Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s elevation to chief of the BJP’s election campaign committee created an upheaval not only in the saffron camp but also in other political parties in Uttar Pradesh. Apparently, the ruling Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party were jittery as the BJP stalwarts put their heads together ahead of the 2014 lok Sabha elections.
Now, all along, both the SP as well as the BSP are trying their best to find ways and means to lure the Brahmin votes to their respective parties. While the BSP had in its earlier tenure also changed its strategy of being a Dalit-based party to roping in the upper castes also and hence its slogan promising welfare of sarva samaj instead of just bahujan samaj. The party formed Brahmin bhaichara committees and projected Satish Chandra Mishra as its Brahmin face. Once again the BSP has activated its Brahmin committees to lure them in its fold.
Surprisingly the SP which had always exhibited a soft corner for the minorities wasted no time in following the footsteps of its bete noire and also held a number of Brahmin meets to neutralise the efforts of its political opponent, the BSP, in their attempts of winning over the Brahmins to their side. Till now the veritable tug-of-war was mainly between the SP and the BSP as both the parties swore of being a bigger saviour of the Brahmins than the other. In fact, the BSP has also distributed tickets to the coming lok Sabha polls to a number of Brahmins in its bid to please the upper castes as also to prove that it was not only taking up the cause of the Dalits but also of the upper castes.
Modi’s elevation may or may not have created a divide within the BJP ranks, but the SP and BSP are nervous by this move. Both the parties, which were till now fighting over the Brahmin votes, now feel that they will have to either change their strategies or step up their efforts to catch the upper caste votes. Reason being that the saffron camp has always been the traditional home and as such the natural choice of the upper castes and Brahmins. The Brahmin votes had in the last few years strayed away from the BJP as a result of the party’s weak position as also its inability to put up a brave fight against its foes. Obviously the BSP, the SP and even the Congress had stepped up its efforts to wean away the upper caste votes from the saffron camp.
Modi’s storming to the centrestage has therefore upset the applecart of the SP and the BSP which had been in the past taking advantage of the fact that the BJP in UP had sunk to an all time low and had been getting a beating at the hustings during the past several years.
Modi fervour has provided the much needed elixir the BJP as the leaders, who had been demoralised are of the view that all is not yet lost for them and they are once more enthusiastic of rooting out their opponents, the UPA-II at the Centre in the 2014 lok Sabha polls. The coming of Modi has definitely heated up the poll scenario.
Jinxed post
It appears that the Allahabad Commissoner’s chair is jinxed. At least this is what the senior bureaucrats opine. In the past all the senior officers who had been appointed to the coveted post have either had a very short tenure and were transferred to another place even before they could settle down in their new job.
But this time the posting of the Allahabad Commissioner virtually set a record. The officer posted was shifted within 24 hours of his appointment. The grapevine was abuzz that the officer concerned had, immediately taking over, wanted a probe into the rampant nexus of the mining mafia. As a result the officers now are extra cautious if they happen to take up the post. At least they will certainly think twice in case if they are ordering a probe against the mining mafia, which is reportedly controlled by a person who is close to the powers that are in the Samajwadi Party.
Of course, the official spokesman had quite a different explanation saying that transfers and postings of the officers were purely an attempt to tone up the administration.
Who is the headIJ
Guess who is the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) chiefIJ Surely it is none other than Nirmal Khattri. Only recently when the Congress, after a long time, decided to take to the streets in protest against the Akhilesh Yadav Government’s decision of a hike in the power tariff everyone though the State-wide protest would obviously be led by the PCC chief.
The partymen were taken by surprise when the party head was not in town. In fact, the entire programme was headed by the former PCC chief and present party MlA Rita Bahuguna Joshi. It was found that Khattri was in New Delhi on the day of the programme.
One hopes that the senior party leaders are taking note.