Long-term vision

At a meeting at his home in Ahmedabad to discuss the impending Gujarat Assembly elections, Amit Shah focused only on the challenge from the Aam Aadmi Party. A BJP leader foolishly interjected to remark that AAP was no great threat and would in fact simply divide the Opposition’s vote (vote katva). The Home Minister pulled him up and remarked that unlike him, he was not thinking three months ahead, but three years ahead. AAP was the only Opposition party gaining momentum all over the country as it has no baggage from the past to answer for. He warned that AAP should be contained and not permitted to cross 24% of the vote or the BJP could be in trouble. He cited the example of the phenomenal rise of the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra once Sharad Pawar merged his Congress(S) with the Congress(I) in 1986. Earlier, the Shiv Sena’s influence was restricted to Mumbai and the surrounding districts, but as soon as Pawar re-joined the Congress, there was a vacuum which was filled overnight by the Shiv Sena, allied with the BJP. He added that he was thinking of AAP’s prospects not just in 2024 but also 2029.

Second thoughts

Raman Singh, who was chief minister of Chhattisgarh for 15 years, has begun touring the state with an eye on the Assembly elections which are due late next year. But BJP organising secretary B L Santhosh put a spoke in his plans by warning him not to chalk out his tour programme unilaterally but do so in conjunction with the party organisation. An admonition which suggests that Singh may not be the party’s choice for chief minister candidate in 2023. Upset by Santhosh’s remarks and the fact that his son Abhishek Singh was denied the parliamentary ticket back in 2019, Singh let off steam while speaking to a few chosen journalists from the state. He muttered that he was a Rajput and did not take an insult lying down. Later, when he had cooled down, he feared that he might have spoken out of turn and hastily got his media adviser to ensure that the scribes did not report his candid comments. An impressive Diwali gift may have convinced the journalists to keep silent.

Keep off grass

Clearly the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), the central government-controlled, heavily funded municipality for Lutyens Delhi, is out of sync with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision. Recently, a billboard was put up outside a gate in Delhi’s iconic Lodhi Gardens announcing that all NDMC parks will be open to the public for only walking, jogging and running on the tracks; yoga and open gym will be prohibited. Not a very clever move surely.  It was at Modi’s initiative that yoga became mainstream, with awareness around the world, and the United Nations celebrating an International Yoga Day. One of the best known free yoga classes in the city is held in the Lodhi Gardens every morning, with Indians and many foreigners taking part in the asanas daily.

Also Read: Across the aisle by P Chidambaram: Hijab: Point and counter point

B for BJP

The B in the Board of Cricket for Control of India (BCCI) could also stand for the BJP. Consider the new office-bearers: Amit Shah’s son Jay continues as general secretary; Devajit Saikia, Assam’s attorney general and Himanta Biswa Sarma’s aide is joint general secretary; and Ashish Shelar, the BJP MLA from Mumbai, is treasurer. The two exceptions are Roger Binny the new president, appointed to appease southern sentiment led by the powerful industrialist N Srinivasan, and the amiable Rajeev Shukla of the Congress, who continues as vice-president. Even in the IPL, Arun Dhumal, brother of I&B Minister Anurag Thakur, is in charge.

Out of step

Gujarat Congress MLAs are shocked at the high command’s scant attention to the state elections that are round the corner. They recall that in 2017, Rahul Gandhi had toured extensively, visiting many temples and had succeeded in enthusing the Congress campaign enough to have the BJP run scared. This time, no recognisable face from Delhi seems interested in campaigning so far. (Rahul is busy with his 150-day Bharat Jodo Yatra, though some believe he will ask others from the party to take over the march and will start campaigning in the poll-bound Himachal and Gujarat.) Last month, a Congress MLA pleaded with Congress general secretary K C Venugopal that if Rahul cannot make it, at least Priyanka Vadra should come for the Gujarat garba celebrations. Venugopal promised that he would try to persuade her. The excited MLA bought a garba outfit for Rs 45,000 for Priyanka. The garba festivities have come and gone, but there is no sign of Priyanka. Union minister Smriti Irani, on the other hand, delighted Gujaratis with her dandiya raas steps.