Past grudges
Why is Devendra Fadnavis, the chief minister of Maharashtra, targeting his deputy and ally, Eknath Shinde? Rumour has it that this is payback for the distress Fadnavis had to endure for over two years when he was demoted and compelled to work as Shinde’s deputy. As deputy CM, Fadnavis did not like many of the decisions taken by Shinde but could not oppose. Back in the saddle, he is not only scrapping many decisions taken during Shinde’s tenure but even ordering inquiries, flagging ‘irregularities’ and possible corruption. This has infuriated Shinde. But Fadnavis is determined with the numbers on his side. The real target of Fadnavis’s anger, though, is said to be Amit Shah. Shah is believed to have firmly favoured Shinde and made him CM despite
the Bharatiya Janata Party having many more members of the legislative assembly than Shinde’s Shiv Sena. People close to Fadnavis believe that Shinde would have accepted the deputy CM’s post in 2022 but Shah pushed to put him in the hot seat.
The bomb is ticking
Although the Bihar assembly polls are over six months away, the Opposition Mahagathbandhan leaders apparently feel like they are sitting on a powder keg. The reason is the issue of seat distribution among the allies, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Congress, three Left parties and a couple of smaller ones. In the 2020 elections, the RJD cornered 75 seats, but the Grand Old Party could win just 19. This cost the alliance a chance to rule over the state.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav during 'Jan Vishwas Rally', in Patna, Sunday, March 3, 2024 PTI
Sources say that the RJD leader, Tejashwi Yadav, is determined to give fewer seats to the Congress. He is also not banking on the Left parties. “Our party is not going to budge on the issue even if the top Congress leaders plead,” a senior RJD leader confided. He added that one worry is that the Congress is trying to assert itself and has made a young and dynamic leader, Krishna Allavaru, its new Bihar in-charge. He has helped the party much in polls in various states. To add to it, young leader Kanhaiya Kumar is also said to be focusing on Bihar. A clash seems inevitable.
Power move
Games of one-upmanship are afoot elsewhere in Bihar too. The recent cabinet expansion, in which seven BJP ministers were inducted, has not gone down well with leaders and voters affiliated to different parties. Some called the BJP a bully, while others thought it has not acquired finesse despite being in power for years. Some even claimed that the expansion was a plot to humiliate allies. Several agreed that the BJP was only interested in extracting its pound of flesh. One veteran politician said, “I believe that the BJP thinks only about itself. Others do not matter for it — be they friends or foes.” Asked how the top leadership of the BJP could have approved such a move, he said that the thought flowed down from the top.
Name game
The BJP’s single-minded pursuit of its own agendas is visible in Delhi too. In its first week in power, it has begun its push to rename neighbourhoods with Islamic names. During the inaugural assembly session, BJP MLAs have proposed changing Najafgarh to Nahargarh, and Mohammadpur to Madhavpuram. Another BJP MLA has publicly called for Mustafabad — it was hit in the 2020 riots — to be renamed as Shiv Vihar or Shiv Puri. Over the past decade, some of these attempts were stalled by officials and the State Names Authority under the Delhi Government. Once a new State Names Authority is constituted, these proposals are expected to get the green light.
Picture of unity
The Congress’s press meet and high-level meeting for the upcoming Assam assembly elections seem to have sent a positive message. The presence of the top five leaders in the state, Bhupen Kumar Borah, Debabrata Saikia, Gaurav Gogoi, Pradyut Bordolo and Rakibul Hussain, sent a message of solidarity and bolstered the resolve to take on the deeply-entrenched BJP-led government in Assam head-on. The meeting on the state polls involving state leaders also fuelled hope with Rahul Gandhi stressing intra-party discipline and conveying to the state in-charge, Jitendra Singh, to throw out any leader who goes against the party line. Such clarity was missing in the past, according to Congress insiders.
Toe the line
The newly-appointed Odisha Congress president, Bhakta Charan Das, has issued a gag order. Das has asked party leaders, including seniors, to seek approval before airing their views on any matter. “Personal opinions expressed by some Congress leaders in Odisha are damaging the party’s image in the State. To avoid this, party leaders need to consult either the OPCC president or the party’s media cell chief before making public comments,” Das said in a letter. It remains to be seen whether senior Congress leaders abide by the directive. Das may find ensuring obedience a daunting task.