In Bihar, there is an ongoing exercise to give a new face to the BJP, where new and young faces are being given importance by bypassing the old leaders. In the current cabinet of Nitish Kumar, there are 16 ministers from BJP quota out of which 12 faces are brand new; while old ministers like Nand Kishore Yadav, Prem Kumar, Vinod Narayan Jha have not found a place in the new cabinet. BJP is also acting like an ‘elder brother’ before Nitish Kumar. In the 2015 assembly elections, Nitish’s JDU had 71 and BJP had 54 seats, while in 2017, when Nitish again joined hands with BJP, BJP ministers had no say. However, on the other hand, Nitish even used to appoint secretaries of those ministers, but the situation has now changed after the 2020 elections. This time, BJP has won 74 seats and Nitish’s JDU has won only 44 seats, so JDU quota has less ministers than BJP as Nitish’s current cabinet has 16 BJP ministers and 13 ministers from JDU. Shahnawaz Hussain, whom Nitish Kumar and Sushil Modi never liked, is now Industries Minister in the Bihar government. The BJP High Command has entrusted this responsibility to him as part of its ‘check and balance’ strategy. The party leadership has given Shahnawaz Hussain the minister’s post as a reward for waging the BJP’s victory in the DDC i.e. District Development Council of Jammu and Kashmir. PM Modi’s emotional speech after senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad’s retirement from Rajya Sabha also opens new doors of possibilities for the BJP. In the recent past BJP has also brought Zafar Islam to the Rajya Sabha. All these ventures could be a bid to rally Muslim votes in upcoming Bengal and Assam elections and as such, Modi-Shah have the expertise to weave such a strategy.

The first phase of the Parliament’s budget session, which was to end on February 15, got a break on February 13. The current budget session is going to end on April 8, but with the current political situation of the country, there are indications that perhaps the budget session will not be able to complete its fixed period. According to sources, PM Modi is busy finalizing the long-awaited reshuffle of his cabinet. In this regard, he is also finalizing the final negotiations with the allies. It is said that Nitish Kumar reached Delhi on the PM’s call on last Tuesday, but he could meet Modi on Thursday. Sources say that the PM had asked the names of MPs from Nitish’s JDU to induct them into the cabinet, but Nitish’s attitude was evasive. Sources associated with JDU reveal that this time, perhaps Lallan Singh’s name may be included, as he has got Nitish’s special loyalist RCP Singh appointed as the JDU’s national president. A three-time MP from Nalanda, Kaushalendra Kumar, who is also closely associated with Nitish, is also being touted to be inducted but according to sources, Nitish personally does not want any MP from his party to be included in the Modi cabinet. He does not want to build a ‘power- centre’ of his party in Delhi. To a large extent, the same sentiment is for ‘regional satraps’ also like Naveen Patnaik and Jagan Mohan Reddy, both of whom have also made it clear to the PM that they will continue to give their full support to the Modi government on policy issues, but their party MPs will not join the cabinet. Even Naveen Patnaik rejected the PM’s proposal to make his party’s Bhatrihari Mahtab as the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Sources reveal that last time, RCP Singh missed out on becoming a minister at the Centre only because he got a direct call from the PMO. Nitish considered it a ‘danger bell’ for himself. So, it is possible that only the people of BJP can get a place in the coming reshuffle of the Modi cabinet.

Will the central government introduce a new policy for the heads of public sector enterprises? Can the tenure of PSUs chiefs be decided with the firmness that they will not get extensions in service after retirement? The latest case is related to the Ministry of Jal Shakti and its consultancy organization and public sector undertaking Water and Power Consultancy Services (India) Limited (WAPCOS). WAPCOS appointed RK Gupta as its CMD in 2010. Gupta held the post for the next 5 years till 2015 and after that, he was again given an extension of 3 years with the help of his well-wishers.

