Thackeray family ‘bonding’
Anything can happen in politics, but the Thackeray cousins—Uddhav and Raj—reuniting is a distant possibility. However, every now and then, party workers from both sides keep hoping for a tacit understanding. They hope there would be some sympathy factor from both sides towards each other that comes from the bond of a shared childhood, especially when a Thackeray’s own pride is at stake.
In 2019, when Aaditya Thackeray had decided to contest the assembly election for the first time from the Worli constituency, Raj Thackeray had decided to support his nephew’s candidature. So, this time when Raj’s son, Amit, has decided to enter the fray from the Mahim assembly segment, a senior Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) worker approached Amit with a proposal—the Shiv Sena (UBT) would vacate the Mahim seat for him, in exchange for the MNS leaving the Worli seat for Aaditya Thackeray. The proposal would have come at the cost of the ambitions of another MNS leader, Sandeep Deshpande, who was keen on contesting from Worli, party sources said.
Amit Thackeray apparently did not entertain the proposal. Let there be a fair fight at both places, he said. Deshpande is now taking on Sena (UBT)’s Aaditya Thackeray in Worli.
With campaigning in full swing, there’s now growing speculation among party workers on both sides about whether the Thackeray cousins are becoming a bit more conciliatory towards each other. Uddhav’s campaign schedule notably omits a rally in Mahim, where he would have been expected to criticise all of his party’s opponents, including nephew Amit. Meanwhile, Raj Thackeray did hold a rally in Worli, where he criticised Shiv Sena (UBT), but remained conspicuously silent on Aaditya.
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Telangana IAS officers miss a view
The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and its chief K. Chandrashekar Rao take immense pride in the former CM’s pet and Vastu-compliant project—the Rs 1,000 crore new Telangana secretariat, which reportedly boasts bullet-proof windows in the CM’s office, a royal dining room and an elite sky lounge with glass walls that offer aerial view of the city, including the scenic Nizam-era water body, Hussain Sagar, sited right beside it.
But the imposing structure in the heart of Hyderabad and its interiors have apparently failed to satisfy the many officials who operate from the grand edifice.
Though their now one-and-half-year-old chambers are spacious, a senior IAS told ThePrint, “Thanks to KCR’s Vastu craze” they are deprived of the majestic views of the iconic lake, Tank Bund, and the Buddha statue.
The top bureaucrats’ rooms are designed in such a way that “none of them” have the much-desired view they were enjoying from their chambers in old secretariat buildings in the same place. The only spot from where another IAS has a good view outside “is from his washroom in the ante-chamber”.
One IAS officer has complained about sub-standard equipment, including AC units with brand names resembling top brands. “Look, it’s stuck at 22 degrees and malfunctioning. I can’t adjust the temperature despite having a cold,” the head of a major department told ThePrint. Frustrated, the officer has reduced the time spent in his secretariat chamber and now operates mainly from another office under his charge.
Meanwhile, as the Revanth Reddy government approaches its one-year mark, the administration is reportedly making modifications—particularly at the grand secretariat gates—to enhance the building’s alignment with Hindu architectural principles, despite it already being Vastu compliant.
Local reports claim that the East Maha-dwaram will be shifted to the northeast for exclusive use by CM Revanth, and a new road will be constructed from Gate-2 to Gate-4. These Vastu-inspired changes come alongside efforts to install the Telangana Thalli statue in the center of the lawns in front of the white tower adorned with domes.
While performing the Bhoomi pujan in August for the installation, Revanth had said the Mother Telangana statue would be unveiled on 9 December. The date coincides with Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s birthday.
KCR inaugurated the new state government head-quarters—named Dr BR Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat—on 30 April, 2023, and functioned from there only a few times before he was dislodged by the Revanth-led Congress in December last year.
Rahul Gandhi dials helpline, no one answers
The Raebareli administration faced an embarrassing moment when Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition and MP from Raebareli, called 181—the toll-free women’s helpline—only to receive no response.
During the meeting of the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) on 5 October, the district magistrate Harshita Mathur was briefing Rahul about the initiatives related to women’s safety in the district. Suddenly, Rahul asked her for the women’s helpline number to conduct a check. He dialed the number but received no response. According to those present at the meeting, Rahul remarked, “Look, this is the safety system’s reality in UP.”
The comment proved embarrassing for everyone present, including UP Minister Dinesh Singh, BJP MLA Aditi Singh, and SP rebel MLA Manoj Pandey. Later, Aditi Singh described the meeting as a positive step, but Dinesh Singh was left miffed with Rahul.
Himachal’s samosa politics
Samosa sales have seen a surge in Himachal Pradesh after the state’s CID initiated an inquiry to determine who consumed a samosa bought from a five-star hotel for Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. The controversy began when the CM visited the CID office on 21 October for an official event and a samosa went missing from a box of snacks meant for him. Recovering from an illness, the CM gave the fried snack a miss, but it was allegedly consumed by another staff member. The row escalated after the CID launched an internal inquiry into the matter.
After news of the inquiry leaked, the BJP chimed in with criticism with former CM and Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur hosting a ‘samosa party’ with colleagues in Mandi as a jab at Sukhu. Meanwhile, the BJP’s youth wing in Himachal Pradesh carried out a ‘Samosa march’ in Shimla, distributing the controversial snack. Additionally, Hamirpur BJP MLA Ashish Sharma sent 11 samosas to CM Sukhu. Thakur remarked that while the government has failed to deliver on its employment promises and other manifesto commitments, it seems more focused on investigating a samosa incident.
This strategy mirrors a similar BJP move during a Haryana election, where Rahul Gandhi’s reference to a ‘jalebi factory’ sparked mockery. After Congress’s defeat, BJP leaders sent jalebis to Gandhi’s residence, with party ministers even holding jalebi gatherings to mock him.
Recently, another controversy erupted when the Himachal government introduced, then quickly retracted, a ‘toilet tax’ requiring hotels to pay Rs 30 for water usage.
Navjot Singh Sidhu’s ‘maun vrat’
A meeting between Taranjit Singh Sandhu, BJP’s candidate for the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat, and Navjot Kaur Sidhu, former Punjab MLA and wife of cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, has stirred considerable buzz in Punjab in both Congress and BJP camps.
Navjot Singh Sidhu was spotted in Amritsar after returning from a cricket assignment, while his wife, Navjot Kaur, who recently recovered from cancer, has resumed taking part in social events.
On Saturday, former Indian envoy to the US and BJP leader Sandhu put out a post on social media stating that it was “a pleasure to meet with Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu at Samundri House and discuss Amritsar-related developmental issues”. He also posted pictures of his meeting with Navjot and her daughter Rabia.
Amid speculation, sources close to the Sidhu family have denied that the meeting between Navjot Kaur and Sandhu had any connection to a potential switch to the BJP, describing it as merely a courtesy call. However, the most intriguing aspect of the meeting was that Navjot Kaur chose to discuss Amritsar’s development issues with Sandhu rather than with Gurjeet Singh Aujla, the sitting Congress MP from Amritsar.
Interestingly, two days before Navjot Kaur’s meeting with Sandhu, Aujla had visited the Sidhu residence to inquire about her health. According to sources, Navjot informed the MP that she would resume participating in social activities once fully recovered from cancer, and that Sidhu would continue to be part of the Congress.
“Although Sidhu was present at home and crossed the drawing room, he did not talk to him (Aujla) as Navjot told him that he was on a maun vrat (vow of silence).”
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