Clean chit
The discharge of the former Delhi chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, and his deputy, Manish Sisodia, in the excise policy case coincided with a significant development in Maharashtra. A special court in Mumbai accepted a closure report in the alleged Rs 25,000-crore cooperative bank case involving the Maharashtra deputy CM, Sunetra Pawar, her late husband, Ajit Pawar, and companies linked to them. While in Delhi it was a trial court that discharged the Aam Aadmi Party leaders, in Maharashtra, the state’s economic offences wing itself filed the closure report, stating that no criminal offence was made out. The probe pertained to allegations that cooperative banks had sanctioned large loans to sugar factories without government guarantees or adequate collateral security. The acceptance of the closure report lent fresh ammunition to Opposition parties, which have frequently accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of operating a political ‘washing machine’. The BJP had earlier mounted sharp attacks on Ajit Pawar, branding him a “corrupt” leader back in 2019. However, the BJP fell silent after Pawar split the Nationalist Congress Party in 2023 and joined the BJP-led Mahayuti. The development comes as a major relief for Sunetra Pawar. Political observers believe the reprieve could further consolidate her alignment with the BJP-led coalition.
New role
The recent nomination of Gaurav Gogoi, the deputy leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha and Assam PCC president, as the president of the parliamentary team to engage with the Philippines by the Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla, seems to have caught the BJP and Assam CM, Himanta Biswa Sarma, off guard. It has all but taken the heat off Gogoi which had been generated with the “he is a Pakistani agent” narrative. A few days ahead of the nomination, the CM had announced plans to hand over the case to the Union ministry of home affairs for further investigation. A special investigation team of the police had investigated the case. The CM, the junior foreign minister, Pabitra Margherita, and state BJP leadership have tried to dismiss Gogoi’s selection to head a parliamentary group as nothing out of the ordinary. For the Opposition Congress, Gogoi’s inclusion in one of the 64 parliamentary teams has come as a huge relief, especially for the grassroots workers fighting the ‘Pak agent’ narrative since the panchayat poll held last year. Congress insiders say that the nomination was like an ‘out of syllabus’ question for the BJP given their muted counter.
Mysterious silence
Questions are being raised over the silence of the AAP member of Parliament, Raghav Chadha, on the liquor policy case being quashed by a special court. The case was a millstone around the party’s neck and almost all its members celebrated the court’s decision. Chadha, once a poster boy of the party, has remained aloof since before the Lok Sabha polls of 2024. He has another two years left in the Rajya Sabha.
Out and about
Gupchup is a delicacy that every Odia relishes, and the former CM and present leader of the Opposition in that state, Naveen Patnaik, is no exception. While attending a marriage ceremony last week, Patnaik headed straight to the gupchup counter and asked for only two. He enjoyed them to everyone’s delight, instantly connecting with the people around him. A video of him relishing gupchups went viral. After returning from an operation in Mumbai in July last year, he had mostly confined himself to Naveen Niwas. But now he has begun stepping out and meeting people. The five-time CM is sending a clear message — he is fit and fine.
Unfiltered feedback
The one-on-one sessions that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had with Congress MLAs and district presidents during her recent visit to poll-bound Assam as chairperson of the screening committee to select candidates for the assembly elections have ensured unfiltered feedback. “We dont know what will be the eventual outcome but she has received unfiltered feedback on what is ailing our party in Assam and what needs to be done — whether it is distribution of tickets or about the state leaders putting self before party or pre-poll alliances,” one of them said.
This kind of exchange has never happened before is the common refrain where grassroots leaders have spoken without any fear. There was no holding back since the overall mood within the state unit was one of gloom after the loss in the assembly bypolls, the panchayat polls, floundering alliance talks and the departure of Bhupen Kumar Borah to the BJP. The impact was visible. Gandhi Vadra is ensuring that screening committee members visit all districts and meet a cross-section of leaders from across Assam to get first-hand knowledge about ticket aspirants. The Congress general-secretary has clearly hit the ground running.
