Maharashtra a tough call indeed for 10 Janpath

By IndianMandarins 19 Nov 2019

As talks on government formation in Maharashtra with Shiv Sena joining hands with the NCP still rife, the Congress finds itself in a big dilemma. Of late, frequent meetings of Maharashtra ‘Kshatrap’ Sharad Pawar with interim president of Congress Sonia Gandhi have been indicative of a possible coalition government of Shiv Sena, NCP and the Congress.

If it is realised, it would be an ideological summersault of the Congress by joining a saffron outfit with regionalism at its core. For a party that claims to be the torchbearer of secularism, it won’t be an easy task to do business with and defend ideological moorings as everyone knows what agenda the Shiv Sena carries and what ideology it adheres to. In its quest of forming a non-BJP government in Maharashtra, the Congress might end up losing its ideological base which the party has established over the years.

The Congress must not forget authoritarian style of governance of the Shiv Sena, its despise for North Indians going to the extent of violence, contempt for constitutional values and highhandedness approach have time and again created chaos. So, it will be a tough call for Sonia Gandhi to take a decision.

(By Md Bilal)

Maharashtra mayhem: Is the BJP hitting three birds from one stone?

By IndianMandarins 17 Nov 2019

The top leadership of the BJP – PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah – is full time politicians unlike the opposition that wakes up from the slumber when crisis crops up. What could be the next move of the opposition, the BJP leadership plans its answer well in advance and in one such scheme Shiv Sena -- the former ally of the BJP is trapped.

They might be able to install their CM in Maharashtra but the party might become a history in the politics of Maharashtra. The public perception in the state is suggesting so. It is known to everyone that public perception has been key to the success of the BJP from long. Right from the very moment when SS started demanding chief minister’s post not only social media was abuzz but started working in subtle way but in later phases they are openly accusing the Shiv Sena for harming the Hindutva ideology. Similarly the Congress will be harmed for aligning with the SS. If the SS and Congress are sorted out things would be easy for the BJP in the state. 

So much so that even Marathies are going against the Shiv Sena that has predominantly a Marathi identity and the community being their core vote bank. An activist working in Navi Mumbai Netra Daoo said that the Shiv Sena is harming the very ideology that was groomed by Bala Saheb Thackrey. Can they tell people of Maharashtra, how would they deal with contradictions of the ideology of Shiv Sena and the Congress.

The BJP leadership is cashing in on very well on the development which apparently seems to be in the spree of marganalising its allies so they follow their dictate. So the SS is stuck in the trap laid by the BJP. “If the Shiv Sena thinks it can revolt and get the people’s sympathy, they really don’t know the public,” said BJP Party President Amit Shah, who understands people’s pulse very well.

The BJP works on the slogan of its incumbent PM that turn adversity into opportunity and his lieutenant Shah is very well executing his plans. If the alliance government of the Congress, the NCP and Shiv Sena is formed, it will collapse out of its own contradictions. This is what the BJP wants as after that the maneuvering of the BJP not only of parties, leaders but people will start.

Daoo said that people especially their voters are so angry with them that the next election is going to very dear for them as they will find it impossible to justify their decision and all such people will fall for the BJP as mid-term election is not ruled out. Even the BJP would not shy away from it. But lot more development is yet to unfold

NMML Society reconstituted, trace of Congress erased

By IndianMandarins 07 Nov 2019

The BJP has not succeeded in making the country Congress-free as yet but it has definitely been able to make an institution Congress-free by reconstituting Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) Society with the ouster of Mallikarjun Kharge, Karan Singh and Jairam Ramesh from it.

The reconstituted body has been announced with television journalist Rajat Sharma and ad-man Prasoon Joshi making it to the list. Some other names who have been dropped included former minister MJ Akbar, former army chief VP Malik, Infosys co-founder NR Narayanamurthy, historian Nayanjot Lahiri, economist Bibek Debroy, space scientist K Kasturirangan and television anchor Arnab Goswami.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is president of the society and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh its vice president. Union ministers Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman, Ramesh Pokhriyal, Prakash Javadekar, V Muraleedharan and Prahlad Singh Patel, ICCR chairman Vinay Sahsrabudhhe, Prasar Bharti chairman A Surya Prakash, secretaries of Expenditure, Culture and Housing and Urban Affairs, are its members.

Besides, chairman of the UGC, representative of Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial fund, Raghvendra Singh, director of NMML and journalist Rajat Sharma are also the new members. Other members included Anirban Ganguly, policy researcher and author Sachchinanda Joshi, Member Secretary, IGNCA, academic Kapil Kapoor, Lokesh Chandra, Vedic and Buddhist scholar, Makarand Pranjpe, academic, writer, Kishore Makwana, academic Kamlesh Joshipura, researcher Rizwan Kadri and Vinay Sahasrabuddhe.

