Prashant Kishore now takes a dig at Congress, says GOP’ problems deep-rooted

Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group
New Delhi, Oct 8

In a terse message for the Congress which is struggling to revive itself amid growing dissidence and onslaught by the ruling BJP, poll strategist Prashant Kishor joined the ranks saying, “There are no quick-fix solutions to the deep-rooted problems.”

Kishore went on to say that those looking for a quick revival of the grand old party-led opposition following the Lakhimpur Kheri incident are in for a big disappointment as there are no quick fix solutions to the "deep-rooted problems" of the party.

The crispy tweet sets at rest all speculations of his formally joining the Congress as general secretary incharge of its poll strategy.

Kishore had held long meetings with the three Gandhis since July including Congress’ interim president Sonia Gandhi and had given hope that he may now join the party and chalk out its poll strategy.

But he said, "Unfortunately there are no quick fix solutions to the deep-rooted problems and structural weakness of the GOP," he said.

Former Union minister and senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily had gone on record last month voiced strong support for Kishor's induction into the Congress and said those opposing his entry into the party were "anti-reform". Kishor's tweet is being viewed by many as an indication that things may not be working out between him and the party leadership.

It may be mentioned that party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was in the fore-front of launching a blistering attack on the UP Government after four farmers were mowed down by an SUV in Lakhimpur Kheri. These incidents raised hopes of revival of the GOP in UP and elsewhere.

Lokmat had reported on September 30 that Congress-Kishore talks have failed and he may not join the party.

Congress dissidents in disarray, mending fences

Sonia not to summon “Physical CWC” meeting

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

New Delhi, Oct 5

Irrespective of rhetoric by the G-23 dissidents against the leadership, the party high command is unruffled and moving ahead at its own pace. In fact, the way Captain Amarinder Singh was sent packing in Punjab, has made some of the dissidents mend fences.

Haryana's Congress stalwart Bhupinder Singh Hooda may be a signatory of the G-23 letter to Sonia Gandhi and at times airing his views. But his son and Rajya Sabha MP, Deepender Singh Hooda is standing with the Gandhis like a rock. He even got detained when he went along with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to Lakhimpur Kheri (UP) to protest against the atrocities on farmers.

Anand Sharma, deputy leader of the Congress in Rajya Sabha has been maintaining studied silence for weeks together and did not join issue with Kapil Sibal who fired a huge salvo against the leadership a couple of days ago. In fact, none of the other senior leaders joined ranks with him, be it; Prithviraj Chavan, Mukul Wasnik, Shashi Tharoor and others. Even Manish Tewari was very guarded.

Some of the signatories like Jitin Prasada have already joined the BJP.

Ghulam Nabi Azad may have demanded summoning of the Congress Working Committee meeting, but Sonia Gandhi is unlikely to oblige.

A senior Congress leader told Lokmat that Sonia Gandhi won't commit the cardinal mistake that late Sitaram Kesari did by calling a CWC meeting and faced his own removal. Though Kesari was unwilling to call a meeting of the CWC in 1998 but he was persuaded by seniors like Dr Manmohan Singh that everything would be normal. In a virtual meeting, the command and control is operated through a remote button and members can speak only when authorized. Therefore, there is no question of any “physical meeting”, said the source.

Fly On the wall | Modi's Kamraj Plan

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Modi's Kamraj Plan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi perhaps took a leaf out of the ‘Kamraj Plan’ when he dropped 12 Union Ministers from his Council of Ministers on July 7 and virtually dismissed three BJP Chief Ministers in a row. The shock treatment to party seniors by Modi was no different than what Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru gave to his colleagues who were part of the freedom struggle with him. Nehru was the first Prime Minister who executed major political surgery in 1963, more than 58 years ago. Nehru asked all senior ministers of his government to give up ministerial posts. Be it Lal Bahadur Shastri, Jagjivan Ram or Morarji Desai, they were all shown the door. Nehru sacked six Chief Ministers, including the most powerful ones like Biju Patnaik (Odisha) and S.K. Patil (Maharashtra). More than 16 years into power, Nehru's charisma was on the wane particularly after the 1962 Chinese invasion. Though V K Krishna Menon had been removed as India's Defence Minister, the Congress was facing a stiff challenge at the hands of many stalwarts in the Opposition parties in Parliament. It was in this backdrop that K Kamraj, CM, Tamil Nadu, submitted a plan to Nehru and offered to quit his post. He wanted all senior ministers and CMs to quit and work for the party. Nehru accepted the Kamraj Plan. Later, Kamaraj was rewarded with the party president’s post. Kamaraj persuaded Nehru to bring Lal Bahadur Shastri back into the government sometime later. Perhaps it was part of a succession plan because Shastri was made a Minister without Portfolio, virtually working as Deputy Prime Minister. It is a different matter that Shastri died an early death after becoming the PM in 1964. Indira Gandhi took over with the blessings and support of K Kamraj in 1966. It is an irony that the same Indira Gandhi showed Kamraj the door who became part of the ‘Syndicate” to oust her in a bitter power struggle.

Difference between the two surgeries

Old timers say there is a huge difference between what Nehru did in 1963 and what Modi executed first in 2014 and in 2021. The difference between the method, procedure and style is clearly visible. It must be remembered here that none of the ministers and CM shown the door by Nehru were senior to him. If Nehru was a product of the freedom struggle, Modi had also acquired every post and won after a bitter struggle. His early life in RSS is also a testimony of his sacrifices too. However, Nehru was in a different league and came from a rich heritage and did everything with finesse. The old timers tell me that Nehru telephoned each one of the ministers on the chopping block himself and explained why their services are needed for the party. They were all given party work too. In the instant case, no Union Minister received a call either from the PM or the Union Home Minister. The unpleasant task was given to the BJP president, J P Nadda to ring up each one of 12 Union Ministers hours before the swearing-in-ceremony. It also transpires that telephones to the new appointees were made by B L Santosh, general secretary (organization). Except for Thaawar Chand Gehlot, no Union Minister was given any work even after 45 days. No Central leader has talked to any one of them who are cooling their heels. Majority of them are Lok Sabha MPs and facing huge embarrassment while visiting their constituencies as party workers keep posing difficult questions to them. During the 2014 surgery, the cut-off date was 75 years of age. But the 2021 surgery, the cut-off age has come down to 66 years. The BJP insiders say that Modi plans to install a whole new set of leadership at the Centre and states before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Modi himself is turning 75 years on September 17, 2025. It is said that Modi is a 'Saint in politics” and capable of springing surprises. Is the 2021 surgery part of a succession plan? No one knows.

