WHOSE IDEA WAS IT TO BAN BAJRANG DAL?
The Congress is facing a lot of flak for its manifesto promise to ban Bajrang Dal. In its manifesto for the 10 May Karnataka Assembly elections, the party had promised to “repeal all unjust laws and anti-people laws passed by the BJP government within one year of coming to power” and take firm actions against individuals and organisations for spreading hate, including the Bajrang Dal and the PFI. This immediately gave the BJP the opening it needed to take the campaign on religious lines and brand the Congress anti Hindu. Privately, even BJP leaders were surprised at this inclusion, while state Congress leaders are clearly not happy at this hijacking of the narrative. Until now the Congress had been focusing on the narrative of BJP being corrupt and questioning their track record on development. Now the focus has shifted to politics of religion and which party is more Hindu than the other. This drops the ball neatly in the BJP’s court. Which makes one wonder whose idea it was to include this Bajrang Dal in the manifesto. Given the reaction of the local leadership, the idea has clearly come from the central leadership. But which central leader came up with this brainwave in the first place?
WHAT IS PAWAR’S GAME PLAN?
Why did Sharad Pawar suddenly announce his resignation as the NCP chief, only to take it back a few days later? Some suggest that the step back was a strategic one to consolidate not just his own place as the NCP chief but also to lay the foundations for his daughter Supriya Sule’s takeover at a later stage. The resignation drama happened at a time when there was a division in the party, with the Ajit Pawar faction wanting to align with the BJP. Those who know Pawar’s daughter Supriya well, claim that she would never agree to such a move. Having said this, one is not quite sure where Sharad Pawar’s own inclinations lie. He is the mastermind behind the MVA alliance but let’s not forget his recent admonishment to his ally Uddhav Thackeray. At the launch of the revised edition of his autobiography, “Lok Mazhe Sangati”, Sharad Pawar accused his ally Uddhav Thackeray of failing to resolve the discontent in his party and stepping down as Chief Minister without a fight. This statement coincided with his resignation announcement. Clearly, there is a deeper game at play over here. More importantly, despite being the leader of a regional party, Pawar’s political future has a national impact.