Politics
Photo Of Peeping Kharge: Congress’s Gift To BJP Ahead Of Polls | Saffron Scoop
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Former Congressman and BJP leader CR Kesavan was among many who termed the act “anti-Dalit”
A nearly shut door, a peeping Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge from outside as if eager to enter, the inside packed with the Gandhis — this is a perfect recipe for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to deliver a Dalit googly. The image is a reminder of former Congress President and Dalit Sitaram Kesri being carried out to make way for the Gandhis. While Priyanka Gandhi may not bear the brunt of the move in Wayanad, her party may have to face it in all the by-polls in different states and particularly two major assembly polls — Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
BJP TO EXPLOIT THE IMAGE
In politics, imagery serves as a potent way to communicate a point. For whatever reason, Kharge, despite being the party chief, was kept out, even as the 82-year-old Dalit leader seemed eager to enter. Former Congressman and BJP leader CR Kesavan was among many who termed the act “anti-Dalit”.
Kharge junior, Priyank, stepped in to limit the damage, taking serious exception to his father being projected as a leader of the Dalits and not the whole society. But this did not work as Kharge has tacitly started enjoying his social base.
Last year in Parliament, he asked if he should rake up his Dalit background each time he is not allowed to speak in the Rajya Sabha.
It’s deeply disheartening to witness the disrespect shown towards a veteran Parliamentarian and Dalit leader like Shri @kharge Ji by the so-called Holy Trinity in Wayanad today.Whether it’s the President of AICC or PCC, does the Family take pride in humiliating those they treat… pic.twitter.com/FCnKOloaxz
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) October 23, 2024
When activist Anna Hazare, draped in a white kurta and weakened by hunger, had waved a massive national flag, the photo had appealed to the emotions of an entire nation. It was used against the then ruling party Congress by many political outfits in their social media campaigns.
In a time of no social media and media repression during the Emergency, the photo of George Fernandes being arrested became iconic, representing the repression of the opposition. In the first election after the Emergency in 1977, the Congress was defeated and the Janata Alliance, which used Fernandes’s photo widely for campaigning, formed the government.
The visuals from Wayanad were one such political image that the Congress gifted the BJP. While the Congress later exhibited photos of Kharge inside the room and called claims of BJP leaders such as Himanta Biswa Sarma, Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Amit Malviya a “lie”, the BJP has already set the political narrative just the way the opposition did with its customisation of “400 paar” during the Lok Sabha election that cost the BJP dear.
Where were you @kharge Saheb ? when first family Priyanka Vadra ji was filing her nomination as Cong candidate for #WayanadKept outside – bcoz hes not family.🤮🤬
Self-respect & dignity sacrificed at the altar of arrogance & entitlement of the Sonia family 😡
Just imagine… pic.twitter.com/74Tm0fBbI5
— Rajeev Chandrasekhar 🇮🇳 (@RajeevRC_X) October 23, 2024
HOW WILL IT AFFECT DALIT VOTES?
There are nine assembly bypolls scheduled in high-voltage Uttar Pradesh. The Congress has decided to give it a miss this time after the Samajwadi Party (SP) declared that the INDIA bloc will be united under its ‘cycle’ symbol. The SP, which performed better in the Lok Sabha based on its newfound social engineering formula PDA, where ‘D’ stands for Dalit, will have to answer to its constituents if the BJP communicates the message properly.
There will be bypolls to 48 Assembly seats and two parliamentary constituencies across 15 states in two phases next month, in many of which the BJP will either use this message against the Congress or its allies, making INDIA constituents, too, uncomfortable.
The BJP leaders’ cohesive attack shows the plan for the coming two months. This may particularly be felt in four bypolls in caste-sensitive Bihar, three seats of Karnataka — the state Kharge hails from — and seven bypolls in Rajasthan. Many of these are reserved seats.
In Maharashtra’s 288 assembly seats, where the Congress alliance hopes to come to power, it must not forget that if this visual and the BJP’s logic gets to the electorate’s mind, they will have a tough time.
Maharashtra has 29 assembly and five Lok Sabha constituencies reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC), who account for 11.81% of the state’s population, as per the 2011 Census. There are at least five lakh SCs in 21 of Maharashtra’s 36 districts. This is not to say all of them or a significant lot of them will be swayed by the BJP’s narrative, but if the BJP’s election machinery is able to convince a sizable portion, the Congress and its allies may face the consequences.
Similarly, in Jharkhand, which houses 32 tribes such as Munda, Gond and Santhal, the issue will be sensitive. The BJP has already mounted a pro-tribal campaign since last year, alleging illegal Bangladeshis are snatching their land.
The question is — will the peeping Kharge visual end with this week’s news cycle or did the BJP just smell blood?
