COMMUNICATION GAP
Congress’ new communication head Jairam Ramesh, who is turning out to be a man of all seasons, faced a rather piquant, if not embarrassing, situation. As it happened, it was Jairam himself who had issued a letter mentioning the names of the number of guests who would be accompanying the Opposition’s presidential nominee, Yashwant Sinha, at the time of filing his papers. However, the security guards at Nirvachan Sadan followed every dot and comma while doing their duty. And since they did not find Jairam Ramesh’s name on the list, they stopped him from entering. The former Union Minister was at his wit’s end pointing he was a signatory and it was he who had issued the letter. “But where is your name on the list?” asked the cop, displaying shades of Kiran Bedi type déjà vu. In the end, however, Jairam had his way.
THE FINE ART OF SAYING NO
Why did Devendra Fadnavis have to take back his earlier comments where he had publicly stated that he would not be part of a government led by Shiv Sena rebel, Eknath Shinde? Having stated that, Fadnavis apparently went incommunicado with his phone switched off. However loyal a party soldier, he could not have been happy at having his prize of the CM’s chair being snatched away from him. Three hours later, he was traced via the mobile of BJP leader Sanjay Mahadik and made to speak to BJP president J.P. Nadda. Apparently, the conversation left Fadnavis in a very emotional state. Soon after, it was Amit Shah who announced that Fadnavis would be joining Eknath Shinde’s government as Deputy Chief Minister, a demotion by any other name. What went so wrong for Fadnavis? Because as history (via social media) will tell you, rarely do those who have been demoted to Deputy CM or state ministers (from CM) make their way back to the top slot again. Look what happened to Babulal Gaur, Suresh Mehta and Shivajirao Patil Nilangekar. Apparently, Fadnavis doesn’t share the same ease of doing business as some other state leaders do with Shah. Also, as far as the BJP’s strategy of social engineering goes, promoting a Maratha OBC over a Brahmin face sent the right signals. Also, look at the message Shah has sent to Uddhav Thackeray by helping a non Thackeray Shiv Sainik rise to the CM’s chair. Clearly, revenge is a dish best served two and a half years later.
Who will be the next Vice President?
According to sources, the current Vice President, Venkaiah Naidu will not be getting a second term. Although his track record has been stellar, the BJP (read PM Modi) wants to give other people a chance. The short-list of names doing the rounds includes the Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, Cabinet Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Captain Amarinder Singh, former Punjab CM. While both Arif M. Khan and Naqvi would send the right signal to Muslim dominated countries, especially the UAE, the Captain’s name has made a late entry post speculation that he would soon be merging his party with the BJP. (Currently, the Captain is recovering from a surgery.) However, will the BJP trust someone who is not “homegrown” from the RSS? There is also speculation that Naqvi (if you recall his Rajya Sabha term was not renewed in the last round of nominations) may be headed to J&K as Lt Governor—in which case the current incumbent, Manoj Sinha will need a landing place. Is he heading for the VP’s post, or will Sinha be brought back to the Union Cabinet? A Cabinet reshuffle is also expected soon, for there are some slots that have to be filled. What also has to be filled are seven Rajya Sabha seats that are falling vacant from the President’s nominations category. This has led to a lot of buzz within the BJP, for after all if any party has any goodies to hand around, it is PM Modi’s party.