Bhajan Lal Chants the Battle Hymn

Beset by an ensemble of political and administrative challenges, the Rajasthan CM strives to build a halo

- Rohit Parihar

CHIEF MINISTER Bhajan Lal Sharma must have felt an awful sense of deja vu on the first two days of the monsoon session over September 1-3. The Congress was back to the unusual belligerence it has displayed of late, forcing adjournments and the like. Over the previous three sessions, the BJP government had struggled to own the narrative. Sharma's ministers—many firsttimers among them-faltered before the blitz. Even senior BJP men allowed themselves a jibe or two.

Erasing the sense of authority deficit is thus a vital task for the CM. The marathon sessions he held over August 25-26 with MLAs and MPs was part of that.

Politically, his strategy also reveals his anxieties. It's the classic tool in the hands of any CM: dangling the prospect of a cabinet reshuffle. High time too. For, carrying flaky debutants while a sullen cohort of veterans sits out-due to their proximity to ex-CM Vasundhara Raje-is breeding disaffection. And nothing like the love of a good berth to keep incumbents as well as wannabes in a complaisant mood. Yet, too much deference to Raje loyalists will seem weak-kneed. He has to move carefully.