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.
* * * *
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!
* * * *
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?
* * * *
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?
* * * *
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.
* * * *
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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