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Satya pal Malik</category><category>land bill</category><category>loss making PSU</category><category>lutyens Delhi</category><category>manu Singhvi</category><category>monsoon session</category><category>national council</category><category>nikahhalaal</category><category>nitin Kumar</category><category>non-RSS</category><category>over-site Committee (OC)</category><category>photo</category><category>psychologist and social anthropologist</category><category>public servants</category><category>pulses</category><category>retirement</category><category>ruchest</category><category>sanitization</category><category>shalabh Kumar</category><category>shortage of water</category><category>snapdeal</category><category>soil Heath Cards</category><category>south asia</category><category>sunil arora</category><category>sushil kumar shinde</category><category>sutlej Yamuna Link</category><category>tampering</category><category>taxes</category><category>telecom companies</category><category>thewire</category><category>triple whammy</category><category>tur dal</category><category>vacciine</category><category>world economic outlook</category><category>y</category><category>“Cash-for-vote-"</category><title>Harish Gupta</title><description>National Editor, Lokmat</description><link>http://harishgupta45.blogspot.com/</link><managingEditor>noreply@blogger.com (Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group)</managingEditor><generator>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>1203</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378274661755863212.post-8361915307555320420</guid><pubDate>Sat, 04 May 2024 10:48:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2024-05-04T03:48:30.624-07:00</atom:updated><title></title><description>by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10456585391365514299" target="_blank">Harish Gupta</a>, National Editor, Lokmat Group<div> </div><div> </div><div>A
Night Halt and Hush-Hush meet at Nagpur
 

PM
Modi's reportedly secret meeting with the top RSS leadership at
Nagpur continues to baffle political observers.
In
an unusual development, the PM decided to stay overnight at the
Nagpur Raj Bhawan on April 19 after addressing a rally at Wardha. No
engagements were listed in his schedule&nbsp;until next morning at 11
am where he was to address a meeting at Amaravati. He reached the Raj
Bhawan around 6.30 pm and held a long meeting with the top leadership
of the RSS. One report suggests that he drove down to the RSS
headquarters to meet RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat who was also in town to
cast his vote while another report says the RSS leaders came to the
Raj Bhawan over dinner for a free-wheeling discussion with Modi. 

 

The
PM rarely stays overnight anywhere during campaigns and prefers to
return to Delhi. But this time, he chose to stay put overnight amidst
reports of lack of adequate communication. The RSS had alerted the
BJP well in advance that people are disenchanted and it could slip to
250 seats in the 2024 polls. The RSS has been dismayed as this was
the first time it did not play an important role in the process of
selection of candidates. The end result was that its workers were
unenthusiastic. 

 

When
reports poured in, the damage control began which resulted in this
high-level meeting at Nagpur. It is said that the RSS is now working
hard to ensure BJP's win which can be seen in improved voting
percentage in eight of the 12 states in the second phase.</div></description><link>http://harishgupta45.blogspot.com/2024/05/by-harish-gupta-national-editor-lokmat_4.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378274661755863212.post-5561903287204193064</guid><pubDate>Sat, 04 May 2024 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2024-05-04T03:00:17.243-07:00</atom:updated><title></title><description>by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10456585391365514299" target="_blank">Harish Gupta</a>, National Editor, Lokmat Group<div> </div><div>Fly on the Wall BJP Flogging A Tested Horse The BJP's core committee comprising its top leadership decided to continue their&nbsp; tirade against the Muslims who are being given reservations and would have a stake in the wealth of others during the Lok Sabha polls. The BJP's poll strategists have given the feedback to the leadership that the issue of Muslims enjoying the fruits of reservation and wealth has gained traction among the people. The PM was first to raise the issue at his rally in Banswara in Rajasthan in the third week of April where he had said that their wealth would be distributed to the Muslims and infiltrators if the Congress came to power. He also said that Muslims are being given the fruits of reservations as enjoyed by the Scs, Sts and OBCs in some of the states.The PM chose to raise the issue as Banswara comprised 70% tribal Bhil community. Later, other top BJP leaders including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, J P Nadda, Giriraj Singh picked up the thread and raised the Muslims quota enjoyed in several states. In Karnataka, for example, Muslims had a 4% sub-quota within the 32% OBC quota. Kerala has an 8% Muslim quota within the 30% OBC quota and Tamil Nadu and Bihar, have Muslim caste groups in their OBC quota.It is said that the Muslim quota issue was raised after low polling in the first phase on April 19 and it paid rich dividends. In the second phase, the polling picked up and an enthused Prime Minister said in Telangana on May 1, “As long as Modi is alive, won't let Dalit, Adivasi, OBC reservations go to Muslims.”Insiders in the party say that poll pitch is being changed as BJP's vote bank is enthused. This was contrary to his initial hesitancy in a couple of TV interviews given between April 20-30. He told the interviewers that he had used the word “infiltrators”. But in the Telangana rally, he named them not once but several times. The BJP leadership has been worried after it received feedback from Rajasthan, Bihar, Maharashtra and UP that its vote bank is unenthusiastic. Thus, the BJP went back to flogging a tested horse to reap the harvest. Yogi's Rajput worry The low polling in many states including UP is not merely because of unhappiness among the BJP-RSS workers but due&nbsp;to a variety&nbsp;of other reasons. The Rajput community was also up in&nbsp;arms&nbsp;as&nbsp;fever&nbsp;number of tickets were given to the community. The Rajputs were denied tickets not only in UP but in Rajasthan as well. Many&nbsp;saw this as a design&nbsp;to cut the growing clout of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and want his wings to&nbsp;be clipped&nbsp;as he is the second most sought after leader during the campaign&nbsp;after Modi. The Centre is virtually running the show in Lucknow as key appointments in the bureaucracy are made by it. A majority of ministers in the UP Cabinet are picked up by the high command and given key ministries. Yet, Yogi's clout continues to grow as he works 24X7 without a family and believes in delivery. When Rajput got angry and decided to vote against the BJP, Yogi tried hard to&nbsp;mollify&nbsp;them saying any adverse outcome of Lok Sabha results in UP will weaken his position. Yogi belongs to the Rajput community. In the meanwhile, Yogi's visit to Nagpur to campaign for BJP's stalwart and Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari last month has raised&nbsp;many eyebrows. Gadkari is reported to have conveyed to the Prime Minister well in advance that he should concentrate on those constituencies in Maharashtra where extra efforts are needed as his position is comfortable in Nagpur. But Yogi's rally was held and later he visited Gadkari's residence as well.&nbsp;Rising graph of J&amp;K Governor It is almost clear that Lieutenant Governor of J&amp;K Manoj Sinha will be back in Delhi sooner than expected. After he lost his Ghazipur Lok Sabha seat in 2019 polls, Sinha missed a berth in the Union Cabinet. Instead, he was sent as LG, J&amp;K where he showed his mettle in handling a highly sensitive state to restore peace. The J&amp;K under the Modi dispensation has been fighting fit to find a competent person since 2014 as no experiment succeeded. Finally, after abrogation of Article 370, bureaucrat G C Murmu was sent as LG in 2019 who failed to deliver and replaced by Manoj Sinha in less than a year in 2020. It is said that after the Lok Sabha polls, efforts will be made to hold the Assembly polls soon. Sinha may make a comeback either as a Lok Sabha candidate or brought to the Rajya Sabha sooner than expected. This stems from the fact that Paras Nath Rai, a 70 year-old school teacher and a die-hard supporter of Sinha has been&nbsp;given a Lok&nbsp;Sabha ticket by the BJP high command. It is said that Rai will quit his seat once Sinha is brought back to the Centre. Manoj Sinha's graph has risen many fold as he has been extremely successful during his nearly four year stay in office. It may also be mentioned here that Sinha had missed the bus as UP Chief Minister in 2017 narrowly to Yogi. It may be a windfall&nbsp;gain&nbsp;for Sinha this time.</div><div> </div></description><link>http://harishgupta45.blogspot.com/2024/05/by-harish-gupta-national-editor-lokmat.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378274661755863212.post-8213847657912339376</guid><pubDate>Sat, 27 Apr 2024 11:28:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2024-04-27T04:28:24.620-07:00</atom:updated><title></title><description>by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10456585391365514299" target="_blank">Harish Gupta</a>, National Editor, Lokmat Group<div> </div><div>
No
Gandhi VS Gandhi contest in Rae Bareli
Varun
Gandhi writes to BJP Chief, declines to contest
 The
plans of BJP leadership to make a Gandhi vs Gandhi contest in Rae
Bareli went for a toss as three term party MP Varun Gandhi from UP
declined to enter the fray.

It
is learnt that BJP president J P Nadda reported to have asked Varun
Gandhi to contest from Rae Bareli against the Congress' likely
candidate Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The BJP is eyeing to win the seat
after it was vacated by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in 2024 and
opted the Rajya Sabha route.
 


Nadda
reported to have telephoned Varun Gandhi around ten days ago and
urged Varun Gandhi to consider contesting from Rae Bareli. Varun
Gandhi has been BJP MP for three terms but had been denied a ticket
from Pilibhit this time and gave it to his mother Maneka Gandhi.
 


Varun
Gandhi was sulking for being denied the ticket from Pilibhit. But the
BJP leadership had other plans as it had been toying with the idea of
fielding a Gandhi from Rae Bareli. The party leadership conducted
many internal surveys to pick the suitable candidate including Uma
Bharti, Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Patel, Keshav Prasad Mourya,
Nupur Sharma and a couple of others. Finally, the party zeroed on
Varun Gandhi who can tilt the election in its favour.

Accordingly,
Nadda contacted Varun Gandhi with the offer. Varun Gandhi was given
adequate time to consider the offer as the last date of filing
nomination papers for Amethi/Rae Bareli is May 3.&nbsp;However,
Varun Gandhi is reported to have written a letter to Nadda yesterday
declining to contest against Priyanka Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi.
 When
contacted, Varun Gandhi told Lokmat today, “Whatever discussions on
the issue took place between me and the top leadership of the party
are between me and them.”&nbsp;When pressed further, Varun Gandhi
confirmed saying, “The communications cannot be discussed in public
domain.”
 
</div></description><link>http://harishgupta45.blogspot.com/2024/04/by-harish-gupta-national-editor-lokmat_27.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378274661755863212.post-4037090559512620961</guid><pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2024 10:06:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2024-04-25T03:06:33.264-07:00</atom:updated><title></title><description>by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10456585391365514299" target="_blank">Harish Gupta</a>, National Editor, Lokmat Group<div> </div><div> </div><div>Fly
On the Wall
 The
Rise and fall (?) of AAP
 


If
you thought Rahul Gandhi or the Congress party is the principal
target of the BJP during the on-going Lok Sabha campaign, you may
perhaps be under the wrong impression. No doubt, the Prime Minister
has been continuously targeting the “Shahzada” and other members
of the Gandhi family in his rallies. But none of the senior Congress
leaders has either been put behind bars or targeted personally during
the Lok Sabha polls. In fact, the BJP leaders&nbsp; consider Rahul
Gandhi an asset who provides fodder through his innocuous comments or
slip of a tongue. If sources close to the ruling dispensation are any
indication, the real target is Aam Aadmi Party and its convener
Arvind Kejriwal. Reasons are many, the foremost being that no
political leader except Kejriwal has earned the distinction of
defeating the BJP in the Delhi Assembly polls not once but thrice.
This was despite the fact that PM Modi had addressed rallies after
rallies in Delhi to defeat Kejriwal in 2015 &amp; 2020. No doubt,
Kejriwal also tried to be bigger than his boots when he contested as
many as 432 Lok Sabha seats in 2014 polls and could win four from
Punjab. In 2019, he became wiser and fielded 35 candidates only.
Bhagwant Singh Mann was the lone MP to represent Punjab in Lok Sabha.
This election, he fielded 22 candidates and entered into an alliance
with Congress in Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat etc. Of these 22, AAP is
contesting 13 seats in Punjab alone. Yet the AAP's anti-corruption
crusader Arvind Kejriwal is languishing in jail. The case is rare as
this is the first time that a sitting Chief Minister is in jail on
corruption charges in the midst of Lok Sabha polls. Will it help the
BJP politically and decimate the AAP? The result of this
unprecedented act will be out only on June 4.
 

Nitish
on the Radar too
 


Normally,
no one speaks for more than 5 minutes at a rally where Prime Minister
Modi is the chief guest. But Nitish Kumar was full of steam and spoke
for more than 15-minutes, a rare scene. As if this was not enough,
Nitish Kumar gave signs of losing his mental balance and turned out
to be quite an embarrassment. Nitish went to the extent of saying
that the NDA will cross 4000 seats. As if this was not enough, Nitish
Kumar came back to his seat and touched Modi's feet triggering a
political storm.

