Baghel in America, but his hotline is buzzing
Conspiracy afoot
T here is disquiet brewing in Raipur where a section of the ruling Congress party is plotting against Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel. The conspirators include a close Rahul Gandhi aide, an industrial house and a newspaper chain. Mr Baghel’s detractors claim that at the time of his appointment, Mr Baghel was told to share his tenure as chief minister with senior minister T.S. Singhdeo. His supporters deny any such arrangement. Mr Baghel is visiting the US to attract investment but his heart is back in Raipur; on his hotline he gets an hourly update.
Vastu and an election
S uperstition is an integral part of politics. Some BJP leaders, unsure of the party’s victory in the Delhi Assembly election, have started holding poll-related deliberations in the old 11, Ashoka Road, office instead of the posh and newly-constructed BJP headquarters at Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg. The change of venue was prompted by the delusion that new office suffers from Vaastu dosh.
A grudge nursed
S ome old-timers and AAP sympathisers still nurse a grudge against Arvind Kejriwal. At a social do in the national capital, a former TV news anchor and a psephologist were present. The younger of the two is said to have remarked, “Anna bechara budhhu to tha hi, Arvind ne use na ghar ka chhora na ghat ka.” The sagacious expollster gently rebuked him, saying, “Let us worry about ourselves.”
Kejriwal for PM?
T eam Kejriwal is said to be making big plans once the Delhi Assembly election is over. The Delhi CM reportedly wants to dabble in national politics, in a big way.
A house for Venkaiah
A
Japanese contractor recently visited Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu’s residence and observed that the structure at 6, Maulana Azad Road, was in a precarious condition — so much so that the VP should not sleep in the house. He suggested that Mr Naidu should sleep under a canopy at night.
T he observation may have been exaggerated but it is certainly not music to the ears of the VP as Rajya Sabha chairman, who is facing major friction from Opposition members. The Opposition accuses Mr Naidu of disallowing debates. Someone gave Mr Naidu a mantra for the smooth functioning of the House, referring to a “P.A. Sangma model”. Apparently Sangma, during protests in the House, used to insert ear-plugs and read a book while in the Chair.
The doctor is in
W hen Nirmala Sitharaman collapsed at the end of her two-hour, 40-minute speech, three women MPs rushed to her seat: Smriti Irani (BJP), Harsimrat Kaur Badal (Akali Dal) and Trinamul Congress MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar. When someone from the BJP gestured to Ms Dastidar to return to her seat, she irritatedly replied, “I am a doctor, that’s why I came here,” before stalking back to her seat.
Scindia wall
M adhya Pradesh is hosting the International Indian Film Academy Awards and chief minister Kamal Nath is excited about it. The Nath regime wanted a newly-constructed cricket stadium in Indore as the venue but those controlling the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association cited BCCI rules to discourage organisers. The MPCA is controlled by the Jyotiraditya Scindia group. IIFA organisers wonder how the D.Y. Patil stadium in Mumbai is able to host many such functions. This will be the 21st edition of the IIFA Awards.
The writer is a keen observer of the goings-on in backrooms of power