Power play
A day after government managers circulated videos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelling with just two vehicles to reinforce his appeal for fuel conservation amid the crisis in West Asia, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, Yogi Adityanath, became the centre of chatter for precisely the opposite reason. Videos of Adityanath moving through a Delhi road in a cavalcade of over a dozen vehicles for meetings with the Union home minister, Amit Shah, and the Bharatiya Janata Party president, Nitin Nabin, sparked questions over whether he was defying the leadership’s prescription of austerity measures or faced a greater security threat than the PM. Some users dismissed Modi’s pared-down convoy as mere optics, arguing that any real cut in his security cover would be too risky. Others read the contrast as a sign of tensions between Lucknow and Delhi. Party insiders insisted that he was in no position to defy the top leadership despite his strongman image, pointing to the fact that he had ordered a 50% cut in his fleet after the PM’s appeal. With UP headed for assembly polls early next year, Adityanath is seeking a third straight term to cement his position as the BJP’s foremost Hindutva face after Modi. But Amit Shah’s stature has risen following the BJP’s landslide victory in Bengal. Competing ambitions within the top leadership could unsettle the party ahead of the next general elections.
Pages of praise
The latest addition to the growing list of books on the PM comes from the Union agriculture minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Scheduled for release on May 26, the book has stirred curiosity over whether it is a genuine tribute to Narendra Modi or yet another exercise in sycophancy. Announcing the book on X, Chouhan wrote: “I have had the opportunity to observe and understand his personality, leadership, service, organisation, governance and national commitment from multiple perspectives. With humility, I have woven these experiences, emotions and inspirations into my book ‘Apnapan’”. The book is a reflection of the tight grip that Modi exercises over the party. Chouhan himself was once regarded by the BJP veteran, LK Advani, as a more effective CM than Modi, during their respective tenures in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.
Influential ally
The Indian Union Muslim League, a key ally in the United Democratic Front, ensured that the AICC general-secretary (organisation), KC Venugopal, did not become the CM of Kerala. The IUML convinced the Wayanad MP, Priyanka Gandhi, that the number of legislators backing Venugopal is immaterial and that sidelining VD Satheesan, who has public support, would have repercussions. Gandhi Vadra thereafter convinced her elder brother, Rahul Gandhi, to pick Satheesan. By then, IUML activists had put up posters in front of Gandhi Vadra’s office which read, “Wayanad can be the next Amethi”, reminding the Congress’s first family about its 2019 drubbing in its pocket borough.
Enemy within
The education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, has been under fire following the NEET question paper leak. However, Pradhan has remained composed, weighing his options to navigate the crisis. At a presser in Delhi, he assured parents and students that strict action would be taken against the culprits. In his home state, the Biju Janata Dal and the Congress burnt his effigy, demanding his resignation. Yet Pradhan appears less concerned about the Opposition and more wary of a section of Odisha BJP leaders who are counting on his downfall. Given his role in securing the BJP’s victory in Bengal, the party leadership remains reluctant to move against him. Although his influence has slightly diminished after Majhi’s elevation as CM, Pradhan remains a formidable force in Odisha.
Another hat
The PM put on a new hat — that of a fact-checker — after a leading news channel reported that the Centre was discussing a levy on international travel. In the middle of his ongoing five-nation tour, Narendra Modi posted on X: “This is totally false. Not an iota of truth in this. There is no question of putting such restrictions on foreign travel...” Why the PM chose to intervene despite the government having a well-oiled fact-checking unit is a mystery.
Golden jibe
Badruddin Ajmal, the chief of the All India United Democratic Front, took a swipe at Narendra Modi’s plea for austerity measures by saying, “This is something we had said before the elections, that once the polls were done, the prices of both petrol and LPG would be raised... As for Modiji’s suggestion that we stop buying gold, well, Modiji isn’t married. So how will he be able to appreciate the fun of buying gold?”
