On Independence Day, PM Narendra Modi went only to Rajghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. He didn’t go to the samadhi of any of the three PMs from the Nehru-Gandhi family. He didn’t mention Nehru, Indira or Rajiv in his speech from the Red Fort. He only talked about lal Bahadur Shastri and JP Narain. This is not only evident in speeches but can be felt in the working of the new Government
A big and fundamental change is being seen after the new Government has been formed at the Centre. The Gandhi-Nehru family is gradually being marginalised. On Independence Day, PM Narendra Modi went only to Rajghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. He didn’t go to the samadhi of any of the three PMs from the Nehru-Gandhi family. He didn’t mention Nehru, Indira or Rajiv in his speech from the Red Fort. He only talked about lal Bahadur Shastri and JP Narain.
This is not only evident in speeches but can be felt in the working of the new Government. This year, the Centre has not given Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award to anyone. Though the award has not been given for the past two years, this time it is being said that either the Government will change its name from the next year or a new award would be started.
likewise, the Central Government is going to rename Indira Awaas Yojna as Rashtriya Gramin Awaas Yojna Mission. Government sources say that in future no scheme will be named after members of the Gandhi-Nehru family. The Government is also identifying some of the popular schemes that can be renamed.
FORMER lAW MINISTERS PUZZlED
The leaders who were law ministers in the Manmohan Singh Cabinet are a puzzled lot. They are not able to understand how Modi and his law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad accomplished a task — which five law ministers could not in 10 years — in merely two and a half months. UPA I and II had tried to bring in the Bill to change the collegium system for the appointment of judges and fix their responsibilities. Right from Hansraj Bhardwaj to Veerappa Moily, Salman Khurshid, Ashwini Kumar and Kapil Sibal — all had tried but could not succeed.
So, after the passage of the new Judicial Appointment Bill, at least three former law ministers have become restless. In Parliament, Moily opposed many provisions of the Bill, while Sibal said he will challenge the Bill in Supreme Court. Khurshid has written in newspapers, elaborating how the Bill is rubbish.
Though it is also true that without the Congress support, the Constitution Amendment Bill could not have passed. Even now the party’s backing will be required for the ratification from at least half of the State Assemblies, and it seems that the Congress is ready for it. But the three former law ministers have decided to move the Supreme Court against the Bill.
ANTONY REPORT CONTENT NO SECRET
Congress leaders are puzzled over the time taken by the Antony Committee to prepare its report. In fact, senior leaders of the party think the reasons for defeat enumerated by the panel were already known to them.
They were well aware that the groups of Jyotiraditya Scindia and Digvijaya Singh were fighting in MP. They knew that not even a single leader was supporting Prithviraj Chavan in Maharashtra. They knew that Sheila Dikshit and Ajay Maken were at loggerheads in Delhi. It was evident that in Chhattisgarh, Ajit Jogi was fighting with other leaders of the party. In almost every State, the Congress witnessed infighting, and the same was stated in the committee report.
But to everyone’s surprise, Antony stated in his report that the second cause of defeat was a weak campaign and media planning. Most of the leaders say they contributed least to this factor as Rahul Gandhi was in charge of the election and media campaign. leaders like Jairam Ramesh, Ajay Maken, Sandeep Dikshit and Deepender Singh Hooda had prepared the strategy of campaigning. Though Antony had not taken anybody’s name, it is true that Rahul was responsible for the weak election and media campaign. So, the whole team might be changed. Sandeep and Hooda are not looking after social media and Makan too will be removed from the post of media in-charge.
MODI PlANS COUNCIl ON NAC lINES
Is Modi going to set up a National Advisory Council on the lines of Sonia’s NACIJ The new authority, which is going to be set up in place of the Planning Commission, may not be called NAC but its format will be the same. It is being widely debated that the new authority can be known as National Development Council (NDC) with the Prime Minister as its chairman.
To start with, it can have five members. Sources say former Central Minister Suresh Prabhu, economists Arvind Panagariya and Bibek Debroy can be included in the new authority. Other eminent people from the social and economic sector can also be made members.
The authority, as the PM had announced from the Red Fort, will prepare the economic development plans in the changed world scenario. Along with that, it will strengthen the relation between the Centre and States. The difference between Sonia and Modi’s councils will be that while the NAC was a parallel power to the Government, the proposed NDC will be an organisation within the Government.
CONGRESS WIll WAIT FOR AllIANCES
The report of the Antony committee is out and the factors of defeat in lok Sabha Elections are known. However, no major changes are going to happen in the Congress immediately. The party will think over changes in the organisation and alliances after elections in four States. The party has forged alliances for Maharashtra and Jharkhand elections. Before that, for Bihar by-elections, the party formed a grand alliance. The Congress seems serious about the grand alliance in Bihar and that’s why it sent in-charge general secretary CP Joshi to participate in the joint rallies of lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar.
However, the Congress will first analyse the results of by-elections and Assembly Elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand and then think about alliances in other States. Sources in the Congress say the party’s focus is on States where elections are scheduled in 2016 — Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Assam.
In Kerala, the Congress has an alliance. But in Assam, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, it will have to tie up with other parties. In Assam, Bodoland People’s Front has gone separate ways and now the Congress has the option of Badruddin Ajmal’s party AIUDF. In Tamil Nadu, the Congress has many options and can again go with the DMK. Some parties which had gone with the BJP may join the Congress-DMK alliance. In West Bengal, the Congress and TMC might join hands again.
WOMEN’S RESERVATION BIll IN FOCUS
As soon as the Congress lost power, it started harping on the issue of Women’s Reservation Bill. The issue was raised by Sonia at a function organised by the Mahila Congress on August 20, which was Rajiv’s birthday. During the UPA regime of 10 years, the Congress didn’t do much about the Bill. The parties that opposed the Bill were in fact supporters of the Congress. At that time, the Congress didn’t aim for consensus on the issue. But now when it sits in the Opposition, it is creating an impression that the party is very serious about reservation for women.
Now the question is why is the Congress raising the issue nowIJ The Government is considering getting the Bill passed and the BJP may try for a consensus on this in the next session of Parliament. The BJP is more confident after it got the Judicial Appointment Bill passed. The Congress is of the view that if the Government takes an initiative on its own, women will feel that the Modi Government has given them reservation. The Congress has raised the issue so that the Government can’t take credit for it.