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Bugle For Azadi:Bugle For Azadi KASHMIR, CENTRE RATTLED, by Insaf, 28 Oct, 2010 Print E-mail

Round The States

New Delhi, 28 October 2010


Bugle For Azadi

KASHMIR, CENTRE RATTLED

By Insaf

 

From stone-pelting to anti-India tirade. The un-ending contentious Kashmir imbroglio is now reverbrating in the corridors of power at New Delhi and Srinagar. The latest problem has its genesis in a seminar demanding Azadi for Kashmir held in Delhi last week. Led by Hurriyat hardliner Geelani and celebrated author Arundhati Roy speaker after speaker gave a clarion call for freedom.  Even as the Centre mulled action against those making inflammatory speeches, the ‘hate duo’ repeated their vitriolic campaign for azadi at a conference in Srinagar. Thereby, putting the authorities in a catch 22 situation, to book or not to book the ‘freedom’ perpetrators for sedition under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code. This entails a three year prison term and fine for anyone who by speech or visible representation provokes or attempts to provoke hatred, contempt or disaffection towards the Government.   

 

Specially, against the backdrop of the Centre’s ‘olive branch’ to the disgruntled factions in the State by appointing three interlocutors to ascertain the grievances and find a via media to resolve all issues. Notwithstanding Hurriyat leaders, Geelani and Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, decision to ‘boycott’ them. Adding to the Centre’s dilemma the Opposition has raised the ante demanding that a case be registered against Geelani and Roy. If the Government fails to take action it would have to face the ignominy of being called “weak” and tighten its belt for a stormy winter session of Parliament. At the same time, the Centre also has to grapple with another set of problems if the duo are arrested. The State would be painted as persecutionist at a time when secessionists and their sympathizers including Pakistan have been shrewdly trying to put J&K on the global front-burner. Clearly, the Center cannot wish the clarion call for azadi as ‘PR feasts’. It is time to take hard political decisions.

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States Ignore Infrastructure

 

Scandalous is the States lackadaisical attitude towards the aam aadmi’s hard earned money. According to the latest statistics of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways,  14 States have not utilized the cess funds allocated for infrastructure development. The culprits include UP, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Kerala and Karnataka. More than Rs 2,862.67 crore are yet to be utilised by the State Governments.  This is not all. Despite the emphasis Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has laid on developing infrastructure in the North-East’s eight sisters to counter-large-scale road construction by China in the region, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura show zero utilisation of CRF. More. Worse is the track record of Union Territories, including India’s capital Delhi, which have not spent anything at all this year. Shockingly, it has not utilised any money in five fiscals, 2001-02, 02-03, 04-05, 05-06, 09-10 and the first two quarters of the current financial year. Any wonder, that the country’s infrastructure is so pathetic!

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Assam, Aruachal Differ On Dams

 

Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh’s task has just got easier in Assam and Arunachal. As public protests against the construction and proposed mega dams on rivers in Assam and the upper reaches of rivers in Arunachal are getting louder. In Assam the protestors, led by the All Assam Students' Union, Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) and All Mishing Students' Union are demanding a moratorium on construction of the dams till a cumulative impact study is carried out as these would have a catastrophic effect on the livelihood of people living in the downstream areas of the Brahmaputra river in Assam. More. Notwithstanding protests in Assam, Arunachal continues to lobby hard with the Centre for clearance to start construction of 132 river dams in the State, including 23 mega dams with minimum individual generation capacity of 500 MW. Put together the dams would generate 31,580 MW of electricity of which the Siang Project is the biggest with a capacity of 11,000 MW. Will enfant terrible Ramesh play ball?

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Rajasthan Vetoes Centre

 

Rajasthan has taken on the Centre over footing the wage bill for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme even as it vies for taking credit for its implementation. In a letter to the Secretary, Rural Development Ministry it has asked that the UPA Government bear the cost of wages, which must be the minimum wage application in the State which was recently revised. This has come as a huge embarrassment for the Centre as Rajasthan is not only ruled by the Congress but the rural development Minister CP Joshi is from Rajasthan.  As of now, the Centre is in a no mood to oblige as in September last year it had snubbed another Congress-governed State Andhra Pradesh. The Centre argues that it is only liable for Rs.100/- under the MNREGS and the rest should be borne by the States concerned. All eyes are now on Joshi. Will he oblige his Karam Bhumi?

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Intolerant Maharashtra

 

Move over West Bengal it is now the turn of Maharashtra to bare its ‘intolerant’ fangs by withdrawing a book from Mumbai University’s syllabus. Last week, the Sena’s latest Yuvraj, Bal Thackrey’s grandson, a student at the University ensured that Rohinton Mistry’s celebrated book Such a Long Journey be dropped as it carried certain objectionable comments about Maratha Raj.  More shocking was the fact that Congress Chief Minister Ashok Chavan toed the Shiv Sena’s line over the issue.  Chavan’s explanation for doing so was to pander to the Marathi manoos vote bank lobby which had been adroitly captured by the Sena’s break away group Raj Thackerey’s MNS and grown at the Congress’ cost. Even as the party high command distances itself from its Maharashtra unit. Its arch rival in the State and coalition partner NCP is busy claiming to be the de facto voice of the Marathas. All in all, populism continues to rule in Maharashtra politics.

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Modi’s Hat Trick in Gujarat

 

It is three cheers again for Gujarat’s Chief Minister, Narendra Modi. He has swept the Panchayat polls by winning 22 of the 24 segments in the State. Thereby establishing his complete supremacy over Gujarat’s political spectrum. His victory is all the more significant as a good number of 60 odd Muslims candidates Modi had put up won. For arch rival Congress not only was it forced to eat the humble pie at the Panchayat level. Worse it, lost even in Anand which had been under Congress control for years, and it’s tribal bastion of Dahod. Taking moral responsibility for the defeat, the State Congress President and the Congress Legislator party leader have resigned. Coming on the heels of his victory in the State’s civic polls a fortnight back, clearly, Modi is the unchallenged King of Gujarat!---INFA

 

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

 

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