In a letter to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Khushbu Sundar conveyed her decision to quit the party, saying that she was being “pushed and suppressed” by “few elements” seated at a higher level within the party.

“A few elements seated at a higher level within the party, people who have no connectivity with the ground reality or public recognition are dictating terms and people like me who wanted to work for the party sincerely, are being pushed and suppressed,” Khushbu Sundar said.

Meanwhile, Congress has dropped Khushbu Sundar as its spokesperson.

Sundar, who has been with the Congress for close to six years, is in Delhi today and may meet BJP’s central team. The developments come ahead of Tamil Nadu Assemble elections that are slated to be held next year.

Khushbu Sundar had first sparked off rumours of a rift with the Congress in July when she backed the Center’s new National Education Policy. She had even tweeted an apology to pary leader Rahul Gandhi for her differing views.

In a cryptic tweet on October 11, Khushbu Sundar said, “Many see a change in me. Well as you age, you evolve n grow, learn n unlearn, perceptions change you understand the difference between right n wrong. Change is inevitable (sic)

Many see a change in me. Well as you age, you evolve n grow, learn n unlearn, perceptions change, likes n dislikes too, thoughts n ideas take a new shape, dreams are new, you understand the difference between like n love, between right n wrong. Change is inevitable. Happy eve ❤️ pic.twitter.com/on1B4bHx30

— KhushbuSundar (@khushsundar) October 10, 2020

The popular star has hopped parties in the past. She had joined the DMK in 2010 when DMK was in power, particularly after she took up the role of late rationalist leader Periyar’s wife Maniamani in a biographical film funded by the Tamil Nadu government. However four years later, she left DMK and joined the Congress in 2014 saying that she finally found her home.

With state elections eight months away, BJP could use Ms Sundar’s star power to their advantage in Tamil Nadu. The party doesn’t have any charismatic leader in the state yet. This also comes at a time the ruling AIADMK is uncomfortable about continuing its alliance with the BJP following its collapse in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and speculation that the national party could tacitly back superstar Rajinikanth who is likely to launch his party ahead of the polls.

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The protestors have blocked several national highways, including the Delhi-Amristar highway, Delhi-Meerut highway, Karnataka-Tamil Naadu highway.

Huge traffic jams have also been reported from Ayodhya-Lucknow highway.

Punjab: Shiromani Akali Dal's Bikram Singh Majithia attends a protest in Amritsar against recent #FarmBills. pic.twitter.com/HOTSCF0Hsd

— ANI (@ANI) September 25, 2020

Farmers in Punjab have also started a three-day rail blockade against the bills. The Punjab Chief Minister said the state government was fully with the farmers in their fight against the bills and no FIRs would be registered for violation of Section 144, which prohibits gathering of more than four people.

Protests have erupted in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi too.

Noida: Members of Bhartiya Kisan Union block roads, stage protest near Delhi border against recent #FarmBills; police deployed.

Additional DCP Noida says," We have diverted traffic so that people do not face any inconvinience." pic.twitter.com/NnuKFqO7hJ

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) September 25, 2020

The farm bills – the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and the Farming Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill – were passed at the Parliament despite uproar and strong protest by the Opposition parties .

These bills are now with President Ram Nath Kovind. The Opposition parties have urged the President to not give approval to these bills. They want the government to take back the bills.

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But it is clear that the leadership does not have any kind of plan or project for that. Kapil Sibal’s harsh criticism that the party’s constitution should be changed if nominations continue instead of organisational elections can be considered as falling on deaf ears of the leadership.

It was after quite a long time that Congress President Sonia Gandhi announced the reconstitution of the Working Committee and the AICC. The move comes after 23 leaders, including Kapil Sibal, submitted a letter demanding permanent leadership of the party. But when the reorganisation was carried out, many of the front-runners in the letter were ignored. Ghulam Nabi Azad lost his membership of the Working Committee.

It is in this context that Kapil Sibal has once again come out with a critique of the leadership. Kapil Sibal pointed out that their only demand was to implement what is stated in the party governing structure. He said that it would be better to change the constitution if the party leadership was not interested in reorganisation of the party through the elections mentioned in the constitution.

Some party leaders claim the Congress to be the largest democratic party in the country. This claim may be due to the fact that they do not see the BJP as a democratic party but retains the character of a cadre party. At present, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah decide things in the BJP. Even the BJP president is forced to tow their line. But leaders of the Congress, which they claim to be the largest democratic party in the country, need to think about how different the situation is in Congress.

Unfortunately, the Congress does not even have the kind of democracy that exists within the BJP. A leader like Narendra Modi was able to rise to the top of the party and the country only because the BJP did not have a family rule like in the Congress. The Congress has not changed the belief that it is deluged after watching Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka holding the mantle of the party for years. The dependent leaders around them are those who do not want this situation to change.

The attitude of the Nehru family towards the Congress itself is now very strange. Sonia Gandhi does not want to continue as president due to age limitations. Instead, Rahul Gandhi was brought to the post. But when Rahul opted to step down from presidency following the 2019 election defeat, Sonia Gandhi was forced to return to the post instead. Sonia Gandhi is still the caretaker president. Priyanka has no interest in becoming a leader.

These three, who do not want to take the lead, are not interested in finding a president outside the Nehru family. What they are saying is that the scripture of the party is to find a new president, working committee and AICC by organising elections even if the dependents object. The practice of nomination continues unabated.

