Sasmit Patra ko gussa kyun aata hai?
New Delhi: The friction among Biju Janata Dal MPs—since the party’s poll debacle last year—is not new, but the rift seems to be widening by the day. Some MPs in the Opposition benches of Rajya Sabha witnessed it earlier this week, when BJD’s Sulata Deo spoke on the Health Security se National Cess Bill.
Deo made two moot points in her six-minute speech—how a legislation dealing with public health can be a money bill, and how the Centre talks of being “democratic” while taking cess, but doesn’t have the same mindset when it comes to giving the state its share. Soon after Deo finished her speech, some of the Opposition MPs were bemused to see Sasmit Patra angrily asking her why she spoke in this manner against the bill. “Yeh kya bol diya (what have you said)?” Patra is said to have told Deo.
Though BJD is not part of the National Democratic Alliance, and faced a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Bharatiya Janata Party last year in the Lok Sabha as well as assembly elections, the party by and large supports them on contentious legislations.
This is not the first time that the cracks within the BJD were on full display in Rajya Sabha.
During the voting on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in April, the faultlines were exposed after Patra, in a cryptic post on X, asked party MPs to vote according to their conscience, implying they should vote to support the bill. Of the seven BJD MPs in the Upper House, only five eventually voted in favour of the bill. Debashish Samantaray abstained, while Muzibulla Khan voted against it.
Several other senior BJD leaders, including former MPs, had also questioned the party’s U-turn on the bill after former Odisha chief minister and party supremo Naveen Patnaik had publicly announced that he was opposed to the law as it would create a sense of insecurity among the minority community.
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DK Shivakumar’s wardrobe & image ‘makeover’
Ever since the battle for leadership in Karnataka has intensified in recent weeks, the Opposition has spared no opportunity to mock Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.
On Thursday, BJP MLA V. Sunil Kumar took a potshot at Shivakumar, when he folded his hands before the Opposition, seeking their support in getting the Centre’s nod for the Mekedatu dam project. “D.K. Shivakumar has an image. How did he become so courteous and humble?” Kumar remarked.
He then recited verses of a popular song, the lyrics of which actually go: “Kanada kadalige humbalisidhe mana, sera balled ondu dina (my heart longs for the unseen sea, but can I ever see or join that vast, mysterious ocean)?”
But he gave it a spin, saying, “Kannuva Kurchige Hambaliside mana. Kuraballane ondu dina (my heart longs for the [CM’s] chair that I can see, but can I ever sit on it)?”
This drew chuckles from the deputy CM himself.
To Sunil’s recital, senior BJP leader Suresh Kumar added that Shivakumar’s “humility” was part of the latter’s “image makeover”, as recommended by consultants and advisers. He even said jokingly that Shivakumar’s stole was also part of it.
Akhilesh’s ‘AI PDA’
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav was in Hyderabad Saturday to address an AI (artificial intelligence) summit being organised under the “PDA” banner. Interestingly, this PDA does not stand for “Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak”. Akhilesh has given the acronym a twist: “Plan, Develop, Ascent” for a series of youth-oriented events.
According to sources, the party has planned ‘Vision India: AI Summit’, a series of events in major cities across the country to connect with young professionals. Former Uttar Pradesh minister Abhishek Mishra, former chief secretary and Akhilesh’s consultant Alok Ranjan and MP Rajiv Rai have been tasked with planning these events.
Before Hyderabad, Akhilesh had attended a similar programme in Bengaluru last month. Events in Mumbai, Chennai and Gurugram are also in the pipeline.
A Samajwadi Party leader told ThePrint that the BJP was targeting the original ‘PDA’ pitch, projecting it as anti–upper caste.
“So, to reach out to influential communities, particularly the youth, the high command has planned these events. Youth from Uttar Pradesh are working in multiple metro cities. They are the target audience. Later, we will organise such events in UP also. These summits will showcase the forward-looking vision of the Samajwadi Party. We do not want any narrative of BJP to work this time, so we are trying to woo everyone. For women, Akhilesh ji had already announced Rs 40,000 per year, for youth he is holding AI summits. In addition, our original formula of ‘PDA’—Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak—will work,” the leader said.
Bonding over dosas & filter coffee
The bond shared by political scions, Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav and Bharat Rashtra Samithi’s K.T. Rama Rao, is growing stronger with every meeting, according to BRS sources. Adding flavour to the engagement this time were ghee-laden dosas, Mysore Pak, filter coffee and other South Indian delicacies that the two savoured at the Rameshwaram Café in Hyderabad Saturday.
The former UP chief minister was in the Telangana capital for two days, mainly to attend the AI summit. During the trip, he met former Telangana minister K.T.R. thrice—once at the latter’s residence in Banjara Hills, then at the café, and later at former BRS minister Srinivas Yadav’s residence, where Akhilesh had gone on invitation.
The leader of SP, which is part of the INDIA bloc, also met with Congress Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, albeit briefly.
A BRS leader told ThePrint that though there is no formal political association between the two, Akhilesh and K.T.R. have maintained a strong association for several years.
In 2023, Akhilesh had met with K.T.R.’s father and then CM, K. Chandrasekhar Rao in Hyderabad. In 2018, K.T.R. had met the SP chief in Lucknow, later saying it was a “pleasure meeting someone so humble and grounded”. The meetings had made way for some speculation over the formation of a political front.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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