Supportive stance
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief, Mohan Bhagwat, applied some timely political balm with his annual Vijaya Dashami address. The sangh parivar paterfamilias blamed “demonic forces” from the West for trying to “destabilise India” and declared that plans of a “regime change” would not succeed in Bharat. The message was unmistakable: as the Opposition turns up the heat over vote chori, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s ideological fountainhead has chosen to stand firmly behind Narendra Modi. This was a notable departure from the occasional barbs Bhagwat has directed at the Centre’s top leadership, particularly his pointed remarks about the “ahankar” of the “sevak” — widely read as a swipe at Modi who calls himself the Pradhan Sevak. Modi was quick to acknowledge the endorsement, calling Bhagwat’s address “very motivating”. The sangh’s backing, however, is about more than the political battle of the day. At 76, Modi is serving his third consecutive term, and speculation over succession is beginning to gather pace. Any attempt by him to install a successor of his choice would require the RSS’s blessing.
Censor scissors
Raihan Vadra, the son of the Congress member of Parliament, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, has steered clear of party politics. His photo exhibition was censored at a Rajasthan government-owned venue in Delhi this week. Raihan told reporters that he had nothing to do with unidentified people who put up prints of his photos on the recent protests against the Election Commission of India outside the venue. He said he was against any censorship and would also speak out even if an exhibition against his family or the Congress faced censorship. The Youth Congress had to call off its press conference to announce its offer of holding an exhibition of his works on the streets of Lutyens’ Delhi. The Congress publicity head, Pawan Khera, also specified at a presser that Raihan “is an individual by himself” and queries on his work should be directed to him. Still, the Keralam chief minister, VD Satheesan, has offered a venue for Raihan to exhibit his work.
On the back foot
The Odisha CM, Mohan Charan Majhi, is on the back foot following the Andhra Pradesh government’s announcement to hold panchayat elections in the disputed Kotia region of Koraput district on the Odisha-Andhra border. The Majhi government appeared to be on the defensive particularly because the Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh is an ally of the National Democratic Alliance. The Odisha government moved the Supreme Court, seeking an order to maintain status quo in the disputed region. However, the Biju Janata Dal sharpened its attack, arguing that if the Kotia issue remains unresolved despite having a triple-engine sarkar , it would amount to a humiliation for Odisha. The BJD alleged that the state’s approaching the apex court reflected the Majhi government’s inability to effectively counter Andhra’s actions.
Old grudge
Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Assam CM, took over from the prime minister at an event in Delhi. Both had one target: the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. Sarma, who holds Rahul responsible for his departure from the Congress in 2015, said, “I agree with the Prime Minister that the Congress party is attempting to relaunch the same product every year. Today, the Congress party even considers a 57-year-old gentleman to be a youth and Gen Z. By that logic, I would also be Gen Z, as my age is also 57.” He further said, “That is what the PM has elaborated — that you are trying to launch a failed product every time, and every time he fails, he himself departs goes abroad… and after the cooling off is done, he will again come back, and the Congress party will again try to relaunch him.” Rahul is said to have left for a four-day break to Vietnam on October 19 amid the ongoing protests. A Congress insider responded by asking, “Where is the question of failing when there is a big question mark on the electoral mandate won by the BJP, judging by the skeletons tumbling out of the CEC closet daily? Sarma should answer about the stolen mandate first, and also about the delay in dispensing justice to deceased icon Zubeen Garg.
Get to the root
The ruling BJP in Assam comfortably won the October 6 Nagaon by-election, reclaiming a seat it lost to the Opposition Congress twice in a row. The Congress has a lot to worry about because it lost a Muslim-majority constituency after the CM’s assertions that it failed to appoint polling agents in 70% of the polling stations. Polling agents protect a candidate’s interests before, during, and after voting by checking for voter impersonation, preventing machine tampering, and verifying polling records, among others. Party insiders admit that “Our real problem lies at the grassroots, which is exactly where our maximum focus should be,” a Congress insider said. “We need to cover every single polling station with honest, dedicated people. Right now, our grassroots organisation is in a shambles.”