BJP enhances its glamour quotient

Smriti Irani’s appointment as president of the BJP women’s wing has unsettled many senior leaders. They have been wondering aloud if glamour has become a deciding factor for leadership in the organisation. Irani joined the party in 2003.

Initially, her role was restricted to campaigning during elections, the aim being to draw crowds. But, she seems to have made her ambition of becoming a full-time party member clear. Insiders say the party is not averse to grooming her for electoral politics.

But some women workers are not happy. As one elected woman leader said, “We have committed women who work round-the-clock in rural Maharashtra, painstakingly building the organisation. Suddenly you have these stars occupying positions of power. Why should we work hard?” Interestingly, not just women, but even men are voicing their displeasure over Irani’s appointment.

A wall to ‘bang your head on’
When it comes to strange ideas, nobody can beat home minister RR Patil. Last week, he was asked why screening machines installed at the Mantralaya entrances break down within weeks. It would have been logical to replace the machines, or get a good mechanic to repair them.

But Patil came up with a novel idea. He said, “We will erect a bullet-proof wall around Mantralaya to keep it safe.” He even promised that his department would provide Rs10 crore to build it. Now, his colleagues in the ruling Congress and NCP are waiting for him to bring the proposal to the cabinet meeting. One of them said, “If five out of six machines at the entrance don’t work, how are officials going to screen visitors walking in and out of the government headquarters, even after the wall is built?

Some visitors come with huge bags and luggage.”

A senior minister sarcastically said, “At least once the wall comes up, we can go bang our heads on it when things go wrong in the government.”

And, the Cong-NCP war continues
Taunts and counter taunts are the hallmark of the uneasy relationship the allies share. But, despite their differences, they have mastered the art of staying together for power. Nevertheless, neither misses an opportunity to run down the other. Water resources minister Ajit Pawar, at a public meeting of his party, took a dig at the Congress saying, “In the Congress, a lot of importance is given to the central leadership at Delhi. They take all decisions, unlike in the NCP, where grass-roots workers are given more importance.” The crowd applauded thunderously. Predictably, the Congress did not take kindly to the taunt. A senior state Congress functionary responded, “We would like to remind Ajit (Pawar) that the Congress is governed by Delhi because we have a stronghold at the Centre. The NCP is only limited to Maharashtra.”

He continued in the same vein, “They should also realise that NCP president and union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar’s charisma is limited to Maharashtra.” A political observer said, “It is pointless to join the big fight of the Congress and NCP. The reality is that both Gandhi and Pawar ensure that they don’t let their party differences come in the way of running the coalition at the Centre or state.”