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What Triggered the Priyanka Takeover Talk

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TEAMWORK: Time and again, Priyanka has clarified that Rahul is the de facto chalak of the party

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A tweet, her Dimple gambit, not much more 

By Sujit Bhar

Political observers can often concentrate so hard on a molehill that it looks like a mountain. It happens to the best of them. So when the “experts” started on the Priyanka Gandhi effect on the UP electoral strategy and alliance with Samajwadi Party (SP), saying it was curtains for Rahul ‘Baba’ and enter Priyanka, they were wrong.

It was like one “expert” pointing out that the SP infighting was actually was a “show” put up for the aam janta by the ruling Yadav family, especially by patriarch Mulayam Singh, to “promote the image of Akhilesh” among the public. That was an interesting twist to an otherwise bare-fist fight between father and son, which was open for all to see. Yes, it was interesting, and created a TRP wave, but it wasn’t true.

These experts have probably taken a leaf out of the Yadav family fight and planted it onto the Nehru-Gandhi tree. That branch will not flourish, nor will it bear fruit.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, for all practical purposes is the rightful “heir” to the Congress gaddi and so shall he remain till Sonia Gandhi decides otherwise. Remember, the only noted differences within the Nehru-Gandhi family arose just on two occasions—during Indira’s marriage to Feroze and between mother Indira and son Sanjay. The family has held together through thick and thin, and that is one of the principal reasons why the entire party looks up to it.

One has to look back at the Bihar elections not so long back to realize the importance of Rahul and his ideologies within the Congress. The alliance Rahul helped forge between Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav did not result in a huge profile boost for the Congress—it has remained a fringe player —but the fact that he was able to act as the quick-fix between the two was “victory” for the party.

It was supposed to be an alliance against the BJP and that succeeded. The fact that Nitish later opened a back-channel with the BJP on national issues, shaking up the alliance to its roots, is not Rahul’s fault. Rahul has remained vehemently opposed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s demonetisation adventure and has openly advocated an alliance with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on this, despite the Congress being one of the opponents of Mamata in that state.

Dimple and Akhilesh

SEALING THE DEAL: It was Priyanka who opened a back-channel with Dimple Yadav, Akhilesh’s wife, to help finalise the seat sharing arrangement between the two parties

What Priyanka did in securing a proper seat-sharing agreement before talks broke down, was open a similar back-channel with Dimple Yadav, Akhilesh’s wife. That was only to be expected. These are bypass surgeries that every political party worth its salt is wont to take. That does not mean Rahul had little say in it. In fact, even as Mulayam stayed away from the seat-sharing talks—reports say he was sulking, before Akhilesh went to his home and then shared a joint picture on his Facebook page—Rahul was the one who took on a pro-active role in drawing up the list for Congress, with a little help from mother Sonia.

It was this prescription, more or less, that has been ratified by the talks. Priyanka’s advice from the backseat isn’t an unknown commodity in public circles. She has always been active in Rae Bareli and Amethi, where the Nehru-Gandhis have their emotional haveli, so to say. 

So how did this talk of Rahul taking the backseat really gain currency?

It has to do, obviously, with the age-old sycophancy that Congress has always promoted and always suffered from. Ahmed Patel, Sonia’s political secretary, created the confusion through his tweet on January 21, from his official handle @ahmedpatel. Said the tweet: “Wrong to suggest lightweights were dealing on behalf of Congress party. Discussion was at highest level- b/w CM (UP), GS I/C & Priyanka Gandhi.”

It would have, probably, been a wise decision on the part of Patel to not provoke an already heated situation by sending out a tweet that could be interpreted in many different ways. That was certainly not the responsible thing to do.

Ahmed patel tweetReams are now being written on the basis of this little tweet, explaining how Priyanka has decided to shove her little brother from the hot seat and has taken over. The fact is, Priyanka has always maintained that Rahul is the de facto chalak of the party now. Technically, even mother and president of the party Sonia has taken a backseat, emerging only when essential.

The UP elections will be a big test for the Congress, too. This alliance is extremely critical and any slip-ups for the Grand Old Party could mean a long vanavas for it. At the beginning of a new friendship with the SP, the Congress is unlikely to make such mistakes, and the likes of Patel should be careful not to provide the BJP a stick to beat the party with all over again.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Government set to table One Nation, One Election bill in Lok Sabha on December 16

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Parliament Winter Session: Lok Sabha speaker warns opposition, No-Confidence motion against Rajya Sabha Chairman

The stage is set for a major legislative push by the central government as two bills related to the ambitious “One Nation, One Election” initiative are scheduled for introduction in the Lok Sabha on Monday, December 16.

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal is expected to present The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill and The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, marking a significant step towards implementing simultaneous Lok Sabha and state legislative assembly elections.

On Thursday, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave its nod to the constitutional amendment bill that seeks to align elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. This decision underscores the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s commitment to its long-standing agenda of electoral synchronization, aimed at reducing the frequency of polls and associated costs.

The Cabinet also approved a supplementary bill to amend specific provisions related to three Union territories with legislative assemblies—Delhi, Puducherry, and Jammu & Kashmir. This aligns their governance framework with the overarching constitutional amendments proposed under the “One Nation, One Election” initiative.

