There has been a resurgence of pumpkin and bottle gourd in the affiliated organisations of the Sangh Parivar. Chickpeas, flaxseeds, and cashew pistachios are being replaced from the events. During Pramod Mahajan’s tenure, the matar paneer dish (peas and cottage cheese) was introduced into Sangh organisations. For two decades, various dishes with paneer continued to be popular. Mushrooms and chaat-pakodi also started to become prevalent at the meetings. However, in the Sangh’s own gatherings, the significance of bottle gourd and torai (ridge gourd) with pumpkin remained constant. Now, suddenly, bottle gourd and pumpkin are making a comeback in other organisations as well. However, in the BJP, paneer and English-style salads are still present.
Shinde, what are you doing in Delhi
Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Eknath Shinde arrived in Delhi to meet with the Prime Minister along with his family. It is being said that he also met with the Home Minister later. During the meeting, he was asked about the Raigad landslide and the status of relief work. It is rumored that the underlying message of this inquiry was to convey him that he should have been present in Raigad.
What’s happening in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is currently in focus for the BJP. Some time ago, Amit Shah stated at a press conference that the next Prime Minister will be from the state. This shifted everyone’s attention to S. Jaishankar. However, political unrest has escalated in the Ramanathapuram district of the state. Subsequently, a meeting of the RSS state promoters was held in Ooty. Since Tamil Nadu is the state in question, the meeting naturally took place there, but the choice of location also holds some ‘strategic’ significance. Now, the Prime Minister has urged to be concerned about the welfare of the Tamils in Sri Lanka. It is believed that the BJP is determined to make a significant impact in Tamil Nadu.
Shoed away
As soon as a senior leader of the BJP arrived at the Parliament premises, a person approached him for a photograph together. While taking the photo, the person introduced himself as a shoe manufacturer. He offered to gift the leader his favorite shoes. The leader accepted the offer, and a smile appeared on the manufacturer’s face. However, the very next moment, when the leader said that he would need a receipt along with the shoes since he doesn’t accept gifts without receipts, the manufacturer quickly backed off and moved on to take a photo with another leader standing nearby. Perhaps the latter might get the shoes for free.
The danger of being popular
A BJP leader is feeling troubled by his supporters. At the party headquarters, he is constantly surrounded by a crowd. Noticing his busy schedule, his supporters follow him to his home too — “I will come to your house when you are free in the evening. Won’t let you rest.”
Curb enthusiasm
It is being said that a BJP official has been reprimanded. This official reportedly made the media visit the venue of the meeting where NDA leaders were supposed to gather, without prior permission.
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Waiting for good news
The BJP is on alert mode vis a vis the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. As soon as the debate between NDA and INDIA began, the BJP started to accelerate its campaign. Even smaller parties are now eager to ride on the BJP’s bandwagon somehow. They wish to find a place in the assembly council or Vidhan Parishad riding on BJP support. In BJP, the campaign to include leaders from other parties has also begun. Ministers are involved in this effort, extending offers to the contacts of opposition parties’ leaders to join the party. This process will continue until the Lok Sabha elections. Meanwhile, the opposition is still in disarray. These parties’ inexperienced leaders want to advise their parties to learn from the BJP but are lacking the courage to do so. BSP has already made it clear that there will be no alliances. SP and Congress leaders are waiting for a positive response to the idea of cooperation.
Nitish Kumar and his options
Nitish Kumar may join the NDA again. How? Though the BJP has officially stated that the door for him in the NDA is permanently closed, the JD (U) leader can announce outside support for the alliance. What will the BJP do then? A senior BJP secretary says that if Nitish plays this move, Lalu’s party will immediately withdraw their support, leading to Nitish Kumar being ousted from the CM’s residence. Alright, but there is a third option as well — if Lalu’s party doesn’t do anything like that, what will the BJP do then?
Bharat Agrawal is Executive Director, Dainik Bhaskar Group, and a columnist.
By special arrangement with Dainik Bhaskar, edited by Anurag Chaubey.