Round The States

New Delhi, 12 November 2009

CPM, SP Routed

BIG TRIUMPH FOR UPA & BSP

By Insaf

Seven States across the country have given the latest mandate through by-elections favouring the Congress and its ally, the Trinamool Congress yet again, with the BSP adding greatly to the surprise. While the Left has been humiliated in West Bengal and Kerala, as never before, the Samajwadi Party of Mulayam Singh has lost face through an incredible drubbing on its home turf. Indeed, results of the 31 Assembly and one Lok Sabha byelections are carrying forward a strong message: people want a change. Mamata’s TMC winning all the seven of the 11 seats it contested in Bengal is signal enough for the CPM that only a miracle can help it retain its red bastion after the next assembly poll. Likewise, the Congress wresting all three seats in Kerala is also a clear pointer that the party is well on its way to snatching power from the Left next poll.

In Uttar Pradesh, SP Chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, seen till recently as a formidable force, has got a hard knock, with the Muslims ditching “Maulana Mulayam” and largely swinging in favour of the Congress. His candidate for the Ferozabad Lok Sabha seat, none other than his own daughter-in-law lost by a huge margin to the Congress’ Raj Babbar. Mulayam lost even in his pocket boroughs of Etawah and Baratna; remember he was elected to the State Assembly from Baratana, but resigned on election in the Lok Sabha. Worse, to add insult to injury, his bête noire Mayawati’s BSP has made a forceful comeback after its poor showing in the recent Lok Sabha. Her party won nine of the 11 seats, proving the time has not yet come to write her off.    

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Hooda Under Watch

Haryana and Karnataka have thrown up intriguing political developments. The Chief Ministers of the two States have been put under watch by their respective high commands. While Bhupinder Singh Hooda may have had his say in the formation of his ministry by keeping his main critics out, his glee has been short lived. Delhi has constituted a coordination committee to manage the affairs between the party and the Government and, as such, virtually monitor Hooda’s performance. The panel is, no doubt, headed by AICC General Secretary Prithviraj Chavan. Nevertheless, it is co-chaired by Hooda-baiter Birendra Singh, who lost in the poll, and includes two other rivals. All the seven Independent MLAs (six of them first timers) have been rewarded with ministerships and posts of parliamentary secretaries for helping Hooda muster a simple majority. Importantly, not a single of the 10 Congress berths have gone to any of his detractors. That Hooda has managed to get five of the six Haryana Janhit Congress MLAs to join the Congress. A feather in his cap, which should help.  

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Yeddyruppa Gets Mixed Reprieve

Likewise in Karnataka. Chief Minister B S Yeddyruppa has successfully weathered the fortnight-long storm raised by the dissident Reddy brothers and other rebel MLAs’ and saved his kursi. But the BJP central leadership is not taking any chance. It too has set up a coordination committee to oversee the “reconciliation process” and ensure that peace lasts. This follows the Reddy brothers, Janardhan and Karunaka, giving BJP leader L K Advani a “birthday gift” on Saturday last in Delhi. They backed down from their demand for a change in the State’s leadership and removal of six Ministers after Delhi refused to oblige. However, Yeddyruppa had to yield to some extent. The Bellary district officials have been transferred and his “favorite” minister and special assistant removed. How long the truce will last is anybody’s guess. Money now asserts aggressively in India’s increasingly feudal politics!

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Ugly Start In Maharashtra

Maharashtra, finally got a Government last Saturday after a fortnight of bitter wrangling between the Congress and the NCP over the number of ministerial berths and portfolios. While the ruling alliance has overcome the hurdle of meeting the November 3 deadline of government formation or else risk Governor’s rule, it has been an unsavoury start. Not only has it brought to the fore the one-upmanship tussle between the two old partners but, more importantly, that Ashok Chavan’s government must rein in Raj Thackeray’s MNS. On Monday last the Assembly got off to a violently shameful start after four MNS MLAs slapped and manhandled Samajwadi legislator Abu Asim Azmi in the House for taking oath in Hindi and not in Marathi as per the MNS diktat. While the MNS MLAs have been punished with a severe suspension of four years, Mumbai witnessed violent skirmishes between the MNS-SP supporters. Worse may follow. Will the new government show much-needed spine and finally take on Raj Thackeray?            

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MNS Version in Madhya Pradesh?

Enough should normally be enough. But look who was seen following in Raj Thackeray’s footsteps. Incredibly enough, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chauhan! Last week he sent shock waves with his reported utterance that his Government would not tolerate industries employing Biharis and that private firms must train and give jobs to the locals! Expectedly, the BJP’s alliance partner in Bihar, JD (U) was up in arms. Describing the utterances as “unconstitutional and objectionable”, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar shot off a letter saying “every Indian has the fundamental right to seek employment anywhere in the country… If Bihar refuses to consume Madhya Pradesh’s products, won’t the industries in your State be hit…” RJD chief Lalu Prasad too hit out saying the BJP “will lose whatever little support base it has in Bihar”. Warning enough for Chauhan to wisely retract the next day by declaring: “Madhya Pradesh is open to everybody. Anyone can come from the other States and work here.”  Mercifully, he did not foolishly stick out like Raj.  

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Dalai Visits Tawang

Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh was all decked up this past week as if Loshar, the Tibetan New Year, had come before time. Hundreds of monks thronged the district dressed in their traditional attire with flowers, khadas (white scarves) and lamps to welcome His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Sunday last. He had come to Tawang for the first time 50 years ago while fleeing from the Chinese. Though the long-awaited visit was termed as “not political, but religious and spiritual,” the Buddhist leader did make a subtle point on the Chinese claims on Tawang, which many may have missed. The PLA occupied Tawang during the 1962 war, he said. “But the Chinese government declared a unilateral ceasefire and withdrew its forces. At that time it was different leadership. Now the leadership has different views. This is something which I really don’t know. I am a little bit surprised..,” he added. Time for the Government to pick up the cue.

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Towards Solution Of J&K

Encouraging signs of a solution to the Kashmir imbroglio are slowly but surely emerging. Both the State national parties and the separatists seem to be thinking along similar lines. Participating in a seminar in Delhi, People’ Democratic Party’s Mehbooba Mufti candidly stated that “differences between the mainstream political parties and the separatists had blurred and there seemed a fair amount of consensus on the Kashmir issue.” On its part, the ruling National Conference has clarified that the party “is willing to work with the opposition PDP, the Hurriyat Conference and the separatists groups to evolve a common solution.” Fortunately, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman of the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference, on Friday last also expressed the conglomerate’s “readiness for meaningful talks with the Centre.” He said “participation of India, Islamabad, Muzaffarabad (capital of Pak Occupied Kashmir) and the people of Kashmir was imperative for a solution.” Guess, it’s time for the Centre to come out with a concrete and lucid plan. --INFA

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