Who wants Commonwealth Games? asks CM

For now the dust appears to have settled on the clamour for seeking Uma Bharati’s return to the BJP. Last month,there was an air of uncertainty in the state,both in the party and the government,when one after the other leader sought to bring her back to the party fold. But the demand had come mostly from disgruntled leaders,unhappy with the status quo where they found their wings clipped. Those firmly in saddle,either in the party or the government,were also firmly against her. The high command’s fiat from Delhi asking state leaders to keep their mouths shut has worked. Suddenly,every one has gone into a shell. Of course,there are elements in the Sangh Parivar,like VHP leader Ashok Singhal,who continue to advocate her return.

New BJP chief’s faux pas

Prabhat Jha,the new president of the BJP’s state unit,is never short on words. A former media in-charge,he has managed to remain in news for all the wrong reasons. Not long ago,he would write press notes giving a broad idea of the party’s stand on various issues,and passed wisdom to his colleagues. But he seems to have forgotten most lessons he taught after taking over as the party chief. These days party spokesmen open newspapers,not sure how they will defend Jha’s latest gaffe. Jha first found himself in trouble for comparing the BSF and CRPF jawans with dacoits,following which the Congress dragged him to the court. Then he told the Bhopal gas victims that the state government would spend from its coffers if the Centre failed to announce adequate compensation.

Kamal to BJP’s rescue

It’s not often that Union Minister Kamal Nath,who represents Chhindwara in the Lok Sabha,says something that the state government wants to hear. The Congress leader recently demanded that more districts in the state be included in the list of Naxal-affected districts. The Centre recognises only Balaghat as the district affected by Left-wing extremism. The BJP government has been repeatedly asking the Centre to add six more districts sharing boundaries with states affected by the Maoist menace to the list,but to no avail. The state has not seen any Naxal attack for a long time though the police regularly claim to spot their movements. With Nath seconding the demand,the BJP government has a reason to be hopeful.