10 JANPATH IS CURSED, RAJIV GANDHI WAS TOLD
10 Janpath is jinxed. Many in the Congress Party had advised Rajiv Gandhi not move to 10 Janpath as it was cursed but Rajiv Gandhi was so influenced by Sonia Gandhi that he did not heed to any advice, says the Congress leader Makhan Lal Fotedar in his book the Chinar Leaves. A Youth Congress activist of Sanjay era apprised Rajiv Gandhi that the house was cursed and no one could survive in it beyond eighteen months,. The Youth Congress had folded up from there in 1977.Lal Bahadur Shastri as prime minister passed away within eighteen months. The Press Council of India had to move out within that period. Rajiv ignored the warnings and made K K Tewary who was a minister in government, vacate the premises so that he could move in. Incidentally Tewary’s political oblivion also coincided with his moving into 10 Janpath. And Rajiv Gandhi himself was assassinated within eighteen month of his setting up abode at 10 Janpath.
BALMIKI JAYANTI ORGANISERS ONLY INVITE RAHUL GANDHI AS A GUEST
The Balmiki Samaj in Delhi that celebrated the Balmiki Jayanti in the ramparts of Red Fort after 38 years chose to boycott the all leaders of political parties including the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. The only leader invited was Rahul Gandhi and this was done at the initiative of the former MLA Jaikishen, a Balmiki himself. He is also a patron of the Balmiki Sarpanch Committee and Balmiki Utsav Committee that organised the show. Jaikishen ensured that both Modi or Amit Shah or Kejriwal were not invited and only Rahul Gandhi was invited. Balmikis who had voted for Kejriwal in the last election are extremely upset with both the BJP and the AAP. The Balmiki Samaj is upset with the BJP over the killing of the Dalit children in Haryana and with Kejriwal because of his latest utterances against reservations. Balmikis who had voted for the AAP in the assembly polls are also upset with Kejriwal for ordering machines in place of safai karmacharis thus threatening the survival of the Balmikis in Delhi. Despite the fact that Rahul alone was invited on the podium, the highlight of the function was the infighting within the Congress. While PL Punia the chairman of the SC committee was absent the deputy chairman Rajkumar Verma were also conspicuous by their absence. Even Rahul Gandhi who was the only guest of honour and was supposed to inaugurate the Balmiki Yatra by breaking a coconut, was not allowed by the Delhi PCC chief Ajay Makan.
CONGRESS MINORITY DEPARTMENT HAS PEOPLE OF ALL COMMUNITIES
The Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi may be facing problems in reshuffling the AICC but he has discovered via media to demonstrate his powers. He has decided to appoint two vice chairmen in each department. To begin with, Rahul has crowded the minority department with three Vice Chairmen. The status of the minority department that was already lowered by the Congress leadership when they had appointed an ex councillor Khurshid Ahmad from Gujarat as its chairman, will now have two Vice Chairmen with equal powers as Khurshid Ahmad. The appointment of an ex councillor had already invited a lot of criticisms the department was earlier headed by Congress doyens like Arjun Singh Ahmad Patel A R Antuley and their ilk. But these new appointments of three vice chairman Anil A Thomas a Christian, Parminder Sngh Bawa a Sikh and Manish Shah a Jain has even raised a bigger hue and cry. All these three vice chairmen have no locus standi as there is no provision for a Vice Chairman in the Congress constitution just as the post of Vice President is a constitutional post. These appointments are in accordance with the prescription of Dr Antony who has prescribed that by projecting a Muslim alone, the Congress would be seen bowing to Muslim appeasement. So from now onwards, the minority department would be represented by all minority communities.
VINCENT GEORGE BACK TO POWER AT AICC OFFICE
Vincent George, the once all powerful private secretary of the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi who spent more than a decade in the wilderness, has bounced back to power. Of late two appointments have been done on the recommendation of V George. Both these appointments are of Christians. The appointment of one Anil Thomas as the Vice Chairman in the minority department has been done t the behest of George. In fact nobody even knows who Thomas is. When it was decided that a Christian has to be appointed and Rahul sounded a hunt he took the help of George who recommended the name of Thomas. Earlier it was George‘s efforts that Shobha Thomas Ozha also a Christian, was reappointed Mahila Congress chief. Though the main reason for the reappointment of Ozha was because of her growing proximity to Rahul but this was due to the initial efforts of George who is said to have got her the initial appointment. Her reappointment has invited criticism as she has not even been able to win even a corporation election despite being given several chances. Earlier she contested the assembly polls twice and lost. The latest she contested was for the corporation election and even lost her deposit. The buzz in the Congress is that with return of V George the AICC may see more Christians getting positions of power. (IPA)