The Reshuffle Buzz
Well, whether Prime Minister Modi has given the task some thought or not, social media has been busy reshuffling his cabinet. Here are some of the highlights from the social media chatter. One cabinet minister, who has been in the news recently (for all the wrong reasons) could be given an “honourable exit” for party work. Another governor could be recalled for cabinet work, only the said individual is not happy with the post being offered and wants a place in the Big Four. Another cabinet favourite of the Prime Minister is also looking for an upgrade to be promoted to the Big Four. Usually, in any government, the Big Four, i.e., Home, Defence, MEA and Finance are the Holy Grail. To disturb them upsets the existing power set-up. However, the PM can afford to do a reshuffle without upsetting any equilibrium. But will he?
Politically Correct RSVPs
Rahul Gandhi’s X (twitter) timeline on his birthday reads very much like an alliance update, as was pointed out by one of his followers. Whether it was Akhilesh Yadav, Supriya Sule, Tejashwi Yadav, Aditya Thackeray, the TVK chief Vijay to even the DMK’s M.K. Stalin and Kanimozhi, as well as Vaiko, the entire I.N.D.I.A bloc reached out to the Congress leader. The wishes from the South need to be singled out as these came at a time when social media was abuzz with stories about the DMK having done a “deal” with the BJP to abstain on the delimitation bill. The DMK has a considerable chunk of 22 MPs and their support (or abstention) would be the make or break moment for the bill. However, Stalin’s reach-out to Rahul and the latter’s politically correct response send a strong message for the Opposition. Unlike earlier times, when Stalin used to refer to Rahul as “My Brother-in-Ideals”, this time, he sent a much more formal wish to the Leader of the Opposition. Rahul’s reply was equally formal and gracious: Our shared resolve to defend the idea of India, our Constitution, and federalism will continue to guide us—this is the fight for the very soul of our democracy, and we will wage it together, until we win. In other words, RSVPs have been received and the alliance is back, though missing critical numbers from West Bengal and perhaps Maharashtra too.
The Raga Reader
Did Rahul Gandhi read the Assembly polls right? According to his supporters, their leader had all the right instincts. He reached out to Shashi Tharoor well in time before the Kerala polls so the party could put up a united fight and avoid factionalism. He also wanted to break up with the DMK and tie up with TVK, but was thwarted in doing so by the old guard. Rahul’s campaign against Mamata is also being seen as someone who realised that the TMC was losing its hold in West Bengal. However, he got Assam terribly wrong, but in the larger scheme of things, the scorecard holds. Also, post polls he made the politically popular choice on Kerala CM as well, went in for a change of guard in Karnataka that sent a message to the old guard that the party is committed to a generational change, as well as the fact that RaGa will finally be putting his team in place. The choice of Rajya Sabha candidates, especially opting for Meenakshi Natrajan over Kamal Nath or Digvijaya Singh reinforces this optics. We are told more changes are to follow, with new PCCs being finalised in four states including Rajasthan and Haryana. The allies too are now rallying behind Rahul and have accepted his leadership. It can be said that while in 2024 the Congress needed the allies more than they needed him, the situation has been reversed for the 2029 Lok Sabha.
Change is in the air
Are both the Congress and the BJP heading for organisational changes? While Nitin Nabin’s new team is more or less finalised, the party is waiting for the Prime Minister’s ok before announcing it. The Congress too is expecting a large revamp of almost 40% of its organisational posts, including a major rehaul of the AICC secretaries. It seems both Rahul Gandhi and Nitin Nabin are keen to get their teams in place before the next round of elections.