If
the Opposition leaders tried to portray it as Nitish bowing down to
Modi, it also raised concerns about the CM's health amidst rumours
that he is suffering from dementia. Nitish Kumar has been doing
several such acts causing huge embarrassment to the party and
workers. Since then, the PM has not addressed any meeting with Nitish
Kumar though Modi went on to address rallies at Gaya&nbsp;and Purnea
as well. Gaya is being contested by Jeeten Ram Manjhi while Santosh
Kushwaha is contesting from Purnea. Both are BJP's allies in the NDA.
It has been also decided that Nitish Kumar will have to follow a
written script and speak within the given time frame. If insiders in
the BJP are to be believed, Nitish Kumar is on the radar. The BJP
would like to install its own Chief Minister in the key North Indian
state. It has severed ties with Akalis in Punjab and Bihar is next in
line. What a fall of “personally honest and politically dishonest
leader” said a JD (U) leader. 


 

Another
Worrisome Slide
 


Mayawati
was a school teacher and had gone to BJP leader late Madanlal Khurana
seeking a ticket to contest as a corporator. She failed and as luck
would have it, she got in touch with Kanshi Ram, BSP founder who
wanted a Dalit to be the Prime Minister of India. He groomed her and
made her UP Chief Minister after clinching an alliance with the
Samajwadi Party in 1995. She never looked back and stitched alliances
with the BJP, Congress or whosoever came her way to stay in power.
The turning point came when she became the Chief Minister on the
strength of her own party in 2007. The BSP became a pan-India party
winning 21 Lok Sabha seats with 6.17% votes in 2009. And then began
the slide as it drew a blank in 2014 Lok Sabha polls. She had to join
hands with SP again in 2019 and got 10 seats and vote share in UP was
19%. But in the Assembly polls in 2022, vote share fell to as low as
12%.

The
2024 Lok Sabha polls may witness further erosion .&nbsp;Ever since
Modi emerged on the scene, there has been a shift of Dalit voters
towards the BJP. The Enforcement Directorate's case of money
laundering forced her to play second fiddle to the ruling party at
the Centre. Mayawati has been left high &amp; dry with no capacity to
win a Rajya Sabha seat from any of the states nor can guarantee a
winning Lok Sabha seat either.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
</div></description><link>http://harishgupta45.blogspot.com/2024/04/by-harish-gupta-national-editor-lokmat_25.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378274661755863212.post-5211036118241711378</guid><pubDate>Thu, 18 Apr 2024 05:50:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2024-04-17T22:50:49.887-07:00</atom:updated><title></title><description>by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10456585391365514299" target="_blank">Harish Gupta</a>, National Editor, Lokmat Group<div> </div><div> </div><div>
Fly
on the Wall
A
Terror state in Terror
 The
killing of Amir Sarfaraz, a Lashkar-e-Taiba operative, in Lahore, at
his residence by two motorbike born gunmen, has created shock waves
in Pakistan. Sarfaraz was acquitted in the 2013 murder of India's
Sarabjit Singh who was a death-row prisoner, on charges of espionage.
Though Sarfaraz had been provided with a security cover after several
LeT operatives had been gunned down in Pakistan in the recent past.
Yet, he could not escape death forcing Pakistan's Interior Minister
to allege India's hidden hand. This is the 22nd killing of
terrorists belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba and other such outfits who
did targeted killings in India and having a good time in Pakistan.
But not anymore.
The
world woke up only when alleged Khalistani terrorist H S Nijjar was
killed in Canada and the Canadian PM blamed India but gave no proof.
Later, the US also joined the issue saying that India should
cooperate in the on-going probe. External Affairs Minister S
Jaishankar said such killings are contrary to India's policy. But it
has been noticed that India's political response towards terrorists
and those providing shelter had been very tough. Defence Minister
Rajnath Singh declared recently, “Hum Ghar Mein Ghus Kar Marenge”
(We will kill rogue elements in their nests). He was responding to a
question that terrorists kill and hide in Pakistan. 

Goes
without saying that PM Modi has toughened India policy in fight
against terrorism and India's external espionage agency, the Research
and Analysis Wing (RAW), has been given unbridled power. The RAW, set
up by Indira Gandhi in 1968 and played a key role in creating
Bangladesh in 1971, was made defunct by her successor Morarji Desai
in 1977. The RAW suffered again when I K Gujral became Prime Minister
for a brief stint when he wound up its operations in Pakistan. The
RAW is back in business in a big way and terrorists hiding in
Pakistan are a worried lot. Modi may reap the harvest if the issue
snowballs in the days to come during the elections. 

 

Why
ED, CBI silent on Vadra
 

 


Before
the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was going
against the Damaaji full gun blazing in a Haryana land deal
case. Vadra, husband of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, had been
grilled by the ED several times and had even sought cancellation of
anticipatory bail and sought his custody as he was not cooperating in
the investigation. The ED had also claimed to have impeccable
evidence of his ill-gotten property in London.
 


The
allegations of land deals and other corruption cases were flying
thick &amp; high involving the Gandhi family in the 2014 election
campaign that saw its continuation in 2019 polls as well. A prominent
TV channel cited Vadra's links with the controversial arms dealer
Sanjay Bhandari and how deals were discussed through emails. Five
years down the line, there is no trace of cases against Robert Vadra.
The BJP-led Haryana government closed the land deal case against
Vadra. The London property also vanished into thin air. There is
complete silence on corruption cases against Priyanka Gandhi Vadra or
the other members of the Gandhi family except for the National Herald
case. 


There
are reports that the country's leading real estate group made massive
donations through Electoral Bonds to the ruling dispensation during
the period. Whether these donations were linked to the closure of
cases or not could be anybody's guess. But a smiling Vadra is wanting
a Lok Sabha seat as he had faced huge harassment for more than a
decade. The Gandhis are maintaining a stony silence on the issue and
the party leaders are scared to even talk on the issue in these tough
times and maintaining a studied silence. The Amethi &amp; RaeBareli
seats are awaiting Congress candidates. 

 


Rising
Star Revanth Reddy
 


Telangana
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy seems to have drawn a leaf out of
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's book and is doggedly following&nbsp;him
in at least one area i.e. an “Open Door Policy”.&nbsp; Though the
Congress has a comfortable majority in the Assembly, Revanth Reddy
wants every influential leader in other parties to join the Congress
so that its Lok Sabha tally goes up. He doesn't hesitate to visit the
houses of Congress' arch rivals and bring them back into the fold. He
is gunning for the BRS and determined to ‘erase’ every mark of
his predecessor, K Chandrashekar Rao. He is removing all contents
uploaded during KCR’s tenure by the social media channels run by
the state information and public relations department as well.
However, he doesn't go out of his way to speak against the BJP's
central leadership particularly PM Modi. Rather, he called Modi "Bade
Bhai" (Elder Brother). Being an astute political leader who had
been with the ABVP during his student days, he knows that Centre's
help is necessary for the development of the state. He is also
keeping the party high command happy and since assuming office, he
has visited Delhi at least 18 times. He doesn't mince words and
speaks fluent Hindi and establishes a connection with the audience.
His rising graph has made many in the Congress a worried lot.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
</div></description><link>http://harishgupta45.blogspot.com/2024/04/by-harish-gupta-national-editor-lokmat_17.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378274661755863212.post-4775471774710197309</guid><pubDate>Sat, 13 Apr 2024 09:40:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2024-04-13T02:40:20.521-07:00</atom:updated><title></title><description>by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10456585391365514299" target="_blank">Harish Gupta</a>, National Editor, Lokmat Group<div> </div><div> </div><div>AAP facing biggest crisisAll eyes on SC on April&nbsp;15 about Kejriwal's bail plea&nbsp;&nbsp;AAP's MPs, MLAs a worried lot, No clarity on new leader All eyes are set on the Supreme Court which is set to hear Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's petition challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on April 15. In the event of any relief being denied to Kejriwal, the Aam Aadmi Party may suffer a body blow to its existence in the midst of Lok Sabha polls. The AAP Lok Sabha candidates in Delhi, Gujarat &amp; Haryana are unable to start campaigning effectively. The party is unable to pick its nominees in Punjab either.&nbsp;If reports are to be believed, as many as 25 AAP MLAs of the 62, are in touch with the BJP and many of its Rajya Sabha Mps are facing the heat. The AAP's leading Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha has been camping in London for his eye treatment for more than a month and there are no early signs of his return. Except for Sanjay Singh and Sandeep Pathak, most of the Mps are looking the other way. With the ED providing evidence of how ill-gotten money earned through liquor-gate given to AAP candidates in Goa and other leaders to the Delhi High court which rejected Kejriwal's bail plea, the party is facing a crisis of its existence.&nbsp;The ED has conducted at least 20 raids in Delhi and Goa and grilled party treasure N D Gupta and MLA Durgesh Pathak.&nbsp;It is also baffling that AAP's second most senior leader and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann is maintaining a low profile and confining himself to his state. No one has a clue whether Kejriwal's wife, Sunita Kejriwal will take the reins of the party or the government or both or someone else will don the mantle. It is highly unlikely that Kejriwal will stay as Chief Minister even after bail is denied to him by the SC.</div><div> </div></description><link>http://harishgupta45.blogspot.com/2024/04/by-harish-gupta-national-editor-lokmat_13.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378274661755863212.post-6671443834306813087</guid><pubDate>Fri, 12 Apr 2024 11:36:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2024-04-12T04:36:36.685-07:00</atom:updated><title></title><description>by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10456585391365514299" target="_blank">Harish Gupta</a>, National Editor, Lokmat Group<div> </div><div> </div><div>Fly
on the wall
Long
wait for Rahul Darshan, 700 in queue
 


Congress
Party's senior leader Rahul Gandhi may be ridiculed by the BJP day-in
and day-out and the saffron party's social media army may be trolling
him for everything that comes its way. But Rahul Gandhi continues to
be in high demand in his own party if those managing his political
affairs and office are to be believed. It is said that party's Lok
Sabha candidates want Rahul Gandhi to campaign in their
constituencies though insiders say the demand of Priyanka Gandhi
Vadra is equally high as she never trips as is often the case with
Rahul Gandhi. Whatever may be the case, Rahul Gandhi is in high
demand. An aide of Rahul Gandhi recently flared up when a Congress
leader questioned him for not arranging his one minute meeting with
the scion of the Gandhi family. The senior leader was from Delhi and
had been trying to meet Rahul Gandhi for more than a month without
any luck. The aide bluntly told him that more than 700 party leaders
are waiting to meet “RG”. But the former Congress president has
been extremely busy in campaigning and other critical issues. A clue
to Rahul Gandhi's extremely busy scheduled came recently when the
Chairman of the Congress media in-charge Jairam Ramesh disclosed in a
social media post that Milind Deora had spoken with him over phone
and requested about wishing to to speak with Rahul Gandhi over his
concerns over Shiv Sena (UBT) laying claim to the South Mumbai Lok
Sabha seat. A number of party leaders were surprised that Deora could
not directly communicate with Rahul though he was considered very
close to him.
 

BJP's
Christians headache

 The
BJP leadership is facing a humongous problem in many of the Christian
dominated Lok Sabha constituencies particularly in Kerala. Though PM
Modi has taken several steps as part of his outreach program and had
hosted their religious leaders at his residence, the problem
persists. The cardinals were unhappy that Pope Francis had not been
invited during the past several years ignoring a long standing
tradition. Though the government explained that a mutually acceptable
time-frame is&nbsp;being worked out after an invitation was sent.&nbsp;The
Christians are also unhappy that not a single member of their
community has been appointed as Vice Chancellor in any of the 75
central universities. Fortunately, Prakash Javadekar who is incharge
of Kerala told them that during his tenure as Education Minister, two
VCs of their community were appointed. They are complaining that the
National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI) set
up to promote education among the minorities, is running with just
one member against a stipulated strength of four for years together.
The quasi-judicial body grants minority certificates to institutions
set up by minorities for promotion of education among them. The
commission has had no Christian members for the past eight years.
Sahid Akhtar is the lone commission member at present.&nbsp;The
Christian community in general and the Catholic Church in particular
run thousands of educational institutions. The Catholic Church alone
has 50,000 institutions with 6 crore students.
 

Baffling
absence of AAP's Raghav Chadha
 


A
media favourite, charming, polite and a permanent fixture on
television news channels, Raghav Chadha has been missing from the
scene for more than a month. He went to London with his actress wife
Parineeti Chopra ostensibly for an eye surgery though the couple&nbsp;took
part in India Forum 2024, hosted at the London School Of Economics
and many other events. It is explained that&nbsp;he is undergoing
treatment of his eye while his wife was seen landing at the Mumbai
airport earlier this month. The&nbsp;grapevine has it that Chadha is
delaying his return to India as the ED may name him in an on-going
Delhi Jal Board probe.&nbsp;The ED has already filed a chargesheet in
the Rs 2 crore bribery case. Though it does not mention Chadha's
name. But the ED is planning to file a supplementary chargesheet and
may summon him for questioning. Lately, Raghav Chadha is
incommunicado and&nbsp;Parineeti Chopra is also keeping the media at
bay. Insiders say that Parineeti Chopra's sister Priyanka Chopra who
is considered close to the powers that be, may play the role of a
peace-maker. A long wait and deadly silence!

