If New Delhi is seldom this busy, with the forthcoming G-20 hogging the limelight, the news of a special session of the Parliament between September 18 and 22 has given an adrenaline shot to the political scenario and set the rumour mills churning. Many reasons are attributed to the special parliament session, with a one-nation-one poll topping the charts; a close runner is the Uniform Civil Code; and a distant third is conferring statehood to Kashmir. I rule out the third anytime now.
With general elections less than a year away, the government in the centre is at its wits end trying to roll out schemes and policies that may attract the general masses. The news of a likely increase in the GDP surpassing forecasts has little to do with ordinary voters and could be bracketed as an ‘India shining’ material. What really matter to the common man are jobs and inflation. The elusive jobs now find resumption in ‘job melas,’ job-generating seminars led by the Prime Minister himself. The prices of tomatoes or onions matter more, both in a real sense, with a sadistic media jumping to fill their listless void spaces with catchy and spicy criticism.
Of the two issues left, the one-poll for the country and the UCC, the UCC is catchier, which is bound to generate a lot of protests and support for furthering the cause of the ruling party. The one-poll business, on the other hand, takes away a time-tested political system that would be put to the test. The big advantage is that political parties, impoverished by the demonetization drive and the continued raids by the investigating agencies, would have to spend only once on bribing the voters.
If Delhi is busy, Mumbai is no less so. The two-day conclave of the third I.N.D.I.A. meeting is on. As expected, leaders are pushing their party spokespersons to announce their respective leaders’ names for the post of Prime Minister. In the fray are Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal (though it is unclear if he is in the group, out of it, or hanging somewhere in between), Mamata Banerjee, and Nitish Kumar. The list is neither exhaustive nor complete, as more aspirants will pitch in. Prashant Kishor, the eclipsed psephologist, sprung to denounce a weak Nitish aspiring for the PM’s post as laughable and dismissible. The wily old politician, Sharad Pawar, is waiting, keeping everyone guessing.
If Pawar Sr. is keeping everyone guessing with his flower-petal game, Modi-Shah is always one step ahead with sudden and surprising announcements, the special session of the parliament being an example. Smriti Irani is part of the state’s trio of BJP minders for West Bengal. I am always wary of her power; she has picked up Bengali and is a matching rabble-rouser like you know who. One can expect a fiery and absorbing time ahead.
Sampath Kumar
Intrépide Voix
