Union Minister Anurag Thakur
UNION MINISTER Anurag Thakur may have been publicly reproached by former BJP chief Amit Shah for his controversial remarks during the Delhi election campaign but Thakur appears to have become a much sought-after leader after the controversy. During his tours to explain the Union Budget across the country, Thakur is much in demand for selfies. During the post-Budget dinner during the weekend, Thakur was requested for selfies even by some officials. While obliging them, Thakur explained to them how to take perfect selfies — the angle in which the camera has to be held, the position each person in the group has to take and even about adjusting the light. Thakur said he would give lessons on selfies to almost everyone who comes to him with the request.
With The Family
THOUGH DEFENCE Minister Rajnath Singh was one of the guests invited to the wedding reception of former finance minister Arun Jaitley’s son on Saturday, Singh played another role without any hesitation. With invitation extended to everyone who Jaitley may have invited had he been alive, the reception saw constant stream of guests and well-wishers. Singh, in a way, ended up playing a role what Jaitley would have played in some cases. He stood with the Jaitley family and received top leaders — President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah among others — acting virtually as a host and took them through the ceremony.
The Buzz
THE APPOINTMENT of Vishnu Datt Sharma as Madhya Pradesh BJP president replacing Rakesh Sinha has triggered fresh speculation in the party circles. Sinha, a Lok Sabha MP from Jabalpur, is an OBC leader while the leader of opposition Gopal Bhargava is a Brahmin. The appointment of Datt, another Brahmin leader, has led to whispers in the power corridors that former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan could take over as the Leader of Opposition in the assembly to take on Chief Minister Kamal Nath. The logic given is that two Brahmins at the two key party posts is an unlikely formula for a state like Madhya Pradesh. With rumblings erupting in the Congress camp between Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia, the BJP leadership appears to be preparing to give a hard time for the state ruling party.
Uphill Task
KERALA BJP’S new president K Surendran may have strong backing at the Centre as he was apparently picked by new party chief J P Nadda and general secretary (Organisation) B L Santosh and his name was strongly recommended by Union Minister V Muraleedharan too. However, according to party sources, Surendran may find it difficult to get cooperation from the faction-ridden state unit. While various central leaders who have links with the Kerala unit tried to push their favourites for the post till the last minute, both Santosh and Muraleedharan succeeded in convincing the leadership about Surendran’s credentials. Other senior leaders pointed out that the new chief has an uphill task of keeping the state unit together while preparing the party for upcoming local body elections and the assembly polls due next year while keeping the flock together. But for some of the other aspirants, some assignment at the national level rather than working under Surendran is the next target.