The missing heir-apparent and flying eggs

 

When intimate photographs of All-India Congress Committee general secretary Digvijay Singh and journalist Amrita Rai were leaked, the high-voltage campaign for the recently-concluded Lok Sabha election was underway, and the senior Congress leader was quick to acknowledge his relationship with the television anchor. The issue created quite a stir in political circles and has been the subject of animated discussions ever since the photographs went viral nearly two months ago. But there is a far-more interesting twist in this tale which has not been made public. According to the grapevine, the photographs were first sent to Bharatiya Janata Party president Rajnath Singh for possible “use” in the ongoing election campaign. Instead, the BJP chief is learnt to have alerted the Congress leader, who promptly came out with his statement to put a lid on the controversy. 

 

The question which begs an answer is: Why did Mr Singh bail out a political rival when he could have easily embarrassed him in the midst of a crucial election. One explanation is that the BJP president is an old-school politician who does not rake up personal issues to attack an opponent. But the other, more plausible, answer is that both leaders belong to the Thakur brotherhood whose ties are far stronger than any political affiliation. It is for the same reason that Mr Singh looked up fellow Thakur, Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat of the Congress, when he was hospitalised after a recent accident.

 

Here’s more on the demoralised Congress cadres after the party’s recent drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls. Congress members have been on a frantic look-out for party vice-president Rahul Gandhi to be able to air their grievances before him. But they have met with little success. 

 

At a time when he should be lending a helping hand to his mother and fixing the party organisation, Mr Gandhi has disappeared. As a result, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has been forced to shoulder the responsibility of boosting the morale of the party rank and file. She has become more active after the party’s shock defeat and has been holding regular meetings with state leaders and other functionaries. While there is no official word on his whereabouts, the Nehru-Gandhi scion is said to be holidaying abroad for the past two weeks. Besides a brief sojourn in London, Mr Gandhi and brother-in-law Robert Vadra apparently went to Brazil for the ongoing football World Cup matches. He is to return to Delhi for the Budget Session of Parliament which commences on July 7 and ends on August 14, but the buzz is that he may well take off again for the final match, which is on July 14 (IST). 

 

Mr Gandhi is known to enjoy his holidays and apparently nothing holds him back, not even something as a major electoral drubbing. An embarrassed party had a tough time explaining why the Congress vice-president was not present at former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s farewell dinner. Mr Gandhi was apparently in Bali at that time.

 

All those who manned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s war-room on social media in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections are being given a fresh assignment. 

Two members each from this team are being attached to every ministry, ostensibly to oversee how effectively it is using social media. Mr Modi has issued instructions to all ministries to use Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms to publicise its activities. But the BJP insiders maintain that the real job of these new appointees is to keep a discreet eye on the ministers who have been directed not to talk to the media. 

 

In fact, the ministers are so intimidated by the do’s and don’ts issued by the Prime Minister’s Office that most of them are at their desk before 9 in the morning and are busy poring over files throughout the day. The usual practice of renovating offices has been dispensed with by most ministers. Not because they do not want to redo their offices, but because they are terrified that bugging devices may be planted in their rooms during the renovations. So I was told, in hushed tones.

 

Clearly, former rural development minister Jairam Ramesh is a man Congressmen love to hate. He was recently pelted with eggs and tomatoes at a party meeting in Jharkhand although he was once known for his proximity to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. 

 

While the Congress is abuzz with reports that Mr Ramesh is no longer in Mr Gandhi’s core team, there is also talk that the former minister is in touch with BJP leaders as he is known to enjoy a good rapport with many of them. In fact, it is also being said that 

Mr Ramesh has sought an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi but has not been granted an audience. Yet another storm may be brewing because of the internal battles plaguing the Congress following its dismal performance in the Lok Sabha polls.