New Delhi, 27 June 2007

Gurjjar Maha Panchayat

CASTE CAULDRON GETS MURKIER

By Insaf

Rajasthan is getting poised for another caste conflagration which could create problems in the other States. The Gurjjar reservation stand-off is a classic case of a lull before the storm. Last week, the Gurjjar Maha Panchayat 70,000 plus at Pushkar from several States sounded the bugle for a longer agitation unless the Government conceded the community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status. Asserted Gurjjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla: “The Government has three months and three days; from the fourth day, the people will be in charge.” Even as Bainsla apologised for the violent-turn their agitation had taken and the consequent loss of lives, he made it plain that their demand for a share in the reservation pie would continue non-violently. Two Maha Sabhas, public meetings and jail bharo aandolans have been planned to secure popular support.

Clearly, the Vasundhara Raje-led Government is in trouble unless it gets its act together vis-a-vis the Gurjjar demand for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes list, as in the case of the Meenas, many of whom are today represented in the top all-India services, including the IAS and IPS. The Gurjjars, who constitute 6 per cent of the State’s population, seem to have moved away from the BJP and even demanded the Raje Government’s resignation for having perpetrated violence against them. Importantly, with Gurjjars from neighbouring Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and other States flocking to Pushkar, the caste reservation cauldron is getting murkier and more complicated. The State and the Centre will have to tread cautiously to contain the Gurjjar uprising in Rajasthan and prevent it from igniting new caste wars elsewhere.

*                                  *                                        *                                              *

Himachal CM On Sticky Wicket

With eight months left for the Assembly elections, the Congress Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Virbhadra Singh, suddenly finds himself on a sticky wicket. Five-times CM of scenic Himachal, he is now having to walk a tightrope after enjoying a hassle-free rule of four-and-a-half years. Thanks both to rival Congress leaders and the Opposition. Notwithstanding, the high hopes among his followers who expect Singh to bring the Congress back to power next March. His biggest problem are the detractors within the State Congress, who are covertly and overtly receiving support from at New Delhi in pulling the rug from under his feet prior to the Assembly poll. On the premise that a new leader alone would ensure the Congress return to power against the backdrop of the party’s defeat in the recent Hamirpur bye-election to the Lok Sabha, despite the fact that Singh led the month-long campaign personally. Adding grist to the cloak-and-dagger maneouvers is the CD released by CM-baiter and former Minister Vijay Mankotia, accusing Singh and his spouse, Pratibha, member of the Lok Sabha, of corruption charges.

However, Virbhadra Singh is unperturbed by these “wild and concocted allegations”. He continues to enjoy a clean image and credibility among the people and is in commanding position both in the party and the State. Interestingly, Virbhadra Singh’s top rival was unable to mobilize the support of even five MLAs after the last poll. His followers are clear: Hamirpur has always been a BJP stronghold and the very fact that it was forced to field former Chief Minister Dhumal is indication enough of the strong challenge posed by the Congress. Not a few State watchers, including senior Ministers, also hoot for Singh’s vote-catching ability, no matter his detractors tirade that he would be able to win only 15 seats, as against 43 out of 60 in 2003. They aver: “If the Congress nets only 15 seats, as they argue, it will be because of Virbhadra Singh. Without him it will be zero.” *                                   *                                        *                                                  *        

Farmers Suicide In UP

*                      *                                  *                                               *

Unending Woes Of Kashmir Pandits

The woes of the displaced Kashmiri Pandits (KPs) continue to increase. At the height of their “ethnic cleansing” from Kashmir during the militant-infested 1990’s, the displaced Pandits totalled 3.5 lakhs. Today, the number has surged to about 14 lakhs. Worse, according to the Panun Kashmir Movement Chairman Ashwani Chrungoo, successive State Governments have only paid lip service to their demand for return to the homeland. Their plea of being forced to live in temporary migrant camps that are “no better than pigeon holes” continues to fall on deaf ears. Matters have been made worse by two factors. First, the political panel set up by Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has failed to take any unanimous decision on the KP migrants return. Second, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s special package for their safe return and rehabilitation has yet to be endorsed by all the political parties in the State. Scandalously, the KPs continue to be called migrants when, in fact, they are displaced refugees!

