The Xavier effect: Did Yogi meet PMSD leader as part of New Delhi's wish list?
The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister visit to Mauritius went down as a bad publicity for the MSM-ML-OPR regime, one which swiftly culminated in the fall of Shaukatally Soodhun as deputy Prime Minister.
But in the mist of the cacophony raised by Yogi Adityanath’s visit, one political leader stole the limelight. Yogi, says our source, visited the PMSD leader Xavier Luc Duval in private.
The official reasons for such a private visit is unknown, but we can speculate on the following: Yogi was pressed by New Delhi to meet with representatives of Hindu organisations that made special requests to the Uttar Pradesh leader to meet Xavier Duval.
The meeting took place in all privacy – away from the media glare – and was sponsored by some Hindu based organisation that is putting its bet on the PMSD leader.
WFTV will not reveal the name of the Hindu organisation but for those who follows our stories on Mauritius, it will not be hard to know which organisations we are talking about. There is nothing secret here but we do have to respect the organisations that wanted Yogi’s meeting with Xavier to remain a private affair.
PANIC AMONG LOCAL POLITICAL FORMATIONS
Nevertheless, the news broke out among the local political organisations in Port Louis, ringing panic within the MSM in particular but also within the Labour Party.
As for the MMM, the news of Yogi’s courtesy visit to the PMSD’s leader is seen as a sign of a shift in India’s policy in Mauritius and it may signal a change in the MMM’s approach towards the PMSD in the future.
In New Delhi’s strategy for Mauritius, the ideal situation will be an alliance between the MMM and the MSM but an alliance between the MMM and the PMSD is not discounted as it will satisfy one of India’s need to see competence in the Mauritian government.
Both the leader of the MMM Paul Berenger and Duval are seen by New Delhi as potential non-corrupt leaders on whom they can bank for the good running of the country’s finances.
Our source from New Delhi tells us the Narendra Modi regime in India is keen to see either Berenger or Duval in the Cabinet soon in order to secure their investments and their foreign policy strategies in the Indian Ocean region.
Berenger is also seen by France as an added asset to resolve the thorny issue of the Tromelin Island, a vote on which was suspended this year by the French Parliament due to massive division among the French political elites.
PARIS-INDE
India and France are working hand-in-hand to see a stronger, popular and more responsible regime in Mauritius in replacement of the current disparaged and weakening, unpopular MSM-ML-OPR regime.
The ruckus in the local parties with Yogi’s seeing Mr. Duval is that the local leaders now believe the latter is an important political figure on the International scene and a force to reckon with.
WFTV carried a story on the political divide that has set in among the Hindu community, with a large minority giving their support to the PMSD.
The PMSD is also gaining in support from the Christian community, with the split among the voters now more evident after the PMSD left the coalition government of Pravind Jugnauth following his nomination as Prime Minister.