Have you ever heard of ‘Operation Lantern’? Don’t worry. Neither have I. But there is this rumour that the RJD has decided to copy the BJP’s ‘Operation Lotus’—toppling the government to form one of its own. But the first attempt at executing ‘Operation Lantern’ could not be successful. Under this, RJD leader and Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav had tried to split the LJP and had almost succeeded in luring three out of its five Lok Sabha MPs. But one more MP was needed to avoid the anti-defection law. Therefore, the ‘Operation Lantern’ could not be lit up. But sources say Tejashwi has not given up.
Post Op vacation for Bihar MLAs
By the way, the manner in which the seat of power changed hands in Bihar, it did not provide any amusement to anyone. Neither there was any news of horse-trading nor did the MLAs get a chance to stay in the swanky resorts. The government changed without too much fuss. But Jitan Ram Manjhi of Hindustani Awam Morcha has now urged Nitish Kumar to take all this a bit ‘seriously’. Manjhi has reportedly submitted a request to Bihar CM for making arrangements to ferry his MLAs to a hill station or any beach location for two to four days in order to celebrate the change of guard. However, this sort of enjoyment will probably not be available to those who have succeeded in fetching a ministerial berth. They will have to make do by turning their own houses into resorts.
It was an old conflict
These days a video is being widely circulated, and watched, at the BJP headquarters. It features a former Gujarat minister Nitin Patel. Incidentally, Patel was travelling with some of his colleagues to partake in a Har Ghar Tiranga event. However, a cow came running towards Patel out of nowhere. Patel fell flat on the ground and his hand got fractured. So why did this happen? On this topic a joke is also circulating in the party circles that Patel had made some negative remarks about stray cattle while he was a minister in the state and the cow got a chance to exact her revenge. In all, it seems to be a matter of mutual conflict.
BJP’s WhatsApp problem
A huge turmoil is taking place inside the BJP circles. It’s about the fear of secrets being exposed and the challenge of keeping things under wraps. Actually, ever since the feature enabling call recording has been included in WhatsApp, it has complicated the woes of many BJP members. Everybody wants to know things like when this recording facility had started, and whether old chats or WhatsApp call recordings can also be accessed, etc. So what will be the result now? A worker from Bihar replied boldly, ‘Bolale hove to gayle beta’ (If you have said anything that might have been recorded, you are in great trouble).
Also read: NDA’s LK Advani makes room for BJP’s JP Nadda in new Parliament building
Raag Kajri is in great demand
Although it is the middle of monsoon season, Delhi remains quite humid. There is less rain and its yearning is greater. Under these circumstances, one of the colleagues of Home Minister Amit Shah added Raag Kajri (usually sung during the rainy season) in Shah’s musical collection. Now sources reveal that on a morning of heavy rains in Delhi, the tunes of Kajri sung by vocalist Girija Devi were heard for a long time on Krishna Menon Marg.
Rahul cares for the senior pros
Prior to Congress’s own Tiranga yatra, a lot of efforts were being made in the party about who all will accompany Rahul Gandhi. Yet no one was ready to even look at names included in the infamous G23 group. However, on the morning of 15 August, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma suddenly arrived at the party headquarters. Leaders who were thinking of marching alongside Rahul Gandhi felt a little uncomfortable, but they were quite confident that Gandhi would not give any leeway to these people. However, when the yatra commenced, Gandhi asked Azad to lead and then took Anand alongside him. Everyone else was walking behind them. A general secretary following the lead group said that it’s the old guard that matters at tougher times. A second general secretary, who was also walking with him, quipped that they might have been dreaming in vain.
BJP’s quest for a Brahmin face
With Droupadi Murmu adorning the President’s post, the BJP is now looking for someone from the ‘upper’ castes, especially from the Brahmin community, who can fulfil the requirement for a strong Brahmin face. This matters more in UP. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is a Rajput by birth. UP BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh has already resigned. So, there is a strong possibility of a Brahmin leader being appointed as the party’s UP president. Shrikant Sharma was the power minister in UP during Yogi’s first term, but he was dropped from the cabinet in the last reshuffle. Now he is considered to be the frontrunner in the race for the state BJP president. Apart from him, there is also Laxmikant Vajpayee, who has already been the president of UP BJP. Aligarh MP Satish Gautam’s name has also been in the reckoning for a long time.
Bharat Agrawal is Executive Director, Dainik Bhaskar Group, and a columnist.