Round The States

New Delhi, 8 February 2007

Maharashtra Civic Poll

OUTCOME UPSETS CONGRESS HOPES

By Insaf

The outcome of civic polls in Maharashtra last week has cast a shadow over the Congress Party’s prospects in the forthcoming Assembly elections in Punjab, Uttarakhand and Manipur later this month and in U.P. in April-May. The party was hoping to romp home easily in the Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) poll and regain control over the country’s richest local body after a lapse of ten years.  But this did not happen, despite the anti-incumbency wave against the Shiv Sena-BJP combine and the decision of the Sena’s senior leaders, Raj Thackarey and Narayan Rane to part company. The saffron combine has won 111 of the 226 seats in the BMC.  In fact, In Mumbai, the Sena has a strong base among the Marathi-speaking people, the core being the migrant community from the Konkan region.

However, it has not been hunky dory for the Shiv Sena-BJP combine elsewhere in the State. Its overall performance in the ten Municipal Corporations for which the elections were held is disappointing.  It has also lost a large number of seats it won in the last election in 2002. In eight of the ten Corporations, its tally is significantly lower----declining from 133 to 111 seats in Mumbai, from 63 to 53 in Thane, 53 to 45 in Pune, 60 to 40 in Nashik, 25 to13 in Pimpri-Chinchwad, 32 to 18 in Akola, 40 to 24 in Sholapur and from 37 to 27 in Amaravati. In fact, the poor performance of both the saffron parties and the Congress in Maharashtra has turned out to be a gain for the ruling Samajwadi Party in U.P.. There is evidently a massive shift of the Muslims and Dalits from the Congress as reflected in the performance of the SP and BSP candidates in all the ten Corporation polls.

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Development Main Plank In Punjab

Economic development and pro-people governance planks have held the spotlight during the on-going hectic campaigning for the Punjab Assembly poll on February 13.  While the main contestant for power, the Shiromani Akali Dal-Badal (SAD) has promised in its manifesto to concentrate on issues like arrest of price spiral, self- sufficiency in power, employment generation, farmers’ welfare etc, the Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, have claimed considerable progress on these developmental issues during the last five years of the party’s Government, led by Amarinder Singh. The AICC member and former Union Minister Mohsina Kidwai praised the Amarinder governance and even assured her rally at Nabha that the present incumbent would continue as the Chief Minister, if the Congress won a majority once more.

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Rebel Problem In Uttarakhand

Rebel candidates for the Assembly poll in Uttarakhand on February 21 are causing concern to both the ruling Congress and the BJP. In nearly a dozen of the total 70 constituencies, the official candidates may get affected by the rebels who have decided to contest as Independents or are being fielded by other smaller parties. Senior Central leaders of both parties are now busy persuading the rebels not to take on the official candidates. The Congress is also faced with two other problems: intense group rivalry and the leadership’s failure to arrive at an electoral alliance with Sharad Pawar’s NCP. This may harm the party in at least a dozen seats.  The BJP too is facing a challenge from Uma Bharti’s Bhartiya Janshakti Party, which is fielding 46 candidates, 41 of whom were earlier with the BJP.

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Karnataka For Cauvery Review

More than a century old Cauvery water dispute among the four southern States of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Pondicherry (mainly the first two) does not seem to be over yet, despite the Tribunal’s final award last week. The legal and political fight, which began in 1986 and led to the constitution by the Union Government of a Tribunal at the stance of the TN Government in 1990, has seen several violent agitations for the last 17 years, over the distribution of the Cauvery water. The final order of the three-member Tribunal, headed by Justice N.P. Singh, has hiked Tamil Nadu’s share from 205 tmc ft (thousand million cubic feet) in its 1991 interim order to 419 tm cft, leaving 270 tm cft to Karnataka, 30 tmc ft to Kerala and 7 tmc ft to Pondicherry. This means that Karnataka, from where the Cauvery originates would be required to release 192 tmc ft annually. While TN is upbeat with the award, Karnataka is upset and tense.

Karnataka’s Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has discussed the award at an all-party meeting which has unanimously decided to ask the Tribunal for a review of the award, failing which the matter will be taken to the Supreme Court. The States have three months to appeal against the decision to the Tribunal and, according to the Union Minister for Water Resources Saifuddin Soz, the matter cannot be referred to the Apex Court. The whole trouble is that Cauvery, known as “Dakshin Ganga” is a water deficit river, while both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have expanded their cultivable areas since 1974. The latter needs water in June for its short-term Kuruvai crop but Karnataka has repeatedly refused to oblige, citing poor storage on its side. Thus the long political battle between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu continues.

