Tridib Raman
So many speculations have already been made about the new BJP President that even the faint footsteps in the wings have started losing courage. Yet, on this Saturday, the lock of K. Laxman’s office (located in the BJP central office) was opened in such a rush and the room was cleaned and polished with such intensity that the speculations lying unconscious in the back lanes have suddenly grown legs again. News is now being heard that BJP will get its new National President before this 15 December because after 15 December, ‘Kharmas’ begins and no auspicious work is started during that period.
If the next president is not announced by 15 December, the saffron party will have to wait until 14 January next year i.e., Makar Sankranti for it. Since elections are due in a few states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry etc. in the coming months, the new president will also have to form his new team. It may be remembered that K. Laxman is currently the BJP’s election in-charge, so the responsibility of conducting the party president’s election will definitely fall on his shoulders.
The same few old names are still said to be in the presidential race: Manohar Lal Khattar, Dharmendra Pradhan and Bhupendra Yadav were already doing the rounds. After the bumper victory in the Bihar elections, Dharmendra Pradhan’s claim has become slightly stronger. According to sources, BJP organisation general secretary B.L. Santosh met Amit Shah a few days ago and got the name of Prahlad Joshi from his home state Karnataka included in the presidential race.
At the same time, it is also being said that the PM himself is of the opinion that a Dalit president should be made; looking at the way Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has been singing the backward-and-Dalit tune for some time, Modi’s thinking could be to counter Rahul. In this sequence, the latest name that has emerged prominently is that of Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal from Rajasthan, who belongs to the Dalit community.
Why is Tharoor helpless in the hands of BJP?
Tridib Raman
Shashi Tharoor is perhaps playing the biggest political innings of his career so far. By cozying up to the BJP today, he has come so far that it has become extremely difficult for him to reconnect with his old party, the Congress. Even before this, he has had several meetings in the past with the BJP’s Chanakya. Tharoor has already expressed his feelings in front of him. Actually, Tharoor wants to say goodbye to both his Lok Sabha seat and the Congress.
In return, he wants the BJP to bring him in via the Rajya Sabha, make him a minister at the Center, and also project him as its ‘CM face’ in Kerala. Tharoor was hoping that this time the BJP would bring him to the Upper House via Kashmir, but nothing like that happened. Instead, the BJP leadership has made it clear to him that the BJP does not immediately make people from other parties ministers; even Jyotiraditya Scindia had to wait a year for it. And that too in a scenario where he brought the Congress government of Madhya Pradesh along with him into the BJP. Then Tharoor was told to resign from his Lok Sabha seat and contest the by-election from Thiruvananthapuram on the BJP symbol; this would create an atmosphere in favour of BJP in Kerala. It is said that Tharoor did not agree to this proposal from the BJP and has been staying at home, feeling displeased.
After this, the BJP leadership assigned JP Nadda to the mission of persuading Tharoor. This time when Nadda was going to Dubai, he met Tharoor just before that journey. Tharoor was told to take a ‘leap of faith’ and join the BJP; he will be fully taken care of here. Otherwise, he should form his own regional party in the name of ‘Kerala Congress’ and field candidates in all 140 assembly seats of Kerala so that the Congress’s path there becomes difficult. On this, Tharoor said, “If I had to form a separate party anyway, I should have done this work one-and-a-half to two years ago; by now I would have built at least a small organisation of my party. But if I announce the formation of my regional party right before the election, the people of Kerala will think I am playing into the hands of the BJP.” When nothing came out of this meeting either, Nadda flew off to Dubai. And till now Tharoor is still leaping about, waiting for his dream flight to take off.
What is in Dilip’s heart?
Tridib Raman
This hardcore RSS-BJP leader Dilip Ghosh has played a significant role in nurturing and making saffron seeds sprout in the red soil of West Bengal. Ghosh also poured his blood and sweat into increasing BJP’s vote share in Bengal from 4% to 39.1%. However, a few years ago, when Shubhendu Adhikari became the apple of the BJP leadership’s eye, Ghosh gradually moved to the political margins.
In the last Lok Sabha elections, he was removed from his winning seat and made to contest from elsewhere, leading to his defeat. After this loss, the party almost forgot him. This situation pained Ghosh so much that he directly went to meet TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and told her that if he joined the Trinamool, the Bengal BJP would split. About 18-22 BJP leaders could join Mamata along with him, out of which 10 are sitting BJP MLAs. While Mamata and his old associates like Saugata Roy seem ready to bring Ghosh into Trinamool, Abhishek Banerjee is stirring up opposition against Ghosh.
