Narendra Modi may well have become the prime minister, but his tone and tenor sometime resembles that of an Opposition leader and he can’t stop himself from making a direct attack on Gandhi family. A few days ago, he was in Jammu for the birth centenary celebrations of Congress leader Girdhari Lal Dogra, who was also Jaitley’s father-in-law. Modi said it makes him happy to see that as a finance minister Dogra sahib presented 26 budgets, but none of his family members, including Jaitley, benefitted from his clout. However, we all know how so many things are made possible for sons-in-law. Everyone knew that Modi’s direct attack was on Robert Vadra, Gandhi family’s son-in-law. But the two prominent Congress leaders present on stage – Dr Karan Singh and Ghulam Nabi Azad – chose to stay silent.

Modi government may well have retraced its steps for now regarding the Land Acquisition Bill, but the heavyweights in the government, especially Arun Jaitley, are hoping against hope that they will be able to pass the GST Bill in the Parliament. But Rahul Gandhi is looking snidely at the GST Bill as well. The Congress has five major problems with the bill. If the government does not listen to the Congress’ objections, the future of this bill, too, might hang in the middle. Because the bill required amendment in the Constitution, it will need a two-third majority for passing in the Rajya Sabha, which will not be possible without the Congress’ support.

The BJP is finding it increasingly difficult to put the Vyapam blame on the Congress. That is because the person who brought the Vyapam scam to light is said to be a swayamsevak with the Sangh. This man who goes by the name of Dr Anand Rai is a doctor in Indore, who is attached to the medical wing of the BJP. Not just the BJP, Dr Rai has taken active part in the Sangh’s activities from 2005 to 2013. In several TV debates, too, he has agreed to the fact that he has a deep bond with the Sangh.

At present, Modi doesn’t have a care in the world. Those people from his own party, who had tried to make life difficult for him in the past, are facing political pressures in a changed scenario. Shivraj Singh Chauhan, whom the Advani camp called a better prime ministerial candidate than Modi, is facing the heat in the Vyapam scam. The case is with the CBI, which means the keys to it lie with the Centre. Instead of Modi, the Advani camp was ready to support Nitish’s name. It is said that crucial footage of this meeting is with Modi, and he might make use of it when the time comes. The two women politicians who allegedly led the anti-Modi drive – Sushma and Vasundhara – are both reeling under the shocks of Lalitgate effect. And let’s not forget the methodical chief minister of Chhattisgarh, Raman Singh, who was eyeing the prime minister’s post after three terms as the state chief minister – he is now under the scanner for scams worth a hundred crore. Modi has outlined the changes for a modified team under the changed circumstances; these will be implemented when the echoes of these matters fade away in the media.

The ministers in Modi government, who had, until now, maintained a distance from journalists, have changed their stance now. This Friday, when the NDA coalition – under BJP’s leadership – won 13 of the 24 seats in Bihar’s Vidhan Parishad election, and Lalu-Nitish coalition with the Congress could manage just nine, several excited ministers from the government called up journalists and gave their opinion on the same. Senior ministers in the government, who had been avoiding the press until now, are now inviting journalists to their homes for lunch and dinner and indulging in indulging in mann ki baat sessions with them.

Mayavati has already started her campaigning process at Uttar Pradesh’s Ground Zero. She doesn’t want to repeat any mistake for the 2017 Assembly elections, which might see her lose yet again. Sources reveal that apart from the party cadre, Behenji has started an initiative to initiate young people into the party, and pays them salary. These young people are moving around from villages and towns, talking about Akhilesh’s wrongdoings, and are reminding them of the scenario pre-2012, when the law and order situation was much better than what it is now. Ministers who had cases of corruption against them would tender their resignations instantly. In the SP government, they are not asked to vacate their seats even after their wrongdoing has been proven. Apart from these, a few of Mayavati’s confidantes are in touch with the saffron party, which indicates that if the numbers are less for Behenji in the 2017 elections, she is ready to form a government in with support from the BJP.

Thakur Amar Singh has become pretty active about his homecoming back to the SP. This is being seen in connection with his dream of being nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 2016. Last Sunday, he took along Mulayam Singh and went to meet Lal Krishna Advani, who has been ousted from the BJP. The three spoke for a long time at Advani’s residence. After this, Amar Singh introduced Advani’s daughter Pratibha Advani to Netaji, and made a proposal to Pratibha for making a documentary on River Ganga. Sources reveal that Pratibha gladly accepted the offer, and it is believed that the expenses of the movie-making will be borne either by Amar Singh himself, or the UP government. Will the Ganga manage to wash away the rust that has settled on old relations? It’s a question that is facing Amar Singh square in the face.

It was not a sudden warning from RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan that India might see an economic slump. Sources say he did it to put pressure on the Modi government because his tenure is about to get over, and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is not in favour of his getting an extension because both Rajan and he have different takes on India’s economic reforms. Jaitley wanted bank interest rates to come down further, while Rajan is worried about currency inflation. Jaitley thinks hiring an agency to recover NPAs might be a good idea, while Rajan thinks differently. Jaitley’s suggestion is to go for growth that also makes Modi government’s agenda a part of it, but it is being said that Rajan is not agreeable to the idea. Thus, Modi government is looking for a different RBI governor instead of Rajan.

Sensing a chaotic Monsoon session of the Parliament, which is due to start on July 21, Modi government’s will-wishers have already started taking care of damage control tactics. There is speculation that the first week of the session might fall prey to the noise over Lalitgate, Vyapam and rice scams. Thus, strategies are being put in place to try and pass the GST Bill and Real Estate Bill thereafter. SP’s Naresh Aggarwal has taken it upon himself to get the Real Estate Bill passed in the Parliament. Aggarwal is said to have close relations with several real estate builders. Thus, a few days ago, he invited the members of the committee to his home for a meal and went to great lengths to explain why the Real Estate Bill is needed in today’s world.

The Modi government has given finishing touches to tighten its grip around Lalit Modi. The all-powerful Arun Jaitley holds the reins of “Operation Lalit”. The government’s investigative agencies such as RAW, IB and the ED have sifted through reams of paperwork against him. Sources at the highest level say that instead of FEMA, now a case of PMLA, that is Prevention of Money Laundering, may be registered against him. Investigative agencies have found out that during the UPA rule, a case of money laundering against him had been registered by the then BCCI chief Srinivasan with the Chennai Police. In the case, it was allegedly said on Srinivasan’s behalf that illegal money was exchanging hands through the Mauritius route. But the complaint could not become an FIR because Supriya Sule spoke to Kanhimozhi and got the matter brushed under the carpet. The complaint against Lalit Modi could not be registered because Tamil Nadu was under the DMK rule and Lalit Modi had extremely good relations with Sharad Pawar and Sule then. Wielding its power, the ED is now converting this complaint into an FIR, so that a case of PMLA may be registered against Lalit Modi. This will help in issuing a Red Corner Notice against him, which will mean Lalit Modi can be arrested from any airport and brought back to India. Acting to be free is the biggest fraud; after all, the water lies cages in earthenware.