Kamraj bug hits Congress too

Sonia Gandhi failed to implement the much needed 'Kamraj Plan' to send deadwood and troublesome ministers packing in 2010 or even in 2012 as Rahul Gandhi was unwilling to take over the reins for some strange reasons. She was bitten by the P V Narasimha Rao experience and continued with her best bet i.e. Manmohan Singh. Ten years later, the Kamraj bug hit the Congress and Sonia Gandhi cracked her whip to send Captain Amrinder Singh packing. Obviously, she is clearing the decks for her son who is now batting on the front foot.

Fly On the Wall | A battle royal between two Chankyas

Fly On the Wall
by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

A battle royal between two Chankyas

If all goes as per plans, the country may soon be on the cusp of a battle royal between BJP's Chankya Amit Shah and Opposition’s poll strategist Prashant Kishore, “PK”. Both were key strategists for Narendra Modi’s Prime Ministerial campaign in 2014 and fell out later. The Congress is on the verge of picking PK as its key poll strategist until the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. A decision is likely anytime next week. PK will not charge any fee for his services as he will be formally joining the Congress. He has told the three Gandhis that if inducted, he will oversee the party's poll strategies in all the elections leading up to 2024. He said the situation can be retrieved in Punjab and Uttarakhand is winnable if the right kind of strategy is adopted. But he would like to make a big beginning with Gujarat and Karnataka where Assembly polls will be held in November 2022. The BJP and Congress are in direct contest in these states. The BJP can be defeated in its home turf in Gujarat after 27 years of being in power. Before inducting PK, Sonia Gandhi wants the stamp of approval of all CWC members. The party men are happy that finally Rahul Gandhi is listening to somebody and may act on his advice.

Why PK fell out with Shah

Though 'PK' was part of Modi’s core team in the run up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Modi was so impressed by PK’s skills that he was allotted a place on the top floor of the CM's residence itself. PK had also given Modi a blueprint to overhaul the bureaucracy on the US pattern where thousands of officers come and go with the new Presidents. When Modi asked PK what role he would like to play, the latter wanted to be named as BJP's Poll Strategist. If there could be a general secretary (organization), why not general secretary (poll strategy)? Modi was willing to consider but Amit Shah nixed it soon after taking over as BJP Chief. Modi dithered and PK moved out. Amit Shah and PK were face to face for the first time in Bihar and Delhi Assembly polls in 2015 and BJP was decisively defeated. But PK didn't get the desired credit. The victories in Punjab and Andhra Pradesh were discounted as BJP was a junior partner in these states. PK also tasted failure in 2017 in UP. His golden moment came seven years later when he trounced Amit Shah in West Bengal in 2021 in a big way. It was a huge setback for Shah and a beaming PK claimed “he is BJP’s overrated Poll Manager.”

Disquiet in RSS

There is disquiet in the RSS these days. A top RSS leader put it very aptly: “Aajkal prasannta ka vatavaran nahin Hai.” (Nowadays, the atmosphere is not pleasant). He did not elaborate but the disconnect between the BJP and the RSS is clearly visible. The RSS was not happy with the way the government handled CAA and three Farm Acts and the talks should have been held. The recent Cabinet reshuffle widened the gulf as wings of Nitin Gadkari were further clipped when the MSME ministry was taken away.

As if this was not enough, most of the recommendations of the RSS for new inductions were ignored. The RSS Chief, Mohan Bhagwat’s statement that the government and Society, both, have to understand and learn lessons from the Covid pandemic, was seen as an oblique criticism of the government.

But the Pegasus telephone tapping scandal that rocked governments world over, created a major disconnect. It has surfaced now that telephone numbers of many RSS functionaries including a senior one were under watch. It is learnt that a top-most officer of the Modi dispensation visited Chitrakoot where Pratinidhi Sabha was being held in the second week of July. The meet was significant as it came much before the Pegasus snooping scandal officially surfaced on July 18. He had a long chat with RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat. What transpired between them is not known. But many say that the tweet of Subramanian Swamy on July 18 morning that tapping the phones of PM Modi’s cabinet ministers, RSS leaders and others will be disclosed soon. Obviously, this person was sent to Chitrakoot on a fire-fighting mission as the government knew beforehand that such a scandal may surface. An insider said, “the gulf has widened since then.”

Congress then and now is poles apart : Gulam Nabi

 

Exclusive interview of Congress leader Gulam Nabi Azad by Harish Gupta

Fly on the wall | Pawar’s mysterious Silence in Rajya Sabha

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Pawar’s mysterious Silence in Rajya Sabha

The entire political class is baffled about the mysterious silence of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar when the Rajya Sabha discussed three farm laws for days together. It was expected that the tallest farmer leader from Baramati who was UPA’s Agriculture Minister for ten long years, will put the record straight. If a leader of his stature had spoken, farmers and the government would have listened to him. He is perhaps the only one who could have told the farmers to end the agitation as farm laws had been stayed for 18 months and has the stature to tell the government also to mend fences and find a way out. After all, it was Pawar who had brought many agricultural reforms during his tenure at the Centre and earlier in Maharashtra. Pawar was very much stationed in Delhi during the session of Parliament. But he maintained a mysterious silence in Rajya Sabha and chose to field Praful Patel instead. Though former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda who takes pride in calling himself “poor farmer from Karnataka” spoke in Rajya Sabha. But he has lost his rhythm and touch. Pawar could have made the difference. But he looked the other way. Why?? No answers are coming from the NCP.