 

The
Varun Gandhi riddle
 


Why
did the BJP deny ticket to Varun Gandhi and chose his mother Maneka
to contest Lok Sabha polls? This question continues to baffle even
those close to the BJP high command. Many say that Varun Gandhi paid
the price for his public utterances after he was not inducted into
the Modi ministry in 2021. Though a couple of meetings took place
between him and BJP chief J P Nadda on the issue. It is said Varun
Gandhi was sounded for Minister of State's post but he suggested that
he be considered for MoS with an Independent charge so that he can
prove his mettle. It may be mentioned that his mother Maneka Gandhi
had missed the Cabinet bus during Modi's second term in 2019 itself.
Since then, Maneka Gandhi had maintained a studied silence and did
whatever party work was assigned to her. But Varun Gandhi being&nbsp;a
young&nbsp;fire-brand leader, kept throwing tantrums. It also
transpires, though unconfirmed, that Varun Gandhi was asked obliquely
if he will be willing to contest against any member of the Gandhi
family&nbsp;belonging to the Congress. It is said that Varun looked
reluctant though didn't decline. After the ticket was denied to
him,&nbsp;Varun Gandhi has been maintaining a studied silence except
for sending a heartfelt letter to the people of Pilibhit to say his
doors would always be open for them.
 
</div></description><link>http://harishgupta45.blogspot.com/2024/04/by-harish-gupta-national-editor-lokmat_12.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378274661755863212.post-609485366480084270</guid><pubDate>Thu, 04 Apr 2024 06:15:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2024-04-03T23:15:15.663-07:00</atom:updated><title></title><description>by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10456585391365514299" target="_blank">Harish Gupta</a>, National Editor, Lokmat Group<div> </div><div> </div><div>Fly
on the Wall 

 

Is
the BJP getting desperate
 


The BJP leadership may
have set a target of crossing 370 Lok Sabha seats mark for itself and
400 for the NDA. But no independent political observer was willing to
accept such a tall order given the prevailing situation on the
ground. Even credible pollsters and psephologists were baffled when
the Prime Minister, Narwndra Modi said this on February 5 during a
debate in the Lok Sabha. No doubt, the BJP had got a shot in its arm
when Janata Dal (U) leader Nitish Kumar took a U-turn to re-joined
the NDA causing a body blow to the INDIA alliance. Other smaller
parties also made a bee-line to join the NDA. Yet it was not enough.
The leadership got a jolt when the RSS reported to have shared a
confidential country-wide survey it had conducted on the state of the
nation. The survey, conducted last year, cautioned the BJP of stress
in rural India and rising joblessness in cities forcing many to go
back to the villages. No doubt, the Modi government's welfare schemes
helped the poor but there was work. If sources close to the RSS are
to be believed, it said the BJP may get a wafer-thin majority. It is
said that it was only after this report that a multipronged strategy
was formulated. An “open-door” policy was adopted and tickets
were given to newcomers from other parties and a full-throated
campaign against corruption was launched to expose Opposition
leaders. An indication of this desperation was witnessed in Odisha
where the BJP wanted to bring the ruling BJD in its fold which was
already supporting the saffron party.
 

Double
Whammy 

 


The
sulking 100 odd-BJP Mps who have been denied tickets by the party,
got another rude shock. Though a few of them quit the party for
greener pastures elsewhere, the majority of them were cooling their
heels at home. The party high command contacted many of them saying
that they have a job to do for the party and denial of ticket is not
the end of their political career. They were told to work hard for
the candidate who has been given the ticket from the same
constituency. A detailed plan of their poll duties was shared with
them. So much so that they were told to be present on the dais when
the Prime Minister, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party president
J P Nadda addressed rallies in those constituencies. The BJP's
election incharge of the constituency are in touch with them on a
regular basis and they are given facilities to contribute for the
victory of the party candidate. Interestingly, the BJP's Trimurti
(Modi, Shah &amp; Nadda) ensures to give full respect to those denied
tickets on the stage and shake hands with them to send a signal to
the audience that all is well in the saffron family. Most of the
ministers denied tickets have been given specific duties and are
actively campaigning for the new faces. A rare feat indeed! 

 


Seats
under BJP's Scanner
 


The
BJP leadership has targeted a few Lok Sabha seats to ensure the
defeat of Opposition leaders in 2024 polls. In 2019, it had targeted
Amethi in UP and Dumka in Jharkhand to ensure the defeat of Rahul
Gandhi and Shibu Soren. This time, the BJP leadership has Rae Bareli
(UP), Chhindwara (MP), Bengaluru Rural (Karnataka), Baramati
(Maharashtra) and Asansol (West Bengal) on its radar. The BJP wants
Chhindwara seat in its kitty to ensure the defeat of Kamal Nath's
legacy who has friendly relations with PM Modi. This will pave the
way for Nakul Nath's entry into the BJP post elections. Similarly,
the BJP wants to win Rae Bareli and has not declared its candidate so
far waiting for the Congress to name Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to be
fielded from the constituency. In Bengaluru Rural, the BJP wants to
defeat DK Suresh, brother of deputy Chief Minister D K Shivkumar. In
Baramati, the BJP is willing to pump its entire might to defeat
Supriya Sule, a daughter of Sharad Pawar and helping Ajit Pawar to
the hilt. The BJP leadership wants to snatch Asansol to ensure the
defeat of Shatrughan Sinha. There are indications that it may field S
S Ahluwalia, known for winning difficult seats. If he won Darjeeling
in 16th Lok Sabha, he won Bardhaman Durgapur in 2019. 

 

Nirmala
rubs on the wrong side
 Union
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman may have earned some brownie
points by saying that she declined to contest as she doesn’t have
the kind of money that is needed to contest the Lok Sabha polls.
However, this comment upset many party leaders who felt she had
rubbed others on the wrong side. There are many leaders in the BJP
who also do not have the kind of money to contest an&nbsp;election.
But it's for the party to take a call on this aspect as well.
Secondly, there are other ministers as well in the Modi government
who had expressed their reluctance to contest for various reasons.
Nirmala's comment has put them in an uncomfortable situation too
though it&nbsp;may have been an innocuous&nbsp;one.
 

 
</div></description><link>http://harishgupta45.blogspot.com/2024/04/by-harish-gupta-national-editor-lokmat.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378274661755863212.post-7777296370404234726</guid><pubDate>Fri, 29 Mar 2024 09:39:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2024-03-29T02:39:02.061-07:00</atom:updated><title></title><description>by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10456585391365514299" target="_blank">Harish Gupta</a>, National Editor, Lokmat Group<div> </div><div>BJP
to contest 445 Lok Sabha seats, 40 allies on board
 

The
BJP is likely to contest around 440-445 Lok Sabha seats in the 2024
parliamentary elections. The BJP has announced candidates for the 405
LS seats so far and candidates for some seats in UP, Punjab, Odisha
and a couple of other states are yet to be announced. It has
announced names of 24 candidates in Maharashtra and at least half a
dozen more names may be announced in the next couple of days.
 

Interestingly,
the BJP has entered into alliances with smaller parties in almost all
the states to drum up its winning target of 370 seats and 400 for the
NDA. The number of allies has touched 40, according to BJP sources.
It tried hard to stitch alliances with the BJD in Odisha, JJP in
Haryana and Akali Dal in Punjab but the talks failed. On the other
hand, the BJP gave up its claim on seats to strengthen the NDA in a
few North Eastern states.
 

Insiders
say that PM Modi is sacrificing some of the seats as he wants to
bring big reforms in his third term and wants everybody on board in
his third term. The BJP, therefore, is welcoming all &amp; sundry
from all parties into its fold even at the cost of hurting the
sentiments of the party cadre. It has dropped more than 100 sitting
Mps including ministers and is experimenting with new faces.
 

This
will be BJP's highest ever tally compared to 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha
polls despite having the 40-odd allies in states. PM Modi was
actively involved in bringing N Chandrababu Naidu in Andhra Pradesh
to open BJP's account which had drawn a blank in 2019. But in
neighbouring Telangana, the BJP is going solo like in many other
states. In 2014 the BJP fielded 428 candidates and won 282 seats
while in 2019 it fielded 437 candidates and emerged victorious in 303
seats.
 
</div></description><link>http://harishgupta45.blogspot.com/2024/03/by-harish-gupta-national-editor-lokmat_29.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378274661755863212.post-103790948123275145</guid><pubDate>Thu, 28 Mar 2024 13:38:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2024-03-28T06:38:56.894-07:00</atom:updated><title></title><description>by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10456585391365514299" target="_blank">Harish Gupta</a>, National Editor, Lokmat Group<div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Fly
on the Wall
 Watch
out AAP's rising star Bhagwant Mann
 


With
the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal going behind bars, all eyes
are set on the party's Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann.
Though no instability is likely to be witnessed in the near future,
informed sources say that it won't be an easy ride for Kejriwal's
wife to take the reins of Chief Ministerial post or becoming a
working Convener of the party. Since Manish Sisodia or Sanjay Singh
have been granted any relief in the Liquor policy scam, one will have
to watch out if Kejriwal will be lucky one to get out soon. The party
is also facing a huge financial crisis making its day-to-day
functioning crippled. The fear factor has gripped sympathizers and
donors to help the party as probe agencies are keeping a close
watch.In the given situation, all eyes are set on Punjab's Chief
Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to arrange funds to its candidates. He
is the senior-most leader and figures at number 7 in the Order of
Precedence compared to Kejriwal at number 14. Secondly, he has good
rapport with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister
Amit Shah. Being the Chief Minister of a border state, the Centre is
careful and doesn't rub him on the wrong side. Mann is also careful
is choosing his words while criticizing the BJP's top leadership. It
is rumoured that the BJP leadership wanted AAP-Congress to not align
for the Lok Sabha polls in Punjab. Political analysts may blame the
Congress for break up. But it must be noted that Mann had taken a
very strident stand on the issue and his writ prevailed.
 

VP,
PM to shift to new residences
 


Vice
President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be
shifting to new residential complexes soon. If Dhankhar is likely to
shift to a new house in the first week of April, the PM may do it
after June 4. The new Vice-President’s Enclave is spread over 15
acres of land and has a build-up area of 20,000 sq. feet. It will
have a single-story (ground plus one with a basement) residence, a
secretariat building, guest house, sports facility, staff quarters
and ancillary buildings. The VP House is part of the Narendra Modi
government’s ambitious Central Vista redevelopment project and will
have a new Prime Ministerial residence in the vicinity. The new
residential complexes are fitted with state-of-the-art-technology and
have all security features.&nbsp;

The
construction work, which started in January 2022, has been delayed
for over a year after it was awarded to Jharkhand-based Kamladityya
Construction Pvt. Ltd. (KCPL) was awarded the project in November
2021. The Rs 214-crore enclave is the third project to be completed
as part of the approximately Rs 13,500 crore Central Vista plan.
Under the Central Vista redevelopment project, 10 Common Central
Secretariat (CCS) buildings are also to be constructed on either side
of the Kartavya Path (Rajpath) during Modi's third term. 

 

The
Gandhis won't vote for Congress
 


It
may be perhaps for the first time that the three members of the
Gandhi family- Sonia, Rahul &amp; Priyanka- won't be able to cast
their votes for the party they belong to. Since the New Delhi Lok
Sabha constituency has been given to the AAP under the seat-sharing
formula, the Gandhis will not be able to cast their votes for the
Congress candidate. If they are in town on the day of the voting,
they will be voting for their electoral partner candidate belonging
to the AAP. The AAP has fielded Somnath Bharti as its candidate for
the Lok Sabha polls while the BJP has fielded Bansuri Swaraj,
daughter of late Sushma Swaraj.
 

Baffling
silence over Priyanka Gandhi
 


If
the Congress is keeping its cards close to the chest with regard to
Amethi and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituencies, the BJP has also not
named its candidate for the Rae Bareli seat either. It has chosen
Smriti Irani as its candidate so far among the 64 candidates
announced from UP. The BJP will contest 76 seats out of 80 in the Lok
Sabha polls. It is fairly clear that Rahul Gandhi won't contest from
Amethi. But there is complete silence over Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's
name as well.

