Page 2 - English Tehelka Issue 12 - June 30, 2018

Editor’s Note

Modi, Shah in search of friends

offer olive branch to allies

Winston ChurChill famously Kumar in view of demands of a special category status
said that “a politician needs the emanating from Bihar.
ability to foretell what is going to PM Modi too is on a reconciliation mission and
happen tomorrow, next week, party veteran and former Deputy PM LK Advani and
next month and next year” and other estranged party elders are being approached. The
Prime Minister, Narendra Modi antipathy to the Congress, raising up of corruption
and President of Bharatiya Janta issues that unconditionally brought allies to the NDA
Party, Amit Shah appear to be past fold in 2014, may not work in 2019. The Congress’ readi-
masters in this art. Call it Karnataka effect ness to take a backseat in Karnataka and the Bahujan
or recent reversals in bye-polls, Modi and Shah are busy Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh
these days mending fences with allies and party veter- forging an alliance have brought pressure on the BJP to
ans. Apparently, the BJP never felt the need to visit these be accommodating to its allies. However, the ball game
senior leaders in view of saffron triumph in state after may be different for BJP in South as it is without a part-
state. However, coming together of opposition parties ner in Karnataka and has strained relations with the
leading to BJP reversal in bye-polls has made the party Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh. The alliance
think that Modi magic alone may not be enough to with People’s Democratic Party in Jammu and Kashmir
regenerate the 2014 euphoria in 2019. also requires a greater flexibility. Then there is lack of
A recent editorial in the Shiv Sena mouthpiece clarity for a possible alliance in Haryana too. The BJP
Saamna, insisting that the Sena would fight the com- will have to keep all its allies together by recalibrating
ing elections alone indicated that all was not well with its relationships. The positive sign for BJP is that the
the alliance partners. Uddhav Thackeray must be under likes of JD(U), Shiv Sena and Akali Dal are in no posi-
pressure to signal that he is as powerful as his father Bal tion to cross over to a Congress-led United Progressive
Thackeray. It was in such a scenario that Shah, an astute Alliance. Shah, architect of BJP’s 2014 victory has been
politician that he is, called on Shiv Sena Chief, Uddhav quick to rebuild bridges and elicit a positive response
Thackeray in Mumbai, followed by a visit to Shiromani from its constituents making future electoral battles
Akali Dal Patron, Parkash Singh Badal and his son interesting.
Sukhbir Singh Badal in Chandigarh. With the spectre
of opposition unity looming large, Shah is reaching
out to all constituents of National Democratic Alliance.
Next on agenda is improving ties with Bihar CM, Nitish (charanjit ahuja)

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Volume 15, Issue no. 12, 16-30 june 2018, released on 16 june, number of pages including cover 68
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