Skip to main content

PK!

Veni, vidi, vici – Latin for I came; I saw; I conquered – is said to have had been quoted by Julius Caesar in a message to the Roman Senate after his victory in the Battle of Zela. Nowadays, it is used to refer to a swift and conclusive victory.


The phrase sits well on the shoulders of Prashant Kishor. Well, he doesn't need any introduction. After all, who hasn't heard of "chai pe charcha"?

He is credited with many political victories; no wonder West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee chose him as an advisor just ahead of 2021 assembly elections. This, after the 2019 Lok Sabha setback – losing a dozen seats compared to 2014 in her home turf.

And no wonder, a film star-turned-politician is also reported to have also sought his services in strengthening his party in Tamil Nadu. Insiders say Kishor’s I-PAC has close to 800 youth working for him in West Bengal and about 500 in Tamil Nadu.

Surprisingly, there is no effort on the strategist’s part to either learn Bengali or Tamil; or to get into the details of local culture and practice.

Yet, Kishor has already enacted his “10 commandments” for Mamata’s Trinamool, with a view at strengthening leadership at grassroots-level and leaders being accessible to the masses. He has done what many wished in private but never dared to speak: he has “asked” Didi to desist from commenting on a number of subjects.

Lately, Kishor is said to be seeking inputs from various professionals who are from these states for their ideas and suggestions.

On its part, BJP has alleged that Kishor is occasionally overstepping and interfering with the day-to-day routine of the state administration.

Trinamool insiders allege that he is frequently overstepping his brief and not only participate in party meetings but even calls up or calls on even block level leaders.

All allegations have been officially denied by Bengal's ruling party and the supremo remains quiet.

Some political workers believe that Narendra Modi would have become CM, later PM, with or without PK; ditto for Y S Jaganmohan Reddy and Amrinder Singh. They point out to the Congress’ humiliating defeat in UP despite PK’s support. To be fair, Kishor had claimed even before the UP assembly election results were out that Congress leadership had ignored his suggestions during campaign.

They also believe that there is a conflict of interest since PK holds an important post in Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), which is officially part of NDA.

Thus, the obvious questions: Why did Trinamool MP and Mamata’s nephew Abhisek Banerjee himself publicly usher in PK at CM’s office? Why pay an astronomical sum to such a person (though Trinamool claims PK is working pro-bono)?

ALSO READ: https://www.timesnownews.com/india/article/mamata-meets-prashant-kishor-what-s-next/433391


(This post is the musings of Jayanta Bhattacharya. It has nothing to do with where he works or what he does to earn his bread. In case of any criticism or suggestion, write to @Jayantab15 on Twitter / Facebook or jayantab15@gmail.com on email)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The 'Invisible' Working Hands

Vijay Yadav was from Patna, Bihar, and Sufian Momin was from Maldah, West Bengal. They became friends while working at a multi-storey-building construction site in Mumbai. On Monday (April 13) evening, Momin gets a call from Vijay; later, other labourers from Maldah who were staying in Bandra east also receive similar phone-calls. Calls were also received by labourers from other states with a message for them to assemble at the bus stop near Bandra railway station on Tuesday afternoon with a demand: “either arrange our food, or arrange our return home”. Thus, the migrants from Maldah joined workers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, others, at the said bus stop in Mumbai. 'THE INVISIBLES' by GOPAL DUTT SHARMA  The labourers later said that instead of either proving food or a passage home, police dispersed them with baton charge. Some were injured by the caning; but scared of being nabbed by the police, most preferred to suffer quietly at the shanties that are their temp...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Epitaph

The other day there was one of those unsolicited messages in one of those unsolicited groups. Yes, with time, I have started attending WhatsApp University. And with time, I have stopped exiting groups; I attend these classes as a passive, mute student of unlearning – though my attendance would be considered insufficient. Many may call me a watcher or even a voyeur. However, I yearn to unlearn a lot – especially from groups that proudly exhibit the term Media or Journalist. So I do occasionally glance through the sundry post when I need to unlearn or get winded. In the message, one of these media specialists targeted a certain “infamous” communist leader, raising questions over his source of income in supporting his livelihood (even if frugal) or funding an election campaign. Left is just a four-letter word today. And now that it has been rendered politically and economically irrelevant, I find it amusing that some people still find it worth flogging a dead horse. And I LoL when someo...
Post a Comment
Read more

How Beautiful #OurValley #Kashmir

March 1979, my first visit to Srinagar. We took a train from Patna to Jammu, via Delhi. From Jammu, a bus ride to Srinagar… through the Jawahar Tunnel, around ‘Khooni Naala’ – longingly eyeing cricket bats lined on road-sides – all the time cracking walnut shells, popping in mouth the kernel. Had ‘pink tea’ for the first time at a place 60km before Srinagar – called Anantnag… ! Three days in Srinagar never enough; Dal Lake, the boat ride around Char Chinar, the long climb to Shankaracharya Temple, Chasma Shahi, Shalimar Bagh, Nishat Bagh. On yes, I also remember a sound-and-music presentation at Mughal Garden … Breathtaking! And two days never ever enough to explore Kashmir Valley; Tobagganing at Khilanmarg, snowball-fights at Sonmarg, marveling the Lidder River in Pahalgam… Picturesque! And shopping; carpets, knick-knacks made of walnut wood… my mother bargaining in a shop in the overcrowded market at Lal Chowk… She proudly held up the trophy afterwards – a white ru...
4 comments
Read more