The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has called for a meeting of women leaders from opposition parties across the country on 14 October. MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi has invited the politicians to talk about the women’s reservation bill. The list includes Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav among 26 leaders.
But some senior male leaders of the Congress are unhappy because of the meeting. Those hoping to find themselves a place in the INDIA alliance are doubly disappointed. It makes sense for them because apart from being women leaders, Sonia and Priyanka Gandhi also hold the highest positions in the Congress. The male leaders already struggling to make their way up in the party will now be sidelined because of their gender. What are they supposed to do?
Dharna power
Dharnas or sit-in protests hold a lot of power. The Aam Aadmi Party is famous for carrying them out. The party decided to protest outside Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters in New Delhi in response to the arrest of its national spokesperson, Sanjay Singh. So, the security was tightened and even BJP members weren’t allowed to enter the premises without ID cards.
One BJP MP was stopped by the police on his way to the headquarters. He didn’t have his ID card on him. The MP called the party’s protocol officer to the scene but even he didn’t have his ID card with him. Finally, an employee from the party office got his ID card, identified all those who were stopped and the police let all of them go.
Also read: BJP is meeting YouTubers at HQ, mulls assigning spokespersons for them
Waiting for turn
After a long time, BJP MP Parvesh Verma got the opportunity to hold a press conference at the BJP headquarters. It was scheduled for 4 pm and journalists were requested to be present. However, at the same time, a live session of the BJP president JP Nadda’s meeting began, so the press conference was postponed. After Nadda’s address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi started his speech. Verma had to wait much longer before he could enter the press conference hall.
Not your turf
After dominating headlines for caste survey, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s cadre is excited. Kumar’s team has advised him to speak to the INDIA alliance and negotiate for fielding candidates not only in Bihar but also in eastern Uttar Pradesh. A significant Kurmi population resides in that region.
This poses a challenge for the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Yadav. If he agrees with Kumar’s demand then he will have to convince former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for it. And if Yadav comes on board, he will also ask for seats in Bihar’s Yadav-Muslim majority areas. What will happen then?
In defence
Caste-based census may have put the BJP on the backfoot but Modi’s line of defence has worked in the party’s favour. He accused the Congress of wanting to divide India’s Hindus and destroy the country. He also raised the issues related to Hindus and the poor in the country and referred to a statement given by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Now, the opposition seems a bit defensive.
Also read: Vajpayee to Manmohan—PMs who brought women’s bill went out of power. Modi’s turn now?
CM in the air
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is making records in terms of air travel and official meetings. People are saying ‘Ramrajya Babu udat udat aai (Ramrajya Babu flies here)’. Adityanath has surpassed former chief ministers of the state when it comes to punctuality, tours and meetings. Experts say that Mulayam Singh Yadav was the only other chief minister who used to go on regular tours. He did so in his 1993 to 1995 tenure. At the time, a news headline read, Samajwad Babu udat-udat aai. By the way, the government in UP currently has three helicopters and three planes, but the Yogi government has not purchased any of them.
Bharat Agrawal is the Executive Director, Dainik Bhaskar Group, and a columnist.
By special arrangement with Dainik Bhaskar.