Scuffle Onboard Bangkok-Kolkata Plane: BCAS Files Police Complaint

Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said in a tweet that such passenger behaviour is unacceptable.

New Delhi: The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) on Thursday, December 29, filed a police complaint regarding the scuffle between passengers onboard a Thai Smile Airways plane from Bangkok to Kolkata earlier this week, and Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said such passenger behaviour is unacceptable.

The security watchdog said the police have already started its investigation, and further action will follow.

“With regard to the scuffle between passengers on board a @ThaiSmileAirway flight, a police complaint has been filed against those involved. Such behaviour is unacceptable,” Scindia said in a tweet.

According to sources, the airline in a report submitted to aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the scuffle started sometime after a passenger refused to return his reclining seat to the straight position despite requests from the cabin crew, and that there was no serious injury to any passenger.

A video clip of the incident that happened before the take-off of the A320 plane from Bangkok on December 26 was shared on social media on Wednesday. In the clip, a male passenger was being slapped multiple times by a few male co-passengers.

“BCAS has examined all reports from various entities, including those on social media, and has taken a serious view of the incident. It has filed a police case under appropriate sections against all involved in the jurisdictional police station in Bidhannagar, West Bengal. The police has already started its investigations. Further action shall follow,” BCAS director general Zulfiquar Hasan told PTI on Thursday.

According to the report submitted to the DGCA, the male passenger refused to follow the cabin crew’s instruction to bring the seat back to the straight position from the reclining position, saying he was having backache.

The crew also told the male passenger that in case of an evacuation, a reclining seat will block passengers behind him from moving and that he will not be able to perform the bracing position properly. While the passenger refused to follow the instruction, another passenger came and the fight started, as per the report.

The captain was informed about the situation and the take-off was delayed. Later, things calmed down and the flight continued as normal, it added.

On Thursday, a senior DGCA official said that in this case, the aircraft is registered in a foreign country and the incident also happened on foreign soil.

“Our laws do not apply in this case as it is a foreign operator and as per Chicago Convention, the oversight is with their regulator. Therefore, that regulator has to take appropriate action,” the official told PTI.

Since the incident happened in Thailand, the regulator concerned will be the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT).

Queries sent to CAAT seeking comments on the incident did not immediately elicit any response.

Thai Smile Airways could not be immediately contacted for comments.

According to a male passenger who along with his mother was onboard the plane, the incident happened on December 26 before take-off. Later, other passengers and an air hostess pacified the individuals involved in the scuffle and the plane landed in Kolkata on Tuesday morning.

The passenger, who is from Kolkata, told PTI that he was worried about his mother who was sitting near the seat where the incident happened.

In the clip, two passengers were seen arguing before one of them first said ‘haath neeche kar’ (put down your hands) and then started slapping the other person. A few other passengers were also involved in the scuffle.

Last week, a video clip of a heated exchange between a passenger and an air hostess onboard an IndiGo flight from Istanbul to Delhi was shared on social media.

The heated exchange over the choice of meals onboard the flight happened on December 16.

IndiGo and DGCA, last week, said they were looking into the incident.

(PTI)

RTI: Controversial Goa Cafe Food Licence Was Issued to Company Controlled By Smriti Irani’s Husband

Official documents obtained by advocate Aires Rodrigues from the state’s Food and Drug Administration place question mark over minister’s affidavit to Delhi high court denying any connection with the Silly Souls Cafe and Bar in Assagao, Goa.

New Delhi: A Right to Information request has revealed that Silly Souls, the controversial Goa restaurant and bar located at a private home in Assagao, Goa – now the subject of a libel suit by BJP leader Smriti Irani against Congress leaders – has a food license issued by the state Directorate of Food and Drugs Administration to a company controlled by the senior minister’s husband and their children.

Irani told the Dehi high court in a sworn statement last month that she and her daughter had no connection to the Silly Souls Cafe and Bar at House 452, Bouta Waddo, Assagao, Goa.

The Union woman and child development minister has been battling criticism ever since the Goa excise commissioner issued notice in July alleging the liquor license of Silly Souls Cafe and Bar had been renewed illegally. Media reports cited social media posts by the minister and an interview by Irani’s daughter, Zoish – in which she nods in agreement when a food critic asks if the restaurant is hers – but Irani told the court the establishment was not family owned.