Why PM is angry with Babus?

Ever since Modi came to power in 2014, the Babus are the worst sufferers. Gone are the days when they used to rule the roost and ministers used to eat out of their hands. In some of the ministries, the bureaucrats used to work as brokers between private players and politicians to reap the harvest. They were partying in 5 star hotels, playing golf, coming to the office at will etc. PM Modi talked of this Lutyens Delhi culture in 2014. Since then, Modi has been tightening the noose and Babus are now a nameless & faceless class. The Lutyens’ Delhi does not recognize when PM’s Principal Secretary PK Mishra takes a walk in the Lodhi Gardens. Modi wants to end Babus direct interaction with the businessmen completely and doggedly pursuing ‘faceless’ resolution of grievances. The Babus were crestfallen when Modi had a dig at them in the Lok Sabha saying they are not experts to run airlines, chemical or companies and everything. No PM has questioned their ability to deliver. Obviously, Modi was peeved that Babus are creating one hurdle after the other in the implementation of his policies. He blames them for sabotaging his vigorous divestment program and mobilizing Rs two lakh crores by selling PSUs. Modi feels Babus are to be blamed for it and gave them public bashing. Modi is now hoping for a Bonanza this year.

Rahul calling shots, G-23 crest fallen

Rahul Gandhi is neither Congress president nor Parliamentary Party leader. He has declared he won’t hold any post and rather no Gandhi will hold it either. But he continues to call the shots in the party, Parliament and makes no bones about it. He doesn’t mince words and is rather ruthless in getting things done. The Group of 23 dissident leaders had thought that he would be conciliatory to them after Priyanka Gandhi’s meetings with Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma. Both are part of G-23 letter writers. But their hopes were dashed when Sonia Gandhi sent a letter appointing Mallikarjun Kharge as Leader of Opposition in place of Ghulam Nabi Azad three days before his retirement. It sent Anand Sharma sulking who was in the race for the top post. The shocker came when Nana Patole was appointed as Maharashtra PCC chief. Now the word is that Patole may be given a ministerial berth making one of the Congress ministers resigning. The issue was broached when Patole met Rahul in Delhi. It is said that one Congress minister will quit to make room for Patole. No final word has emanated from 12 Tughlaq Road, the official residence of Rahul Gandhi in this regard. K C Venugopal is gradually replacing late Ahmad Patel in AICC.

The lone winner

The NaMo administration cleared 26 IAS officers of 1988 & 1989 batch to be promoted as Secretary and 14 as Secretary Equivalent. Maharashtra was lucky as Rajesh Agrawal was the lone officer figuring in the list of 40. But he too was made Secretary Equivalent and not as full secretary. Not a good sign for the richest and one of the largest states.

Fly on the Wall - Mumbai model for new Congress Chief!

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Mumbai model for new Congress Chief!
How the new Congress president may be democratically elected in place of Sonia Gandhi if polls do take place for the coveted post? As many as 1400 plus AICC delegates & others have to be elected first and then they will elect a new CWC and eventually a president in February 2021 unless polls are postponed. The AICC managers hit upon a novel method and tested it in Mumbai to elect Mumbai Regional Congress Committee chief. It is now called the Mumbai Model. The General Secretary incharge of Maharashtra HK Patil sent a voice message to 450 designated party functionaries: I am AICC incharge HK Patil speaking. I seek your views on who should be the president of Mumbai Congress. After the beep, send just one name. Your answer will be kept confidential. Thank you”. No one knows who followed the drill and who didn’t. But the mandarins in the technical team of Rahul Gandhi working behind the scenes, took enough care that the process is executed with finesse. It’s a different matter that no one among 450 delegates knew till date who sent which name and how MRCC president was chosen. But one thing is clear that this Mumbai Model will may be executed in AICC polls too. Since Rahul Gandhi’s loyalists are determined to install him as party chief. The AICC media head, Randeep Surjewala has already said that 99.9% want Rahul as CP. He already knows the mind of 99.9% of the 1400 AICC delegates. The last word has yet to be written.

Rahul & his new mobile
When the 5-hour long meeting took place at Sonia Gandhi’s residence at 10 Janpath, Rahul & Priyanka were in tow to receive the invitees. The Gandhis wanted a virtual meeting over Zoom. But none of the dissidents including Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Bhupinder Singh Hooda were ready for it. They insisted on a face-to-face meeting which Sonia Gandhi eventually agreed to. But many leaders were dismayed that Rahul Gandhi was glued to his new iPhone 12. A leader who was part of the meeting said Rahul remained busy with his mobile for nearly three hours. In between, he left the meeting twice to interact with Kamal Nath and A K Antony and attend to urgent calls. Sonia Gandhi, on the other hand, remained seated for full 5-hours without a break.

Hooda stuns the conclave

Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is a soft spoken person and rarely talks tough. But he was perhaps the only one among the dissidents to stun the gathering. Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Prithviraj Chavan and many other letter writers were speaking in a rather conciliatory tone. When Hooda’s turn came, he didn’t mince his words. Rather, he sent the chill in the otherwise warm weather in the sprawling lawns. Hooda said he is fighting a lonely battle in Haryana against the BJP which had pumped Rs 100 crores to win the Baroda Assembly seat in a bitter byelection. Yet he was able to defeat the BJP against all odds. Hooda did not stop there and went on to say that had he been made the leader of the party in Haryana three months prior to State Assembly polls last year, the Congress would have got the state. “Unfortunately, I am not accepted as leader in Delhi while people in Haryana adore me,” said Hooda in a pained voice. There was a silence of the grave.