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Tribal Welfare Plan In M.P.

The Tribals in Madhya Pradesh have reason to rejoice. They are to get settlement rights on forest land, thanks to an initiative by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The formalities to legalise possession of land in forest areas would be completed soon after the Scheduled Tribes and Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition Of Forest Rights) Bill is passed. The CM disclosed this at a recent “Adivasi Panchayat” organized by the State Government. Besides the move for granting settlement rights, the State Government would also complete its task of converting all the forest villages in the State into revenue villages on priority basis. The Adivasi Panchayat, where the CM made these announcements was attended by elected representatives, MLAs, MPs and State Ministers. It was called to invite suggestions from the people at the grassroots to frame policies and programmes for the welfare of the Scheduled Tribes.

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Singur’s Troubles Continue

Singur’s troubles and the problems of the controversial Tatas car project in West Bengal are far from over. After the Tatas conducted the Bhoomipujan at Singur last week to start construction work on schedule, the Trinamool Congress activists have attempted to set on fire several posts demarcating the land acquired by the State Government for the small car project. There have been several scuffles between the police and the villagers, led by the Trinamool cadres, when the cops tried to prevent them from setting the posts on fire.  Meanwhile, Trinamool suspremo Mamata Banerjee has warned the Government “not to play with fire”.  She has stated: “I have requested both the Centre and the State Government not to acquire multi-crop land and even residential plots…. The Government will have to face the consequences for this.”

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Delhi Escapes Serial Blasts

The Union Capital Delhi narrowly escaped another set of deadly serial blasts on Monday last, thanks to the strong police vigil. Four Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists, three Kashmiris and a Pakistani national were nabbed by the cops. They disclosed on interrogation that they were in the capital to carry out multiple explosions in crowded market places before escaping to Kolkata, possibly en route to Bangladesh. According to the police, the strikes were planned at three market places with the help of 3 kg of RDX, timer device and other ammunition recovered from them. The Jehadis have been remanded to ten days of police custody. The interrogations have so far brought out terror links in Kolkata, where the Kashmiri militants were required to pass on some US dollars to a contact, whose name is yet to be disclosed. ---INFA

(Copyright, India News and  Feature Alliance)

Round The States

New Delhi, 31 January 2007

Upcoming Assembly Poll

BATTLE OF CROREPATIS IN  PUNJAB

By Insaf

The upcoming Assembly poll in Punjab on February 13 showcases a scandalous aspect of India’s public life sixty years after independence. The State and its hard-working farmers are well known for their prosperity. But the mind-boggling affluence its political leaders enjoy today, as reflected in the assets almost all candidates in the fray, have declared at the time of filing nominations, is bizarre. Most leaders, as a wag puts it, are deeply involved in “cash and aish”. Chief Minister Amarinder Singh may justify as the Maharaja of Patiala his immediate clan’s worth of Rs.100 crore. But the declarations of most other leaders are stunning. Surprisingly, the Akali Dal (Badal) supremo and former Chief Minister and his wife have joint assets worth only Rs.9 crore. However, Akali heavy-weight and former SGPC Chief Bibi Jagir Kaur is worth more than a whopping 80 crores. Punjab’s Dalit PCC Chief Dullo is also a crorepati.

Whether or not the declarations by the State’s top leaders and most others who are widely known to be men of crores, are correct is anybody’s guess. Their veracity can be determined only through the long process of election petitions in courts under the Evidence Act.  Unfortunately, there is no punishment for wrong declarations under the moral code of conduct for the elections, as a result of which most candidates get away with murder. At any rate, with resources available in plenty to the candidates of the two main contestants for power, the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal)-BJP combine, are involved in high-voltage campaigning with no holds barred. Nothing seems to be defamatory or objectionable any more, going by the advertisements carried by responsible leading newspapers. A pre-poll survey suggests a five-point lead for the Congress over its traditional rivals, the Akali-BJP combine.

