Of Being ‘Belonged’
There is a great deal of excitement around Sonia Gandhi’s upcoming memoir that will be released in November this year. Not much is known about the book, titled “Belonging: A Journey of Love”, except a press release by the publisher which quotes the former Congress president as saying “It was heartbreak and loss that threw me into the public world of politics. Up till then I had guarded my privacy fiercely. Writing about my life did not come easily to me. It meant opening myself up, sharing moments and experiences I had always held deep inside.” It is interesting to note that the cover picture used in the book is not one from her political life but one that was apparently clicked before her plunge into politics by her late husband and former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi. It is befitting that she uses this picture for her memoirs because he really was the raison d’etre for her taking to politics, or even moving to India. Given the fact that the enigmatic Congress leader has given very few interviews where she has opened up, and has managed the amazing balance of safeguarding her privacy despite being part of India’s most public and talked about family, this book will be a rare and much awaited insight into her life. And given the huge amount of interest the mere announcement has created, both on social and mainstream media, it is clear that she remains one of the more popular leaders in India today, despite the Congress being out of power for over a decade. That is a “Belonging”, in itself.
To Merge would be to Submerge
There has been speculation in the media about the possibility of the Samajwadi Party merging with the Congress. The reasons for this suggestion are easy to find for both parties. Apart from being anti-BJP, both are vying for the same voter base: the OBCs, minorities, SCs and Yadavs. While Rahul Gandhi has been reaching out to the Bahujans with his demand for a caste census, the Samajwadi Party has also of late widened its YadavMuslim base with its PDA outreach. That being said, a merger is taking the similarities to a snapping point. On ground, the Samajwadi Party is not very happy with even the idea of an alliance with the Congress for it feels that in UP the latter has lost its moorings and piggybacks on the SP cadre and base. In fact, Akhilesh Yadav has more than once rued the number of seats he has been giving the Congress during their alliance for the national party’s conversion rate is abysmally low. But, a lot has changed since the last state election in Uttar Pradesh. The Congress now feels that the tide is turning in its favour and in fact it is the alliance partners such as the DMK, TMC and RJD that are facing a rout in state polls. The SP could be next. This is the argument that state Congress leaders are bringing to the alliance table. More to the point, don’t forget the SP, like the RJD and the Janata Party was formed as a reaction against the elitist and upper caste politics of the Congress (1992). The Congress may have done a U-turn since, but how can Akhilesh Yadav justify merging with the same entity? More to the point, why should Akhilesh Yadav give up his regional supremacy and established identity to satisfy some electoral theory that only makes sense in seminar rooms at Indira Bhavan, certainly not beyond that?
Will the cabinet Reshuffle happen?
Finally the BJP president has got a new team, albeit seven months after he took office. There are some headlines here, especially the political comeback of Smriti Irani and the reinduction of Ram Madhav to the party hierarchy. But some questions remain for it was said that the party reshuffle would be precursor to the much-awaited cabinet reshuffle. (The latter is still much awaited). However, one did not see an exodus of cabinet ministers to the party organisation. There was talk of Dharmendra Pradhan, Bhupendra Yadav, Nitin Gadkari and some others being drafted for party work. While they still can be given additional charge along with their cabinet portfolios, they have not been co-opted full time into the party. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has once again been made party treasurer, which is a post he has held earlier as well, along with a cabinet berth. He himself is the precedent for the same norm to continue. Then, having said this, will there be a cabinet reshuffle? The PM from all accounts is happy with the current set up. He is also not known to make changes easily. True, some turncoats need to be accommodated but the urgency to be claimed is theirs. Which makes one wonder, will there be a cabinet reshuffle any time soon?
The post Cool Breeze appeared first on Read.