Nadda’s rising clout
With BJP president J P Nadda down with Covid and recovering, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has taken charge of Assembly polls in West Bengal due next year. Shah was out of action in Bihar for some strange reasons. But now he is leading the onslaught on Mamata Banerjee from the front. However, Nadda is working overtime sitting home and played a key role in the selection of seven Union Ministers who were made inchage of seven regions for Assembly polls. It is learnt that the selections were made as per the PM’s desires and many favourite ministers were excluded causing surprises. Obviously, Nadda's graph has been risen after Bihar win and other polls. Only recently, a couple of Chief Ministers of BJP ruled states wanted to call on the PM. But Modi politely conveyed to them to first apprise the party president about the issues.

Fly on the Wall - Modi subtle goal-post shift

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Modi subtle goal-post shift

If you thought PM Modi will hang his boots and hand-over reins of power once he turns 75 years to a successor, you may be in for some surprises. Reason being that Modi has subtly shifted his goal-post from 2022 to 2029. An indication of changing goal-post came at a virtual function last week which largely went unreported wherein he said that a lot of work has been done during the past six and half years. But for India’s growth and development next nine years are very important. Modi had said on several occasions in the past that by 2022 when India celebrates its 75th anniversary of Independence, farmers' income will be doubled and all will have pakka houses, education for all and many more tall promises. In fact, when he came to power in 2014, he had promised that farmers income will be doubled within the next five years. But later, he shifted it to 2022. Now he is talking that the next nine years are crucial for India’s development. Two things clearly emerge from his statement; one that he will be around until 2029 and secondly, he is working hard to win the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Though many of his lieutenants like Amit Shah have said that the BJP will rule India for the next 50 years. But Modi had always refrained from making such tall claims.

Focus on the Bungalow now!

After losing Rajya Sabha seat for his mother Reena Paswan, the LJP chief is working hard to retain ministerial bungalow at Janpath. The 12 Janpath Road Bungalow was allotted to Ram Vilas Paswan when he became a Minister in the V P Singh government and continued since then. His son, Chirag Paswan who is a two term Lok Sabha MP is not entitled to type VIII bungalow. After Paswan’s death, the bungalow has fallen under the "general category". With no Cabinet berth round the corner for Chirag, he may have to vacate the bungalow unless the Cabinet Committee on Accommodation allows him to retain it. One will have to watch out what happens to this “Hanuman” of Prime Minister Modi. His hopes rest on BJP Chief J P Nadda who said recently, “At the Centre, the matter is different. But in Bihar, this is what it is.” Nadda was asked whether Chirag is part of NDA or not. The vague reply given has raised hopes for Chirag.

What went wrong with Ahmed Patel

The sudden demise of Ahmed Patel has left a void in the Congress at a juncture when the party needed him most. It is not as if he didn’t see ups and downs. He suffered a setback when Ambica Soni became the political secretary to Sonia Gandhi replacing him. It’s a different matter that he was back at the center- stage soon. When Rahul took over as party chief, Patel was subtly sidelined again as the scion of the Gandhi family wanted his own team. However, Sonia Gandhi was wise enough and retained him as her chief political adviser until his death. It’s a different matter that Rahul Gandhi also found virtues in him later and he was back in the political game. It, however, remains a mystery as to why he chose to travel all the way to Faridabad’s Metro Hospital in October for treatment when he was first tested positive of Covid. No doubt, he had been regular at Metro whenever he fell ill. Later, he shifted to Apollo hospital and finally brought to Medanta in Gurugram. Three hospitals in two months did not prove lucky to him.

A promoted with demotion

It's strange that Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha got a demotion while he was promoted as new Chief Information Commissioner. He was holding the rank of the Supreme Court judge as Information Commissioner. But the moment he was promoted as CIC, he was demoted to the rank of a Cabinet Secretary. He will lose salary and pension. Interestingly, his four old colleagues will hold SC judge rank while three new colleagues will be in the rank of secretary. A dichotomy created by the amendment to the RTI Act in 2018!

Asthana may be CBI Chief! Fly on the Wall

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Asthana may be CBI Chief! 

The three months long Rhea Chakraborty saga may finally come to an end after the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) doused the political fire in Bihar by arresting her. The graph of Rakesh Asthana, DG, NCB has jumped manifold in the eyes of political masters in Delhi. Asthana has succeeded where CBI Director R K Shukla and Enforcement Director Sanjay Kumar Mishra failed in the task even after 50 hours of grilling running for weeks together. A top ED officer who specially flew down from Delhi to Mumbai and part of the extensive grilling told his bosses: Sorry Sir! Not an iota of evidence.” Thus, the NCB stepped in. This column had said last week itself that NCB will arrest Rhea. Insiders tell us that Asthana’s prospects of becoming new CBI chief have brightened when Shukla retires early next year. Asthana had been extremely unhappy ever since he was shunted out from the CBI last year.

Click here to Read complete article here

Sonia offensive, Dissidents defensive 

The 23 dissident Congress leaders are running for a cover after raising a banner of revolt against the Gandhis. Instead of buckling under the pressure, Congress’ interim president Sonia Gandhi has gone on the offensive. If she shocked dissidents by appointing Rahul loyalists in key parliamentary panels, she humiliated a few by dropping them from UP committees. As if this was not enough, Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Rajya Sabha MP and Bihar Campaign Committee chief was dropped from the powerful Bihar Election Committee. If sources are to be believed, the G-23 is a house divided with Mukul Wasnik, Manish Tewari and Shashi Tharoor singing different tunes. Tewari went public recently saying the letter’s drafting could have been better. Obviously, it’s a dig at Anand Sharma who drafted the letter. Tharoor is buying peace as BJP has no strong presence in Kerala while Mukul Wasnik has his own reasons for backtracking. Prithviraj Chavan who owed his rise to the post of Maharashtra Chief Minister to Sonia Gandhi, has gone into hiding after raising a banner of revolt.

