By Tridib Raman
Has Vinesh Phogat, India’s star wrestler, fallen victim to those closest to her, casting a shadow over her journey towards Gold? The hopes of hearing the Indian national anthem echo across the global stage at the Paris Olympics 2024 have been crumpled. Vinesh, who once boldly challenged the system at home, had secured her path to gold in Paris by defeating formidable wrestlers from Japan and Cuba. Yet, in the blink of an eye, a mere technicality—just a few grams—crushed the dreams of 1.4 billion Indians. The same faces that proudly beat the drums sounding of Indian aspirations in Paris were conspicuously silent when such an injustice befell Vinesh.
Voices within India’s ruling party have since told the entire story. If you doubt this, just listen to the outspoken statements of Mathura’s saffron-clad MP, Hema Malini. Meanwhile, opposition parties continue to suspect a conspiracy. Sources suggest that after Vinesh was “disqualified,” the first call she received from India came from Congress MP Deepender Hooda. According to these sources, Hooda proposed that upon her return from Paris, Vinesh should join the Congress party, which would support her candidacy in the Haryana Legislative Assembly elections, allowing her to choose her preferred constituency. Hooda is said to have reassured Vinesh, telling her, “You haven’t lost; you’ve been defeated by a conspiracy.”
Vinesh, reportedly overwhelmed with grief and shock, listened patiently but declined to consider the proposal at this time, stating that she was not in the right mental state to make such decisions. For now, the matter has been set aside. However, the Congress leadership firmly believes that if Vinesh enters the political arena, she will be as unbeatable as she was on the wrestling mat in Paris. After all, in the world of conspiracies, every battlefield is always open.
Will Delhi’s Special Status Be Revoked?
A deep introspection is underway within the BJP concerning the future of Delhi. A faction within the party strongly advocates that the national capital is struggling under the chaotic policies of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), making life increasingly difficult for its citizens. Delhiites have been grappling with daily issues such as waterlogging and traffic jams, exacerbated by the recent two months of heavy rainfall. Even though the path to the release of AAP leader Manish Sisodia seems clearer now, there’s still uncertainty about the party’s future, especially when its top leader and several key associates are behind bars. What is the future of this party? What is its roadmap?
In response, one faction within the BJP is firmly proposing to its high command that Delhi be granted the status of a “Metropolitan Council” in the coming days. Meanwhile, another faction within the party insists that Delhi should retain its current special state status and that the BJP should immediately start preparing for elections. Since the BJP won all seven seats in Delhi in the 2024 elections, this faction’s ambitions have been further fueled.
There’s also considerable discussion within the Delhi BJP faction regarding the results of an internal opinion poll. The poll, conducted by an agency, claims that if assembly elections were held in Delhi today, the BJP would emerge as the largest party. The survey also suggests that nearly 65% of AAP’s Muslim and Dalit voters have shifted their support to Congress. In such a scenario, if Congress and AAP split each other’s votes, the BJP’s lotus could bloom effortlessly amidst this electoral chaos.
Thus, BJP’s leadership remains in a dilemma: Should Delhi’s special state status be revoked, or should things remain as they are, with assembly elections being conducted as usual?
BJP Leadership Surprised by Annamalai’s Aloofness
BJP’s top leadership, with high hopes for the 2024 elections, had placed its bet on a relatively new face in Tamil Nadu, Annamalai. He was entrusted with the significant responsibility of being the state president of BJP in Tamil Nadu and was given an easy seat like Coimbatore to contest in the Lok Sabha elections, where the party’s presence was already strong. However, when the election results were declared, BJP’s hopes were dashed as the party faced a significant defeat in Tamil Nadu, bringing them back down to earth.
When BJP leadership sought to hold Annamalai accountable after the election results, he promptly offered his resignation and also applied for a three-month leave to attend a short-term course in London. However, the displeased high command has not accepted his leave request, and efforts are underway to remove him from his position. The party is actively searching for his replacement, with the intent that his successor assumes office during Annamalai’s absence to send a positive message to the party workers in the state.
