The leaked tapes meant to hurt one BJP leader — but hurt two

The PA who knew too much

A disgruntled personal assistant can be a politician’s biggest liability. A senior state BJP leader is learning that the hard way after more than 3,000 audio recordings of conversations involving him were leaked. The tapes reportedly contain uncharitable remarks by several party leaders about their colleagues, the government and the administration. The apparent intention was to damage the leader’s political prospects. Instead, the fallout has proved more complicated: both the alleged leaker and the politician whose conversations were recorded have landed in legal trouble and behind bars with the case of political score-settling going spectacularly off script.

BJP rediscovers its landline

The student unrest appears to have prompted the Maharashtra BJP to rediscover an old political lesson: never take your cadre for granted. The party has begun reaching out to workers and members of the wider Sangh Parivar, with an emphasis on giving long-standing loyalists a greater role in the organisation. One old party hand noticed a curious sign of the change: the once-neglected landline at the BJP headquarters has started ringing again, with calls reaching several cabins. The party is also considering asking ministers to spend a couple of hours each week at the headquarters, giving workers and visitors a chance to raise grievances directly.

When the boss says no to an LLB

For some police officers, an LLB is not merely another degree. It is a possible second innings after retirement. But getting there while in uniform can be another matter. Last year, a DCP who had scored above the 95th percentile in the CET enrolled for an LLB course but missed an examination after his leave request was rejected by the then joint commissioner. The message, reportedly, was clear: pursue higher studies during a side posting, but don’t let them interfere with the job. Another DCP had better luck, securing three hours’ leave to sit for an examination before returning to duty.