No limelight for Hema Malini

By all accounts, the BJP’s Lok Sabha MP from Mathura Hema Malini should have been given pride of place when Prime Minister Modi came to address a public rally at a village in her constituency to mark the completion of one year of his government in office. The actor-turned-politician did make the mandatory speech before Mr Modi’s arrival but she was virtually blanked out in the posters which were plastered all over the place to welcome Mr Modi. While Hema Malini could barely be spotted given the tiny size of her photograph, the poster was dominated by BJP secretary Shrikant Sharma’s picture. Mr Sharma’s face may not be recognised by the people of Mathura but he has had a meteoric rise in the party. He was a media convenor in the BJP for several years and was known for his proximity to finance minister Arun Jaitley. He endeared himself to BJP president Amit Shah, subsequently, who promoted him in the last reshuffle.

Having established himself in the party, Mr Sharma now wishes to enter the ele-ctoral fray. He is appa-rently interested in con-testing the next Lok Sabha election from Mat-hura, which explains the posters. Hema Malini should be worried as she faces stiff competition from a junior colleague unless, of course, she does not intend to contest the next general election and would rather take the easy way out and lobby for a Rajya Sabha seat.

Congress general secretary Madhusudan Mistry may be Rahul Gandhi’s favourite but that has not helped him make many friends in UP, although he has been in-charge of the state for over two years now. On the contrary, Mr Mistry is often booed and jeered by party workers who are convinced that he has failed to get a measure of the political dynamics of the state. Party workers are also unhappy with Mr Mistry over his style of functioning, particularly his brusque manner. At one meeting, Mr Mistry was confronted by an irate party worker who told him that he was not right for the job as he did not know his name even though he has been a three-term legislator.

Little wonder then that Mr Mistry avoids spending too much time interacting with the Congress rank and file in the state. He flies in, addresses party workers and takes the first flight out. This has raised serious doubts about the quality of feedback being given to Mr Gandhi on the state of the party in UP. It remains to be seen if Mr Gandhi will retain Mr Mistry for this crucial portfolio when the party organisation is rejigged. in future.

The sycophantic nature of Congress cadres is well-known. Obsequious party members use every opportunity to demonstrate their loyalty to the party’s “First Family”. And they are over the moon if they get a chance to snatch a few words with Congress president Sonia Gandhi or vice-president Rahul Gandhi. However, one such Congress leader ended up paying a heavy price when he attempted to cosy up to Mrs Gandhi recently. While travelling from Shimla to Delhi, the leader was delighted when he discovered that Mrs Gandhi and her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were also travelling on the same flight. Excited at being presented this chance of speaking with Mrs Gandhi in private, the party member promptly got himself upgraded as he assumed Mrs Gandhi would be travelling business class. Imagine his disappointment when Mrs Gandhi and Ms Vadra took their seats in the economy class.

Already seething over the appointment of Indian Administrative Service officer D.K. Bhalla as Lok Sabha secretary, the Lok Sabha secretariat is further upset over recent reports that an officer from the law ministry may be deputed to head its legislature wing, a crucial job as it involves the processing of all bills. Having already lost two posts — secretary general and secretary — to outsiders, the secretariat staff members are agitated as they find that their promotion avenues are being constantly blocked. More than that, these appointments have put the spotlight on the crucial issue of the separation of powers between the executive and legislature.

It is being argued that the Lok Sabha secretariat has a cadre which has been especially groomed to scrutinise and process bills, the centrepiece of legislature functioning. They are also known to work independently. But it is feared that this may not be the case if  an official from the executive is entrusted with this crucial task. It is for Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to decide if she will appoint an outsider or speak up for the Lok Sabha secretariat as she could find herself saddled with sulking staff members.

The writer is a Delhi-based journalist