The extension of service was approved by ACC and he was re-employed as CMD of WAPCOS for a period of two years from the date of his superannuation on 01.10.2018. Not only this, but Gupta also held the additional charge of CMD of another mini Ratna NPCC along with WAPCOS for a year. When RK Gupta retired from his post in September 2020, he did not give up and opened a consultancy firm in Connaught Place, New Delhi, and started lending his skills to other companies directly or with a side glance for WAPCOS related works. Not only this, but Gupta’s nephew has also started a similar consultancy firm which is providing new dimensions to his uncle’s competencies. Even though Devashree Mukherjee, the additional secretary of the Ministry of Jal Sakti, has been appointed as the new CMD of WAPCOS, Gupta still holds his grip in the PSU. Well, Gupta is not the sole beneficiary, but this is the story of dozens of PSUs. One such example is also of NBCC subsidiary HSCC, where CMD Gyanesh Pandey has been in his post since 2012. He has been in this position for 9 years, retiring in July this year. Sources say he is also pushing for his extension, given his political clout, one should not be surprised if he gets another service extension.

The emerging trend of a new era is out of the league. It is no longer easy for people to raise voice by being involved in protests. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is a byproduct of the JP movement, is no longer able to digest disagreeable voices. A notice issued by the Bihar Police Headquarters said that now those participating in the agitation and demonstrations will not get government jobs. The Government of Uttarakhand has also issued a similar ‘Tughlaqi decree’ saying that it will not issue passports to those who participate in such protests. The Aam Aadmi Party, which was the result of Anna Hazare’s movement, is in control of the government of Delhi today. Even in Delhi, a unique decree is being heard that it will not be easy for people involved in the protests to get their driving license. In the notice issued by the government in Bihar, it is stated that in the character certificate of those detained during the agitation and demonstration, the police will make a detailed mention of the individual’s ‘doings’, then such people will not get a government job. A few days before this, the Bihar government issued a notice stating that action will be taken against those who write objectionable pieces about the Chief Minister, state government ministers, and officials on social media. Does this mean that the beginning of democracy ends at the polling booth itself?

This year the government has set a target of raising one lakh 75 thousand crores by selling to public sector companies, and perhaps on this hope, the government is claiming that the current fiscal deficit, which is about 9.30 percent, will be reduced in the next financial year to 6.8 percent. It is worth remembering that last year, the target was to earn 2 lakh 10 thousand crores by selling to government companies, but in the meantime, the outbreak of Corona pandemic happened due to which the government had to revise its target to 60 thousand crores, but it could only muster 19,499 crore rupees. sidelining the whole theory of disinvestment, the government intends to sell the profitable ‘Maharatna’ companies this time around, as no buyers were coming forward to buy the loss-making state-owned companies. Hence the government has to sell flagship companies like LIC and Bharat Petroleum and Shipping Corporation of India. Apart from this, two state-owned banks are also ready to be sold. Bharat Petroleum is earning 8 thousand crores every year, the government will get 63 thousand crores only by selling 52% of its stake. Once LIC is listed on the stock market, it will become the company with the largest market capital i.e. it can have a market capital of 10 lakh crores, if the government also sells 25 percent of it, then it will get 2.5 lakh crores in its bag. Perhaps this is how the government is claiming to reduce its financial deficit.

The budget session of Parliament started on Friday which saw some strange scenes. When 18 opposition parties were boycotting the President’s address, while Nagaur MP of Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) started raising slogans for the cancellation of three agricultural laws inside the Parliament. He started making videos from his mobile and later released these videos in the media. While any type of photography is banned in the House, only Rajya Sabha or Lok Sabha TV can operate their cameras in the House. It also showed for the first time that the movement of MPs continued during the President’s address. On the Ghazipur border, there was a kind of solidarity with the Jat MPs on the other side of the party line, while Hanuman Beniwal clashed with BJP MP from western UP Sanjeev Balyan and the atmosphere of this ‘verbal clash’ came to its bare minimum standard too.