The
Congress has announced candidates for the nine Lok Sabha seats out of
the 17 it will contest in alliance with the Samajwadi Party in UP.
But both the seats do not figure in the party's list. It is learnt
that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is reluctant to enter the electoral fray
from Rae Bareli. If reports emanating from 10 JanPath are an
indication, she is extremely unhappy with what's happening in the
party. Her services are not being utilized for the past few months
and she is cooling her heels at her Sujan Singh Park residence.
Efforts are on to persuade her to contest from Rae Bareli. If the BJP
targeted Amethi seat in 2019 Lok Sabha, it has kept its powder dry
for the Rae Bareli seat this time.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
</div></description><link>http://harishgupta45.blogspot.com/2024/03/by-harish-gupta-national-editor-lokmat_28.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378274661755863212.post-4632479046603914326</guid><pubDate>Thu, 21 Mar 2024 08:51:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2024-03-21T01:51:31.556-07:00</atom:updated><title></title><description>by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10456585391365514299" target="_blank">Harish Gupta</a>, National Editor, Lokmat Group<div> </div><div>

Fly
on the wall
&nbsp;
Come
elections and Video season begins 

 

Two
recent obscene videos allegedly involving two BJP Lok Sabha Mps have
taken the national Capital by storm. In the case of Upendra Singh
Rawat, the video surfaced on social media after he was fielded as a
candidate from Barabanki Lok Sabha seat. Though an FIR against
unknown accused was registered as Rawat claimed the video was
doctored to tarnish his image, he deemed it fit to withdraw from the
contest the very next day. The obscene videos which have not been
authenticated so far purportedly featuring him appeared online on 3
March. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP had denied a ticket to
the then-sitting MP Priyanka Singh Rawat and made Upendra Singh Rawat
its candidate.&nbsp;
While
the BJP was struggling to cope with this, another video involving
another sitting BJP Lok Sabha MP from Sonepat in Haryana emerged on
the social media. The woman involved was wanting a favour and the MP
demanded a return favour. In this case also, the FIR was registered
and the Police detained two people. The Sonepat MP, Ramesh Kaushik,
vehemently denied saying it was a political conspiracy against him.
Kaushik had joined the BJP in the Modi wave in 2013 among other
senior Congress leaders like Rao Inderjeet, Birender Singh, Kuldeep
Bishnoi and got the Lok Sabha ticket in 2014. He was given the Lok
Sabha ticket again in 2019 and defeated former Chief Minister
Bhupendra Singh Hooda. However, the tickets in Haryana are yet to be
announced and there is a question mark whether he would be lucky a
third time. It is not the first time that such videos have surfaced
in public domain involving senior politicians.&nbsp; The BJP has been
very tough in such cases and those involved had paid a heavy price
for their misadventures.
New
BJP Chief after LS Polls!

 When the tenure of
BJP chief JP Nadda was extended by the National Council in February
onth for four months, it became clear that the ruling party will have
a new Chief after the polls. Nadda was appointed interim president in
2019 after Amit Shah was became Union Home Minister. It is now
whispered in the corridors of power that former Haryana Chief
Minister Manoharlal Khattar may be the new BJP president in place of
J P Nadda. Khattar has been Modi's close confidante as he was his
room-mate since the days when both were RSS' full-time pracharaks.
Khattar was the personal choice of Modi as Haryana Chief Minister and
had surprised political observers in 2014. With enough administrative
experience behind him, Khattar qualifies to be in the next Modi
Cabinet. But Modi will need a confidante to run the party affairs.
Nadda may be brought into the Modi Cabinet like former party chiefs;
Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari and Amit Shah.

 A classic riddle
in Haryana &amp; Jharkhand
 Two
states; one ruled by the BJP and another by the INDIA alliance, are
facing a classic riddle. The newly appointed Haryana Chief Minister,
Nayab Singh Saini, is not an MLA and he will have to contest for an
Assembly seat before September. The Karnal Assembly seat has fallen
vacant after Manohar Lal Khattar quit&nbsp;and a by-poll has been
announced. Since the tenure of the Haryana Assembly is ending on
November 3, Saini will have to contest again in October as tenure of
the Assembly will end on November 3. Saini has resigned his Lok Sabha
seat and in all likelihood, Khattar may contest for the same.

Similar
riddle has emerged in Jharkhand&nbsp; where Kalpana Murmu Soren, wife
of former Chief Minister Hemant Soren, is unable to decide whether to
contest for the Assembly or Lok Sabha polls. The by-poll in Gandeya
Assembly seat in Giridih district is due. It was decided that Kalpana
Murmu Soren will contest this seat and later she will be installed as
Chief Minister. However, with trouble brewing in the Shibu Soren
family, Kalpana Soren may prefer to contest the Dumka Lok Sabha seat.
Shibu Soren's another daughter-in-law, Sita Soren has joined the BJP
and it's considered a huge setback to the JMM. 

Patience
pays
 


If
you are dealing with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, you must have
tremendous patience. He has many parameters to test the loyalty of
people and who will know better than Chirag Paswan. He was the
natural choice to inherit the political legacy of his father Ram
Vilas Paswan who died on October 8, 2020. But he was not made a
minister and lost his bungalow even after he helped the BJP in Bihar
Assembly polls and JD (U) was pushed to number three position. As if
this was not enough, his estranged uncle Pashupati Paras was inducted
into the Cabinet in July 2021. However, Chirag Paswan kept his cool
and did not utter a word either against the BJP or Modi for three
long years. When Lok Sabha polls approached, Gods smiled on him and
Chirag Paswan got what he wanted; all five Lok Sabha seats in Bihar.
Modi dumped Pashupati Paras like a hot potato. Reason; Modi was
testing Chirag Paswan's patience. People close to him say that Modi
had been doing it since his Gujarat days. Modi also knew that the 6%
Paswan vote bank will go towards the son and not with “uncle”
when it comes to the electorate.
 
</div></description><link>http://harishgupta45.blogspot.com/2024/03/by-harish-gupta-national-editor-lokmat_21.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378274661755863212.post-6120071588780302357</guid><pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2024 06:32:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2024-03-13T23:32:45.301-07:00</atom:updated><title></title><description>by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10456585391365514299" target="_blank">Harish Gupta</a>, National Editor, Lokmat Group<div> </div><div>Fly on the wall The Fall of a Doon School buddy Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath was the blue-eyed boy of the Gandhi family for almost 60 years and attained the status of “Third son of Indira Gandhi.” He was among those privileged ones who lived with Rajiv and Sanjay at the Teen Murti residence of late PM Jawaharlal Nehru during school holidays as he became their buddy at the Doon School. The Doon school club called the shots when Rajiv Gandhi became the PM. It was this DOSCO club which eventually gave birth to many of the scams the country witnessed over the decades. Kamal Nath is perhaps the last member of this club to fall from grace when he did not listen to persistent pleas of AICC state incharge of Madhya Pradesh; be it Jai Prakash Agrawal or Randeep Surjewala regarding distribution of tickets. Eventually, the Congress lost polls and Rahul Gandhi decided to sack him within 24 hours as PCC Chief. An enraged Kamal Nath tried to cross over to the BJP but his move backfired.Insiders in the Congress say that Rahul Gandhi was always against making Kamal Nath Chief Minister but Sonia Gandhi prevailed. It was always suspected that the Modi government is soft towards Kamal Nath and not acting against his elder son Bakul Nath, an NRI in the USA, despite his name figuring in the list of beneficiaries in AgustaWestland Deal.Bakul Nath's name surfaced after the ED extradited Rajiv Saxena from Dubai in January 2019. He was a conduit in the Rs 3,000-crore VVIP chopper deal case. Saxena's statement to the ED was over 1,000 pages and gave account of involvement of defence dealer Sushen Mohan Gupta, Kamal Nath's nephew Ratul Puri, Bakul Puri among others.Ratul Puri was arrested by the ED in 2019 as the proceeds of crime were routed through a company owned by Savannah Trust. Bakul Nath, a beneficiary, has been unable to come to India for the past five years. Kamal Nath has denied any wrongdoing in these cases and his involvement. Anyway, his younger son and sitting Lok Sabha MP Nakul Nath has been retained as party candidate from Chhindwara as every seat matters in this do or die battle.How Meenakshi Lekhi lost the plot Meenakshi Lekhi had all the ingredients of becoming the Chief Ministerial face of the BJP in Delhi. She belonged to the most respected family of legendary lawyer P N Lekhi who always fought cases in courts on behalf of the RSS-Jana Sangh and commanded considerable respect. Lekhi was a party loyalist and a good orator in addition to being a good lawyer too. She was promoted rather fast in the party ranks and emerged as BJP's Lok Sabha candidate in 2014 from the prestigious New Delhi constituency. Almost all senior party leaders including late Arun Jaitley recommended her name and she was elected with a thumping majority. She made a mark by her performance in the Lok Sabha and got nominated for the second term in 2019. Later, she was inducted in the Modi government as Minister of State for External Affairs &amp; Culture. It transpires that she fell out with her senior ministerial colleague and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar over crossing a line and even went public on a sensitive issue. She used to blow her top often and kept workers waiting for hours together. It seems success went into her head and party workers started complaining to the high command. As the power of her star faded, she lost the ticket and another emerging woman lawyer in Bansuri Swaraj emerged on the scene. Bansuri also carried with her the legacy of late Sushma Swaraj. Meenakshi Lekhi is cooling her heels now hoping for rehabilitation in the organization. If she has lost the plot, it's due to her own doing.How Sukhu wrote his own obituarySukhvinder Singh Sukhu was a surprise choice as Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh and was nowhere in the race for the coveted post. He was considered close to the&nbsp;Gandhi siblings; Rahul &amp; Priyanka, and also a close confidant of senior party leader Anand Sharma too. Sharma is considered close to Sonia Gandhi though Rahul doesn't like him. When the Congress won the polls, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu was chosen, nipping&nbsp;the prospects of Pratibha Singh, wife of late Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. The Gandhis deputed another confidant Rajiv Shukla as state incharge to ensure that government remains stable. Since the Congress won 40 out of 68 Assembly seats, Sukhu and Shukla thought that BJP can't pose a threat. But unthinkable happened as the Sukhu-Shukla duo could never imagine that six of their own party MLAs could vote for the BJP's Rajya Sabha candidate. If Sukhu was complaisant, Shukla's hands were full with other big responsibilities like the BCCI, UP and looking after the Gandhi family. Poor Sukhu will pay the price and the Gandhis will lose a state as the BJP has tasted blood.&nbsp;Its&nbsp;only a matter of time and Sukhu's days are numbered. </div></description><link>http://harishgupta45.blogspot.com/2024/03/by-harish-gupta-national-editor-lokmat_13.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378274661755863212.post-8717202184695939964</guid><pubDate>Thu, 07 Mar 2024 11:49:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2024-03-07T03:49:35.466-08:00</atom:updated><title></title><description>by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10456585391365514299" target="_blank">Harish Gupta</a>, National Editor, Lokmat Group<div> </div><div> </div><div>Striking Similarities: 1984 vs 2024 Lok Sabha polls The Lok Sabha polls slated to be held in April-May 2024 remind political observers of striking similarities with the one held 40 years ago. A close look at the parliamentary polls held in December 1984 soon after the assassination of PM Indira Gandhi on October 31 at her 1 Safdarjung Road residence, will reveal some of these similarities. Her son Rajiv Gandhi became the PM and went on to win 404 of the 514 Lok Sabha seats. The Lok Sabha polls were not held in Punjab and Assam due to insurgency. Incidentally, the 1984 elections were the last in the country which&nbsp;gave a single party 404 seats. Even a bare majority of seats could not be achieved by any political party for the next 30 years. The BJP ended up winning merely two seats in&nbsp;1984 and that too in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. The regional party, TDP of NT Ramarao emerged as the leading Opposition party with 23 seats. The same BJP won 282 in 2014 and crossed the 300 seats mark in 2019.Rajiv Gandhi may have won 404 Lok Sabha seats in 1984 polls but those were largely on the&nbsp; back of a massive sympathy wave that erupted in the wake of Indira Gandhi's assassination. Rajiv Gandhi was an untried and untested, young, suave and handsome leader and generated a new hope with the masses. He gelled with the people but failed to repeat his feat in 1989. The Opposition parties of different&nbsp;shades joined hands and could never come back to power. The Congress regained power later but never won a majority.&nbsp;PM Narendra Modi is hoping to achieve the 400 seats feat 40 years later in 2024 and not riding on any sympathy wave. He has been able to generate confidence among the countrymen that he is a “Pradhan Sewak” (Chief servant) and will deliver whatever he says and doesn't hesitate in using any weapon in his armory to achieve his objective. When it comes to delivery, he rides on the list of 80 crore beneficiaries of his several welfare schemes. Modi's immense communication skills and establishing&nbsp;rapport with the&nbsp;people should be a cse study in itself.&nbsp; Rajiv Gandhi was a visionary too and set up seven technology missions to make India economically independent. He brought computers but failed in political management and paid the price. Tit for Tat by the BJP now The similarities between 1984 and 2024 does not end here. If Rajiv Gandhi's war team targeted almost all prominent leaders of the Opposition parties to ensure their defeat in the Lok Sabha polls in 1984, the Modi dispensation is no different. The Congress succeeded in achieving its goal when several tall Opposition leaders like Atal Behari Vajpayee, Chandra Shekhar, S N Mishra, Raj Narain and others were defeated. Rajiv Gandhi put up several film stars and young faces like Amitabh Bachchan, Madhavrao Scindia to name a few, against tall Opposition leaders to ensure their defeat. But the BJP is no different as every Lok Sabha seat is being scrutinized through a microscope to achieve the&nbsp;objective. The Opposition parties are taking adequate precautions to save their skin. Sonia Gandhi opted for a Rajya Sabha seat in 2024 and avoided a contest in Rae Bareli after Rahul Gandhi's humiliating defeat in Amethi&nbsp;in 2019. It is still not clear whether Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will try her luck in Rae Bareli or Amethi or leave the&nbsp;high command in a dilemma as to whom it should put up from these two constituencies. Similarly, Shatrughan Sinha's Asansol seat in West Bengal is also on the target.&nbsp;Modi had specially flown&nbsp;to Mumbai to attend his son’s wedding. Yet he opted to quit the BJP to join the Congress and later moved towards the TMC.Modi is also targeting all dynasties in states and screening closely leaders in his own party who think that getting a ticket is their birthright.&nbsp;Amethi and Dumka were on his radar in 2019 when Rahul Gandhi and Shibu Soren were defeated. This time, it will be Rae Bareli, Chhindwara, Baramati and&nbsp;Bengaluru Rural where DK Suresh, brother of DK Shiv Kumar, is a sitting MP. Singhvi eyeing RS seat from Jharkhand, KeralaAfter the shocking defeat of Abhishek Manu Singhvi for the Rajya Sabha seat in Himachal Pradesh, the Congress high command is contemplating to find another state for him. The immediate seat available is Jharkhand where Rajya Sabha polls will be held for two seats on May 4. The BJP and JMM-Congress combine will get one seat each. But given the political uncertainty in the state where the ruling JMM has become vulnerable after Hemant Soren went to jail, no one is sure what will happen. Secondly, the JMM is unwilling to spare a Rajya Sabha seat for the Congress due to its own political compulsions. Another proposal on the plate is that Singhvi be fielded from Kerala where the Congress will get one Rajya Sabha seat out of three. The state is less vulnerable compared to Himachal Pradesh or even Jharkhand. </div><div> </div></description><link>http://harishgupta45.blogspot.com/2024/03/by-harish-gupta-national-editor-lokmat.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378274661755863212.post-1432893135161336801</guid><pubDate>Thu, 29 Feb 2024 09:14:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2024-02-29T01:14:22.836-08:00</atom:updated><title></title><description>by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10456585391365514299" target="_blank">Harish Gupta</a>, National Editor, Lokmat Group<div> </div><div> </div><div>Fly
on the wall
 

