Crossing the halfway mark, the BJP is set to regain power in Delhi after a gap of nearly 26 years. Arvind Kejriwal, who is facing corruption charges was sent to jail but is out on bail in the liquor scam, and his AAP were removed by the voters for their failure to deliver, misleading the people and involvement in various scams and corrupt practices.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the voter for reposing their trust in the BJP and also congratulated the party workers for their hard work in reaching out to the people. “Development wins, good governance triumphs,” Modi said on X, adding that his party would leave “no stone unturned” in developing Delhi.

The BJP recently won Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh elections and this third win is a big boost to the saffron party post the General Elections last year.

The Congress party also ran the poll race but failed to bag even a single seat.

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Capt M K Tayal

Rahul Gandhi, the spelling evokes a bag full of mixed thoughts and amusement, depending on which side of the fence you view the man from the ‘prime minister family’. He is intriguing, more so now that he claims that he is not who is. Walking long distance; perhaps, can do wonders.

And wonder, in deed it is. Bharat Jodo Yatra by Congress heir, Rahul Gandhi, is no small feat. For the record, it is the longest political march by any wannabee prime minister. You have to give it to Rahul Gandhi just for the sheer effort.

The problem is to identify to give credit to whom and for what. “Rahul Gandhi is in your head; I have killed him. He is not there. He is not in my mind. He is gone. The person you are seeing, he is not Rahul Gandhi, you can see him… Rahul Gandhi is in your head, not in my head. Rahul Gandhi is in the mind of BJP, not in my head…” This is what he said after walking nearly 3,000 kilometres with breaks and political events splintered along the way. 

It makes perfect sense for a seer to evoke philosophical reflections but for someone who dreams of changing the landscape and giving ‘happiness to the entire people of the nation’ it doesn’t fit the picture.

Has the long walk tired the young, angry-old man or is it a structural-design flaw?

For a serious politician, we ought not to restrict the idea of Rahul Gandhi to sporting a beard and a T-shirt and eventually a ‘pheron’. The wise-man look is understandably desirable but the choice of wearing weather-inappropriate clothing, may not do him good. He just barely avoided catching pneumonia, for god sake and the sake of his followers.

Rahul Gandhi says he got inspired by two poor girls who couldn’t afford warm clothing. To express solidarity with the girls, he decided to give up warm clothes. Wouldn’t it have been better to gift the girls with two sweaters? “You are scared of cold, I am not,” Rahul told a scribe who questioned his choice of dressing in the winter month. In the Valley, finally he gave that up also and covered with a pheron.

Not that he has not been flashing Burberry jacket in the Parliament and other places. But again give it Rahul for the T-shirt too. The bravado did last till the last? However, given that Rahul Gandhi is not Rahul Gandhi and thus evolving, anything could have been expected.

The Congress, on its part, left leaving no stone unturned for the success of the yatra. Ensuring constant media coverage, the party certainly created a buzz.

Though the BJP may have termed it a failure but for the wrong reasons again. Christened Bharat Jodo Yatra, it couldn’t have been called Congress Jodo Yatra. The central underlining idea of the yatra was to rejuvenate the Seva Dal cadre, keep Rahul Gandhi busy and physically fit, not necessarily in that order. It did all that without any phenomenal image makeover.

Yatra nevertheless did not lack in length but perhaps in depth and substance for the larger part. By his constant offensive against the BJP and its parent ideological organisation, the RSS, Rahul Gandhi, whoever is the new avatar, did provide enough material for the Congress Sandesh and gave ammo and hope to the left-centrists. Ironically, crowds are not an accurate barometer of support it purports to have gathered.

It has, by and large, been ineffective in getting the desired political traction. Not willing to cede any space, leaders in the North just left in the cold. Other party leaders did not particularly queue up to get a peekaboo of the prince in shining armour.

But given Rahul as it is today, is good for the BJP. As a standalone foe, he is unable to singlehandedly challenge the might of Narendra Modi and the highly energised Sangh cadre.

Had the Yatra managers made it a walk from North to South rather than vice-versa, it could have yielded in different results for uniting the party.