Whispers galore over Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is back at his Krishna Menon Marg residence and recouping after suffering from Covid and fatigue. Being Prime Minister Modi’s Man Friday, Shah has been batting from the front foot. But for the past some time, he has been away from public glare.

The Fly learns that he is fully active and clearing files at a faster pace though avoiding attending office. The gossip mongers in Lutyen’s Delhi have all kinds of tails like Amit Shah being upset for not being invited to the Ram Janmabhoomi foundation stone laying ceremony, appointment of C R Patil as Gujrat BJP chief etc. etc. Insiders assert there is no truth as the equation between the PM-HM remains strong. The PM inquired about his health on a daily basis since August 2 when he was admitted to Medanta and visited him after he returned from AIIMS. These sources say, “Modi-Shah relationship is like that of Ram and Hanuman and no power on Earth can separate them.”

Selling Air India Herculean Task

India’s flagship Air India is first on the block among the 26 PSUs to be sold before March 31 next year. While there are many takers for BPCL and others, selling Air India is turning out to be a Herculean task for the Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. It transpires that the House of TATAs is somewhat disinclined. The TATAs already operate Air Asia & Vistara and CEO N Chandrasekaran is reluctant to put in this kind of money in the aviation business. However, two gulf nations have shown interest riding on the back of cordial relations with PM Modi. The government is keen to mop up at least two lakh crores from the PSU sale during 2020-21 to bridge 8% Budget deficit.

Worried Pawar deputes Patel on Congress crisis

Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

New Delhi, Aug 26

NCP supremo Sharad Pawar is extremely worried over the internal crisis developing in the Congress Party. Since the Congress is the catalyst for the unity among the Opposition parties in the country, any weakening at this juncture will have a direct bearing on the stability of many Opposition ruled states.

It was primarily because of this very reason that he deputed his Man-Friday and NCP general secretary Praful Patel to keep a close watch on the development and get an update at the earliest. It was perhaps because of this very reason that Praful Patel rushed here from Mumbai yesterday and is camping here.

When contacted, Praful Patel told Lokmat, “We have no role in the internal affairs of the Congress. Of course, it’s a matter of concern as we are running a government in Maharashtra in alliance with Congress and any such development may have a bearing.” When asked if he had talked to Congress leaders, he smiled and said, “We talk to everybody on a daily basis. We want Congress to be strengthened and become a strong party so that the Maharashtra experiment can be taken at the national level.” However, he declined to say anything on the issue and also clarified that the main purpose of his visit here was to attend the meeting of the Standing Committee of Parliament on Finance. 

If sources are to be believed, many top Congress leaders were talking to Praful Patel on a daily basis. The NCP sees an opportunity in the Congress if there is another split in the party as it happened in 1999. “Any such development will prove the point Sharad Pawar has been making for a long time that Rahul Gandhi is not capable of leading the Congress,” said another senior NCP leader on the condition of anonymity. Patel is understood to have briefed Pawar on the internal crisis which has been pushed under the carpet for now.

Sonia may offer step down on Monday, May appeal to elect a non-Gandhi

Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

New Delhi, Aug. 22

Congress Interim president Sonia Gandhi may offer to step down from her post at the meeting of the Congress Working Committee on Monday next.

Highly placed sources in the party told Lokmat tonight that Sonia Gandhi has made up her mind and informed a select group of leaders about her intentions to make room for a non-Gandhi to occupy the post. This in a way, is bowing to the wishes of her son Rahul Gandhi who took moral responsibility for the debacle of the party in 2019 Lok Sabha polls and quit. He also desired that a non-Gandhi be elected to run the party.

But the entire CWC rejected the decision and later elected Sonia Gandhi an interim president. However, the experiment failed and now it is emerging that an upset Sonia Gandhi may offer to quit. Though she has full one more year to go an Interim president of the Congress, she is pained and may offer to quit. 

It is reliably learnt that some of the senior Congress leaders including Kapil Sibal and Anand Sharma among others have written a letter to Sonia Gandhi about the state of the party and how it should be reorganised. 

When contacted, no senior leader was willing to comment. Kapil Sibal did not respond to phone calls and neither Anand Sharma responded. Ghulam Nabi Azad has also been upset as he had not been renominated to the Rajya Sabha and may not remain Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha. However, Mallikarjun Kharge, senior-most member of the CWC and Rajya Sabha MP told Lokmat over the phone that he would participate in the virtual meeting on Monday.  He declined to say anything more exceot that he is a loyal soldier of the party.

Sachin Pilot to join the BJP - His Mother Rama Pilot had clinched the deal

Harish Gupta ( National Editor, Lokmat Group)
New Delhi, July 14

Sacked Rajsthan Deputy Chief Minister and PCC president Sachin Pilot may finally join the BJP. Though he had been maintain a studied silence for several days, his tweet today gave a clue when he thanked his supporters for their “ gratitude to all those who have come out in my support today.” He ended the short tweet with “राम राम सा !” The word of Ram Ram Sa is commonly used in local parlance in Rajasthan. But gives a clue to what is going on behind the scenes.

Highly placed sources in the BJP told Lokmat that the script of the Rajasthan drama was written in February itself when Rama Pilot, mother of Sachin Pilot met BJP’s newly elected president, J P Nadda. She met Nadda through an intermediary and clearly told him that if the BJP was willing to make her son the Chief Minister, he may jump the ship.

Rama Pilot was extremely furious with Congress president Sonia Gandhi for denying the CM’s post to Sachin who had worked tirelessly for five year as PCC Chief which had brought the Congress back to power. Though Sonia Gandhi tried to assuage her by saying that Sachin will continue to hold the dual post of PCC Chief and Dy CM. But no commitment was made in this regard.

