Keeping his slate clean
Keeping his slate clean |
The head of state has recently said he does not keep anybody’s debt, and it was seen at a function. At the foundation-laying ceremony of the MLAs’ rest house, when Dakshina (money given to a Brahmin for spiritual service) was to be given to the priest, the head of state could not take out his wallet. A legislator sitting behind him gave him a currency note of Rs 500 denomination to hand it over to the priest. The head of state then gave it to the priest.
Such incidents generally end at the spot where they take place. But this time, something different happened. Soon after the foundation-laying ceremony, the head of state got up and opened his wallet to return Rs 500 to the legislator. The incident took the legislator by surprise. Although the legislator refused it, the head of state stuck to his guns and returned the money. Some people caught the incident on camera. Some people are finding the significance of this incident. The people in the corridors of power say, as far as monetary dealings and political manoeuvrings are concerned the head of state keeps his slate clean.
Mere dialogue!
The dialogues of the newly elected state president of the BJP at various events are such that they are drawing public attention. At the very first meeting with the party men, immediately after taking over as the head of the ruling outfit, he warned those who flouted the organisation’s rules. He also advised the party workers against putting their big pictures on hoardings and loitering around the party office. He also suggested the party men to keep away from moving around him.
Now, the party men are trying to plough out the mystery behind such dialogues coming from the boss. Many other leaders had used such dialogues before him, but they failed to translate them into reality. On the other hand, those who are not putting their pictures on hoardings are happy about the piece of advice given by the state party chief. Now, those who put such photographs on hoardings are worried, thinking if they give a wide berth to the suggestion, there may be a problem for them. Some BJP leaders think the people will appreciate the importance of the state president’s words after six months. But it will depend on the leaders he chooses for the new team.
MLA’s desire
A BJP legislator known for bragging is eager to become a minister. So, the legislator is making all efforts to please the head of state. The MLA organises several events as well as puts up hoardings with big pictures of the boss to please him. There are murmurs in the corridors of power that there may be a cabinet expansion after the assembly session. His supporters are strongly propagating that the legislator will get a ministerial berth in the cabinet expansion.
To get a cabinet berth, the legislator is organising a special Pooja (prayer) in the month of Shravan. When the formation of the new government was taking place, the legislator expected a ministerial berth. The name of the MLA was on the list of those who had been chosen for the cabinet berth in the new ministry. But because a woman legislator was to be accommodated in the cabinet, his name was struck off the list. Now, he is expecting to become a minister again. However strong he may be in the state, his weak clout in Delhi has always got in the way of his becoming a minister.
Controversial minister
A minister has created more controversies in 19 months than he did in his entire political career. His name figures in one dispute or another. The minister’s name is somehow associated with those who have committed crimes.
A photograph of the minister with a criminal has recently gone public. The minister’s photograph going viral on social media worried him. Earlier to this incident, the name of the minister’s close aide figured in a much-discussed case. Because the minister is involved in controversies, several politicians of the BJP and the Congress are happy and want his removal. There are reports that the minister is upset about these disputes. Before the disputes may possibly damage his political career, the minister is trying to strengthen his position in Delhi.
Beating their own trumpet
The MPCC may do anything to infuse oxygen into the party, but some leaders are beating their own trumpets. They say whatever they want. There seems to be no party line for them. The same thing happened in a controversy that recently cropped up in the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA). The Leader of the Opposition put up a different message at a press conference over the dispute. He tore into three IAS officers who were involved in the case and demanded a high-level inquiry. The LoP seemed to have stood by the SEIAA chairman. As the press conference was underway, another leader of the Congress targeted the SEIAA chairman, a retired IAS officer.
The Congress took two different stands on the same issue and that too on the same day. There are reports that it did not happen for the first time. On some previous occasions too, the stand taken by the state Congress on several issues was different from the one espoused by the LoP. This is the reason that the issues raised by the Opposition fail to create any impact on the public.
The name of the game
The bosses of the municipal corporation are giving a side-eye to a senior leader of the BJP holding the topmost position in the BMC. The main reason behind the senior leader of the party being sidelined was that he had locked horns with the Mayor.
Nonetheless, the wheel of fortune moved, and he suddenly became important across the country by putting up a proposal at the civic body’s meeting for rechristening century-old Hamidia Hospital. The civic body passed the proposal. The hospital is named after an erstwhile Afghan ruler of the state capital. The decision to change the hospital’s name may have had a ripple effect on the already volatile political situation in the country, but it has increased his importance in the party. His move has silenced his detractors.
