Only one uttar for the pradesh
Sonia Gandhi has started to realise, belatedly, that unless she herself takes up the command of the party in Uttar Pradesh, every experiment is going to fail. Strategist Prashant Kishore had assured Sonia Gandhi, before the commencement of the Kisan Yatra, that it would turn the fortunes of both the party and Rahul Gandhi. However, it did not turn out as well as she had expected. Rita Bahuguna jumping ship also made the situation precarious. Rumour has it that as soon as she recovers her health, she will take over the command of Uttar Pradesh once again. It is also being said that Priyanka Gandhi has been asked to pitch in, and will be an important member of Congress’ campaign committee. This is not to say that she does not trust Rahul, but that as far as UP is concerned, she believes that she is the only answer… or as they say in Hindi, the only ‘Uttar’ for the Pradesh.
Of arms and traps of honey
Months ago, during BJP’s working committee meeting on Uttar Pradesh, one thing that struck observers the most was the repeated demand from cadres to declare Varun Gandhi as UP’s Chief Ministerial candidate. This had gone down well with the leadership and they had taken notice of similar demands made all over the state. All was hunky dory till this honeytrap scandal blew up on his face. It was alleged that Varun supplied arms dealers with classified defence information after being trapped. Although no legal or punitive action has been taken, Varun is running scared. He’s been telling anyone who is willing to listen that he does not know Abhishek Verma personally, although they have met socially. But since there has not been a word of sympathy from either Narendra Modi or Amit Shah, it is safe to assume that his UP dream has vanished and any honey that may have been trapped has all come tumbling after.
From nagina to track-2
Yashwant Singh’s political acumen can’t be questioned. He knows which way the wind is blowing. This became evident when he requested the government to consider him for Track II dialogue on Kashmir. Since MOS Jitendra Singh has largely been a failure in tackling the issue, true to the name of his constituency (Nagina, UP), Yashwant saw an opening and slithered in. The PM, on his part, also gave Rs 50 crores to the Yashwant Singh-led team so that they can manage to reach a deal with the separatist leaders. Singh included people like Wajahat Habibullah, who has a good reputation in the valley. As far as Singh is concerned, he has realised that it is better to be in the good books of Modi than others.
Sangram hi => amar singh
Amar Singh’s name is being mentioned behind the implosion of the Samajwadi family in Uttar Pradesh. Akhilesh has been heard complaining that it was Amar Singh who was responsible for Mulayam Singh’s second marriage, which led to the entire drama. Now Akhilesh has father Mulayam standing firm with wife step-mother Sadhna Gupta and uncle Shivpal Yadav. The party, however, stands with him. Any attempt towards rapprochement gets stuck on the fact that Mulayam does not want to leave Amar Singh in the lurch. Amar Singh has been heard saying that if sacrificing him can bring unity in the Yadav family, then he is willing. Samajwadi cadres have started social media mudslinging against Singh. The latest one doing the rounds is that Amar Singh was always an anagram for Sangram Hi (only battle)! That’s a new one for us too…
