Home is where the action is

The office of Home Minister Amit Shah near the Makar Dwar entrance to the new Parliament building has a buzz about it. Shah balances his ministerial work with immediate requirements of parliamentary business. There is a string of visitors each day with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, BJP President and Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha JP Nadda being frequent callers. Then there are ministers who need to discuss urgent matters, like Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, who spent considerable time with Shah on the day the government made a statement on US President Donald Trump’s India-specific tariff announcement. At the start of the current Monsoon Session of Parliament, Shah’s office was the centre of discussions following former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar’s sudden exit from office. NDA’s floor strategy and parliamentary tactics are fine-tuned in meetings held in Shah’s office and the waiting visitors and media outside the room make it evident that this is the centre of action. On August 5, the presence of top security officials, including NSA Ajit Doval, sparked speculation whether there were any developments related to Jammu & Kashmir in the offing given that the date marked six years since Article 370 was repealed. But there does not seem much likelihood of the Centre according any priority to restoring statehood given its conviction about the need to retain leverage in the Union territory apart from security-related considerations. After the meeting, Doval briskly walked out of the Parliament building, responding to greetings along the way. He looked in fine fettle and it does seem that rumours about his health are quite unfounded.

Party Parade

Regional party bosses are often followed by a trail of MPs in Parliament. SP leader Akhilesh Yadav is no exception. His cousin Dharmendra Yadav, MP from Azamgarh, is usually at his side while wife Dimple, who represents family turf Mainpuri, is not far behind. Faizabad MP Awdesh Prasad and others like Machhlishahr MP Priya Saroj make up a train of several MPs. Since almost all 37 SP Lok Sabha and eight Rajya Sabha MPs wear the party’s trademark red caps, they are a distinctive presence. Unlike Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh is usually present even in the afternoons and spends time either observing proceedings closely or chatting with Opposition MPs.

Kangana in Focus

Actor Kangana Ranaut is yet to make a mark in Parliament though she submits parliamentary questions regularly. Her aisle seat in the middle of the first segment of Lok Sabha’s seating offers a bird’s eyeview of proceedings and is not far from where the top BJP hierarchy, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, are seated. Ranaut is usually around when BJP issues a directive to MPs to be present, as during the debate on Operation Sindoor. Yet, whenever Ranaut is in Parliament, she is followed closely by photographers even as she turns down requests for a sound bite.

Marcos Seals a Deal

Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s five-day visit to India saw him and Prime Minister Narendra Modi announce mutual relaxation of visa norms, a move that will boost tourism, with direct flights to Manila also in the works. The visit is significant as India and the Philippines strengthen defence cooperation and plan joint military exercises—something that irks China. The Philippines has a lush green countryside apart from its famous beaches that attract thousands of visitors every month. Indian tourists are yet to fully tap this bonanza. Marcos also interacted with filipinos, some of whom are long-term residents of Delhi, on his visit.

Verified Workers

The sanitation crisis in Gurugram caused by departure of Bengali-speaking workers who apprehended detention during a drive to identify and deport Bangladeshi illegals seems to be easing. For one, civic agencies and developers have deployed tractors for garbage collection, and for another, many workers who left for West Bengal have got their official documentation and are set to return. While the number of deportations is modest, the exercise is seen more as an effort to deter would-be illegal migrants.

RJD Family Woes

RJD patriarch Lalu Prasad’s estranged son Tej Pratap has announced an alliance with five minor parties, apparently a precursor to the Bihar elections later this year. The development may not amount to much in electoral terms but indicates that efforts at a patch-up with the RJD clan haven’t worked. This doesn’t mean things will not change as Tej Pratap’s mother Rabri Devi is believed to be keen on his rehabilitation. As of now, with his younger brother and chief ministerial aspirant Tejashwi Yadav at the helm, concerns about RJD’s public image seem to be prevailing.

Fixing Leaks

The new Parliament building seems to have got over some of the teething troubles that saw leaks spring up last monsoon as adhesive material used to fix the glass dome over the lobby had been slightly displaced and later fixed. This year, the building has held up well with no need for mops and buckets. The maintenance staff has carefully inspected the roofing of the building and contractors have done the rest. The effect is there to see as even the heavy rainfall days have not left any telltale wet patches or leaks.

Akhilesh YadavAmit ShahFerdinand Marcos JrIndian politicsKangana RanautPiyush GoyalRJDTej Pratap