Today in Politics: Why Amit Shah’s big Kolkata rally is important in LS polls context

Its state leaders, who have battled organisational disunity, defections, and a shrinking footprint over the past two years, hope that Shah’s speech from the stage in Dharmatala — the site of many big rallies over the decades — will prove to be just that. But it is easier said than done given that it is up against a party such as the Trinamool Congress (TMC) that managed to win the Assembly elections comfortably despite all the talk of a BJP victory in the months leading to the elections.

As Liz Mathew writes in her analysis of Shah’s Kolkata rally, he is expected to hit out at the TMC over its “failures and corruption” and alleged irregularities in the implementation of Central welfare schemes, an accusation that the Mamata Banerjee-led party denies. This focus on anti-corruption and the labharthi varg (welfare beneficiary class) has helped the party win several elections over the past few years, including the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, and also animated its campaign in the recently concluded elections in Hindi heartland states such as Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra from Jharkhand to showcase and celebrate the government’s “achievements of the last nine years”, indicating that this strategy will be key to the party as we inch towards the parliamentary elections.

“BJP leaders have claimed that the ever-growing loyal support base of labharathis, irrespective of caste differences, has propelled the party to victories in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and important state polls,” Liz writes. “Before the last parliamentary elections, the party put the number of beneficiaries at 25 crore. The BJP received 22.9 core votes in that election. Modi has often emphasised the party cadre’s participation in implementing central schemes.”

Hearing in Shivakumar case

In Bengaluru, a Karnataka High Court Division Bench is set to hear the final arguments on Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar’s appeal against the sanction that the previous BJP government gave to prosecute him in a disproportionate assets case.

Last Thursday, the Congress government decided to withdraw the sanction to the CBI, triggering an uproar from Opposition parties in the state. BJP MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal has filed an intervening application in the appeal, alleging that the “entire state machinery is being involved in scuttling the investigation”.

The upshot: It is believed that the corruption allegations against Shivakumar are what finally went against him earlier this year when the high command agreed to Siddaramaiah taking over as CM. Shivakumar is said to harbour hopes of taking over from Siddaramaiah, his old rival in the party, in 2025 when the Congress administration enters the halfway mark in its five-year tenure. But if that has to happen, he needs the cases against him to go in his favour.

Sonia to release a book on Kharge

Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi will release a special volume — Political Engagement with Compassion, Justice, and Inclusive Development — at an event in Delhi to mark Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s 50 years in electoral politics. The book has articles and messages from leaders across the political divide, from Sonia, Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi to Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Narendra Singh Tomar, and former President Ram Nath Kovind.

Meanwhile, in government …

The Union Ministry of Mines will hold the first tranche auction of critical and strategic minerals. Twenty blocks of critical and strategic minerals that are being auctioned are spread across the country. “This is a landmark initiative that will boost our economy, enhance national security and support our transition to a clean energy future,” the government said in a press release.