For the Assembly Elections in three States of the Hindi belt, the Congress is working on the same strategy it had prepared during the 1984 Lok Sabha polls. At that time, the party was fighting the elections under the leadership of Rajiv Gandhi, and the party strategists had decided to not allow any Opposition leader to enter the Lok Sabha. So, at the last moment, the party had fielded strong candidates against all big leaders. Madhavrao Scindia was pitted against Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and Amitabh Bachchan was fielded against Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna.
In the last Lok Sabha Elections, the BJP had used the same strategy in Amethi when Smriti Irani was fielded against Rahul Gandhi. Though the BJP didn’t succeed, Rahul’s win wasn’t easy.
Now the Congress is treading a similar path in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. The party has fielded strong candidates against all three CMs, making the fight interesting. Now, the three CMs can’t take things for granted. They have to go for campaigning and keep the party and organisation active. Even minor negligence can cost them dear. Only due to the Congress candidates, the focus has shifted to the constituencies of all three CMs.
The Congress has fielded two former BJP leaders against two CMs, leaving the BJP confused. The Congress has given a ticket to Manvendra Singh against Vasundhara Raje from Jhalrapatan seat. Manvendra — the son of an ailing Jaswant Singh — belongs to the Rajput community, which is said to be unhappy with the Government. In the same manner, the Congress has fielded Karuna Shukla against Raman Singh. Shukla is the niece of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and had been an MP from the BJP. In Madhya Pradesh, the Congress has fielded Arun Yadav against Shivraj Singh Chouhan from Budhni. All three are strong candidates and the fight will be worth watching.
PASWAN IN RAJYA SABHA?
The seat-sharing formula of the NDA in Bihar is almost final and it is being said that Ram Vilas Paswan might be sent to the Rajya Sabha next year. Earlier, it was being said that the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) would get four Lok Sabha seats and one Rajya Sabha seat, but now, in all probability, Upendra Kushwaha will leave the NDA and Paswan might get an extra seat.
In fact, Paswan and his party don’t want to wait for the Rajya Sabha Elections scheduled for 2020. It is being said that if any Rajya Sabha MP fights the Lok Sabha polls and wins, then his seat will also go to Paswan. Sources say Paswan might be sent to the Rajya Sabha from Assam, from where two seats will be vacated in June next year. Former PM Manmohan Singh and S Kujur will retire on June 15, and elections for both seats could be held in April-May. That means Paswan could enter the Rajya Sabha even before the LS results. Now the question is who will fight from his seat? There is a proposal that Chirag Paswan will leave his Jamui seat and fight from his father’s seat, Hajipur. But Chirag doesn’t want to leave his seat and has sought advice from Prashant Kishor on the matter. If Chirag doesn’t switch to Hajipur, then Paswan’s brother Pashupati Kumar Paras might contest from there. Paswan’s other brother, Ram Chandra Paswan, is an MP from Samastipur.
WHAT NEXT FOR MANMOHAN?
The Rajya Sabha membership of senior leader of the Congress and former PM Manmohan Singh will end in June 2019. He has been a Rajya Sabha member from Assam for a long time. As a former PM, he got all facilities in Delhi, so for that purpose he doesn’t need to continue as an MP. However, many Congress leaders say his presence in the Rajya Sabha maintains pressure on the Government. Manmohan often puts forward his views on important issues. His speech on demonetisation is considered a memorable one. So, many party leaders want him to continue in the Rajya Sabha.
But the reality is he can’t go to the Rajya Sabha from Assam, and in 2019, no other seat will be vacated and he will have to wait for one year. In July 2019, seven seats will be vacated from Tamil Nadu. If Stalin wants, he can send Manmohan to the Rajya Sabha. The Congress is mulling another option: Manmohan can be given a Lok Sabha ticket from Amritsar, if his health permits. However, this is certain that the Congress will send him to either of the Houses.
CITIZENSHIP BILL CAMPAIGN
A high-level meeting was held in Assam over the Citizenship Bill, where the minutes of the Bill were discussed. It is being said that the Government is considering citizenship for those Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists who have either come from Pakistan, Afghanistan, or Bangladesh. For this, there are several provisions in the Bill. According to the Bill, people —except Muslims — coming from neighbouring countries will be given the citizenship of India. This is big issue for the BJP, which could be used for polarisation.
However, the parties which generally oppose immigrants are opposing the Bill. The BJP’s partner, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), has vehemently opposed the Bill. The party has been advocating against immigrants, irrespective of religion. The other partner of BJP, Bodoland People’s Front, is also against the Bill. Recently, the AGP leader, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, was in Patna and met the JDU leaders, who assured him support on this issue. The anti-BJP parties are also gearing up for agitation against the Bill. If the Central Government goes ahead on this proposal, then the agitation will increase. The State is already tense after the murder of five Bengali-speaking persons.
NAME CHANGES IN PRAYAG
The Uttar Pradesh Government recently changed the name of Allahabad to Prayagraj, but there are many institutions whose names still bear Allahabad. So, attempts are being made to change the name of all such institutions. Before the official initiative, several ‘nationalist’ organisations are trying to rename the institutions. An organisation called Rashtra Raksha Samuh recently changed the name of Allahabad railway station. Workers of this organisation put up hoardings and boards of ‘Prayagraj’ wherever Allahabad was written. This is a fact that the name of Allahabad junction has not been officially changed.
Though the name of Mughal Sarai junction was changed to Deen Dayal Upadhyay junction, but a proper procedure was followed. The change in the station’s name didn’t change the name of the city; it is still Mughal Sarai. However, even if the name of the city has changed, the name of the station will not change automatically. For this, a proper procedure has to be followed. Only then will the station be renamed, and tickets will be printed using the new name. It seems even before that, some organizations have become active for political advantage. Then there’s the Allahabad University in Prayagraj, often called the Oxford of the East. The name of the university will not change automatically with the name of the city, and due procedure will have to be followed.
