Who fears Yogi’s shadow on Himachal? And why?
A day after several Congress leaders, including T.S. Singhdeo, Tariq Anwar and Imran Pratapgarhi strongly objected to a Himachal Pradesh minister’s diktat mandating all street vendors and food establishment owners to follow the ‘Yogi model’ in displaying their names prominently, the state government on Thursday evening clarified that no such order has been issued and the matter is still being studied by a House Committee of the Assembly. The controversy arose after Himachal Pradesh urban development minister Vikramaditya Singh on Wednesday told a meeting of municipal corporation and urban development ministry officials that all food establishment owners will have to prominently display their names. Clearly, the Congress government in HP was taking a cue from the ‘Yogi model’ being implemented in UP. Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi spoke to Rahul Gandhi and demanded withdrawal of the order. Another Congress MP Tariq Anwar said he would write to the partry president demanding his intervention. Former Deputy CM of Chhattisgarh T S Singhdeo said, it seems such steps are being taken “to isolate a particular section of society and Congress would not support this.”
Vikramditya Singh’s mother and Himachal state Congress chief Pratibha Singh supported the move, but after both mother and son were summoned to Delhi by party high command, Vikramaditya Singh backed out saying that no such order has been issued and the matter is before a House Committee. He said, anybody from any part of India was free to come to Himachal Pradesh and do business. The moot question is, why did the Congress forced its minister in HP to drop the idea? Was it because this idea was based on ‘Yogi model’? Was it because that a similar step was taken by the BJP government in UP? At least, Congress should not object, because it had been saying since 2014 that Modi government was only implementing Congress schemes, with different names. Congress even claimed that the Swacch Abhiyan (cleanliness movement), Jan Dhan scheme and Make In India scheme were initiated by the party.
In UP, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav claims copyright on each of the welfare schemes implemented by Yogi government. Then why this political storm over Shimla? The real reason is: fear of losing Muslim votes. The first objections were raised by Muslim leaders in Congress like Imran Pratapgarhi and Tariq Anwar, who portray themselves as champions of Muslim voters. They feel that by following the ‘Yogi model’, Congress may lose Muslim voters. This is the reason why the Himachal minister was forced to change his stand. The same Himachal minister had earlier described the constructions at the controversial Sanjauli mosque in Shimla as illegal. The minister stood in the state assembly, and openly warned that this illegal mosque could pose a danger to peace in Shimla, but the next day, he had to change his stand. The U-turn taken by minister Vikramaditya Singh and Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s government on Thursday makes it quite clear that the order to display names of owners of food eateries would no more be implemented.
How Kejriwal outsmarted both BJP and Congress by resigning
Nobody knows why Arvind Kejriwal decided to resign as Delhi chief minister and what were his compulsions. If he could run his government from jail, who prevented him from doing the same while living free, out of jail? Let me tell you, Kejriwal is a clever politician and he very well understands the game of perception. He won elections by levelling charges of corruption against top leaders of the country. Now he is himself facing charges of corruption in the liquor scam and this does not suit his style of politics. Kejriwal became chief minister after practically decimating both the Congress and BJP in Delhi elections. He has consistently won assembly elections for his party in Delhi, reduced Congress to a zero and badly marginalized the BJP in the national capital.
Now he will launch a fresh war, and start a new race against both Congress and BJP. Kejriwal knows he cannot run faster in a race while carrying the baggage of liquor scam on his shoulder. For Kejriwal, the most important thing to do is to remove the charges of corruption from his shoulder, and get his shirt spotlessly clean from the stain of being an accused in the liquor scam. And, I think, he has found a way out.
Kejriwal knows the trial in the liquor scam will linger on for long, and it can take years for a verdict to arrive. He will have to be on the defensive if the opposition levels corruption charges against him. This does not suit his style of politics. So, the first step that he took after walking out of jail was to resign as chief minister. By doing this, he has kept himself away from power. His second step will be to win the forthcoming assembly polls in Delhi. And then go to town to claim that he has been given a clean chit by the people. That he does not carry any stain of corruption on his shirt. The second aspect of this game is, making both Congress and BJP leaders confused. If you go by the reactions of both these rival parties, you will find they are questioning: Why Atishi? Why Atishi’s parents had signed a mercy petition for executed terrorist Afzal Guru? Why Atishi’s parents had added the surname ‘Marlena’ to her name? So, the charges are now being levelled at Atishi. Opposition leaders in Delhi are describing her as a temporary chief minister and try to hound her. And the ‘permanent chief minister’ will fight elections. For Kejriwal, the field is open. By the time, Congress and BJP leaders understand his game in Delhi, he would have run far ahead in the race.
