Upset with capital
A former chief minister, who frequently hogs the newspaper headlines in the state, is disenchanted with its capital. She has been in her hometown for one month and regularly meets locals. Her defiant attitude at a local function has indicated that she is still active in politics. She sold poha (an Indian dish made of beaten rice) from a handcart, which shows she knows how to steal newspaper headlines. But those who are acquainted with the former chief minister have failed to appreciate the reasons behind her staying in her home district. There are discussions that the politician wants to fight the Lok Sabha election or the Vidhan Sabha election in the coming days. The government plans to implement the women’s reservation bill before an election. So, she is trying to create an atmosphere conducive to her fighting an election. But the BJP leaders say the chances of her being fielded from any seat in an election are thin.
MLA’s histrionics
A legislator is busy doing drama daily. The lawmaker is facing court cases, and he is under pressure from the government about an extortion case. The political power that the legislator once enjoyed has waned. Despite being fabulously rich, the legislator is strangely behaving because of his present condition. The lawmaker has announced that he will conduct an opinion poll to assess his popularity in his constituency. He says if he gets less than 51% of votes, he will resign from his seat. He did it last year, too. But it came to light that his supporters had visited house to house to convince the people to vote for him. The legislator is adopting the same tricks as he did last year to get more votes. His purpose is to show his popularity to the party in his constituency. But on the other hand, the MLA’s conduct has amused a few BJP leaders.
In trouble
A central minister from the state is worried about the uproar over the procurement of wheat. The opposition is criticising the minister for it. An opposition leader threatened to observe a fast outside the minister’s residence. Many people think the department the minister is heading is associated with the procurement of wheat, but the department has nothing to do with the issue. Another department of the central government deals with procurement. The minister of the department, who handles the matter, is not in the news. Similarly, the state procures wheat, and the union minister has nothing to do with it. Yet, the opposition is targeting him. The Congress also knows that the union minister has no role in the procurement of wheat. Because the minister is from the state, the Congress is critical of him.
Ajab, Gajab!
The MP cabinet functions strangely. Two cabinet ministers figured in a recent cabinet meeting in which they did not participate in the discussion. But one of the ministers was present in a meeting held after the cabinet discussion. The photograph of another minister appeared on social media after some time. The photograph shows him introducing a delegation to the head of state after the cabinet meeting. Now, the question is, although the two ministers were in the state capital, why did they not participate in the cabinet meeting? There are reports that one minister reached the capital late, and the other failed to go to the cabinet on time. There was another strange situation when the head of state had reached the cabinet before a few other ministers. It, however, exposed fragile discipline in the cabinet, which caught the attention of the government and party.
Keeping mum
The silence of two powerful leaders of the Congress has stirred up discussions. Two legislators of the party are in trouble because of the court decisions. The apex court has restored the House membership of one of the legislators but prevented him from casting his vote in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in the state. The other politician lost his Vidhan Sabha membership, but the two former chief ministers kept away from making any statements over the issue. These two leaders generally target the government on some issue or the other. But their strategy not to stand by the troubled legislators has drawn people’s attention. These two leaders are disappointed because the national leadership is ignoring them, so they are not openly supporting the party. Their recent statements in favour of the government brought disrepute to the party. People in the corridors of power whisper that the son of one of the two leaders may change his political organisation.
MLA’s calculation
An outspoken legislator from the Congress has become quiet these days. When the government was formed, the lawmaker used to look aggressive and target the government and the head of state, but now he has fallen silent. He barely opens his mouth against the head of state. There are reports that the legislator is in a dilemma over whether he should remain with the party or switch over to the BJP. The speculations about his joining the ruling party have become rife after his resignation from a post. Although his resignation is yet to be accepted, his attitude has changed. The upcoming Rajya Sabha elections have caused a stir among the Congress legislators. They say the BJP may field a candidate for the third seat so that a few party lawmakers from the opposition camp may do cross-voting. So, the BJP is keeping an eye on this legislator. A former minister from the BJP, whose political career may be affected because of this legislator’s joining the BJP, is sparing no effort to prevent his entry into the party.