The offer was tempting for the BJP which had lost power in Rajasthan as Pilot had stitched a Meena-Gujjar alliance which caused BJP’s humiliating defeat in Eastern Rajasthan. The BJP lost 42 out of the 49 seats there. 

But the offer had its own pitfalls for the BJP and Nadda needed time to discuss in his own party. He had just taken over on January 20 as party Chief. A series of discussions were held within the Central unit and the matter went right up to the Prime Minister. It was decided that the opinion of the senior functionaries of the RSS be obtained. During all this, time was lost and lockdown was imposed on March 24 bringing all political activity to a grinding halt.

The BJP got into act when Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s Special Operation Group (SOG) issued a notice to Sachin Pilot to appear before him for attempting to bribe the NLAs in the Rajya Sabha polls.

A series of raids by Income Tax and Enforcement Directorate allegedly involving Gehlot’s businessman son and others at ten locations. Now the fight is not between Sachin Pilot and Gehlot. Its BJP Establishment and Gehlot-Gandhi duo.

Pawar, Stalin, nixed Congress proposals - Lokmat Exclusive

Sonia wanted "physical not virtual" meeting with PM 

All-party meeting on China

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

New Delhi, June 20

No Opposition party leader supported the idea floated by the Congress that the Prime Minister should hold a face-to-face meeting rather than “virtual meeting.” The Congress wanted the PM should call leaders physically for effective interaction on thorny Galwan Valley crisis.

But no one agreed. Nationalist Congress president Sharad Pawar rejected the proposal out-right saying “virtual meeting is as good as physical meeting in the times of Covid.”

A senior NCP leader, on the condition of anonymity told Lokmat that Pawar Saheb reminded that Sonia Gandhi had herself held a virtual meeting with 22 leaders on May 22.

CPI’s Secretary D Raja told Lokmat over the phone confirmed saying, “I personally had no objection to the physical meeting. But other leaders were perhaps not willing,” he said.

DMK leader M K Stalin did not agree either. It transpires that a top aide of Sonia Gandhi contacted leaders personally after the government initiated move to hold the meeting on June 19. But there was no positive response from leading parties.

It also transpires that they were also uncomfortable with the very line the Congress and its leader Rahul Gandhi had taken on the Indo-China violent clashes.

This was reflected in the meeting yesterday where a combative Sonia Gandhi raised several tough questions and accused the government of many failed opportunities. Sonia spoke first and wanted to set the tone immediately after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made the presentation tracing the history of conflict.

But she stood virtually isolated as neither Sharad Pawar and nor DMK supported her line of attack. Pawar said, “issues such as whether soldiers carried arms are decided by international agreements, and everyone should respect such sensitive matters.” Obviously, he was distancing himself from Rahul Gandhi line. Stalin also supported the government on the issue including most Opposition parties.

Rahul returns after Sojorn !

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

special report

Rahul returns after Sojorn !

“Family” decides No RS Seat for Priyanka

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, March 1

After holidaying in Italy, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi returned to India yesterday and took a stock of political situation in the country.

If sources are to be believed, the members of the Gandhi family- Sonia Gandhi, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi- met twice over two days.

These sources told Lokmat today that the issue of sending Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to the Rajkya Sabha was  part of the agenda and the Gandhis decided that she will continue to serve in the organization. She will stay away from the parliamentary responsibilities considering the challeneges ahead. Her task has been to strengthen the organization and assist her brother Rahul Gandhi. Whether Rahul Gandhi takes over formally the reins of the party once again or not, he will continue to be the pivot.

With Sonia Gandhi’s frailing health and inability to extensively travel across the country, the responsibility is likely to come to Rahul Gandhi to come to the helms. It is in this background that a view has emerged that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra should continue to lay stress on the organizational responsibilities.

It may be mentioned here that a clamour has been growing in the Congress that  Priyanka be brought to the Rajya Sabha.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was the first to fire the salvo and write a foral letter to the Congress Interim president that she be sent to Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan where the party is set to win two seats.

Later, Kamal Nath and Bhupesh Baghel and even Adhirranjan Chowdhury have jumped into the woo Priyanka campaign. They too want Priyanka in RS. Interestingly, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is reported to have dumped her earlier plans to shift to Lucknow and hire a house on rent to focus completely in UP. She has started campaigning outside the state including Delhi and elsewhere.

The buzz is that Gehlot wants Priyanka be brought to the Rajya Sabha arguing her popularity and charisma be utilized in states other than in UP where she is general secretary incharge of Eastern part. Now

Gehlot even had  reported to have met Priyanka recently and sounded her out in this regard. He wants Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to play more active role by entering Rajya Sabha. Rahul Gandhi is already holding the fort in Lok Sabha.

But the Gandhis have decided that she strengthen the oragniation as parliamentary duties are equally demanding. 

Rahul Goes on holidays again abroad

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Exclusive report 

Rahul Goes on holidays again abroad

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Feb 19

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has embarked again on a week-long holiday abroad again quietly. According to highly placed sources in the Congress, Rahul Gandhi left for Rome and later he may travel to other European countries. However, he has been keeping track of developments and even tweeting as well by keeping himself posted through his back office.

He extended greetings to everyone on the occasion of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti on his twitter handle in Hindi on Wednesday and posted a photo of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. 

This is second trip abroad in two months this year. Earlier, he had gone on vacation on December 31 to celebrate New Year with his grand-mother and others to Italy and returned to India on January 11. There was some criticism of his foreign visit as the country was in the midst of the protests on the CAA. However, no one in the party is willing to confirm Rahul Gandhi's departure. It is learnt that he may travel to London later.

