Tridib Raman
Politics knows how to change its colour, and if saffron gets mixed in, it can even change the colour of the sky.This seems to be the situation in Bihar, where a barrage of saffron statements glorifying Nitish Kumar is making the rounds. Union Minister Giriraj Singh has even demanded the Bharat Ratna for Nitish Kumar. But Nitish Babu is no Sachin Tendulkar, who would wield the Bharat Ratna to hit boundaries and sell others’ goods on TV. It clearly shows that the BJP’s intention is for “Sushasan Babu” to count political waves with the Bharat Ratna and leave the entire field open for the saffron party in Bihar. Sources claim that the BJP has made up its mind to bet on its current Deputy Chief Minister, Samrat Chaudhary, who represents the backward caste, as an alternative to Nitish in Bihar. Hints of this plan began surfacing when Samrat Choudhary abruptly left a crucial GST Council meeting chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 21st December in Jaisalmer to fly to Delhi for an emergency meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah. Despite publicly claiming that the upcoming 2025 Bihar Assembly elections will be fought under Nitish Kumar’s leadership, BJP’s real intentions rarely remain hidden. Do you recall Amit Shah himself proclaiming on a TV program that the BJP’s Parliamentary Board will decide the leadership for the Bihar elections? The BJP leadership’s argument for betting on Samrat Choudhary is his reputation as a tenacious leader from the Koeri caste. Samrat’s father, Shakuni Choudhary, is also considered a prominent leader of the Koeri community in Bihar. Samrat has already announced plans to celebrate his father’s 89th birthday on January 4 in grand style. If everything goes according to the BJP’s calculated strategies, Nitish Kumar might step down before the Bihar elections, citing health issues, and vacate his chair for Samrat.
Why So Forgetful, Nitish Babu?
Tridib Raman
At the start of this year, a group of Bihari NRIs arrived in Patna from Chicago with a grand vision. These prosperous individuals, having amassed wealth abroad, expressed their heartfelt wish to contribute to their homeland. They met Chief Minister Nitish Kumar with a proposal: they wanted to invest significantly in Bihar’s development, leveraging the resources of Bihari entrepreneurs settled in countries like the United States, Australia, and Europe. Impressed by their enthusiasm, Nitish Babu welcomed the idea of an NRI Bihari Investor Summit to be held in Chicago in early 2025. This summit would bring together over 10,000 Bihari entrepreneurs from across the globe, as assured by the group. Nitish, visibly excited, introduced the NRIs to his close officials and key ministers, instructing them to offer full support to make the event a success. The group returned to Chicago, brimming with optimism, and began preparations. Venues were booked, invitations sent out, and the event’s structure took shape. But just as the summit reached its final stages, the organizers received a call from one of Nitish’s key ministers last month. The message was shocking: “The event must be canceled for now because Nitish Ji is unwell.” Stunned, the organizers rushed back to Patna, only to discover an even more startling truth. Upon meeting Nitish Kumar, they realized he had no memory of agreeing to the Chicago summit. Sources reveal that the organizers were very surprised to find that Nitish had no idea that he had agreed to any Chicago Summit. Nitish had forgotten about it. Nitish thanked PM Modi, telling the organizers that it was his greatness that he was so concerned about his health and had suggested the names of three different specialist doctors, whose treatment had greatly benefited him. PM Modi also keeps inquiring about his health from time to time. As the organizers were leaving, Nitish told them to give a representation of whatever they wanted to do in Chicago, and he would certainly consider their requests.
When Will BJP Get a New President?
