Behind the Extension

On April 11th, immediately after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s video conference with chief ministers to decide on the lockdown extension, there were rumours he might address the nation that very night or the next morning. But he did not. He did it only on April 14th. The buzz from the Prime Minister’s Office is that he took three days to study the mood of the nation, taking inputs from the health ministry and World Health Organization (WHO). He was keen to know if people were in favour of the lockdown. Even though there were later reports of migrants crowding places like Bandra in Mumbai, the National Security Advisor and Intelligence Bureau are believed to have done a good job in evaluating public opinion. Modi, too, knew there would be scattered incidents but, in general, people would accept an extension. He also decided to begin relaxations that would get the economy running again. Some were announced a day after his speech. But he was clear about not opening malls, temples and liquor shops.

Out of Limelight

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has been getting a lot of credit for his prompt action in containing the pandemic. But where is his deputy, Sachin Pilot? Local media perception is that Gehlot is not using him in this crisis. Gehlot’s Man Friday is his Additional Chief Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh. Pilot, apparently, is not pleased at being sidelined.

Pandemic Relief

In Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is running a one-man government without a cabinet. Why is he not expanding his cabinet? The immediate reason given is the pandemic and his being busy with relief and containment operations. But some say he is also taking advantage of the situation. For one portfolio, there are four to five aspirants. Apparently, all BJP MLAs want to be ministers and everyone is lobbying hard daily with him. Chouhan also has to keep Delhi’s choices in mind. The pandemic has given him much-needed space to postpone the fallout of a cabinet expansion.

Polls On Hold

The Election Commission (EC) has a problem in its hands. Because of the lockdown, several elections can’t be conducted now. But for how long? Several seats of Legislative Councils are on hold in a number of states. So are a number of municipal elections. The EC is now trying to gradually get state electoral officials to start preparations for these elections and has conducted video conferences with them. One leader who has been affected by the lockdown on elections is Jyotiraditya Scindia, who joined the BJP and is their Rajya Sabha nominee. But then, the process stalled. He had been expecting to be given an important Union Cabinet portfolio. Looks like he will just have to bide his time again.

Dad’s Barber

In lockdown, there are numerous inconveniences. Such as not getting haircuts. But Ram Vilas Paswan’s son Chirag, who is also a Bollywood actor, had an answer to that. He recently shaved the beard of his father and put up the image on social media. He did not possess the skill but then necessity was the mother of invention. Later, he told people that he got inspiration from Hollywood actors who are getting their relatives, friends and partners to double up as their barbers.

Leader Emerges

In Maharashtra, a new politics has emerged out of the corona crisis—the blooming of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray as a mass leader. Earlier, the government was controlled by Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar but now Uddhav has taken over. He is proactive. And his straight-talking updates with commonsensical health advice have made him very popular on social media.

Back On the Scene

Amit Shah had not been seen in public for a while. Sources close to him say that he was interacting with the Prime Minister twice daily. But he had kept a distance from the media. Disaster management is an integral part of the home ministry. So also investigations into the role of foreign elements in creating discord during such times. Shah was busy monitoring all this and more. He came out in the open after making a call to the Maharashtra chief minister following the migrants’ crowding in Bandra. He has also been active on Twitter.

Added Tension

If the pandemic was not bad enough, what is happening on the India-Pakistan border is cause for added concern. While all over the world conflict zones are reporting peace, there has been cross-border firing in the subcontinent, with both sides issuing statements blaming each other. Modi is not very happy about this escalation of tensions at this juncture and has sought a report from the defence ministry.

About The Author

Jayanta Ghosal

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