The constitutional amendment bill aims to streamline the electoral calendar by establishing a legal framework for conducting Lok Sabha and state assembly elections simultaneously. However, the government has, for now, opted to exclude local body polls, such as those for municipalities and panchayats, from this framework. A high-level committee chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind had earlier suggested a phased approach to include local elections in the future.

The concept of “One Nation, One Election” has been a focal point in political discourse, with proponents arguing it will enhance governance by reducing electoral disruptions and fostering policy stability. Critics, however, have raised concerns about the logistical and constitutional challenges of synchronizing diverse electoral cycles across India’s federal structure.

This legislative development will undoubtedly dominate parliamentary discussions as political parties prepare to deliberate on the feasibility and implications of reshaping India’s electoral landscape.

The introduction of these bills is expected to spark robust debate, with the government emphasizing the potential benefits of reduced administrative burdens and streamlined governance, while opposition parties scrutinize its impact on India’s democratic fabric.

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At Congress meet, Kharge blames internal bickering, statements against own party leaders for election losses

Kharge noted that the atmosphere was in the Congress’ favour during the elections but pointed out that just the atmosphere being in its favour does not guarantee victory.

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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday asserted that the internal bickering in the party and statements against own party leaders were among the reasons for the loss of the grand old party in the recently concluded Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana.

Noting that statements against own party leaders harm the party a lot, Kharge said that tough decisions will have to be taken, accountability be fixed and shortcomings removed by learning lessons from the election results.

In his address during the Congress Working Committee meeting at the AICC headquarters, Kharge highlighted the EVMs issue and said that the EVMs have made the electoral process suspect, stressing it is the constitutional responsibility of the Election Commission to ensure free and fair elections in the country.

“Unless we fight elections unitedly and stop making statements against each other, how will we be able to defeat our opponents politically?” the Congress president said.

“Therefore, it is important that we strictly follow discipline. We have to remain united under all circumstances. The party also has the weapon of disciplining. But we do not want to put our comrades in any bondage,” he said.

“Therefore, everyone needs to think that a victory of the Congress party is our victory and a defeat is our defeat. Our strength lies in the strength of the party,” the Congress president said.

He also noted that the Congress made a comeback with new enthusiasm riding on its performance in the Lok Sabha polls and said the election results of three states were not as per the party’s expectations.

“INDIA parties formed the government in 2 out of 4 states. But our performance was below expectation. This is a challenge for us in terms of the future,” he said.

“We need to immediately learn from the election results and correct all our weaknesses and shortcomings at the organisational level. These results are a message for us,” he said.

Kharge noted that the atmosphere was in the Congress’ favour during the elections but pointed out that just the atmosphere being in its favour does not guarantee victory.

“We will have to learn to convert the atmosphere into results. What is the reason that we are not able to take advantage of the atmosphere?” he said.

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BJP says it stands for credibility of promises under PM Modi, Congress for crisis

Trivedi mockingly questioned whether Kharge was truthful in his statements made the previous day, implying that his critiques of the BJP were a reaction driven by pressure to reconcile his earlier remarks.

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The BJP said on Saturday that it stood for the credibility of promises made under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, while labeling the Congress party as one suffering from a crisis of credibility, intensifying their ongoing rhetorical conflict over unfulfilled electoral pledges.

BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said that the ruling party has expanded its welfare initiatives, including health insurance, free food grains, and cash transfers to farmers, emphasising a strategy focused on wealth creation followed by equitable distribution as the Indian economy has grown over the last decade.

“We believe in the creation of wealth and its distribution. The Congress fosters corruption and depletes wealth,” he stated, referencing numerous unfulfilled promises made by Congress-led governments across various states.

Following Mallikarjun Kharge’s remark labeling “Modi ki guarantee” as a cruel joke after Modi seized Kharge’s guidance on budgetary constraints in state poll announcements, the BJP launched new accusations.

Trivedi mockingly questioned whether Kharge was truthful in his statements made the previous day, implying that his critiques of the BJP were a reaction driven by pressure to reconcile his earlier remarks.

Trivedi highlighted several accomplishments of the Modi government, including the construction of the Ram temple, the abrogation of Article 370, the building of over 14 crore homes for the impoverished, the establishment of more than 51 crore Jan Dhan accounts, and a firm stance against terrorism from Pakistan, to demonstrate the government’s fulfillment of its commitments.

He noted that Kharge, having witnessed notable leaders like PV Narasimha Rao and Pranab Mukherjee manage economic challenges effectively, is now observing the Congress party struggling under the influence of urban Naxals due to Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.

Addressing Kharge’s criticisms on various issues, Trivedi pointed to data from the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) indicating a rise in account holders from 11 crore to 25 crore over the past decade.

He also referenced significant infrastructure projects, such as the construction of homes for the poor, 74 new airports, and an impressive pace of 37 kilometers of road built per day, claiming that these initiatives have created substantial employment opportunities.

“India is now ranked third in auto manufacturing and second in mobile phone manufacturing; if anyone is unable to recognize the country’s progress, there is a profound deficiency in their perspective,” asserted the BJP spokesperson.

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