By Nora Chopra
PRESIDENT PRANAB MUKHERJEE WORRIED OVER COMMUNAL INCIDENTS
President Pranab Mukherjee is a worried man. Mukherjee who has grown up in a totally different secular atmosphere of West Bengal and the Congress is said to be feeling suffocated in the sprawling palatial Rashtrapati Bhawan. Mukherjee who is a democrat is finding it very difficult to survive in this communal atmosphere and hence he had no option but to speak out. Sources close to him claim that if the PM does not speak out at the earliest and does not control his ministers, then he will have to think of some other option. Meanwhile his term ends in 2017 but then he can even register his name in history by taking some drastic option..
NARENDRA MODI’S CLOUT FAILING IN BIHAR ELECTIONS CAMPAIGN
The Bharatiya Janata Party is having a tough battle in Bihar elections with Nitish Kumar’s graph rising rapidly… The BJP President Amit Shah whose future depends on the Bihar verdict is a desperate man these days. He is sitting in Patna and is personally monitoring the elections. The local leaders including Sushil Modi, the former deputy CM of Bihar is not being used. Shah is only transporting senior ministers or party leaders to Patna from Delhi. The way the BJP brought film stars like Ajay Devgan to boost the insipid campaign too turned to be a failure. He was booed away by the crowds. The decision to field the Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also out of desperation but soon realization dawned on Shah and the PM himself. Even then Modi had to cancel two meetings in the second round. He had to address about a dozen rallies t but had to cancel most of his rallies What Is more scaring is that the local media and the bureaucracy are also supporting Nitish Kumar.
PRIME MINISTER ANGRY WITH RAM VILAS PASWAN
Whether the BJP wins or loses in Bihar, three ministers of Narendra Modi government Ravi Shankar Prasad, Ram Vilas Paswan and Upendra Kushwaha are sure to lose their jobs. All three belong to Bihar and while Prasad is a BJP minister, the other two are NDA allies. Prime Minister Modi is extremely miffed with Prasad over his performance. Complaints are piling up against Prasad particularly from Bihar. He has come to be known as call drop minister. Despite the fact that the most crucial elections are on in Bihar, where it is a do or die for the BJP there is no connectivity and people are finding it very difficult to connect on phone. Same is the case with Ram Vilas Paswan. The PM is unhappy with him. Paswan is busy in Bihar trying to save his own bastion and vote banks. The dal prices have soared high like never before during elections. Upendra Kushwaha, according to BJP insiders and IB reports has failed to consolidate his own votes. The Kushwaha votes are divided between Nitish and Kushwaha. A large chunk is all set to vote for Nitish But the question is how long both Paswan and Kushwaha will stay with NDA Paswan has reportedly told a social scientist from Bihar that he cannot even face his constituents after the RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat made the statement on reservations and even after Dadri lynching issue . Most Dalits are used to eating beef.
CONGRESS HIGH COMMAND NOT ALLOWING MUSLIM LEADERS IN BIHAR CAMPAIGN
A K Antony’s prescription is working in Bihar. Shakeel Ahmad the Congress general secretary in -charge of Delhi and Punjab and who is a Bihari himself, has been kept out of the campaign. Ahmad who is one of the architects of the congress strategy in Bihar has been kept out of the campaign because he is a Muslim . A s per the recommendation of A K Antony, no Muslim should be seen or projected in Bihar and for Rahul every word of Antony is bible. Despite the demand for Shakeel from all over Bihar as he is the only Muslim leader of the Congress who has popular support. he is not allowed to campaign. But then Ahmad is not the only Muslim leader that the party has withdrawn from the Bihar campaign. Even senior Congress leader like Ghulam Nabi Azad who was given charge of Bihar was also withdrawn at the last moment. on the eve of election.
THREE WAY BATTLE IN KARNATAKA CONGRESS FOR PCC CHIEF’S POST
With indications of a cabinet reshuffle in Karnataka, the PCC chief G Parmeshwar is all set to be inducted in the government giving rise to speculation of an overhaul of the K arnataka PCC. In view of this cabinet reshuffle and the PCC chief to join the government, hectic lobbying has already begun. While Rahul Gandhi is said to be backing Dnesh Gundu Rao, the minister for food and civil supplies in the Karnataka government. The son of the ex CM Gundu Rao joining the race is Shiva Kumar . the most arrogant minister in the state. He is being backed by S M Krishna. Krishna who had gone into hibernation has again become active and is actively backing Shiv Kumar. And S R Patil, the IT minister is the front runner and is ed by the chief minister Siddarammiah. The fight has now become the battle between the three top leaders Rahul Gandhi, chief minister Siddharamiah and former central Minister SM Krishna supposed to ne close to both the Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Congress Vice President. Rahul Gandhi.
BATTLE HOTS UP IN UTTAR PRADESH CONGRESS FOR NEW PCC CHIEF
The Uttar Pradesh Congress is vertically divided over the issue of who should be the next UPCC chief. While the present general secretary in charge of UP Madhusudan Mistry continues to back the present ailing PCC chief Nirmal Khatri and vice versa Khatri is backing Mistry who too is on his way out. Both Khatri and Mistry are for status quo. The other group which is led by the ex Congress minister RPN Singh and the UP CLP leader Pradeep Mathur, are for a change of leadership . The pro change group is again backing either RPN Singh or Pradeep Mathur or Pramod Tiwari. The irony of the matter is that both the groups have adopted the communication head Randeep Surjewala as their godfather. Both these groups are cosying up to Surjewala. (IPA)