Page 30 - English Tehelka Issue 7 - April 15, 2018
P. 30

politics







                                                                                   Party  leader  and  a  state                                                                                     taunted the AAP chief, saying
                                                                                   minister in the Union cabi-                                                                                      one should not do anything
                                                                                   net, Upendra Kushwaha, is                                                                                        for which one has to tender
                                                                                   also not happy and he may                                                                                        an apology later on. He said
                                                                                   join the Mahagathbandhan.                                                                                        that making a mistake and
                                                                                   He is an avowed opponent                                                                                         tendering an apology is more
                                                                                   of Nitish Kumar and very                                                                                         or less the same thing. “Why
                                                                                   unlikely to join him in the                                                                                      should one do anything for
                                                                                   coming Lok Sabha polls.                                                                                          which one has to tender an
                                                                                     The  social  equations                                                                                         apology later on,” observed
                                                                                   forged by the BJP in two                                                                                         Anna Hazare.
                                                                                   populous  states,  UP  and                                                                                         Kejriwal faces in all 33
                                                                                   Bihar, have started crum-                                                                                        defamation suits against him
                                                                                   bling. So, the saffron party                                                                                     in view of loose and unsub-
                                                                                   is back to its old card of                                                                                       stantiated allegations and his
                                                                                   Hindutva. Ram Navami ral-
                                                                                   lies have created tensions                                                                                         Kejriwal, an
                                                                                   in many parts of east and             Kejriwal on sorry spree after
                                                                                   north  India. The  Hindu-                                                                                          anti-corruption
                                                                                   Muslim tension is bound
                                                                                   to accelerate in the coming           tendering apology to Majithia                                                crusader who
                                                                                   months because PNB bank                                                                                            had promised
                                                                                   scam and other scams are
                                                                                   eroding the support base             The political fall of AAP losing credibility in Punjab and Kejriwal’s criticism    to cleanse the
                                                                                   of BJP among middle class            by social activist Anna Hazare could mean resurrection of Shiromani           body politic,
               • Exit problem The NDA is facing some   but is splitting beans. The letter writ-  and it has nothing except resorting   Akali Dal, writes Charanjit ahuja
               deep problems within. The exit of TDP is one  ten to the party by BJP president   to Hindutva. The issue of unemploy-                                                                  had to eat his
                                              Amit Shah has received a very harsh  ment is also being raised by different                                                                             own words
                                              reply from Naidu. He has termed the  organizations.                                he Delhi Chief   Majithia in Drug racket” with   upheaval in Punjab unit of
               gress to bargain for more seats. It is   letter as a “bundle of lies”.  Other issues like so-called au-           Minister and Na-  a same sized photo of Bikram   Aam Aadmi Party. AAP MP   after making
               likely that the party will get seven to   The situation in Bihar is also not   tonomy to 60 universities may also   tional Convenor of   Majithia referring to the news  and Punjab party president   unsubstantiated
               eight seats in UP . Majority of seats   better. The Hindustan Awami Party   come up to the fore.                  Aam Aadmi Party,   published on November 25,   Bhagwant Mann resigned
               are likely to go to the BSP and the SP.  led by former chief minister and   However, the response of the   T Arvind Kejriwal,      2014 and  March 11, 2015. The   from his post as has his co-  allegations
                  A sign of recovery has been spot-  Nitish Kumar aide Jitan Ram Manjhi   ruling BJP is not in tune with the   recently tendered an uncon-  apology read: “On verifica-  president Aman Arora who
               ted in the Left block as well. The   has left the alliance. It has joined the  country’s democratic traditions. The   ditional apology to former   tion it was found that Bikram   found the sordid episode as   against many
               CPM’s failure in Tripura had made   Mahagathbandhan led by RJD. The   party has ensured that Parliament   Punjab minister Bikram   Majithia was not involved in   a loss of face. The apology
               them vulnerable to political irrel-  party represents Musahar, the third   should not discuss bank scams. The   Singh Majithia. At a rally in   any drug trade. The Tribune   represents the serial dilution
               evance caused. The party seems to   largest block among Dalits. Lok Jan-  government is in denial mode. It has   Punjab, Kejriwal had levelled   deeply regrets the damage   of the party’s brand of politics
               have taken up the challenge in the   shakti Party leader Ramvilas Paswan  done nothing to bring back fraud-  allegations that Majithia was   caused to Majithia’s esteem   and consequent credibility   close associates reportedly
               right spirit. The Long March of farm-  is feeling restless. The Lok Samata   sters Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi   involved in a drug racket.   and prestige, and anguish   of the party. It is a known fact   advised to call an end to the
               ers from Nasik to Mumbai sent rip-                           to India. On the other hand, the CBI         Hurt because of unsubstanti-  caused to his family and well-  that AAP does face unsparing   unnecessary cases and focus
               ples through the sections of power                           is being used to hound political op-         ated defamatory statements,   wishers. An unconditional   opponents and the leader-  on governance. Opponents
               and media which had started dis-  Amit Shah is still         ponents. Chandrababu Naidu’s son is          Majithia filed a defamation   apology is offered by The   ship lacked nerve to face the   felt that AAP was a threat to
               missing the left. The All India Kisan                        the latest victim. Just a month ago, it      suit against Kejriwal denying   Tribune for the same.”  consequences.      them, but harping on false al-
               Sabha, the peasant front of CPM led   talking of poll-       was Karti Chidambaram. Lalu’s fam-           the allegations and claiming   On the heels of the apol-  After abjectly apologising   legations led to 33 defamation
               this march. The front has successful-  mathematics. He       ily has been a constant target.              that they were fabricated.  ogy by the newspaper came   to Majithia, Kejriwal retracted  cases against him, keeping
               ly mobilized peasants of Rajasthan                              However, Amit Shah is still talking         Earlier, senior Akali Dal   an unconditional apology   his allegations against Union   him busy in in one or the
               and forced the state government to   is not ready to         of poll-mathematics. He is not ready         leader and sitting MLA,   from the Delhi Chief Minister   minister Nitin Gadkari and   other case. His opponents felt
               announce concessions.                                        to accept the ground reality that the        Majithia had won a media   which made for a sorry sight.   Congress leader Kapil Sibal’s   that they had tamed him in a
                  On the other hand, the ruling al-  accept the ground      promises have not been fulfilled.            battle when prominent    After all, Arvind Kejriwal, an   son, Akhil Sibal. Following   cage. The political fall of AAP
               liance is facing some deep problems   reality that the          “The BJP lost bypolls as the BSP          English daily The Tribune pub-  anti-corruption crusader   the Delhi Chief Minister’s   losing credibility in Punjab
               within. The most important among                             and SP reached an alliance in the last       lished an apology on its front   who had promised to cleanse   apology to a former Punjab   would mean, resurrection of
               them is the exit of Telugu Desam   promises have not         hour,” he says.                              page in a three column news   the body politic, had to eat   minister for accusing him of   Shiromani Akali Dal.
               Party (TDP) of Chandrababu Naidu.   been fulfilled                                                        headlined “No evidence of   his own words. Like a storm   being part of the “drug trade”,
               The party has not only made an exit                                         letters@tehelka.com           Involvement of Bikram Singh   in a tea cup, it led to a major   social activist Anna Hazare   letters@tehelka.com



                                         Tehelka / 15 april 2018  30  www.Tehelka.com                                                                    Tehelka / 15 april 2018  31  www.Tehelka.com



   28-30 Anil Sinha.indd   4                                                                          30/03/18   3:21 PM  31 Charanjit Ahuja.indd   3                                                                30/03/18   3:22 PM
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