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.
