Fly
on the Wall
Agencies press Pause button in Maharashtra
All of a sudden the probe agencies of
the Union Government have pressed the pause button in Maharashtra. Perhaps,
after a change of guards in the state, the agencies are smoking the peace pipe.
The Enforcement Directorate, CBI or Narcotics Control Bureau is not as active
in the state as they were a few months ago. Though some leaders may be summoned
by these agencies but there will be no coercive action or pro-active
approach. Even the Income-Tax’s Investigation wing is on the prowl in other
states but not in Maharashtra. It is said that the BJP leadership wants some
breathing space as the political churning is going on and a lot of behind
the scenes activities are at a feverish pitch. Therefore, there is no need
to accelerate cases against other senior leaders of the Shiv Sena (Thackeray),
NCP and Congress. The BJP’s understanding is that no useful purpose will be served
by bringing rivals under further pressure. Insiders in the BJP say that
the party is not confident enough to face the Mumbai Corporation polls and
would wait until the outcome of the Himachal and Gujarat polls. Some party
leaders are of the view that Shinde and Thackeray factions be persuaded to join
hands in the larger interest of strengthening the Hindutva forces. Rahul
Gandhi’s comment on Veer Savarkar was nothing but a self-goal at a time
when the Opposition parties are planning to give a united fight to the BJP in
2024. But the former Congress president had given an avoidable ammunition to
dismember the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition. Another comment by Rahul
Gandhi on a contentious issue will do the rest. Secondly, many of the NCP
leaders feel that it was Sharad Pawar’s ‘Himalayan Blunder’ not to join hands
with the BJP in November 2019. Perhaps, Pawar is nursing an ambition to lead
Opposition parties in 2024. Those in the know of things say that the Congress
in Maharashtra may witness turmoil if the BJP returns to power in Himachal and
Gujarat and AAP emerges as a new force. Therefore, those monitoring probe
agencies are focusing on states other than Maharashtra like Chhattisgarh,
Telangana, Delhi, etc. Surprisingly, Jharkhand and Punjab are also witnessing
a cooling period.
Mamata-Modi
bonhomie
On November 3 in this column I had
written that 'Mamata is getting a breather!' in the Rs 50 crores
cash recovery in the teachers' recruitment scam as Central agencies won't
implicate her. Within weeks, a new Governor was appointed by the Modi
government in West Bengal who is playing cool. Within days of the appointment,
Mamata Banerjee announced that she will call on PM Narendra Modi in Delhi on
December 5. As if this was not enough, Mamata Banerjee also invited her arch
rival and BJP's Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari for a cup of tea and the
ice melted in no time. If Mamata is cozying up to the BJP leadership, the
Saffron party has also realised that prolonged bitterness will not serve any
political purpose either. Perhaps, Modi wants Mamata's cooperation in passing
some key legislation in Parliament as the TMC is the third largest group.
Will
CBI’s Jaiswal get extension?
It is no secret that
the CBI has not been playing ball with the powers that be as was the case
earlier. CBI’s current Director Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, a Maharashtra cadre IPS
officer, is made of a different mettle. He is stickler to the rules and
considered a tough nut. Since he was selected for the post in May 2021 by a
panel composed of the PM, CJI and Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, the
government also has some hesitation. The government is extremely comfortable
with the ED’s Director, Sanjay Mishra and gave him a record tenure of almost
five years by giving one extension after the other. But the record of CBI under
Jaiswal is no less. Since Jaiswal’s tenure will end in May 2023, there are
reports that the government may consider giving him an extension rather than
bring a new person in the election year. The government has already amended the
law enabling to extend the tenure of ED and CBI directors up to five years. The
Lok Sabha polls will take place in early 2024.
What’s cooking?
Even as the Congress
and AAP are blaming each other of having a ‘tacit understanding’ with the BJP,
reports have emanated from Gujarat that individual candidates in select
constituencies are trying to work out a deal. The AAP has realized that it has
a support base in urban areas, parts of Saurashtra and tribal belt. The AAP
doesn’t have too much of a presence in rural areas where the Congress has its
traditional base. Therefore, some of the AAP’s candidates are working in tandem
in rural areas to help the Congress. Similarly, the Congress candidates in some
urban seats are playing cool. The BJP continues to be worried about a dozen
seats where its rebels have refused to bow out.
