The fund-raiser

Heard a bang in the morning... a gunshot... BJP high-profile general secretary and party's main fund-raiser Pramod Mahajan had been shot at by his own brother Praveen Mahajan. Three bullets were pumped from point blank range into Mahajan's system but doctors are trying their best to save him. If the medical science fails, the intra-party bickering in the BJP will certainly get a new twist and the Maharashtra politics will be altered forever. After Sharad Pawar, who could have emerged as the regional satrap of Maharashtra? Mahajan has the aura but he is battling death. No BJP leader in Maharashtra can come close to Mahajan's stature. His managerial skills had earned him respect of senior party leaders. He was always there for journalists to give a quote or two. Mahajan was one of the most sough-after second generation leaders of BJP. With the battle for moving up the ladder in the party hierarchy hotting up, which eventually forced his bete noire Uma Bharati to quit the party, Mahajan's exit may put on hold the leadership battle. Though Rajnath Singh is at the helm and with full support of the RSS, Mahajan was in the reckoning but falling out for not securing a Lok Sabha victory for the party in 2004. And with full backing of Vajpayee, Mahajan was surely up there but not quite there as the former PM's stature has itself suffered post the poll defeat. For now, let's hope that the leader defeats death.

Indian democracy, an American political scientist said, is nothing but a functioning anarchy. Going by the agitation for and against the Sardar Sarovar dam project, the social scientist would certainly find many takers. A handful of activists, including cine stars, can force the federal structure of India to grovell before them. The smaller establishment (read Modi) can also hold its big brother (the Centre) to ransom. Constitutional experts have always argued that the Constitution has vested immense powers with the Union of India to override the state governments. But, what happens when a weak Centre is not able to hold on to itself? What happens when MPs cutting across party lines gang up against the Centre? What happens when the 'moderate' prime minister is not able to take any decision? What happens when the government is up against many pressure groups (read regional parties)?
Rehabilitation is certainly a concern and it should be implemented in letter and spirit. But, the government can't suspend the work on the dam after investing a huge amount of taxpayers' money. The activists are right when they protest for the rehabilitation of the displaced but they should restrict themselves to that only. Aamir should rather keep his rebellious ideas for his movies.

Quota rules

Social justice, the profound political jargon of early nineties is back in currency. The Congress government, which strangely sat over the Mandal commission report for over 10 years, has certainly found a new saviour in Arjun Singh, the 21st Century Mandal. The much-trumpetted social justice wagon is all set to roll over meritocracy and let loose a new regime of divisive politics. Last time, it was the Congress government which had to bear the brunt of its veiled opposition to the quota system. This time it's the same Congress vigorously riding the social justice horse. Facing the threat of being dislodged from power, the GOP is now trying to strike a social chemistry which can catapult it to power again. Having committed constitutional hara-kiri in many states, including Jharkhand, Bihar and Goa, and with many of its top leaders involved in corruption cases, the party is hoping that providing 27 per cent reservation to OBCs in higher education institutes will help it regain power. With the BJP falling to its own internal bickerings, the party, sensing that the electorate is in no mood to succumb to the passions of communal politics, doesn't see a tough competitor in the saffron party. It forsees that a major chunk of BJP voters, traditionally Congress sympathisers, are returning to it. The Congress now wants to win back those voters who have strayed to regional parties. And thus the OBC card. But, then the traditional upper castes voters will again go back to the BJP. The GOP is clearly not worried about its traditional voters deserting it for now it believes that democracy is a numbers game. A combination of Dalit, Muslim and OBC votebank can safely see the party home. The whispers of introducing reservation in private sector jobs may now get louder. The party has armed itself with the quota weapon to gear up for a mid-term poll. And we should be ready for Congress browbeating its allies.

UPside down

The ACT II of the recent Sonia Morality Play was a masterstroke. And it came from the bahu of India's first family, which has developed and perfected the art of political chicanery. And the junta, including the sychophant Congress workers and a bunch of opinion-makers, went ga ga over the renunciation act of the Congress president. They all knew it was aimed at winning back the Hindi heartland votes without which the Congress can never come to power on its own. Rai Bareli was just a stepping stone. Sonia has just begun her yatra to cut the neo-socialists and Dalit-sympathisers of UP to size. And no better way to profit than quitting a post-of-profit. With the state slated to go for elections next year, Mrs Morality has initiated the debate on maintaining a moral standars in politics. Well, sounds very exciting given the image politicians carry. People, in general, are still recovering from years of the corrution raj of the Congress post-independence. Hoping for a corruption-free rule, they voted for socialists who turned out to be even worse. And in the post Babri and Mandal politics, Congress having lost ground, is making hectic efforts to win back India's most politically important arena. And since it can't take credit, discredit for the communalisation and Mandalisation of politics, it has stirred up the issue of corruption with Sonia leading from the front. Let's see how far this goes... The Mayawatis and the Mulayams would be praying for Act V.