*                           *                                                    *                                         *

Haryana Plugs For Guest Teachers

Haryana is all set to add a new and laudable dimension to its education policy. In its quest to increase literacy in the State, it has upgraded 419 Government schools from the primary to middle school and 174 from the middle to the high school. Similarly, 419 schools have been upgraded from the high school to senior secondary school level. Moreover, it plans to hire around 1,000 ‘guest teachers’ in more than 800 upgraded Government schools. At present there are 14,660 guest teachers working on a temporary basis in various Government schools in the State. Initially, the State Government appointed teachers to tide over the crisis of finding a large number of permanent teachers. But it now seems to have had second thoughts about appointing permanent teachers. Instead, it has enhanced the number of guest teachers. Additionally, to uplift the education level, the Haryana Board of School Education is set to spend Rs.12 crore on computerising Government and private recognized schools.

*                                   *                                  *                                               *

Women Drug Peddlers

Women in Punjab appear to be on a new, different kick--- of drug peddling. In the last two months, the Punjab police have recovered kilos of opium, heroin, smack, poppy husk, sedative pills, drug capsules, morphine injection et al. The rising number of women drug peddlers is giving sleepless nights to the police who have arrested 25 women in the NDPS cases in the last three months. Faced with a severe shortage of women officers, the police department is finding it very difficult to check suspicious looking women. Alive and alert, the drug mafia is taking advantage of this weakness and is, therefore, using women to peddle drugs among the youth, especially in the border areas. Clearly, the drug moll has replaced the drug mafia, posing a new and tough challenge to the Punjab Government and its police.

*                        *                                   *                                         *

Bihar Has World’s Tallest Stupa

Bihar and Buddists the world over owe a special thanks to President Kalam for taking the  initiative on the world’s tallest stupa, the Kesaria Stupa. A letter by a Buddhist monk propelled the President to ask the Archeological Survey of India to dig afresh the 104-feet Buddhist Stupa, buried by the 1934 earthquake in East Champaran district. The stupa is relevant to Lord Buddha’s life. It was here that the Buddha first mentioned about his Mahaparinirvana and where he reportedly donated his begging bowl to the Lichchavis. The Borobudur Stupa, a prominent World Heritage site, is 103 feet high. Huien Tsang, the well-known Chinese traveller, mentioned the Kesaria Stupa to be 123 feet high, when Buddhism thrived in its Halycon days. Some archaeologists claim it was built between 200 AD and 750 AD. ------- INFA

(Copyright India News And Feature Alliance)

Round The States

New Delhi, 13 June 2007

As Governments Change...

VENDETTA POLITICS TO THE FORE

By Insaf

Witch hunt seems to have become the flavour of the season.  Politics of vendetta is being pursued increasingly by erstwhile Opposition parties voted to power in the States in recent elections. UP and Punjab provide glaring examples of two major States where Governments have recently been replaced by the rival parties---the BSP in Lucknow and the Akali Dal-BJP in Chandigarh. Soon after assuming charge as Chief Ministers, Mayawati in U.P. and Parkash Singh Badal in Punjab publicly declared that they would not practise any vendetta against the Chief Ministers and other leaders of the outgoing Governments. Nevertheless, contrary to the established norms of administration, both have allowed partisan interests to influence their outlook and undermine the continuity of governance even on the development front. The new Governments are undoubtedly entitled to take corrective measures required without fuss in public interest. But all norms have been thrown to the winds.

