The Supreme Court has rejected the decision of NJAC and this has made the managers of the Government unhappy. They will have to call an all-party meet and get the Bill passed again. But this decision will be made only after the results of Bihar elections
What will happen to NJACIJ What is the fate of GST BillIJ What is the future course of action of PM’s Make in India campaignIJ What will happen in his foreign toursIJ BJP leaders have only one answer to all these questions: Everything depends on the results of Bihar elections. Before this, polls in no other State have been so decisive.
The Supreme Court has rejected the decision of NJAC and this has made the managers of the Government unhappy. They will have to call an all-party meet and get the Bill passed again. But this decision will be made only after the results of Bihar elections. If the BJP wins, the executive will have a greater role in judicial appointments. Also, after that the Government will rigorously push the GST Bill. If the BJP faces defeat, the Congress will not allow it to run Parliament in the manner it did during the Monsoon and Budget Sessions after the Delhi elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has to go to the UK next month. On Diwali, he will address around 50,000 Indians at Wembley. According to a report, Bihar results will also affect his UK tour. If the BJP loses Bihar, the PM’s speech is expected to change. Probably, he will not target the media and the secular clan of the country. He might also take a cautious approach in mentioning the issue of writers who are returning their awards.
JAIRAM PUTS CONG IN SPOT
Jairam Ramesh, the think tank of the Congress, has given a statement which is proving to be troublesome for the party. He said that Rahul Gandhi is finalising his team, which will have new faces. He has also said that time is up for leaders in the party who are above 60 years of age. Though the party made no delay in officially discarding this statement, what Ramesh said has many important connotations.
Sources say the team members of Rahul want to build a youth brigade. It is being said that the youth MPs who had been pushed as ministers in UPA 2 would get important responsibilities in the party organisation. leaders like Jitendra Singh, Sachin Pilot, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jitin Prasada, RPN Singh and Ajay Maken will get crucial responsibilities in either the national team or State PCCs.
Pilot and Maken are already State Presidents. Either Prasada or RPN Singh will become the party president in Uttar Pradesh. Prasada and Scindia could be appointed as general secretaries. Meenakshi Natarajan and Randeep Surjewala could also become general secretaries.
Earlier Ramesh was also in the race to become a general secretary, but his name may not be considered if the provision of 60 years age limit is considered, though it’s highly unlikely. Many veterans like BS Hooda, Ashok Gehlot and Sheila Dikshit might also get big responsibilities in AICC.
SIBAl VS JAITlEY
There was a time when Kapil Sibal and Arun Jaitley engaged in verbal duals often. This was when they were spokespersons of their respective parties and participated in debate at TV studios. But later, they got promoted and gradually their verbal wars decreased. Now, the legal stalwarts are once again at loggerheads.
When the SC rejected NJAC, Sibal raised questions over Jaitley. The Bill was introduced by Ravi Shankar Prasad, the then law Minister, and Sadanand Gowda, the present law Minister, pushed it forward. But sparing these two, Sibal launched an attack on Jaitley.
It is being said that Jaitley had played an important role in getting the Bill passed, and after the SC decision it is he who decided the party line. That is the reason why Sibal said Jaitley must concentrate on his own ministry rather than interfering in others’ matters.
In fact, just two days before this decision, the Special CBI Court rejected one case of spectrum allocation of 2002. The court said there was no merit in the case. Pointing to this case, Jaitley immediately targeted Sibal, saying it was the former law Minister who compelled CBI officials to register the case. Prompt was the reply of Sibal; he said Jaitley might be compelling the CBI for all this. And the war between the two stalwarts continues.
TURNING TO RElIGION
So many bizarre incidents are happening in the country. Hindu votes are suddenly in demand. leaders of the parties who didn’t believe in God and religion have suddenly started going to temples in a bid to woo Hindu voters.
M Karunanidhi doesn’t believe in religion, but his son MK Stalin went to a historical temple in Shiv Ganga to pay obeisance with his wife Durga. Not only this, the TV channel of DMK Kalaignar is running a serial on the life of Sant Ramanuja. Interestingly, the biography of Sant Ramanuja has been written by Karunanidhi.
Chief Minister Jayalalithaa also goes to temples and has full faith in religion. Probably, Stalin has made plans to counter her and has hence started going to temples. In the next elections, Stalin will be the CM candidate of DMK.
In Kerala too, Communist leaders organised many religious functions. They are worried about the growing impact of the BJP in the State and that is why recently CPM leaders sent messages wishing people on Ganesh Chaturthi. The CPI (M) had also organised Janmashtmi puja. This is interesting because according to the party philosophy, religion is opium.
Similarly in UP, the Samajwadi Party has started many schemes to woo Hindu voters. SP chief Mulayam Singh has also started participating in religious functions. Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi is also going to temples one by one. Political pundits feel that the leaders don’t want to take a risk after seeing the polarisation on Modi’s name during the lok Sabha Elections.
AllIES SING DIFFERENT TUNE
After the lok Sabha Elections, NDA partners had become more confident. They didn’t react harshly even when the BJP lost the Delhi Elections. Barring some write-ups in Saamana, the allies didn’t attack Modi and his Government. But the incidents of the last one month have emboldened BJP’s alliance partners. Shiv Sena is openly attacking the BJP, and one of BJP’s oldest allies, Akali Dal, is also doing the same.
Part of the problem could be reports on Bihar elections. Apart from this, the scenario after Dadri incidents has given strength to alliance partners.
Sources in Akali Dal say that writers and poets are returning their awards due to growing intolerance and this has dented the image of the country worldwide. The Government’s apparent indifference towards RTI made activists angry and they boycotted the PM’s speech. On the other hand, the apex court has given a jolt to the Government after rejecting NJAC. The Centre is also facing heat over the inflation issue; pulse prices have given a signal that the situation has spiralled out of control.
PAWAR AND SHIV SENA
Will NCP chief Sharad Pawar deceive Shiv Sena once againIJ After the Maharashtra elections, Shiv Sena had an idea that the BJP would not get support from any party and then it would ultimately come to the Sena. But that didn’t happen as Pawar extended outside support to the BJP. Now, once again there is tension between Shiv Sena and BJP.
At the same time, NCP is saying that it will not support Devendra Fadnavis Government. But this time, Shiv Sena is very cautious and doesn’t believe what Pawar is saying because NCP has formed close relations with the BJP in the past six months.
Earlier, PM Modi went to Baramati, the home town of Pawar, and now Jaitley paid a visit there. Both Modi and Jaitley praised Pawar. In this scenario, if Shiv Sena takes its support back from the BJP, then Pawar will be approached.
Sources say that after forming his own party, this is the first time when Pawar is not in power; neither at the Centre nor State. He is well aware of the problems his party is facing. Many leaders of his party, and even his nephew Ajit Pawar, are facing problems. Pawar has to form a better relationship with the State and Centre so that investigations can be avoided. So, if Sena takes its support back and the Fadnavis Government becomes a minority, only then Pawar can extent outside support as he too will not opt for mid-term polls.
The NCP is quite sure that if elections happen now, the party will certainly return to power. But at the same time, Pawar has to improve his relations with the Centre.