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Congress Plays Safe In Uttarakhand

The ruling Congress is playing safe in the Uttarakhand Assembly poll. It has fielded all its 40 sitting MLAs to ensure unity in the State unit, which has been eluding the party for long. It has also taken one other caution for a united poll battle, mainly against the BJP. All the aspirants for Chief Ministership---N.D. Tiwari, State Party Chief Harish Rawat, and former Union Minister Satpal Maharaj---have been kept out of the poll fray. The overall strategy advocated by Tiwari, despite Rawat’s proposal to axe about 15 MLAs to counter the anti-incumbency factor, is however, likely to upset the Brahmins who constitute about 30-35 per cent of the population. Consequently, the BJP’s Chief Ministerial candidate, former Union Minister B.C. Khanduri, who is himself a Brahmin, may get many Brahmin votes. Importantly, the Rajputs have not been neglected. They have been given more seats as they constitute about 55-60 per cent of the population.

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Mulayam’s Party Upbeat

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Suicides Mount In Vidarbha

Farmers in the debt-wracked Vidarbha region of Maharashtra continue to take the extreme step of committing suicide, notwithstanding the increasing balm of compensation and promises of aid both by the Centre and the State Government. In 48 hours earlier in the week, eleven more farmers killed themselves, taking the toll in the first month of the year to a mammoth 62. The number of suicides during 2006, as officially recorded was 1050.  The Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti and some other farm activists have claimed that Rs.5,000 crore distributed as relief by the Union and the State Governments has brought little respite in the cotton belt and the distress levels are still mounting. Cotton cultivation is clearly unremunerative.

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Rane Denotifies Goa’s Plan

Goa’s Chief Minister Pratapsinh Rane has bowed to popular pressure against the State’s Regional Plan 2011, notified in 2005, and denotified it. The Opposition parties as also several organizations and NGOs had demanded its scrapping. The popular opposition to the plan, a ten-year policy document, was against demographic changes, restrictions on settlement zones, land conservation, changes in fish landing structures and forest production pattern. Also strongly opposed by the people was the massive size of the surface utilization for promoting industrial development. The Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry opposed the scrapping. Nevertheless, the Chief Minister decided to undertake a fresh exercise to redraft the Regional plan in view of the popular demand for retaining Goa’s character as a global tourist attraction.

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National Games Are On

Assam and its Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi, are boldly going ahead with the National Games in Guwahati on schedule, from February 9 to 19. Notwithstanding, the ULFA’s repeated opposition and the spate of violence it has unleashed. The situation had become volatile following a series of bomb blasts triggered by the insurgent group. This raised serious doubts about the security of the participants. Gogoi promptly assured the Indian Olympic Association to full security to the sports teams on and off the ground.  Gogoi has also claimed that the Games would be the biggest ever, with as many as 32 sports events lined up; four more than what the last Games in Hyderabad. Meanwhile, Gogoi has appealed to the ULFA once more to lift its boycott call and cooperate in making the prestigious event in Assam a glorious success.

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Supreme Court Clears Orissa Project

Tatas’ massive Rs.15,400-crore steel project near Gopalpur port on sea in Ganjam district, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s constituency, is finally on. The controversial project has been cleared by the Supreme Court, which rejected last week a petition filed by the Kalinga Power Corporation Ltd. (KPCL) against the Orissa Government’s decision to allot the land to the steel major. The State Government has allotted 1,000 acres of land to the KPCL in 1994 for a 500 MW power project. This allotment was cancelled in 2004 by the Patnaik Government on the ground that the KPCL failed to pay for the land. The Government thereupon allotted the land to the Tatas, who have already paid the entire cost.

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E-Disha Centres In Haryana

The Congress Government in Haryana, led by Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has drawn up a massive citizen service scheme through the use of information technology. As many as 101 “e-disha” centres in urban areas and 1159 centres in the rural areas across the State are proposed to be set up in the next few months to make the multiple services of the Government more easily accessible and also to open up new avenues for unemployed youth in information technology. Initially, 39 services like those related to driving licences, vehicle registration, land record copy, arms licences, house tax, birth and death certificates would be provided through these centres. The people will also get reliable and timely information about Government policies and programmes, as well as about the redressal of the citizens’ grievances. ---INFA

 (Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

Round The States

New Delhi, 24 January 2007

Crucial Assembly Polls

CONGRESS FIGHTS TWO HANDICAPS

By Insaf

The Assembly polls next month in Punjab, Uttarakhand and Manipur are crucial for all and more so for the Sonia Congress, presently ruling the three States. The party is fighting two major handicaps: anti-incumbency and intense infighting in the State units over ticket distribution. Ticket-seekers are up in arms against ticket-distributors. Punjab is worse hit. The Amarinder Singh-led Government, which is fighting a tough battle against a resurgent Akali Dal (Badal) in alliance with the BJP, is facing protests and alienation by those denied party nominations. Allegations of denial of tickets to some long-time party workers even forced the High Command to re-consider the list and make some changes. Despite this, resentment continues among the party workers. 