Mayawati has announced her Government’s decision to review almost all major actions taken by the outgoing Mulayam Singh Government, especially those relating to the projects of Anil Ambani and Subrato Roy, both close friends of Mulayam Singh and his close associate Amar Singh. Such decisions, together with mass transfers of 154 senior officers, has not only affected the smooth continuity of governance, but also created chaotic conditions in the administration.  Similar situations have also arisen under Badal’s Government in Punjab. Enquiries have been ordered in several causes of corruption. This includes the Ludhiana City Centre scam, in which the former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and four of his advisers are allegedly involved. The State Government has also shunted out seven Special Public Prosecutors (SPP) appointed by the erstwhile Congress Government to probe high-profile corruption cases involving Badal and his family.

*                             *                                               *                                           *

Task Before Goa CM Kamat

Goa’s new Chief Minister Digambar Kamat has reason not to celebrate. The State’s Chief Ministership has become a crown of thorns, given the Goa’s political history of defections and unstable governments. The Congress he leads in the Assembly has only 16 MLAs in the 40-member House. He has managed to cobble up a majority with the support of the NCP, a Congress ally, and the  MGP, which have three and two MLAs respectively, and two Independents. Importantly, Kamat defected from the BJP to the Congress only two years ago. Yet, he outsmarted two senior Congress leaders, Pratapsinh Rane and the PCC Chief Ravi Naik, both of whom were in the run for the Chief Ministership. The former has been the State’s CM seven times and the latter thrice. Kamat has already faced his first difficulty in finalizing his Ministry and distributing portfolios. In fact, the exercise was still on at the time of writing.

*                               *                                               *                                           *

Modi Has The Last Laugh

Political activity in Gujarat is fast warming up, ahead of the Assembly elections by the year-end. Chief Minister Narendra Modi is facing a challenge both from within his BJP and the Opposition Congress. Sonia Gandhi has visited the State twice and the loyalists of his bete noire and former BJP Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel are bracing up for show of strength within the party.  However, Modi seems to be having the last laugh in regard to the threat from within. A massive rally was sought to be mounted against Modi at Surat on Monday. But he nipped it in the bud successfully. Even Keshubhai stayed away from the rally attended by not more than one lakh locals against expectation of more than five lakh. In contrast, Modi’s influence and development-oriented governance was reflected at a rally in Ahmedabad, a day earlier. Held to mark his emerging as the longest serving Chief Minister, it was attended by more than seven lakh people.

*                              *                                               *                                           *

Raje’s Hat-Trick Against Gurjjars

Rajasthan Chief Minister, Vasundhara Raje has scored a hat-trick, striking thrice against the Gurjjars in the State who have been agitating aggressively for Scheduled Tribes status. First, she managed to get them to call off their violent stir which had spread to adjoining States and the Union Capital. She offered them a Committee to look into their demand and got their leaders to accept it. Second, she has managed to get the Gurjjar satraps to split over the agreement to withdraw the agitation. Simultaneously, she has got the State police to move against Gurjjar activists led by Col. Bainsla (Retd), for creating violence and destroying public property during the agitation. Third, she has got the State BJP to suspend three of its Gurjjar MLAs and hold two Ministers responsible for helping wage what the Government has described as “open caste war” between the Gurjjars and Meenas of the State.

*                               *                                               *                                           *

Generals Join Hands In Uttarakhand

The BJP and its Chief Minister in Uttarakhand B.C. Khanduri have managed to be one-up on the Congress Party. Khanduri has got a senior Congress leader and former Minister, Lt.-Gen TPS Rawat (Retd) to resign his Assembly seat from Dhumakot and offer it to him to enable him to enter the Assembly through this constituency before September 8. The deal is essentially a quid pro quo. Presently, Khanduri represents Pauri constituency in the Lok Sabha. Rawat has now been offered the Pauri seat. Interestingly, Khanduri had defeated Rawat in the 2004 election for the Lok Sabha by over 50,000 votes from Pauri.  Now that the two rivals, one a retired two-star General and the other a retired three-star General from the same IMA course, have  joined hands, the BJP is assured a majority on its own in the 70-member Assembly. At present, the party has 35 MLAs.

