Tridib Raman
Ever since free breaths have been drawing deep sighs on this new threshold of democracy, and the heartbeats have started working like the bellows of a railway engine, the confidence of this new political inner chamber has begun to shake. Where is Sushasan Babu Nitish Kumar these days? What is he doing? Does anyone have any news about it? While the power in Delhi and Patna is galloping ahead on the strength of his trust. According to reliable sources, Nitish Kumar is these days living in anonymity in Delhi. His health is being closely monitored, full attention is being paid to his comforts and facilities, but for the time being, his meetings with outsiders have almost been stopped. The very political party, Janata Dal (United), which he nurtured with his blood and sweat and made so big, is now being eaten away by rival termites. Moreover, the factionalism within his own party has reached such a level that the threat of a split is hovering over the party. Two stalwarts of his own party, Anant Singh and Neeraj Kumar, were so bitterly locked against each other that the foundations of JD(U) began to shake. In such critical circumstances, when the party’s Working President Sanjay Kumar Jha was on his America visit and the Union Minister of Panchayati Raj from his own party, Lalan Singh, was sitting with folded hands, Nitish’s restlessness and anxiety crossed all limits. He wanted to settle this issue as soon as possible. Because Nitish understood that this fight was actually between Neeraj and Lalan; Anant was just a pawn in it. Finally, Neeraj won the Patna Graduates’ constituency election to the Legislative Council, while Lalan’s favourite Anant Singh had openly supported Jan Suraaj’s candidate Anugrah Singh in this election. Later, Anant and his wife Neelam Devi were shown the door from JD(U). Even on the congratulatory posters for the victory of Neeraj, who was once close to Lalan, Lalan Singh’s face was missing. So, speculation is rife that a big upheaval is likely at the JD(U) meeting called on 5 November. Meanwhile, distressed by these developments, Nitish Kumar has been seeking time to meet PM Modi for the past four occasions or so, but so far he has not been fortunate enough to get it. According to sources, after this Nitish sent a ‘voice note’ to a senior journalist close to him in Delhi, the gist of which was: “Is he being forced to live the life of a hostage?” As soon as the journalist received this voice note, he sprang into action, rushed to Lalan Singh and informed him about it. It is said that the voice note mentioned that “when the Chief Minister’s post was taken back from Nitish, he was promised that he would be rewarded with an important ministry at the Centre, but that has not happened till date.” It is also said that while expressing his anguish, Nitish made it clear that “he was never keen to bring his son Nishant into politics or make him a minister in the Bihar government. The BJP and the Emperor did this of their own will.” After listening to this voice note, Lalan Singh is said to have immediately contacted the PMO, where he was told that “the PM will meet Nitish ji before Diwali, and whenever the next reshuffle of the Union Cabinet takes place, Nitish’s sentiments will be given a place in it.”
Why was the Kamaraj Plan not implemented in UP?
The BJP high command is somewhat very serious about UP. The BJP Chanakya has been stationed in UP for the past two days. Regarding the upcoming UP Assembly elections, Delhi wants to take every step with extreme caution. On the initiative of the BJP high command itself, a major election agency recently conducted a secret ground survey about CM Yogi, his two Deputy Chief Ministers, and all the ministers in his government. In this survey, selected voters from different regions of UP, both urban and rural, were asked various questions to assess the functioning and popularity of the Yogi government and its ministers. According to sources, Yogi himself passed this acid test, but his two Deputy Chief Ministers, Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, failed badly on the touchstone of public expectations. Not only this, most ministers in the Yogi cabinet received marks below average on their report cards. The picture that emerged was that 65 percent of the ministers in the Yogi government are struggling even to save their own seats this time. It is therefore believed that Delhi has advised Yogi to “implement the Kamaraj Plan in his state as well, take the resignations of all his ministers at one go, drop the non-performing ministers, and form a new cabinet with fresh faces.” Delhi’s argument was that “this would be a necessary step towards improving the image of the state government.” However, sources say Yogi completely disagreed with Delhi’s view. His belief was that “since the elections are now so close, dropping ministers en masse will not send the right message to the people. Moreover, removing ministers right at the time of elections could lead them to indulge in anti-party activities.” Delhi has also told Yogi that “the ground of his alliance partners in the government is also slipping. Taking the Kurmi votes alone, 60-65 per cent of Kurmi votes have already shifted towards the SP. The situation of Nishad voters is more or less the same. So you will have to think a hundred times before giving them seats.”
Will Fadnavis come to Delhi?
