From the India Gate: Dream merchants, stolen phones and more
There is a lot that happens behind the scenes in the corridors of power. Opinions, conspiracies, power games and internal wrangling galore in the political space. Asianet News Network’s massive ground presence taps into the pulse of politics and bureaucracy across the country.
FollowDREAM MERCHANTS
The Congress plenary session in Raipur has once again claimed that the party alone can blend an effective Opposition front to take on the BJP-led NDA in 2024.
But political observers can't hide their chuckles when such claims are made. A scan of four states -- Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh -- going into polls soon exposes fissures within the Congress party. Very little has changed in spite of the unity façade built during the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
If it is the tug-of-war between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar alias DK in Karnataka, there is a tougher battle between Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot in Rajasthan. Gehlot considers himself the only leader worthy of becoming chief minister.
Stories emerging from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh also talk of intense infighting. One faction in MP has openly supported Kamal Nath and even took to PCC's official handle to tweet their support.
In Chhattisgarh, many senior leaders are worried about what cards T S Singh Deo would play to unsettle incumbent Bhupesh Baghel. Even as these satraps continue strategising, many think this is a classic case of counting eggs before they hatch. For, pollsters are still not sure in how many of these states the grand old party would manage majority seats.
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THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO
The prayer was simple. Vacate within seven days or face appropriate action. But what makes this normal legal notice an extraordinary affair is the name of the recipient -- Lord 'Bhajarangi' aka Hanuman.
Yes, the same 'Maruti' who braved odds and launched a surgical strike in Lanka during his search for Sita Ma. According to Railways, the Lord has encroached on Railways land in Morena, Madhya Pradesh.
The notice warned that his abode would be demolished if the Lord didn't jump out of the Railways' land. Further, the notice has made it clear that the Lord will have to bear the expenses of razing his shrine.
The notice served on the Lord went viral as it chugged with "double engine" power through social media. Soon the notice was withdrawn, and a new one was issued in the name of the chief priest. Perhaps, the Lord would borrow a phrase from the Bible to express his plight: Forgive them. For they know not what they do.
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WRONG NUMBER
Why would anyone be ready to splash Rs 1 lakh for tracing a mobile phone hardly worth Rs 20,000? There will be questions when a political leader hounds cops to trace his phone, which was pick-pocketed during a fair.
There is more than that meets the eye as the leader repeats the 'naked' truth that 'there was nothing in it' (read no explicit content).
Another political leader who lost his iPhone worth more than Rs 1 lakh was not as concerned as his peer. Both these leaders and many others of their ilk lost valuables at a fair in Mangaluru. Many lost hard cash but decided to keep quiet.
Police say the master pickpocket was so professional that he did not spare anyone. About 15 leaders who had come to the fair fully dressed to flaunt their worth lost their precious assets. Ironically, none wanted to file a complaint. Maybe, they accepted it as karma for mismanaging public money. Even as this tit-for-tat theory is doing rounds, one point is puzzling: Why this disproportionate worry over losing a normal phone?
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FREEZE FRAME
Muscling in for a right frame, especially alongside party honchos, has become a political habit. A former minister in Uttar Pradesh has drawn flak many a time for trying to steal the limelight. He elbows his way through to be clicked with senior leaders like the Chief Minister.
Though he has been warned, very little has changed in his attitude. Recently, he pushed aside the minister to inch his way towards the CM. Even an officer in the CM’s entourage tried to prevent his advance. With the menace becoming difficult to handle, state leaders moved the central leadership. And they have managed to rein in this former minister for the time being.
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SP MEIN KA BA?
Its track record when it comes to respecting women is pathetic. So when its leaders stand up for such a cause, eyebrows are naturally raised.
When the Uttar Pradesh government slapped a notice on the female voice for her song 'Ka Ba in UP', the main opposition party started supporting her.
Its national president even gave a statement in support of the artist leading to speculations that this artist would soon make an entry into the party. The party, in fact, is going beyond statements flaying the government notice. The party’s president has given instructions to all concerned to ensure legal support for the singer.
Naturally, the party is hoping against hope that this cosmetic initiative will help change its image as an anti-woman political apparatus.
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FLOWER POWER
In Hawaiian culture, wearing a flower behind your left ear means one is in a relationship or married. And wearing one on the right side means that the person in question is single and possibly looking for love.
But some 13,000 km away from Hawaii, when a senior politician flaunted a flower on his right ear, multi-hued questions were raised.
When Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai presented the budget, Congress leader Siddaramaiah staged a unique protest by wearing a flower on his right ear. 'Kivi Mele Hoova' (putting a flower on the ear) is a Kannada proverb that means 'fooling others'.
Whether this gimmick scored a political goal or not, the flower protest helped a spurt in prices with Congress workers distributing marigold along with BJP’s report card on the streets of Bengaluru.
But none knows who the brain behind this idea is or who sold it to Siddaramaiah though there are many guesses. One theory says that Congress high command had to pressure Siddaramaiah to do the circus in spite of his objection to it. There is also chatter that Congress's political strategist Sunil Kanugol is behind the 'Kivi mele Hoova' episode.
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