Delhi Confidential: Railway Minister’s surprise check, Karnataka BJP’s grouse and Congress’s rally push

Welcome to Delhi Confidential, your inside track to the power corridors of the capital. Today: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s surprise move to bring field engineers into a track maintenance review, discontent within the Karnataka BJP over its limited representation in the Yuva Morcha’s new national team, and the Congress’s efforts to mobilise supporters for its November 1 ‘vote chori’ rally in Delhi.

1. 01

   From Field to Rail Bhawan

   Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently gave a surprise to his officials. Chairing a track maintenance review meeting earlier this week, the minister called some Senior Section Engineers (SSEs) from the field to Rail Bhawan for cross-checking the reports. In the meeting, Vaishnaw asked the field officials to share their experiences. An official from Nagpur division explained how technological advancements and passenger safety measures have ensured more effective functioning. The minister later spoke to that official on the phone too. Sources said the feedback from the field — field officials are usually not part of such high-level meetings — would help the ministry improve its safety standards.

2. 02

   Down and Out

   The Karnataka unit of the BJP — which is yet to get a fresh team under party president Nitin Nabin’s leadership — got another reason to be upset when the Yuva Morcha announced new national office-bearers. Only one leader from the state found a place in the 34-member team led by Hemang Joshi. This has triggered angry reactions from the state leaders who want to know why they have failed to “function as a strong, independent and effective organisation" despite Karnataka having the most "favourable" atmosphere for the BJP among the southern states, said sources. They pointed out that the Yuva Morcha in Karnataka had produced strong youth leaders who later influenced the state and national politics. The Yuva Morcha appointment has become yet another bone of contention for the “already-disillusioned” state unit.

3. 03

   Rallying for Rally

   With a rally on the “vote chori” issue scheduled at Ramlila Maidan on November 1, the Congress has started holding meetings with leaders from some states to discuss and plan the mobilisation of supporters. Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal held meetings with party leaders from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. The leaders were instructed to ensure maximum mobilisation for the rally in Delhi. They were asked to take a cue from the recent march to the Supreme Court led by senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.