Whenever the Central government has offered Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to come to Delhi and become a minister in the Modi-led Central government, the shrewd and wise Fadnavis is said to have politely declined every time, saying that “he is fine in Mumbai.” But there must have been some reason that this time Delhi’s approach appears somewhat firm, and Fadnavis has once again been told to “start preparing to come to Delhi.” According to sources, Fadnavis has been told that “once he comes to Delhi, he can be given a ministry of his choice.” People also say in hushed tones that “he has long desired to handle the Defence Ministry.” But there is a catch here, the Defence Ministry is currently with a heavyweight leader of the BJP and a favourite of both PM Modi and the Sangh, Rajnath Singh. Moreover, Rajnath Singh has already turned 75. Speculations are rife that he could be made the next President or Vice-President of the country. Besides, Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde has long had his eyes fixed on Fadnavis’s chair. But the intentions of the BJP high command are said to be something else. In place of Fadnavis, it could pull out a surprising name from its bag and leave everyone stunned. That name is the current Maharashtra BJP state president Ravindra Chavan. He is a BJP MLA from Dombivli and is equally dear to both Delhi and the Sangh.
Under what name has the Sangh registered in America?
According to sources, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has registered itself in America under the name “RSS Friends.” This registration has been done under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) with the US Department of Justice. Some well-wishers of the Sangh living in America completed this registration on 27 August 2026. Is it merely a coincidence that this registration took place just two days before Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat’s programme at Madison Square Garden in New York, when the Sangh chief had gone there to participate in the “Universal Oneness Celebration”? It may be noted that in the 84-year history of FARA, this is the first time the Sangh has been designated as a foreign principal, because in the documents submitted to the US Department of Justice, the local address of this organisation is given as Peachtree Corners, Georgia, while the Sangh headquarters Keshav Kunj in Jhandewalan, New Delhi, has been registered as the Foreign Principal. While the group has clarified that there is no consultation, lobbying or agency arrangement with the Sangh, observers view the registration as a calculated move by the Sangh to widen its global footprint and enhance its image in Western media.
Two Ministers Who Are the Apple of Modi’s Eye
In the current Central Cabinet, two ministers are calling the shots. One of them is C.R. Patil from Gujarat, who is the Union Jal Shakti Minister. He has also been the former president of Gujarat BJP. He is a four-time Lok Sabha MP from Navsari. It is said that these days the Prime Minister is giving importance to Patil’s advice in several of his important political decisions. In addition, he has also been entrusted with the important responsibility of two election-bound states – Punjab and Uttarakhand. The second minister is Union Information & Broadcasting and Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. He does not have much interference in political matters and decisions, but when it comes to important administrative decisions, Vaishnaw’s word carries weight. Every important policy of the Central government passes through him; he deliberates on it and directly conveys his views to PM Modi. Now speculation is rife in saffron politics about “as an alternative to which leader is C.R. Patil being projected.” On the other hand, before Ashwini Vaishnaw became the centre, the work of deliberating and scrutinising the government’s policy decisions used to be done by Piyush Goyal.
Sarma-Majhi’s Foreign Trip Postponed
It is not just the Chief Ministers from opposition parties who are facing scrutiny; the BJP leadership is now dealing with its own Chief Ministers with equal strictness. Recently, the BJP leadership denied permission for foreign trips to at least two of its own Chief Ministers, both of whom are otherwise highly favoured by the central leadership in Delhi. One is Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who intended to travel abroad for ‘Pravasi Asamiya Divas’ (Non-Resident Assamese Day), and the other is Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who had planned a visit to Singapore, accompanied by his entire entourage, for ‘Pravasi Odisha Divas’ (Non-Resident Odia Day). The central leadership not only refused to grant them permission for these foreign visits but also sternly reprimanded them, telling them, “Focus on your own states instead of looking abroad. The Centre will handle matters related to foreign affairs.”
Riding Two Boats and Sharad Pawar
The Sharad Pawar family now feels that riding two boats is no longer working for them. Therefore, they want to clarify their stand on the NDA and the INDIA alliance. Recently, when NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar’s MP daughter Supriya Sule held an important meeting with Marathi litterateurs in Maharashtra, the writers present there, staying away from political biases, put several piercing questions to Supriya. Without getting uncomfortable with these unpleasant questions, Supriya firmly put forward her own and her father’s position before them. It may be recalled that Sharad Pawar has been the president of the Mumbai Marathi Granth Sangrahalaya for a long time. Because of this, the father-daughter duo keeps meeting Marathi writers, poets and litterateurs from time to time. In this meeting, a senior and renowned Marathi litterateur asked Supriya point-blank: “We have been with Sharadji for the last 50 years, so we are interested in knowing what the party’s official stand is on the ‘Delimitation Bill’ and ‘Vote Chori’. Because both of you had already met PM Modi and expressed support for the Delimitation Bill. Now you intend to participate in the opposition rally to be held at Ramlila Maidan.” Clarifying the matter, Supriya said: “When we met the PM, there was a threat of a split hanging over our party. Today the situation has changed. The opposition’s tone has also changed, and so have its intentions. Therefore, for the time being, we want to strengthen the hands of the opposition.”