Congress prince Rahul Gandhi has as a new year resolution agreed to hold the reins of the nation. Even Sonia Gandhi is in her private
talks not denying that Rahul has matured politically and if everything went as per plan then after next year’s Budget, Rahul could occupy the post of Prime Minister or in 2010 he would be the one to hoist the National Flag from the ramparts of Red Fort. The proposal for this change of guard has come from Manmohan Singh himself, in his recent meeting with Sonia he made it clear that so much of running around is not suiting him after his second bypass surgery. Therefore he now wants to bid adieu to active politics and take rest. In other words,he too like several other senior leaders of yore would sacrifice all his political ambitions at the altar of a piping hot roti coming off a pan and a bowl of hot pulses and restrict his work to some limited household chores. Will this be the remaining story of Manmohan Singh’s life? And as for Sonia Gandhi, like a seasoned magician of Indian politics she could still retain her magic; something she knows real well and is apt at. For years she has been putting her magical handkerchief in the pocket of politics and has been bring out alive and fluttering pigeon, who has always yearned to live up to her political ambitions.

The The meeting of the Congress Working Committee had been convened to commemorate 125 years of the foundation of the Congress. Senior party leaders were discussing how this occasion should be celebrated across the country. The first to speak was A.K. Antony – `If we leave out the founders of foreign origin like A.O. Hume, then from the point of view of Indians we would have to start from Dadabhai Naoroji and come to Bal, Pal and Lal.’ At this Pranab got agitated and said – `The rise of Indian National Congress had actually begun with the great freedom fighter Wyomesh Chandra Banerjee (W.C. Banerjee). Seeing “Dada’s’’ posture, Antony immediately laid down his arms — `Yes, Dada is right.’ At this Ahmed Patel took a dig saying – `This is Dada’s bong connection.’ `…. that starts from Wyomesh Chandra Banerjee and goes up to Mamta Banerjee,’ added a leader sitting behind Patel, thus completing the sentence.

In BJP, first an attempt was made to generate a consensus that Advani should leave the post of Leader of Opposition and become the Chairman of NDA and like her predecessor Advani, the new Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj would as per the party’s tradition also hold the presidential responsibility of the Parliamentary Party. But then all of a sudden Advani’s confidante general secretary took him into confidence and unravelled the new plan of a “constitutional amendment’’, so that he did not have to work under Sushma’s leadership and this plan of his really clicked.

You are requested not to treat this as our self praise, but is it not true that about two weeks ago in this “Mirch Masala’’ column the
truth had been revealed that “It will be Gadkari’s number on December 19’’. One need not say how accurate our words have been proved on the yardstick of truth. Last week in this very column it had first been published that after amendment in the BJP constitution, Advani would be made the chairman of the party’s Parliamentary Board and Sushma would become the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha. Time would bear testimony to the fact that this is precisely what happened on Friday. But the moot question is who in BJP takes the big decisions? The members of the BJP Parliamentary Board did not even get a hint, even
the party general secretaries were not asked, so much so that even the Core Group was not taken into confidence and such a big amendment was made in the party constitution that now the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha would not be the chairman of the Parliamentary Board. So much so that this incumbent of the new post has been empowered to henceforth nominate the leader of the party in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Wow, what is this idea that Jaitley has struck upon! Now with the amendment in the party constitution, the members of the Mandals have also been deprived of their right to vote, but there was not even a murmur of dissent, no senior party leader was pained, there is even no discussion on when the next meeting of the BJP Parliamentary Party group need to be called. What to say of the party with a difference!

About 17 MLAs of Samajwadi Party are prepared to change camp, the cycle ride no longer appeals to them, the hand of the Congress is also prepared to lap them up, but there is a catch. If these MLAs shift loyalties now then under the anti-defection law their membership of the Assembly could be suspended, so what are they to do? Four of these MLAs had met Rahul recently. Rahul has promised to give them respectable posts in the party and together they have also stitched up a strategy on when they would join the Congress. So listen, whenever any elections to the Rajya Sabha are held in U.P. then these 17 MLAs would defy the whip and vote in favour of the Congress candidate. Clearly the party would expel them and in such a scenario their membership of the Assembly would remain and the path for their going into the Congress would be cleared.

