BJP has changed its presidents and in-charges in several states, and as is the case with such transitions, it has become a cause for worry in the party. Minister of Tourism, Culture and Development of North Eastern Region G Kishan Reddy has replaced Bandi Sanjay Kumar as BJP Telangana president. Kumar and Punjab’s Ashwani Sharma, the two state presidents who have been replaced, have been appointed to the party’s National Working Committee. Now, people close to Kumar want to know if one can become a central minister while being a member of the National Working Committee. Meanwhile, Reddy’s supporters are asking whether one can become a union minister after being removed as state president. It is all about luck.
The chosen one
By the way, the really lucky person in BJP is Prakash Javadekar. He was a spokesperson before he became a minister. When he left the ministerial post, he first became the in-charge of Kerala and later, the election in-charge of Telangana. This means Javadekar is still valuable to the party because other ex-ministers are still waiting in line.
Also read: Nitish loses his cool at meeting with allies, says some from Mahagathbandhan ‘in touch with BJP’
Political families
Former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav’s family is under the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) scanner. There are discussions within the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) about the potential arrest of Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav. BJP leader Ravishankar Prasad has said that one deputy CM of RJD is struggling to get bail and another is facing the risk of imprisonment. RJD members are speculating about who will replace the deputy chief minister if he goes to jail. His brother, wife, or any party worker? The answer should be simple, going by his father’s history. But looking at the condition of Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra, it seems the stars are not aligned for political families.
Also read: Govt plans to use 3D land mapping of MGNREGS work sites to monitor progress, prevent fund misuse
Promotion or demotion?
BJP general secretary Sunil Bansal, the in-charge of Telangana affairs, was recently made the co-in-charge of elections. This means he will be the state in-charge and work under the election in-charge. It’s a strange situation. Although Bansal sees over the affairs of three states, he shares Telangana’s responsibility with another general secretary, Tarun Chugh. No one can understand this mysterious business in Telangana. Is it promotion or demotion of Bansal? You decide.
Artisans of clerical files
There are two types of specialists among civil servants in Uttar Pradesh. One spots the problems immediately and adds them to the file, and another finds the solution just by looking at the problem. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath wants the development work to be expedited. But artists of bureaucratic files just have to show their skills. Narendra Bhushan, an IAS officer of the 1992 cadre, was fired from the Urban Planning and Development Authority (UPDA) and Uttar Pradesh State Highways Authority for not speeding up the expressway construction. Both these responsibilities have been handed over to 1989 cadre IAS officer Manoj Kumar Singh, who is now heading more than half a dozen departments, including agricultural production and industrial development. With the 2024 Lok Sabha election fast approaching, the challenge for UP’s civil servants will be to speed up the construction of Ganga Expressway and Gorakhpur link Expressway.
Road to Rajya Sabha
Most Congress leaders are now interested in going to Rajya Sabha from Karnataka. Although it is too early, senior leaders of the party have started visiting the state general secretary’s office. Reportedly, the party’s Karnataka chief has given some assurance to another general secretary from the state in return for his support. This deal has been sealed. Efforts are also being made to create an alternative mass leader in Karnataka. A senior leader, keeping an eye on Rajya Sabha like a hawk, is saying that the tree hasn’t even started bearing fruit and people are already gathered around it.
Also read: BJP ally AIADMK reiterates opposition to UCC. ‘Will affect religious rights of minorities’
Big dreams
Two small parties in Uttar Pradesh are unable to pick a side. They have to decide between kheer and biryani. One of these parties is from west UP and another is from east UP and both were strengthened by their alliance with Samajwadi Party during the assembly election. Now they want to take a big leap and taste success. That’s why they are performing all sorts of tricks these days. They want more seats to contest in the Lok Sabha election than they could in the assembly election. One National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leader says that one’s wife and the other’s son are sure to get a seat, but he can’t say the same about the rest of them.
Bharat Agrawal is Executive Director, Dainik Bhaskar Group, and a columnist.
By special arrangement with Dainik Bhaskar, edited by Ratan Priya.