MP Political Punch: Minister's silence, Buzzword is berth, Angry Congress MLA

Minister's silence

An active minister in the state cabinet has suddenly gone into silence. A long time has passed since he kept away from the media. Now, he seems to have withdrawn himself into a retired corner from where he is working ñ though without uttering a single word. There are reports that the minister is not on good terms with the head of the state who looks at him with slight aversion. As the minister's name has figured in a scam, he fears lest his adversaries should drag his name into it and damage his political career. A legislator of his own party, who has an eye on the minister's chair, wants him to get out of office because of the scam so that decks for his entry there may be cleared. Keeping it in mind, the minister has changed his way of working. Once he used to organise important events, but he is hardly seen in any public functions these days. He is also working hard to become a blue-eyed boy of the partyís central leadership.

Buzzword is berth!

A legislator cranks up his paces whenever there are murmurs about cabinet expansion. He is ready to do anything for a cabinet berth by pleasing the party's central and state leadership. As he comes from a well-heeled family, he has put in all his resources to woo the party leaders. The legislator is particularly trying to persuade a powerful leader in Delhi. With the help of this leader, the legislator has bolstered his position. Those close to the leader assured the legislator of making him a minister this time. Now, the legislator is waiting for the proposed cabinet expansion to render his dreams into reality.

Angry Cong MLA

A leader of the Congress has been issuing angry statements. But few are able to divine the reasons for it. The leader has become active in making remarks against his party after the announcement of the assembly election outcome. The Congress leaders initially thought because wished to switch over to the BJP, he was making such statements as others had done before making a flight to the BJP camp. Although the leader did not go out of his party's enclosures, yet did not stop oozing out anger against his own party.

After the Lok Sabha election, the leader is targeting his party again. There are reports that many leaders of the Congress have advised him against uttering a peep. Yet there is hardly any change in his behaviour which has particularly upset his brother who still wields power in the Congress. Those who are close to this leader say he is angry with his party as well as with his family. This is the reason why rage is welling out of him, and there is no way to stop it.

Fading fad

A woman minister of state (MoS) was initially eager to work. Now, after six months, when she has realised how important her position is as an MoS, the minister has lost her enthusiasm. As soon as she was sworn in as a minister, she demanded a big bungalow and began to question the officers about their functioning. The minister's behaviour indicated as if she were running the government.

Now, the minister realised that an MoS, just a showpiece, cannot interfere in the functioning of a department. The bungalow allotted to the minister is the smallest of all the government houses given to her colleagues. Even the officers of the department hardly pay any heed to her. There are many politicians who have lots of influence over the department she has been assigned to. The circumstances have made her fall silent.

Mini Chipko Movement

The people hold the key to real power in a democratic system. The government realised it when the residents of Shivaji Nagar and Tulsi Nagar took to streets to save 29,000 trees which were to be cut off for building comfy apartments for ministers and legislators. The protest that continued for several days reminded everyone of the Chipko Movement launched in the 1970s to protect trees.

Nevertheless, the protest in the state capital soon got a political dash, when a few leaders of the ruling party as well as of the opposition joined the agitation. A former legislator of the Congress and a sitting law-maker of the ruling party lent their voice to the protest. The government submitted to the people's resolve and disposed of the plan to fell 29,000 trees. Now, the Congress leader and the sitting BJP legislator are competing with each other to take the credit for forcing the government to abandon the plan.

Minister's remark

A minister courts controversies for his waywardness and for issuing contentious statements. At a function, where the Chief Minister was also present, he made a choleric remark. The minister, whose statement assumed political colour, became a killjoy to the event. His remark kicked off so much clatter in the media that CM's statement made at the function found little space there. Political circles were also abuzz with the ministerís peeps. This was not the first time that the minister who comes of a tribal family kicked up a row. When he was a minister in the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led government, his ornery conduct raised controversies. So unhappy was Chouhan with the minister that he stopped talking to him for a few days.