The yatra is the right effort but in the wrong direction. But that is being addressed in the part two, as suggested by fellow leaders in Srinagar.

Perhaps, a part two from Kutch to Tripura, would be desirable to fill in the blanks. A structurally stronger and more mature Rahul is desired for a vibrant democracy.

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With the Government of India announcing vaccination for adolescents aged 12-14, a BJP youth leader in Delhi is taking up the mantle and providing the children with the required dose without financially burdening the parents with the cost of the vaccination.

With an aim to reach out one and all, Umang Bajaj, Secretary – BJP Youth Wing, Delhi Pradesh with the support from District Magistrate Office and Udaan NGO, took up the initiative to vaccinate the children aged 12 – 14 and bear the cost through private financing and community participation.  This initiative was rolled out under the guidance of, Delhi BJP President Adesh Gupta.

In Delhi’s Naraina’s Mata Mandir and adjoining areas, Umang assisted over 250 children to get the vaccinated recently.  And he is not stopping at that. “More drives are planned in the future as well,” says Umang.

The vaccination was administered to the children of Naraina for the first time in the presence of Rajesh Geol, President, Karol Bagh Distt. BJP, Ashok Goel Devra, Vice President BJP Delhi, Jai Prakash, Ex-Mayor North MCD, Suresh Sharma, Ex-President New Delhi distt, Deepali Kapoor, General Secretary and others.

“This is a small step towards accomplishing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision that every person in India is fully vaccinated”, expresses Umang.

“There is talk about the fourth wave of Covid which is expected by the middle of the year.  I thought it was the right time to reach out to the children whose parents are from economically weaker sections and provide them with vaccine dose”, he added.

A labours son, Gaurav, who goes to a Delhi Government school in the area was all smiles after getting the vaccine though was a little scared initially. “It was a very nice gesture. Who cares for the poor? But Umang helped us and I feel that other children also take the benefit,” says Gaurav’s father.

Children were also given juice, snacks and water at the venue.

The vaccination for adolescents was started by the government in March and is costing Rs 380. So far approximately 190 crore vaccinations have been administered throughout the country.

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Well, you may say yes to the question or totally disagree but Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, one time staunchest supporter and ally of BJP, certainly thinks so.

Uddhav, addressing a virtual Dussehra Shiv Sena rally, tore into the very core of the BJP and attacked it like no other. Not even Rahul Gandhi is so venomous when he takes on his bitter rival, Modi.

Uddhav said Shiv Sena’s Hindutva was about nationalism, and not “clanging bells and utensils, a direct reference to Modi’s theatrical appeals during the Covid pandemic lockdown days.

On the BJP’s election promise of providing free Covid-19 vaccine in Bihar, Thackeray angrily asked: “Is the rest of the country Pakistan or Bangladesh or Kazakhstan? Those who are speaking like this and playing divisive politics should be ashamed of themselves.”

Referring to BJP’s Bollywood darling Kangana Ranaut for likening Mumbai to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, he said, “Those who come to Mumbai for bread and butter, abusing Mumbai by comparing it with PoK”, are “namakharam (ungrateful)”.

To compare Mumbai with PoK was an insult of Modi who has been PM for six years, and had promised to bring back PoK, Thackeray said. “If a PoK is being created in a country that is ruled by Modi, then it is the failure of the PM and not of the state.”

Taking on the BJP, he said, “When your foundation stones weaken, you have no ideology, norms of conduct, culture, nothing. Such a government is not going to last long. I again challenge you (the BJP) to topple our government (in Maharashtra) but first protect your government (in Delhi). Because one day, people will look beyond you and say, ‘give us anyone else, but not you’. This thought has already started.”

“I feel that the GST system has failed, and I appeal to all Chief Ministers of the country to come forward to discuss this. I feel that the Prime Minister should accept the lacunae in the GST system honestly, and that it should be amended accordingly. Otherwise, we should revert to the old tax regime that will benefit the states. The country is not the property of one political party,” he said.

The BJP promised to provide free Covid-19 vaccine in Bihar. Uddhav lashed out: “Is the rest of the country Pakistan or Bangladesh or Kazakhstan? Those who are speaking like this and playing divisive politics should be ashamed of themselves.”

