Fly on the Wall
Why has Gadkari started talking!
Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari is known for speaking his mind frank and candid. In the past ten years in the government as a Cabinet Minister in the Modi government, he had created a lot of uneasiness and there was a time when misunderstanding reached a plateau. There was even a talk that he may be even part of the government. A lot of water had flown down the Ganges since then and Gadkari stopped talking at public forums and even privately. But lately, he has started talking and putting forth his views though within the parameters. A couple of weeks ago, he wrote a letter to the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman seeking to lift the 18% GST levied on insurance policies. When controversy refused to die down, Gadkari explained he had only forwarded a memorandum submitted to him by a delegation from his Nagpur constituency. The end result was that Nirmala Sithraman set up a GoM to look into the entire gamut of GST levied on health and life insurance policies.
But this was only the beginning. Later, he made a public disclosure that he was offered the PM's post by a senior leader of the Opposition if he was interested. Eyebrows were raised by many in the BJP but Gadkari stood his ground. Recently, Gadkari fired another salvo at a public function saying “If we want our nation to become 'Vishwaguru' (educator of the world), we should take the path of social harmony." He made another remark: The real test of democracy is whether the person at the helm of affairs is able to tolerate the strongest opinion against him and introspect.” His worry was that the country “is facing a problem not about differences of opinion, but the lack of it.” The last word on what's cooking behind the curtain is yet to be seen.
The mystery behind delayed sanction
The Union Home ministry had been holding back sanction to prosecute Lalu Prasad Yadav and virtually his entire family barring elder son Tej Pratap in the Land for Job scam. Though a chargesheet had been filed in January 2024, the supplementary chargesheet had been held back. The story goes that the delay was part of a political deal that the RJD will never tie-up with Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (U) during the Assembly polls due in late next year. But Lalu committed the cardinal mistake and started attacking PM Modi personally and Tejshawi Yadav went to meet Nitish Kumar at his residence. Though it was an official meeting between the two leaders, insiders say that BJP leadership was uneasy. Nitish Kumar has lately been flexing his muscles sensing that the BJP is dependent on him not only in Bihar but Delhi as well. The CBI was quietly waiting for the sanction of the Home ministry and one fine morning the sanction came. It is said that Tejashwi Yadav was not much inclined to open the pipeline. But Lalu tutored him that living in fear is worse than death. The Job for Land is a cast iron case and the Special judge is in a mood to finish the trial before Bihar Assembly polls. The case linked to Group-D railway appointments in exchange for land when Lalu Prasad Yadav was Railway Minister between 2004-2009.
No Takers of Smriti Irani in Delhi?
The BJP leadership is desperately searching for a new 'local leader' who can bring the party to power in the National Capital. Though the BJP has been winning Lok Sabha polls in 1998-1999 under late Atal Behari Vajpayee and decisively for three consecutive terms under PM Modi. But when it comes to the Delhi Assembly, the drought has been humiliating. The BJP failed to win Delhi even once since 1998 though it made several experiments during the past 26 years. If Sheila Dikshit ruled for 15 years, the AAP has been in power since 2013. The BJP leadership is burning midnight oil to formulate a strategy to win Delhi Assembly polls due in February 2025. One of the names that made headlines recently was that of former Union Minister Smriti Irani. It now transpires that the local unit of the BJP is not comfortable with her due to her flaring up tendencies etc. It goes without saying that she has all the ingredients to lead the Delhi unit. But Bansuri Swaraj, a first time Lok Sabha MP and daughter of late Sushma Swaraj is a hot favourite. She has shown qualities in public discourse and impressed all. The ball is the court of party high command.
A new “AAP” experiment in Bihar
Come October 2 and a new political outfit -Jan Suraaj party- is set to be born. Poll consultant-turned-politician, Prashant Kishor, will showcase his political vision of giving an ideal governance and development model. He had already created waves by declaring that he will throw out Nitish Kumar's liquor ban law which is anti-poor. Kishor had successfully sold various models in many states while formulating winning strategies for different political parties. He thinks that Bihar needs a fresh air as people are fed up with Lalu, Nitish and other parties. No one is sure whom Kidhor will hit in the Assembly polls. He had been making some noise about the necessity to rise above caste and creed. But he has now succumbed to these very things like distributing tickets proportionate to the population of different castes and rotating the command of the party among various castes. Will he succeed like Arvind Kejriwal's AAP is the issue?
