The importance of being Brij Bhushan
The case of six term Lok Sabha MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has baffled a large section of the BJP. Normally, the BJP leadership is very quick in showing the door to such elements, be it Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar who was asked to quit or taking action in other cases. But Delhi Police's duplicity surfaced when it lost no time in arresting Maharana Pratap Sena Chief Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore for allegedly sexually assaulting inside the UP Bhawan. But the "shield of invincibility" given to Singh is surprising as Delhi Police refused to register an FIR against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh when the wrestlers visited the Cannaught Place Police station in January. They had to knock at the doors of the Supreme Court. It is whispered in the corridors of power that Singh is perhaps the only BJP MP who publicly slammed Yogi Adityanath on many occasions and the UP Chief Minister does nothing against him. This could be one of the reasons that the 'Bahubali' enjoys unstinting support of the party high command. Yogi had to turn a blind eye towards many of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's alleged illegal constructions. The high command thinks that Singh has influence in at least half a dozen Lok Sabha seats too. He had played a key role in the Ayodhya temple movement. When the wrestlers finally met Amit Shah last week, they were told to suspend their agitation for a few days. The strategy is to let Delhi Police file the chargesheet in sexual harassment case in court and allow the "law to take its own course" and courts to take further action. The delay in police action resulted in the minor wrestler withdrawing her complaint against Brij Bhushan. Though she changed her statement again before the magistrate. But the damage had been done. What will happen to Singh? Your guess is as good as mine.
Yogi sulks as Sunil Bansal is back
The
mighty Sunil Bansal who was sent as general secretary in-charge of
Odisha, West Bengal and Telangana in the organisational reshuffle in
August last year, has been quietly brought back to UP. Bansal
virtually ruled UP ever since BJP came back to power in 2017. He was
having a running battle with Yogi Adityanath as he had the stinted
support of the BJP high command and had sway over the government
machinery as well. However, he was sent out of UP at the bidding of
Union Home Minister Amit Shah and given charge of three key states
to strengthen the party before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. In a
surprising development, Bansal was brought back to UP to oversee
a mega-outreach campaign marking the month-long 9 years of Modi
government celebrations. Though Bansal has been brought for
a month, there are many who believe that he will continue
to play a key role in UP as well during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls
preparations. Bansal came in contact with Amit Shah during the 2014
Lok Sabha polls when the latter was general secretary incharge of UP
and won 71 out of 80 seats. The return of Bansal, though for a
limited period, undermines the authority of Dharampal, the new
general secretary incharge of UP. Bansal is tasked with winning at
least 50 to 55 Lok Sabha in West Bengal, Odisha and Telangana out of
80 seats. During the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP could win 30 seats
only.
Vasundhara Bounces Back
The humiliating defeat of the BJP in Karnataka Assembly polls seems to have a cascading effect on the party high command. The leadership realized that if state leaders having wider following are sidelined, it would be difficult for the party to retain those states. Since five states (MP, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana & Mizoram) are set to go to polls in November-December this year, the high command took a 180 degree turn. If a breather was given to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Rajasthan also witnessed unprecedented summersault by the high command. Former Chief Minister Vasundhararaje Scindia who was a persona non-grata for the past four years, was found sitting next to Modi at the podium exchanging pleasantries in full public view at the BJP's Ajmer rally on May 31. She was nowhere to be seen when the PM visited Rajasthan several times including Nathdwara, Dausa and Bhilwara. But Ajmer was different. Vasundhara was neither the state party president (CP Joshi) nor Leader of Opposition (Rajendra Rathore) in the state Assembly. Yet she was given the seat next to Modi on the stage and seen chatting with the PM. Though she did not address the public meeting, her comeback is taken for granted. This may be a bad signal for Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat who is considered high command's blue-eyed boy.
Gone are the days of the famous slogan ‘Modi tujhse bair nahi, par Rani teri khair nahi’ of 2018. The party realized that without Vasundhara it would be near impossible to defeat the Congress. It also means that doors are shut for Sachin Pilot's entry into the BJP. The banners & posters now depict Vasundhara's photographs along with that of Modi, Nadda, Amit Shah, CP Joshi & Rathore outside BJP headquarters in Rajasthan.