He says that while in BJP, Ghosh made attacks ‘below the belt’ on Mamata and Trinamool, for which he can never be forgiven. Meanwhile, Mamata’s old associates believe that since Trinamool is now being labeled as a party favoring only Muslim interests, and the party has removed the saffron from its flag making it completely green, Ghosh’s entry could bring Hindu voters to Trinamool. Meanwhile, as soon as Delhi got wind of Ghosh’s meetings and intentions, he was immediately summoned to the capital. The BJP Chanakya told him that he would soon be adjusted honorably in the party. There is also consideration to give him a Rajya Sabha seat in March. It is said that in response to this proposal, Ghosh merely said that a meeting with the PM should be arranged for him; he wants to hear these assurances directly from the PM’s mouth.
A Serious Crisis for Gautam
Tridib Raman
A period of serious political deliberation is underway concerning Indian cricket team coach Gautam Gambhir. He was once counted among the close associates of the late Arun Jaitley, a major BJP leader, which is also why he had the privilege of being a BJP MP from Delhi. However, due to his impatient and authoritarian work style, the BJP showed him the door midway through his political journey. Later, through the favours of the BJP leadership, he was given the position, replacing a composed coach like Rahul Dravid. He is said to possess a remarkable ‘killer instinct’.
But recently, the way South Africa thrashed India on its home soil has raised questions about Gambhir’s capabilities. Particularly, his unprofessional behaviour concerning a few Indian star players has also stunned the BCCI. The manner in which he allegedly launched a fierce tirade against his own players in the dressing room is said to have demoralised the Indian team. A rumour flying around the dressing room also claimed that an important player of India’s ODI team is called ‘Newla’ (Mongoose). Another news item reported that Virat Kohli’s elder brother posted on ‘X’, indirectly heavily criticising the current coach. It is said that his brother was pressured into retiring from Test and T20 cricket, and that he still had a lot of cricket left in him. Reports say that when Virat arrived at Delhi airport, he immediately asked his brother from there to delete the post because he did not want any further conflict with this person. So, in the coming days, whether the atmosphere of the Indian cricket team changes or not, the coach can certainly be changed.
You Are Omnipresent, Keshav!
This news sounds a bit strange: a UP Cabinet meeting summoned last week was postponed because of one person. Usually, the date for such a meeting is decided by the Chief Minister’s secretariat, and all ministers are informed well in advance. This time, when the date for the Cabinet meeting was announced, the state’s Deputy CM, Keshav Prasad Maurya, was not available as he was on a tour. He was deeply pained that the date was fixed without consulting him, so he immediately registered his complaint with Delhi, stating that the CM’s office finalises the Cabinet meeting date without checking his availability. Following this, a directive came from Delhi to Lucknow stating that before finalising any date for a meeting, it is mandatory to check the availability of both Deputy Chief Ministers because the CM and the two Deputy CMs have the collective responsibility of running the state. Therefore, advice also came from Delhi that the CM and the two Deputy CMs should have a three-person WhatsApp group so that important information can be shared among themselves. Delhi values Keshav Prasad Maurya for two reasons: first, he helps balance Yogi, and second, for establishing a direct connect with backward caste voters. However, in the Lok Sabha elections and the elections before that, Maurya votes had shifted to the SP. In the 2022 elections, Maurya even lost his Sirathu seat to SP-supported Pallavi Patel.
A Missed Opportunity for Joshi Supporters
On the day the Bihar election results were to be announced, a large screen had been set up at Sanjay Joshi’s residence in Bengali Market. Arrangements for food and drink had also been made for two to two hundred and fifty of his supporters. But as the NDA’s bumper victory became certain, the crowd of supporters at Joshi’s house also began to thin out. The results were coming in contrary to his predictions. When only about 20-25 people were left there, Joshi ji also went inside his house, citing his poor health. Later, an enthusiastic supporter of Joshi ji revealed the secret, saying that their actual plan was to stage a demonstration in front of the BJP headquarters with 100-200 people. Supporters holding placards were going to chant slogans – ‘Bring Joshi, Save BJP.’ But the Bihar results snatched this unique opportunity from their hands. Now, Joshi supporters are going around saying that whatever happens now will only happen through their (Modi-Shah) grace. We will just have to wait until the new president forms a new team.
