‘Foot’ for thought
A few members of the state cabinet are down with foot problems. In the past few days, three ministers have suffered from one problem or the other in their legs. A minister was down with knee-pain. The ache was so intense that the minister was unable to stand up. So, he had to undergo a surgery. Another minister was going to take part in a rally. Suddenly, a female councillor fell, and the minister had his leg broken. A cast applied to his leg not only restricted his movements but also upset his daily routine. Likewise, another minister sustained some injuries in the leg, but he did not pay attention to his wounds and continued to take part in the functions organised by the party and the government. One day, when he was down with severe pain and consulted a doctor, it came to light that he had his leg fractured. So, his leg was also put in a cast. Now, thinking about what happened to his colleagues, a minister puts every step with care.
Soured relations
There is lack of coordination among some politicians of an area in the state. The government, worried about the internal squabbling among these leaders, has started working to end the bitterness. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav recently spoke to two powerful leaders from this area at a function and advised them to maintain coordination among themselves. Through his gestures, the Chief Minister indicated that the ongoing discord among the supporters of these two leaders is not conveying the right message to the people. CM advised them to sink differences and develop better understanding. The conflict between these two leaders intensified after the Lok Sabha election. The relationship between a minister and a Member of Parliament has come to such a pass that a fracas among their followers may break out any day. The issue has reached the state capital and CM is worried about it.
Mom and son
Power struggle is going on among the family members of a powerful politician in the state. The minister is handling several important departments, but his wife is taking care of the carrots being harvested by the minister. Madam also directly talked to the minister’s personal staff on any issue. But now, the situation has changed, and the minister’s son is slowly sidelining his mother. He has clearly told the minister’s personal staff that they should directly speak to him rather than discussing the issues with his mother. There are reports that out of the two departments given to the minister, his wife is dealing with one and his son another. The officer on special duty (OSD) of a department discusses the financial dealings with the minister’s son. OSD also makes all the arrangements for the latter. Another OSD associated with the minister for a long time works for his wife. The stories about the race for power among the close members of the minister’s family are slowly going public.
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Vasuli Bhai!
A leader of the Congress Party is called ‘Vasuli Bhai.’ There are many stories about the way he is making money. He is raising such issues, as can corner the ruling party leaders. The Congressman initially raises the issue against the ruling party, and when an offstage deal is done, he shelves the case. The leader is busy collecting information about tenders of different departments. He has set up a team to collect feedback on the irregularities in tenders. His eyes are on the departments dealing with construction work. In the past few months, the politician has made a lot of money by putting pressure on a few departments. Now, he plans to mount pressure on those construction agencies whose officials are giving him a wide berth. Off the people A leader of the BJP was once friends with people. He circulated his two mobile phone numbers among his supporters. But after he became a minister, he began to keep people at arm’s length, so whenever someone makes a call, his PA receives it. If the caller is very important, PA gives the phone to the minister who recently bought a new mobile handset and got a new number on which he is available. But only a few have this number. The politicians, until they are ministers, remain people’s friends, but when they become ministers, they become government’s pals. It may sound wrong to many, but one cannot deny it.
The old hand and The Congress
A senior leader of the Congress, who was out of state politics for some time after the party’s humiliating defeat in Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections, has swung into action again to get back the lost ground. Now that the situation has changed, the senior leader is not able to reach his old chums to achieve his target. A politician, who is in-charge of the state party unit, has come in the way of this veteran Congressman. The Congress politician recently met a powerful leader and expressed his commitment to the grand old outfit. He said he had received a signal from the top leadership that he might be shifted to Delhi. He is, however, opposed to working in Delhi. What happens, ‘Only Time Will Tell.’
