Centre of attention
Neha Bora, the national president of the All India Students’ Association, was the cynosure of the INDIA bloc meeting at the Constitution Club after the Opposition’s rally to the Supreme Court on October 12. Such was her popularity that several members of Parliament took selfies with her and the former chief minister of Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Baghel, even showed her his Instagram feed, which was full of memes and reels about her. Holding her own amidst the gaggle of experienced politicians, Bora asked for a second cup of coffee — she seemed to love the coffee at the Club. Fuel for the struggle ahead?
New role
The Union tribal affairs minister, Jual Oram, was the centre of attention at the annual Luv Kush Ramlila at Delhi’s Red Fort Grounds. He portrayed Nishadraj Guha, the tribal king and a close friend of Rama in the Ramayana. Oram, a tribal leader from Sundargarh district, depicted the tribal king’s meeting with Rama during the latter’s exile. In the play, the tribal king welcomes Rama, extends his hospitality, and bids him a heartfelt farewell. The way Oram embraced Rama on the stage, expressing his devotion, drew enthusiastic applause from the audience. Oram sought to underscore the historical and the cultural connections between the tribal communities and Rama. The performance was politically significant too, with the Bharatiya Janata Party aiming to strengthen its outreach among tribal communities and spread the message of Rama. Oram’s team actively shared videos of his interaction with the character of Rama in the hope of helping the message reach a wider audience as well as consolidating his position in Delhi.
Mistaken identity
An anonymous anti-establishment X handle mistook the Congress MP, Deepender Singh Hooda, for the former world badminton champion, Prakash Padukone. Posting a video of Hooda helping the MP, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, during a protest this week, the X user said, “Prakash Padukone trying to help Priyanka Gandhi against the Delhi Police, while his son‑in‑law Ranveer Singh must be sitting at home taking orders from BJP‑RSS to make Dhurandhar 3 with Aditya Dhar, showing Pakistan behind the protest against Gyanesh Kumar.” Hooda responded, “Deepika has not called to check how I am doing after the police crackdown. Ranveer Singh has not called either. And Prakash Padukone has not called to ask for his face back. Still — glad to be promoted as an All England Badminton Champion, I choose to take this as respect.”
Glum faces
A WhatsApp group of National Students’ Union of India leaders in the capital was named “We The Chhotu” for three days, until the student, youth and volunteer arms
of the Congress had a chat with the party president, Mallikarjun Kharge, the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and the Congress MP, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The NSUI needed to be pacified after the Congress leadership put the AISA president, Neha Bora, in the spotlight during recent protests.
Although the NSUI president, Vinod Jakhar, and other leaders were in the open truck along with Rahul Gandhi and others during a rally to the Supreme Court, many in the organisation were miffed with Bora’s presence. The NSUI had largely been content with protests at the gates of its Raisina Road office until the Gandhi siblings staged a flash dharna inside Akashvani on October 6 and changed the dynamics of the protests.
Handled with care
The corridors of power in Keralam have been abuzz with the ‘soft stand’ taken by the state government in the high court against former CM, Pinarayi Vijayan. At the Congress parliamentary party meeting, a young legislator, Mathew Kuzhalnadan, who is also a prominent lawyer, claimed that the state government should have filed a first information report against Vijayan. Heated exchanges occurred between the CM, VD Satheesan, and Kuzhalnadan, with the home minister, Ramesh Chennithala, defending the government’s stand. The seniors maintained that a hasty FIR would have enabled the Left Democratic Front to level allegations of a deal with the BJP. With both the single bench and the division bench going in favour of an FIR, Vijayan and his family members have approached the apex court. The Enforcement Directorate has issued summons to Vijayan and his family.