by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Centre decides to extend tenure of 17 Lateral Entrants, issue pending before the Parliamentary Panel after ruckus

The Centre has decided to extend the tenure of 17 officers appointed through Lateral Recruitment in 2021-22 for a period of three years. On the expiry of their three year term on contract and deputation to various ministries and departments, the Union government decided to extend the service of seventeen officers. Of these 17 officers, three are working as Joint Secretary while 12 are in the rank and pay of Director and two are serving as Deputy Secretaries in various ministries and departments. These 17 officers will have to sign a new contract which will extend their service for a specified period on contract basis.

It may be mentioned that the issue of lateral entry to fill key posts in government departments had triggered a huge political row earlier this year over lack of reservation for these positions. Several Opposition leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav, had criticised the policy for not having reservations for Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) candidates. Some of the NDA’s allies, such as the Janata Dal (United) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) also opposed the move.

Later, the Centre directed the UPSC to withdraw advertisements for recruiting lateral entry into bureaucracy. Earlier, the Centre had opened a fresh round of lateral recruitments, from the private sector and elsewhere, into senior posts in the bureaucracy and UPSC, in August 2024, was to recruit 45 Lateral Entrants. The issue was then referred to the Parliamentary panel to examine which the Centre had opened in 2018 to appoint persons for specific assignments. The matter is pending before the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice for examination in 2024-25. However, the government has now decided to extend the tenure of these 17 Lateral Entrants.

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Fly on the Wall

BJP Uneasy, Congress elated with MP Priyanka

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra may have chosen a safe haven in deep south Wayanad in Kerala to make her parliamentary debut. But her maiden speech in Lok Sabha last week in chaste Hindi with pauses where needed, broad smile and snide remarks reminded of the good old days in parliament. If she poked fun at times, she also punched where it really hurts. Though she mostly spoke from the written notes and texts, she was spontaneous at times giving a clear impression that the Congress may have got a match to take on the BJP though she was sitting in the 4^th row. The Nehru-Gandhi clan’s latest entrant may force the BJP strategists to sit up and devise a way to counter her in the days to come. Priyanka maintained her composure and never got distracted or lost her cool. In her 32-minute, laced with pointed barbs and critiques, she not only took on the BJP but today's “Raja (Modi) who likes to change his attire frequently, but does not like criticism or goes in disguise to mingle with people to get a feel of what's happening on the ground”.

Comparisons between the Gandhi siblings are inevitable with the BJP MPs conceding  Priyanka’s fluency in Hindi and political acumen surpassed her brother's delivery. Interestingly, both of them spoke on the same subjects on different days and she stood out. Most senior leaders in the Congress have good words about her as she is amenable, good listener and persuasive. She may not be a threat to her brother's career. But a clamour for her political promotion within the party is bound to grow if she continues to perform the way she did during the Winter session of Parliament.

A Middle Path for ONOP

It clearly emerged that the BJP did not get two-third majority in the Lok Sabha when the Constitutional amendment bill was put to vote at the introduction stage. No 2/3 majority was needed at that stage. But the NDA parties had issued a whip and it was the first trial of strength. Clearly, a lot more ground has to be covered by the Modi government if it wants to achieve One Nation One Poll (ONOP) goal. The issue has been referred to the JPC and the government will get plenty of time to muster a 2/3 majority to ensure the passage of the bill in the months to come. The government claimed that 32 political parties supported ONOP before the Ramnath Kovind panel. But it must be borne in mind that these parties fell in line when the BJP had a massive mandate of its own 303 Lok Sabha Mps and 363 with allies. But the political situation changed after the 2024 Lok Sabha poll as the JP failed to get a clear majority and with allies its below 300 seats. It may win a few more assemblies in the months to come. But no regional party including its allies are comfortable with this situation.

