THE MUSLIM QUESTION
Dr Aishwarya Pandit’s book, “Claiming Citizenship and Nation, Muslim Politics & State Building in North India 1947-1986” (Routledge) was released in the national capital last week. The book provides an insight into the changing nature of Muslim politics, beginning from the Nehruvian years where the then Prime Minister’s own colleagues questioned his “secular” politics, accusing him of Muslim appeasement. Congress leaders from Uttar Pradesh, such as Purshottam Das Tandon, Govind Vallabh Pant, Sampurnanand and Charan Singh raised questions about the minority that later found resonance with the Sangh and other right-wing leaders. In the book, Dr Pandit talks about “a powerful ‘Hindu’ sentiment among ordinary Congressmen helps to explain why the party in UP so resolutely opposed the partition of India.” This theme was picked up by the panel discussion at the launch between Prof M.D. Nalapat, Dr Seshadri Chari and Shahid Siddiqui. The book launch was well attended by a cross section of society with politicians such as Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Vivek Tankha, Pavan Varma, Rakesh Sinha and K.C. Tyagi. Opinion makers and some familiar faces from the media were also present, from Vir Sanghvi, Dr Bharat Aggarwal, S. Prasannarajan and Rajdeep Sardesai to Dilip Cherian, as were designer Anjul Bhandari and legal eagle Raian Karanjawala. Given the current political narrative where Nehruvian secularism is under the scanner, with some BJP leaders even advocating its removal, with the narrative of appeasement politics, partition and citizenship being revisited, this well researched and in-depth book is a must read for our times.
WHO WILL BE THE NEXT PRESIDENT?
If the capital’s rumour mill is to be believed, President Ram Nath Kovind has already identified the bungalow he will be shifting to once his current term at Rashtrapati Bhavan gets over next month. There is much speculation about the next President as the Modi government has the requisite numbers to make its own choice. According to the buzz, both the offices of President and Vice President will see some new faces. Will one of the Big Four be shifting to Rashtrapati Bhavan or as Chairman of the Rajya Sabha? Some say this is a possibility, which would also then entail a Cabinet reshuffle of sorts, with a fresh face coming in as part of the Big Four. Two other names shortlisted for the office of President and Vice President are both Governors from two southern states belonging to minority and tribal communities. All in all, the month of June could see some interesting changes in the Modi government.
Singled out for Praise
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s praise for UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and that too while on a visit to Telangana has sparked off some interesting speculation in the capital. Speaking in Telangana, the PM singled out the CM for praise, stating, “I congratulate the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Yogi Adityanathji, from this land of Telangana. Someone had told him that he should not go to a place, but Yogiji said that he believed in science and he went. Today he has become the Chief Minister again.” While Modi’s reference was to the fact that none of Yogi’s predecessors visited Noida considering it an inauspicious omen for a second term, not only did Yogi visit the region but he also managed to win a second term, unlike his predecessors. That factoid apart, the fact that the PM mentioned the UP CM during his speech in Hyderabad has nixed all rumours that there was a strain between the PMO and the UP CM. In fact, sources claim that to the contrary, the PM has his arm on Yogi’s shoulder (remember the picture that went viral during UP polls?) and the CM too looks up to the PM as a mentor.
Rawat ready for round two
There is something of a never-say-never about Harish Rawat, former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand. The veteran Congress leader, having missed the chance to return as Chief Minister when the Congress lost the state during the recent Assembly polls, has picked up the threads for mission 2027. The 72-year-old Rawat’s day starts early and includes a visit to families which used to be Congress supporters in the hill state. The Chintan is an ongoing process for the former Seva Dal chief, who rose to become Union Minister, AICC general secretary and CM. Rawat was the chief guest at the book release function of author and historian Rasheed Kidwai’s latest book “Leaders, Politicians, Citizens” (Hachette) in Dehradun recently, on a day when the cool breeze and 20 C temperature in Uttarakhand pleased everyone. Rawat ended his speech rather ruefully, wondering if ever the EVM wrongs get exposed, who would account for the allegedly manufactured mandates? “I dread to visualise that in my lifetime”, said Rawat, joining Kamal Nath’s demand for the return of postal ballot.