'Halwa' politics takes centre stage in India's 'Political Olympics'

Hello Readers,

As the world is captivated by the athletic feats at the 2024 Paris Olympics, our political arena isn't far behind with its own set of games.

Get ready for a rundown of the latest events in the Indian political 'Olympics' where we witnessed a flurry controversies and tragedies this week.

Didi's 'mic off' moment

As dust settles on India's monumental 2024 Lok Sabha elections, we saw a fresh row between West Bengal Mamata Banerjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On July 28, Banerjee walked out of the NITI Aayog governing council meet, chaired by PM Modi, citing unfair treatment and not being given a chance to speak. She claimed that she was humiliated and her microphone was switched off even though she was the sole opposition voice at the meeting. 

Banerjee said she has no problems if other states are allocated more funds but would protest discrimination against West Bengal.

Rejecting her charge, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the TMC chief was spreading falsehood and making an effort to keep the I.N.D.I.A. bloc happy. She said Mamata could have sought for more time to wind up her speech like some other Chief Ministers had done, but she chose to “use this as an excuse” to get out of the meeting.

The 'Halwa' politics

Continuing with his demand for caste census, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi used the 'halwa' ceremony traditionally held before the budget presentation to question the degree of involvement of marginalised community members in the budget process.

Displaying the photo of the 'halwa' ceremony, Gandhi said there was no Dalit, Adavasi or persons from Other Backward Classes in the photo. He said that there were only two people from backward communities who were involved in the process, but they were not allowed to feature in the image. 

Attacking the Union budget, the LoP compared it to the "Chakravyuh of the Mahabharat war where Abhimnayu was trapped and killed". He said the Budget had nothing for farmers, youths, middle class, and Agniveers, following which he promised that the I.N.D.I.A. bloc will "break govt’s Chakravyuh” and pass the legal guarantee of MSP and caste census bills in the Lok Sabha. 

In his speech, Gandhi repeatedly referred to Mahabharat’s Chakravyuh, saying that it has been laid to entrap different sections of the population. 

Rahul Gandhi’s metaphors did not go down well with the treasury benches, and pandemonium followed. Parliament has been engulfed in chaos over the contentious issue of a caste census for long, and Rahul Gandh’s speech led to a significant clash between the ruling party and the Opposition.

BJP MP Anurag Thakur hit back at Gandhi over his speech, making certain comments regarding the LoP's caste which were then expunged from the Lok Sabha records. His comment led to an uproar among Opposition MPs, demanding an apology. Even Akhilesh Yadav questioned Thakur for his statement and described it as inappropriate. "How can you ask anybody's caste," he asked.

The caste census issue was also raised in the Rajya Sabha by Union Health Minister J P Nadda, who questioned as to how many OBCs were there in the Congress Working Committee. “How many SCs, STs and OBCs were there in the National Advisory Committee of Congress?” Nadda asked. 

Tweet triggers tension

PM Modi’s endorsement of Anurag Thakur’s expunged remarks has landed him in hot water.

Taking to social media platform 'X', PM Modi said, "this speech by my young and energetic colleague Shri Anurag Thakur is a must-hear. A perfect mix of facts and humour, exposing the dirty politics of the INDI Alliance.”

This did not go down well with the Congress and they submitted a privilege motion against Prime Minister for sharing the portion of remarks which were expunged from the proceedings by the Chair. 

Congress said that the sharing of post by PM Modi was a breach of privilege and contempt of the House. 

On Friday, Congress submitted another breach of privilege notice against Home Minister Amit Shah accusing him of misleading the Rajya Sabha by claiming in the House that the Kerala government did not act on the early warnings issued to it on landslides in Wayanad.

Nirmala Sitharaman counters Opposition’s charges 

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman defended the Union Budget against allegations of favouritism and insensitivity. 

Replying to the Budget discussion in Lok Sabha, the Finance Minister countered the opposition’s charge that only Bihar and Andhra Pradesh found favour in this year’s Union Budget. She said not naming a state in the Budget speech does not mean stopping funds to the same. 

She also listed how many states were not named in the Budget speeches during the Congress-led UPA era. The Finance minister also responded to the allegations that government was insensitive towards the farmers and unwilling to offer a legal guarantee of MSP on purchase of their produce. She also dismissed the Global Hunger Reports, saying that they were flawed indicators. 

In Rajya Sabha, Sitharaman said that Union Budget struck a fine balance between priorities such as growth, welfare, employment, and fiscal consolidation. 

Alliance amends while new battle brews In Karnataka

JD(S) and BJP have reconciled after a spat over a protest against alleged scams at the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) after Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy announced that he, along with leaders of his party, would be a part of the ‘padayatra’ to protest the alleged scam.

The development comes a day after JD(S) leaders announced their unwillingness to participate in the ‘padayatra’, pointing out that the BJP had taken a ‘unilateral’ decision on the protest. 

The thaw in relationship between the two parties came after Union Home Minister Amit Shah called Karnataka BJP chief B Y Vijayendra to New Delhi, advising the latter to resolve the issue amicably with Kumaraswamy. 

Meanwhile, a battle between Congress-led Karnataka government and Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot is brewing over the Karnataka cabinet advising the latter to withdraw the ‘show-cause’ notice sent to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

In his show-cause notice, the Governor said that allegations against Siddaramaiah “are of serious nature and prime facie seem plausible”. This, the Cabinet said, is an “undeniable conclusion that there is prejudging of the issue”.

Nine new Governors

President Droupadi Murmu appointed new Governors to nine states, some of whom are veteran BJP leaders and former MPs. These appointments mark a significant reshuffling of gubernatorial roles across the country.

Among the most significant appointments was veteran BJP leader Santosh Gangwar, who was not given the ticket to contest from Bareilly in the recent Lok Sabha elections, taking over as Governor of Jharkhand.

Former Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Haribhau Kisanrao Bagde has been appointed Governor of Rajasthan while C P Radhakrishnan, who was serving as Jharkhand’s governor with additional charge of Telangana, was shifted to Maharashtra. 

Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand are scheduled to take place later this year.

Tragedy sparks outrage & politics

The death of three UPSC aspirants due to flooding in the basement of a coaching centre in Delhi triggered an uproar in the Parliament. Several MPs across party lines sought an inquiry into the incident while BJP blamed the AAP government for alleged 'criminal negligence'. 

BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj attacked the Arvind Kejriwal government, saying that AAP has been enjoying power for a decade in the national capital, but it does not do any work for its residents. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav demanded a probe to fix the accountability while Congress MP Shashi Tharoor alleged rampant corruption in the sector. 

The White House war of words

In the race to the White House, attacks are flying high as former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump launched a tirade against Democratic opponent and Vice President Kamala Harris.

During an election rally in Pennsylvania, a state where he escaped an assassination attempt on July 13, Trump called Harris a “worse candidate” than President Joe Biden, whom she has replaced.

He claimed that Democratic Party bosses have installed Kamala Harris as a "puppet candidate" who is "totally scripted, owned, and controlled" by donors and power brokers.

Trump further alleged that Harris is a failed Vice President leading a failed administration while trying to convince others that she represents hope and change.

Later, Trump questioned Vice President Kamala Harris’ racial identity.

“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black and now she wants to be known as Black. So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?” Trump said of Harris, whose mother was Indian American and whose father is Black.

As the political 'Olympics' continue, We will be tracking all these developments and more as it unfolds and be back next week. Until then, adios!

Exit stage left,

DH Newsletters Team