Fly on the wall
Harish Gupta
A Third Warrior from Maharashtra
Delhi
has a curious history of being shaken by movements that begin
hundreds of kilometers away in Maharashtra.
First came the Maratha armies that marched towards the Mughal capital in the 18th century. Centuries later, Anna Hazare descended on Delhi with the India Against Corruption movement, triggering a political upheaval that eventually altered the country's electoral landscape. Its offshoot, the AAP, is yet to make any significant mark in the national power politics.
Now, social media claims a "third invasion" is underway. Memes and satirical posts have christened youth activist Abhijeet Dipke as the latest Maharashtrian to unsettle Delhi after his Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) spearheaded a 37-day agitation over examination scandals. The protest culminated in the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, giving the fledgling movement a symbolic victory that few had anticipated.
The comparison, however, is more internet humour than historical reality. Dipke is not leading an army to Delhi, nor has he announced any plans to storm the corridors of political power. The CJP continues to describe itself as an issue-based citizens' movement that relies on satire, social media and street mobilisation to force governments to answer uncomfortable questions.
Even Dipke's oft-repeated assertion that "bigger thrones will shake" is intended as a warning to the political establishment rather than a declaration of personal ambition. Yet politics has a way of testing every successful movement.
Having forced one minister's exit, Dipke had returned quietly to Maharashtra. Now he has launched Jantar Mantar 0.2 seeking the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and also asking political parties to desist from contesting polls if they think the system is rigged. Political parties have launched their own nation-wide campaigns. The BJP -led governments in Maharashtra and Assam are not giving a free ride to the CJP and tightening the noose around its volunteers. The question Delhi is asking whether history will once again turn an agitator into political oblivion or change the course of history.
Suspense Over Priyanka’s New Role
There is growing buzz in the AICC that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra could soon be handed a bigger and more defined role in the Congress organisation. The speculation has gained traction after she recently joined Rahul Gandhi in a series of group discussions with AICC secretaries to review their work and assess the party’s ground-level feedback mechanism.
Normally, such organisational reviews were conducted by Rahul Gandhi along with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. Priyanka’s inclusion this time has therefore set tongues wagging within the party. Rahul and Priyanka reportedly sought detailed feedback from the functionaries on key organisational issues, particularly ways to speed up the flow of information from the ground and improve the party’s response mechanism.
Priyanka has been an AICC general secretary for nearly four years, but has remained without a specific portfolio. Her last major organisational assignment was Uttar Pradesh in 2022.
The latest intrigue follows the September 5 reshuffle of AICC general secretaries, under which responsibilities were distributed to all the general secretaries—except Priyanka and Mukul Wasnik who has been retained without a portfolio after losing charge of Gujarat.
The twin vacancies have fueled speculation that something more deliberate may be in the works for Priyanka. She has increasingly operated as a strategist and troubleshooter behind the scenes. Grapevine has it that the long-pending Election Management Department may finally take shape next month, with Priyanka being discussed as its possible head and Wasnik as deputy or convener. If that happens, Priyanka’s “no portfolio” status could prove to have been less a void—and more a waiting room.
Modi Joins the Gen-Z Groove
The BJP appears to have discovered a new political mantra: if you cannot change the times, change the playlist.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent appearance at a youth-packed bhajan-clubbing event in Delhi, organised by an RSS outfit to mark Deen Dayal Upadhyaya’s birth anniversary, was more than a devotional outing. Seated among young bhajan enthusiasts, the Prime Minister picked up the jhankar and joined in the singing. The optics were unmistakable—Modi, surrounded not by the usual political entourage but by the generation that has known him only as Prime Minister flanked by oldies and lecturing the nation all the time.
And this Gen-Z outreach comes with a soundtrack. At a youth event in Vadodara, Modi had made a dramatic entry with Queen’s We Will Rock You blaring in the background. Clearly, the BJP is experimenting with more than traditional political vocabulary.
BJP president Nitin Nabin has taken the exercise a step further. He recently held a four-hour brainstorming session with 44 young leaders and ministers on how to connect with students and youth. The gathering included BJYM chief Hemang Joshi and former chiefs Tejasvi Surya, Poonam Mahajan and Anurag Thakur, besides Jyotiraditya Scindia and Diya Kumari.
Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was seen diligently taking notes to ensure that nothing from the young brigade’s feedback gets lost in translation.
Curiously, one phrase was strictly off the table: Gen Z. The preferred terminology was simply “students” and “youth”. Perhaps even the BJP knows that sometimes, the safest way to woo Gen Z is not to call it Gen Z.
Akhilesh's strange thesis
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav is generally regarded as one of the more sensible leaders in Indian politics with a good sense of humour. But over the past few days, he appears to be saying some rather bizarre things. He recently came out with a strange thesis as to why he had given Lok Sabha tickets to five members of his own family saying otherwise the party might have split. He claimed that this had helped keep the party united.
But does having a political family really prevent a party from splitting? His own uncle Shivpal Yadav had broken away from the SP. From the Chautalas to Thackerays to the Pawars, Karunanidhis, Paswans and Badals, it would be difficult to find a major political family that has remained completely united. Yet Akhilesh appears to be justifying “family rule”.
