From the India Gate: Rahul Gandhi's Twenty20 challenge, hands-free bribe and more

HER MAJESTY’S VOICES
When in session, the two houses of Parliament reveal a lot more about the real politics than the debates beamed live on Sansad TV and elsewhere. During the No-confidence motion debate, for example, one could see the DMK pecking order so clearly.

That Sonia Gandhi sits and only gestures to her fawning partymen to shout or sit or walkout is no secret. But what amused everyone was how Kanimozhi was a notch above Dayanidhi Maran in the pecking order even though she was sitting in row 2 and Maran in row 1, next to Sonia.

As the Prime Minister and others spoke, she would often nudge him from behind and in a moment, Maran would be on his feet, sloganeering or gesturing based on the conductor sitting behind. 

Sonia Gandhi continues to be the undisputed queen of the opposition. Be it Kanimozhi or Supriya Sule or anyone else leading any opposition party, catching her attention is bliss! 

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CAN QUEEN CHECKMATE?

Last week, BJP convened a meeting of MPs from Rajasthan and neighbouring states. A senior woman leader from Rajasthan, who is not an MP, was specially invited to Delhi to attend this meeting.

Rumour mills began whirring after two of the topmost leaders of the party had a long discussion with her alongside the conclave. In fact, the two leaders left the meeting after their discussion with her.

This has strengthened speculation that she will be made the CM face as Rajasthan prepares for elections. BJP is in need of a strong face to counter many welfare measures that the Gehlot government has initiated. 

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THE TWENTY20...

Rahul Gandhi has given the Congress party in Karnataka, somewhat trifurcated among its three strong leaders, a strong challenge. He has mandated state leaders to win at least 20 Lok Sabha seats from Karnataka, where the party is still basking in the glow of a historic win.

Rahul Gandhi has strongly advised for a unified front, highlighting that the party could face considerable challenges in securing even 10 seats if there are disagreements among its leaders.

And scoring 20 is needed to strengthen AICC chief Mallikarjuna Kharge's position in Delhi politics as well as that of D K Shivakumar, who is a chief minister aspirant. Furthermore, it is a crucial and inescapable goal for Siddaramaiah to wield his influence in garnering votes for the Lok Sabha too.

For this venture, it is imperative that these factions collaborate harmoniously, pooling their efforts 'kaya vaacha manasa'.

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…& THE TEST TONNE

The Twenty20 goal given to its state players also forms part of a larger ambition to score a hundred in 2024. Congress's high command, including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and KC Venugopal, continues to invite state leaders to share their opinions.

The Congress achieved a significant victory in 1984, securing around 400 seats riding on the sympathy wave following the assassination of Indira Gandhi. But almost four decades later, its position is a far cry.

States like Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh, where the old guard is facing BJP blitzkrieg, are facing a stalemate.

For Congress to alter the political landscape in Delhi, it must ensure victory in the states where it directly competes against the saffron party.

While Congress is engaged in efforts to put up a joint fight, the party will lose bargain chips if it fails to score a match-winning 100. And all known and non-playing captains of the party know this math thoroughly.

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HANDS-FREE BRIBE 

Before you scream 'howzaatt!', please watch the recent press conference by leaders of the UDF in Kerala. All tall leaders of the front were seen struggling to explain why the Opposition didn’t raise allegations of financial dealing between a company owned by Veena, daughter of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and Cochin Minerals, in the Assembly.

Documents of a settlement verdict given by the Income Tax Tribune had details of Rs 1.72 crore paid to Veena’s company. The tribune has -- on record -- said that there was no palatable justification for this payout.

To everyone’s surprise, the opposition kept quiet. The reason is simple, another diary produced had acronyms of all leaders in Congress, the Muslim League and the Communist party.

When this was pointed out, Muslim League leader P K Kunhalikutty (who was referred to as KK in the diary) accepted that he had "received payments on behalf of the party".

"But, I have never touched that money with my hands. Please note, with my hands," Kunhalikutty emphasized amid guffaws.

Opposition leader V D Satheesan had a very different justification: "Owners of Cochin Minerals are not smugglers. So what is wrong in accepting funding or donations from them? How do you think we will run a political party without such funding?"

Cochin Minerals Company has been in the eye of a storm following allegations of Ilmenite mining. Though there were many allegations of greasing palms to ensure its smooth running, nothing was found on record till sleuths of ED and IT raided the company.

The anticlimax of this expose was iconic. For the first time in its history, the CPM came out with a statement whitewashing the deal and Veena Vijayan. The statement said the deal was between "two companies" and the media was dragging CM’s name into it unnecessarily. Howzzaatt?

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