Round The States

New Delhi, 8 April 2010

Chhattisgarh Massacre

BUCK STOPS AT HOME MINISTRY

By Insaf

Chhattisgarh has put a big question mark on the Centre’s war against the Maoists. Everything seems to be going wrong for its present architect, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram. Clearly, his strategy of “Green Hunt Operation” has backfired. The butchering of 76 CRPF personnel by the Maoists in Dantewada on Tuesday last, the worst-ever ambush, was truly a tragic day for the nation and its para-military forces. Indeed, the government needs to rethink the Hunt and its Naxal policy, even as it puts up a brave front.  More so, given a review of the bloodbath in Chhattisgarh. Not only was the CRPF battalion badly outnumbered by the Maoists, about 1,000 that fateful day, but the jawans were ill-prepared, ill-trained and made easy targets in the hilly terrain. While Chidambaram cleverly claimed it was a joint search operation of the State and the Central forces, factually there was only one local policeman with the jawans, who obviously did not know the terrain. If the bullets did not get the jawans, the pressure bombs did, laid on the route which the jawans had taken earlier on a three-day search operation.  The CRPF personnel were thus sitting ducks for the Maoists.  

In the aftermath of the massacre, Chidambaram has bravely sought to make some amends. On Wednesday last he said that while the government had not used air power and was not in its favour, the mandate could change. However, strategists are of the firm opinion that there can be no ifs and buts. No one is asking the Centre to bomb the Maoists areas which could hurt the civilians. But, surely, it can make good use of helicopter gun ships. The Centre cannot expect any success unless it uses its air power and if need be even the Army in this full-scale war. Many feel that Chidambaram saying “something went drastically wrong,” is an understatement. And, the loud claim that the UPA government would wipe out Maoists in two-three years time, wishful thinking. The buck does not stop eventually at the Chief Minister’s table, as asserted by Chidambaram. It stops at the Union Home Minister’s and the Home Minister alone. P. Chidambaram needs to take serious note. Mere arrogant statements and claims would not do. These have to be followed up effectively on the ground, as once shown by free India’s first Home Minister, Sardar Patel.

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States Haggle Over RTE

The Right to Education has hit a financial roadblock. States are yet to commit to sharing the responsibility as desired by the Centre. Last week, Uttar Pradesh took the lead in haggling to bring down its percentage of the cost. In the Centre’s estimate, expenditure for five years, UP will require a major chunk of the funds-- Rs 38, 909 crore, followed by Bihar Rs 26,000 crore. Other States would need: West Bengal Rs 14,342 crores, Andhra Pradesh Rs 10,621, Maharashtra Rs 9,852, Jharkhand Rs 8,613, Madhya Pradesh Rs 8,231, Assam Rs 7,252, Gujarat Rs 7,035 and Delhi Rs 972 crore. Calculations were made after balancing the RTE with its ongoing project of Sarva Sikhsha Abhiyan, which had the cost ratio at 60:40. However, with BSP supremo Mayawati saying that UP cannot take the additional burden of Rs 18,500 crore and it be borne by the Centre, the Ministry is considering reworking the sharing of cost formula to 65:35. This apart, Bihar and Delhi have instead sought a 90:10 formula, putting altogether a question mark on the historic right to free and compulsory education for children.

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BJP Wins In Karnataka

Karnataka has given the BJP reason to be upbeat.  Its government, led by Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa, gave the rival Congress a drubbing in the civic polls to the Greater Bangalore City Corporation (GBCC) last week. The party bagged 112 of its 198 wards, pushing the Congress, whose mayors had ruled Bangalore for the past five decades, to a second position with only 62 wards in its kitty. The Janata Dal (Secular) managed to win 15 seats and the Independents the remaining nine. Though the BJP has enjoyed the support of urban voters for the past decade, it failed to capture the corporation in 2001. The Congress held the full term till 2006, after which the civic polls were not held thanks to legal complications relating to ward reservation and an administrator was put in charge. However, the stalemate was put to an end by the High Court last week. The BJP, which had won the Assembly elections in 2008, appears to be getting increasingly popular with the Bangaloreans with this first victory in the civic polls. So far it held 14 of the 18 Assembly constituencies in the city and represents three of the four Lok Sabha segments. It is now busy selecting its new Mayor and Deputy Mayor.

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Bridging J&K Divide

All eyes are on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. Not as in a security issue but refreshingly as a development concern. If all goes well, work on upgrading the strategic and economically important NH 1A will commence soon, with an estimated budget of Rs 9,000. Bids for the construction started Wednesday last. Unfortunately, every year, the J&K highway is shut for over a month (around 40 days) thanks to landslide and snowfall cutting adding to the woes of the people. In addition to the NH1A, the Highways authorities propose to construct two tunnels-- the longest, 9 km-long, on the Nashri Chinani section, near Patnitop (a popular holiday resort for the Jammuites), and the other on the Banihal-Quazikund section, 8.45 km long. The cost is estimated at Rs 2000 crore each, but on completion these tunnels shall provide an “all-weather road” to the Kashmir Valley. Not only will the tunnels help reduce the distance between Jammu and Srinagar by 60 km and two hours but will help save over Rs 27 crore per year on maintenance. Work may well be awarded to a bidder by month-end, inshallah.

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MP Ministers’ Gun Culture

It is fashionable to own a gun in Madhya Pradesh. More than half of the Shivraj Singh Chouhan Cabinet —17 of the 31 ministers own firearms! This was revealed at the recently-concluded Assembly session when the ministers along with the CM submitted their property details. While Chouhan has a revolver, (which he fired during a ritual in which weapons are worshipped), his Minister for Tourism, Sports and Youth Welfare, is the proud owner of three-branded weapons—a US made .22 SBBL Winchester, a Holland & Holland .465 double barrel breech loading gun (known as Rolls Royce of guns) and a .12 DBBL, the PWD Minister owns a pistol, a .12 bore gun and a muzzle loader, the Home Minister and the SC & ST Welfare Minister both have a revolver and two guns each. Even the lady Minister of State for Women and Child Welfare owns a pistol. Apparently, 12,000-15,000 applications are filed every year for arms licenses, particularly in Gwalior, Rewa and Chambal regions. How then can the politician lag behind? --INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)