Now, an RTI response from the Goa government to advocate Aires Rodrigues – who had earlier obtained the information that the bar’s excise license was illegally renewed – has revealed that the Directorate of Food and Drugs Administration’s licence to Silly Souls was issued in the name of Eightall Food and Beverages Limited Liability Partnership, the very company in which two firms controlled by Smriti Irani’s husband and family, own a 75% stake. 

The application, complete with company board resolutions, was made online and approved after a site visit on June 26, 2021.

RTI documents obtained by advocate Aires Rodrigues.

On July 23, 2021, the Goa government’s FDA directorate issued Eightall Food and Beverage with an FSSA license, bearing number 10621001000195, under the FSS Act.

License issues to Eightall Food and Beverage LLP by the Goa government to run a restaurant at 452, Bouta Waddo, Assagao.

That this is the same FSSA license number used by Silly Souls Cafe and Bar can be seen from the restaurant’s page on Zomato, the online food ordering app:

Silly Souls Cafe and Bar page on zomato.com, shows the same FSSAI number issued to Eightall Food and Beverage.

The Wire reached out to Smriti Irani via WhatsApp on Thursday evening, sending her a copy of the RTI documents and inviting her to respond to what the official record showed. We will update this story with her comments as and when we receive them.

The Wire had earlier reported on how the bar and restaurant are linked to Irani through three primary ways:

1. It operates from the same address from which the company, Eightall Food and Beverage – controlled by Zubin Irani and their family – conducts its business, according to Registrar of Company filings;
2.  The restaurant uses the same GST number as was issued to Eightall at the same address; and
3. Balance sheets show Zubin Irani’s company, Eightall, purchased food and alcohol and maintained an inventory of alchohol

Earlier RTI responses that Rodrigues received noted that the property under survey number 236/22 of Assagao – where Silly Souls Cafe and Bar is located – was leased to Eightall Food and Beverages LLP by one Anthony D’Gama with effect from January 1, 2021, for a period of 10 years at a monthly rent of Rs 50,000.

The liquor licence for the company was renewed in June 2022, Rodrigues found. However, D’Gama had died on May 17, 2021, thus making the renewal illegal, he contended. He said that “fraudulent and fabricated documents were produced” to acquire the liquor licence.

In a show cause notice dated July 21, the excise department said, “The licence was renewed last month, despite the licence holder having passed away on 17/05/2021.”

The new RTI documents obtained by Rodrigues also appear to back up his earlier claim that Silly Souls was granted an excise license even before it had a restaurant license to operate – again, a contravention of the laws. It is, of course, possible that D’Gama ran a restaurant on the premises and had an FSSA license for it, before he leased No. 452 to Eightall.

Excise rules in Goa allow only existing restaurants to be granted excise licenses. Silly Souls Cafe was granted licences for foreign liquor and Indian-made foreign liquor and country liquor in February 2021.  But the DFDA’s restaurant license, the latest RTI documents show, was granted only in July 2021.

Goa excise commissioner Narayan Gad will on September 12 continue the hearings on the complaint filed by Aires Rodrigues.

BJP MP Calls Nitin Gadkari ‘Spiderman’ for Building Web of Roads Across Country

“I have changed Nitin Gadkari’s name to Spiderman. Like the web of a spider…Nitin Gadkari has been laying wide network of roads in every corner of the country. Gadkari hai to mumkin hai (Gadkari makes it possible),” Tapir Gao said.

New Delhi: Bhartiya Janata Party MP Tapir Gao on Monday, March 21, praised Union minister Nitin Gadkari, calling him a ‘Spiderman’, and said he has built a web of roads across the country.

Participating in the discussion on the ‘demand for grants of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways’ for 2022-23 in Lok Sabha, the MP from Arunachal Pradesh said, “I have changed Nitin Gadkari’s name to Spiderman. Like the web of a spider…Nitin Gadkari has been laying wide network of roads in every corner of the country. Gadkari hai to mumkin hai (Gadkari makes it possible).”

With the Narendra Modi-government in power, the speed of construction of roads in sensitive areas of the country especially on the India-China has border has picked up pace, Gao asserted.

