Amarinder Singh, by all means, was the captain of Punjab politics. The Patiala Maharaja ruled the state as he pleased and dealt with the Congress’s central leadership nonchalantly. At a personal level, he enjoyed access to the Gandhi family that very few in the party could match. Rajiv Gandhi was a childhood friend, and he is on a first-name basis with Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra call him “uncle”.
But on September 18, the formidable regional satrap was asked by the party leadership to resign as chief minister. The sudden turn of events also marked an assertion by the Gandhis of their authority. They had been facing questions about their leadership, style of functioning and vote-catching ability. For good measure, the royal and imperious Amarinder was replaced by a dalit Sikh leader with humble origins.
What happened in Punjab showed that the primacy of decision-making in Congress now lies with Rahul and Priyanka. There was a shift from the status-quoist and consensus-building approach of Sonia. On display was a decisiveness that has otherwise been seen in the way the Bharatiya Janata Party replaced a few of its chief ministers recently.
If Operation Punjab had the imprint of Rahul writ large, Priyanka played a key role in mainstreaming Amarinder's bete noire, Navjot Singh Sidhu. Rahul got deeply involved in the imbroglio when Sidhu went all out against Amarinder, and several legislators and ministers voiced their discontent with the government.
Denne historien er fra October 03, 2021-utgaven av THE WEEK.
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Denne historien er fra October 03, 2021-utgaven av THE WEEK.
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William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.
Garden by the sea
When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus
RECRUITERS SPEAK
Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates
MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI
