Praised to the skies
The prime minister, Narendra Modi, wrote an over-the-top tribute to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief, Mohan Bhagwat, on his 75th birthday. The tribute, which the PM’s office got published in prominent dailies, surprised not only the Bharatiya Janata Party but also the wider sangh parivar. There is no tradition of celebrating birthdays in the RSS. Some old-timers wondered whether Modi, who started as a swayamsevak, is aware of this fact. In fact, Modi symbolises many things that the sangh abhors. His penchant for dressing up to make a style statement, his affinity for expensive watches and sunglasses and, above all, the personality cult he strives to build. The sangh expects its cadres and leaders to lead a simple life and dedicate themselves to the nation without hoping for any acknowledgement of their services. The sangh leadership was upset when Modi, in the middle of the last general election, sought to claim he was ‘god-sent’ and not ‘biologically born’. As the poll results were declared and the BJP slipped below the majority mark, Bhagwat disapproved of the “ahankar” (arrogance) of the “sevak”. This was seen as an oblique attack on the “pradhan sevak”, as Modi calls himself. It remains to be seen how the sangh reacts to Modi’s effusive tribute to Bhagwat where he claimed that the latter’s tenure as RSS chief has been the most transformative.
Hot seats
All eyes are now on the national BJP president and Union health minister, JP Nadda, who has given the final touch to Mohan Charan Majhi’s proposal for ministry expansion. The chief minister of Odisha held a meeting with Nadda on Friday in New Delhi where the two reportedly discussed the expansion of the state cabinet and the filling of the vacant posts of heads of various state-run corporations.
Even though the Majhi government has completed over one year in office, it is struggling to fill the remaining six ministerial berths and other important posts. Those in the BJP aspiring for these posts have grown impatient and are now questioning why the “double engine” government has not addressed this issue till date. Given the urgency of the matter, Majhi has now visited Delhi twice in a week. The delay in the appointments has caused some unease within the party as well. Nadda gave Majhi a patient hearing. A detailed plan is being chalked out currently to keep every faction of the BJP happy while expanding the cabinet. At the same time, it is expected that a few ministers whose performances are being questioned will be dropped.
For argument’s sake
Arguments between lawyers during a court hearing can, at times, turn into heated exchanges. During the hearing of the property dispute between the children of the actor, Karishma Kapoor, and the third wife of their father, Sanjay Kapur, at the Delhi High Court, the senior lawyers appearing for both sides turned aggressive, accusing each other of interrupting arguments. Rajiv Nayyar, a senior lawyer who was representing Priya Kapur, told the senior advocate, Mahesh Jethmalani, who was appearing for Karishma Kapoor’s children, not to interrupt him during his argument. To this, Jethmalani responded that he, too, was interrupted when he was arguing and Nayyar must thus get a taste of his own medicine. With a sharp retort, the senior lawyer said, “Don’t shout at me,” which led to the proceedings being stalled briefly. A 21-second video of this exchange has gone viral on social media.