Also Read: India Building Critical Road Along Border With China in Ladakh: Home Ministry

“With Modi government coming to power, the pace of road construction near the China border has also grown. Today, under Modi’s leadership, a two-lane road is being constructed till McMahon Line in Arunachal Pradesh,” he said.

“I hope that ‘Spiderman’ will continue to carry on with the speed at which roads are being built,” Gao added.

Gao said when as the BJP president, Gadkari had formed a committee to visit sensitive areas near the Indo-China border and it took them several days to cover all the points due to poor condition of roads. Now roads are being constructed in all those areas, he said.

 

(PTI)

Bengal BJP’s ‘Matua Exodus’ Continues as Union Minister Quits State Party WhatsApp Groups

Five Matua MLAs and five other non-Matua MLAs from West Bengal have left the BJP state WhatsApp group recently.

Kolkata: Continuing the exodus among Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, a Union minister from the state has now quit the party’s state unit WhatsApp group.

Shantanu Thakur is Minister of State for ports, shipping and waterways and is a leader of the Matua community, which the BJP has considered a key vote bank in the state. Five Matua MLAs – Mukutmoni Adhikari, Subrata Thakur, Ambica Roy, Asok Kirtania and Asim Sarkar – have left the BJP state WhatsApp group in what local media has dubbed a “Matua rebellion.”

Five other non-Matua BJP MLAs too have left the same WhatsApp group.

“It seems the state BJP leadership does not think we (Matuas) have an important role within the organisation,” Thakur, who heads the influential All India Matua Mahasangha, told reporters on January 5.

The Bongaon MP had, a few days ago, voiced his reservation against the omission of some MLAs of the Matua community in the reconstituted BJP state and district committees.

The Bengali daily Anandabazar Patrika has quoted unnamed sources as having said that BJP chief J.P. Nadda has spoken to Thakur and the disgruntled Matua leaders.

MLA Mukutmoni Adhikari had said that the aspirations of the people of his constituency may not be fulfilled by the newly formed BJP state committee.

MLA Ambica Roy had, meanwhile, expressed intent to rejoin the BJP WhatsApp group on December 27, two days after quitting it and said he would sort out any difference with the party.

Also read: Bengal’s Matuas Are Caught Between BJP’s Identity Politics and the Citizenship Concern

Electoral significance

Matuas form one of the largest groups in the state’s border districts of North and South 24 Parganas, Nadia and elsewhere.

The community was wooed by the ruling TMC in the state and BJP alike before the state election. Ahead of the assembly polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had even visited Orakandi, the ancestral village of the sect’s founder Harichand Thakur during his March 2021 visit to Bangladesh.

The community has considerable influence in at least four Lok Sabha seats and 30-40 assembly seats.

Reacting to the exodus, BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar said, “We will sort out any misunderstanding with Shantanu Thakur. He is very much a part of the BJP family.”

When asked to comment, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy told reporters that the BJP had used the Matua community for its own electoral gains.

“But it (BJP) was not concerned about their real development. It is clear now,” he added.

(PTI)

Bill To Increase Age of Marriage for Women Sent To Standing Committee

The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill 2021 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday amid protests by opposition members.

New Delhi: The Bill that seeks to increase the age of marriage of women to 21 was referred to a parliamentary committee, Union minister Smriti Irani said.

The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill 2021 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday amid protests by opposition members. Irani, the women and child development minister, said the government was seeking to bring parity among men and women.

Irani said the Bill also seeks to override all existing laws, including any custom, usage or practice governing the parties in relation to marriage.

The Bill was referred to a parliamentary panel for detailed scrutiny.

The House was later adjourned for the day amid continuous protests by opposition members over various issues, including the Lakhimpur Kheri killings.

(PTI)

Lakhimpur Kheri: Ashish Mishra Sent to 3-Day Police Custody; UP BJP Distances Itself

The party’s UP chief Swatantra Dev Singh on Sunday told party workers, “We are not in politics to loot or crush someone” under a car.

New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh police on Monday got three-day remand of Union minister Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case.

Eight people, including four farmers, were killed in the violence on October 3.

“Police had demanded a 14-day remand of Ashish. They have got three-day remand from October 12 to 15,” senior prosecution officer S.P. Yadav told reporters.

The remand will end on the morning of October 15.

The police remand was granted by chief judicial magistrate Chintaram, with the condition that Ashish Mishra “will not be harassed” and his lawyer will remain present during interrogation, Yadav said.

Earlier, a court had sent Ashish Mishra to 14-day judicial custody.

After Mishra’s arrest on Saturday, the BJP’s Uttar Pradesh unit seemingly began to distance itself from him.

As The Wire‘s Ismat Ara had reported, Mishra or “Monu bhaiya”, as he is known, had been campaigning as a probable candidate for the state’s assembly election next year.

Yuvaon ki pukaar, Monu bhaiya abki baar (The youth has declared, this time Monu bhaiya will be elected),” one hoarding in Lakhimpur Kheri’s Nighasan says, echoing the “Abki baar Modi sarkar (This time, Modi’s government)” slogan of the BJP during the 2014 general elections.

However, with the BJP facing flak over the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, the party’s UP chief Swatantra Dev Singh on Sunday urged party workers to win people’s confidence with their conduct, adding, “We are not in politics to loot or crush someone under a Fortuner [a popular SUV car]”.

His remarks came after Ashish Mishra was arrested on Saturday in connection with mowing down four farmers by an SUV in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3.

These comments departed significantly from the earlier party line, repeated by Union minister Ajay Mishra himself, that his son was not present at the spot where the farmers were mowed down.

Addressing a meeting of UP BJP’s minority morcha, Singh said, “We have not come in politics to loot (people), nor have we come to crush someone under a Fortuner.”

“You will get votes by your behaviour. If 10 people of your locality are praising you, my heart swells (with pride). Your behaviour should be such that people do not turn away their faces after seeing you, he asserted.

The BJP leader’s comments came hours after Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused the government of trying to save a Union minister’s son in the case and said except BJP leaders and their “billionaire friends”, nobody was safe in the country.

Four farmers were mowed down by the SUV when a group agitating against the Union government’s three farm laws was demonstrating against the visit of UP deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.

Two BJP workers and a driver were allegedly beaten to death by the angry protesters. A local journalist was also killed in the violence. His family’s complaint, accessed by The Wire, says he was ‘shot at’ because he filmed the VIP convoy that killed the farmers.

According to News 18, officials close to the investigation say that it is crucial to determine where Ashish Mishra was for an hour between 2:30 pm and 3:30 pm, when the farmers were mown down. Police “now believe he was at the incident spot”, according to the report.

While the spot where the farmers were killed is about 4-5 km away from Ashish’s village, where he claims to have been present all day for a wrestling contest, sources ‘close to the investigation’, however, told News 18 that Ashish Mishra left the venue around 2 pm or so in his Thar vehicle.

The incident has triggered a political storm and put the BJP government on the back foot in the poll-bound state.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), which is spearheading the agitation against the three farm laws, had alleged that the violence was part of a “pre-planned conspiracy” and demanded the arrest of the minister and his son.

(With PTI inputs)

Watch | Lakhimpur Kheri, Ashish Mishra and PM Modi’s Visit to Lucknow

As Uttar Pradesh occupies headlines, a close look at the politics at play.

Uttar Pradesh is once again in the headlines, the reason this time is the loss of lives in Lakhimpur Kheri. It’s alleged that Ashish Mishra, son of Minister of State for Home, Ajay Mishra, drove a car over protesting farmers, causing the death of four of them.

Sharat Pradhan in The Wire’s show Lucknow Central sheds light on the issues at play.

Watch | Lakhimpur Kheri: BJP Union Minister’s Son Ashish Mishra Arrested in Murder Case

Ashish Mishra is accused of ramming his car into protesting farmers, resulting in the death of four people and injuries to several more.

Union minister of state for home Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra has been arrested in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case. Ashish Mishra is accused of ramming his car into protesting farmers, resulting in the death of four people and injuries to several more. Ashish was called by the police for questioning on Saturday, after which he was arrested.

Eight people lost their lives in the violence, including two BJP workers, Ashish Mishra’s driver and a journalist.

The Wire‘s Mukul Singh Chauhan discusses Ashish Mishra’s arrest and more in this video.

What Does Babul Supriyo’s Exit Signify for the BJP in West Bengal?

The former Union minister’s move is the latest sign that the party’s internal feud is spiralling out of control.

Kolkata: Babul Supriyo’s exit from active politics has brought to the fore the internecine and vitriolic fight within the West Bengal BJP, with indications that more leaders will follow suit.

In order to assuage the two-time Union minister, BJP president J.P. Nadda called him to New Delhi and dissuaded him from resigning his post as MP. Supriyo said that he will not join any other party and will continue to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said he would help the people of his constituency and perform the duties of his post, but would not participate in other political activities.

Supriyo’s exit has raised several questions among state BJP leaders. Supriyo was evidently disappointed when he was dropped from the cabinet during the recent reshuffle and vented his thoughts via a Facebook post. A section of party leaders felt that if he has problems with party members, he should have discussed and resolved it internally rather than venting his opinion in public.

In the recent assembly elections in West Bengal, Supriyo was pitted against the Trinamool Congress’s Aroop Biswas from the Tollyganj constituency and lost. A senior state BJP leader said, “There are no shortcuts in politics. There will be situations where you might not feel comfortable. But you have to move on. Things might not be right for a political leader at one point of time, but they might get fixed later. We have to wait and watch.”

Sources in the state BJP said that in the present political circumstances, the party is not sure whether any of its candidates would be able to win by-elections from Asansol if Supriyo were to resign. This is perhaps why Nadda insisted that Supriyo should not resign. However, another state BJP leader said, “Supriyo wants to enjoy the privileges he receives as an MP. That is why he does not want to leave his post.”

Other leaders say that the BJP is also not concerned about retaining its base in several constituencies and is planning to organise meetings in several districts in the presence of Union ministers.

Interestingly, a few months ago, during a party organisational meet at Bongaon where Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat was present, three MLAs – Biswajit Das from Bagda, Ashok Kirtaniya from Bongaon Uttar and Subrata Thakur from Gaighata – did not join the meeting. Thakur is the brother of Shantanu Thakur, who was recently added to the Union Cabinet.

Besides Supriyo, Bengali leader Debasree Chaudhuri was also dropped from the Cabinet. In their place, four other leaders from Bengal – Nisith Pramanik, Shantanu Thakur, Subhas Sarkar and John Barla – were inducted as ministers of state.

Suvendu Adhikari’s influence

Party insiders said that Supriyo had been vocal against some leaders who were “trying to give a wrong impression” of the state BJP unit to the central leadership. For this reason, he was “sidelined”, which forced Supriyo to speak out on Facebook.

Supriyo is not the only disgruntled member, according to sources. Other dissatisfied members have also raised the issue with party functionaries, but the party has failed to look at this matter, they say. After the assembly election, a perception has grown among long-time state members that the national leadership is giving more importance to Suvendu Adhikari, the Mamata loyalist who joined the party last year. This is a major reason for the discontent and leaders say if the central leadership does not course correct, more leaders will leave.

A senior BJP leader said, “The central leadership has failed to keep its word to leaders. Whoever is trying to put their view forward is being sidelined. Some of them voiced their thoughts on social media, while some of them remained silent and continue to be sidelined.”

Political analysts also attribute Supriyo’s decision to exit from politics to his sidelining. Whenever he tried to raise his voice, it was suppressed.

Professor Siuli Sarkar, professor of political science and principal of Lady Brabourne College, said, “Supriyo was aggrieved after he was dropped from the cabinet. Despite being a two time MP, Supriyo was forced to contest the assembly election from a different seat, which only aggravated his anger towards the party. His decision to quit politics is the result of all the decisions taken in the past by the party and the equation he shares now with the party leadership.”

It may be mentioned that apart from Supriyo, another MP, Roopa Ganguly, has not been involved in active politics for several months. She has remained silent and has not voiced her opinion yet.

Dilip Ghosh, the BJP state president, criticised Supriyo’s move. He said, “In politics, there is no place for drama and theatrics. If Supriyo wants to resign, he should officially give a resignation letter. Till now the state BJP leadership has not received any letter from him and to the best of our knowledge, Supriyo is still with the BJP.”

Madhya Pradesh: Conundrum Continues as Scindia Supporters Wait for Cabinet Berths

Tulsi Silawat and Govind Singh Rajput – the prime movers behind the rebellion which brought down the Kamal Nath government in March – are conspicuously missing from the Chauhan cabinet.

As the year comes to an end, how close is Jyotiraditya Scindia to realising any of the dreams that propelled the largest exodus of MLAs from Congress party in Madhya Pradesh and brought down an elected government? Is Scindia who has lived a charmed political life having spent 17 of his 18 years in public life in parliament going to be a Union minister again?

It’s a question which must be exasperating Sushil Modi as well, and even though totally unrelated as their circumstances are, they are both equally impatient for a cabinet reshuffle soon.

Delicate position

Scindia’s supporters certainly want some urgent answers. None more so than former health minister Tulsi Silawat and former transport minister Govind Singh Rajput the prime movers behind the rebellion of 21 Scindia supporters whose resignations brought down the Kamal Nath government in March. Both of them found no place in Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s cabinet even though they won the November by-elections. Three other Scindia cabinet ministers lost but two of them continue to be retained by Chouhan.

At the moment nine Scindia campers are in Chouhan’s cabinet, but three of them face corruption charges after the Income Tax department raids on Nath acolytes during the general elections of May 2019. Their names allegedly appear in confiscated diaries and papers which record them as having received money from Nath’s manager Pravin Kakker.

It is likely that they will be dropped sooner than later. That’s how the BJP works. If the names have been revealed by a central agency, it is a warning sign that those named — Pradyuman Tomar, Bisahulal Singh and Rajvardhan Singh — face an uncertain future.

On the other hand, Chouhan is playing a clever game by not including Silawat, a Dalit MLA, as he believes promoting Imarti Devi, another Dalit, would be a better bet. Imarti Devi lost the by-elections from Dabra which is a safe Congress seat. Chouhan would like to promote Imarti to not only damage Congress in their backyard but also because she is an easier and less tricky customer than Silawat.

Also read: Will the Madhya Pradesh Bypolls Mark the Possible Decline and Fall of Jyotiraditya Scindia?

Insiders in the BJP believe that a few Scindia supporters are finding it difficult to fit into the BJP’s scheme of things. It is equally true that they are also not being welcomed by established leaders whose constituencies they have usurped. It’s a difficult ride ahead for them, but not as difficult as for their leader, perhaps.

Jyotiraditya is fast learning that he is not as big a mass leader as Congress projected him to be. Not only did three of his ministers lose but three other MLAs who directly influence Gwalior region have also lost the by-elections. Inside the state BJP he is not even considered among the first five leaders as Chouhan, Narendra Singh Tomar, Vishnu Sharma, Narottam Mishra and Thawarchand Gehlot take priority over him. Unfortunately for him, Tomar and Mishra are from Gwalior region and have already carved out positions for themselves over the years.

Scindia has also opted to go to the Rajya Sabha, so his Lok Sabha seat of Guna will in all probability leave the family fold forever. BJP is unlikely to prefer another candidate from the Scindia family because of its professed stand against dynastic politics. His aunt Yashodhara Raje has already represented Gwalior in the Lok Sabha but has since switched to state politics and continues to be a minister in the Chouhan cabinet, so anyone from his immediate family is unlikely to get a BJP ticket.

Jyotiraditya Scindia meets home minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, Thursday, March 12, 2020, a day after joining the BJP. Photo: PTI

Then there are several others like Gopal Bhargava and Jayant Malaiya who have been ministers for several years under Chouhan and have their own niche within the BJP system. They are ostensibly quiet but their unhappiness with usurpers and latecomers at the same table is understandable. At the time of the switchover, Scindia had promised his supporters that to “settle them” would be his first priority but so far the two seniormost amongst them remain in limbo.

By most accounts and reports it appears Scindia had been promised a cabinet rank by the Modi-Shah combine. It’s more than nine months now and nothing has come of it. Judging from past record of the duo, Scindia will in all probability get what has been promised but till then he will have to just twiddle his thumb as Chouhan does not even invite him for state functions and important party confabulations.

Meanwhile, agriculture minister Tomar is growing in stature within the party as he is sticking gamely to the Centre’s stand on the farmers’ issue. Scindia, even as cabinet minister, will be second fiddle to him. At the state level it will be home minister Mishra who will assert himself. From the opposition benches there’s always the veteran Digvijaya Singh and his son Jayvardhan who will be only too happy to enjoy his discomfort. He will be hoping 2021 turns out better.