Shah draws parallel
Home Minister Amit Shah has a wry sense of humour. Recently, when a potential candidate grumbled more than getting denied a ticket, saying it meant he had turn out to be irrelevant in politics, Shah disarmed him citing his personal instance. He was not offered the Lok Sabha ticket for a unique constituency six occasions, even although he knew the region like the back of his hand and was invariably produced the polling agent. Shah was clearly referring to the truth that six occasions he ignored his personal political aspirations so that L K Advani could stand from Gandhinagar. And when Shah ultimately got the ticket in 2019, he conclusively demonstrated that he was surely not politically irrelevant.
Key Result
On May 2, the most eagerly awaited outcome of the Assembly polls will be of West Bengal. A Mamata Banerjee victory would elevate Bengal’s didi to new heights as the one regional leader who could halt the Modi-Shah juggernaut. A defeat would surely demoralise the secular-liberal forces. Shah has left no stone unturned to adjust the electoral wind in a area when viewed as unfriendly to the saffron party and with a 27 per cent Muslim population. Preparations began in May 2017 when Central Cabinet ministers had been tasked with overseeing person Lok Sabha constituencies. Since Lord Ram is not a mainstream deity in Bengal, old devotional songs to Lord Krishna had been re-written with Ram’s name inserted. Propaganda material, like leaflets, was distributed to recommend that Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee was accountable for making sure that Kolkata was not lost to East Pakistan thanks to his pre-Partition position on the division of Bengal. Meanwhile, a current investigation paper by a respected Leftist scholar who claims to have visited most components of the state and observed a powerful anti-incumbency mood has produced the TMC camp nervous.
A Fine Unbalance
I assumed, like numerous, that imposing steeper fines for not wearing a mask would be a higher deterrent. But as a victim myself of the manner in which the Delhi government implements the directive, I now have second thoughts. I was fined Rs 2,000 although I was the sole passenger in a vehicle suitably distanced from the masked driver and with an N- 95 mask on my lap. The deputy magistrate brushed aside my argument that I was infecting no one, whilst unmindful of a quantity of passersby not correctly masked. However, a day later, his logic discovered favour with the Delhi High Court. It is puzzling why an impressive demonstration of State energy, what with six cops and a deputy magistrate in my case, fails to penalise these not following simple precautions in Delhi’s markets and other gatherings. Perhaps it is mainly because the authorities calculate that vehicle drivers and passengers will have sufficient prepared money to spend the fine or else mainly because of their licence plates they are simply traceable.
Jittery MVA
Amit Shah waffled in providing a categorical response to speculation that he and NCP leader Sharad Pawar with his ubiquitous lieutenant Praful Patel met in Ahmedabad final month. The Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut initially confirmed the meeting and then denied it. BJP Maharashtra chief Chandrakant Patil hinted at the report’s veracity. Tainted policeman Sachin Waze’s current testimony prior to the Central government-controlled NIA has strengthened suspicions relating to the get-with each other. Waze, a Shiv Sena man till his reinstatement in the Mumbai Police, named Sena minister Anil Parab, a confidant of CM Udhav Thackeray, as getting offered him orders relating to alleged extortion. He also claimed a individual close to Deputy CM Ajit Pawar wanted him to gather Rs one hundred crore month-to-month from gutka dealers. However, Waze gave a clean chit to Sharad Pawar, testifying that the leader wanted his reinstatement cancelled.
Repackaging Rahul
If the outcome in the Assembly polls proves disappointing for the Congress, the party can profit from reading pollster Pradeep Gupta’s quickly-to-be-released book How India Votes, and discover how to repackage Rahul Gandhi. Gupta, who has an impressive record for poll predictions, feels Gandhi’s CV does not meet the criteria for a top rated leader. Indian voters, he believes, want their leaders to provide a excellent delivery program and have a established track record. Gandhi, burdened with the unfortunate nickname ‘Pappu’, does not match the bill. Dynasty is no longer a draw with the younger demographic. Besides, Gandhi misjudged picking slogans for the 2019 campaign. Neither of his alternatives “suit-boot ki sarkar’’ and corruption in the Rafale deal resonated with the voter, according to Gupta. The Congress, with victories in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh in 2018, was riding higher with the slogan ‘ab ki baar, 72,000’, promising that quantity as minimum earnings assure. Gandhi diverted the concentrate to the Rafale deal, taking it away from the guarantee of Rs 6,000 month-to-month payment, Gupta writes.