If the Nehru family was once the strength of the Congress leadership, today the situation is quite different. It is such that a revival of the party is possible only if it is properly reorganised with the Nehru family kept away. Even if Sonia Gandhi, the caretaker president, were to step down, Rahul, who is still making decisions behind the scenes and remains unstable as a leader, could not be expected to revive the party.

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The decision from Kangana comes just a few days after BMC demolished her Manikarnika Films building, alleging that it was constructed illegally. After the demolition, Kangana revealed that she will continue working in the ravaged building, as she does not have sufficient money to rebuild it.

“I had my office opening on 15th Jan, shortly after corona hit us, like most of us I haven’t worked ever since, don’t have money to renovate it, I will work from those ruins keep that office ravaged as a symbol of a woman’s will that dared to rise in this world,” wrote Kangana on her Twitter page.

Recently, the actress had also lashed out at Indian National Congress leader Sonia Gandhi for maintaining culpable silence on her issue. Kangana revealed that the silence of Sonia Gandhi is unacceptable, and made it clear that history will judge the Congress leader. The actress urged Sonia Gandhi to do something to uphold the principles of our constitution put forward by Dr BR Ambedkar.

The actress had also blamed Shiv Sena for compromising their ideologies, as leaders in the party started the hunt for power.

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Earlier, Governor Kalraj Mishra had said that the Assembly would not be allowed to be convened in Rajasthan in the face of the COVID-19 threat. Last week, the MLAs along with Ashok Gehlot gathered at the governor’s residence but he was not ready to change his stand. The Congress had alleged that the BJP was playing political drama with the support of the governor. Finally, on July 27 the governor changed his mind. Permission was granted on the condition that the assembly could be convened only if the government gave 21 days’ notice.

It was at this juncture that Assembly Speaker C.P. Joshi withdrew his petition in the Supreme Court against the High Court’s move against the dissident MLAs. The speaker, who was steadfast on his stand that he would disqualify dissident MLAs, was seen withdrawing from legal action for the time being.

Weeks after the start of Sachin Pilot’s revolt against Ashok Gehlot, there is no sign of an immediate end to the drama, let alone new dramatic developments unfolding from day to day. Even though the Congress has so far rejected the legal move in the Supreme Court, they are facing another legal battle. The BJP has filed a petition in the Rajasthan High Court against the merger of six BSP MLAs in the Congress 10 months ago.

The political drama has been further complicated by the fact that the BSP leadership has given a whip to its six MLAs asking them to vote against the government if there is a no-confidence motion in the Assembly. Gehlot claims the support of 103 MLAs, including the six BSP MLAs. Without their support, the government is sure to fall.

There is now complete uncertainty as to whether the Congress-led government, which came to power with sufficient popular support, will be able to stay in power in Rajasthan. The governor, who had secretly vowed to give Gehlot a chance to prove his majority, has now unexpectedly changed his mind. The Congress will have to work doubly hard to secure a vote in favour of Gehlot in the Assembly.

The Congress must drudge to overcome the BJP’s tactics of seizing power even if it does not win elections. With its money power, the BJP is the strongest force in the post-election horse-trading.

With the BJP’s insurmountable party machine and the immense ‘money’ it possesses, J.P. Nadda does the magic of a footballer who scores goals even in the most impossible situations with Amit Shah in the shadows. It remains to be seen whether this footwork will be repeated in Rajasthan.

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The Nehru family had never acknowledged the contributions of Narasimha Rao, who made history by becoming the first Congress leader to become Prime Minister outside of the family. The Congress leadership refused to arrange funeral due for one of the tallest leader of the party in the national capital when Narasimha Rao, who was at loggerheads with the Nehru family, died.
Sonia Gandhi recalls that under Narasimha Rao’s leadership the party was able to overcome challenges it faced at a time when the Congress was getting thinner day by day. It is not uncommon for people to repent even after death for what they did to their old enemies in the face of huge setbacks.

The reign of Narasimha Rao from 1991 to 1996 was a turning point in the history of independent India. Politically and economically, India’s history can be divided into before and after the reign of Narasimha Rao. The major policy changes and political events during his time as Prime Minister and Congress leader were decisive.

It was Narasimha Rao who led India into a new era from the days of the Licence Raj through economic reforms. With the aim of implementing globalisation and liberalisation, he appointed Manmohan Singh, an IMF official and economist, as Finance Minister. Despite oppositions, it was these policies that led India on a new path of economic growth. Since then, there have been revolutionary changes in the business environment, job creation and consumer climate in India.

The factor behind the successful completion of five years of a minority government was the flexibility of the political strategist that Narasimha Rao was. At the same time, some of his loose political views were reactionary enough to change the later course of Indian history. The Babri Masjid in Ayodhya was demolished by the Sangh Parivar during the reign of Narasimha Rao. Although it could have been prevented, the lax attitude of the Central Government led to the rewriting of later political equations.

The autumn of Narasimha Rao’s life did not suit the dignity of a former Prime Minister who ruled India for five years overcoming many challenges that the grand old party faced. Congress refused to pay homage to even the mortal remains of Narasimha Rao when he died after being politically isolated for long.

When Sonia Gandhi recalls Narasimha Rao’s contributions at a time when the Congress is collapsing without an energetic leader or a clear political plan, it should also be seen as payback time with history settling scores.

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