Round The States

New Delhi, 29 April 2010

Of CBI & Vote Bank

STATES BAIL OUT THE CENTRE

By Insaf

The States have bailed out a beleaguered Centre as never before. Ironically they have enabled New Delhi to secure Parliament’s approval for the Finance Bill, even as their regional leaders cried hoarse against price hike. Four days prior to the crucial cut motion in the Lok Sabha, the opposition satraps threatened to vote out the UPA-II. The dice clearly appeared to be against the Centre. But vote bank politics and CBI cases against BSP supremo Mayawati and others intervened decisively. Hours before the cut motions on Tuesday last, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister announced her support (21 MPs) to the UPA, saying it was to keep the communal forces out. However, the truth lies elsewhere. Call it coincidence, but the CBI on Friday last told the Supreme Court that it would consider Mayawati’s plea for closure of a disproportionate assets case against her. 

Likewise, Samajwadi Party chief, Mulayam Singh Yadav too decided to go along with the Congress rather than the Left parties as he eyed his party’s position in Uttar Pradesh. He had burnt his fingers in the Lok Sabha poll by aligning with BJP’s erstwhile Kalyan Singh and did not want to be seen siding with the BJP on the cut motion. The Muslim vote in the Hindi heartland is obviously a crucial factor. The Bihar Assembly elections later this year are Lalu Prasad Yadav’s concern. By getting his four RJD MPs to abstain he seems to be keen to work out some sort of electoral arrangement with the Congress. Moreover, the three leaders are looking for a further quid pro quo. The Congress will need keep in mind their strong opposition to the Women’s Reservation Bill and put it in cold storage. At the end, while the Left parties could only say “it is unfortunate”, the big question is will the Centre eventually oblige its adversaries?

*                                               *                                               *                                         *

Uncertainty In Jharkhand

Meanwhile, in all this high drama, developments in Jharkhand have come under the spotlight. The State Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Shibu Soren sprang a shocking surprise. In the chair for four months with the support of the BJP, Soren voted for the UPA; he is technically still a Lok Sabha member! An incensed BJP immediately considered withdrawing support, but put its date with the Governor on hold, following Soren’s apology and undertaking that JMM was with the NDA. It is also considering Soren’s latest offer. On Thursday last, the JMM chief offered to step down as CM and support a saffron nominee. He, however, sought that his son, Hemant be made the Deputy CM. The BJP is now not only weighing Soren’s sincerity but the options of who could don the CM’s post –former CM Arjun Munda, or Deputy CM Raghuvar Das or former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha. At its end the Congress “waits and watches”, the developments. Sadly, political uncertainty dodges Jharkhand yet again.

                                                *                                               *                                         *

W Bengal’s Salwa Judam

CPM-ruled West Bengal seems to have its own prescription of tackling the Maoists problem, now that the country is awash with varied solutions. It has the communist version of the salwa judam “people’s resistance” groups in about 15 villages. Apparently, over the past year-and-a-half heavily armed CPM “fighters” have been living in nearly a dozen camps in Bankura, one of the three Maoists-infested districts, other than Purulia and West Midnapore. So far about “60 Maoists” have been killed, claim the police. Each of these camps, which have the backing of local MPs and MLAs, have been set up at strategic locations, and house a 100-odd such men. The private militia admits the Government is “encouraging the villagers” to carry out carry out a night vigil to stop the Maoists from entering their villages. Will the state-sponsored movement yield results? Remember the salwa judam miserably failed in nearby Chhattisgarh. 

*                                               *                                               *                                         *

Reprieve For Amarinder

Dame luck has smiled on Capt. Amarinder Singh as it has on a few former chief ministers across the country. He is back in the reckoning in Punjab politics. On Monday last, the Supreme Court, gave a hard knock to the Akali Dal-BJP government by declaring the former CM’s expulsion by the State Assembly in September 2008 as “constitutionally invalid and undemocratic.” The Assembly had revoked Amarinder’s membership for his involvement in a 32.1 acre land scam. The five-member bench ruled that it is “improper for Parliament or Assembly to expel a member for breach of privilege citing acts of corruption or misconduct allegedly committed as part of executive functions.” The only exceptional cases where acts which occur outside the House could affect the integrity of legislative functions could be when “legislators accept bribes in lieu of asking questions or for voting” in the House, the court elaborated. Ideally, it suggested the Government should have filed a criminal complaint against Amarinder. The judgement has thus not only helped the Congress leader regains his MLA status but he could stake claim for the leadership of the Punjab PCC before the High Command.

*                                               *                                               *                                         *

AGP-BJP Alliance off?

The BJP has received a rude shock in Assam. Its coalition partner, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) has decided to call of its alliance with the saffron party. A decision to this affect was taken by the AGP’s steering committee on Sunday last. As a next step, it has been sent to the general house of the party for ratification. The trouble between the coalition partners started a while ago with a growing discontent among party workers that the BJP had benefitted the most from the tie-up in the recent Lok Sabha polls. Of the 14 seats, while the BJP’s tally went up from two to four, the AGP could win just one against the two it had held earlier. This apart, it was agreed that while the saffron party would be the dominant party in General elections, the AGP would lead the alliance in the 2011 Assembly polls. However, the new BJP President Gadkari has ruffled feathers at a recent press conference. He said the party was able to go it alone in the Assembly polls, making AGP leaders quip of how ignorant he was about Assam and the AGP. Will the BJP be able to mend bridges? 

*                                               *                                               *                                         *

Rajasthan Hit By IPL

The IPL controversy has triggered ripples in Rajasthan too. On Thursday last, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot accused former BJP Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje of allowing former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi to act as “an extra-constitutional power” during her regime. Modi, he charged used to pressurise officers for favours and "bureaucrats went to his hotel room carrying files for clearance but Raje who was aware of all these happenings never cared to stop him." Additionally, he said the law department was examining the purchase of two heritage buildings, belonging to the government by Modi at Amber on the outskirts of Jaipur. Raje has hit back saying the CM was diverting attention from crucial issues, such as water, power and unemployment, facing the State. Dismissing his charges, Raje said in the past 17 months in power, Gehlot has made various allegations but failed to proved none. This slanging match looks will carry on. ---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)