Now that a Cabinet reshuffle seems on the cards in Rajasthan, Team Sachin Pilot is hopeful that promises made to them will be fulfilled. Judging by some of the statements given by Ajay Maken, the party general secretary incharge of Rajasthan, the Gandhis seem to be in a mood to oblige Pilot. While he may not get the full Sidhu package, i.e., a clear line of succession to the chief ministership; accommodating his men will go a long way in mollifying Pilot. It has also been indicated that Pilot could be given a high profile post at the party HQ. And certainly he will be deployed to campaign in the coming elections, speciallyin western Uttar Pradesh. The Gandhi siblings seem to be finally putting their house in order, and have arrived on the scene, check-list in hand.
Mamata’s Mission 2024
Mamata Bannerjee arrived at the national capital with one mission in mind. While it is too early to call 2024 a fight between Didi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, certainly she has begun the groundwork for the fight. Her first step is to ensure that she becomes the face of opposition unity. The Congress has been told by all its allies and advisors, from Prashant Kishor to Sharad Pawar, that Rahul Gandhi cannot be the face of the opposition’s fight against PM Modi. And to be fair to Rahul, he has stated on earlier occasions as well that he is prepared to support any coalition that takes on the BJP. Now it remains to be seen as to whether the opposition will field one face, or a coalition of three or four faces, united by one message. With the opposition realising that Modi has the edge in a presidential style battle, it makes sense to counter him on message and not on personality. Hence, three to four regional faces will be pitted by the opposition against the BJP, all united by a common message against the BJP’s brand of politics. Unfortunately, a version of this experiment was tried in Uttar Pradesh in the 2017 Assembly elections and later on in 2019 as well, but it didn’t quite take off. Nonetheless, Mamata’s presence in the capital has galvanised, and united, the opposition, especially in Parliament where there seems to be some sort of a united strategy at play. One even heard Congress MPs chanting the slogan “Khela Hobe”, which is a far cry from what was heard during the West Bengal Assembly elections a few months ago (when the Congress fought against the TMC). And so, as they say, let the games begin.
The Right Spirit
A WhatsApp video of Shashi Tharoor has gone viral on group chats. In this he is sending his nephew greetings for the latter’s wedding day; but the message is drafted and delivered in true Shashi Tharoor style. He begins with a self-deprecatory comment stating that “unfortunately I haven’t done very well in the marriage business myself so all I can say is that a secret of a happy marriage, remains a secret. As Clint Eastwood said there’s only one way to have a happy marriage and as soon I learn what it is, I will get married again. To me, marriage was like a walk in the park…Jurassic Park.” The three-and-a-half-minute clip continues in the same vein and makes for a good break from some of the other messages politicians send on social media, and otherwise.