Round The States

New Delhi, 1 October 2009

Mumbai For Mumbaikars

NEW THRUST FOR REGIONALISM

By Insaf

Mumbai for Mumbaikars? This parochial and unconstitutional demand aggressively raised by Raj Thackeray and his Maharashtra Navnirman Sena is catching on. Days after he called for a “permit system” to check the flow of migrants to Mumbai, the Shiv Sena-BJP Alliance promised in its manifesto for the State Assembly poll on October 13 to introduce a permanent official system to control the influx if voted to power. Shiv-Sena’s Executive President, Uddhav Thackeray on Monday last stated: “We will bring in some measures as a Government to control the influx as it is needed to ensure the welfare of residents. We could even consider a permit system.” The joint Shiv Sena-BJP manifesto, which was released by Thackeray alongwith BJP leaders Munde and Nitin Gadkari, also focuses on larger Marathi issues. The Alliance has decided to provide 80 per cent of skilled and unskilled jobs to the locals. Of interest to gourmets fond of Marathi cuisine is another promise: traditional Marathi food items like vada-pav will be made tax free. Altogether an unprecedented gastronomic gesture!

Meanwhile, the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party alliance has come forward with its own ill-advised version of Mumbai for Mumbaikars. It has chosen to follow a policy of Congress tickets for Congress families, a dynastic thrust towards feudalism in India’s grand old party. Heading the list is Rajendra Shekhawat, son of President Pratibha Patil, from Amravati even though this meant a “no no” to Sunil Deshmukh, two time winner from the seat and presently Minister of State for Finance in the Congress-NCP Government. Legally, nothing bars the President’s son from contesting an election. President Giri’s son stood for the Lok Sabha. But it would have been better for Shekhawat to follow an unwritten convention under which the members of the President’s family must not do anything which even remotely embarrasses the head of State. Prominent among other family members allotted tickets  are the son of Vilasrao Deshmukh and the daughter of Sushil Shinde, both presently Union Ministers and formerly Chief Ministers of Maharashtra. The list of family beneficiaries seems endless. Sadly, no one seems to care a damn for democracy. It is three cheers for dynasty and India’s new maharajas!

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Prestigious Poll In UP

UP is slowly but quietly getting ready for a prestigious poll fight some time in November --- weeks after the end of the current excitement over the forthcoming electoral battles in Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh. Twelve Assembly seats in the State are lying vacant where elections are due. The Election Commission seems inclined to order the poll before very long. On Friday last week, the Congress Party finally announced the names of the candidates for nine of the 12 Assembly seats. Names have been held back in regard to the following three prestigious constituencies: Lucknow West, Jhansi and Lalitpur. The reason? Too many claimants with group and factional leaders pushing for their respective “representatives”. Around 70 claimants have staked claims for Lucknow West. Many of them are already camping in Delhi. Lucknow West was vacated by the senior BJP leader, Lalji Tandon, who is now the MP from Lucknow in place of Atal Behari Vajpayee. Significantly, the Congress list of nine includes a former Minister in the Mulayam Singh Government. 

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Andhra Politics Hotting Up

Congress politics in Andhra Pradesh is again hotting up. While the party High Command is hell bent on ensuring loyalist K Rosaiah continues in the Chief Minister’s seat, the popularity of young Y S Jaganmohan Reddy among the masses refuses to wean. An all-religion prayer meeting to pay homage to Late YSR held in Kurnool District on Friday last was dwarfed by the massive turnout of people and turned into Jr Reddy’s first public meeting after his father’s death. With the crowds, especially youth, wanting to know when he would take over the reins, Jaganmohan did drop hints of continuing his father’s legacy and exhorted people to join hands with him in carrying forward the programmes launched by YSR. Will he succeed? Few would venture a guess as signals from 10 Janpath are crystal clear: Rosaiah must function as the “full-fledged head of the State Government.” He was even instructed to move into the Chief Ministers chambers, which he has done on Dussehra. No fireworks so far.   

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States Alerted On Shrines

The Supreme Court has put all the States on an overdue alert on places of worship. In an interim order passed on Tuesday last, it has directed: “No unauthorized construction of any religious institution should be permitted on public street or space henceforth. The order follows the Centre’s appeal challenging a Gujarat High Court order directing demolition of all such structures in communally-sensitive Vadodara. While the ban may not have immediate impact on existing places of worship, the States have been asked to review the status of each such illegal structure and take a decision appropriately as in “removal or otherwise.”  Earlier, a rare consensus came to be forged among the States wherein their Chief Secretaries resolved in principle not to let any fresh temple or mosque or gurudwara or church to come up on roadsides or public land. District magistrates will submit reports to the Chief Secretaries, who in turn would file a status report in the Apex Court before December 7, the next date of hearing. Indeed, a welcome beginning.  

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Arunachal Rakes China Issue

With Arunachal poised to go to the polls on October 13, alleged Chinese incursions into the Indian territory have become a hot issue. Much to the embarrassment of the Centre, which has been downplaying the incidents. Leading the campaign, Congress Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu has been laying stress on India countering the Chinese threats with economic and infrastructural development of the border areas. In fact, he claims his Government is doing precisely that. It has provided generators to light up 400-odd villages along the international boundary; asked the Centre for more roads along the border which will also make troop movements easier and demanded recruitment of more local boys in the Army both to check unemployment and improve the intelligence network. The Opposition too has made China a big issue. Its election manifesto says: “China’s repeated claim over the State and the Centre’s meek response does not go down well with the Arunachalees living in areas bordering China. A sense of insecurity has engulfed them…”  

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Dussehra In Kashmir

This Dussehra may well hold out fresh hope to the tragically displaced Kashmiri Pandits. Kashmir Valley witnessed its celebrations in its traditional form after two decades. On Monday last, a 40-ft effigy of Ravana, along with 35-ft effigies of Kumbhkaran and Meghnath, brought from Jammu, were burnt on Srinagar’s TRC Ground, where just a week ago thousands of Muslims had gathered to offer special Eid prayers. Though the Dussehra crowd was far less, around 2000-odd people, it meant much more for those gathered there. For the generation born after the separatist movement, it was a first time they witnessed such an event.  For the older generation, it was a nostalgic moment, reminding them of their childhood and happier times. --INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)