Supporters’ joy
A function organised by a former minister to celebrate his appointment as chairman to a commission has set off discussions in the corridors of power. The supporters of the politician celebrated the appointment as if he had been given an important position. After the appointment, the politician received a rousing welcome in the BJP office as well as in his hometown. The supporters projected the appointment on social media as if their leader had become a minister instead of a chairman of a commission. A few media persons are interviewing the former minister, who is meeting the senior leaders of the party. The politician has plunged into action because he was sitting idle after losing the assembly election in 2018. After a few Congress leaders switched over to the BJP, he was not getting importance in the party. Against this backdrop, the politician got a big relief after the appointment. Now, he feels he will get importance in the party. People in the corridors of power say he was keen to become the governor of a state, but his wishes remained unfulfilled.
Unhappy minister
A central minister is unhappy with the state government, but he is unable to express it. Two officers were shifted from the minister’s parliamentary constituency a few days ago. A collector was transferred after a complaint against him. The superintendent of police from another district which comes under the central minister's constituency was shifted. The government not seeking the minister's advice before shifting the officers disappointed the union minister. Nor did the higher-ups consult him before appointing the new incumbents in office. The union minister wants the districts in his parliamentary constituency function according to his wishes, but the government cannot let it happen. This is the reason that he is disappointed with the government. Moreover, the minister’s style of working is such that it is difficult to get along with him. His conduct made the head of state uncomfortable during the latter's trip to a district in the central minister's constituency.
Three mistakes
A senior leader of the Congress has made three major mistakes, causing anger among the party's top leaders. This is the reason that he is not getting any importance for the elections in five states. The politician showed his defiance against the party's high command by posting a photograph on social media. Through this photograph, he subtly praised the RSS and BJP, displeasing the party bosses. Afterwards, because of his conversation with a senior functionary of the RSS over an incident in Parliament, a senior Congress leader was uncomfortable. His third mistake was to visit a temple because the Congress’s stance on this temple has been different from others until now. so, the politician’s recent visit to the temple made the party high command uncomfortable. After his visit to the temple, people raised questions on the party's position on the temple. Now, the party mulls over keeping this leader away from its politics.
Vain curiosity
A meeting recently held in the state capital raised curiosity among the leaders of the ruling party, legislators, and cabinet ministers. Everyone was inquisitive about the issues that those who participated in the meeting discussed. But the curiosity of such people died down when they came to know that instead of politics, the meeting discussed the plans to save the Narmada. A senior functionary of the RSS presided over the meeting, and important officeholders of the organisation participated in it. The presence of such important functionaries at the discussion made the leaders of the ruling party feel they would make important decisions. Those who set their eyes on ministerial berths in a proposed cabinet reshuffle were especially keen to know the outcome of the meeting. Curiosity among politicians and journalists about the meeting grew when there were plans to invite two cabinet ministers to it. But in fact, they participated in the meeting to make presentations of their departments about the plans for saving the Narmada. Those who expected the meeting to talk about politics were disappointed.
Wheels of fortune
An ex-minister from the ruling party has constructed a temple of Navagraha (nine planets in our solar system) to bolster his dwindling fortune. He recently performed the consecration of the deities of nine planets in the temple. The ruling party benched the politician, who once held the number two position in the cabinet after his defeat to a Congress leader in the 2023 assembly election. No sooner has the former minister finished the temple than the troubles deepened for the legislator. There are whispers in the corridors of power that soon after he finished the temple, his rivals in the ruling party as well as in the opposition camp have become weak. A couplet penned by the former minister – keep away from building a house when the water of an ocean recedes as it may return with ferocity – has gone viral on social media. Whether the construction of the temple of nine planets turned the wheels of his fortune or not may be a matter of debate, but for the time being, the former minister seems to be in the saddle.
Minister’s quirky acts
Many politicians, government officials, and CEOs from the corporate sector picked up brooms to join the prime minister’s clean India campaign (Swachh Bharat Abhiyan). Many of them did so to steal the media attention and became oblivious of the campaign afterwards. Still, there are a few, whom dirt bothers, and a minister from the Chambal region is one of them, and whenever he finds anything dirty in a public place, he begins to clean it. He recently inspected a government hospital in his constituency, and just as he found the water cooler dirty, he plunged into action. Instead of pulling up the hospital staff, he picked up a bar of soap to clean the water cooler, and it began to shine in a few minutes. Once, he hosed down a drain and a public toilet. But his colleagues dislike the minister’s attitude towards cleanliness and other actions, which they call bizarre and impractical. Once, he decided not to iron his clothes for a certain period, as it was a wastage of electricity for him. The minister’s actions, though quirky, are offbeat and catch public attention.
