Anita Katyal | BJP Sends Men To Monitor The SIR; Cong Beaten, First By CJP, Then AAP

The ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists is to be conducted by the booth level officers handpicked for the job by the Election Commission, a permanent and autonomous constitutional body. But there are reports from the field that these officers are often accompanied by political workers who are using this exercise to connect with voters and push their party’s agenda. The Bharatiya Janata Party has taken a lead here. Its local councillors and MLAs have recruited a virtual army of foot soldiers to go around their respective localities, ostensibly to help in filling the enumeration forms. However, this interaction is also an opportunity to find out if the applicant supports their party. In many instances, these workers provide feedback every evening to the local leader. For all intents and purposes, the deployment of party workers is a legitimate political exercise. But it can also prove to be a double-edged sword. If a person is not aligned with a particular party, an objection can be filed with the Election Commission that he or she is not eligible to be an elector.

The Congress is so caught up in handling factional battles in its state units that it has been unable to set the agenda to take on the Modi government on any major issue. It is often overtaken by newcomers as it flounders to strike the right note. Take the case of the Neet exam paper leak which placed education minister Dharmendra Pradhan in the firing line. The Congress did kick off a nation-wide campaign, “Chhatron ki Goonj”, but it was soon overshadowed by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) whose protest grabbed far more attention, especially after activist Sonam Wangchuk began an indefinite fast. Facing flak for not supporting the CJP’s campaign, Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal first publicly appealed to activist Sonam Wangchuk to end his indefinite fast and followed it up by sending a senior leader to Jantar Mantar. But the Congress was beaten to it by Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal who dropped in at the protest site a day earlier.

The National Conference finds itself in a spot after Jammu and Kashmir chief minister announced that the party will hold a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on July 20 to press its demand for the restoration of statehood. It so happens that the Cockroach Janata Party, which has been at the protest site for the past month, is organizing a march to Parliament House on the same day to press its demand for the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The protest is also in the news as activist Sonam Wangchuk has been on an indefinite hunger strike for three weeks in support of the CJP demand. National Conference leaders believe their protest will virtually go unnoticed since the current focus is on Wangchuk and the CJP. They are also in a dilemma about expressing solidarity with Wangchuk and the CJP. Since the Ladakh-based activist has got support from some political parties, it will be difficult for the National Conference to ignore him. But the party’s own cause will be drowned out if it chooses to share a platform with Wangchuk and the CJP.

Over a decade ago when former union minister and one-time Congress loyalist K. Natwar Singh came out with some embarrassing details about the Gandhi family, party leader Sonia Gandhi said she would tell her side of the story in her memoirs. Two years ago, there were reports that she had finally signed up with a publishing house for her autobiography. There is now talk that the book could be released some time next year. According to Congress insiders, the book is expected to focus on Sonia Gandhi’s personal journey and is likely to steer clear of any political controversy. However, there is a growing view that in Sonia Gandhi’s case, it’s a thin line between the personal and political and that there are bound to be some startling revelations in the book. The wait continues.

Serving good food is critical to win over a person. And no one knows this better than Punjabis. When Congress leader and Punjab in charge Bhupesh Baghel went to Chandigarh to resolve the infighting between state unit chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, the Warring camp made sure that the best of dishes were served at each meal. The only problem was that Baghel is known to prefer vegetarian food while non-vegetarian dishes, like butter chicken, were among the signature dishes at these meals. The Channi camp was obviously kept away from these meals with the Warring camp ensuring that its political rivals didn't get to host Baghel. However, when Channi did get an opportunity to invite Baghel, vegetarian food was served. Baghel apparently remarked that the food was spicy but that’s the way he likes it to which a Channi follower replied that if the senior leader supported them, they would ensure that he is served the food he likes. It is to be seen if these elaborate meals serve their purpose.