In the just concluded Parliament session, the BJP clearly told all its speakers to not give speeches in English. So, Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman spoke in Hindi and Tamil. Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar didn’t even get a chance. He is not fluent in Hindi. Recently, during a press conference, the minister even fumbled while he was speaking in Hindi.
Gadkari’s attitude
For the past two days, Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has been showing aggressive behaviour. He clarified passionately over the doubts emerging around the CAG issue. He also said that the work done by him in his ministry will be remembered for the next 100 years.
High-tech Delhi police
During the G20 Summit, the Delhi police is planning to use high-tech surveillance. Instead of placing police officers on the roads, their deployment will be done discreetly.
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The current experiment
Uttar Pradesh Congress is now attempting a new experiment — focusing on the upper caste. The party is trying to test the approach for now. Party workers get enthusiastic about every new state president and remain hopeful for at least a few days. Recently removed state president, Braj Lal Khabri belongs to the Dalit community. He came to Congress from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), became the state president with high expectations, and was suddenly fired. Before him, Ajay Lallu from the OBC community had held the position for about three years. The current state president, Ajay Rai, belongs to the Bhoomihar community of Varanasi. He has contested against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi twice in the Lok Sabha elections on a Congress ticket. Rai is a good speaker but it’s all about votes. And before that, it’s about caste. Let’s see how the party’s experiment with the upper caste goes.
In and out of CWC
After the announcement of the Central Working Committee (CWC) of the Congress, many senior and influential party members are unhappy because they didn’t find a place in it. Especially those from Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. From Kerala, AK Antony and general secretary KC Venugopal have been included. Meanwhile, Ramesh Chennithala, who is recognised as a mass leader in the state, has been made a permanent invitee member. In Uttar Pradesh, Ajay Rai was made the state president, and former MP from Varanasi, Rajesh Mishra, and Acharya Pramod Krishnam were left out. Now, all such leaders are saying that the new CWC mainly consists of those who don’t have much influence. Those who are influential don’t have a place in the committee.
Superstar’s promotion
Superstar Rajinikanth displayed remarkable political finesse during his visit to Lucknow. Although his intention was to promote his film, his simplicity and politeness overshadowed the film’s script. He met Governor Anandi Ben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and touched his feet as a sign of respect. He hugged Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav and paid respects to Ram Lalla at Ayodhya. Before leaving Lucknow, he also met with Raja Bhaiya, the president of the Jansatta Party (Loktantrik). Entire Uttar Pradesh is captivated by Rajinikanth.
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Tough seats, easy tickets
It is being speculated that a list of candidates for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections might be released in the next meeting of the BJP’s election committee. Especially for states where the BJP has a higher number of category C and D seats. So, people seeking tickets are now making frequent visits to the party offices in states like Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
Understand BJP’s basic policy
That Amit Shah will once again contest the elections from Gandhinagar is a given. But will he also contest from any other seat? Is there any decision made regarding this, or has any discussion taken place? BJP leaders and workers are more curious about it than anyone else. They are being told that no matter how big a leader, nothing is decided about anyone yet. Who will contest the elections and from where, it is for the election committee to decide. During election committee meetings, when a candidate’s name is brought up and they happen to be a committee member, then they are required to get up and leave, allowing for an open discussion about their seat. That’s the party’s basic policy.
Informal conversation
Journalists were called to showcase Bharat Mandapam. Some were sent invites from Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur’s office, others from Minister of Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal’s. The journalists were told that the ministers would engage in an informal conversation as well. But all the ministers told them was to read the information brochure about Bharat Mandapam and take an informal tour of the complex with them. That’s all the informal conversation you can have.
How’s the tea?
At Bharat Mandapam, the staff from five-star hotels took care of the food arrangements. And the staff was quick to seek feedback from the guests. Some were even encouraging online reviews. Two BJP spokespersons got caught in this request. They got away after much struggle.
Bharat Agrawal is Executive Director, Dainik Bhaskar Group, and a columnist.
By special arrangement with Dainik Bhaskar.