Raja’s yesman

With Raja's yesman Mukesh Agnihotri leading the Congress in the Vidhan Sabha, the party high command has refused to look beyond "Raja's choice or his individual cult", not passing on the baton to a more competent leader who could inspire or strike a chord with the electorate at large. Although many names are doing the rounds for the CLP leader, Raja seems to be the top choice. The poll debacle could be attributed to the fact that the Congress failed to promote the second line of leadership in the state. It is always Virbhadra who runs the show. Young leaders are yet to find a place, it seems.

Donning the CM's hat

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur assumed office 12 days ago, but he is yet to get used to the working of the CM office. When one of his staff members handed over the phone to him saying “Mukhyamantri ji se baat karo”, he started looking here and there. Suddenly, he realised that he was the Chief Minister and answered the call. He narrated the incident during a meeting. Thakur said it would take some time to get accustomed to the new environment. “I am new, and will do something new, the Chief Minister said."

Winds of change

The change of government on December 27 has changed things in “Holly Lodge”, the private residence of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, and "Oakover”, the official residence of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, which remained neglected for quite some time. After Thakur shifted to “Oakover”, the place is abuzz with activity, with hundreds of people making a beeline for the CM's residence to meet and greet him. “Holly Lodge” is wearing a deserted look. A few visitors are seen at Virbhadra's residence. But this has eased traffic chaos on the stretch between "Holly Lodge" and secretariat to some extent.

Crackdown on mining mafia

With the change of government in the state, the police has started acting against the mining mafia in Una. The crackdown was obvious. However, it remains to be seen if it is an exercise against illegal mining or a ploy to oust Congress-backed people engaged in mining with BJP-backed people. Will the government be able to frame a transparent policy on mining is something that can't be answered with certainty.

Contributed by Kuldeep Chauhan, Bhanu P Lohumi and Lalit Mohan