Without naming Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Thackeray said those who were questioning the Shiv Sena’s Hindutva were “hiding in their holes” when the Babri Masjid was demolished. “People who were not known beyond their family, are asking us questions on Hindutva. Your Hindutva is about clanging bells and utensils; our Hindutva is not like that. Our Hindutva is nationalism,” he said.

BJP/Modi trouble spots:

Chinese incursion

Hasty, unplanned, unwise lockdown

Weak economy, rising unemployment, over loss of business

Shiromani Akali Dal leaves NDA

Friendly Nepal turns antagonistic

All round GST failure

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Beating popular predictions, general middle-class perceptions, overriding businessmen woes, Modi emerged as the man in-charge.

What worked in Modi’s favour, there will keep debating till very long –but the people have had enough. They want a decisive leader. Everyone wants the PM to be strong. And nationalism was the flavor of the season.

Though not many will admit a Modi wave, it wiped away any challenge posed by the Congress or the united opposition.  

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will attain a majority on its own in the Lok Sabha once again.

The BJP is currently ahead on over 294 seats, with the partners in NDA pushing the total tally to over 330 seats, leads show as results of the general elections pour in. Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Mumbai.. Its all over. Its saffron all the way.

Though it looks difficult, Rahul Gandhi was also facing a tough time in Amethi as Smriti Irani kept getting more votes with each opening of the ballot boxes.

The Correspondent in Feb 2019 issue had said that Modi would become the PM for the second term.

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Addressing a poll rally here in Damoh district of Madhya Pradesh, Gandhi also reiterated his allegations over the Rafale jet purchase deal.

“I can say with guarantee…if you go in front of the Race Course Road (residence of the PM) where personnel of CRPF, BSF stand with guns…and utter the word ‘chowkidar’ in front of them, they will respond by saying ‘chor hai’.

“You go to Race Course Road in Delhi and try this..say ‘chowkidar’..Probably the security personnel standing before Narendra Modi’s residence would say, ‘chor hai’,” he said.

The Congress president said such reply was a given “because the entire country knows that Modi has waived Rs 5.55 lakh crore of 15 persons in the country in the last five years”.

Gandhi has been raising the “Chowkidar Chor Hai” (Watchman is a thief) slogan to target the PM whom he accuses of being cosy with select businessmen.

He also alleged that the PM has given Rs 30,000 crore to businessman Anil Ambani through the “Rafale scam”. “Modi has committed a theft of several lakh crores of your money,” he said.

Gandhi asked Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath to probe the “Bundelkhand package scam”.

“The then UPA government (at the Centre) had given Rs 3800 crore for development of the Bundelkhand region, but nothing happened,” Gandhi said.

The Congress has been alleging irregularities in the Bundelkhand package which was released when Shivraj Singh Chouhan government was in power in MP.

While six of the 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh went to polls in the first phase on April 29, the other 23 constituencies will vote on May 6, 12 and 19.

The Correspondent Bureau with inputs from agencies

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The Samajwadi Party (SP), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) are in an alliance in the state. “Leaders of the SP, BSP, RLD will tear each others’ clothes once results of the Lok Sabha polls are out on May 23,” Modi said at an election meeting.

The prime minister, who has been slamming the alliance as “opportunistic”, said, “The expiry date of the SP-BSP-RLD alliance is May 23…evening.” Modi, attacking the Congress, said that a “party which is not sure whether it will be in a position to get the post of leader of the opposition in Parliament…its leaders are getting garments stitched to take oath as prime minister.”

The Correspondent Bureau with inputs from agencies

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While the Season 8 is still going on and the last war about to happen between the Dragon Queen and Cersei, fans have created a meme riot stating that the latter will win, because she is a BJP supporter. For those unaware, Lotus is the symbol of Bharatiya Janata Party which is ruling as of now. Apparently, she also has tattoos of Goddess Kali and Lord Ganesha.

Game of Thrones will conclude its series with this final season. The previous episode saw Arya defeat the Night King and now Westeros will come face to face as two queens fight for the Iron Throne.

The Correspondent Bureau with inputs from agencies

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