 Naga People’s Front members of the legislative assembly merged with the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party, led by the CM, Neiphiu Rio, in Nagaland. The merger took the strength of the NDPP in the 60-member, Opposition-less Nagaland assembly to 42. Those familiar with Nagaland politics said this was to ensure that the BJP does not dictate terms to the NDPP in the assembly polls next year. The ‘merger’ came days after Rio rejigged the portfolio of the deputy CM, Y Patton, of the BJP. Patton refused to accept the new portfolio as it was held by a ministerial colleague from the BJP. Both the NDPP and NPF said the development will in no way affect the Opposition-less government. The arrangement will continue for the three key players know that there is nothing permanent in politics.

Set abuzz

For the BJP leader, Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, a Bihar posting last year was seen as a demotion of sorts given that he had been a prominent minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 2001. His political fortunes plummeted after he lost the Lok Sabha polls from Bhagalpur in 2014. His hope of getting rehabilitated through a Rajya Sabha berth was stymied. He finally had to go back to Bihar. But now the sharp politician is out to make the best of his tenure as the minister of industry in Bihar. He is organizing a meet for investors for Bihar in Delhi. To generate media attention, he has managed to convince the finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, to inaugurate the meet. At a time when all is not well between the JD(U) and the BJP coalition in Bihar, Hussain seems focused on generating a buzz in the power corridors of Delhi, where he must be longing to return.

Tough choice

The BJP is a divided house in Karnataka ahead of the 2023 assembly election. The CM, Basavaraj Bommai, is doing his best to prove his credentials as his socialist moorings have been a hindrance for him. The party is still wary of the influence of BS Yediyurappa, the Lingayat strongman who wields tremendous clout over the community. On another front, the party is still wary of the influence of Yediyurappa, the original Lingayat strongman who wields tremendous clout over the community. The dilemma for the BJP is whether to remove Bommai and concede that he is a failure or keep him and displease other Lingayat leaders, including Yediyurappa.

Footnote

A motor-mouth leader notorious for his toxic comments against Muslims is perhaps the best bet for the BJP for an upcoming bypoll in Kerala. Out on bail after being arrested for hate speech against Muslims recently, PC George posed for pictures wearing a saffron mundu, apparently to cock a snook at being called a sanghi. A former ally of the Congress and an ex-MLA who lost last year’s assembly polls, George is set to hit the campaign trail for the BJP to leverage whatever is left of his influence among Christians to catch some votes for his newfound friends