UP: Senior journos tipped as Media adviser

By IndianMandarins 31 Oct 2019

Journalist turned BJP’s spokesperson Shalabh Mani Tripathi and journalist Raheesh Singh have reportedly been appointed adviser to the information department of Uttar Pradesh government.

Notification in this regard is likely any moment. Tripathi will take care of electronic media while Raheesh Singh will look after print media. Names of two more journalists Sanjay Singh and one English journalist were also in the reckoning but names of Tripathi and Raheesh Singh have been finalized.

Why did FM’s husband praise Rao-Singh model of economy?

By IndianMandarins 17 Oct 2019

Not only the government but FM Nirmala Sitharaman is facing onslaught for the declining growth rate of the country but her husband and economist Parakala Prabhakar’s take on the Indian economy has opened can of worms when he said that the Modi government’s economic policy is causing economic distress in the country. This has embarrassed the government and the FM alike giving more strength to speculation that she is on her way out of the ministry whenever reshuffle takes place.

Prabhakar suggested the government to adopt the Rao-Singh economic model that paved the way for liberalisation of the economy. The government must not always resort to criticizing Nehruvian socialism. He said, "Data flowing uninterruptedly into the public domain show that sector after sector is staring at a seriously challenging situation."

Insiders say that the reason for his outburst is that the BJP leadership is not giving him any space anywhere. People say that he was instrumental into bringing Andhra Pradesh’s Jan Sena Party closer to the BJP. He accomplished the task effectively for the BJP and hence he had some expectations from the BJP leadership to draft him into a bigger role. People feel that Sitharaman has been asked to cut more that she even cannot chew probably this is the reason that he has opened a front against the government.

He did not leave any chance to put the government in dock when he said, "The rejection of Nehruvian 'socialistic pattern of society' was clear since the days of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh. The BJP's advocacy of what can, at best, be loosely termed as a capitalist, free market framework remained untested in practice...In economic policy, the party mainly adopted 'Neti Neti (Not this, Not this'), without articulating what was its own 'Niti (policy)'.

He suggests the BJP should adopt the Rao-Singh economic architecture, adding, "A full-fledged embrace could provide the BJP and the government a lodestar to steer the economy out of the choppy waters."

UP by-election results to tell how relevant the opposition is?

By IndianMandarins 30 Sep 2019

It is not that opposition political parties are in disarray at the Centre only but also in the biggest state of the country in terms of electorates Uttar Pradesh where performance of BSP actually dipped despite drifting away from the Samajwadi Party after Lok Sabha elections with the SP not having single voice is more or less on the same page.

SP’s incumbent chief Akhilesh Yadav has one voice, patron of the party Mulayam Singh Yadav has a different voice, senior party leader Azam Khan has another voice but the party that was glued together by Mulayam Singh is facing the threat of further disintegration with one of the family member Aparna Yadav being denied ticket.

The way Mulayan Singh had shown faith in Akhilesh, but he failed to live up to his expectation and taking the party to the lowest ebb. Aparna Yadav has been praising Narendra Modi whenever such situation arose. Mulayam Singh Yadav’s brother Shivpal Yadav is already out of the party. One time close add of Mulayam Singh Yadav, Amar Singh does not leave any chance to criticize Akhilesh. The party also failed to create any mass movement as it has been taking about except one or two television bites.

Similarly Mayawati and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra too have failed to cause any ripple in the state which seems to be akin to giving walkover to the Yogi Adityanath government’s party the BJP. With half the tenure of Yogi government over, it is getting late for them and by-election results which are being conducted along with Assembly elections of Haryana and Maharashtra will further clarify the matter that where these opposition political  parties stand.

A former IAS may join saffron brigade in Bengal?

By IndianMandarins 24 Sep 2019

Indianmandarins has reliably learnt that a former IAS officer belonging to West Bengal cadre is all set to take a plunge in politics. The former 1983 batch IAS retired from the service recently. 

Falling out of favor or falling out of sync; a key minister may be shown doors?

By IndianMandarins 18 Sep 2019

Sudden rise of a few leaders had once puzzled everyone in power corridors of New Delhi. But the bubble seems to have busted for yet another senior minister in the Modi 2.0. If some top sources are to be believed a minister holding kew portfolio may be divested from the responsibility in next reshuffle. If some top sources are to be believed the minister not only failed to deliver but unwarranted controversies cropped up which the present dispensation does not like at all. The dispensation reportedly believes that few of them could have avoided easily.

Grapevine is abuzz that the minister has fallen out of sync but the current dispensation does not want to remove the minister at a time when certain parameters are not in a good shape in the country.

Reportedly, the minister is on the path of exit at least from the particular ministry.