AMAR SINGH SPLITS THE YADAVS
It seems Chez Yadav is split over the return of Amar Singh. While Mulayam Singh and his brother Shivpal are keen to welcome him with a Rajya Sabha seat, the other brother, Ram Gopal Yadav, who also functions as a mentor to the Yadav clan, is against it. Supporting Ram Gopal is his favorite protégé, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. But the Ram Gopal camp got a surprise boost from an unlikely supporter—Azam Khan. Although Azam Khan doesn’t get along well with Ram Gopal, he paid him a surprise visit recently. The two, it is said, discussed strategy to block Amar Singh’s return, during the visit. Well, if Amar Singh divides, he can also unite.
THE PROBLEM WITH RAHUL
The Congress vice president may have given Captain Amarinder Singh the okay to lead the party in Punjab, but he recently stopped short of naming him the party’s chief ministerial face. This has led to some speculation as to whether the good Captain has his total, if grudging, support. There is also a fear that he might do a Harish Rawat to the Captain, where in Uttarakhand it was Rawat who led the election campaign, but when the results poured in, Rahul opted for Vijay Bahuguna as the Chief Minister instead of him. And the resulting chaos is there for all to see. The question now is: has Rahul learnt his lesson or will he repeat an Uttarkhand in Punjab? Another question is: what does master strategist Prashant Kishor have to say about all this? For Kishor, it is known, has always favoured propping up a face to win elections.