But no program has been released by the AICC or his office about the plans of his return. Sources in the party say that Congress Interim president Sonia Gandhi has recovered fully from her asthma problems and actively holding meetings with leaders. Earlier in November too, Rahul Gandhi had pushed off to South Korea to meet the Prime Minister as part of his official engagement. But he decided to stay abroad for five more days when the parliament was in session and he absented.

Sources in the security forces guarding him say that he has not informed them about his travel plans this time either. Rahul Gandhi’s foreign visits are a matter of concern to the security forces earlier too. In fact, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is on record in Parliament saying that some SPG protectees had left the SPG cover behind and went to unknown destinations. He was giving reasons for withdrawal of the SPG cover to the Gandhis in this regard. Now the Gandhis have been provided with CRPF cover in collaboration of the Delhi Police. Rahul Gandhi is serving his fourth term as a Lok Sabha MP.

Modi's Un-parliamentary word Expunged from speech in RS

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Modi's Un-parliamentary word Expunged from speech in RS

PM had accused the Opposition of spreading "Jhoot"

Naidu expunges word from Ghulam Nabi's Speech

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Feb 7

The Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, expunged a word from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech in parliament on Thursday.

While bitterly attacking the Opposition (Congress) on the NPR & CAA, the PM charged them for misleading people an spreading "jhooth (lies)". This created a ruckus during the debate which went on late until yesterday. The chairman, sensing the mood of the House, immediately expunged the remarks saying anything said, done or any action which is un-parliamentary is dropped.

Today, his office issued an official order expunging the word “Jhoot” from PM's statement on the National Population Register (NPR).

Interestingly, the Chairman also expunged a remark by Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad “Gumrah” (Misleading). It is rather surprising that the PM had also used the same word “Gumrah” during the course of his speech.

This is the second time that the Chairman, M Venkaiah Naidu had to expunge a remark of the PM from his speech.

In 2018, some words were dropped from PM Modi's comments on Congress leader BK Hariprasad. It was on August 11 in 2018 when Modi had made the remark about the Opposition candidate for House deputy chairman, B.K. Hariprasad, while felicitating the winner, Harivansh. Many in the Opposition and outside construed three words in that speech as an attempt to crack a joke about Hariprasad's initials.

While Opposition members squirmed at the reference, which they thought was in poor taste, the BJP benches too remained stony-faced. Next day, Naidu expunged these three words. He also expunged a reference to these three words by RJD member Manoj Jha, who had quoted them while demanding their removal from the records. There was talk of moving a privilege notice against the Prime Minister for the remark. But it was dropped after remarks were expunged.

TMC issues notice to K D Singh, Congress to act against 4 absent MPs

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

TMC issues notice to K D Singh,

Congress to act against 4 absent MPs

In all 42 MPs were absent in RS

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, July 31

The Congress Party in Rajya Sabha is contemplating to issue a show cause notice to four of its Rajya Sabha MPs who were absent at the time of voting on the Triple Talaq Bill in the Rajya Sabha. These MPs did not come to the voting despite the whip was issued. Similarly, the TMC has issued a whip to its MP K D Singh who did not attend the RS when voting took place. K D Singh explained through the SMS to party leader Derek Obrian that he was suddenly fallen sick and got admitted to the hospital. The party will take a call on his absence.

Mukut Mithi, Vivek Tankha, Pratap Singh Bajwa and Rajiv Biswal of the Congress were absent despite the whip. They too will face the music.

No other Opposition party issued the whip to its members that they must present themselves and vote against the bill. As many as 42 MPs to be precise absented at the time of voting yesterday on the Triple Talaq Bill in the Rajya Sabha. While 11 of the AIADMK MPs are considered friendly to the NDA, rest are opposition parties. It is shocking that all four MPs of the Bahujan Samaj Party, six of the 12 SP MPs were also absent.

Of course, the PM spoke to some chief ministers personally to secure their support, but BJP leaders Bhupendra Yadav and C M Ramesh won the praise of the leadership for their role in ensuring these huge absensions. C M Ramesh is a former TDP MP who joined the BJP. They were reporting to Amit Shah who kept on briefing Modi about the development. The 11-member AIADMK opposed the Bill but walked out. The Janata Dal (U) six MPs in the Rajya Sabha also walked out at the time of voting and TRS's six MP s also walked out.

Moderate polling sends BJP into a Tizzy

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Phase-I

Moderate polling sends BJP into a Tizzy

Tough to retain 32 seats

Congress struggling to cross 7 seats mark

Regional parties dominate

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, April 12

If the moderate to low polling in most of the 91 Lok Sabha seats across 20 states is any indication, neither the BJP and nor the Congress has any reason to cheer. The BJP will be lucky to retain its tally of 32 seats it won during 2014 Modi wave in the first phase. The 2 to 5% less polling in the Hindi heartland of UP, Bihar and Uttrakhand and Maharashtra too has caused worries within the BJP core group. A steep fall of almost 10% less polling in Assam has jeopardized BJP's ambition of winning all five seats in the state. The BJP had won four seats in 2014 while the Congress one.

It is not if the BJP faced a rather tough battle to retain the windfall gains of 2014, the Congress was sailing easy. It won 7 seats out of 91 in 2014 and is struggling very hard to cross the figure. It won two seats in undivided Andhra Pradesh and is unlikely to get any seat this time. It did not win any seat in Maharashtra or Hindi heartland. The Congress' remaining five seats came from the North East. This time, except for Assam, it is unlikely to retain these seats due to rise of the regional parties in North East. Of course, it is back in the race in Maharashtra with its ally NCP in Maharashtra and giving the BJP-SS run for the money in all seven seats. Pollsters who keep track of voting patterns and conduct Exit polls but cannot come out with their forecast say that there is a bitter fight on three seats where anything can happen.

But the real battle is in UP where BJP is faced with strong SP-BSP-RLD combine on all the eight seats which the BJP had won in 2014. In four of these eight seats, the Congress has given tacit support to the Gathbandhan by putting up such candidates who will indirectly help the combine.

