Andhra Bhavan hall that plays host to opposition strategising
Chandrababu Naidu may have ousted his father-in-law N.T. Rama Rao in utter acrimony to become the Andhra Pradesh chief minister in 1995 but Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders are now drawing a parallel between the two men. The reason: NTR had headed the National Front, comprising seven parties, in an attempt to dislodge the Rajiv Gandhi government from power in 1989. His son-in-law is now seeking to play a similar role to replace the BJP-led government at the Centre.
The similarities don’t end there. In 1989, the venue of the hectic parleys in the national capital was the Gurajada Conference Hall in Andhra Bhavan. Naidu is now getting the same hall refurbished and renovated to make seating arrangements for three times the number of parties that his father-in-law had brought together. The Gurajada Hall is also being equipped with a hi-tech sound system and improved lighting. In the coming weeks, it is expected to be the venue of meetings of the anti-BJP parties.
The Andhra Pradesh government also recently foot the bill of the Constitution Club conference hall where the non-BJP opposition leaders, including the Congress’ Rahul Gandhi, held a meeting on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). In 1989, though NTR headed the National Front, it was V.P. Singh, its convenor, who became the Prime Minister. Fingers are crossed this time around.
Also read: Why Milind Deora is ‘fleeing’ the Lok Sabha poll battleground months in advance
The no-nonsense environment minister
Ramdas Kadam, a Shiv Sena minister in the Maharashtra government, is known for his brash, outspoken nature. In political circles, the minister is often called ‘Bindas Ramdas’. A few days ago, Kadam, who is in charge of the state environment department, publicly shouted at a woman, a Shiv Sena karyakarta, who had come to his office to give him sweets. When she tried to apologise, saying she was just like his sister, he retorted, “You are no sister of mine,” before sending her packing. Other visitors in his office were taken aback, wondering what the woman could have done to invite such wrath. The reason for the minister’s ire, they later realised, was that the woman had packed sweets for Kadam in a plastic bag, something that the environment minister has banned in Maharashtra. A decision he takes great pride in.
A new low even for a ‘partisan channel’
DD News isn’t really known to be a paragon of objectivity when it comes to the selection of news. Regardless of the party in power, its slant in favour of the ruling establishment is a given. But the state broadcaster left even seasoned bureaucrats surprised when it chose to re-tweet from its Twitter handle a political message by the Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore: “As staunch upholders & believers of democracy, @BJP4India believes that ppl are essential governance stakeholders. #BharatKeMannKiBaat is an effort to engage w/ ppl to include their voices in our manifesto. Delighted to have launched Bharat ke Mann ki Baat rath y’day in Jaipur.”
(Contributors: Moushumi Das Gupta, Manasi Phadke and Amrita Dutta)