Some State Congress leaders and workers have even come out publicly against the Amarinder Singh Government to state that not enough has been done for development during its first four years in office. The critics of the Government in the party however concede that the Chief Minister has tried to make up for the lapse during the last one year and enabled the Congress to retrieve the lost ground. Amarinder Singh, on his part, has claimed that the Congress was “very sure of winning atleast 70 seats in the 117-member Assembly.” The party’s task has been made easier on two counts. First, Uma Bhart is fielding her candidates in all the constituencies which the BJP is fighting. Second, Mayawati’s BSP has failed to consolidate its Dalit votes in Punjab, following Kanshi Ram’s death. Meanwhile, the Congress has drawn up hectic election campaign schedules ahead of the February 13 Assembly poll.

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Infighting In Uttarakhand Congress

Infighting in the State Congress over the ticket distribution for the Assembly poll in Uttarakhand on February 21 has affected the prospects of the Congress retaining power in the hill State.  A major problem has been created by some 300 “lal batti wallah” State leaders with flashing red sirens on their “official” cars and holding ranks equivalent to Ministers of State or heads of various State Boards and Corporations. The Congress’ return to power is also threatened by intense factional fight between Chief Minister N.D. Tiwari and State chief Harish Rawat. All the “lal-batti-wallahs denied tickets are expected to further spoil the party’s chances.  Added to this is N.D. Tiwari’s decision not to contest the election. His absence from the scene may cost the Congress a large part of the Brahmin votes in the Kumaon region. The support of K.C. Pant and his wife is already with the BJP.

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Maulana & Mahant Mulayam

Even as the main Opposition parties in U.P., the BJP, BSP and the Congress, have stepped up their offensive against the Mulayam Singh Government, the Chief Minister is making stout efforts to gain popularity and retain power. Hitherto identified with the epithet of “Maulana”, he has now tried to don a new hat, that of a “Mahant”. He took a dip in the Ganga at the Sangam during the Ardh Kumbh last week and paid an obeisance to the saints. The latter, showered blessings on the Chief Minister and wished him another full term on U.P.’s throne.  They even called him “mahant and protector” of the saints and sadhus. At the same time, Mulayam Singh has been using every opportunity to appease the Muslims.  A day after the Union Minority Affairs Minister, A.R. Antulay blamed his own Congress for the plight of the Muslims at a convention in Aligarh, Mulayam Singh’s Samajwadi Party pounced on the statement to accuse the Congress of anti-Muslim bias. 

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ULFA Continues To Strike

Unconcerned by the intensified Army action in Assam against the underground United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), the dreaded militant group continues to strike. After killing about 75 Hindi-speaking people, mostly from Bihar, the militants have issued a warning to the non-Assamese, who comprise three per cent of the Assam’s 2.6 crore population, to leave the State immediately.  Two days after this warning, the militant outfit triggered a power bomb blast in Tinsukia, killing two and injuring eight Hindi-speaking persons. They have now taken on the Congress leaders in the State.  A Congress worker was gunned down by the ULFA in Digboi over the week-end.  In another incident around the same time, the militants shot dead a Congress Panchayat Secretary at Betami village under the Digboi police station.  The group has threatened to continue killings of the Congress leaders if any of its cadres was killed by the security forces.

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Investment Climate In Bihar

Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has generated a lot of goodwill and hope for a great future for the State’s development at a three-day “Global Meet for a Resurgent Bihar” at Patna last week. The meet was at once successful and holds out promise for the future. The Chief Minister claimed in the presence of a large number of NRIs: “Now the people are working. They are not making excuses. On the law and order front, fear has disappeared.” This has created an atmosphere for investment in the State by the NRIs and the multi-national companies, some of which were represented at the global meet.  Bihar has a significant and flourishing non-resident community in the US, UK, Mauritius and the Caribbean. From this point of view, the Global Meet marks a new beginning for the State under the youthful leadership of Nitish Kumar. 

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Modi’s Achievements In Gujarat

Politics in Gujarat is hotting up, thanks to Narendra Modi and his Government’s achievements on the development front. Modi’s determined efforts led to the completion of the prolonged and controversial Sardar Sarovar Narmada project, which was dedicated to the Nation last week. It will generate 1450 MW power and would provide massive irrigation facilities to Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. This achievement of the Hindu icon Modi and the BJP has led the Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi to visit the State and fire her first salvo for the Assembly poll later in the year.  She addressed a massive rally at Devgadhbaria (Dahod) last week, targeting the tribals and their 26 reserved seats in the Assembly and 20 other constituencies which they dominate. Emboldened by the success of the rally, Sonia Gandhi is now planning three other rallies across the State in the next few weeks.