Clouds
of Uncertainty Over LS Tickets
 

With
Prime Minister Modi sharpening his attack on dynasty politics being
the root cause of evils at his rallies, no one is sure as to what is
cooking in his mind. Many BJP stalwarts are struggling hard to
decipher Modi's recent reference to the dynasty in his last speech
made in the 17th&nbsp;Lok
Sabha. Referring to dynasties, Modi suddenly turned to comments being
made by some Opposition leaders about this culture in the BJP too. He
ridiculed those Opposition leaders who compared Rajnath Singh ji's
son being an MLA in the UP Assembly or Amit Shah Ji's son being in a
cricket body (BCCI). Modi went on to attack the Opposition parties
saying their dynasties are controlling the levers of powers which is
not the case in the BJP.
 


Long
before Modi's recent remarks, there were reports that Rajnath Singh's
son Ajay Singh, MLA and Vice president of the BJP's UP unit, may be
fielded for the Lok Sabha and the Defence Minister may be given
another Constitutional responsibility after the polls. Modi has been
successful in creating a perception that his government is set to
return for a third term and may walk away with a majority of floating
voters too. The buzz in the political corridors is that in his third
term, Modi will go for a massive overhaul and bring in new faces from
various fields. With increased focus on Southern Indian states to
expand BJP's base in the years to come, Modi may rope in talent from
there. The BJP had polled around 4% votes in 2019 and was targeting
to take it to 10% in 2024. Modi made an exception for MoS S Murugan
and gave RS ticket to him along with Ashwini Vaishnav from Odisha
while denying to 6 others. It is a signal that the new ministry will
see a new era. Modi has consciously not undertaken any reshuffle of
his Cabinet since July 2021 despite several vacancies. Many ministers
were much below the age of 75 years. This indicates that age is no
longer a criteria.
 

 


Is
Satyapal Malik writing a book
 


The
CBI conducted raids on the premises of Satyapal Malik and many of his
associates in Delhi and other places in connection with some projects
he cleared during his tenure as Governor of J&amp;K. The CBI has not
disclosed so far as to what has been recovered during these raids and
nor Malik has given any details in this regard. The BJP leadership is
also tight-lipped because it had no clue how Satyapal Malik emerged
on the scene from nowhere and was appointed as Governor of Bihar in
2017 and later shifted to J&amp;K. Sources close to Malik say that he
had been contemplating writing a book during his days as Governor of
four states during his five year stint. His statements about the
Pulwama attack on CRPF convoy had created considerable anger in the
ruling dispensation. It was felt as to how a sitting Governor could
make such statements and cross the 'Lakshman Rekha'. He should have
been sacked immediately. But nothing of the sort happened. After he
completed his tenure, he was quizzed by the CBI about these two
contracts given during his tenure as Governor in J&amp;K. In fact,
due to his reports when he held the post in J&amp;K, a senior BJP
leader was removed from a key post. With regard to his forthcoming
book, no one is sure whether Malik was actually writing it or was
just thinking about it. The Last word about the Malik saga is yet to
be written.
 


Bansuri
Swaraj, a new buzz in town

Who
is Bansuri Swaraj! No one knew her until March 2023&nbsp;when she was
appointed as co-convener of Delhi BJP's legal cell. No one knew that
she is the daughter of Sushma Swaraj and Swaraj Kaushal. After doing
her undergraduate studies from the University of Warwick with a BA
(Hons) in English Literature, she went on to study Law at BPP Law
School in London and enrolled with the Bar Council of India in 2007.
She has 17 years of experience behind her and earned a lot of
goodwill. She is quite popular among the BJP workers and leaders and
there are reports that she may even be fielded in ensuing Lok Sabha
polls from Delhi. She is also a popular face on TV channels
representing the BJP and has impressed even BJP's opponents.
 


What
next for Bijoy Panda, RCP Singh
 The
future of two senior leaders who joined the BJP from other parties-
Bijoy Panda and R C P Singh- hangs in the balance. Panda came from
the Biju Janata Dal while RCP Singh from the Janata Dal (U). Since
new political developments have emerged in these two states, their
future hangs in the balance now. Bijoy Panda has been given an
important state of UP where 80 Lok Sabha seats are at stake. RCP
Singh is in the BJP but has been cooling his heels in Bihar as the
Nitish-led JD (U) is back with the BJP. RCP Singh was a Cabinet
Minister in the Modi government from the JD (U) quota. But he is not
even a member of Parliament now and so is Bijoy Panda. Both are
waiting for rehabilitation. Nitish Kumar hates RCP Singh and will
ensure that the BJP does not rehabilitate him in the Ministry.
Whether RCP Singh will get a Lok Sabha ticket or not, is not clear as
yet. The BJP may be fighting with the BJD in Odisha. But there is
friendship between Naveen Patnaik and Modi which brought Ashwini
Vaishnav in Rajya Sabha twice from Odisha as a bonus. The condition
is to keep Bijoy Panda out. But Panda is hopeful that the Gods will
be kind after the Lok Sabha polls.
 
</div></description><link>http://harishgupta45.blogspot.com/2024/02/by-harish-gupta-national-editor-lokmat_29.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378274661755863212.post-3942118025799009069</guid><pubDate>Thu, 22 Feb 2024 07:16:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2024-02-21T23:16:25.575-08:00</atom:updated><title></title><description>by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10456585391365514299" target="_blank">Harish Gupta</a>, National Editor, Lokmat Group<div> </div><div>Fly on the Wall
 

 

What next for Sonia
Gandhi 

 

 

When a reluctant Sonia
Gandhi was elected as Congress president on March 14, 1998 in what is
famously called a “bloodless coup” throwing sitting Sitaram
Kesari out, her biggest challenge was how to rejuvenate and unite the
faction-ridden party. Her decision shocked one &amp; all as she had
repeatedly turned down appeals to join the party following the
assassination of her husband and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi
on May 21, 1991. If she threw her weight behind P V Narasimha Rao for
the PM's post in 1991 instead of Maharashtra strongman Sharad Pawar,
in 1997, she also opted for Sitaram Kesari for the party chief's
post. It was a tough time for her as the Congress was faced with
internal revolt and threats from the rising BJP under the tall
leadership of Atal Behari Vajpayee and L K Advani. Her foreign origin
tag was also a big stumbling block as well. Then came the big test
when Congress vice president Jitendra Prasada revolted and contested
against Sonia Gandhi for party President's post in August 2000. How
she re-built the party and in a short span of six years installed Dr
Manmohan Singh in 2004 as Prime Minister for ten long years, is
history. She earned respect and her public conduct is widely
appreciated too. She has opted to move to the Rajya Sabha primarily
to retain her 10 JanPath bungalow and silently watch the crumbling
Congress she built brick by brick. Will she take back the reins again
and look for an alternative leader within the Gandhi clan or outside
or continue to have faith in her loving son? No one is sure.
 

The rise and likely
fall of a Gandhi 

In contrast, Rahul Gandhi
got everything on a platter ever since he entered politics in 2002.
The party came to power within a short span of two years and he too
was elected to the Lok Sabha from Amethi in 2004. Instead of
listening to the saner voices in the party, he chose to be his own
master. He refused to listen to his “Gurus” like late AK Antony
or even his mother and declined to join the ministry to get training
on how governments are run. He refused to undertake a training
program on public speaking and mastery over Hindi. His mother did a
shade better and stuck to reading Hindi rather than doing Harakiri by
speaking extempore. She even rewarded her Hindi teacher two Rajya
Sabha terms. Insiders say that the party and its allies were in
favour of Rahul Gandhi taking over the reins of the government as PM
in 2011-2012 sending Dr Manmohan Singh as the President of India. But
he declined saying he would like to become the PM after winning an
election fought under his leadership. Eventually, he became the
Congress president in December 2017 and faced a humiliating defeat in
2019 Lok Sabha polls. He lost his own bastion Amethi. He quit the
post in July 2019 out of the blue. Interestingly, nobody shed a tear
for him and asked him to continue. But he is happy as back-seat
driver of the party making Mallikarjun Kharge a lame duck president.
Many party leaders feel that he may end up as a person who is bent
upon destroying the party and in the process his own political career
as well. His recent speeches during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra have
made many of his partymen worried particularly during the UP leg. The
kind of language and words he spoke have left his own supporters
outside the Congress speechless. 

 

Uneasiness Brewing in
the First Family!
 

 

Reports emanating from the
Congress' First Family suggest that all is not well. The first
indication of this uneasiness came when the AICC general secretary,
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra did not show up in Manipur on January 14, 2024
when Rahul Gandhi started his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and quietly left
on a foreign trip. It was stated that she will join her brother when
the Yatra enters UP. But she has not been seen yet. The only time she
was seen in public was when Sonia Gandhi went to Jaipur to file her
nomination to take the Rajya Sabha route. But Priyanka's body
language clearly reflected that something is amiss. A week later, it
was announced that she was not well and was admitted to a hospital.
The last word on the issue has not been written as yet though a few
leaders close to her say that she may show up within the next one
week as she is back from the hospital and recouping at home. Insiders
say that she is extremely upset with the kind of treatment meted out
to her as she was to take the Rajya Sabha route and contest from the
toughest Rae Bareli seat. But she has been left high &amp; dry. It
may be mentioned here that several senior leaders of the party are in
favour of making Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as the party's face as Rahul
Gandhi has failed to generate faith and earn the confidence of the
people. The last word on the Gandhi family saga has not been written
as yet.
 
