By Nora Chopra
Big debate over timing of Rahul take-over
Intense power struggle is on in the Congress between the old guard and Rahul Gandhi’s advisers. Rahul‘s political mentor and Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh is a man in a hurry. After Diggy failed to get a place in the four member high powered committee appointed by Sonia Gandhi to take decisions in her absence when she went to US for her surgery, he has become so desperate that he has been mounting pressure on Rahul to take over. The thinking in the Rahul camp led by Digvijay Singh is that it is the right time Rahul should take charge of the party because it will be difficult for him to become the party President if the party if he fails to deliver in UP . The existing power lobby comprising of the old guard are believed to be of the opinion that he should first consider the option of the Prime Minister and even if he takes charge of the party, it should be after the UP Polls because if the party fails to do well in Uttar Pradesh, Rahul will have to bear the brunt. The party has officially maintained silence on the issue and leaders have been careful in giving any reaction except that it is up to the family to take the decision.
Who is Abhishek Dubey?
Who is this Abhishek Dubey who started the controversy of Rahul taking over as party President? Abhishek Dubey is the son of the journalist and close Gandhi family friend Suman Dubey. But one cannot forget that he is also the son in law of a Madhya Pradesh cadre bureaucrat R Gopalakrishnan who is extremely close to Digvijay Singh. He has been recently included in Rahul’s team. He wrote the article in a business daily where his uncle in law in is the bureau chief suggesting Rahul Gandhi should take over as party president from Sonia Gandhi. The article is believed to have been written at Digvijay Singh’s behest.
Mayawati wooing Muslims in a big way
Congress may have to suffer a major setback in the UP elections as Mayawati is working to poach on the Congress vote bank of Muslims, Brahmins and the Dalits. While she continues to enjoy the Dalit backing she has this time decided to experiment with the Muslim voters. Out of the 402 candidates, Behenji has announced about 370 candidates. And she has given maximum number of tickets to Muslims. after the Dalits. Out of the 370 declared so far, the Dalits outnumber all. The dalits have got 88 tickets, the next is Muslims followed by Brahmins. Satish Mishra once most powerful lieutenant of behenji has been replaced by Naseemuddin Siddiqui. After Mishra failed to deliver the desired results in 2009 Parliament election, she has now replaced him with Siddiqui. Siddiqui is the most powerful minister in her cabinet with nearly a dozen ministries. Earlier it was Mishra but now it is Siddiqui who heads all the Bhaichara committees except the Dalit and Brahmin Bhaichara committees Even when Anant Mishra the then health minister and nephew of Satish Mishra was sacked, the portfolio went to Naseemuddin, But this does not mean she has ignored the Brahmins. She would be addressing the Brahmin Samaj convention in Lucknow on November 13 and on November 12 she is inaugurating the Shakuntala handicapped university named after Satish Mishra’s mother.
DMK family members observing truce
The warring members of DMK’s first family have called truce at least for the time being, Eyebrows were raised when giving unified face both Alaghiri and Stalin were present in court hoping their sister Kanimozhi would be released. The entire Karunanidhi family was present. The reason is said to be the presence of the actress Khushboo who too accompanied Karunanidhi and family to Delhi. The family members of the DMK chief as well as the DMK cadres are said to be upset over the emergence of the actress Khushboo as the new power centre in the party. She has filled the void created by Kanimozhi. Karunanidhi is listening to her more than any one else in his family. After all she is good looking, suave and English speaking.
The importance of being Digvijay
AICC General secretary Digvijay Singh has become an embarrassment for the official media in the Congress. Despite a ban on speaking out of turn, he seems to be a free bird. He has adopted a novel method of speaking. Joining the Tweet club he first tweets something outrageous against Anna or the RSS or BJP or someone inviting the media to seek his reaction and thus goes on the cycle of his statements. His colleagues in the Congress are finding themselves helpless in reining him in. Last week when he warned Sri Sri Ravi Shankar against falling in the RSS trap and carrying forward the RSS agenda, the media chairperson Janardhan Diwedi was at a loss on how to react on Digvijay’s utterances. He however made it categorically clear that that they were his personal views and the party had nothing to do with it. But speaking informally he took a dig at Digvijay. He told journalists that it was the same person when as a chief minister he had invited Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and had attended the art of living course. The party had not asked him to do that. Again when he invited Anna Hazare to MP and made him member of planning board, he had even touched his feet. The party does not touch anyone’s feet. Taking a further dig he said who knows whether he also attended Ram Dev Shivir. The growing opinion within the Congress is that Digvijay’s utterances are only damaging the party as this would lead to a Hindu consolidation in favour of the BJP and the party would be wiped out in UP. Ambika Soni was overheard telling someone that Diggy was law unto himself.
Congress dilemma over action against corrupt leaders
On one hand Rahul Gandhi’s office is being charged of recommending the candidatures of dubious people in Uttar Pradesh, on the other hand Rahul is planning a cleanup drive in the Congress. Rahul has asked all PCC chiefs to prepare a list of Congress MPs and MLAs with dubious antecedents so that they can be eased out of their posts. The PCC chiefs have been asked to prepare a list of Congress leaders who are implicated in criminal cases. But the PCC chiefs have also to verify whether these cases have been slapped against them because of any political vendetta or there is truth in the cases. The problems before several PCC chiefs like the one before Saifuddin Soz of J&K is that the Congress has only two ministers from the valley Peerzada Sayeed (education) and Taj Mohiuddin (Power) Both are accused of embezzlement of funds. The State Accountability Commission which was probing into the charges has now submitted its report to the government recommending that FIR can now be lodged against them. The third Congress MLA Ghulam Ahmad Meer is involved in a sex scandal. A case of sex harassment is already there in Chandigarh Court. If these ministers are removed, then Congress will have no representation from the valley. The rest 14 MLAs are from Jammu region. (IPA)