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States Favour Pension Reforms

As many as 19 States, except those ruled by the Left parties in West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura, have agreed to the provisions of the proposed Pension Fund Regulatory Development Authority Bill (PFRDA).  In fact, most of them, including those ruled by the BJP, are getting impatient to get the Bill passed quickly.  Rajasthan’s Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje even gave an ultimatum to the Centre at a meeting in New Delhi on Monday, that if the Centre was unable to have a legislation on pension reforms before March 31 this year, the State would enact its own law. Prime Minister Manmohan has, however, advised the Chief Ministers to look at the other dimension of the pension reforms---the unavailability of pension instruments for the common man at large. One major objective of the PFRDA Bill is to put in place the delivery mechanism for various pension schemes.

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Civic Polls Make Vilasrao Miss Davos

Politics prevails over economics. This is the message coming once more from Maharashtra. Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has missed the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting at Davos from January 24 to 28 because of the civic elections in the State and more especially the Bombay Municipal Corporation poll on February 1.  Maharashtra was the only State this year to  be invited to the WEF meet. The Chief Minister’s last-minute withdrawal is all the more unfortunate as the State had waited 12 years to get a call from the WEF. Riding on the recent economic boom that has brought in more than Rs.40,000 crore of investment to the State, Deshmukh was looking forward to generating more at the Davos meet. His hopes were dashed when he was advised by the party leaders not to leave station on the eve of the crucial civic polls.---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

Round The States

New Delhi, 18 January 2007

Governor-CM Tiff

BIZARRE DEVELOPMENT IN U.P.

Insaf

Uttar Pradesh, increasingly called “ulta Pradesh”, has thrown up a bizarre constitutional situation.  Thanks to the continuing confrontation between Governor T.V. Rajeshwar and Chief Minister Mulayam Singh, a basic question mark has gone up over the powers of the Governor: does the Constitution permit him to govern his State, like under the British raj? The interesting debate was triggered on January 9 when Mulayam Singh’s Cabinet called for a special two-day session of the Assembly on January 15 to seek a vote of confidence,  following the decision of the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) of Ajit Singh to  pull out of the Government.  Rajeshwar refused to accept the Cabinet’s decision on the ground that he had already prorogued the Assembly on the basis of the Cabinet’s recommendation of January 3 after the Speaker had adjourned the winter session of the Assembly sine die.

It is another matter that Mulayam Singh avoided a Constitutional crisis by choosing to go by the old adage that discretion is often the better part of valair. He dropped the idea of holding the session on January 15 and instead opted for the session on January 18.  But the Governor’s role in refusing to go by the Cabinet’s earlier recommendation has raised many expert eye brows. The Raj Bhawan’s decision is viewed as unconstitutional and a bad precedent as it could create avoidable problem in various States and at the Centre. In a democracy, the will of the people is supreme. This is reflected in the legislatures at the State level and in the Lok Sabha at the national level.  The Governor has no power to become a dictator or act as one. The ultimate power rests with the legislatures and its Council of Ministers, appointed by the Governor in accordance with the composition of the Assembly or the Lok Sabha. When Ajit Singh’s RLD pulled out of the State Government on January 9, Mulayam Singh had every right to summon the House and seek a vote of confidence on the floor of the House on January 15, prorogation or no prorogation.

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Scandalous Poll Campaign

The pre-poll scene in Punjab is getting murkier and murkier, setting a scandalous trend. The main contestants for power, the ruling Congress and the Akali Dal (Badal), are not only attacking each other personally but are now indulging in a highly libellous advertisement war through the State’s leading newspapers. Although these advertisements have been inserted by groups or individuals who are not covered by the moral code of conduct, they are at once highly defamatory. The ruling Congress, on its part, is trying hard to retain power. In an attempt to win over the Sikh votes, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and other State Congress leaders have even approached Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to contest the Lok Sabha byelection for the Amritsar seat which fell vacant following Navjot Singh Sidhu’s resignation. Manmohan Singh is disinclined to oblige. But the last word has not been said on the subject. Manmohan Singh’s term in the Rajya Sabha ends in June this year. 

