Under fire
The Union road transport and highways minister, Nitin Gadkari, has long been the darling of the Opposition. On more than one occasion, leaders from the Opposition have heaped praises on him, terming him the best minister in the Narendra Modi government. But not any more. Two major parties, the Congress and the Trinamool Congress, have accused Gadkari’s sons of profiteering from the government’s policy of ethanol-blended petrol. “The father sits in the government making policies, while the sons make money,” the two parties have alleged, demanding a probe into the “conflict of interest”. The Opposition has alleged that ethanol ventures run by the minister’s sons have made windfalls since January this year. This has dealt a big blow to Gadkari’s image of being the ‘best performing minister’ in the Modi government. Sections in the BJP feel that the Opposition’s attack could extend a much needed opportunity to the Modi-Shah duopoly to further marginalise the leader, who they see as an irritant. Many believe that only Gadkari, who hails from Nagpur and has deep connections with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, can stand up to Modi. The minister had claimed that before the general elections, some Opposition leaders had offered to support him for the prime minister’s post if the Bharatiya Janata Party fell way short of the majority. The same Opposition is now gunning for him.
Tables turned
The election authorities seem to be going after the Congress spokesman, Pawan Khera, by issuing showcause notices to both the leader and his wife, Kota Neelima — also a Congress member — for being registered as electors from two places each. The notice against Neelima was even posted on X by New Delhi’s electoral registration officer from a newly created handle. Khera, however, has pushed the Congress line, alleging a link between multiple registrations and bogus voting. He has turned around the BJP’s charge against him for the dual registration as proof of the EC’s poor gatekeeping.
Threats issued
The Congress leader of the Opposition in Kerala, VD Satheesan, has been issuing threats quite frequently these days. First, he threatened Rahul Mamkootathil, the Palakkad legislator and former Youth Congress president, who had been embroiled in a murky case of forcing abortions on a few women he was in alleged relationships with. Satheesan, who is eyeing the chief ministerial role in the 2026 assembly election, is keen to see that Mamkootathil’s tainted image does not affect his prospects. Then came an incident where VS Sujith, a Youth Congress activist, was brutally attacked by a group of policemen belonging to Kunnamkulam Police Station in Thrissur district. Satheesan threatened the four policemen by claiming that they will not come out of their homes in police uniform if they cross him.
Day of judgement
There is a lot of anticipation about September 10, both within the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress in Assam. It is the day that the Assam CM, Himanta Biswa Sarma, will be submitting the report of the special investigation team on the alleged links of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president, Gaurav Gogoi, and his wife with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence. The SIT was formed in February after Sarma and the BJP decided to make it an issue to go after Gogoi who is seen as a serious threat. Even the Union home minister, Amit Shah, has indirectly attacked Gogoi. But both Gogoi and the Congress appear confident that the state government will transfer the case to the Centre because the probe involves another country. “Yes, it is true we all are waiting for September 10 but, irrespective of what is there in the report, we will also go after Sarma like never before after the D-Day. His attempt to malign our president will not stick,” said a Congress leader. But if the SIT comes out with anything adverse, the Congress’s bid to regain power will be over even before the first vote is cast.