Parvesh’s Bet

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Parvesh Sahib Singh is a pugnacious politician. His determined and tenacious nature saw him get the better of Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal in the high-stakes battle for the New Delhi Assembly constituency. The defeat was a major blow to the AAP leader who did not think he would flounder in his own constituency. Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Parvesh had engaged in a small “bet” with the late Arun Jaitley. The then finance minister has asked Parvesh if BJP would repeat its 2014 feat and win all seven Lok Sabha constituencies in the capital. Parvesh ventured this would be the case and it was decided that he would claim a stylish ink pen from Jaitley who was known to have a goodly collection. The nature of bet was such that it was meant to encourage Parvesh, who like several younger BJP leaders, gravitated towards Jaitley for advice and saw the genial politician as a mentor. It was not that Jaitley was particularly doubtful about BJP’s prospects in a city he knew very well. In the event, BJP recorded yet another thumping win, and soon after Parvesh met Jaitley to claim his prize. The new MLA from New Delhi has been MP from West Delhi twice and had achieved record margins of victory. He first won from the Mehrauli Assembly constituency in 2013 when he got the better of a Congress veteran
and inner-party rivals.

Choices In Manipur

The Assembly election in Manipur is due only in February 2027, but the BJP brass decided to ease Chief Minister N Biren Singh out of office. There was only so much that Singh could have done to contain the violence gripping the state since May 2023, following a high court order recommending Scheduled Tribe status for the Meitei community. There are factions among the Meiteis and Kukis determined to prolong the violence. Among Kuki groups, there are organisations claiming to represent ‘tribal’ interests, but which have cross-border links and back the break-up of the state on ethnic lines. But now, the Centre is considering the possibility of President’s Rule in case no political solution is evident. In any case, Central forces and the Army are the main providers of security in the northeastern state.

EVMs get a break

So far, following BJP’s electoral win in Delhi, there are no allegations being levelled against the perpetual fall guy –electronic voting machines (EVMs). One reason could be that AAP is in a state of shock over its defeat and that of its leader Arvind Kejriwal. The other is that Congress was nowhere in contention in this election as is evident with its vote share climbing minimally from 4.2 per cent in 2020 to 6.3 per cent. In fact, Congress did better in the 2022 Delhi municipal election. Leaders of states where Congress was a main contender and lost claim problems with EVMs and voter registration. Delhi did not offer even a fig leaf to the party.

Lessons for Stalin

The political opposition to the National Education Policy (NEP) is rising with Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin protesting that the state was being denied funds for not implementing the policy. Since NEP is a central policy and funded by the Centre, there the money is conditional on implementation. In Delhi, AAP’s insistence on changing the characteristics of the National Food Security Act meant that it could not be implemented. AAP insisted that it would use the scheme for doorstep deliveries. Stalin’s DMK dominates Tamil Nadu politics but he might consider that not rolling out central schemes does not pay.

Vij’s Problem

Haryana BJP leader Anil Vij is something of a haunted house in the party. Many felt the veteran leader would not be included in the ministry after BJP won last year. As it turned out, Vij soon returned to taking potshots at Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini after being made minister, just as he had when Manohar Lal Khattar was heading the government. It is no secret that Vij’s chief ministerial ambitions are unlikely to be fulfilled with BJP picking Saini and the party returning to office. This time, the party seems running out of patience, and a notice has been issued to the leader.

Bihar Wants More

A feature of the Union Budget was the projects announced for Bihar, including a Makhana (fox nuts) Board to promote cultivation and marketing of the healthy food rich in plant proteins along with a National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management, greenfield airports and the West Kosi Canal Project. BJP ally Janata Dal(U) is pleased with the announcements but wants more. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is expected to convey his expectations and with the important heartland state due for elections in November, the Centre is expected to consider the demands.

Diplomatic Invites

Such is the attraction of being invited to events or interactions at foreign embassies located in New Delhi that neither the elite set nor politicians can resist the temptation. Many of the city’s polite company is more than willing to meet ‘contacts’ at embassies and high commissions and hold forth on the state of the country and politics. This often enough defines the ‘civil society’ interaction whereby embassies invite academics, writers and socialites to their hallowed enclaves. These comments find their way into reports filed by diplomats and partly explain why their assessments are often a variance from actual social and political realities in India.

EVMsN Biren SinghNational Education Policynational politcsNitish KumarParvesh Sahib Singh