From The India Gate: From Rejig in Cabinet to 'Richie Riches' in Qatar
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.
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As the Parliament session comes to an end this weekend (instead of the next weekend), talks of a Cabinet reshuffle are gaining again.
As per our fly on the wall, at least two Cabinet biggies may be ousted.
While one may be propped up as a party face in Delhi to take on the seemingly invincible Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the other biggie may be shown the door ostensibly for his failure to deliver in recent assembly elections.
Stay tuned!
HOWZZZAATTT??
The entire top brass of BCCI was in Doha, Qatar, for the FIFA WC final between Argentina and France.
And mind you, they weren't there just to enjoy the beautiful game's biggest game! In fact, they had more ideas to dribble.
Honchos of BCCI, one of the richest sports bodies in the world, wanted to see for themselves all arrangements and organisation of such a world-class event.
The BCCI team studied how spectators from across the world are handled and how the heads of state that swoop in for events of such magnitude are handled.
Seems time was invested in grasping how the show is coordinated, and facilities are required, with a special focus on celebrations conducted pre and post-the-big game.
Is this reason enough for 'Richie Riches' to go to Qatar? What say? Or leave it to the third umpire?
SON RISE IN TN
The crown prince has arrived in Tamil Nadu sans fanfare.
The King in the Fort in Chennai had decided to go for a quiet affair. Immediately after making his heir a minister, his rank in the protocol was placed ahead of many veterans. Now, the durbar is abuzz with whispers that more responsibilities are being handed over to the son.
The move is seen as a strategy to showcase him as the leader who would lead the ruling party in the 2024 Parliament elections. Insiders say the idea is to make him a Deputy Chief Minister soon.
In a related development, the prince himself is transmitting enough signals that he is becoming a power centre. Recently, the state finance minister wanted to hike the price of milk and electricity tariffs. Though the chief minister was reluctant to accept the recommendation, the government went ahead after getting a nod from the Prince.
NO PERMANENT FRIENDS OR FOES
Telangana Rashtra Samithi is now Bharat Rashtra Samithi. That it is an obvious move by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to spread the wings of his political ambition nationwide would be an understatement.
Setting up perfect optics for the Road-to-Delhi plan, KCR is all set to have his first pit stop in Andhra Pradesh, with a new BRS office being opened in Vijayawada, the nerve centre of AP.
Political pundits are busy ticking names of probable leaders who will switch sides to catch a ride with KCR.
Vundavalli Arun Kumar, a two-time Congress MP, seems to be the first prominent political figure to join BRS. He is a known opponent of KCR and vehemently opposed the state's bifurcation.
Vundavalli was in a sort of hibernation for a while. But he recently had a long meeting with KCR, sparking rumours in both states.
Vundavalli was a close aide of YS Rajashekhara Reddy, former CM and father of current AP Chief Minister Jagan. As they say, there are no permanent friends or enemies in politics.
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