© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
An MLA who led a revolt against Maharashtra Chief Minister and Sena president, Uddhav Thackeray, and engineered a stunning split in the party; a former teacher and tribal leader who is now NDA’s candidate for Presidential election; the former BJP leader, nurtured by Advani, who is now the Opposition’s consensus candidate for Presidential poll; and the five-term bahubali MLA from Mokama — we bring to you the Newsmakers of the Week.
Rebel Sena MLA Eknath Shinde
From working in a beer brewery in Thane and driving an autorickshaw to make ends meet, to becoming the most powerful leader in the present Shiv Sena after the Thackerays, Eknath Shinde has joined the ranks of leaders like Chhagan Bhujbal and Narayan Rane who had earlier managed to engineer a split in the Sena. Worryingly for the Thackerays, Shinde has the loyalty of many party MLAs for being accessible to MLAs – especially when an appointment at Matoshree can be tough – and being generous with economic largesse. Zeeshan Shaikh and Shubhangi Khapre bring to you this report on the rebel MLA who revolted against the Chief Minister and Sena president, Uddhav Thackeray.
Presidential candidates Droupadi Murmu and Yashwant Sinha
Earlier this week, the BJP-led NDA announced Droupadi Murmu as its candidate for the upcoming Presidential elections. Murmu was first considered a contender five years ago, when President Pranab Mukherjee was set to leave Rashtrapati Bhavan. At the time, the Odisha tribal leader and then governor of Jharkhand was considered to be among the top choices of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Hailing from Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, Murmu started out as a teacher before entering state politics.
Announcing Yashwant Sinha‘s induction into the BJP at a press conference in 1993, senior leader L K Advani had described it as a “Diwali gift” for the party. The former bureaucrat has travelled a long distance since, as has the party which he joined and where he thrived for a long time. Nurtured by Advani, picked to head the prestigious Finance and External Affairs Ministries in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government of 1999 to 2004, Sinha who has reshaped his political profile since leaving the BJP under Narendra Modi has now emerged as the Opposition’s consensus candidate for the presidential elections. Murmu and Sinha are the Newsmakers of the Week.
RJD’s Anant Singh
Just before the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, Anant Singh was introduced to Nitish Kumar when Bihar’s future chief minister was about to contest from the constituencies of Barh and Nalanda. With upper-caste Bhumihar votes crucial for Kumar’s chances, Singh’s support was crucial. Though Kumar ended up losing from Barh, a seat he had won five times from 1989 to 1999, he won Nalanda. Kumar and the Janata Dal (United) realised Anant Singh’s importance and brought him into the party fold. One of Bihar’s most controversial politicians of the last four decades, Singh was sentenced to 10 years in prison in an Arms Act case by the MP-MLA Court of Patna. The Bahubali of Mokama, Anant Singh now faces a battle to keep his grip on an area that he has dominated for more than three decades.