For example, in Ghaziabad, it put up Dolly Sharma, a Brahmin who will eat into Gen. V K Singh's votes while in Gautam Buddh Nagar, Arvind Singh Chauhan, a Thakur, will hurt BJP's Dr Mahesh Sharma. Similarly, in Kairana, Congress's Jat candidate will hurt the BJP's candidate while in Meerut BJP's Rajendra Agarwal will be badly hurt by Congress's Baniya candidate Harendra Agarwal. The Congress has not fielded any candidate in Baghpat and Muzaffarnagar from where Jayant Chaudhary and Ajit Singh were contesting.

But on the remaining two seats, the Congress has put up strong candidates - Imran Masood in Saharanpur and Naseemuddin Siddiqui in Bijnor.

The division of votes may help the BJP here. Of the four seats in Bihar, the BJP won all the three seats and 4^th went to ally LJP. This time, it is contesting only one seat and gave two to the JD (U). Thus the BJP will have to struggle hard to retain 32 seats rather than gaining.

Ends

RaGa WAITING FOR HIS MOMENT

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Be not afraid of greatness," goes the cliched yet profound line in The Twelfth Night, "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them."

HAND IN HAND WITH RED FLAG

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Garm Hava (Scorching Winds), M. S. Sathyu’s 1973 film was about the dilemma of a Muslim family over migrating to Pakistan post-Independence, ends with the patriarch, played by Balraj Sahni, deciding to stay back in India. As id this was not enough, he also decided to join the communist movement against the ruling Congress, amidst the slogan yeh azaadi jhooti hai (”this freedom is a sham”). Since then, and even earlier, the Congress and communists have remained at polar removes, representing not only two different ideas of India but conflicting views on everything, from property ownership to role of state and democracy. Over the decades, and particularly due to the rise of Hindutva politics under the BJP, their distance has got narrowed but the core difference persists, and so the refusal of their leaders to share power. In 1996, the CPI(M) central committee prevented its senior leader and West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu from being sworn in as Prime Minister, predominantly because of his top comrades’ objection to their party becoming dependent on the Congress. The composition of the lower House at that time was such that the Congress could pull the rug from under the government’s feet any time it pleased.

However, it is the recent assembly election in West Bengal, ending on May 5, that has finally bridged the gulf between the ‘hand’ (symbol  of the Congress) and the red flag of communists. How the alliance will fare is anybody’s guess, May 19 being the scheduled poll counting day. Still, it is an unusual bonding tied by pressure from the ranks, not imposed from above. Congress president Sonia Gandhi was reportedly not much in favour of the idea of a communist-dominated alliance in Bengal where her party had remained number two for decades. But Rahul Gandhi, the party’s vice president, who was not given to such niceties, readily addressed rallies in Kolkata with former CPI(M) chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee by his side, and forests of clenched fists being raised in front of him with the slogan, comrade Rahul lal salam.  It was first time after Independence that a Gandhi scion was hailed as “comrade” by a predominantly communist rally.

 Can it be the harbinger of an enduring and electorally tenable centre-left coalition in India? Why not? The Congress, despite its corruption-tainted image for a long time now, has steadfastly held on to its socialist policies, which got a marked boost in the 10 years of UPA rule due to Sonia Gandhi’s hallmark programmes, like MGNREGA and Food Security Act. But, despite its left-leaning core ideology, the Congress remained without allies as caste-based politics had come to rule the roost. In the Nineties, BJP, with its Hindutva politics, added a new dimension to it. Since then Congress has been left with no regional allies worth the name. The Congress-left alliance, if it spreads across the nation, will have the potential of an anti-elite and pro-poor coalition. It is like turning the clock of history back to where it would have rightfully belonged, in a society divided by class. And it doesn’t matter if it is divided by caste too.

    It is natural that BJP will not be pleased if the Congress-left alliance puts up a stellar performance in Bengal. But even a fairly decent tally of, say, around 100 seats (in a house of 294) will bring a new momentum and push the envelope, particularly for the Uttar Pradesh election next year. CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury is working hard to create a nation-wide non-BJP alliance wherever feasible. Rahul Gandhi is extremely comfortable with Yechury and both agree that road to Delhi goes via Lucknow. Neither Rahul nor the Left trust Mulayam Singh Yadav anymore as he has ditched secular forces six times in the past. It is learnt that poll strategist Prashant Kishore, regarded as the architect of Modi’s election in 2014 as well as that of Nitish Kumar in Bihar last year, is insisting on the party rallying behind a “face”, be it of Rahul, or his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The advice has a lot of substance as even the elite classes, who supported Congress in the past and have now gone mostly to BJP, can respond to their old links only if a member of the party’s leading family agrees to launch his (or her) march to Delhi from Lucknow.

But the elites cannot win an election on their own. The local parties with their caste identities do not trust Congress. Nor is the party held in great trust by Muslims, who constitute 17 per cent of the population of Uttar Pradesh. The left can be a powerful adhesive to glue the regional parties and communities together to Congress. In other words, the left can function as a catalyst in the coalition-building process. It is win-win for regional parties too. Take, for example, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar who is working hard to get a leadership slot in UP’s anti-Modi space but hasn’t made much headway yet. A future coalition in the state spearheaded by Congress, and guaranteed by the Left, can offer at least three territorial players—Nitish’s JD(U), Lalu Prasad’s RJD and Mayawati’s BSP --an opportunity to take part in the governance of India’s largest state.

 

The 131-year-old Congress still has substantial brand value. But it has no friends. Despite Sonia Gandhi’s pro-poor programmes, it failed to forge lasting ties with the toiling masses. But the rally for “comrade Rahul” in Kolkata’s Park Circus maidan on a sizzling summer afternoon may pave the way for the party to unshackle itself at last, and win back the poor man’s trust that it has forfeited.