Anurag Thakur’s New Role

Following his re-election for a fifth term in Lok Sabha, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Anurag Thakur has been enjoying himself in Parliament. He has been assigned the role of ‘lead attacker’ by his party and has focused on articulating BJP’s political response to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition speakers. He turned Rahul’s repeated demands for a caste census onto the leader by bluntly asking him—without directly naming the Congress leader—to state his caste with a sharp remark that suggested that persons unaware of their own caste were calling for caste counts. He was at it again a few days later when he queried Congress’ silence on the plight of Hindus in Bangladesh after the community was set upon by mobs in the aftermath of Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina’s fall from power. “Unfortunately, the Leader of the Opposition and the Congress party, in their tweets congratulating the interim Bangladeshi government, did not raise the issue of Hindu or minority protection,” he said. “What is their reluctance to address the issue of Hindu minorities? …They speak on violence in Gaza, yet remain silent on atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh,” he added. The reference was also to Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi’s post on X criticising the “bombing of hospitals and murder of children” in Gaza. Though she did not name Israel, the target of her remarks was obvious as she added that as a “woman, a mother and a human being”, she was ashamed such crimes were being allowed to take place. The post was seen to be linked to her plans to contest the by-election to the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, which has a large Muslim population. Congress did belatedly issue a statement calling on the interim government in Bangladesh to take “forceful steps” to protect the lives of minorities and their places of worship. But it was clear that Thakur’s barb had hit home, going by the ire of a section of commentators who criticised him for “divisive” statements.

The New Cabinet Secretary

The new Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan is seen as an apt choice of the job and the appointment caps an illustrious career in the civil services. The 1987 batch Tamil Nadu cadre officer is known for a wry sense of humour and a sharp eye for detail. He is a good match for the government’s policy objectives, having served as joint secretary dealing with finance and economy during Modi 1.0. His contribution in shaping the government’s key financial inclusion schemes and programmes is significant as he demonstrated a sound grasp of economic theory and practice, sometimes prevailing over economists with stronger academic and think-tank pedigrees. He was at the centre of action when the Covid pandemic struck and was among those who saw merit in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reluctance to opt for the stimulus path to revive spending. Instead, the tougher choice of offering working capital to keep businesses running needed a well-thought-out framework to ensure credit did not get stuck in bureaucratic norms. Somanathan’s experience with Tamil Nadu’s welfare programmes would have helped as he worked in the office of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader Muthuvel Karunanidhi during the late leader’s terms as chief minister. Right from the time he was in Tamil Nadu, Somanathan earned a reputation of being an upright officer and some state ministers found to their cost that he would not make exceptions. On his part, Karunanidhi recognised Somanathan’s strengths, entrusting him with important governance tasks and respecting his conscientiousness and work ethic.

Leaks In Parliament

After an instance of rainwater dripping in the new Parliament, there have been no more leaks even during heavy rains. But Parliament remains the venue of other types of ‘leaks’ with the media and MPs becoming more familiar with the building and its layout. Though there is no Central Hall, which previously facilitated such interactions, the corridors and some less frequented spots offer venues for a chat. The offices of senior ministers are also quite accessible on the ground floor and some of them do spend time in their chambers dealing with official work. It is possible for more intrepid mediapersons to hang out and check if the ministers have a few minutes to spare. Apart from the corridors within the building, the open space between the new and old buildings has become something of a plaza and is a venue for Opposition MPs to offer bytes and meet waiting mediapersons. Parliament remains the best venue to catch MPs and leaders and it is well worth it for journalists to get passes, even one-day ones, issued as getting hold of politicians and fixing appointments is easier when the two Houses are in session.

Poll-Time Civic Rush

The battering civic infrastructure of cities receives during the monsoon is an annual feature but becomes more politically sensitive when elections are round the corner. The municipal corporation in Gurugram, never particularly efficient, is scrambling to ensure waste and construction debris collection after the contract with a firm assigned the job ran into trouble. Truth be told, the firm and the corporation have been sparring for years, with the private entity alleging non-payment of dues and officials pointing to unfulfilled tasks. It was finally after repeated prodding and media reports that the contract was annulled. Despite Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini urging officials to respond to the needs of the citizens, progress has been slow. Half a dozen contractors hired to remove waste failed to do so as they did not have sufficient number of vehicles. Going by the Lok Sabha results, the contest in Haryana can run close, and the state government is announcing plans for all segments of the Gurgaon Lok Sabha seat that aim to improve civic amenities and provide better education and medical services. This week, Saini was in Pataudi, a segment with a large number of Dalit voters, to announce projects.

Seasonal Demand

Ahead of elections in Maharashtra, some groups have raised the demand for a separate Vidarbha state, even holding a protest in Nagpur. The demand for eastern Maharashtra to be carved into a state has been largely dormant and has not generated much traction for a while. However, come election time, regional politicians have to take due note and there is stirring of sentiment among the general population. Parties look to play a balancing act as they need votes across all regions in the state. BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis’ rise to prominence has helped blunt the ‘exclusion’ argument to some extent as he is a Nagpur person. But the relative lack of industry and limitations of rain-fed agriculture provide ballast to the ‘statehood’ demand, though it is far from clear how a Vidarbha state can resolve such issues or be anywhere near self-sustaining.

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