Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh):
High connections
The list of district in-charge ministers has made it clear who is the closest one of them all to the head of the state. When a low-profile minister was given the charge of the Chief Minister’s home district, everyone in the corridors of power came to know that the minister concerned is associated with the party’s top bosses.
The minister and the head of the state have come from the same nursery, the BJP, and the RSS. A leader of the BJP, who is no more, had been close to both. The duo frequently visited the leader till he was alive. So, the Chief Minister has kept faith in his old chum. The minister, too, is happy after getting the charge of an important district. Likewise, another minister, after getting the charge of an important district, has hogged the limelight. When this low-profile minister was given the charge of the state capital, everybody was surprised. The minister’s strong links with the party’s higher-ups came to light only after the list of district in-charge ministers was out.
Receiving shocks
The by-election to a seat of the Upper House has shocked many leaders in the state. To become a member of the Upper House, many leaders of the state ruling party worked hard. One such leader, who had been trying to go to the Upper House, spared no efforts to get a ticket and met the party’s central leadership in Delhi for it. The central leaders assured him of considering his name, but after the declaration of the party’s candidate for the seat, he was disappointed.
Now, the party has assured him of appointing him in a corporation or on a board. Similarly, a former minister tried his best to get a ticket for the Rajya Sabha. Because he is a staunch supporter of Hindutva, he was sure of getting a ticket. He, however, said the leaders of the state are not as frustrated for giving a ticket to someone from outside the MP as they would have been, had one of the contenders from the state been sent to the Upper House.
Bhopal: 47% Cars Have White LED Headlights, No Major Crackdown Yet
Nari Shakti
The ruling dispensation in the state may not have been able to change the male leadership, but they have done it for their female counterparts. A very powerful woman leader, once considered a former chief minister, is behind her colleagues these days. She is barely getting any importance from the ruling party. Similarly, another female leader, very active in Delhi a long time ago, is almost at the end of her career. Yet, the condition of another female leader of the party, once a minister, an MP and associated with many important assignments, is no better than that of her counterparts. She is no more as important for the party as she used to be. The second-rung leadership was also sidelined in the assembly election last year.
The third-rung women leadership looks very active. A woman minister has become more active than her counterparts in the state. She has been given a ministerial berth and an important assignment in the party. Another female minister is getting a lot of importance in the party as well as in the government. The growing importance of these two female ministers, coming from the Vindhya and Maha Kaushal regions, has ruffled many in the ruling party.
Speculations rife
A Congress leader’s three-day jaunt in the state capital has sparked speculations. He interacted with many of his supporters. There are reports that they have advised him to return to the state politics and become active again. Nevertheless, nobody has so far come across any photograph of this leader with his supporters during his trip. Nor those who are close to the leader have posted on social media any photograph of their meeting with him. Some of those who met this leader did not even take selfies with him, fearing that may ruin their political career. Although the leader is slowly getting out of, he often shows his zest only to maintain his son’s relevance in politics.
Duty, not showbiz
Adopting a woman as a sister and taking care of her is easier said than done. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has injected a new life into the age-old festival of India, Raksha Bandhan, when he celebrated the occasion by getting Rakhis tied around his wrist in different parts of MP. Yadav has a purpose: he wants women to be respected and empowered, so he tried to set an example. But many ministers and legislators of his party began to race with each other to get Rakhis tied around their wrists in their respective constituencies.
They displayed Rakhis and told each other of how many sisters’ blessings they have got. Nevertheless, some of them even never got Rakhi tied around their hands. Nor did they ever participate in Raksha Bandhan. There is nothing wrong with celebrating the festival – though it may be for the first time. But as the head of the state has reached every woman and took the vow to protect and empower them, others’ duty is to honour the CM’s words – instead of turning such an important festival into a showbiz.
Bhootaya Namah…!
(cartoon political Punch 2)
Nearly eight years have passed since a man was reported missing from Sagar. As the police have failed to trace the man, a sorcerer’s help has been sought. This has spun the yarn. The court recently asked to search for the person. And the minister, whose name has cropped up in the incident, has himself sought the help of a sorcerer to find the person. Before starting the rituals, the wizard asked for a photograph of the missing man. Just as he got it, the magus summoned the spirits whom he used to get to the person who had vanished from the scene in 2016.
The ghost did not fail their boss and found their much-sought-after object in Bhopal. When the police were informed about it, they were more than happy, because the spirits completed their job. Their happiness, however, did not last long after they came to know that the person the spirits found was not the one they were searching for. The minister is still hopeful, because he barely doubts the capacity of ghosts to locate the man. The wizard has already proved that ‘Bhoots or ghosts’ are not confined to ‘past tense' or ‘Bhoot kaal,’ but they can also work for the future or Bhavishya …! Let us say: Bhootaya Namah!