The Central Government has kept the first phase of Budget Session very short; it will continue for only 10 days. But it seems that the Opposition will not co-operate with the Government. On January 30, just before the Budget Session, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has called an all-party meeting. The Government will also hold an all-party meet. But experts are saying that they will take the Budget Session exactly on the lines of the Winter Session.
An Opposition leader says that this will be an extension of the Winter Session for them. The issue of demonetisation will again rule this Session and the Opposition will take it from where it had left it in the last Session. Apart from this, the alleged misuse of the CBI and IT department against the Opposition leaders is also on the common agenda.
Parliamentary managers of the BJP are saying that since most of the leaders will be busy with the campaign in five States, there will be no hurdle before the Government’s agenda. However, this is not true. The parties which are up against demonetisation will not be busy with elections. There are no elections in West Bengal, and this is not a secret that Mamata Banerjee has waged a war against the Government over demonetisation. So, her party will continue its attack on the Government like it did in the last session.
It is said that this time probably the Government will not get the support of the BJD like it did in the last session. Bhratuhari Mahtab was the first Opposition leader who said that his party was ready to discuss demonetisation under Rule 193. But this time, the BJD leaders are not happy with the raids of central agencies against them. So, this time, the agenda of the TMC and BJD will be similar. The TMC leaders will also raise their voice against the alleged misuse of the CBI.
PARRIKAR: CM OR SUPER CMIJ
Suspense over Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar is deepening day by day. Earlier, in-charge of Goa, Nitin Gadkari, had said that Parikkar can be sent to Goa as Chief Minister, and now Amit Shah has said that it doesn’t matter whether Parikkar becomes the CM or not but the next Government will run under his guidance. In a way, he also signalled that Parikkar will get a bigger role. If he becomes the CM, he has to resign from his current post. And if he becomes the super CM, he will continue to look after Goa on Saturdays and Sundays, like he does now. In this scenario, laxmikant Parsekar will continue to be the CM.
In fact, the BJP hopes to win the elections on Parrikar’s name. This is being said that 26 per cent Catholic Christians are sympathetic towards Parrikar. If Parrikar’s name is being floated in the elections, they will stick to the BJP and will not swing in favour of the AAP and Congress. At present, there is a four-cornered fight in Goa. In this scenario, if Catholic Christians stick to the BJP, then it will get a clear majority.
HOODA’S IMPORTANCE
Former CM of Haryana, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, may be given importance by the Congress high command. Sushilkumar Shinde, who was investigating the row between Hooda and Ashok Tanwar, has given a clean chit to Hooda. Shinde states in his report that Hooda had no role in the physical attack on Tanwar.
Now, Hooda is going to Maharashtra. The Congress high command has decided to send him there to sort out the infighting in the Mumbai Congress. This must be noted that senior leaders in Mumbai — Gurudas Kamat and Sanjay Nirupam — are at loggerheads. Due to this infighting, two senior leaders of the Congress have joined the BJP. This was a huge jolt for the party ahead of the BMC elections. Hooda will talk to leaders on the issue, and will seek the advice of Shinde and other senior leaders.
However, people are saying that the Congress has rekindled interest in Hooda for Jat votes. The Jats of Haryana are again gearing up for the movement for reservation. At the time of the last movement, it was being speculated that Hooda was the mastermind. An audio tape had also surfaced in which his political advisors were being heard allegedly instigating the movement. When the Jats of Haryana and Western UP will join the movement, then with the help of Hooda, the Congress hopes to bring them away from the BJP.
RAIl MISHAP ‘CONSPIRACY’
For the past few months, the number of rail accidents has been increasing, and the Indian Railways claims all those were conspiracies. On the other hand, the State police rejects any conspiracy theory without investigation. The two recent train accidents have proved the same.
Recently, three people were arrested in Bihar’s Motihari. They divulged that the ISI hatched a conspiracy for the train accident in Kanpur’s Pukhrayan and they executed that conspiracy. They said that they were trying to hatch a similar conspiracy for a rail accident at Raxaul-Darbhanga section, but the police nabbed them. After they were arrested, people started saying that the Kanpur rail accident, in which around 150 people were killed, was a conspiracy. But now the UP police has clarified that the ISI had no role in that accident.
Recently, there was an accident at Andhra’s Koneru in which 40 people were killed. Railways said it might be a conspiracy too. But the State police rejected the conspiracy theory and said no Naxal organisation was behind it. This could simply be a bid to pass the buck.
GANGUlY STEERS ClEAR
Mamata Banerjee is offering a Rajya Sabha seat to cricketer Sourav Ganguly. It is being said that the seat, which has been vacated by Mithun Chakraborty, might be offered to Ganguly. But the cricketer’s close aides say he is not ready. Ganguly is the president of CAB, and there is a buzz that he might be given the command of BCCI. Probably, he wants to continue with cricket administration for some time and will hence not join active politics. Even if he thinks of joining politics, the TMC will not be his first choice.
This must be noted that before the lok Sabha Elections, Ganguly was apparently going to join the BJP. Reportedly, none other than Narendra Modi was keen to have him on board, but Ganguly steered cleared. Sources say he prefers the CPM. Though, this is true that the CPM doesn’t have much standing in the State politics, it will still be Ganguly’s party of choice if he joins politics.
DERA POlITICS OF PUNJAB
Dera politics has reached its peak in Punjab again. Not only the Congress, BJP, and Akali, but the first-timer AAP is also hobnobbing with the Deras. In Punjab, the usual fight happens between the Akal-BJP combine and the Congress, so the Deras support either side. But this time, the picture is somewhat different.
Sources say that the Deras are ready to support the BJP, but are not so sure about the Akalis. Ram Rahim’s Dera is the largest in Punjab and has lakhs of supporters. The Akali-BJP Government had registered cases against them due to which they had supported the Congress in the last elections. Despite that, the Akali-BJP combine came to power and then the equation started changing.
In Haryana elections, Dera Sacha Sauda had supported the BJP, and after that Kailash Vijayvargiya went to Ram Rahim’s Dera with his MlAs. So, it is being said that Ram Rahim might support the BJP. Now, efforts are being made to ensure that Akalis also get support from Ram Rahim along with the BJP. The Congress leaders are trying that where Akali candidates are fighting, the Dera of Ram Rahim must support their party.
Byas Satsang is another big Dera, and its chief is Majithia’s relative. That is why Akalis are hopeful to get its support. Radha Soami Satsang is also a big Dera. Some time ago, Rahul Gandhi had spent a night at the Dera. He had gone to meet its chief along with Captain Amarinder Singh. So, the Deras are divided on the line of political parties. But this will be important to see whether Dera Sacha Sauda gives its support to Akalis or not.