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Sullen Sangh makes PM unhappy
Though for public consumption both RSS and the BJP leaders have said that they have buried the hatchet, there is no indication that both camps have stopped their hate war against each other. While Ashok Singhal and Praveen Togadia are still continuing with their tirade against Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and his officials, RSS boss Sheshadrichari has not stopped issuing warped statements against the BJP. Their unhappiness emanates from the BJP’s handling of Ayodhya to Jammu and Kashmir’s bifurcation to disinvestment of PSUs. In their dealings with these issues, the BJP leaders not only sidelined RSS views, they also did what the NDA wanted. But then, the Sangh Pariwar in no way wants its hold on the BJP to go. Through harsh criticism of the NDA government’s policies, it wants to rein in both the BJP and its alliance partners. And this is what the PM does not want. On the other hand, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, despite being criticised by some RSS leaders, is the blue-eyed boy of the Sangh Pariwar at large. Thanks to its tacit support, Advani is making his presence felt in all policy matters of the country. In fact, when unhappy Vajpayee refused to attend a Cabinet meeting recently, it was Advani who presided over the meet. Worse, the PM distanced himself from meeting or attending any work after his Principal Secretary Brijesh Mishra’s sarcastic criticism by Ashok Singhal. Thus, in the process he was left uninformed about the Mayawati government’s Cabinet reshuffle. Thus, all these developments question the validity of the current patch up between the RSS and the BJP. Nonetheless, the Sangh Pariwar will not allow the BJP to stray from its directed path. | |
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Who cares for J & K The electorate participated in the J & K election happily, despite the terrorists’ threat. As many as 44 per cent people took part in the poll which was termed by international observers as "successful". In fact such a "good turnout" of the people was in the hope of a good governance in the State. As such, they had cast their ballots in the favour of opposition parties. But weeks since the election results were published, there has not emerged any thing suggestive of the formation of a government. Both the Congress and the PDP have not been able to work out anything in this regard, despite several rounds of talks. Not only are ideological differences between the two outfits keeping both out of the reach of each other, issues such as who will sit on the chair of the chief minister is also putting hurdles in the way of the smooth formation of a government. On the other hand, making a mockery of the people’s verdict, the Bhim Singh-led Panther’s Party which has won merely four Assembly seats has reportedly approached NC leader Farooq Abdullah on the government formation issue. It is surprising how person like Bhim Singh, who as a student leader had given sleepless nights to Farooq’s father, Shekh Abdullah, could go against the voters’ desire and aspirations. What matters the most for Bhim Singh—chair or public expectations? | |
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Farooq realises his fault The NC leader and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Farooq Abdullah, has a nasty habit of shooting from the back. In the just concluded NDA rally in New Delhi, he said it was his fault to make his son his party chief prior to the Assembly elections in the State. Under Omar Abdullah, the NC won 29 of the total 87 seats. In fact, Omar himself lost the prestigious Ganderbal seat to the PDP. The NC attributed the drubbing to indiscipline in the party. In most of the places, the NC’s supporters were found campaigning against the party candidates. This could not happen if the leadership of the party would not have overlooked the wishes and desires of its supporters. Thus, Omar was caught napping when his own party’s followers were hammering its political interests. Anyway, the senior Abdullah has now realised the fault of putting such a heavy load of the party’s chairmanship on his son’s immature shoulders. | |
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‘Mauni’ Mamata
Once known for her fire-spitting ability, the Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee is now sulking. After Prime Minister Vajpayee’s refusal to accommodate her in his Cabinet on her terms and the NDA government’s move to go ahead with the bifurcation of the Eastern railway zone, she has become the subject of ridicule of not only her rival CPI(M) but also party colleagues. Even Sudip Mukhopadhyay who used to give unflinching support to Mamata di on all matters, has now fallen out with her. So pathetic has her condition become that when she went to address a rally in her own constituency, only a few turned up to listen to their leader’s speech. Political observers say Mamata will become a spent force if she continues to rationalise her steps and moves. | |
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Brahmin v/s Jat
When a diminutive leader like Vasundhara Raje Scindia was appointed BJP chief in Rajasthan, murmurs were heard in the political corridors of both Delhi and Rajasthan. But very few knew that Vasundhara was made the party boss keeping in mind the Congress’ strategy for the Rajasthan Assembly Election scheduled to take place next year. If things move according to the Congress’ plan, Girija Vyas, a Brahmin, will be the party’s chief ministerial candidate. In that case, the BJP strategists feel Vasundhara Raje, who is married to a Jat family, will be a right candidate to give the Congress a tough fight. On the other hand, it will be a fight closely taking place between two women, making the election more interesting. But the question is-whether Vasundhara Raje will come up to the expectations of her party’s leaders and supporters? |
