Anita Katyal | Did Shah Set The Media Narrative? Manish Gets His 15-min Of Fame
All ministers have also been invited but not many are keen to go. Some Trinamul MPs are in a bind as they generally look down at Mahua disapprovingly
There have been two coincidences during the Monsoon Session of Parliament which are not being openly discussed but are being talked about in private conversations. It was during the debate on Operation Sindoor that home minister Amit Shah informed the Lok Sabha that three terrorists, including the mastermind of the Pahalgam terror attack, had been eliminated in a special operation codenamed Operation Mahadev.
This was meant to take the sting out of the attack launched by the Opposition against the Narendra Modi government for intelligence lapses and its failure to apprehend the terrorists who snuffed out 26 innocent lives. Predictably, the news coverage on television channels focused on Operation Mahadev and the speeches of the ministers, changing the popular narrative. Then again, the day after US President Donald Trump announced a 25 per cent tariff and penalty on Indian goods, it was expected that Parliament would be in turmoil and there would be wall-to-wall coverage on TV channels on the implications of Trump’s announcement. However, the court verdict in the Malegaon blast case acquitting all the seven accused, including former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur, came the same morning and coincidentally a day after Amit Shah declared in the Rajya Sabha that no Hindu was involved in terrorist activities. It is anybody’s guess about the coverage on news channels.
Congress Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari got his 15 minutes of fame last week when he put out a cryptic post on social media, quoting a song from a Manoj Kumar movie, “Bharat ka rehane waala hoon, Bharat ki baat sunaata hoon”, while the debate on Operation Sindoor was underway in Parliament. His post was the talk of the town that day as journalists scrambled to get a quote from him. Mr Tewari was apparently unhappy that he was denied a chance to participate in the debate. While sending out a message to the Congress leadership, Mr Tewari upset his colleague Shashi Tharoor who was also keen to use this line but found himself upstaged.
Last seen, Mr Tharoor was exchanging notes with other MPs about the lyrics of songs he could use. Both Mr Tewari and Mr Tharoor have been in the doghouse as they have been toeing the government line on Operation Sindoor, refusing to question the ruling dispensation on intelligence failures in Pahalgam or US President Donald Trump’s periodic statements on ending the war between India and Pakistan on the pretext of national interest.
The fiery and controversial Trinamul Congress MP Mahua Moitra, who recently married former Biju Janata Dal MP Pinaki Misra, is hosting a lavish reception at a Delhi five-star hotel on August 5. More than a celebration, it is also an opportunity for Mahua to demonstrate her popularity and strength. Apparently, she has sent out invites to over 150 MPs, including a sprinkling from the Bharatiya Janata Party, to ensure a full house. All ministers have also been invited but not many are keen to go. Some Trinamul MPs are in a bind as they generally look down at Mahua disapprovingly. Trinamul MP Kalyan Banerjee has not been invited but that’s not surprising given how he and Mahua have been squabbling in public.
The ongoing chatter about the tensions between the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has convinced the Samajwadi Party that it will emerge victorious in the next Assembly election. The party’s confidence stems from its understanding that the BJP’s top leaders are wary of Yogi Adityanath’s growing popularity and that he is often mentioned as a possible successor to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Samajwadi Party leaders optimistically maintain that the “BJP high command” is on their side and will even facilitate Akhilesh Yadav’s return to power in order to weaken Yogi Adityanath. According to SP insiders, it is clear the BJP is softening towards Akhilesh Yadav which, they said, is evident from the fact that he is not being pilloried by the ruling dispensation and no major raids have been conducted against their leaders. “We are definitely winning the next elections… everything is in our favour. Aur phir BJP ka aala kaman bhi hamare saath hai,” declared an exultant Samajwadi Party leader.
It is well-known that Congress Lok Sabha MP and party general secretary K.C. Venugopal is a Rahul Gandhi favourite. But he has never been popular with the party rank and file. There has been constant speculation in the party that Mr Venugopal will soon be removed as general secretary where he holds the key charge of organisational affairs. Each time there is talk about a party reshuffle, it is invariably mentioned that Mr Venugopal is to be replaced. In fact, when Mr Venugopal was appointed Congress general secretary over five years ago, everyone was convinced he would not last long in the post as he is not proficient in conversing in Hindi. And yet, Mr Venugopal remains well-entrenched, much to the dismay of his critics. It is now being said that instead of Mr Venugopal brushing up his Hindi, everyone dealing with him is busy learning Malayalam.