</div></description><link>http://harishgupta45.blogspot.com/2024/02/by-harish-gupta-national-editor-lokmat_21.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378274661755863212.post-4180601245068603779</guid><pubDate>Tue, 20 Feb 2024 07:12:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2024-02-19T23:12:14.007-08:00</atom:updated><title></title><description>by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10456585391365514299" target="_blank">Harish Gupta</a>, National Editor, Lokmat Group<div> </div><div>BJP's Open-Arm Policy to win 370 Lok Sabha seats4-Member committee with Vinod Tawade as member to focus on 161 seats In order to achieve its goal of winning 370 Lok Sabha seats out of 543 in the May-2024 polls, the BJP is selectively opening its doors for leaders belonging to other parties. The BJP has identified 161 Lok Sabha seats it wants to win which it never won in the past. The data-crunching of past Lok Sabha polls revealed that the BJP will need the help of leaders of other parties to win these seats.&nbsp;&nbsp;Therefore, the 4-member high-powered was set up to screen the entry of leaders from other parties which are working overtime to green-flag their entry.The committee is composed of Union Minister Bhupinder Yadav, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Maharashtra's senior leader and general secretary Vinod Tawde and general secretary (Organisation) B L Santhosh. There are reports that as many as dozen Mps from Congress, 40 MLAs and other prominent leaders may quit their parties and join the BJP within the next three weeks in phases.The committee's focus is on those states where the BJP has a formidable presence but still wants to win those seats where it is on weak wickets. The states like Maharashtra, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu &amp; Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, are on radar to add more seats in BJP's kitty. The BJP core team feels that the party could add at least 25+ Lok Sabha seats from these states in addition to retaining those it won in 2019. Chhindwara Lok Sabha seat is among the 161 Lok Sabha seats that the BJP could not win in decades. There are states like Punjab, West Bengal, Odisha, Karnataka, Jharkhand and a couple of others where it can add 10 Lok Sabha seats if leaders of substance from other parties could be roped in. The committee's focus is particularly on Punjab where it feels that the party could win all 13 seats if handled&nbsp;properly. It roped in Capt Amrinder Singh and Sunil Jakhar from Congress.&nbsp;The states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are in special focus where the BJP can at least win 15 seats with tie-up TDP and other regional parties. For remaining Southern states, the BJP is aiming to win 10 plus seats.</div></description><link>http://harishgupta45.blogspot.com/2024/02/by-harish-gupta-national-editor-lokmat_19.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378274661755863212.post-1113815058375821171</guid><pubDate>Thu, 15 Feb 2024 06:50:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2024-02-14T22:50:26.573-08:00</atom:updated><title></title><description>by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10456585391365514299" target="_blank">Harish Gupta</a>, National Editor, Lokmat Group<div> </div><div> </div><div>Fly
on the Wall
 

Social
Media keeps Modi Ministers on Tenterhooks
 

Parents
are worried all over the world about the growing habit among children
glued to social media most of the time. Policy makers are debating
how to curtail the growing influence of FaceBook, X, Instagram,
Whatsapp and other vehicles. But Prime Minister Modi's Ministers and
top leaders are making full use of these social media platforms to
publicize government decisions and programs among the people. Every
Union Minister is expected to immediately load his ministry's
decisions on these platforms as early as possible. If any of the
leaders of Opposition parties adversely comment on a government
decision, the concerned minister is expected to react without delay.
A battery of other BJP leaders are also deployed to denounce such
adverse comments within a short time. In fact, no other party has
made full use of these social media platforms.&nbsp;Every ministry
and department has a battery of social media handlers who are battle
ready 24X7 to assist. But all such tweets and posts are cleared at
the highest level in the ministry and ministers are always at
tenterhooks. The party's social media department works round the
clock and keeps track of all such activities on these platforms. In
fact, the communication channels between the party and the government
have virtually been merged under the Modi dispensation. The BJP's
head of media department Anil Baluni coordinates with ministers and
party leaders to chalk out a common media reaction to situations as
they arise round the clock. This strategy has rich dividends to the
BJP.&nbsp;The
greater task ahead is to evolve a synergy between the party and the
BJP-ruled state governments also which is being implemented
gradually.
 Lord
Rama helping Modi?
 


Strange
it may sound but seems&nbsp;to&nbsp;be&nbsp;true. A number of Modi
followers believe that Lord Rama has blessed the&nbsp;Prime Minister
ever since he undertook 'Pran Pratishtha' in Ayodhya on January 22.
Before the Pran Pratishtha, it looked as if there was a tough battle
between the BJP and the INDI Alliance&nbsp;parties for the 2024 Lok
Sabha polls. The commentators were saying that the NDA will be lucky
to retain 300 plus seats in the Lok Sabha polls. But Modi's fortunes
turned after January&nbsp;22. It seems that there is a divine
blessing to the PM as one partner after the other started leaving the
INDI Alliance.&nbsp;

The
first setback came from Bihar when Chief Minister Nitish Kumar
decided to dump the INDIA bloc in a dramatic development and went
back to the BJP. As if this was not enough, West Bengal Chief
Minister&nbsp;Mamata Banerjee&nbsp; announced her decision to go
alone in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. She blamed Rahul Gandhi in
particular for the mess. This development came despite a clear
assessment of the Congress strategists that the CPM vote in West
Bengal is not transferable to the Congress or to the TMC. If the
Congress-TMC alliance takes place, the CPM vote will be split&nbsp;among
the various groupings. The Muslims have already gone with the TMC in
West Bengal. Even the&nbsp;Aam Aadmi Party walked out of the alliance
with the Congress in Punjab though it is still offering one seat in
Delhi in lieu of seats in Goa, Gujarat, Haryana and other states.
Even in Jharkhand, it will be extremely difficult for the
JMM-Congress-RJD to stay together as Chief Minister&nbsp;Champai
Soren is a different fish&nbsp;in the cattle. No one is sure that
former Chief Minister Hemant Soren will be able to hold his grip on
the party. As if this was not enough, many senior leaders of the
Congress in states have started quitting the party and the carnage is
continuing. But Rahul Gandhi is not rattled and is on his own trip.
Retired
Officers in demand
 


Gone
are the days when retired top bureaucrats used to hanker for
post-retirement benefits. A new trend has emerged when such retired
bureaucrats and officers join boards of corporate sector companies
either as Independent Directors or in other key positions. There is a
battery of retired IAS, IRS &amp; IPS officers who have joined the
corporate sector. But one officer who joined Religare Enterprises Ltd
turned heads as he waited for months for a key post retirement job.
Rakesh Asthana is an IPS officer of 1984 batch of Gujarat cadre and
was Delhi's Police Commissioner. But he got no post and opted to join
a private sector company which is&nbsp; embroiled in many legal
battles for its wrong doings. A former CBI director is also on the
board of a private company. Rather, there is a demand for such
seasoned officers who held key positions in CBI, ED, Income Tax and
other such agencies in the past.&nbsp; The corporate sector needs
them for their advice and assistance.

 

Mamata
takes lead
 

Except
for Mamata Banerjee's TMC, no other national or regional political
party including BJP or Congress gave more than 33% seats to the women
either in the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha. The BJP may take the credit
that it passed the bill giving reservations to women in legislative
assemblies and parliament last year. But hardly any party followed
the law in spirit except the TMC of Mamata Banerjee. The TMC has been
sending a maximum number of women in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha though
its following is confined to West Bengal in electoral terms. The
Congress has Sonia Gandhi at the helm for more than 25 years. But it
sends fewer numbers of women in RS or Lok Sabha and the same goes for
the BJP. However, once the law comes into force, the parties will be
forced to nominate 33% women in the legislature.
 

 

 
</div></description><link>http://harishgupta45.blogspot.com/2024/02/by-harish-gupta-national-editor-lokmat_14.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378274661755863212.post-3972001403127155668</guid><pubDate>Thu, 08 Feb 2024 10:51:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2024-02-08T02:51:19.234-08:00</atom:updated><title></title><description>by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10456585391365514299" target="_blank">Harish Gupta</a>, National Editor, Lokmat Group<div> </div><div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Fly on the Wall&nbsp;</div><div> </div><div>Suspense over Baramati continues</div><div> </div><div> </div><div>With the BJP high command determined to increase its seat and vote tally in the 2024- Lok Sabha polls, it is asking its allies in states to put their best foot forward. As part of this strategy, it is prodding its key ally NCP led by Ajit Pawar in Maharashtra to snatch all the four seats; Baramati, Satara, Shirur and Raigarh, that the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) held in 2019 LS polls.</div><div> </div><div>Sharad Pawar had pitched his daughter Supriya Sule from his traditional Baramati Lok Sabha seat to send a clear message that she will be his heir apparent. But the situation took a dramatic turn when Ajit Pawar staged a coup and walked away with the majority of MLAs. He joined hands with the BJP to dislodge the MVA government with more than 40 MLAs. Reports emanating from BJP headquarters in Delhi say that Ajit Pawar is being prodded to field his wife from Baramati Lok Sabha against Supriya Sule. This is despite the fact that PM Modi and Pawar have a personal chemistry running over many decades. But times have changed and if insiders are to be believed, the BJP is drawing a strategy to win all six Rajya Sabha seats in the biennial polls due this month. The NDA can manage to win five seats but there are many strategists who claim that the NDA can win six seats if remaining MLAs in the Opposition kitty play ball with the BJP. The Congress has 41 MLAs in a House of 288 and neither the NCP (Pawar) and now Sena (Uddhav) can win a seat on their own. There are reports that senior Pawar may invoke sympathy factor in Baramati saying this will be his last election of his life. Will it work or not can only be tested in May only.</div><div> </div><div>A trust with No Trust</div><div> </div><div>The great “Paltu Ram” of Indian politics has broken all past records of “Aaya Rams &amp; Gaya Rams” that were witnessed in Haryana almost 45 years ago. When the mediators were brokering a peace deal again between the Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar and the BJP leadership for an alliance once again, there was a hitch. Nitish Kumar wanted a fresh letter of appointment from the Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar immediately after he tendered his resignation from the post of Chief Minister. He wanted his resignation to be accepted immediately and the BJP should simultaneously submit its letter of support to him to the Governor then &amp; there. He also wanted the Governor to hand him over a fresh letter of appointment then &amp; there. Nitish also insisted that the swearing-in-ceremony be held the same day. It was a piquant situation for the BJP as its MLAs had not held any meeting to lend their support to Nitish Kumar so that the party could hand over a letter of support to Nitish Kumar to the Governor. Nitish Kumar, by nature is very suspicious in nature and insisted that agreement can be reached if conditions are met. The BJP agreed to all the conditions with a proviso that Lok Sabha seat sharing deal will be on merit and not on the basis of 2019 outcome. It was only after these tricky behind-the-scenes deals the BJP could return to power sharing deal with Nitish Kumar. Interestingly, Nitish Kumar has also been appointed as the head of the NDA in Bihar.</div><div> </div><div>Why Bharat Ratna to LK Advani?</div><div> </div><div>Ever since the Modi government gave Padma Vibhushan to Samajwadi leader late Mulayam Singh Yadav in 2023, the RSS and die-hard BJP workers were upset. After all, it was Mulayam Singh Yadav's government in UP that opened fire on Ram Bhakts in Ayodhya on October 30, 1990 after a clash erupted between the karsevaks and the police. The organisers -- the VHP, the RSS and the BJP - wanted a Ram temple at the site of Babri Masjid but it was not yet clear what the karsevaks would do to the mosque. Therefore, the Sangh Parivar was sulking without saying anything about the award to Yadav. It may be recalled that in 2003, RSS ideologue Dattopant Thengadi rejected the Padma Bhushan award until K. B. Hedgewar (RSS founder) and M. S. Golwalkar (RSS ideologue) are offered the Bharat Ratna. The award to Thengri was given by the Vajpayee government. The RSS has been maintaining studied silence on these awards for decades. Therefore, when the Modi government gave Bharat Ratna to Advaniji, it did not offer any comment. But the common BJP worker is extremely elated as Advani is considered a noble man who built the BJP from two Lok Sabha seats to 182 and brought it to power through the Ram movement. Lately, the Modi government has been rewarding party workers and appointment of three chief ministers in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh is an indication of this new thinking.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Modi 370 target rattles allies</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>The other day, Prime Minister Modi declared in the Lok Sabha that the BJP will win 370 seats and the NDA will cross the 400-seats mark. In order to achieve the target, the BJP is now squeezing its allies in Maharashtra, Bihar and elsewhere to get more seats to contest. For example, it wants Nitish Kumar to contest 10-12 seats only instead of 17. The BJP had conceded its own five seats to Nitish Kumar in 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Now it wants these back in the 2024 polls. Similarly, the BJP wants to contest at least 30 plus seats. In 2019, the BJP contested 25 seats in alliance with the united Shiv Sena. It has been indicating to NCP led by Ajit Pawar and Sena (Shinde) to contest only those seats where it can win. The last word on these tricky issues is yet to be written.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div></div></description><link>http://harishgupta45.blogspot.com/2024/02/by-harish-gupta-national-editor-lokmat.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378274661755863212.post-4493332147063462842</guid><pubDate>Thu, 25 Jan 2024 11:16:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2024-01-25T03:16:54.848-08:00</atom:updated><title></title><description>by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10456585391365514299" target="_blank">Harish Gupta</a>, National Editor, Lokmat Group<div> </div><div>Fly on the wall No Temple Darshan for Ayodhya BJP MP The Opposition parties may criticize Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for making Ram Temple's Pran Pratishtha event to promote the BJP. But the historic event on January 22 negates this premise. Rather, it gives a clue to how Modi's mind works and how meticulously he goes into every detail before undertaking a visit to such functions. It is unimaginable that Modi ensured that no Minister of his Union Council of Ministers including seniors such as Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah and others should celebrate the mega event. As if this was not enough, even BJP's national president J P Nadda ws told to celebrate the event at a temple in Delhi and he chose Jhandewala Temple for the ceremony. No member of BJP's 300 Mps in Lok Sabha and 93 members in Rajya Sabha attended the event in Ayodhya except a couple of them like Ravi Shankar Prasad. The former Union Minister was invited as he represented Ram Lalla in the Supreme Court and played a key role in winning the case in 2019 right up to the Supreme Court. No Chief Minister of the BJP ruled states other than UP was allowed to visit Ayodhya on January 22. The same rule was applied to Governors or other dignitaries. But this is not all;&nbsp; you will have to hold your breath! Can you imagine that even a veteran party leader Lallu Singh who represents Ayodhya constituency, was not invited to the event either. Lallu is a two term BJP MP from Ayodhya and five term MLA since 1991. Yet he was forced to cool his heels outside and told to celebrate with other constituents elsewhere. For Mps and the Union Council of Ministers, Modi chalked out a plan that they should celebrate the event all over the country to galvanize the people. Their participation will create an unprecedented fervor that their leaders are celebrating the event with them. They should celebrate January 22 as Diwali with them to keep the flag flying. Modi moves closer to contesting from South This column had said on January 4 that Modi may enter the electoral race from South India to garner numbers in the Lok Sabha to cover losses in the North and Western parts of the country. With PM traveling to Southern states almost twice a week subsequently and on a pilgrimage to one temple after the temple to create a strong electoral base for the BJP has strengthened this belief. There are clear indications that the Prime Minister may contest either from Kerala's Thrissur or Thiruvantapuram or may opt for any of the five seats that the BJP contested in Tamil Nadu. The BJP candidate from Kanyakumari was a runner's up in 2019 Lok Sabha polls and the party polled 1.15 crore votes in TN. This apart, the BJP has already sealed a deal with the JD (S) in Karnataka to ensure that the party wins all 28 seats. It is now clear that the BJP will go with TDP in Andhra Pradesh in the Lok Sabha polls. TDP's Chandrababu Naidu and former Chief Minister H D Deve Gowda were invited to the Ram Temple ceremony and they attended the event as well. In Telangana, the BJP is holding secret talks with the BRS leaders who are also looking for a strategy after the party was routed in the Assembly. K C Chandrashekhar Rao has been maintaining a stony silence after the rout. The BJP is also hoping that its ally in Puducherry may part with the Lok Sabha seat for the BJP. A senior BJP leader handling southern India said if Modi contests from Southern India, it will create a strong wave in favour of the BJP. No doubt, Indira Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi had also contested from Southern India in the past. But there is a huge difference as Indira Gandhi contested from Chikmanglur as she was in search of a safe seat. The same goes for Sonia Gandhi and even Rahul Gandhi who opted for Wayanad in Kerala as it became clear to him that he may lose Amethi which eventually happened. Cabinet expansion Unlikely PM Modi seems to have signaled to BJP allies and party leadership that no useful purpose will be served by expanding the Union Council of Ministers at the fag end of Lok Sabha's term as it may send a wriong signal. No doubt, Modi is somewhat worried about BJP's prospects in some of the states like Bihar, Punjab, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal etc. But he feels that undertaking an expansion to induct allies- NCP, Sena Shinde faction, Chirag Paswan, JD (S) and his own party colleagues- will be seen as if he is placating them. This has dashed the hopes of Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Vasundhararaje Scindia and many others in the party. Flutter over Mahatab's meet with Amit ShahA meeting between the Biju Janata Dal member of Parliament, Bhartruhari Mahtab with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, at the latter’s residence in New Delhi early this week fueled speculation about the former joining the BJP. Mahatab has an excellent rapport with the BJP leaders, including the PM. The Cuttack MP had earlier earned the wrath of the BJD leadership for criticizing his party in the daily newspaper edited by him. No wonder, then, that Mahtab’s meeting with Shah raised eyebrows in the BJD. But he doused the fire saying he attended the Rajya Bhasha committee meeting chaired by Shah of which he is a member as well. </div><div> </div></description><link>http://harishgupta45.blogspot.com/2024/01/by-harish-gupta-national-editor-lokmat_25.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378274661755863212.post-4795165754044888171</guid><pubDate>Thu, 18 Jan 2024 04:19:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2024-01-17T20:19:24.173-08:00</atom:updated><title></title><description>by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10456585391365514299" target="_blank">Harish Gupta</a>, National Editor, Lokmat Group<div> </div><div>Fly on the Wall
Modi
halts Maldive port project
Prime
Minister Modi has refused to be cowed down by anti-India rhetoric by
the Maldivian government under its President Mohamed Muizzu who
officially proposed that India withdraw its military presence before
March 15. On the contrary, India has toughened its stand and&nbsp;decided
to immediately&nbsp;halt the process of building a sea port in
Maldive. As a gesture of good&nbsp;will, the&nbsp;Modi government had
announced in 2020 that India will undertake several developmental
projects in the Maldives, including a $ 500 million Greater Malé
Connectivity Project (GMCP), billed as the largest ever
infrastructure project in the country. India had promised to support
implementation
of
GMCP in Maldives through a financial package consisting of a grant of
$100 million and a new Line of Credit of $400 million. External
Affairs Minister S Jaishankar signed the agreement in 2020 and tender
was floated too.
Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh laid the foundation stone on May 3, 2023 which
was the first visit of an Indian Defense Minister to the island
nation in 11 years. But the bonhomie went for a toss after recent
derogatory comments by Maldivian ministers targeting Modi. The
Maldivian ministers mocked Modi over his recent visit to Lakshadweep.
Though the Maldive President suspended the three ministers, no
apology came. The relationship took a turn for the worst when
President Muizzu, after concluding his five-day China visit, said
that no country had the right to "bully" his country.&nbsp;In
a tit-for-tat move, the Indian government has now decided to bring
the port project to a halt, sending a clear signal that India cannot
be cowed down.&nbsp;India has also decided to put on hold several
other projects which were underway&nbsp;in Iceland.
 