Therefore, several saner elements have suggested a “middle path”. They have suggested that the Lok Sabha polls may be held as scheduled in May 2029 and Assembly polls across 36 States and Union Territories across India be held two and a half years later. The state polls will take care of the regional aspirations as well as reflect voters' mood towards the ruling party at the Centre. The regional parties are reluctant to swim or sink with national parties and in a federal structure, they too are allowed to have their say, say these voices. This middle path may find takers across the board if the current dispensation fails to muster the desired mandate.

A Third Option

There is a third formula too. The next Lok Sabha polls are scheduled to be held in May 2029. The Assembly polls for Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Odisha will be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections then as per schedule. The Assembly polls in Haryana and Maharashtra will be held in October and November 2029. These two states are governed by the BJP and Assembly polls in these states can be advanced by a few months and held along with the Lok Sabha. Madhya Pradesh,Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan are scheduled to go to polls in November - December 2028 now. These states are currently ruled by the BJP and these can be postponed by a few months through other options available under the existing laws itself. With these, at least half of India will witness simultaneous polls. 

This will leave Jharkhand & J&K (October 2029), Telangana and Mizoram (October 2028), Karnataka (May 2028) Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland (February 2028) and Tamil Nadu, Kerala, UP, Manipur, Punjab, Himachal, West Bengal, Bihar (2026 & 2027) etc out of ONOP. These states can also be clubbed in a gradual manner as some of them are ruled by the BJP or its allies.

BJP-INDIA in the same boat

The BJP taunted INDIA bloc leaders for their failure to elect their Leaders of Opposition in Haryana and Maharashtra. It's been almost two months since Congress lost the polls and ended up with 37 seats in the House of 90. But the party has failed to elect its Leader in the State Assembly largely because there is no unanimity. Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is unwilling to give up and so are his opponents. The high command is silent. The situation is precarious in Maharashtra where the three MVA partners have yet to come to terms with the results. But the BJP is no different when it comes to Jharkhand where it came down from a high horse as horse-trading failed to fetch votes. It has a battery of claimants for the LoP's post. The leadership is keeping its fingers crossed as the search is on for a new tribal leader.

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Dhankhar's surprising punch at Chouhan

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar is an astute politician and earned the post by sheer hard work and intelligence. He may have quit politics after becoming the Governor of West Bengal but he has always been in the news; be it in Kolkata or New Delhi. The Opposition may have brought up a no-confidence motion against him. But due to technicalities, it may come up during the Budget session of Parliament in 2025. Before this controversy erupted, Jagdeep Dhankhar had surprised political observers when he publicly rapped Union Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh at a function on Tuesday last in Mumbai. Dhankhar had said the farmers were in distress as they were not getting fair value for their products and asked Chouhan, who was present at the program, why the assurances given to farmers had not been kept. Shivraj was sheepish and remained quiet. But Dhankhar appeared to pipe down three days later in Rajya Sabha after the Congress asked the government if it had taken cognizance of the VP’s concerns regarding the plight of the farmers. Before Chouhan could respond, Dhankhar clarified his position by saying he was articulating his expectations from the minister, who had evolved a popular scheme for women. “The minister was with me there. I  assured him that the person who is known for designing the Ladli (Behna) scheme will become a ladla (son) of farmers. I am very hopeful. The minister will make it happen. I am giving you the name ‘kisan ke ladle’,” Dhankhar said. 

But the BJP observers believe nothing is said in politics without any reason and it's a different matter that Dhankar may have piped down three days later. He is considered very close to the powers that be and a trouble-shooter. Many say that there was a hidden hand in BJP's big win in Haryana as the Akalis were persuaded to put up candidates in select constituencies to help the BJP while Abhay Chautala and Mayawati also fielded candidates to play the same game.

