Congress Leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on January 4 met family members of those killed during protests against the new citizenship law in Meerut and Muzaffarnagar and asked local party leaders to help the families in filing cases against police brutality. She met relatives of five persons who died during the protests in Meerut on December 20, 2019. While Priyanka Gandhi had earlier visited Bijnor to meet the family of one of the protesters killed. In Rahul’s absence, Priyanka Gandhi has been at the forefront of anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests, at times holding sit-ins and joining protesters at Delhi and UP. The Congress is desperately seeking to tap the anger of the youth especially the students, against the BJP led government over the CAA and proposed pan-India National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise. As general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi has also kept her focus on the state, raising the issues pertaining to it and attacking chief minister Yogi Adityanath and his government over the law and order situation, especially the alleged increase in the incident of rapes. The Congress feels this provides the right moment for it to build a campaign against the Yogi government. Having been decimated in UP in the 2017 assembly elections and 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress is struggling to make its presence felt in the state’s political landscape. The Congress had dominated the politics of UP till the emergence of Mandal-Mandir issue in late 1980s. Over the years it has been relegated to political margins. Priyanka Gandhi has taken the first step of activating district and city units naming their new heads after year. The appointment of new state unit chief Ajay Kumar Lallu has been received well by the cadre. The Congress has deployed its trump card in UP and much depends on how Priyanka Gandhi is able to galvanise the party workers and also win back the support of the communities that have shifted to other parties over the year.
BJP-JD(U) ALLIANCE IN DOLDRUMS OVER PRASHANT KISHOR, NRC-CAA
The differences between allies BJP and JD(U) in Bihar have now surfaced fully, with everyone in the state now duly surprised that the JD(U) vice president Prashant Kishor has taunted deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi, without the knowledge of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. In the beginning, Prashant Kishor and Pawan Verma had denied the support of their party to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).But soon after, Prashant Kishor gave a warning in a TV interview that JD(U) would not give equal seats to BJP, as they have given in Parliamentary election. In the Lok Sabha election, both parties had fought on 17 seats each. He has also give the example of previous assembly election in which JD(U) fought on 139 seats and BJP on 102 seats, and also claimed that Nitish Kumar would be the face of the alliance in the coming assembly election due later this year. Subsequently, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi reacted Kishor’s declaration, and claimed that the election would be fought in the name of both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Sushil Modi also warned Prashant Kishor indirectly saying those in the profession of survey and election data collection, couldn’t and shouldn’t dictate terms to the political parties. After that, Prashant Kishor immediately retorted, calling Sushil Kumar Modi a “deputy chief minister of circumstances”, despite his party’s defeat in 2015 Bihar elections. According to political pundits of Patna, in the wake of the anger shown by the people of Bihar against CAA, CM Nitish Kumar has decided to keep open all options. He is expected totake decisions at the time of election. CM Nitish has already declared that NRC would not implemented in Bihar and also hinted that he has good relations with Lalu’s son Tejasvi Yadav and the Congress.
MAHARASHTRA CABINET EXPANSION MAKES MANY MIFFED
The expansion of Maharashtra cabinet is becoming the headache for Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray as well as for the leaders of Congress and NCP. It seems very difficult for Thackeray to run a government of three parties. Since Prithviraj Chavan was not included in the cabinet, followers vandalised the Congress Bhavan in Pune. According to political observers, the difference between Sharad Pawar and Prithviraj Chavan was the reason that the former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan was not included in the ministry, but Ashok Chavan was. To quell discontent, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has called the leaders of Maharashtra to Delhi and instructed them to wait and watch and remain united. In the same way, CM Thackeray has included his son, Aaditya, in the Cabinet but Sunil Raut, the brother of Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, was left out. Naturally, Sanjay Raut has shown his annoyance to the high command of Shiv Sena. In NCP, the MLA of Beed, Prakash Solanke, has offered his resignation for not being included in the cabinet, but Dhananjay Munde and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar have calmed down Prakash Solanke for the time being. The Shiv Sena MP Bhavana Gawali has shown his displeasure publicly for the selection of MLAs during the cabinet expansion. In the same way, state Congress leaders have also showed their annoyance over the inclusion of Aslam Shaikh and Vishwajeet Kadam privately, and while expressing their displeasure in public over the inclusion of Ajit Pawar as deputy chief minister. Congress leaders are miffed that Ajit Pawar, who had also taken oath of deputy chief ministership with former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis just weeks back, had been included despite being an embarrassment for the Maharashtra government.
ALL’S NOT WELL IN HARYANA BJP: KHATTAR, VIJ LOCK HORNS
In Haryana, the differences within the government are ending up hampering the working of the state government. It is not only the difference between the odd-ball post-poll alliance partners, the BJP and the JJP, but also among the squabbling state leaders within the BJP. In the previous BJP government, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had kept the Home Ministry with himself, but in this tenure, the Home ministry is with senior BJP leader Anil Vij. The working style of Anil Vij is annoying Manohar Lal Khattar, so much so that Khattar has rushed to Delhi to meet the working president of BJP, JP Nadda, and apprise him about Vij’s antics as well as the ongoing infighting within the party. Khattar has also met BJP organising secretary BL Santosh. At the same time, Anil Vij has been blaming Khattar for interfering in his department, saying Khattar has transferred many senior police officers without Vij’s consent, and has not appointed the home secretary of his choice despite several requests from Vij on that front. According to BJP sources, JP Nadda has assured Khattar that he would look into this matter personally.
UTTARAKHAND CONGRESS SEES HARISH RAWAT, PRITAM SINGH SQUABBLE
In Uttarakhand, the Congress does not seem united and the differences between state president Pritam Singh and Harish Rawat is being noticed at every function organised by the state Congress. Although the high command has made Harish Rawat the Secretary in-charge of Assam, but the rivalry between the two seems to have no ending. Recently, the Uttarakhand Congress had organised a rally called “Savidhan Bachao Desh Bachao”, in which a large number of people had joined in. For a while, the BJP was worried to see the large gathering, but so was Harish Rawat’s group, which resented seeing the successful rally. This, despite the state Congress office issuing posters and banners with both Harish Rawat and state president Pritam Singh pictured prominently. Rawat’s side was miffed at the Congress workers publishing pamphlets and posters which didn’tshow or mention the name of Harish Rawat. Harish Dhami, MLA of Dharchula, Pithoragarh has even declared that he would not fight on Congress ticket in the next assembly election to show his sincerity towards Harish Rawat. However, this action has had no effect on state president Pritam Singh. Singh had chosen the day for the rally when Harish Rawat was present in Guwahati along with Rahul Gandhi, resulting in Rawat’s loyalists not being included in the rally programme. (IPA)
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