Is Kejriwal’s release a worry for Congress?
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal came out of Tihar jail on Friday after 177 days. The Supreme Court granted him bail on conditions that he would not attend his office and sign any official file, nor shall he contact witnesses or speak about the liquor policy case in public. Coming out of prison, Kejriwal told cheering AAP supporters, “it is God which gave me strength and my resolve never weakened. Instead, my resolve multiplied 100 times.” The actual battle is going to be fought in the Haryana assembly elections. The court battles are over for the moment, but the case will linger on. Kejriwal’s release from jail will start a new battle on the political front. The fight is about perception, about creating a narrative.
Kejriwal claims that allegations of bribery made against him and his party in the Delhi liquor excise scam are false and the entire case is fake. This is the reason, he says, why he got bail from the highest court. BJP is going to tell the people that getting bail does not mean he has been acquitted and has been given a clean chit. BJP leaders point out to the SC verdict in which it has been said that his arrest by CBI was legally valid. AAP leaders allege, BJP misused ED and CBI to harass Kejriwal, but their plan has been foiled by the apex court. BJP leaders remind of the conditions under which Kejriwal cannot function as a Chief Minister. He cannot go to his office or sign official files.
There is a political twist to this case. While opposition parties expressed happiness over Kejriwal’s release from jail, Congress maintained silence. The reason: Haryana assembly elections, where talks of alliance between Congress and AAP failed over seat distribution. Congress leaders fear that if Kejriwal goes all out to garner votes for AAP in Haryana, its vote base may be hit. The fear is reflected in Congress stalwart Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s speeches, where he is telling Haryana voters that the battle is only between BJP and Congress, and people should not squander their votes by supporting any third party. In his Haryana campaign, Kejriwal is naturally going to take Congress to task, and this can cause problems for the party in the near future too. One must understand that AAP came to power in Delhi and Punjab by dislodging Congress.
Why is Congress silent on Khalistani Pannu praising Rahul?
I am surprised why Congress leaders have not yet rejected the support extended to Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on Sikhs by pro-Khalistan activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, and why not a single reaction has emanated from the Congress party about Pannu. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge is an experienced leader and he knows the history of his party.
After the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, despite deep-rooted anger among the Sikhs about Congress role, the party never allowed Khalistan supporters to take advantage of the situation. Congress never allowed those demanding separate Khalistan to rear their heads. Then why is Kharge trying to obfuscate? Pannu has described Rahul’s statement about ‘existential threat to Sikhs in India’ as ‘bold and pioneering’. Why is Kharge allowing Pannu to carry on with his agenda taking advantage of Rahul’s remarks? My question: Is the Congress President under compulsion to hide Rahul Gandhi’s mistake?
Similarly, Congress leaders have nothing to say about why Rahul Gandhi met Pakistan supporter US lawmaker Ilhan Omar. She has always spoken against India in public. This cannot be Congress party’s policy. Had any other Congress leader did the same and made certain remarks, it could have been a different matter altogether.
Congress is basically a nationalist organization. The party still considers Pakistan Occupied Kashmir as an integral part of India. Congress had even supported removal of Article 370. During Indira Gandhi’s and Rajiv Gandhi’s time, Congress never joined hands with those who worked on anti-India agenda. The party never supported those advocating the nefarious objectives of Pakistan.
Have the policies of Congress party undergone a change? Or has Rahul Gandhi brought some new commodity in his party’s shop? In Urdu there is a phrase loaded with meanings, “Yeh Hasrat, Yeh Nayi Ibaarat, Yeh Mulaaqaat” (Literal meaning: this desire, this new language, this rendezvous). The people of India will never like it.
Members of parliament should avoid making personal remark on each other
This time the discussions that happened inside and outside the Parliament took a bad shape with attacks going personal. Rahul Gandhi dragged Prime Minister Modi into everything and BJP leaders launched personal attacks on Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. We also saw Congress President Sonia Gandhi angrily rushing to the Well of the house just because one of the BJP MP attacked her sister on the Lalit Modi row. It is essential for a democracy to avoid such personal attacks and focus on debates of national issues in the Parliament.