Rejig in Modi Cabinet? 

There is a chance of a massive rejig in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet after January 14, when the ongoing Kharmas period, which is believed to be inauspicious as per the Hindu calendar concludes.  According to sources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi may expand his Cabinet and add leaders of the Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction, an ally gained by the NDA. Some new faces from the states which are scheduled to go to the polls next year such as Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Telangana, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh may appear before the 2024 general elections. Some ministers may be removed from the Cabinet based on their respective performance. It is being said that PM Modi, and his cohort of top ministers, have prepared a report card of how each of the Cabinet ministers has performed in the portfolio allocated to them. 

Creative take at opposition  

“Ab nahi to kab…” is the new tagline for the Bharat Jodo Yatra’s theme song, released on January 2, 2023. Common issues such as inflation, and unemployment, which have been raised by Rahul Gandhi during the ongoing Yatra have been discussed in the song. The song lyrics convey the idea of the wind of change that is blowing and it has been asked that if ‘not now, when?’ “Bandh ho nafrat ki rajneeti – ab nahi to kab? Mahengai ka ghada foote – ab nahi to kab? Berozgari ka chakkar chhute – ab nahi to kab?…”, and the song continues. The Congress stated that the Yatra’s purpose has been served to a great extent. K.C. Venugopal said: “This is a significant milestone in the Congress tradition of giving voice to the people’s concerns. The Yatra has greatly succeeded in sending out the message of unity across the country”. 

Kharge’s FIRST BIG SHOW 

The plenary session of the All India Congress Committee, premiering under the leadership of the party president Mallikarjun Kharge will be held from the 24 February to 26 February in Raipur. It will include a discussion on the major issues related to varied fields comprising of politics, economics, international affairs, agriculture, education, and employment. The session will also lead to some important decisions concerning the key party bodies such as the Congress Working Committee, the highest executive body of the Congress, and the Central Election Commission, the top poll body that decides on candidates for Lok Sabha and assembly polls, should be set up either through elections or nomination by the party president.