Speaking to a Group of Ministers, Prime Minister Modi indicated that there is no plan to advance parliamentary polls and dismissed talk of constitutional amendments.
There is much speculation about the surprise special five-day Parliament session this month. The actual reason for the session may be less dramatic than conjectures on a bill for simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls or the passing of a Universal Civil Code. It is believed that the government hopes to clear pending business in September which would normally be taken up in Parliament’s Winter Session, which traditionally begins in the first week of December. The Winter Session could be cancelled or drastically curtailed. The September session is expected to begin with a resolution congratulating the PM on successfully hosting the G20 summit. The government could also simply announce some future measures such as renaming the country Bharat. The new Parliament House is expected to be the venue.
Speaking to a Group of Ministers, Prime Minister Modi indicated that there is no plan to advance parliamentary polls and dismissed talk of constitutional amendments, since even with the support of unattached groups, it may not be able to muster a two thirds majority in the Upper House. The government is not confident of the Assembly polls due in Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Rajasthan in November. And it does not want Parliament to provide a forum for a triumphant Opposition to tom-tom its victory. A long Winter Session would also give an opportunity for the presently disunited Opposition to strategise for 2024. The government’s own Lok Sabha game plan is to focus on the inauguration of the Ram Mandir temple in Ayodhya in mid January and ride on the Hindutva momentum for the April-May polls.
Discordant Notes
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The recent INDIA meet in Mumbai had Opposition parties pulling in different directions. Mamata Banerjee was furious at the CPI’s D Raja being allotted a disproportionate amount of time, when his party has not a single MP. She questioned the utility of party leaders repeating their predictable anti-BJP stance instead of formulating an action plan. Banerjee shot down the proposal to make Nitish Kumar convenor of the alliance. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann generated ripples when he declared that AAP would not leave any seats in Punjab for the Congress, pointing out AAP won 92 assembly seats in 2022 and the Congress a mere 17. Even party leader Arvind Kejriwal seemed taken aback by Mann’s categorical statement.
Kejriwal, however, mentioned that while AAP was expected to make sacrifices, Congress was unwilling to go the extra mile in alliances in Rajasthan and Gujarat. Akhilesh Yadav questioned the Congress claim for 20 seats in UP, when it had only two viable candidates from the Gandhi family and a 2 per cent vote share. The only politician who seemed confident of an amicable seat-share arrangement among allies in his state was Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray who promised a big win in Maharashtra. NCP chief Sharad Pawar was on the sidelines this time with a serious loss of credibility, thanks to his frequent double speak.
An Omission
Samajwadi Party MP Javed Ali Khan questioned why the INDIA alliance had not invited two major Muslim parties, the AIUDF of Assam led by Badruddin Ajmal and the Hyderabad-centric AIMIM led by Asaduddin Owaisi, to be part of the alliance. Both parties had representation in the Lok Sabha and considerable clout in their respective states, more than what can be said for some INDIA partners. He alleged that the INDIA alliance was attempting to appease majoritarian sentiment by keeping minority parties out.
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Crowded Poster
In the forthcoming five Assembly elections, the BJP is most optimistic about its prospects in Rajasthan. Congress’s Ashok Gehlot is handicapped by anti-incumbency, despite his populist schemes. Gehlot calculated that the BJP’s Achilles heel would be not projecting Vasundhara Scindia as CM. But despite Amit Shah’s snub to the former BJP chief minister, the popular Vasundhara has decided to remain loyal and lie low so that her followers are allotted tickets. At 70, she is unlikely to raise a revolt against the high command unlike the mini rebellion in Karnataka. The BJP posters in Rajasthan are consequently overcrowded with faces – from Modi and Nadda to CM contenders Vasundhara, C P Joshi and Satish Poonia.
New-Age Media
The video of Rahul Gandhi and Lalu Yadav’s family preparing a Champaran meat dish has gone viral. Apart from remarks about cooking and family gossip, there were throwaway lines about the BJP inciting hatred and polarising the atmosphere whenever the economy is in bad shape. Significantly, it was a meat dish being prepared. Some 75 per cent Indian are non-vegetarians and the BJP seems more concerned about the sentiments of the 25 per cent vegetarians, critics allege.
First published on: 10-09-2023 at 07:47 IST