Round The States

New Delhi, 4 February 2009

General Elections

EC SETS BALL ROLLING

By Insaf

The ball has been set rolling for the forthcoming General elections. Despite their internal bickerings, the three-member Election Commission held poll consultations with both national and regional political parties in the Capital on Monday last. While the need to maintain “neutrality” was a major concern of all the leaders representing their parties, there was also unanimity that the Lok Sabha poll should not be too stretched out and be held in the latter part of April. Polling, it was felt, should not exceed three weeks and in States, such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu where it was held on a single-day in the past, the same should be maintained. The Congress was particularly keen that the EC consult the Centre before finalizing the dates to ensure availability of the para-military forces and also ensure enrolment of over 20 per cent migrant labourers, who remain disenfranchised.

On its part, the BJP wanted the EC to appoint ‘special observers” and make arrangements to check the use of money and muscle power. The CPM was keen that the Commission reconsiders the practice of stopping development work for the whole period of the elections. There was also a demand that counting of votes should be held in such a manner that booth-wise voting pattern should not be done. It is no secret that intimidation and post election victimization of voters is a common occurrence in a number of States, particularly Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. While making a note of the suggestions made, the Commission, headed by CEC N Gopalaswami, emphasised on the observance of the model code of conduct both “in letter and spirit.”  But before that, the Commission itself will need to inspire public confidence and conduct itself in a truly model manner.

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Maharashtra Hit By Naxals

Anti-Naxalism in Maharashtra suffered its biggest blow in the State’s 30-year-old campaign on Sunday last. Fifteen policemen were brutally killed by the Naxalites in the jungles of Markegaon Village in Dhanora tehsil of Gadchiroli district, 300 km from Nagpur. The naxalites, about 300 to 500 in numbers, of their newly-formed border-platoon Dalam were gathered in the area, which adjoins Chhattisgrah’s Rajnandgaon district. The policemen had gone to investigate another incident which took place two days earlier. In the near two-hour encounter, the police cops fired about 1,000 rounds. But they were overwhelmed and killed after they ran out of ammunition. Worse, the Naxalites attacked the policemen, who had survived, with axes, severed their hands and legs and even gouged their eyes. Of the numerous attacks on policemen and security personnel in the State and elsewhere, this attack has been the most barbaric and shocking beyond words.  

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Naxalites Offer Peace In Chhattisgarh

Meanwhile, in adjoining Chhattisgarh, the Communist Party of India-(Maoists) which has been waging a war against the Government for the past several years, has come out with a peace offer. It wants the Raman Singh Government to initiate peace talks. However, it has demanded that the State must stop oppression of the tribals and take necessary steps to create an atmosphere of mutual trust. In effect it wants the Government to reciprocate with proactive initiatives. The Government is ready for talks and is prepared to stop its search operations provided the Maoists shun violence and stop killing innocent people. However, the Government, which is encouraging the Salwa Judum groups in the State to fight naxalism, is skeptical about the motive behind the offer. It feels that the offer is designed primarily to buy time and enable the Naxalites to consolidate their position. It is not going to be “fooled around in the name of peace talks.”  The coming weeks will show who calls whose bluff?

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Jammu Angry Again

Jammu and a majority of its people are angry once more. Last time it was over the Amarnath Shrine issue. This time it is over the Rajya Sabha poll, due on February 13. They are livid over what Prof Bhim Singh, supremo of the Kashmir National Panthers Party, calls the “anti-Jammu and anti-Minority” attitude of the Kashmir-based national parties --- the National Conference, the People’s Democratic Party and the Congress.  Both the Dogras and the Kashmiri Pandits, who constitute a minority in the Muslim-majority State, have been isolated again from the process. Prof Bhim Singh adds that this is “a matter of shame” and shows that the Congress, the NC and the PDP have not yet given up their anti-Dogra and anti-Kashmiri Pandit mindset. The Congress and the NC have cleared the names of Prof Soz, Union Minister of Water Resources, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Farooq Abdullah. Prof Bhim Singh and the people of Jammu would like the fourth seat, which may be won by the PDP, to be given to a Dogra or Kashmiri Pandit. Many would like the seat to go unanimously to Prof Bhim Singh himself.

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Hurriyat Cut To Size

The recent Assembly elections in Jammu & Kashmir have expectedly cut the All Party Hurriyat Conference to size. The umbrella organization of over 20 separatists groups finds itself constrained for the first time to re-think and reorganize. It has wound up its district and zonal offices in the past week. What is more, 20 of the 25 people in its Central office in Srinagar’s upmarket Raj Bagh have been laid off. Apart from closing the Zonal offices, the Hurriyat has also dissolved the Zonal Committees. The reason is crystal clear: the overwhelming participation of the people in the Assembly elections has administered a big blow to the Hurriyat’s standing in the Valley. All its plans to get the people to boycott the polls failed miserably. The Hurriyat, as is well-known, gets most of its huge funding from donors abroad.  It would now be finding it difficult to explain to its benefactors where the money is being spent. All in all, it is time for the Hurriyat to close shop. Will it? Time will tell.

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The stage is being set for a new Communist Party in Kerala. A state-level committee of scattered CPM rebels and local communist outfits in various districts of the State was formed on Sunday in Shornur in Palakkad. The committee has representatives from 14 districts and its timing assumes significance in the wake of the crisis that has engulfed the party after the CBI named party State Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan as an accused in the SNC Lavalin scandal. The case pertains to kickbacks in the crores worth contract signed between the Kerala State Electricity Board and SNC Lavalin, a Canadian power consulting company, for replacing and modernising obsolete generators in three hydroelectric projects. The main agenda of the committee apparently will be to expose the corruption and right-wing deviation in the CPM. A major convention would be held in March to chalk out formation of the new party. Clearly, for the CPM its bad timing, just before the ensuing general poll.---INFA

 (Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)