Priyanka
goes to USA, South clamours for her
 

With
Rahul Gandhi on the 67-day long Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, sister
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has quietly left for the USA on a private
visit. Though she is a general secretary in the AICC, no specific
task worth a salt has been given to her so far. It is widely rumoured
that Priyanka Gandhi is seriously considering contesting from either
Karnataka or Telangana as UP is a tricky state where the Congress
will have to heavily depend upon either the BSP or SP or others. It
is also felt that since Rahul Gandhi decided to contest from Wayanad
in Kerala, the Congress won 15 out of 20 seats in 2019 Lok Sabha
polls. The Telangana Congress is very keen that Priyanka Gandhi
should contest to improve the party's tally from two to at least ten.
The Telangana Congress wants Priyanka to be fielded from Medak, which
once elected Indira Gandhi in 1980.
 

Similarly,
the Karnataka Congress is also lobbying to persuade the high command
to shift Rahul Gandhi from Wayanad in Kerala to Chikmagalur or some
other seat in north Karnataka or Priyanka Gandhi be allowed to
contest from the state. Interestingly, the Karnataka Congress is also
keen that a member of the Gandhi family be fielded from the state as
it's a tough call to win seats due to the BJP-Deve Gowda alliance. If
any of the members of the Gandhi family&nbsp; contests, he or she
will be the third generation from the Nehru-Gandhi family to contest
from the state. Indira Gandhi had resurrected her political career in
1978 by winning a by-election from Chikmagalur and Sonia Gandhi had
also won the Bellary seat defeating Sushma Swaraj of the BJP in 1999.
 

Whiff
of a Cabinet reshuffle!&nbsp;
 

Whispers
in the corridors of power say that the BJP high command is busy
evolving a plan to rehabilitate two former Chief Ministers; Shivraj
Singh Chouhan and Vasundhararaje Scindia of Madhya Pradesh and
Rajasthan respectively. It is felt that the two former CMs had shown
grace and quietly accepted the high command's decision to bid adieu
for the key post in their states. One view is that both be inducted
in the Union Cabinet in order to strengthen the rank &amp; file of
the party. A couple of new allies, such as Shiv Sena (Shinde), NCP
(Ajit), LJP (Ram Vilas), JD (S) and others to help the NDA in the Lok
Sabha polls. Since the Kharmas (inauspicious period) is over, there
is a view that minor reshuffle can be held though Lok Sabha polls are
just a couple of months away. Union Home &amp; Cooperative Minister
Amit Shah had said at a public meeting that Shivraj Singh Chouhan
will be given a big responsibility. Though he did not elaborate as
induction in Cabinet is the prerogative of the PM, it is felt that
Chouhan has more years in public life before he attains 75 years of
cut-off age. The
hopefuls are keeping their fingers crossed as no one has a clue of
what's&nbsp;cooking in Modi's mind.&nbsp;


 


tailpiece:&nbsp;If
in 2014, PM Modi's mantra was "Na Khaunga aur na khane doonga"
(I will not allow any corruption in my regime), in 2019, there was a
new mantra: Na sounga na sone doonga (Neither I will sleep nor allow
you to sleep). I am Pradhan Sewak and you are also in public service.
Therefore you too are expected to serve the people 24x7. Wait for the
new one sermon in 2024!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
</div></description><link>http://harishgupta45.blogspot.com/2024/01/by-harish-gupta-national-editor-lokmat_17.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378274661755863212.post-8511589790252809243</guid><pubDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2024 07:04:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2024-01-14T23:04:18.943-08:00</atom:updated><title></title><description>by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10456585391365514299" target="_blank">Harish Gupta</a>, National Editor, Lokmat Group<div> </div><div>INDIA may reach consensus on 400+ Lok Sabha seatsCongress willing to share seats in its bastion too Irrespective of the skirmish among the INDI Alliance comprising 28&nbsp;parties, it is expected that consensus may finally emerge on more than 400 Lok Sabha seats out of 543 seats. According to backroom boys working to identify seats and states where allies could give a one-to-one fight to the BJP in May 2024, the number may turn out to be even higher. Though certain leaders are throwing tantrums due to one reason or the other. But they are facing a challenge of their survival post 2024 Lok Sabha polls. They are fully aware about their fate if PM Modi returns to his third term with a mandate of 300 plus Lok Sabha seats. A senior Congress leader who is part of negotiations said, “We are targeting for 450 Lok Sabha seats where consensus can be achieved. There are seats in every state where some friendly fights may take place. But INDIA will give a straight fight to the BJP on 400 plus seats for sure.”The Congress leadership has an open mind in conceding seats to INDIA partners in its own bastions like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Gujarat, Tripura and other states if it helps defeating the BJP, said the source.But there are states where it's a barren land for INDIA partners like Andhra Pradesh (25) and Odisha (21). The Congress is looking at a tie-up with TDP in Andhra and TMC &amp; JD(U) &amp; other parties in Odisha. Then there are states like Telangana (17) and Karnataka (28) where no Opposition party has any claim to seats. The alliance already exists in Bihar, Jharkhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and a couple of smaller states. There are hiccups in UP (80 seats), West Bengal (42 seats) and some North Eastern states. These will take time but a solution will be found in the weeks to come. The fact that the Congress has scaled down the number of LS seats it will contest from 350 to 260 has sent a positive message to other partners.</div><div> </div></description><link>http://harishgupta45.blogspot.com/2024/01/by-harish-gupta-national-editor-lokmat_14.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378274661755863212.post-6043699827604764191</guid><pubDate>Thu, 11 Jan 2024 04:39:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2024-01-10T20:39:30.976-08:00</atom:updated><title></title><description>by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10456585391365514299" target="_blank">Harish Gupta</a>, National Editor, Lokmat Group<div> </div><div>
Fly
on the wall
 