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Congress Plans For Uttarakhand

Next month’s Assembly elections in Uttarakhand and Manipur are also crucial for the Congress party, which is ruling both the States and is facing strong anti-incumbency factor. Additionally, the already-divided State Congress in Uttarakhand has received another jolt. Chief Minister Narain Dutt Tiwari has conveyed to the Central leadership that he would not contest the upcoming Assembly elections and would like to give an upper hand to the State party Chief, Harish Rawat, in future sweepstakes if the party is able to beat anti-incumbency and returns to power. Meanwhile, the Central Committee for finalizing the party’s manifestos for the poll-bound States, has decided to stay committed to the aam aadmi.  In its manifesto for Uttarakhand, the Committee has identified housing, roads and employment as the key issues. It intends promising a special package for the State’s faster growth.

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AFSP Act Main Issue In Manipur

The ruling Congress in Manipur, as also the party High Command are concentrating on the major grievances of the people. The Manipur unit has already proposed to the AICC’s Manifesto Committee that the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act be adequately amended to assuage the hurt and resentment of the people in the State. Union Labour Minister, Oscar Fernandes, who heads the Group of Ministers to negotiate peace with the NSCN(IM), has visited Manipur and has had wide-ranging consultations with partymen there.  Fernandes has found that within the State party the issue has triggered a popular movement in the north-eastern State which needs to be addressed. He is now having consultations with the Union Home Ministry on how best an amendment to the AFSP Act could be promised in the party’s manifesto for the upcoming poll.

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PM’s Tough Talk On ULFA

The Prime Minister’s visit to Assam earlier this week came not a day too soon against the backdrop of increasing ULFA violence and chilling attacks on defenceless migrant workers.  He visited the affected areas on Tuesday and stated in no uncertain terms that “there will be no compromise with such groups if they resort to violence.” Much now depends upon how far the ULFA can be cajoled to come to the negotiating table. Of interest was the PM’s reference to recent public survey over the ULFA’s demand for sovereignty. This shows that no one in Assam supports ULFA’s acts of violence and terror. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has been trying hard to have a peace settlement with the ULFA. But the militant group has so far spurned all gestures. Gogoi has now decided to act tough. He has constituted a Unified Command under himself on the lines of the one in J&K to deal with the militancy in the State.

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Naxals Reach Bhopal

Madhya Pradesh, considered immune to the spreading Naxalite menace is now beginning to face the heat. Left-wing extremists have appeared in Bhopal out of the blue, making the State Government sit up. Five suspected Naxalites were arrested last week from a residential colony in Bhopal. Some weapons and ideological literature were also seized.  Searchers in several other colonies in Bhopal and elsewhere in the State were conducted. No further arrests were made, but the Police seized another cache of parts of weapons and literature. This has been taken as a warning signal and the Government has sounded a red alert across the State. Four districts, Balaghat, Madle and Dindori have already been declared as Naxal-affected. The State Police has also got in touch with its counterparts in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, to which the five suspected Naxals belong.

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Tamil Nadu Reacts Sharply

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi has reacted strongly to the Supreme Court ruling on the scope of judicial review of laws under the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.  In fact, he has warned that the supporters of social justice were prepared “to even shed blood” to protect the reservation quota in the State.  He has been quoted as stating that “the death knell would be sounded for quota rights, which were won by shedding blood and tears.”  The Tamil Nadu Reservation Act of 1993, which provides for 69 per cent quota for the SCs/STs/OBCs was included in the Ninth Schedule in 1994 when the AIADMK Government was in power. Karunanidhi’s sharp reaction follows the AIADMK supreme Jayalalitha’s statement that her regime had striven hard to provide constitutional protection to reservations. She has blamed the DMK Government for its failure to defend the position before the Supreme Court.

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Mulayam’s Pre-Poll Gift!

The just-concluded Ardh Kumbh in Allahabad turned out to be a great opportunity for Chief Minister Mulayam Singh to project himself and his party Government before millions of people at the Mela, spread over an area of 42 km along the banks of the Yamuna. The Mela draws a massive crowd of Hindu devotees and saints from far and near. Huge hoardings were put up at different places of the Mela, carrying pictures of Mulayam Singh welcoming the gathering: “Sadi Ke Sabse bare samagam mein apka swagat hai” (welcome to the country’s biggest gathering). The message said it all in the run-up to the crucial Assembly poll, whose outcome is anybody’s guess. This may hit the BJP hardest, since the party is hoping to regain power in the State on the Hindutva plank. 

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)