*                               *                                               *                                           *

AIADMK Agitates Against CM

The AIADMK cadres violently hit the streets across Tamil Nadu last week, protesting against Chief Minister Karunanidhi for allegedly making derogatory remarks against their supremo Jayalalitha. Thousands of party workers, including a large number of women, blocked roads in different places and burnt the CM’s effigies. Over 12,000 persons, including 1117 women, were detained across the State. One of the DMK activists died in jail reportedly of a heart attack. Alleging negligence of the prison authorities, the cadres demonstrated in Chennai again, resulting in more arrests. The State Government later  ordered release of all AIADMK workers, except for 28 people arrested on charges of attempt to murder. Jayalalitha has, however, warned the DMK Government that her party cadres would not remain silent spectators to derogatory comments against their leader.

*                              *                                               *                                           *

Chhattisgarh’s “Salwa Judum” Challenged

The Chhattisgarh Government’s initiative to constitute “Salwa Judum” (self-defence groups) to combat the growing Naxalite menace in the State has run into difficulty. A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court against the group by two individuals. The Court has issued a notice to the Government after hearing the petitioners about the killings and atrocities committed by the Salwa Judum in the guise of countering the Naxal movement. These local activists have been conducting frequent raids on villages and “suspected” Naxalite sympathizers are allegedly being beaten up and brutally killed. Their houses are torched and livestock stolen. These armed activists are also said to have been frequently involved in illegal checking of vehicles and levying of taxes.

*                              *                                               *                                           *

Meghalaya To Clean Up PDS

 The Meghalaya Government has worked out a nine-point programme to tackle the menace of increasing “diversion” of commodities meant for the Public Distribution System (PDS). This follows a survey that showed about 80 per cent of commodities meant for the below poverty line (BPL) families were diverted in 2004-05. The State will now use Government agencies to distribute the PDS material. This is expected to eliminate malpractices by private fair price shops. Moreover, ration cards will hereafter be distributed by the Block Officers, to end misuse. Wholesale dealers in the State are also proposed to be reduced from 756 to around 400. Those indulging in malpractices will lose their dealership. ---INFA

 (Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

Round The States

New Delhi, 6 June 2007

Reservations The Bane

GURJJARS’ DEMAND TAKES UGLY TURN

By Insaf

The violent week-long agitation by the Gurjjars of Rajasthan, vigorously supported by the community in parts of the adjoining States and the Union Capital has been withdrawn. Thanks to the tactical handling of the explosive situation by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, belatedly though.  But the protests which cost more than 40 lives,  injuries to 400 persons and destruction of properties worth hundreds of crores, have left unresolved a unique issue of great national concern: demand for downgradation of caste and community to gain backward status. The Gurjjars of Rajasthan have been pleading for the last few years for the status of Scheduled Tribes in preference to the present OBC status, obviously for the sake of securing greater benefits like reservations in Government services, public sector enterprises and educational institutions available to the STs. At present only the Meenas enjoy these benefits in Rajasthan.

The incredible demand for securing a lower listing in the caste hierarchy started some two decades ago in the South. Tamil Nadu’s Venniyar community then violently agitated for recognition as the Most Backward Class (MBC). It also demanded 20 per cent reservations, which was conceded to them by Chief Minister Karuuanidhi in 1989. Vote -bank politics gave a fresh thrust to this trend when Karunanidhi included his own caste, Isai Vellaler in the list of OBC alongwith the Venniyars. Karnataka’s Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities followed suit. Both agitated violently to get their backward status reinstated when a Government-constituted Commission removed them from the State OBC list. Caste and community divide is clearly beginning to snowball and even turn violent as reflected in the last week’s agitation of Gurjjars.

The Gurjjars agitation may not have taken an ugly turn. But matters went out of hand when their demand for inclusion in the ST list was opposed by the Meena community, which alone enjoys the benefits of Scheduled Tribes reservations in Rajasthan. They are estimated to be about 12 per cent of the State’s population, as against the Gurjjars six per cent. Moreover, they have a political clout too in Jaipur and New Delhi. In fact, CM Raje had quietly asked her two Meena Ministers at least two months before the agitation to survey all the 33 districts and seek their opinion about the Gurjjars’ demand. Only two districts, Dausa and Sawai Mansingh, reportedly favoured this. This put the Gurjjar leaders on the defensive and constrained them to agree to the constitution of a three-member Committee, headed by a retired High Court judge to look into their demand, which Raje too had promised three years ago.

