Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has distanced herself from the ‘Hinduism vs. Hindutva’ debate, and said that former external affairs minister Salman Khurshid’s view on the issue was an individual opinion. Speaking in Chitrakoot after performing parikrama of Kamtanath temple and offering prayers, she said, “Nobody can define it for me, this is my faith, it is his personal opinion.” Priyanka tried to walk the tightrope given the disharmony on such a sensitive issue ahead of the state polls. By herself at an arm’s length from the controversy, she hopes her spearheading of the campaign in Uttar Pradesh will remain unsullied by this thorny, communally charged debate. Moreover, Priyanka has paid a visit to all the important temples in the state so far, all the while saying her faith is a private issue. On Wednesday, she visited Kamtanath in Chitrakoot and the women’s dialogue was also conducted at the Ram Chat. Urging women to support her party weeks after it promised to reserve 40 per cent of its tickets for women candidates, Priyanka urged women at the Congress’s ‘Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon’ [I am a girl, and can fight]” campaign to rally behind her party: “I have come here to talk to you as you have to make up your mind. You are half the population, raise your voice. Come together and seek your rights in politics. If we are half in population, then we should get the half share as well.” To give a speedy move to this mission, the Uttar Pradesh Congress has prepared an action plan for the next 100 days. There are about 7 crore women voters in the state and Priyanka Gandhi is banking on this significant portion of the electorate.
FACTIONALISM FESTERS IN KERALA CONGRESS AS CHANDY CRIES FOUL
The infighting in the Congress’s Kerala unit is at its peak. The decision of the new leadership —led by PCC president, K Sudhakaran, and opposition leader, VD Satheesan — to go ahead with a complete revamp of the organisation has not gone down well with the party old guard, Oommen Chandy and Ramesh Chennithala. Congress general secretary, Oommen Chandy, has taken complaints against the current Kerala leadership to Delhi. He has urged the party president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday to not go ahead with the planned party revamp in the state, in view of the announcement of organisational polls. According to sources, Chandy told Sonia that the Kerala Congress new chief, K Sudhakaran, and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, V D Satheesan, were not holding adequate discussions or consultations on organisational matters. AICC in-charge, Tariq Anwar, has left for Kerala to hold peace talks with senior state Congress leaders to defuse the situation. Insiders hold that the emergence of KC Venugopal as a single-point contact to former Congress president, Rahul Gandhi, as well as the ongoing health problems of the party president Sonia Gandhi, have changed the power equations, because of which the intra-party factionalism has finally come to the surface in the state unit.
TS SINGH DEO’S ANTI-BAGHEL PR STUNT MAKES NO IMPACT ON GANDHIS
Amid the ongoing power struggle in the ruling Congress in Chhattisgarh, senior party leader and state Health Minister, TS Singh Deo, has been frequenting Delhi of late. Deo, reportedly, is trying to woo Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi, often reminding them to effect a change of guard on the ground, given that there was an understanding for a 2.5-year rotation of the Chhattisgarh chief minister’s post, currently held by Bhupesh Baghel. Deo’s entire focus remains on his PR. A communication system has been devised by TS Singh Deo to forward all messages regarding him to Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi to receive the best praise from them for himself. Deo’s supporters are also running a campaign against CM Bhupesh Baghel. Unfortunately, Deo’s wishes do not seem to be fructifying, since Priyanka Gandhi’s support lies completely with Baghel. The Gandhi siblings have strongly appreciated the work of the Baghel-led Chhattisgarh government. The state of Chhattisgarh has been adjudged the cleanest state in India and will be awarded the title under the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ being celebrated on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of independence. State Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel will be receiving the award which will be presented by President Ram Nath Kovind at the Swachch Amrit Mahotsav on 20 November in the national capital. Even Rahul Gandhi is not giving much importance to Deo’s campaign in Chhattisgarh at his behest. Bhupesh Baghel also has a big role in UP election campaigns and his excellent rapport with Priyanka Gandhi is the talk of the town. As always, the Gandhi siblings are steering clear of PR-driven stunts of state leaders, and staying focused on those delivering good administrative work and strong pro-people campaigns, keeping an eye not only on crucial state polls but also the 2024 national elections.
MODI, SHAH TASK BAHUGUNA TO STEM MLA EXODUS BACK TO CONGRESS
After former Cabinet Minister Yashpal Arya and his son joined the Congress, the BJP high command has given the responsibility to former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna to prevent defection of BJP MLAs and ministers back to the Congress fold. Most of the former Congress MLAs who had joined BJP, along with Vijay Bahuguna after his difference with former CM Harish Rawat, now want to go back to Congress. During the recent visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Vijay Bahuguna has been tasked to stem the imminent attrition from the party rank and file. After the high-level meeting with the PM and the HM, Bahuguna rushed to meet Harak Singh Rawat and Umesh Sharma Kau to convince them to remain within BJP. However, political observers are claiming that former Congress MLAs and Ministers are in touch with the Congress high command and will cross over at the time of distribution of tickets.
HUMILIATED CAPTAIN CAN STILL PROVE TO BE A HURDLE FOR CONGRESS
A humiliated Captain Amarinder Singh may not join the BJP, but he has floated his own party — Punjab Lok Congress. That will damage not just the capricious Navjot Singh Sidhu, or the Akalis, but also the Congress. With PM Modi now rolling back the three farm laws, Captain will have no problem claiming credit for it, saying he brought about a historic change via his meeting with Amit Shah and Ajit Doval, and then get into an alliance. Even if Sidhu is successful in finding some traction for the 2015 Bargari sacrilege case, and pressures the chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi to remove top cops, his chances are slim. That’s not counting the AAP, which is very much in the fight. It remains to be seen if the new Dalit CM Channi, who has been burdened with so much, can deliver on multiple fronts in just three months, or face defeat in a state where the Congress had everything going for it. (IPA)
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