Rajasthan's royal political problem: Modi se bair nahi, rani ki khair nahi

A BJP leader said he was sceptical if Vasundhara Raje Scindia would be able to pull off a win all by herself

Rajasthan's royal problem: Modi se bair nahi, rani ki khair nahi
 

So how is the political mood in Rajasthan ahead of the Assembly polls? A new slogan heard on the streets of the state — “Modi se bair nahi, rani ki khair nahi” (we don't have a problem with Modi, but the queen has had it) — is enough indication of the people’s disillusionment with the current dispensation. A ruling party leader said he was sceptical if the rani — presumably a reference to Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia — would be able to pull off a win all by herself. And that if she did manage to get 50 seats in the coming Assembly election without active campaigning by senior party leaders, it would be considered an impressive performance.

Winds of change

Some early signs of change are visible at the corporate headquarters of one of India's largest business conglomerates with the second generation looking to kick-start the process by reviewing the food and alcohol related policies at the group. Under the new leadership of a Harvard-educated son, the group is said to be warming up to the idea of allowing alcohol and non-vegetarian food — a strict no-no at the moment — inside the office premises. One is not sure if the promoter and his father have taken kindly to the new idea. 

Two chachas after one bua

If Samajwadi Party President and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav found a bua (paternal aunt) in Bahujan Samaj Party national leader Mayawati, Bihar leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav has identified at least two of his chachas (uncles) in state Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi. Launching a fierce attack on the chachas — both of whom were absent at the time Tejashwi gave that scathing speech — he said Manoj Baitha, a BJP leader who allegedly mowed down nine children in Muzaffarpur, was being “saved” by them. His chachas, he alleged, orchestrated a delay in Baitha’s arrest, ensuring that when he surfaced it was too late for an alcohol test to confirm if he was intoxicated while driving the vehicle that killed the children.