New Delhi: Once among the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) most prominent faces, Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha’s growing distance from the party has not gone unnoticed in political circles.
Just last month, Chadha, a member of the AAP’s Political Affairs Committee, maintained a conspicuous silence even as the Enforcement Directorate carried out raids at the residence of the party’s Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj.
AAP leaders who once worked closely with Chadha point to a subtle sign of the drift: his birthday wishes to the party’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal over the years. This year, Chadha kept it brief, posting a simple message on 16 August: “Here’s wishing a very happy birthday to Shri Arvind Kejriwalji. May he be blessed with good health, happiness and a long life ahead.”
The lack of warmth stood out when compared with his effusive messages in previous years. For instance, in 2023, Chadha had called Kejriwal his “mentor, a guiding light, and a beacon of hope”. In a long social media post, he wrote: “On this special day, I am filled with immense gratitude. Your actions have not only improved the lives of countless citizens but have also inspired millions, including myself, to actively participate in mainstream politics. You have transformed the Indian political landscape for times to come. Your tireless efforts to create a corruption-free and prosperous society have enabled people like me to take a stand and contribute to the transformation of our nation…”
In 2021, Chadha went even further, describing Kejriwal as his “guru” and hailing him as a leader who had not only transformed the lives of Delhi’s two crore citizens but also “redefined the meaning of politics in India”.
Annamalai’s act of dissent?
Former Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai last week did something that’s considered no less than harakiri in the BJP. He skipped a meeting called by Amit Shah, saying he had committed to attend some marriages in the state.
Sources in the BJP close to Annamalai say there has been growing unease with the party’s central leadership, especially over the alleged interference of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in state-level affairs.
The sources said the discontent also stems from the way former NDA allies, TTV Dhinakaran and O. Panneerselvam, who were brought into the front during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections by Annamalai, were sidelined after the AIADMK re-entered the NDA fold, a day before Annamalai’s tenure as BJP president was over.
The unease has left state BJP workers questioning whether Annamalai’s absence from Shah’s meeting was a mere coincidence or a subtle act of dissent against what he views as Delhi’s heavy-handedness regarding state affairs.
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Shivakumar’s dilemma
Karnataka Congress chief D.K. Shivakumar faced a dilemma Thursday. He was hesitant to attend an event hosted by his daughter, Aisshwarya D.K.S. Hegde, who had invited Jaggi Vasudev or Sadhguru as chief guest for the 25th anniversary celebrations of National Hill View Public School, run by the Shivakumar-led National Education Foundation.
Along with other events, she had a podcast with Sadhguru called ‘Buddy Bench’ which is expected to be released sometime later.
Though Shivakumar had not made it official that he would take part in the event, people close to the deputy chief minister said he had planned to meet the chief guest. However, he was advised against it since an earlier meeting with Sadhguru had turned into a political hot potato for him.
“Shivakumar wanted to make a courtesy visit to the event. But several of his aides advised against it,” said one person directly in the know.
In February, Shivakumar had attended the Mahashivratri programme at Sadhguru’s Isha Foundation in Coimbatore and was seated beside Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He thereafter faced a massive backlash from his own party colleagues.
Given that the deputy CM was already forced to apologise for singing the RSS anthem on the floor of the legislative assembly, Shivakumar chose not to take any more risk by meeting Sadhguru, people aware of the developments said.
Those present at Thursday’s event too were told that Shivakumar was likely to make a quick stopover, but he drove straight to Ramanagara, unwilling to give his detractors more reason to target him.
Never-ending innings of top IAS officers
The last week saw a spate of extensions to top officers in states. The chief secretaries of Maharashtra, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh were given extensions of three, seven and 12 months, respectively.
Extensions are usually a sore point for officers, many of whom lose out on chances of occupying the top posts if governments keep extending the tenures of serving officers. However, the trend has become increasingly widespread in the last few years.
In June this year, the Haryana chief secretary was given a year-long extension, dashing the hopes of at least five other officers who were coveting the post. In neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, the serving chief secretary was given a six-month extension in March. He had, in fact, broken the news of his extension himself to his colleagues in the IAS who had organised a farewell dinner for him.
The Odisha Chief Secretary who was due to retire in December last year, too was given a one-year extension by the government on 1 January this year.
Tesla car’s first owner in India
Maharashtra transport minister Pratap Sarnaik has become the first person in the country to buy Tesla’s Model Y car from its newly launched showroom in Mumbai’s BKC that was opened on 15 July.
He said he was thrilled to become the owner of the first ever Tesla car sold in India. “Importantly, I have not taken any discount and paid full price for the car,” said the minister, adding that he was giving the car not to his son but his grandson who would take it to his school and promote an environment-friendly car.
The price of Tesla Model Y car is estimated to be over Rs 60 lakh.
Akhilesh smarts from old attack
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has launched a sharp attack on retired bureaucrat and current adviser to Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, Awanish Awasthi, and the CM’s former OSD Abhishek Kaushik, accusing them of tarnishing his image.
Speaking at a press conference in Lucknow, Akhilesh, former UP CM, recalled the “Toti Chor” (tap theft) allegation against himself, saying: “I can never forget it. It was all orchestrated by Awanish Awasthi. The government and the officials running it should also remember this, that we will not forget.”
“If you accuse me of stealing a tap and then purify the CM’s residence with Ganga water, how can I forget? This entire drama was scripted by Awanish Awasthi and Abhishek Kaushik. The government must not think we will forget such allegations.”
This is not the first time Akhilesh has targeted Awasthi. He had previously accused him of damaging his image. According to SP functionaries, the party chief has made it clear that if he returns to power in UP, both Awasthi and Kaushik will be made to “learn a lesson”.
The controversy dates back to 2018, when Akhilesh had vacated the official CM’s residence. At that time, he had faced accusations of taking away water taps from the bungalow. Obviously, the charge still hurts.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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