Politics
BJP To Go To Delhi Polls With New Chief? Decoding The Ifs, Buts & What Party’s Constitution Says
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Two senior Delhi-based BJP leaders told News18 on condition of anonymity that changing the “face of the party” in January just ahead of an election is best avoided
Will the successor of JP Nadda and BJP’s next national president be chosen before the Delhi election which is scheduled at the beginning of 2025? The answer depends on a number of factors — when the Election Commission conducts polls, how soon the BJP completes its presidential elections and how much time the party is left with in between the two elections.
WHERE IS THE PROCESS STUCK?
Whenever BJP has to find a successor for its national president, a detailed electoral process is kicked off. This was done by the party in mid-October by naming K Laxman as national returning officer, along with three national co-returning officers — Naresh Bansal, Rekha Verma and Sambit Patra. While the BJP has provisions of an electoral college, the party in its history has never seen a contest for the post, which has always been selected with unanimity.
Now that the membership drive is over, various committees will be set up at the Mandal, district, regional and state level. The president elected at every level nominates office bearers according to his or her wishes. While ideally one should wait for all state organisations to get revamped, that would take a long time. Hence, the BJP constitution allows elections once 50 per cent of the state committees have been formed. The BJP has been tight-lipped so far about whether the 50 per cent limit has been achieved, but sources say the search for Nadda’s successor will have to wait a while since the ceiling has not been met.
NADDA’S SUCCESSOR BEFORE DELHI POLL?
In September this year, former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had asked for assembly elections to be held in the Capital along with Maharashtra, where a new House must be elected before November 26. That boat, however, has sailed. Now, Delhi assembly election is scheduled to be held in either January or February 2025. The term of the Delhi Assembly ends on February 23, 2025.
While a large section of the party thinks the BJP is “very much comfortable” spearheading the exercise any day of the month — December 2024 or January 2025 that the “leadership deems fit” — at least two senior Delhi-based BJP leaders told News18 on condition of anonymity that changing the “face of the party” in January just ahead of an election is best avoided. They also told News18 that such views are communicated to senior leaders through the “right forums”.
CAN THEY WRAP UP IN DECEMBER?
News18 has reliably learnt that all state units have been told to get their presidents elected and have them nominate their team by the first week of December. BJP general secretary Arun Singh, who is also in-charge of the BJP headquarters, is learnt to be in regular coordination with state units.
The election office that is now operating out of the 6A, Deen Dayan Upadhyay Marg office is in regular coordination with states and Singh’s office.
Party sources suggest the BJP, in eventualities of supposed inauspicious period, will likely ignore them. The source has cited a precedence from 2023 when the central observers for Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh, where the BJP then won elections, were announced amid ‘Kharmas’. The chief ministerial pick was also announced by the BJP during the “inauspicious” period, breaking years of tradition.
Politics
Massive Drama Unfolds in J&K Assembly As MLAs Engage In Scuffle Over Article 370 | Video
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Jammu and Kashmir Assembly had passed a resolution on the restoration of special status, a move that was opposed by the BJP.
A massive drama unfolded in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly as the House resumed on Thursday with the MLAs engaging in a scuffle over the issue of resolution to restore the special status of the Union Territory.
As the Assembly resumed today, Engineer Rashid’s brother and MLA Khurshid Ahmad Sheikh displayed a banner on Article 370, a move which was objected to by Leader of Opposition and BJP MLA Sunil Sharma.
“The resolution was unconstitutional. You broke the rules of the House,” he said.
The BJP MLAs moved to the well of the House and attempted to snatch Sheikh’s banner, leading to a scuffle among them.
#WATCH | A ruckus breaks out at J&K Assembly in Srinagar after Engineer Rashid’s brother & MLA Khurshid Ahmad Sheikh displayed a banner on Article 370. LoP Sunil Sharma objected to this. House adjourned briefly. pic.twitter.com/iKw8dQnRX1— ANI (@ANI) November 7, 2024
The chaos in the House led to its brief adjournment.
More to follow…
- Location :
Srinagar, India
Politics
‘Colonial Mindset’: Royal Scions Hit Out At Rahul Gandhi Over ‘Plaint Maharajas’ Remark
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In an opinion piece in The Indian Express, Gandhi said India was silenced by the East India Company and it was silenced not by its business prowess, but by its chokehold.
Royal scions across India criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for referring to their ancestors as “plaint Maharajas” who were threatened by the East India Company that ruined the nation, saying he had a “superficial understanding of history”. They also pointed out Rahul’s “selective amnesia” that made him forget the privileges he enjoyed due to his lineage.