Kejriwal looking for a safe Haven

With a resurgent BJP after its Haryana and Maharashtra big win, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party seems to be extremely worried. It has been in power for eleven long years and defeated the BJP decisively in 2015 & 2020 Assembly polls. But there are signs of worries in the AAP camp. There are reports that the AAP Convener and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is also planning to shift from his traditional New Delhi seat. The way he is rewarding seats to defectors from the BJP and Congress indicates that the party has caught cold. It has denied tickets to 16 of its sitting MLAs out of 31 candidates announced so far and rewarded 21 defectors. Significantly, the AAP leadership even shifted the seat of its senior leader Manish Sisodia and former minister Rakhi Bidlan. The switching constituencies after three elections shows that the party has got the feedback that it has lost some political ground. Insiders in the AAP say that even Kejriwal is looking for a “safe Haven” and may contest either from two seats. After all, he may also have an element of anti-incumbency after three consecutive wins since 2013.

BJP-Akali Dal to join hands again!

The failed assassination attempt on Sukhbir Singh Badal, former Chief Minister, has opened the doors of Akali Dal's re-union with the BJP. It clearly emerged that the hardliners in Punjab are not willing to accept Badal-led SAD as the leader of the Panth. There is utter confusion and turmoil in the Sikh world. The AAP's graph is sliding and the Congress Party is unable to put its own house in order while the BJP has been virtually decimated in the border state without the Akalis. The SAD is also struggling to survive alone. The assassination bid has generated a sympathy wave in favour of the Badals.The BJP has sensed the opportunity and sent feelers to the Badals to forget the past. The SAD has traveled a long distance since 1996 when it made an ideological shift from being a party of Sikhs to projecting itself as a party of all Punjabis and joined hands with the BJP in 1997 forming the first coalition government in Punjab.

But the BJP became greedy and parted company with the Akalis in September 2020. It refused to listen to the Akalis to withdraw the three farm laws following which Harsimrat Kaur Badal quit the Union Cabinet. Later, the government was forced to withdraw these bills. The BJP contested the Assembly polls in Punjab in 2022 on its own and ended up getting just 2 seats and 6.6% votes. The Akalis won just three seats and got 18.38% votes. The AAP swept to power winning 92 seats in a House of 117 seats getting 42% popular votes. The emergence of Congress in Punjab during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls which won seven with 26.30% votes raised eyebrows. The BJP's disastrous performance forced it to send feelers to the Akalis for a reunion as it got a big zero in the border state. The Akalis have also run out of options and it may be time for backroom boys to do business again.

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Consultants galore in Government,  Rural Development ministry hired 325 consultants

The Union Government has been extremely reluctant to disclose details of consultants and advisers hired by the ministries and departments. Even in Parliament, the Ministry of Personnel under the Prime Minister, had said in the past that “such details are not available in centralized form”.

However, the Ministry of Rural Development came out with details saying as many as 284 consultants were hired with different divisions of the Department of Rural Development and 41 consultants by the Department of Land Resources (DoLR) as on December 5, 2024.

The Rural Development Ministry said that an expenditure of Rs. 47.76 crore annually is incurred on the hiring of consultants. The performance of the consultants is assessed by the respective Departments in the Ministry periodically-monthly/annually or at the time of renewal of the contract depending on the requirements. The tenure of the consultants is continued if their performance is satisfactory.

However, information collated from other sources revealed that as many as 1,499 external consultants were on the rolls of 44 departments and ministries until December 2023. This does not include 1,037 Young Professionals, 539 independent consultants, 354 domain experts, 1,481 retired government officers, and 20,376 other low-paid staff hired on contract by 76 departments employed either directly or through outsourcing agencies. No complete information is available on these advisers and consultants.

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Fly on the Wall

Tough road ahead for Rahul Gandhi as future uncertain

After two consecutive humiliating drubbings, Haryana and Maharashtra, Rahul Gandhi has reasons to be worried. The Congress has no hope to make its presence felt in the Delhi Assembly polls scheduled to be held in early February 2025. The party was in seventh heaven after its Lok Sabha's stellar performance in June 2024. It had tied up with the AAP in Haryana in the Lok Sabha polls and it was expected that this arrangement would continue in the years to come. But the Congress became reluctant and now Arvind Kejriwal of AAP has declared that there will be no alliance with the Congress. May be, there is scope for “seat adjustment” in the politically changed environment particularly after the Maharashtra drubbing. There are reports that a resurgent BJP may turn the tables in Delhi where the Rs 40 crore “Sheesh Mahal” (new CM bungalow) has cost dearly to Kejriwal. The Congress is aware that it doesn't have a strong base in Bihar either and is dependent on the RJD which is facing its own legal problems. Bihar Assembly polls are due in November 2025 and the NDA seems to be on a strong wicket. The BJP has reconciled with Nitish Kumar's leadership in the state.

