Kumar Bahukhandi
Politics and personal relationships do not mix. This was increasingly apparent during the ongoing poll campaign in Jammu and Kashmir. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah are known to be old family friends. Their parties have even forged an alliance in these elections. But the two clearly have their differences when it comes to their political stakes in the poll-bound state. According to political observers the two leaders are said to be upset with each other for different reasons. As a result, Rahul Gandhi and Omar Abdullah have not addressed any joint rallies during the poll campaign though Farooq Abdullah did join the Congress leader at a public meeting on his last trip. Omar Abdullah is miffed that the Congress has not focussed enough on the Jammu region where it is in direct contest with the Bharatiya Janata Party and that Rahul Gandhi has campaigned in constituencies where their parties are engaged in a “friendly fight”. On his part, Rahul Gandhi is unhappy that despite the electoral pact between their parties, the National Conference has encouraged a number of candidates from its ranks to contest as independents against Congress candidates.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had campaigned vigorously during the last Lok Sabha election as well as the earlier assembly polls. She had made such a favourable impression that political observers acknowledged that she had contributed significantly to the Congress party’s improved performance. But surprisingly she was not seen or heard during the initial rounds of campaigning in the ongoing assembly elections.Much to the relief of despairing party leaders, she finally addressed a rally in Jammu on Saturday. The campaign in Haryana is picking up now and though there is no word about Priyanka Gandhi’s tour programme so far Congress leaders are reassured that she will eventually make it to the electoral battlefield there.The party is particularly keen that she addresses a joint rally with Vinesh Phogat and Sirsa MP Selja to consolidate the women’s vote. It would also dispel the impression that the Congress had humiliated Dalits by ignoring Selja’s concerns. The senior Congress leader had stayed away from the campaign trail for a few days as she was said to be upset over the denial of tickets to her loyalists.
The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party has been in the news lately for a variety of reasons. There was intense speculation in the capital when the former Delhi chief minister was granted bail in the liquor policy case. The decision came days after the Congress and AAP failed to forge an alliance for the Haryana assembly election with Kejriwal declaring that his party will field candidates on all 90 seats. That the bail order came after the last date of withdrawal of candidates was also a subject of discussion. Though it was the courts which bailed out Mr Kejriwal, there are murmurs that the Modi government did not push hard against the move, suggesting some kind of understanding between the two sides. Now that Atishi has been installed as Delhi chief minister and the party is gearing up for next year’s assembly polls, there is talk in AAP circles that Kejriwal’s wife Sunita will make a debut in the coming election while Arvind Kejriwal prepares for a bigger national role. In that case, what role will Sunita Kejriwal play in Delhi? AAP leaders maintain that if she does take the plunge, she’s unlikely to work as a mere junior MLA. The guessing game is on.
The Congress appears to have taken a cue from the Bharatiya Janata Party in the case of Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah who is on the backfoot after the Karnataka high court dismissed his petition challenging the governor’s sanction for investigating the “illegal” allotment of land to his wife. Though the Opposition is pressing for his resignation, the Congress and the chief minister have decided to brazen it out on the plea that he has not been charge-sheeted and that they would await the outcome of the probe. The Congress is emulating the BJP which never let go of ministers even when they were embroiled in serious controversies as it is seen as an admission of guilt. The latest is Manipur chief minister Biren Singh who has not been sacked despite his disastrous handling of the year-long ethnic conflict in the state.
Kolkata is gearing up for another citizens’ protest after the West Bengal government decided to discontinue the 150-year-old tram service in the city. The government maintains that the slow-moving trams were adding to the congestion on the streets while admitting they are part of Kolkata’s heritage. This is the official reason cited for withdrawing trams from the public transport system but the buzz is that it is also about land as large valuable tracts will be available which will be taken over for “development.” Concerned citizens maintain that trams are clean mass transport systems in a city where air pollution is increasingly worsening because of the increasing number of vehicles on the streets.
The writer is a Delhi-based journalist.
