by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group
Naidu refusing to relent, TDP Ministers may quit Cabinet
Alarmed over the public ultimatum given by Andhra Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to quit the NDA if the Centre didn't give special status, the desperate BJP leadership found a way. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu landed in Visakhapatnam to open the state investors summit on February 24. Normally, Prime Minister Modi is on the forefront of opening NDA-ruled states' Investors' summit. But he was extremely busy and hence Venkaiah Naidu went to assauge the hurt feelings. However, Chandrababu Naidu reportedly conveyed that his Union Ministers in the Central Cabinet will quit as a first step if special projects for Andhra were not announced.
Venkaiah Naidu had a long chat with him and conveyed to the PM the serious situation. The BJP dispatched party general secretary Ram Madhav who hails from Andhra Pradesh to persuade Naidu not to take any precipitative action. But Naidu did not relent and said his patience has run out as Centre gave him no monies for the new state Capital Amravati and no central projects either. Naidu told the intermediaries that he had waited for four years for central funds and now it is impossible for him to face the people. Naidu senses a conspiracy by the BJP in delaying the financial assistance to Andhra as the BJP will join hands with YSR Congress and dump TDP. The mistrust is growing by the days unless Centre announces financial relief during the Budget session beginning March 5.
Another Union Minister threatening to quit
It is not TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu alone who is threatening to quit the NDA. Union Minister of State for HRD Upendra Kushwaha who is chairman of the RLSP has also threatened to quit the NDA. Kushwaha is chairman of the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party of Bihar and has three Lok Sabha Mps. He is a leading Kurmi leader and joined the NDA when Nitish Kumar dumped Modi in 2013 and later joined hands with Lalu Prasad Yadav. The BJP badly needed a Kurmi leader. Now that BJP has joined hands with Nitish Kumar, Kushwaha is uneasy and decided to quit the NDA. However, BJP president Amit Shah had a long meeting with him recently and promised that his interests will be protected. But Kushwaha is unwilling to trust the BJP and talking to RJD and other like-minded parties. The BJP leadership is already worried that the Swabhimani Paksha of Raju Shetty in Maharashtra has already quit the NDA and now the Hindustani Awam Morcha chief and former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi also quit the NDA. Manjhi will join hands with the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance comprising of RJD and Congress) in Bihar. The Akali Dal and Shiv Sena have already been publicly criticising the BJP's style of functioning.
Togadia survives; at least for now
Pravin Togadia, working president of the VHP International, will not be sacked. Though the RSS leadership was under extreme pressure to sack him as he has been a cause of embarrassment to the current ruling dispensation. The recent incident wherein he alleged the existence of a plot to kill him in a police encounter had not gone down with the Sangh Parivar. It is no secret that Togadia and BJP leadership never had a cordial relationship. But Togadia was quietly taken away from the domestic VHP affairs and made working president of its international wing. However, the RSS leadership was not comfortable with the suggestion of removing Togadia as working president of the VHP International. After all, Togadia has a constituency of hardline Hindutva elements within the country and his removal will not send a good signal to the cadre. Therefore, the VHP high-level meet in February allowed him to continue. However, a pep talk has been given to Togadia that he should now grow up as the “encounter allegation” has brought down his own stature in the eyes of the cadre and public. Togadia has been lying low since then though he has got a reprieve at least for sometime.
Bank Bureau may be wound up as Vinod Rai fails to deliver
If sources are to be believed in the Finance Ministry and the PMO, the Banks Board Bureau (BBB) headed by high-flying Vinod Rai may be wound up. Set up by Modi government primarily to reward Vinod Rai for his “services” as CAG, may be wound up in the wake of Nirav Modi-Mehul Choksi bank fraud which has shaken public trust. The term of Vinod Rai is any case ending in March as the government is in no mood to extend his tenure. Rai was tasked with advising the government on enforcing “a code of conduct and ethics for managerial personnel” in these banks. The proposal to delink the post of chairman of the PSBs with that of MD & CEO was his idea. But this failed to bring any dividends.
Scamsters take advantage of the abysmal management of human resources in these banks while the prime task of the BBB was to improve human resources in these banks. Now the government is moving to fast-track merger of PSBs and create mega regional banks. Rai was given two year tenure in 2016 though under the rule no retired CAG can take up any government job. Rai is also chairman of the BCCI and a number of important committees. The government is upset largely because Vinod Rai was banking secretary during the UPA regime and aware of what was going on in the Public Sector Banks. Secondly, the BBB was informed by a whistle-blower in July 2016 about the scam being perpetuated by Mehul Chowki. But the BBB reportedly did nothing.
Hotel Ashok up for Sale now
Contrary to earlier Tourism Ministers, the new no-nonsense Minister K J Alphons is keen to either privatize the prestigious Hotel Ashok or look for PPP model to revive the iconic property. None of the past Tourism Ministers were willing to off-load the Lutyen Zone's prestigious property though all prime ministers wanted to sell it off. It transpires that modalities are being worked out to make it an iconic building by demolishing the 65 year-old structure located in the heart of the town near the Prime Minister's residence. The Hotel is facing huge financial crunch as the Indian tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) has been off-loading all its properties, one after the other. There was a time when ITDC had 27 properties. Now it has just seven and the government is keen that it need not be in the business of Hotels. K J Alphons has been taking regular meetings with professionals whether to privatise it through auction route or give it on 55 years lease to a private hotel chain. The Hotels needs to be demolished and a new building is required. A decision may be taken by mid- May.
