The Congress party’s ‘war room’ at 15 Gurudwara Rakabganj Road in New Delhi’s Lutyen's zone had gone quiet and lifeless since party strategist for the UP assembly poll Prashant Kishore made an exit. It witnessed some signs of life early this week when Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi called a brainstorming meeting on the Gujarat assembly elections to be held later this year. Senior office-bearers of Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee, prominent party legislators and AICC functionaries looking after Gujarat affairs were present.
While the subject for discussion was electoral prospects of the party in general, the focus of attention was seniormost Congress leader Shankar Singh Vaghela, who recently met BJP chief Amit Shah touching off media speculation about his possible return to his former party. It only intensified when Vaghela was noticed leaving the building even before the Congress vice president had left the war room venue. Did he walk out of the meeting? His party colleagues were subsequently at pains to explain that Vaghela had an urgent appointment. Sources say Vaghela is insisting on being declared chief ministerial candidate well before the assembly poll.
Chandra Shekhar fans
Former Prime Minister, the late Chandra Shekhar, has admirers even in the ruling BJP. It now transpires that BJP-ruled Haryana has plans to convert Chandra Shekhar’s favourite political resort at Bhondsi village near Gurgaon into a museum showcasing his life and times spanning decades.
Known as Bhondsi ashram during the late socialist leader’s lifetime, the land was donated by farmers of the village courtesy Haryana leader and former Deputy Prime Minister Choudhury Devi Lal who shared a good political rapport with Chandra Shekhar. The ashram was often used as a political venue to hold party conclaves and prepare strategies for elections, etc. The tallest BJP leader and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had the best of equations with Chandra Shekhar whom he fondly addressed as “guru” in political circles. It would not be out of place for the BJP, therefore, to set up a museum in the late leader’s name.
Tharoor again
Congress MP and former UN diplomat Shashi Tharoor never ceases to court controversy. A television news channel last week raked up the Sunanda death mystery all over again pointing out several missing links involving Tharoor. Hardly a few weeks ago during the last session of Parliament, Tharoor was in the news for reportedly helping External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj draft a Parliament resolution condemning Pakistan for handing the death sentence to Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav on trumped up charges of spying in Balochistan.
Earlier, Tharoor had created ripples in the Congress by publicly stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had remodeled himself from a “hate figure” to an “avatar of modernity and progress”. Several of his party colleagues then passed derisive comments on him wondering if he was on his way to joining the BJP.
Mamata gameplan?
Trinamul Congress boss and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appears to have softened towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi ever since a dozen of her party leaders, including MPs, have been implicated in the Narada and Saradha scams. Many wonder if it is a sign of getting closer to the ruling party at the Centre. She is said to have been rattled by BJP chief Amit Shah’s recent visit to West Bengal and the response he got from people.
Going by the buzz, Mamata has never cut off her links with some trusted BJP friends. What is paramount for her is to keep her bastion safe. Right now, however, many are waiting for the outcome of her meeting with Sonia Gandhi possibly on Monday on the Presidential election.