Today in Politics: BJP top brass huddle for states’ poll prep, Delhi Assembly set for stormy session over NCT Act

Of the five states, Madhya Pradesh is the only state being ruled by the BJP. In Mizoram, the BJP’s ally Mizo National Front (MNF) is in power, although their relations have got strained now over the Manipur crisis.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan would also attend the CEC meeting, which is expected to focus on the “weak” seats for the party in the five states and the selection of candidates there.

In an unprecedented move, the party leadership has chosen to convene the CEC meet early, where it would seek a thorough feedback from the state units about their planning, preparations and concerns over the Assembly polls.

The BJP faces a fierce face-off with its arch rival Congress in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhatisgarh. The Congress has been in power in Rajasthan under Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and in Chhattisgarh under CM Bhupesh Baghel, while it has emerged as a formidable challenger under ex-CM Kamal Nath’s leadership in Madhya Pradesh.

These Assembly polls are considered crucial as they will be the semifinals for the grand finale – the Lok Sabha elections slated for April-May 2024.

In the run-up to the general elections, PM Modi delivered a heavily political speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort Tuesday, when India’s 77th Independence Day was celebrated.

Delivering his 10th Independence Day address, the last of his second term, PM Modi framed the 2024 Lok Sabha election battle in many ways — he stressed the need for strengthening “probity, transparency and impartiality” for making India a developed nation by 2047 and argued that corruption, nepotism (parivaarvad), and appeasement were “evils” pulling the country backwards, Manoj C G reported.

In his speech, Modi spoke about the capability, hard work, and prowess of the people and said the only hurdle that could come in the way of the country’s development was “corruption, dynastic politics, and appeasement”. He spoke about some “bad elements” that had become part of the social system over the last 75 years.

Modi argued that the mood for change in the country had brought him to power in 2014, “performance” gave him a second term in 2019, and the next five years would be focused on unprecedented development. More than once in his speech during which he repeatedly recounted his government’s “achievements”, Modi exuded confidence that he would return as Prime Minister after the 2024 elections.

The Congress called PM Modi’s Independence Day address a “crass election speech” filled with distortions, lies, exaggerations and vague promises. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who chose to skip the official function at the Red Fort, hit out at the BJP government accusing it of putting democracy, Constitution and autonomous institutions in great danger.

In Delhi, the two-day Assembly session will get underway Wednesday – the first one after the enactment of the contentious The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2023 on the control of services in the national capital.

The session is set to be stormy as it is expected to witness a showdown between the legislators of the ruling AAP and the principal Opposition BJP.

The NCT Amendment Act, which was passed by Parliament during the recent monsoon session, came into force Saturday after it got assent from President Droupadi Murmu. The law gives the Centre control over bureaucracy in Delhi and seeks to create an authority for the transfer and posting of Group-A officers.

In his Independence Day speech at Chhatrasal stadium, CM Arvind Kejriwal said the NCT Act has snatched the powers of the elected government of Delhi and that the AAP dispensation would restore it.

The list of business of the House did not specify any particular issue to be raised by the AAP whose leaders were tight-lipped about their strategy for the session.

Sources said the AAP may also rake up the issue of suspension of its Rajya Sabha MPs, Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadha, in the Assembly.

Meanwhile, at a joint press conference, the BJP MLAs accused the AAP of “undermining” democracy. They charged that while the AAP was protesting the suspension of its members from Parliament, the party was itself responsible for “undermining democracy” in the Delhi Assembly.

“In the past three years, BJP legislators have been removed from the Assembly 35 times in 16 sessions, revealing a pattern of anti-democratic behaviour,” said Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri.

The BJP legislators also accused the AAP of “stifling the Opposition’s voice” by preventing discussions on notices given by them.

In Kolkata, a high-level Trinamool Congress (TMC) delegation is set to visit the home of a Jadavpur University (JU) student, who died after a fall from a floor of his varsity hostel.

The delegation will comprise Education Minister Bratya Basu, Minister for Women and Child Welfare Sashi Panja, Chandrima Bhattacharya, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and Sayani Ghosh.

West Bengal CM and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee has blamed the Left for the death of the JU student, charging that the Left was “in cahoots with the BJP and the Congress in the state”.

Bengal Governor and JU Chancellor CV Ananda Bose has also convened an emergency meeting of the JU Court at Raj Bhavan Wednesday to take stock of the situation.