Smart quip
The chief minister of Bihar and the Janata Dal (United) chief, Nitish Kumar, recently did something unthinkable, leaving his opponents reeling in shock. At a time when the JD(U) and the Bharatiya Janata Party are fighting over title of the real upholder of the legacy of socialist stalwart, Jayaprakash Narayan, Nitish walked into a function in Patna and asked the audience who killed Mahatma Gandhi. The people replied that it was the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. He then asked the audience to always remember it. “Stay careful and alert. They are talking about JP, but had nothing to do with the Freedom Movement. Their only ambition is to instigate strife in the country and the society,” Nitish asserted. This suddenly put a brake on all squabbles over Jayaprakash Narayan. The BJP leaders fell quiet. When prodded about the reason, one of the senior leaders revealed that it was because of the Bapu factor. “We have no answers to this charge. We can just deny it, but there is a fear that this will encourage him to use it more as a weapon. This charge has been used for decades to put us on the back foot, so sometimes silence is a better shield. We may ask him why he was with us for so many years if he thought so, but even then it is hardly an answer to his accusations,” the BJP leader explained.
Spill the beans
Congressmen in Bihar are engaged in fervent discussions about the meeting among the CM, Nitish Kumar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal president, Lalu Prasad, and the Congress stalwart, Sonia Gandhi, in Delhi. The curiosity is regarding what transpired at the meeting and how it was held. Those who claim to have strong connections in Delhi shared that the meeting was not face-toface, in spite of Lalu and Nitish reaching Sonia’s 10, Janpath residence on time. “A crisis had bro ken out in the Rajasthan unit of the party on the same day and Madam had no time on her hands. She managed to talk to Nitish and Lalu a bit over the telephone with a promise to talk some more later,” they said. Some other Congress leaders felt sorry that the meeting materialised in such a manner and the two leaders from Bihar had to spend much time waiting over some tea and coffee. The BJP has already questioned the authenticity of there being a meeting by pointing out that there were no photos of the encounter. With various kinds of information buzzing around, it seems that only Sonia can shed some light on what actually transpired.
Shared power
The Odisha CM, Naveen Patnaik, is trying to end all discontent within the Biju Janata Dal ahead of the 2024 polls by appointing several leaders as advisors, chairpersons and vice-chairmen of different boards and state-owned corporations. Many former members of the legislative assembly were rehabilitated so that the BJP would not be able to poach any BJD leader. The party paid special attention to the former lawmaker, Prasanna Kumar Patasani. He was appointed a member of the state planning board — the same rank as a cabinet minister. He was denied a BJD ticket during the 2019 general elections in favour of the former Mumbai police commissioner, Arup Patnaik. Since then, Patasani has been upset with the BJD leadership. The party, aware of Patasani’s reach and influence, decided not to displease him any further. Patasani, too, seems happy with his new post.
Baseless accusation
The minister of state for external affairs, V Muraleedharan, has a knack of shoving his foot into his mouth. Recently, he claimed that the Kerala CM, Pinarayi Vijayan, had not taken the ministry’s clearance before stopping over in the United Arab Emirates after completing his European tour. Soon after, the social media handles of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) shared a copy of the clearance received from the ministry of external affairs. Little wonder then that the BJP is rumoured to be looking for better leaders to improve its fortunes in Kerala.
Tough test
The buzz within the BJP is that the Union home minister, Amit Shah, has taken ‘direct control’ of party affairs in Bihar and West Bengal. Internal assessments show that the BJP will find it difficult to repeat it’s performance of 2019 in the 2024 elections in the two states. The BJP-JD(U) combine had won 39 of the 40 seats in Bihar and in Bengal the party had captured 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats. Nitish Kumar’s exit from the National Democratic Alliance has upset its equations and Bengal, too, is in a disarray. Shah, however, has reportedly said that he intends to frequently visit Bihar and Bengal before the elections. Whispers indicate that to remain the second-most powerful leader after Narendra Modi, Shah has to keep performing.
Footnote
In spite of its many efforts, the BJP has failed to find a toehold in Kerala. The party has now turned to the actor-turned-politician, Suresh Gopi. His recent visit to the home of the CPI (M) stalwart and the former CM, EK Nayanar, and assertions of being a former SFI activist have definitely grabbed the attention of the BJP. He has been given a place in the BJP’s core committee. Many think that Gopi’s elevation could also be a way for the BJP leadership to keep the incumbent president, K Surendran, and his coterie in check.
