Congress leaders have rejected the findings of a survey done by a news channel that gives the party only 136 seats in the 2014 lok Sabha elections. However, partymen are worried about the party’s performance in the polls.
They opine that if the party doesn’t have a strong pre-poll alliance, it is going to face serious problems in forming UPA-III. To remain at the Centre, the Congress needs partners in seven States — Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, UP and Bihar, Kerala and Maharashtra.
While in Maharashtra the Congress has a tie-up with the National Congress Party (NCP), in Kerala it has partnered with parties like the Muslim league. But it needs alliance partners in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Except in Bihar, the UPA has formed a Government sometime or the other with various tie-ups.
Hence, the Congress is trying for an alliance in these States with a concentrated focus in Bihar. If the party manages to go for a partnership in the State, it will be a feather in its cap.
Things are no better in Andhra Pradesh. The DMK has parted ways and so has the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal. So the Congress has to finalise pre-poll alliance in the other three States before the 2014 lok Sabha elections.
The big fight
Congress leaders at the Centre are of the opinion that there may be an alliance once again with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee just before the 2014 lok Sabha elections.
However, the fights between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the State Congress have taken a turn for the worse. When the Mamata Government completed its two years in office in the State, the Congress came out with a report enumerating the failures of the Mamata Government.
State-level leaders are now saying that Mamata will come to know of the reality during the panchayat elections scheduled for July.
The TMC leaders, not happy with this criticism and had a counter attack. Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee said that the Congress is a zero in West Bengal. He also said that whatever seats the Congress got in the last elections was only due to the TMC.
He advised the Congress leaders to not be deluded. He said that the Congress was not aware of the true feelings of the locals. The only way the leaders of the both the parties will stop fighting will be after the panchayat elections. But if the TMC’s performance in the elections is good, the fight is likely to continue.
UPA goes for change
There are rumours that there are going to be some changes in the UPA-II Government. Interestingly, this is the first time in four years that Janardan Dwivedi’s name doesn’t figure anywhere. Earlier, his name would come up every time there was even talk of changes in the UPA-II. It was always speculated that he will get the HRD Ministry.
Now, that his name doesn’t figure anywhere political analysts opine that he may be given a Ministry. But some Congress leaders say that he will be asked to look after the organisational work of the party. Yet others say he may become the Governor.
Meanwhile, with the removal of three Ministers — Ambika Soni, Ashwini Kumar and Pawan Bansal — the doors for Mohinder Singh Kaypee, Santosh Choudhary and Rajya Sabha MP MS Gill are strong contenders. Some say that an MP from Maharashtra may also get a Ministerial berth at the Centre.
It is also said that Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President Ramesh Chennithala’s name is also doing rounds. He may be given a Ministerial berth because after DMK withdrew its support from the UPA-II Government, representation from the south has gone down. However, Chennithala is likely to join the Congress-led UDF Government headed by Oommen Chandy
Names of Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Pradip Kumar Balmuchu, Dhiraj Sahu an MP from Jharkhand and Maulana Asrarul Haque from Bihar are also doing rounds.
Cong’s new look
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has changed all the eight zonal heads in Uttar Pradesh. The directions have been given to new people. Many Central Ministers, MPs and veteran leaders who were zonal heads have been relieved of the duties in the State.
Many party leaders opine that this move can be rather detrimental for the party in the wake of the 2014 lok Sabha elections. But since the earlier zonal incharge heads could not deliver what Rahul wanted, a new faces have been given a chance.
There are reports that there are going to be sweeping changes in the All India Congress Committee (AICC) like it happened in Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC). Speculations are rife that many old timers and senior leaders may be shown the door of 14, Akbar Road and new faces will get a chance.
It is said that Rahul will choose people from different States for AICC and all the sycophants who sit in Delhi will be marginalised.
Clash of titans
Even though AB Bardhan is not the general secretary of CPI, he is the key man in the party. He is busy framing party policies, work that should be done by Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy, the party’s general secretary. Party insiders say that Reddy is the general secretary in name only. That is the reason why whatever Bardhan has to say is taken seriously and that is the reason why he has openly taken stand against the CPM. He has alleged that the CPM has been spreading rumours that the CPI doesn’t have any ideology.
He also said that since 1964, when CPI split and CPM was created, many changes have taken place and it will be in CPM’s interest if it changes with time. The leaders of both the parties are taken aback with this sudden outburst from Bardhan.
Some say that the statement has no meaning and that it was said to show CPM general secretary Prakash Karat his place. For sometime now, the two leaders have been at loggerheads with each other. And it is because of their clashes that the two left parties are facing political crisis.
Some even say that the fights between Karat and Bardhan has put the formation of the Third Front on hold.
Paswan-lalu deal
lok Janshakti Party (lJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan has appealed to the Congress president Sonia Gandhi by saying that she must do what she had done in 2004. She had gone to meet Paswan and took the initiative to form UPA-1. In fact, Paswan wants that the UPA-II, which has completed its fourth year at the Centre, to take him and Rashtriya Janata Dal chief lalu Prasad Yadav back to the party fold.
It is said that the statement has been made not because he wants to comeback to the Congress. Instead, he wants the Congress to announce that it is forming an alliance with him in Bihar. Sources say that the Congress doesn’t have any problem in forming an alliance with Paswan. Sonia and Rahul have a soft corner for Paswan. Party insiders say that the Congress may go into partnership with lJP anytime now. But Paswan knows that his alliance with Congress is of no use in Bihar because the real power lies with lalu.
Therefore, he wants a three-party alliance — the Congress, RJD and lJP. He also wants the Congress to let bygones be bygones and enter into a partnership like it had in the past.
Goa once more
Once again, Goa will prove to be important for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Exactly 11 years back, during the Gujarat riots, BJP’s national executive meeting was held in Goa. In that meeting, Modi had handed over his resignation to then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who had advised him to follow raj dharm.
The party’s national executive is to be held in Goa yet again. Sources say that in this meeting, scheduled for June 8-9, a decision to hand over the party’s charge for the 2014 lok Sabha elections may be given to Modi.
The move to give Amit Shah, former Gujarat Home Minister and a close confidante] of Modi, charge of UP is an indication.
It is said that in at the recently held meeting of parliam-entary board, strategies have been discussed for 2014 lok Sabha elections and four Assembly elections scheduled to be held at the end of the year. Other details are expected to be discussed in Goa. It is rumoured that the strategies will be finalised under Modi’s leadership and once the meeting is over, Modi will start campaigning in States.
Caught on the backfoot
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has made the Muslim Ministers in his Cabinet and other religious as well as social leaders very unhappy. Recently, the Chief Minister gave a clean chit to the State police over the death of terror suspect Khalid Mujahid. It is said that Khalid, who was prime accused in the November 23, 2007 serial blasts in the district courts of lucknow, Varanasi and Faizabad which killed 14 and injured many, was tortured to death in the police custody last week. However, the police version is that Khalid died due to an illness. Interestingly, the BJP has also been saying the same thing.
However, Muslim clerics and social activists are angry. One leader even went to the extent of saying that the Chief Minister had personally given orders for a CBI enquiry and then personally gave a clean chit to UP police.
The leader, therefore, wanted to know why have a CBI inquiry when he had to give the State police a clean chitIJ Was the order given just to pacify Khalid’s familyIJ Sources say that Akhilesh had wanted to prevent other party leaders from gaining political mileage from Khalid’s death and, hence, the statement was made. But just the opposite has happened.