*                             *                                            *                                               *

Congress Wins Goa

Goa has given the Congress Party a much-needed shot in the arm after the mauling it received in the recent UP poll and earlier in Punjab and Uttarakhand. In fact, the party and its outgoing Chief Minister, Pratapsinh Rane, have reasons to rejoice. It was not only able to beat the anti-incumbency factor, but also an election-eve revolt by two powerful regional satraps, Churchill Alemao and A. Monserrate, together with six leaders contesting as independents. The party has won 16 seats (same as its tally in 2002) in addition to three, bagged by its alliance partner Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party. The Congress-NCP coalition with 19 seats in the 40-member Assembly is comfortably placed to form a stable Government with the help of two independents, one of whom is Vishwajit Rane, son of Pratapsinh Rane. The main opposition BJP performed below expectations, winning only 14 seats, against 17 it won in the 2002 Assembly poll.

*                             *                                            *                                               *

Byelection Blues

The Congress has also done fairly well in the byelections to seven Assembly and one Lok Sabha seats across six States. It has won four Assembly constituencies and, what is more, also wrested the Shivpuri Assembly seat from the ruling BJP in Madhya Pradesh. This victory is seen as a warning to the BJP ahead of the Assembly poll in the State next year. The victory against the ruling party candidate is a personal triumph for Jyotiraditya Scindia, M.P., who managed the poll almost single handed. The Congress has, however, suffered a setback in Himachal Pradesh, which faces the Assembly poll later this year. The BJP’s former Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal not only managed to stave off the ruling Congress challenge for the Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat, but won the poll handsomely by trouncing Cabinet Minister Ram Lal Thakur by a massive margin of 80,000 votes.

The BJP did well in Chhattisgarh too where it wrested the Khairagarh Assembly seat from the Congress and Malkharode seat from the BSP. These results have reversed the fortune for the BJP which had lost the Lok Sabha bypoll earlier this year. However, the .BJP suffered a setback in Jharkhand where former Speaker Inder Singh Namdhari retained the Daltonganj Assembly seat as an Independent.  For the Congress, there is also good news from the north-eastern State of Manipur. There it has wrested the Khamdrakpan Assembly seat from the NCP and retained Khangalok. This has given the Congress a simple majority of its own, with a tally of 31 seats in the 60-member Assembly. The Congress is presently leading a Secular Progressive Front Government with 35 members in the House.

*                             *                                            *                                               *

BJP’s New Experiment In M.P.

The ruling BJP in Madhya Pradesh has started preparing in advance for the Assembly poll, about 18 months away. The State party is undertaking a unique plan to set up  “Kamal Clubs” in all the districts and Block. The basic idea is to draw its potential voters first to the playgrounds and eventually to the polling booths. The party has planned to acquire from the local authorities three to six acres of land in each district and two to four acres in each block for these sports clubs. The clubs will create facilities for both indoor and outdoor games. Additionally, regular cultural and social programmes would be organized to project the party’s ideology and achievements. The clubs also proposed to be financed by donations by the party leaders. All the party MPs will be asked to donate a minimum of Rs. 8 lakh and the MLAs Rs. 3 lakh, presumably out of the funds at their disposal under the local area development schemes.

*                                      *                                            *                                       *

Narendra Modi In Difficulty

The BJP’s most controversial yet most successful Chief Minister, Narendra Modi  is facing increasing dissidence in the run-up to the Assembly poll later in the year. During the last fortnight and more, several dissidents have publicly targeted the Chief Minister and his style of functioning. In fact, dissidence is so strong (and growing) that the State party is apprehensive of taking disciplinary action against those who have publicly criticized Modi’s governance. Clearly, it does not want to displease some of the State’s senior party leaders when the Assembly elections are round the corner. The latest to take on Modi is the influential Koli community. Surendranagar MP and veteran Koli leader Somabhai Patel created a stir the other day when he went to the media and openly attacked the CM.