During a one-on-one conversation with the party’s second-in-command, the former IPS officer Annamalai candidly stated that “Tamil Nadu is not yet ready for national politics.” This remark did not sit well with BJP’s top strategist, who reportedly confided to his close associates in a tone of disappointment, “This is why you shouldn’t place too much trust in outsiders.”
The one when Patnaik confided in Shah
Former Odisha Chief Minister and BJP leader Naveen Patnaik is struggling to come to terms with his party’s severe defeat in the recent elections. He has a strong suspicion that the betrayal by his most trusted aide, Pandian, is the reason for BJP’s downfall in the state. Sources say that during his recent visit to Delhi, Patnaik expressed his grievances to Amit Shah, clearly stating that any matters concerning BJP should be discussed directly with him, without involving any third party, especially Pandian.
It is also reported that Patnaik has already found a successor, bypassing Pandian. This successor is none other than his nephew, Arun Patnaik, who lives in Delhi. This explains why Patnaik contested from two assembly seats this time; Hinjili and Bijepur. His plan was to resign from his traditional Hinjili seat after winning both and have his nephew Arun contest from there. However, for the first time in 24 years, Patnaik lost from the Bijepur seat. Patnaik realizes that it was a deliberate move by the insider who wanted to thwart his plans and saw himself as Patnaik’s natural successor after having shadowed him for the past 15 years.
Today, despite his desire to retaliate against Pandian, Patnaik finds himself unable to do so, as Pandian is privy to many of his deepest secrets. Rumor has it that Pandian has also subtly warned Patnaik that if pushed too far, the consequences would be dire for Patnaik himself.
What is Prashant Kishor’s Next Move?
Prashant Kishor, popularly known as PK, has transitioned from being a political strategist to an active political leader, and he is now intensely gearing up for the Bihar Assembly elections scheduled for next year. His ambitious plan involves organizing a massive rally at Patna’s historic Gandhi Maidan, with a target of gathering a crowd of at least 1 million people.
For some time now, PK has been actively involved in grassroots campaigns across Bihar, conducting public outreach programs and engaging with the masses. His team has been capitalizing on these events to build a substantial data bank of supporters. According to sources, this data bank reportedly contains details of over 10 million Biharis. PK, who is known for his expertise in data analytics, personally started analyzing this data recently. To his dismay, he discovered that more than half of the entries—names, addresses, and phone numbers—were fraudulent. Consequently, he instructed his team to rigorously review and refine the data.
Moving forward, PK has shifted his strategy to personally approach prominent Bihari celebrities, inviting them to join his political movement. These celebrities include well-known personalities like Manoj Bajpayee and Swara Bhaskar. Reportedly, PK even sent feelers to Pappu Yadav, the influential MP from Purnia. However, sources say that Pappu Yadav responded bluntly, questioning PK’s intentions: “You stay at my arch-political adversary Uday Singh’s house and yet extend a hand of friendship towards me?”
And Finally…
Since the recent Lok Sabha elections, where senior Samajwadi Party leader Awadhesh Prasad emerged victorious from the Ayodhya (Faizabad) constituency, the alliance between Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav has elevated him to a position of prominence in the parliament. Awadhesh Prasad, a leader from the Dalit community, was confident that Akhilesh would appoint him as the deputy leader of the party in the Lok Sabha. However, Akhilesh Yadav instead appointed Babu Singh Kushwaha to the position. Reports suggest that this decision infuriated Awadhesh Prasad, leading to a heated confrontation where he accused Akhilesh of neglecting the interests of Dalits by appointing a leader with multiple corruption allegations and giving him a safe seat like Jaunpur to secure his victory.
In a private conversation, Akhilesh attempted to calm Prasad, explaining, “These matters are better discussed in private. I’m running a party and I understand the importance of bringing the Kushwaha community, which has recently distanced itself from Mayawati, into our fold. Also, I’m no longer focused solely on the PDA (Pichda-Dalit-Alpsankhyak) formula, but on the ABBA (Alpsankhyak, Brahmin, Dalit, Backward) approach.” For now, Awadhesh Prasad has reluctantly accepted his role as a member of the party’s advisory council.
