Akhilesh invites criticism
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s foreign visits have long been a topic of discussion in political circles. But the same cannot be said about Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.
This year, Akhilesh returned to Lucknow just before Holi after spending nearly two weeks vacationing in the UK—his second international trip since the Lok Sabha elections.
Akhilesh’s latest overseas visit prompted some political chatter, as he faced criticism on social media for not paying tribute to his former close aide and socialist writer Manoj Yadav, also known as Frank Huzur, who passed away on 6 March. Huzur had been running the magazine Socialist Factor in Lucknow during the Samajwadi Party’s tenure from 2012 to 2017, a publication often perceived as the then ruling party’s mouthpiece at the time.
Over the years, Akhilesh distanced himself from Huzur, who later grew closer to the Congress and became part of a core committee organising events under the Samvidhan Bachao (Save the Constitution) theme for Rahul Gandhi.
Following Huzur’s demise, Gandhi wrote a letter to his family, but Akhilesh remained silent.
On social media, many Samajwadi Party supporters lamented that despite Huzur belonging to the Yadav community—considered the party’s core vote bank—the party did not stand by him. SP functionaries defended their leader by saying that he was not in Lucknow and thus unable to visit Huzur’s residence. However, since he returned to the country Akhilesh has neither visted Huzur’s family to pay his respects nor issued any condolence message.
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No-show by Kanhaiya
The Congress leadership in Tripura was left red-faced this week after Kanhaiya Kumar, who was scheduled to address a major rally in Tripura’s capital Agartala, failed to turn up.
Over the past month, the party mounted an extensive publicity campaign to mobilise workers for the event, intended to revitalise its dwindling presence in the state. The state leadership believed Kanhaiya’s renowned oratory skills would attract a large audience.
While a significant crowd did gather for the rally on 11 March, Kanhaiya—who was stationed in Bihar—was nowhere to be seen. His absence subjected the Congress to relentless taunts from the BJP, which mocked the situation as yet another example of the Congress high command’s lack of seriousness towards the Northeast.
The Congress currently holds only three seats in the 60-member state assembly.
Fadnavis’s succession line
In a political landscape where most major leaders are concerned about grooming a successor to carry forward their legacy, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis appears content with the fact that he may be the last in his family to enter politics.
His only daughter, Divija, a teenager, aspires to become a lawyer.
In a candid conversation with a few journalists, Fadnavis spoke with immense pride about his daughter’s ambitions. “She will make an excellent lawyer,” he remarked. Following the Mahayuti’s landslide victory last November, several media platforms had interviewed Divija.
Fadnavis admitted he was initially apprehensive about how she would handle politically charged questions, but to his surprise, she navigated them effortlessly, responding with tact and diplomacy.
Karnataka MLAs ‘lounging’
Legislators in Karnataka appear to have embraced the true essence of ‘lounging’, eagerly taking turns to recline in the newly installed massage chairs and recliners outside the assembly.
“How much longer for him?” one MLA inquires.
“Sir, the session is for 10 minutes,” replies the operator.
“Alright, I am next,” the MLA responds, sinking back into his recliner, plotted next to the massage chair.
Karnataka Assembly speaker U.T. Khader introduced these recliners and massage chairs as an incentive to keep MLAs within the legislature and improve attendance.
Khader had observed that several legislators would leave for lunch and fail to return to the assembly. The initiative, however, comes at a cost—each recliner is estimated to cost Rs 1,500 per day, while a massage chair costs nearly Rs 10,000 daily. Some MLAs have even attempted to secure extra time by discreetly requesting the operators to extend their massage sessions by an additional 10 minutes—without informing the next in line.
Defending his decision, Khader argued that previous initiatives, such as offering breakfast and lunch within the assembly, had improved attendance and, by extension, productivity.
(Edited by Radifah Kabir)
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