Farmers Movement Archive

Slighted in Shimla: Mystery of room 701

SHIMLA: Who directed the staff at Shimla’s Circuit House to change the room allotted to former Himachal CM Prem Kumar Dhumal? He left his supporters to solve the mystery after he abandoned the BJP’s core group and state working committee meeting on the third day for an abrupt return to Hamirpur in the middle of a serious defeat analysis and forward planning for the 2022 assembly polls. For two days, Dhumal stayed in room 701, and on the third, he was asked to move. Sources claim that the former CM felt slighted after someone from the general administration department (GAD) objected to booking him that room on telephone when it was reserved for the state guests. GAD’s joint secretary wrote to Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation’s senior manager to ask him why he had made his own bookings and failed to accommodate the state guests. While this explanation is due, Dhumal’s insult has sparked a debate in social media. Ever since Jai Ram Thakur became CM, Dhumal’s camp feels ignored and this incident before the 2022 assembly elections will fuel that anger further. Rebels or revolt, Congress must chooseAs the Congress tries to settle AAP’s rebels within, its own older ranks in those segments threaten to revolt. A few inductees have encroached upon the other Congressmen’s constituencies, like the woman MLA from Bathinda district has gone active in Muktsar. AAP’s rebel MLA from Barnala district who joined the Congress is facing resistance from a veteran woman, who is a former candidate. In the presence of chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi the other day, the Congressmen whose home turfs have been invaded, made it clear to him that they were in no moodto tolerate this. This could be a problem for the party. Kejriwal’s suspense, Mann not thrilledAAP’s Punjab chied Bhagwant Mann is apparently tired waiting for supremo Arvind Kejriwal to announce the CM face. The Sangrur MP is hopeful, while his supporters have even run a ‘Mann for CM’ campaign in the state. Seeing no impact of it on the party’s central leadership, they have abandoned this pressure tactic. A few months ago, Kejriwal wanted a Sikh face for CM race. Then he said the candidate will be from Punjab only. Further and further delay makes it clear that Mann may not be the first choice, else the party wouldn’t still be searching for a suitable candidate. The Mann camp hasn’t lost all hope, though, as it believes there is no alternative to him. AAP is reported to have approached even a senior farmer unionist but the unions are still engaged in their protest on Delhi’s border. To appear to be keeping the door open for Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu, Kejriwal has hit CM Channi with barbs. It did nothing except confuse his own supporters but and political class, when political situation of Punjab continues to be in a flux. ‘Poll star’ Bibi finds bearings from SukhbirWill the Shiromani Akali Dal pick Jagir Kaur once again to lead the Sikhs’ single largest representative body, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). The election is on Monday. Looking at the competitive political field, the party might want to use the former Akali minister’s services in the coming Punjab assembly elections. The decision was expected on Sunday , so not only the senior party member but also SGPC’s office-bearers were camping in Amritsar, waiting for party president Sukhbir Badal to arrive and hold a meeting to take the call. Holy cow! Jaihind scare in HPSC officeHaving shot into the limelight for his association with social crusader Anna Hazare and then Arvind Kejriwal, Navin Jaihind is desperate to retain his lost political ground in Haryana, ever since he left the Aam Aadmi Party. For visibility, he made the best use of making an appearance before Panipat police when he took shankh (conch) blowers along. He also "raided" the Haryana Public Service Commission’s office in Panchkula to "purify the premises" after the ‘jobs on sale’ scam. His entry led to chaos, not because of any fear of violence but due to the apprehension that he might sprinkle gomutra (cow urine) all over the office as part of the purification ritual. Haryana minister Anil Vij finds his matchKnown for his quick wit, Haryana minister Anil Vij faced an awkward moment in a television debate with farmer unionist Rakesh Tikait when the latter said his high-brow background must account for his lack of social behaviour. Vij had asked Tikait why the farmers had not celebrated the announced repeal of agri-marketing laws with a bhangra. Tikat retorted: "Do you celebrate when a soldier dies? You go into a shock. We have lost 750 comrades, and you talk about celebrating. It’s for this reason that I say that all those studied in expensive schools lack social manners." Channi, ‘the social media star’Since Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi keeps an action-packed schedule ever since taking over, he gives sufficient material to social media content creators, both positive and negative. While the fan pages display his rustic one-liners, this opponents target him for his attempts to project self as ‘aam aadmi’ and his claims of prompt resolution of the long-pending issues of delegations who queue up to meet him at the end of the day. Taking a swipe at him, AAP state president Bhagwant Mann said it appeared that Channi didn’t even consult bureaucracy before making any promise, just to check if it was even viable. (Contributed by Anand Bodh, IP Singh, Neel Kamal, Yudhvir Rana, Manveer Saini, Vibhor Mohan)

The Times of India

2021-11-29

Shimla