Tridib Raman
Speculations are rife about the next president of the BJP, with a new name being added to the list of potential candidates almost daily. According to sources, the decision will be made solely by PM Modi. The announcement of the new president could take place on January 20 or after the Delhi Assembly elections. A new name in the presidential race is that of Raghubar Das, the former Chief Minister of Jharkhand. He was unexpectedly made to resign from his post as Governor of Odisha. Das belongs to the Khanchi-Teli (Bania) caste, which is also PM Modi’s caste and is considered a backward caste in Jharkhand. He has previously served as the state’s Chief Minister, leader of the legislative party, and national vice-president of the BJP, giving him significant organizational experience. However, since the party is also seeking a new leader in Jharkhand, he could potentially be appointed as the state president instead. The strongest contender for the BJP president’s post, however, appears to be Manohar Lal Khattar. The RSS reportedly prefers the next president to be someone who can communicate directly with PM Modi, and Khattar fits this criterion. He is considered one of Modi’s close confidants and has served as an RSS pracharak. Khattar maintains cordial relations with the Sangh and, during his time in the RSS, was the regional in-charge for states such as Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, and Haryana. Other names being considered include Muralidhar Rao, Dharmendra Pradhan, and Bhupendra Yadav. However, the final decision remains uncertain, as only PM Modi knows what he has in mind.
Nirmala and Vasundhara Also in the Race
Tridib Raman
Before the Haryana elections, the RSS had the idea that since the RSS will complete 100 years of its establishment in 2025, the BJP should have its first female president to create a new myth. The first name that came up in this context was that of former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia. She had three one-on-one meetings with the PM, but since her rapport with Amit Shah is not good, no final decision could be made on her name. Vasundhara had to publicly state that she met the PM to get water for Jhalawar, which had somehow gone to Kota. The latest name in this context is that of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Born and raised in Chennai, she got married in Hyderabad and is a Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka, another South Indian state. She completed her higher education at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, which is known for nurturing progressive ideologies. After Dr. Manmohan Singh, she is the first finance minister to complete her full term as finance minister. This time, when the discussion on Constitution Day was to begin in Parliament, the task was initially assigned to JP Nadda, but later Nirmala Sitharaman was made to start the discussion. It is said that Nirmala does not have much experience in running the organization, but the party does not seem to be affected by these things. She has proven that the party can run from anywhere by managing with Nadda for so many years.
Will Indian Immigrants Face Mass Deportation in the U.S.?
On January 20, 2025, Donald Trump is set to reclaim the throne as President of the United States. According to sources, as soon as he assumes office, Trump is likely to take a historic decision: deporting 1.5 million undocumented immigrants who have been living illegally in the U.S. for several years. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has reportedly finalized this list. In the first phase, a list of 150,000 immigrants has been prepared, who may face deportation at the start of the year. Unfortunately, this initial list includes 17,940 Indians whose future in America hangs by a thread. Most of these Indians are reported to hail from states like Gujarat, Punjab, and Andhra Pradesh. Sources further indicate that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in one of its reports, has accused Indian authorities of lack of coordination, complicating the reporting process, and not adopting a cooperative approach. Over the past three years, nearly 90,000 Indians have been arrested for illegally crossing the U.S. border, with a significant number reportedly from Gujarat. The American report also claims that of the 1.5 million undocumented immigrants on the list, nearly half—around 750,000—are Indians.
Pawar’s Ties with BJP
Recently, veteran Maratha leader Sharad Pawar invited some senior Marathi journalists for an informal lunch at his residence in New Delhi. There were speculations in the media that Pawar had called the PM and requested to include his daughter Supriya Sule (who is also an MP from Baramati) in the JPC formed for ‘One Nation One Election,’ and PM Modi had eventually accepted his request. So, the journalists wanted to know if Pawar wanted to rekindle his ties with the BJP. To this, Pawar replied that he would never join the BJP again until his last breath. Instead, in the new year, he plans to undertake a journey across Maharashtra to meet people from every assembly constituency. When asked if Ajit Pawar would join him again, Pawar’s response was that a leader who couldn’t even get his wife and son elected is of no use to them.
A Tale of Selective Media Access
When the mortal remains of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh were placed at the Congress headquarters for the public to pay their last respects, Congress allowed news agency ANI to cover the event but denied permission to Doordarshan’s cameras. However, at Nigambodh Ghat, where Dr. Singh’s final rites were conducted, the BJP-led government permitted Doordarshan to cover the ceremony, but ANI was not present. As a result, the entire coverage prominently featured BJP leaders (Modi, Rajnath, Shah), with the Gandhi family receiving minimal camera attention. Press photographers were barred from both locations, leaving the narrative shaped solely by the selective media presence.