The important question is after Advani’s departure who will hold the reins of Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha? If the claims of the party sources are to be believed then a consensus has been reached on the name of party leader Sushma Swaraj for the post and it is common knowledge that Advani’s approval for the next Leader of Opposition coronation has become an acceptable truth. So the manner in which Sushma has gained Advani’s blessings for the manner in which she spoke on the Liberhan issue and the manner in which Advani had patted Sushma’s back, it has been established that now the party has placed a decisive stamp of approval on Advani’s successor. But Sushma’s acceptance as Leader of Opposition is not so acceptable in the party that senior leaders like Rajnath Singh and Murli Manohar Joshi may take it lying down, so words of dissent have also started emerging. It would be interesting to note how after coming out of this political charm, Sushma would be able to succeed in giving a new philosophy and image to the party?

In the saffron party that has come out of the darkness of ideological wandering and is eager on repairing its conduct, character and image, the desperation to accept the ground realities can easily be read.After the ongoing session of Parliament, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha L.K. Advani can bid adieu to the post. But while leaving he wants to affix a permanent feature on the future of the party. It is only after clipping some powers from the post of Leader of Opposition will Advani – who would also be battling the pain leaving the post in a party that has reached a state of inertia – move forward. Or Advani has laid out a new game for his new anointment and not in this game of political one-upmanship he would take the post of chairman of the party’s Parliamentary Board. So Advani wants to have a post for a post.

Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal was presenting a Bill in Parliament on the issue of university and the question arose on whether it should be in Jammu or Srinagar. As soon as Sibal presented the Bill, a BJP MP from Bihar Bhola Singh got up to speak and how he spoke: he had so many words of praise for Sibal that for once a shy Sibal had to look for cover. Sibal finally breathed fresh air when Bhola Singh in his simplicity said that in Sonia Gandhi he sees a reflection of Indira Gandhi. First the saffron MP from Purnea Uday Singh and now Bhola Singh – this means that for the saffron party the weather is not good beyond Mughal Sarai. Is it indicative of a change in weather because Bhola Singh’s real grievance is against Nitish because on his getting elected as MP, Nitish had taken back the residence that was allotted to him as an MLA. Nitish had also got the MLA accommodation allotted to saffron legislator from Araria Pradeep Singh Gangai. So will this train of resentment from Purnea finally stop at Araria, from where Pradeep Singh is now an MP?

The buzz doing the rounds in 10 Janpath is that whenever there is a crisis in the country or party, the self-proclaimed Chanakya of the Congress, Ahmed Patel, is found travelling, that too by the slow and steady railway. About 17 years ago when the Babri demolition incident had taken place on December 6, Ahmed Patel was in a train and on this December 6 too he would be on Haj pilgrimage. It is a special trademark of Ahmed Patel’s politics that he shies away from commenting on controversial issues. He is constantly a compulsion for the Congress in Gujarat because he is a recognised face in minority politics. He is as dear to Narendra Modi as to 10 Janpath so he is well adept at handling difficult political situations. Whenever Patel’s name is suggested for speaking on controversial issues, the sharp Patel is quick to sense the mood and he takes to a train ride. This lesson in political journey is something one needs to learn from Patel.

If everything went as per plan and if the ongoing session of Parliament is not extended then on December 19 Nitin Gadkari would assume charge as the next president of BJP. Rajnath Singh has also prepared himself mentally that leaving the chair of president he would have to toil hard in the dusty U.P. But if the present session of Parliament gets extended by two days, then Gadkari would also have to wait for two to four days for the president’s post. What of others, now even Ananth Kumar has acknowledged that Gadkari’s taking over is only a matter of time. This decision of the Sangh is final and so he has laid down his arms and so have those who till now were showing their eyes at this decision.