If sources are to be believed, Rahul Gandhi is very upset about the fact that senior leaders of the party are still not taking him seriously, this is what is troubling Rahul. As long as Ahmed Patel was alive, he would work as a dialogue bridge between Rahul and senior leaders, because the senior leaders have a common complaint to Rahul that he does not give them an appointment and they have to appease Alankar Sawai and Kaushal Vidyarthi to meet Rahul. Till the time Ahmed Patel was alive, he would have listened to their views and conveyed its essence to Rahul. Patel’s absence is now troubling senior leaders. It is said that when Sonia tried to convince Rahul about this in the recent past, a miffed Rahul suddenly left for Italy. Senior leaders also complain that they are not included in the policy decisions of the party, even during the Kisan agitation, only Rahul and Priyanka discussed among themselves and it was decided that Rahul would go to the President to submit a memorandum and Priyanka would give her arrest. Many senior leaders complain that Rahul talks to the senior leaders of the party in an abusive tone in a full meeting. Rahul is also deeply hurt by the behavior of senior leaders, he feels that seniors consider themselves as ‘Turram Khan’. Rahul is doubtful that young party leaders like Sachin, Jitin, Milind, etc. are in touch with BJP. So, Rahul’s loneliness troubles him somewhere, and hence his statement that ‘Even if I am left alone, I will tell the truth, I do not care, I have nothing to hide,’ gives voice to his pain.

Given the intensity of the farmer movement and the prevalence of its impact in Punjab, some brilliant songs are being created to provide new hope for Modi’s popularity for the impending Punjab election. Sources reveal that the total budget of these songs is around 14 crores. Sources also state that the responsibility of composing these songs has been entrusted to the three renowned stars of Punjabi music. This trio is Jani Johan, B Prak, and Arvind Kheda, all three have formed a company called Desi Melodies. The leader of this team is 31-year-old Jani Johan of Bhatinda, who is a lyricist and music composer, B Prak i.e. Prateek Bachchan who is a well-known singer from Chandigarh, who sung hit songs like ‘Teri Mitti Mein …’ in the film Kesari. Another key member of this team is Arvind Kheda who makes music videos of these songs and has also directed the song ‘Filhaal’. This trio is working day and night to project the image of PM Modi, as there is only one year left in the Punjab Assembly elections.

On January 26, as soon as the agitation of the farmers turned violent or was made violent, the Yogi government asked the administration to vacate the Ghazipur border in a hurry. Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait was requesting the administration with folded hands that they should be given a day or two to clear the border. But meanwhile, the strategists of the central government connected their wires with Naresh Tikait, the elder brother of Rakesh Tikait. Naresh Tikait is the head of the Balian Khap Panchayat as well as the current National President of the Indian Farmers Union, so Naresh Tikait issued a decree in front of the agitating farmers on the 27th asking the farmers to return to their homes because Bhanu Pratap Singh faction had also given the same call to the farmers, thus on the call of their leaders, the farmers started returning to their homes. At the same time, the eyes of the farmers on the Singhu and Tikri border were set on the Tikait brothers, and in the meantime, a video of Rakesh Tikait went viral where he was seen crying. Seeing this video, farmers of Western UP started returning back to the dharna site. Seeing that an exact opposite of what he had directed was happening, Naresh Tikait, had to announce that ‘my brother’s tears would not go in vain.’ After that, thousands of farmers started marching back to Delhi. This was a historic gathering and the unity of farmers’ was being viewed in political parlance. Seeing the huge enthusiasm of the Jat farmers of western UP, the social media started claiming that the farmer politics of VM Singh and Bhanu Pratap has come under threat, but Naresh Tikait’s last-minute tactics came in as their savior.

Rajinikanth, the superstar of Tamil films, was continuously preparing the ground of his political party for the last 2 years and on 31 December 2017, he had announced to enter politics and form his new party. His plan was to launch his party last year, he made BJP’s Arjunamurthy the convenor of this new party, and handed over the responsibility of looking after his party to Tanilaswi Mannion, founder of Gandhi Makkal Iyakam. Sources reveal that Rajinikanth also had an extra attachment to PM Modi and also liked the BJP as a party. S Gurumurthy from BJP and Sangh was constantly in touch with Rajinikanth. Sources reveal that Rajni was conducting public opinion polls in successive states, and in those surveys, he could not get a sense of the complete bloom of ‘saffron lotus’. If sources are to be believed, he then gave up his intention to raise his new party. Sources also say that Rajni’s wife Lata Rajinikanth met Gurumurthy and asked for a big financial help to build the party. Gurumurthy also spoke to the central leadership of the BJP, but the help could not be provided. The BJP leadership felt that it was not right to place such a big bet on a party that was not formed yet, and Rajinikanth also pulled his feet back, sensing the gravity of the case.