Uniting for an Aam Cause
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor’s annual Mango Party saw a full house, as clearly he is the man of the moment (actually, man of many moments, given the number of hats he wears). The current session of Parliament began with speculation about his political future and though he remains within the Congress it is also clear that his popularity cuts across party lines. The attendance at Tharoor’s lunch was a full house with MPs cutting across party lines, academics and diplomats present, albeit the numbers from the Opposition came more from parties other than the Congress. In fact, given the non-stop rains during the week, Tharoor’s team had made arrangements for waterproof tents, for the show must go on. But that was one day in the week where the sun shone, leading a guest to quip that the Gods were smiling down on Tharoor, which perhaps goes to prove that God is not a Congresswoman/Congressman.
What next for Lt Governor Manoj Sinha?
The five-year term of the Lt Governor of J&K ends in August this year. This will also be the fifth anniversary of the revocation of Article 370 (5 August 2019). The question doing the rounds is, will he get an extension or will the government finally fulfil its promise of restoring statehood to the people of J&K? This is something that has been ordered by the Supreme Court as well. Moreover, the fact that the Pahalgam massacre happened while the state was under the Lt Governor’s watch does not send a reassuring message about the Centre’s hold on the Valley. Sources claim that the Congress had got a whiff of the fact that the government is seriously considering restoring statehood and could announce this decision during this Parliament session; and this is one reason why the Congress added restoration of statehood to its list of issues to be raised in Parliament. Now this may delay the government’s plans, for it certainly doesn’t want to be seen as kowtowing to the Opposition, hence the speculation that the announcement could be deferred to 15 August. But a word of caution. Delaying it any further could prove to be counter intuitive for the government, which had prided itself on the record 63.8% voter turnout last elections. The people of the UT have delivered, it is now time for the government to make good its promise. But back to Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, for if he does not get an extension, there is all likelihood of another plum post awaiting him. His name is doing the rounds for Vice President or else the new party chief. So watch this space.
The Curious Exit of Jagdeep Dhankhar
Why did the former Vice President resign so suddenly? No one is buying the health story, for the reasons are definitely health plus something else. It is also clear that the “something else” was such a flashpoint that it did not merit a rethink or a plea from the government to reconsider the resignation. There is not even a farewell planned for the outgoing VP. All this points to a falling out at the highest level. Now the question is what could have prompted Dhankhar to take on the Prime Minister? He is no Satpal Malik and plus the former governor of J&K turned rebel only towards the end of his tenure. Here Dhankhar had two more years to remain in office and post that too the Modi government could have found a comfortable resting perch for him as they have done for former president Ram Nath Kovind. Clearly, Dhankhar had more to lose than anyone else here. Which makes one wonder all the more as to why he took on such a gamble. Most are citing the fact that he admitted the opposition’s motion to impeach Justice Verma as the reason for his sudden exit, but there is more to this story. Especially given the fact that before admitting the motion, Dhankhar asked Law Minister Arjun Meghwal to inform the Upper House as to whether a similar motion to impeach had been admitted in the Lok Sabha. While the notice in the Lok Sabha was signed by the Opposition MPs as well as the Treasury Benches, it was seen as an initiative of the Government. But the notice handed to Dhankhar only had the signatures of the Opposition MPs. This is not the script that the Modi government wanted to play out because it wanted to present the optics of the government taking a strong stand against corruption, but in the Rajya Sabha it had become an Opposition sponsored move. Be that as it may, was this such a huge error on Dhankhar’s part, that it would precipitate such a high profile resignation