*                             *                                            *                                               *

DMK’s Rift Complete

The rift in the feuding family of the DMK supremo Karunanidhi is complete. Even as the Marans (inlaws of Chief Minister Karunanidhi’s sister) quietly observed a much-hyped family function in Chennai last month, none from the DMK’s first family attended the function, which many hoped would end the ongoing feud in the party. The signal was clear. There was no room for conciliation. There was further confirmation a week later, when the Marans gave Karunanidhi’s birthday party a miss, despite the fact that the former Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran had publicly stated that he had nothing against his grandfather-in-law. In fact, he had told a television channel on the day he was directed by the party to put in his papers that he would not speak a word against him. The rift between the first two top Dravidian families is bound to weaken the DMK in future electoral battles. ---INFA

 (Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

Round The States

New Delhi, 30 May 2007

Rise In J&K Infiltration

NO WITHDRAWAL OF TROOPS

By Insaf

Jammu and Kashmir is again causing concern to New Delhi, notwithstanding the ongoing peace process and the confidence-building measures. Infiltration from across the border has greatly mounted over the last two months. The Army intelligence has reported a three-fold increase in April itself, putting the number of successful infiltrations at 79, against 27 this month in 2006. This is despite reports that the Army has foiled several attempts to infiltrate almost daily at several points along the LoC. Mercifully, the rise in infiltration is not accompanied by any increase in violence. Two theories are doing the Army rounds on this trend: bigger infiltration and fewer incidents. One, the Army apprehends that this could be a precursor to a repeat of the Kargil-like situation in 1999, when the enemy sneaked in and quietly prepared for a massive attack.

Two, the infiltrators are perhaps deliberately lying low  as part of their diabolic gameplan to step up pressure on the Centre and ensure troops reduction and redeployment, as repeatedly demanded by the PDP of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. The militants would then have greater freedom to strike at a time and place of their choosing. Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has however, seen through the motives of the militants and ruled out any troops cut. Much in the future will depend upon the alertness of the State Government and the Army in tackling one crucial aspect of militancy which has not received adequate attention: dealing with self-proclaimed “innocent” people who extend vital support to the militants by harbouring them. This enables them to suddenly emerge from nowhere in Srinagar and elsewhere and indulge in murder and mayhem.

*                             *                                               *                                          *   

Increasing ULFA Blasts In Assam

Increasing insurgency in Assam is also causing great concern to the Centre and the State Government. At a time when the Congress Government, led by Tarun Gogoi, was busy celebrating its one-year in office on May 26, the underground United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) struck in a big way. Seven persons were killed and more than 30 seriously injured in a bomb blast at a crowded place in Guwahati, even as a bigger tragedy was averted at the Kokrajar railway station when the police recovered a deadly suitcase bomb. The ULFA strikes are continuing almost regularly since then, tearing a gaping hole in the Centre’s strategy to contain militancy. New Delhi has evidently failed to give clear signals to the security forces, including the Army to control the terror group which continues to operate with a degree of defiance. There have been as many as seven blasts in May alone, taking a heavy toll of life and property.

*                       *                                               *                                          *

Uttar Pradesh and its fourth time Chief Minister Mayawati continue to attract attention not only in the country’s largest populated State but nationally too. Several questions are being raised about her policies, plans and approach to democratic governance since her BSP is the first party in the State to have received absolute majority in the Assembly after a gap of 16 years. Her actions and words are being followed closely and questions asked: will she match her performance with her promises? Will she conduct herself arbitrarily as in the past or will she turn a new chapter? Happily, she has promised to put an end to what she described as “transfer udyog” (industry) in vogue under her predecessor’s Government. She has also claimed to have shed her power to look into transfers and postings, except those of the Chief Secretary and the Police Chief. But will she really do so? Remember, she has made all these welcome noises after undertaking mass transfer of more than a hundred bureaucrats within a day of her taking over as the Chief Minister!

