NO REASON TO ‘B’ POSITIVE

A Samajwadi Party leader has found the root cause of problems facing the Akhilesh government. According to him, it is the letter “B”. The SP leader reasoned that it was the Badaun rape and murder case that first maligned the Akhilesh government and now it is the Bulandshahr highway rape case that is giving uncomfortable moments to the government, followed in quick succession by the rape of a teacher in Bareilly.

Similar cases have been reported from Barabanki and Bhadohi earlier. Banda got its share of ill-fame in the previous government when a dalit girl was raped by a BSP MLA. “There has to be some connection between such incidents and the letter B. I feel that the chief minister should take some astrological advice and perform puja to stop this trend,” he was overheard telling some senior ministers, who obviously laughed it off.

However, a bureaucrat who was present did not lose the opportunity and rushed to convey the advice to the chief minister. It is not yet known how the chief minister reacted to the idea — or if at all, he will.

A ‘CPI(M)-MUKT’ BENGAL That Trinamul Congress won a landslide victory in the last Assembly elections, bagging 211 seats in the 294-member House, is old news. What many people may not be aware of is that in less than three months after she stormed back to power, the number of TMC MLAs has risen to 213. The secret behind the TMC’s rising numerical strength in the state Assembly is defection. Two legislators from the Opposition camp switched loyalties and climbed onto the Mamata bandwagon. The CPI(M) and Congress bosses had been extremely worried. They were alarmed further when heavyweight TMC leader Mukul Roy declared last month that 20 MLAs from the two Opposition parties had expressed a desire to quit and join the ruling party.

In recent weeks, several Left and Congress-controlled civic bodies like Jangipur, Jiaganj Azimganj and Jhalda, had been captured by the TMC through mass exodus. “Didi, who was tormented both by the Opposition and a biased media, has therefore embarked on not only consolidating her party organisation, but also completely decimating the CPI(M) in Bengal. If the malady of defection becomes an epidemic, then all Opposition MLAs will one day cross over to our side,” a TMC MP claimed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly expressed his determination to make India Congress-mukt. “Is Didi planning to make West Bengal CPI(M)-mukt ” asked the MP jocularly.

MANN’S UNENDING CONTROVERSIES Aam Aadmi Party MP Bhagwant Mann, who was recently embroiled in a controversy over live streaming from Parliament, has often been accused of coming drunk to social gatherings in the past. Recently, he has been accused of coming drunk to Parliament.

Obviously, Mr Mann has always denied these allegations. However, when he was in Chandigarh to release the first list of party candidates, the media asked Mr Mann about the same. Mr Mann replied that these allegations were baseless and could not be proved by those who levelled it. In his trademark style, Mr Mann said: “A lot of parliamentarians sleep in Parliament, if I say that they take intoxicants, will I be able to prove that It will be a wild allegation like the allegations levelled against me.” He said that people who level allegations against him should install an alcohol meter (breathalyser) outside Parliament to end the controversy for once and all.

BACKROOM POLITICS A certain “backroom boy”, who was part of the strategy team of BJP general secretary and Northeast in-charge Ram Madhav during the Assam Assembly elections is apparently lobbying hard with the RSS. Now this “backroom boy” is said to be lobbying for the post of political adviser to the BJP’s first chief minister in Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal. Rumour has it that this “back room boy” has been approaching RSS leaders who have been working in the Northeast region. The RSS has a major influence in the region and the BJP created history in May when it formed its first government in Assam.

A lot can happen over tea Seasoned politicians are deft at handling tricky situations, particularly when it involves their rivals. But the wives of these politicians have surely learned a trick or two in how to neutralise an agitating opponent. On July 28, former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi staged a dharna under a tree as a mark of protest. He was peeved at the rounding up of the workers of his newly-floated Chhattisgarh Janata Congress, who were opposing the employment policy of the Raman Singh government and had called for a bandh. Mr Jogi took out a march from his residence “Shaugon” in Raipur towards Mr Singh’s official bungalow.

So when the police stopped him midway, annoying him further, Mr Jogi called Veena Singh, Mr Singh’s wife, complaining that he was stopped by the police on his way to Mrs Singh’s house where he simply wanted to have a cup of tea. Apparently, Mrs Singh said that though she does not understand politics, she would be sending tea for Mr Jogi. She also invited Mr Jogi to drop in with his wife for tea.

While sipping tea, delivered from chief minister’s bungalow, Mr Jogi ended his dharna and headed home. Now that’s some quick thinking on the part of the CM’s wife. The CM could take some lessons from her.