Mahua Moitra’s episode has all the ingredients that make for a compelling political story. A lawmaker, also among the BJP government’s staunchest critics, is accused of accepting cash in exchange for allowing a businessman who is a close family friend to use his credentials to ask questions, a failed relationship between the lawmaker and a lawyer who has made serious allegations against her and the custody battle between the two over a pet.
On Thursday, there was another twist in history as Moitra stormed out of a Lok Sabha Ethics Committee meeting claiming that its president, Vinod Kumar Sonkar, subjected her to “vastraharan, stripping, witch-hunting of the worst kind”. Opposition members also walked out of the meeting along with Moitra, criticizing Sonkar’s line of questioning. The walkout drew sharp criticism from BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, whose complaint to the Speaker led to the Ethics Commission proceeding, and its fallout is likely to continue on Friday as the BJP and the Opposition and the BJP are expected to trade charges.
Shah and Kharge in Chhattisgarh
The BJP will release its manifesto for the Chhattisgarh elections on Friday. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will address a public rally in Pandariya constituency in Kabirdham district before heading to Raipur to release the BJP’s road map for the state.
For the BJP, constrained by the lack of a strong regional figure like Bhupesh Baghel, voter apathy towards elections and the absence of a “pressing desire for change” are two immediate challenges it must overcome if it is to emerge on top in December 3. The BJP has made corruption a major poll issue, but it doesn’t seem to be resonating on the ground. As Vikas Pathak explains in his article, “The most likely reason is that the anti-corruption push is now nearly a decade old — it helped uproot the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance — and since the parties are making it a state-by-state issue, it’s not registering now in the minds of voters as a distinctive issue. For them, governance is meaningful in terms of work done rather than allegations of corruption.”
The Congress’ promise of farm loan waiver seems to be resonating in the predominantly rural state and even some in the BJP want the party to make this its flagship programme. The manifesto will make it clear whether the BJP will take on the Congress head-on in a competitive welfare battle and deliver more than the ruling party has promised.
Meanwhile, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will address public rallies in Abhanpur in Raipur district and Sakti Chandrapur district. In Telangana, the process of filing nominations for the November 30 Assembly polls will begin on Friday.
BJP’s OBC strategy
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The central BJP leadership appears to be rethinking its stance on the caste census as the Opposition INDIA bloc ups the ante on its demand for a national exercise to count caste numbers.
The party, as Liz Mathew and Maulshree Seth report, on Thursday discussed the “pros and cons” of the party’s current stand of not going for caste enumeration. At the meeting in New Delhi, the BJP decided to form a committee to frame OBC outreach programs. The party is reluctant to hold a census as it believes it may jeopardize its strategy of consolidating OBC communities under the Hindu fold. How the BJP will shape its OBC strategy is something to watch out for today and the days to come.
That the party is serious about its OBC strategy was made clear by former Bandi party Telangana unit president Sanjay Kumar in an interview with Liz Mathew, a must read. Asked why he had pulled out of a tough seat (Karimnagar) in the elections, Kumar said, “It is because the BJP decided to focus on the OBC. This is because BJP wants to make OBC leader. All the OBC leaders in the state BJP have been asked to contest the elections. Our party has decided to field all OBC leaders in the state. We would have almost 50% of total candidates from OBC community. Congress has fielded only 19, BRS list has 23. We will have atleast 35-40 OBC candidates. It is for the first time that the BJP has announced before the elections that it will have an OBC CM.”