Equally of interest is her welcome decision to strictly follow established administrative norms of honouring executive orders of the previous Government. But this comes with a rider: decisions considered “anti-people and irregular” would nevertheless be reviewed.  Mayawati has undoubtedly given the marginalized sections of the society a voice. But reviews of business decisions in public interest should not appear to be spurred by vendetta, as is suspected in regard to the cancellation of a SEZ project of Anil Ambani group at Noida in a hurry and without hearing the affected party. Since Mayawati has already decided to constitute a committee to review SEZ projects in the State, the Ambani group’s case could well have waited for the proposed committee’s consideration. This raises another basic issue: Is she going to adopt the same feudal approach she has fought against?

*                                *                                               *                                          *

Free & Fair Poll In Goa

Like in U.P. recently and earlier in Bihar, the Election Commission has taken all possible measures within its control to ensure a free and fair Assembly poll in Goa today, June 2. Strict vigil was kept throughout the campaigning in all the 40 constituencies by the Central Observers and the State’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO). For the first time in the State’s electoral history, two senior police officers were suspended in the St. Cruz constituency for their failure to obey the directions of a poll Observer and to take necessary action to prevent violation of the code of conduct. For the first time again, Goa remained sober for another reason. The State remained dry because the liquor traders and bar owners went on strike in protest against the order to enforce a 10 p.m. deadline to end all parties in the State. A series of raids were organized on bars and cases registered even against those who were found with empty bottles.

*                               *                                               *                                          *

Towards Farm Growth In States

The States have unanimously demanded more Central funds and credit for the agriculture sector. Almost all the Chief Ministers or their representatives forcefully raised the demand at the National Development Council meeting in New Delhi earlier in the week. Their requirement is based on the ground that the debt burden on farmers has gone up considerably, despite the fact that the farm credit has more than doubled in the last three years. The farmers are increasingly suffering due to erratic rains and uncertain market. Also, as Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh pointed out, farmers are facing problems because more people are working in agriculture than the sector can take care of. In Andhra Pradesh, where thousands of farmers have committed suicides in recent years, Chief Minister Rajasekhar Reddy has also demanded that the farmers should be given credit at the interest rate of three per cent, instead of the current seven per cent. .

*                                *                                               *                                          *

Gurjjar’s Violent Protest In Rajasthan

Gurjjars in Rajasthan are up in arms against the State Government’s failure to implement the ruling BJP’s pre-poll promise in 2003 to give the community the Scheduled Tribes status. They want to move from the category of OBC to the Scheduled Tribes. After failing to get their demand conceded, the community got violent on Tuesday last. At least 14 persons were killed and nearly one hundred injured in clashes and police firing in three Gurjjar-dominated districts of Dausa, Tonk and Karauli. The crowd then got restive, damaged public property and disrupted traffic on the Jaipur-Agra Highway. Sachin Pilot, the young Gurjjar leader and Congress MP from Dausa has stated that “the administration has been totally callous on the issue. It set up a high-power Committee to look into the demand one-and-a-half years ago, but the panel has not even been notified.  Our people refuse to be taken for granted any more.”

CPM Sets An Example In Kerala

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has shown how a well-organised, cadre-based political outfit should function: party first, individuals later. The leadership unprecedentedly suspended from the CPM Politburo Kerala’s Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, an old warhorse of the party, and the State Unit Chief Punarayi Vijayan. The reason? They “violated the norms of the party” by airing in public open criticism against each other, obviously for power. It is another matter that the CPM itself was born decades ago after parting company of the parent organization, the Communist Party of India. The veteran leaders will, however, continue to “discharge all their other party responsibilities until the issue is finally decided by the party’s Central Committee, later this month. Significantly, the performances of both have been appreciated by the Politburo. ---INFA

 (Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)