ABVP Gets a New Office

After the inauguration of the rebuilt RSS headquarters by Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat in February, he was back in Delhi this week for the opening of the ABVP office at Deendayal Upadhyaya Marg. The building is nine-storeyed with a modern auditorium on the first floor for media interactions and internal meetings. The event was attended by the Delhi cabinet led by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. The attendees included top RSS functionaries and BJP leaders. There was interest in the event due to the salience ABVP has gained with several leaders who rose from its ranks occupying positions in the BJP organisation and in ministerial councils at the Centre and in states. But in addition, the RSS Sarsanghchalak’s presence in Delhi came soon after two high-profile events in Nagpur on March 30 where Bhagwat and Prime Minister Narendra Modi spent time together. The visible bonhomie between the two helped settle speculation of a freeze in BJP-RSS ties. This time round, the agenda was more to do with the ABVP programme and confabulations within the Sangh since senior leaders would be present in the capital. There is a possibility that discussions took stock of the deliberations over the next BJP president. The visit of US Vice President JD Vance and Modi’s visit to Saudi Arabia meant the prime minister’s schedule was packed. For ABVP leaders, it was a big event as the student wing has functioned out of much smaller offices on the Delhi University campus in the past. The presence of Bhagwat provided lustre to the occasion and ensured detailed media coverage.

Syedna’s Waqf Wisdom

The meeting between the Bohra community’s Syedna—the ai-Dai al-Mutlaq, or highest spiritual leader — and the prime minister was widely reported for Modi’s comments on how he consulted the leader over the years on the difficult subject of reforming the Waqf law. He acknowledged the Syedna’s contribution to the framing of the law and in particular the protection it offers to Bohras, Ahmadiyyas, and women. A member of the delegation who met Modi offered an anecdote on an expensive property the community purchased in Mumbai in 2019 which was caught up in a Waqf case four years later on the basis of a claim that a part of it had been used for prayers. The Bohra community, the source said, had been pleading to be kept out of the purview of Waqf laws since the early 1920s.

Solving Nainital’s Jams

Uttarakhand Chief Justice G Narendar’s decision to inspect problems relating to vehicular congestion in Nainital first-hand is a welcome move. The onset of summer has seen visitors heading for the hill town in large numbers. Mobility is limited to an approach road that goes around the central lake and, despite one-way movement, is choked at almost all hours of the day. Parking areas at a distance from the town centre with EVs to ferry visitors to hotels, pedestrianisation of the lake area and no entry after dark are options that could work.

No Show for Kharge

News that Congress has stripped a functionary in Bihar of all his responsibilities for failing to ensure a decent crowd at a meeting addressed by party president Mallikarjun Kharge caused considerable embarrassment. The meeting in question went viral for the rows of empty chairs and is understood to have annoyed Kharge. Moreover, Congress ally RJD has been unhappy about mass contact programmes such as the Palayan Roko, Naukri Do (stop migration, give jobs) led by former JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar.

Reclaiming the Yamuna

The discussion over cleaning of the Yamuna is now taking concrete shape. The Delhi government is moving ahed on putting in place sewage treatment plants essential alongside plans to reclaim encroached river banks. The redevelopment of the Yamuna banks will make areas accessible to the public and concrete banks will channel the flow of water. Some environmentalists want river banks to be left in a ‘natural’ state. Examples such as the Sabarmati riverfront and lakeside development in cities like Udaipur and Bhopal show planned development secures the river from land grab. Left alone, riverfronts are prone to encroachment while marshy areas breed mosquitoes and disease.

Speaker Draws a Line

In the initial sessions of the New Delhi Assembly, Speaker Vijendra Gupta drew lines firmly for proceedings in the House. AAP has a strength of 22 MLAs—many more than the eight BJP had in the previous House—but despite a sizeable presence, disruptions have been limited. Gupta, an experienced MLA, has a sound understanding of rules. He made it clear that if the opposition chose to disrupt proceedings rather than participate in discussions, AAP MLAs will not just be removed from the House but kept out of the Assembly premises.

Rahul Repeats Himself

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, on yet another visit to the US, repeated allegations of a biased Election Commission and manipulation of voting numbers in Maharashtra without presenting any convincing evidence. For such a claim to be true, hundreds of EVMs would need to be individually tampered. Such a conspiracy would, even if it were feasible, need the involvement of hundreds of people acting in complete secrecy. The repetition of unverified claims reflects Congress’ inability to conduct a thorough and honest inquiry into its electoral defeats.

ABVPIndian politicsMallikarjun KhargeNainitalRahul GandhiSyednaWaqfYamuna