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Round The States
New Delhi, 24 December 2008
Run-Up To Lok Sabha
Poll
REGIONAL PARTIES
FOR NATIONAL ROLE
By Insaf
Regional parties are increasingly going national, a welcome
development in India’s
young democracy. Late last week saw Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party
Chief Ram Vilas Paswan campaign for his candidates in Srinagar, braving rain and the winter chill.
Samajwadi Chief Mulayam Singh Yadav hopped from one constituency to another in
a chopper. Beside the Dal
Lake, RJD members used
larger than life portraits of Lalu Prasad Yadav and his Rabri Devi to woo the
voters. This is the first that these regional parties from the Hindi-heartland
are seeking votes in Jammu & Kashmir. Paswan’s LJP is contesting 69 of the
total of 87 seats. Lalu’s RJD has fielded 14 candidates and Mulayam Singh’s
Samajwadi Party 34 candidates. Bihar-based JD (U) of Nitish Kumar is contesting
six seats and Deve Gowda’s JD (Secular) 4 seats. Ajit Singh’s Rashtriya Lok Dal
has put up three candidates. The BSP is once again contesting the J&K poll.
Interestingly, the number of independents in the fray has jumped from 227 in
2002 to 517, a record.
Meanwhile, Mayawati, BSP supremo and Chief Minister of UP,
has targeted the South. Earlier this week, she undertook a three-day tour of
Tamil Nadu and Kerala to galvanise support for the party in the run-up to the
Lok Sabha poll in April-May next year. Accompanied by the Hindi rendering of a
hit MGR song and rustic rhythms, Mayawati made her first pitch in Tamil Nadu on
Monday wooing both Dalits and the upper castes in Chennai with her concept of
“Sarv Samaj”. On Tuesday, she addressed a “brotherhood rally” in Kottayam,
calling upon the party’s Kerala unit to mobilize support of all sections of the
people, especially the poor among the forward communities. Her rationale is
simple. She argues that the economically backward have been let down by both
the Congress and the BJP and their allies at the Centre and in the States.
Resentment against this betrayal has been simmering among the poor and the
middle class, obliging the BSP to step forward. She disclosed that she had
written to the Union Government several times to provide for separate
reservation for the poor among the forward communities but neither the Congress
nor the BJP-led Governments had cared to respond.
* * * *
Chidambaram’s Stern
Note To CMs
Having legislated a tougher anti-terror law and a National
Investigating Agency in its fight against terror, the Centre has now shifted
its focus to the States. All Chief Ministers have been sternly asked to
rearrange their schedules and ensure attendance at a meeting convened by the
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on January 6 in Delhi “without fail”. As the
meeting is to specifically discuss the country’s preparedness to prevent terror
attacks, the Chief Ministers have been told to do some prior homework, i.e.
take the initial steps. The list includes setting up of 24x7 Control rooms to
receive and disseminate intelligence/information pertaining to terrorism and
other forms of organized crime as also the setting up of an analysis group
within the State intelligence wing, forwarding intelligence report to the
Intelligence Bureau and taking urgent steps to get rid of mafia, extortion gangs
and land sharks.
Going a step further, Chidambaram has suggested that “every
morning’ Chief Ministers and State Home Ministers should call a meeting with
their Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, DGP and intelligence officials to review
security situation. This apart, he wants a meeting with officials at the district
headquarters to be taken once every two months. As part of its review of
security arrangements being in place, the State government must identify major
establishments, installations and symbolic or iconic structures immediately. Once
that is done, New Delhi wants a small team of commandos should be positioned at
each of these places round the clock. Other than the aforementioned advice, the
Union Home Ministry has offered willing assistance to train and equip such
commandoes.
* * * *
Assam Seeks
Insurgency Package
Insurgency in Assam is still not receiving the Centre’s
attention it deserves. Members of Parliament from the strategic State in the
north-east do manage to extract promises of a better deal from the Prime
Minister and other Union Ministers. But the promises largely remain promises,
adding greatly to the responsibility of the State’s Chief Minister, Tarun
Gogoi. Assam has consequently sought from the Thirteenth Finance Commission a
special package of at least Rs.25,000 crore over the next five years to offset
the economic damage caused by insurgency. This is in addition to Rs.20,495
crore sought from the Commission under various heads. In a memorandum submitted
to Chairman Vijay Kelkar, Tarun Gogoi has requested the Commission to keep in
view the global economic meltdown telling on the State’s revenues and the steep
fall in international crude prices, leading to an oil royalty loss of more than
Rs.1,000 crore a year. The Commission has been urged to take a holistic view of
fiscal balance and development needs of Assam so that it can catch up with the
advanced States.
* * * *
Biggest Hydro
Project Cleared
Arunachal Pradesh and its fine people have reason to be pleased.
India’s biggest hydro-power project located in the State has been cleared at
long last. The Union Ministry of Environment has granted “environmental
clearance” to the 2000 MW Lower Subansiri Hydro Power. As the Minister of State
for Power, Jairam Ramesh, remarked: “It is a big step forward in giving shape
to one of India’s most ambitious hydro power projects. It would also give a
fillip to development and employment in the State”. Norms and guidelines have
been laid down in the new Hydro Power Policy for protection and rehabilitation
of the local population. All these would be implemented scrupulously.
Importantly, preference would be given to the local population for employment
and all efforts would be made to train the people of the area to enable them to
get employment at the mega project site. The project, which is estimated to
cost Rs.6,285 crore and envisages the setting up of eight hydro power units of
250 MW each, has already been approved by the Union Cabinet.
* * * *
Bonanza For SCs,
STs & OBCs
The SC,s STs and the OBCs have never had it so good as in
Chhattisgarh following the recent poll. Thanks to the decision of the State Chief
Minister Dr Raman Singh to thank his electorate adequately for helping the BJP
retain power in the State. On Monday last Singh acknowledged the support of
OBCs, SCs and tribals by giving them higher representation in the Cabinet. His
12-member team of a total strength of 15 comprises three members from the upper
castes, excluding Brahmins, five tribal leaders, two from OBC community and one
from SC Satnami community.
* * * *
This Minister Can’t
Read
Ashok Gehlot’s 13-member Cabinet in Rajasthan has an
interesting incumbent Golma Devi, a 59-year-old housewife, elected from Mahuwa
constituency as Independent. She could not read her oath card at the
swearing-in ceremony and had to be prompted by another State minister. Her
husband, former minister and dissident BJP leader Kirorilal Meena, has however,
assured that Golma was capable of delivering her duties “albeit with a little
help from babus”. The CM, he said,
would need to appoint some able officers to assist her. Even then he would be
there to give her a helping hand. After all he too would need to prepare
himself for his new role-- as an “MP” (Minister’s Pati),-- taking care of household chores.---INFA
(Copyright, India News and Feature
Alliance)
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