‘Son’rise
Queer though it may sound, the corridors of the power in the BJP- ruled Himalayan state are agog with stories of spectacular success in business of the young son of a prominent Congressman. His IT solution company is said to be coolly cornering lucrative deals with dozens of government departments. The father of this smart youngster called shots in the previous Congress government due his proximity to then Chief Minister. The cricket league being currently played in Dehradun is said to be the most recent master stroke of the company headed by this youngster. The inaugural match of the cricket league was played between CM’s XI and MlA XI in which CM, his close associates and MlAs, donning sporting outfits, exhibited their hidden cricketing prowess. The clout of the organisers of the league can be gauged from the fact that all government departments registered their teams for it. These departments are said to have paid hefty sponsorship amounts to the organisers of the league. The sudden upswing in the fortunes of this bright and brainy son of a Congress leader with exceptional maneuvering skills has become an eyesore for many in the saffron outfit. “He has power of money earned by his father during Congress regime on his side. It is really amazing how the government departments which don’t have the budget to clear the long- pending payments of the contractors became benevolent and paid big sponsorship cheques for the cricket league,’’ wondered a right- wing activist.
laser Wars
The much- hyped laser show at Kedarnath shrine having gone horribly wrong with some simple facts, the Congressmen were quick enough to pounce on these mistakes and to pin BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the mat for these gaffes. The Congress leaders are crying foul and going around the town, saying that it is actually a ‘Sound and light’ show and not laser as being claimed by the government. They are terming utilising wall of the Kedarnath shrine as screen, use of different colours and loud sound of the show as sacrilegious for the place revered by Hindus. Elated over the Gujarat connection of the show organisers, the Congressmen are losing no opportunity to embarrass the BJP and of course, the supreme saffron posterboy PM. Quick on their feet following the Congress onslaught, the BJP leaders are defending the show as something which is part of the Indian culture while being in sync with the modern times. They are also reminding the Congressmen that singer Kailash Kher was invited to perform a show at Kedarnath during the Harish Rawat regime. Interestingly, the core issues such as facilities to Char Dham Yatris and the problems they are facing due to dug- up roads have been relegated on the backburner as the political grandstanding always tends to eclipse the people’s woes.
Baffling Bonhomie
Wily politician as he is, Harish Rawat has called truce with his protégé- turned foe Kishore Upadhyay. The duo met in Uttarakhand House in Delhi to jettison their past acrimony and posted pictures to friends and media which indicates ushering in of a new chapter in the personal equations of the two State party stalwarts. It is learnt that they were prodded by the Congress top guns to sink their differences and work together. Upadhyay being considered as a trusted lieutenant of the 10 Janpath, the meeting is believed to have been held at the behest of all- powerful first family of the grand old party of the country. The two parted ways when Upadhyay, then the state party chief, eyed Rajya Sabha seat, up for grab, and Rawat sent Pradeep Tamta in the Upper House.
There is little doubt that the charisma of Harish Rawat has remained unscathed despite his ‘double drubbing’ at the last hustings, a fact buttressed by his presence in the front row occupied by the Congress stalwarts at the recent Jan Akrosh rally in Delhi. Seen against this background, his joining ranks with Upadhyay is a clear signal that power equation within Congress in Uttarakhand is on the cusp of change.