Tough
call to disqualify AAP
 

AAP
Convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had brought a new
hope in the country of cleansing the political system in the country
in 2013. He defeated two leading political parties, Congress and the
BJP, in Delhi and later emerged victorious in Punjab as well. He made
some unsuccessful forays in other parts of the country. But 'the
hope' remained that one day he would bring change in the political
system. However, it seems a mirage and it is clear that he has missed
the bus as he is embroiled in one controversy or the other. Be it Rs
50 crore spent on his chief ministerial bungalow or granting favours
to his party men in violation of rules. Some of his ministers also
landed in jail in one corruption case or the other. The liquor gate
has taken a heavy toll and may turn out to be Kejriwal's nemesis. He
has been ignoring the summons issued by the ED on one ground or the
other. It transpires that the ED may move towards making AAP an
accused in the liquor-gate leading to its deregistration. If that
happens it will be the rarest of the rare cases in the country's 75
years of democratic history. It is said the file pertaining to making
AAP an accused is awaiting legal clearance as its an uncharted
territory for top law officers. The ED has in the past made
companies, trusts, societies accused in several cases. One view is
that let the ED file a case under the PMLA act making AAP an accused
through its Convener and treasurer and leave to the wisdom of the
courts to take a final call. It may be mentioned that BJP's president
Bangaru Laxman in 2001 was caught on camera accepting Rs one lakh
cash. But the BJP was not made an accused&nbsp;by the UPA government.
Therefore, disqualifying a party for receiving ill-gotten money will
be a tough call.
Importance
of being ND Gupta
 When
Arvind Kejriwal renominated 78 year-old ND&nbsp;Gupta for a second
term in the Rajya Sabha, heads turned in political circles. He is
soft-spoken and not many even know him as he hardly spoke in the
House during his first stint since 2018. Perhaps, Kejriwal knew his
importance and that's why a chartered accountant by profession was
picked up by him for a second term too. Gupta has been maintaining
the AAP's funds as treasurer right from the beginning. It was largely
because of his skills that the probe agencies couldn't find any
wrongdoing in the books of accounts of the party. When the
liquor-gate scam surfaced, Gupta was repeatedly grilled by the ED but
got nothing in return. It is Gupta's skills that the ED is hesitant
to move towards seeking de-registration of the AAP itself. BJP's
Leader in Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal who was party's treasurer, is also
a chartered accountant by profession.&nbsp;It was Gupta who brought a
closure of the defamation case against Kejriwal slapped by late Arun
Jaitley. Kejriwal was sure to be convicted in the said case. Gupta
convinced Jaitley to accept a written apology and close the chapter.
Why
Ayodhya missing from Rahul's Yatra 2.0
 It
is rather surprising that the route map Congress released of Rahul
Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra starting from Imphal on January 14
does not cover Ayodhya. The yatra will cover several states including
UP's Amethi, Rae Bareli, Varanasi, Prayagraj and Lucknow. But Ayodhya
is missing from his itinerary particularly when Rahul and Priyanka
Gandhi have been temple hopping for the past two years across the
country. It has become clear that Rahul Gandhi will not go to Ayodhya
on January 22. But he could have included Ayodhya in his itinerary
during the course of his Yatra particularly when his late father
Rajiv Gandhi was instrumental in opening the gates of the structure
where Ram Lalla was installed in the structure and later laid the
foundation stone too. Rajiv Gandhi even launched his 1989 election
campaign from Faizabad, a few kilometres from Ayodhya. Rajiv Gandhi
even promised to usher in Ram Rajya. Many in the party feel this is a
glaring omission. There are indications that senior Congress leaders
invited for the Temple opening on January 22 may either go a day
early or later though no final decision has been taken.
 


No
Party season in Lutyens' Delhi

Gone
are the days when Delhi's upmarket social circles used to host
parties and whosoever is anybody in the town used to attend these
parties. Interestingly, the politicians were not invited in numbers
to such high end parties and bureaucrats were preferred. But after
the advent of Modi as PM in Delhi, this culture is fading fast. Fed
up of non-availability of top ranking bureaucrats, chiefs of PSUs and
key ministers, these socialites have stopped hosting parties
completely. What used to be a monthly routine, has become a rare
event and that too on the eve of New Year. A retired secretary to the
government, Anil Swarup, described how Narendra Modi’s
engagement with the bureaucracy has evolved after he took over the
reins in 2014. In the initial years, Modi encouraged officials to
speak their minds freely and was very receptive. He prodded
secretaries to have a free and frank discourse and learnt inner
workings of the previous governments. What happened to them later is
a well&nbsp;known chapter.&nbsp;
 

 

 


 
</div></description><link>http://harishgupta45.blogspot.com/2024/01/by-harish-gupta-national-editor-lokmat_10.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378274661755863212.post-7543729275093316098</guid><pubDate>Mon, 08 Jan 2024 12:44:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2024-01-08T04:44:33.512-08:00</atom:updated><title></title><description>by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10456585391365514299" target="_blank">Harish Gupta</a>, National Editor, Lokmat Group<div> </div><div><div class="gmail_quote"><div class="gmail_attr" dir="ltr">Bonhomie returns to INDI Alliance partners in Maharashtra&nbsp; </div><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature" dir="ltr">Numbers don't matter, winning seat important, says Sanjay Raut Fissures among the INDI Alliance partners notwithstanding&nbsp;over distribution of Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), Congress and NCP have toned down tough talking in public. Senior leaders of Congress and Sena seem to have decided to sort out issues through internal discussions. While Congress state Chief Nana Patole was mellowed down in Delhi, Senior Uddhav Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Raut also sent a similar signal.He said, “It is not important who contests how many seats; we need to defeat the unholy ruling alliance in the Lok Sabha polls.”When asked&nbsp;whether&nbsp;the&nbsp;Sena would insist&nbsp;on contesting 23 seats as stated earlier, he told Lokmat, “Numbers don't matter.”&nbsp;He declined&nbsp;to elaborate saying, “Wait and see. We may have some new allies.” It is learnt that Prakash Ambedkar may also join the alliance in Maharashtra. During the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) joined hands with AIMIM and both parties contested all 48 seats polling 7.65% votes. This time, he is keen to contest under INDIA.The Uddhav Sena had contested 23 seats and won 18 polling 23.5% votes in 2019 Lok Sabha polls while the BJP won 23 out of 25 it contested polling 27.84% votes. Though the majority of Sena MPs joined hands with&nbsp;Shinde Sena, the Uddhav faction was insisting on contesting 23 seats.&nbsp;But lately it seems to have toned down its demand and winnability criteria is under discussion.In 2019 polls, the AIMIM emerged as a force in Maharashtra damaging the prospects of Congress-NCP and clinched a seat for its candidate Imtiyaz Jaleel.&nbsp;The INC contested 25 seats polling 16.41% and could win one seat only while NCP contested 19 polling 15.66% winning 4 seats. The NCP supported candidate Amravati's Navneet Ram who later joined hands with the BJP. </div></div></div> <div> </div></div></description><link>http://harishgupta45.blogspot.com/2024/01/by-harish-gupta-national-editor-lokmat_8.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378274661755863212.post-2131326392938825389</guid><pubDate>Sat, 06 Jan 2024 11:57:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2024-01-06T03:57:14.166-08:00</atom:updated><title></title><description>by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10456585391365514299" target="_blank">Harish Gupta</a>, National Editor, Lokmat Group<div> </div><div>Many prominent Union
Ministers from Rajya Sabha may be asked to contest Lok Sabha polls
 

Uncertainty
Over BJP Chief J P Nadda entering fray 

 

With
the Rajya Sabha term of several senior Union Ministers including that
of BJP president J P Nadda expiring in April this year, the high
command is toying with the idea of fielding many of them in the
ensuing Lok Sabha polls.
 

It
is learnt that some of the Union Ministers like Mansukh
Mandaviya Parshottam Rupala and (Gujarat), Bhupender Yadav (Haryana),
Dharmendra Pradhan (Odisha), Rajeev Chandrashekhar (Karnataka),
Narayan Rane (Maharashtra), V Muraleedharan (Kerala) may be asked to
contest. Many of them have been in Rajya Sabha for two to three terms
and worked hard during the polls.
Though
names of Union Ministers Ashwini Vaishnav (Odisha) and Piyush Goyal
who is also leader of the Rajya Sabha are also being mentioned. But
it seems unlikely that they will be fielded. Goyal has four more
years to go in RS and has wide experience to work as a backroom boy
of the party since 2014 polls. The
names of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar from New Delhi and
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman from Madurai are being mentioned.
But its a tough call for the party though Modi
is keen to change the face of the Rajya Sabha.
 

A
crucial decision also has to be taken for the BJP Chief Jagat
Prakash Nadda whose term is expiring in April and he cannot be
elected from Himachal Pradesh this time as Congress is the ruling
party there. Being the party chief, he is expected to oversee 2024 LS
polls rather than contest himself. Secondly, it would be politically
incorrect if he is renominated to the RS from any other state. Even
Amit Shah did not contest and worked as poll in-charge of the crucial
state of UP in 2014 where BJP won 73 seats out of 80.
 
</div></description><link>http://harishgupta45.blogspot.com/2024/01/by-harish-gupta-national-editor-lokmat_6.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378274661755863212.post-5811862943482348185</guid><pubDate>Thu, 04 Jan 2024 06:00:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2024-01-03T22:00:45.771-08:00</atom:updated><title></title><description>by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10456585391365514299" target="_blank">Harish Gupta</a>, National Editor, Lokmat Group<div> </div><div> </div><div>

Fly
on the wall&nbsp;
 
No
Takers of BJP ticket! Are you sure ?
The
BJP leadership is targeting 51% votes and 400 Lok Sabha seats in 2024
polls. The BJP leadership is aiming to deny tickets to more than 100
sitting LS Mps. But hold your breath as there is another side of the
story too. It may even sound unbelievable but true and leaders are
tight-lipped on the issue. The Fly learns that many of the sitting
Mps have decided not to contest the Lok Sabha polls in 2024 and seek
tickets. These are not the ones who are in their seventies or sixties
and have been among the performing ones. No doubt, out of 303 sitting
BJP Mps, majority of them came from either other parties or hardcore
professionals who had their name or fame in their areas of
operations. Some of these Mps have been hardcore loyalists of the BJP
and have put in long years. But they find the going tough and unable
to cope with the new style of functioning of the party. They feel
that they are no more human beings but like machines which work as
per Master's diktat. They have no life of their own and they have to
work for the party 24X7. If they don't retweet top leaders' tweets,
they would get a call; if they don't upload photos of what they did
during the day or in their constituencies, they would get a stinker;
if they found missing from their seats in parliament house between 11
am to 6 pm, they would get a written note; if they don't attend a
party function, they would get a call. They find it extremely
difficult to spend time with their families and sure to get a terse
message from the top. The new “work culture” is taking a heavy
toll on them mentally. They are always on their toes and decided to
call it a day. Many of them have decided not to seek a re-nomination.
One will have to wait before events unfold in the weeks to come.
Viksit
Bharat or India shining Part 2
Prime
Minister Modi's nation wide Viksit Bharat Yatra to touch every nook &amp;
corner to spread the government's massive welfare schemes benefiting
nearly 50 crores plus people is hailed as a unique move. More than
2500 state-of-the-art buses have been deployed to publicize the
government's achievements.&nbsp;But those who worked during the Atal
Behari Vajpayee era say that the then PM also launched India Shining
yatra on Raths which was the brainchild of the then Finance Minister
Jaswant Singh in 2003. An advertising firm Grey Worldwide handled the
campaign in 2003 and the government spent an estimated 20 million USD
on publicity featuring the "India Shining" slogan. The
campaign flopped as Vajpayee lost the 2004 Lok Sabha polls.
Modi
may have drawn a leaf out of Vajpayee's book in respect of Raths. But
he is handling it differently as buses are not merely for publicity.
PM Modi dug out a virtually defunct Field Publicity Unit under the
I&amp;B Ministry created by late Indira Gandhi to showcase her
government's achievements in rural areas. He sent a team of top
officers along with buses to sort out problems of beneficiaries or
left out ones as well. In order to take full political advantage, the
BJP leadership directed its Mps and workers to go door to door to
make a list of beneficiaries who have benefited from Centre's welfare
schemes and help in resolving their problems too. The BJP teams are
connected to call centers at every district to help them on the spot.
Rahul's
No to Parliamentary Committees
The
Lok Sabha seat may have been restored to Congress leader Rahul
Gandhi. But he has not opted to become a member of any of the
standing parliamentary committees including External Affair or
Defense. No reasons have been given by sources close to him who say
that he has not even taken back possession of his Tughlak Lane
bungalow either. Rahul Gandhi, it seems, wants to give full time to
politics including his Bharat Nyay Yatra as he considers 2024 a “do
or die” battle with the BJP.
Modi
pitching from South !

There
is considerable speculation that Prime Minister Modi may explore the
possibility of contesting from a Southern state in 2024. One of the
key reasons under consideration is if Modi contests from any of the
four states, it will galvanize the party and voters in the
entire&nbsp;region.&nbsp; In 2014 Modi opted for the Varanasi seat
which was completely new for him instead of the safe seat in Gujarat.
The move paid rich dividends to the party winning a record number of
Lok Sabha seats from UP. Modi's repeated forays to Tamil Nadu, doling
out funds for state's development and propagating Tamil Sangamam in
Kanshi indicate that something is cooking. A senior BJP leader said
these are mere speculations as no one can have an inkling of it.
However, one thing is clear; Modi won't contest from two seats and
therefore prospects of such an experiment are remote.
On
the other hand, INDIA allies are also exploring the possibilities of
putting up a common candidate against Modi from Varanasi.&nbsp;This
proposal was discussed at one of the meetings of INDIA allies also.
In 2019, there was a buzz that Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
might contest from Varanasi. However, the Congress fielded Ajay Rai
while Samajwadi Party fielded Shalini Yadav. Modi won the elections
bagging over 60 percent&nbsp;votes. But this time, it is clear that
INDIA will field a common candidate. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish
Kumar is also exploring the possibilities of contesting from&nbsp;UP.
He had announced that he would hold a rally in Varanasi but
permission was&nbsp;not given.
 

 
</div></description><link>http://harishgupta45.blogspot.com/2024/01/by-harish-gupta-national-editor-lokmat_82.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group)</author></item></channel></rss>

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