Union Minister Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia, who is from the Scindia family that ruled Gwalior until India’s independence from the United Kingdom in 1947, took to X writing, “Your selective amnesia about your own privilege is a disservice to those truly striving against adversity. Your dissonance only exposes Congress’ agenda further—Rahul Gandhi is no champion of Atmanirbhar Bharat; he is merely a product of an outdated entitlement.”
I strongly condemn Mr RahulGandhi’s attempt to malign the erstwhile royal families of India in an editorial today.The dream of integrated India was only possible because of the utmost sacrifice of the erstwhile royal families of India.
Baseless allegations made on the basis… pic.twitter.com/7uy23Q6I1w
— Diya Kumari (@KumariDiya) November 6, 2024
What The Scions Said
Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari, who is the granddaughter of Man Singh II, the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jaipur during the British Raj in India, called Rahul’s Opinion piece an “attempt to malign the erstwhile royal families of India”.
I strongly condemn Mr RahulGandhi’s attempt to malign the erstwhile royal families of India in an editorial today.The dream of integrated India was only possible because of the utmost sacrifice of the erstwhile royal families of India.
Baseless allegations made on the basis… pic.twitter.com/7uy23Q6I1w
— Diya Kumari (@KumariDiya) November 6, 2024
Vikramaditya Singh, a former Congress leader and the grandson of Maharaja Sir Hari Singh, who was the last ruler of the Indian princely state of Kashmir, and the heir of the Dogra dynasty, called out Rahul Gandhi’s “superficial understanding of history”.
The article reflects Mr. Rahul Gandhi’s superficial understanding of history. The Maharajas contribution and role can hardly be reduced to simply “pliant” to the East India Company. Many of these Maharajas were not handed over ready-made kingdoms to rule, but rather started from… https://t.co/tLcMdT2ESg— Vikramaditya Singh (@vikramaditya_JK) November 6, 2024
Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, a scion of the 1,500-year-old House of Mewar in Udaipur, slammed Rahul Gandhi and said, “Despite being divided by the colonial structure, the royal families have always been a protector of their people and have played an essential role in shaping India’s economic, cultural and political landscape.”
@RahulGandhi @JM_ScindiaThe royal families of India, throughout history, have consistently embodied a spirit of cooperation in governance rather than resorting to control and exploitation.Despite being divided by the colonial structure, the royal families have always been a…
— LakshyarajSinghMewar (@lakshyarajmewar) November 6, 2024
Chaitanya Raj Singh, a member of the family that ruled the erstwhile Kingdom of Jaisalmer, said called Rahul Gandhi’s claims “baseless”.
He said, “The valour and selfless services of our families in upholding our dharma can be seen transparently in the love showered to us by the people all over India from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Jaisalmer to Tripura. The brave and ethical are fearless as they have a karma yog approach with integration of humanity and nature.”
.@RahulGandhi These baseless allegations regarding the ‘erstwhile’ royal families are unacceptable. The valour and selfless services of our families in upholding our dharma can be seen transparently in the love showered to us by the people all over India from Kashmir to… pic.twitter.com/1XJ1z0wM5O— Chaitanya Raj Singh (@crsinghbhati) November 6, 2024
What Rahul Gandhi Said
The original East India Company wound up over 150 years ago but the raw fear it then generated is back with a new breed of monopolists having taken its place, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said on Wednesday.
He, however, asserted that a “new deal for progressive Indian business is an idea whose time has come”.
In an opinion piece in The Indian Express, Gandhi said India was silenced by the East India Company and it was silenced not by its business prowess, but by its chokehold.
The Company choked India by partnering with, bribing, and threatening more pliant maharajas and nawabs, he pointed out.
“It controlled our banking, bureaucratic, and information networks. We didn’t lose our freedom to another nation; we lost it to a monopolistic corporation that ran a coercive apparatus,” he said.
The original East India Company wound up over 150 years ago, but the raw fear it then generated is back, he claimed.
A new breed of monopolists has taken its place, amassing colossal wealth, even as India has become far more unequal and unfair for everybody else, Gandhi said.
“Our institutions no longer belong to our people, they do the bidding of monopolists. Lakhs of businesses have been decimated and India is unable to generate jobs for her youth,” the former Congress president said.
Choose your India:Play-Fair or Monopoly?Jobs or Oligarchies?Competence or Connections?Innovation or Intimidation?Wealth for many or the few?
I write on why a New Deal for Business isn’t just an option. It is India’s future. pic.twitter.com/sGbC89ZFMF
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 6, 2024
Sharing the article on X, Gandhi said, “Choose your India: Play-Fair or Monopoly? Jobs or Oligarchies? Competence or Connections? Innovation or Intimidation? Wealth for many or the few?” “I write on why a New Deal for Business isn’t just an option. It is India’s future,” he said, sharing his opinion piece.
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