All this has caused a problem for Rahul Gandhi as the Congress will be face-to-face with the BJP in Assam in March 2026. The Congress’s foot soldiers and mid-level leaders in Assam are a worried lot as the party may face a similar fate against the BJP. It is said that infighting within the Assam Congress and failure of Rahul Gandhi to devise a winning strategy in time could be some of the reasons for the party's failure to win back the state. In Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, West Bengal and Kerala the Congress is not involved in direct fight with the BJP. These states will also go to polls in April-May 2026.

Two Key conditions for Next BJP Chief

With Maharashtra chapter finally over, the BJP will focus on electing its new president in place of present incumbent J P Nadda who is also holding Union Minister for Health and Leader of the Rajya Sabha. In all likelihood, the new BJP chief will be in the saddle within the next two months. The “Sangh Parivar” insiders say that the next BJP chief must meet two key criteria; first being he should be a die-hard RSS Swayamsevak (Volunteer); second being the person should also have the confidence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is essential for the smooth functioning of the party and coordination with the government. After the Lok Sabha poll fiasco where the BJP lost the majority, the voice of the RSS will play a significant role, say these sources. Hence, there has been some delay in picking Nadda's successor.

The graph of a couple of leaders has sky-rocketed after the recent round of Assembly elections such as; Union Ministers Bhupendra Yadav and Dharmendra Pradhan who were in charge of Maharashtra and Haryana respectively. Though Modi's another blue-eyed boy Ashwini Vaishnav, Union Minister for Railways and IT, was also part of formulating strategy along with Yadav, he is not in the race being a new entrant into the party. Interestingly, the Yadav and Vaishnaw duo had also won Madhya Pradesh during the 2023 Assembly polls. In MP, the BJP won all 29 Lok Sabha seats as well. It's a different matter that Shivraj Singh Chouhan who was topping the race for the BJP president's post, lagged behind after the Jharkhand setback. He got a jolt as the BJP lost Jharkhand though he was incharge along with Himanta Biswa Sarma for the state Assembly polls. There is also considerable speculation that a leader from South may

Another Son may rise in Bihar soon !

Worried Janata Dal (U) leaders have begun a hunt for the successor of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the wake of his fading health. The hunt has been accelerated to keep the party united as there is no acceptable second in command in the party. Patna is rife with strong rumours that Nitish Kumar is under extreme pressure to bring his son Nishant Kumar into politics who is facing a huge dilemma as he had always been against the “Parivarwad” (Family promotion) in politics. Nishant who is a software engineer and an alumnus of the Birla Institute of Technology (BIT) Mesra, maintains a low profile and stays away from political events. The 49-year-old Nishant had categorically stated sometime ago that he had chosen the path of spirituality and was not interested in politics. 

He also tried to put to rest speculation when spotted at a market saying he had come to buy an audio set as he wanted to listen to "Hare Rama Hare Krishna"  on his mobile phone whose sound is low."  Security personnel always accompany him whenever he is out on the streets of Patna. He was also found planting a sapling in a local area sometime ago. The last word on the last son's rise of a veteran politician is yet to be written. But the JD(U) doesn't have options either. Nitish Kumar had burnt the boats with whomsoever he named earlier as his trouble-shooter incharge; be it RCP Singh or others. Lallan Singh, Union Minister and Sanjay Jha, a new darling and national working president of the party are not seen as Nitish's successor either. The demand for his son is aimed to dispel the probability of other leaders aspiring to hold the reins in the event of any eventuality. The upcoming assembly elections in 2025 are crucial for the party.