Round The States

New Delhi, 6 January 2011

Telengana Tangle

CENTRE IN LOGJAM

By Insaf

The eagerly awaited report of the Telengana Committee headed by Justice B.N. Srikrishna submitted to the Centre has turned out to be a damp squib. Putting paid to high expectations of the people belonging to the Telengana region, the 800-page report calls for a united Andhra Pradesh. While it has offered as many as a six options to ostensibly meet the aspirations of those calling for a separate state and balance competing demands it has suggested that in the interest of “stable development” in the future, a united Andhra is the best way forward. The report argues that as per the social economic variables in the three regions of the State, namely coastal Andhra, Rayalseema and Telengana there is no material basis for treating the demand for separate statehood on the grounds of backwardness.

Needless to say, this has resulted in a huge outcry. Recall, the Telengana demand which has been festering since 1967, took a serious turn late last year, following the death of Congress Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy and the internal war of attrition within the ruling Party. Seizing the opportunity TRS leader K Chandrasekhar Rao undertook a ‘fast on to death.’ He was supported by the TDP and BJP along-with Congress MLAs’ and MPs from the region. With sentiments aflame, the Centre bought time by setting up the Justice Srikrishna Committee committee to go in to the various demands. Today, the latest round of turmoil has been compounded by the departure of  YSR’s son Jaganmohan Reddy from the Party. That Andhra is crucial for the Congress is evident from the fact that it has 33 MPs, the maximum number from any State. With emotion running high and chances of the State turning into an inferno, the Centre is caught between a rock and a hard place!

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MP’s ICD Scam

In the season of scams, the BJP Government in Madhya Pradesh has taken a lead by setting up two special courts for speedy disposal of cases relating to its Congress predecessor. The erstwhile Chief Minister Digvijay Singh has been accused of granting Rs 714 crores ‘dubious’ loans to industrialists under the Inter-Corporate Deposit (ICD) scheme without insisting on a guarantee. Today, the amount to be repaid has risen to over Rs 2200 crores. The Congress on its part argues that it is more a case of non-performing assets than any scam. But Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan has made plain that defaulters would be blacklisted and all efforts made to recover the money. In the event, the Government is successful, a part of the credit goes to BJP’s Hindutva fire brand Uma Bharati, who brought the scam to the fore as Opposition leader after she was thrown out of the BJP in 2005. Will Chauhan succeed in nailing Singh?

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Towards A Peaceful Assam?

All fingers are crossed that peace may finally return to Assam. This follows the release of ULFA Chairman Arvinda Rajkhowa from jail on bail after a year’s imprisonment. Particularly, as the first thing on gaining freedom, the ULFA Chief declared his willingness to smoke the peace pipe with the State Government. Towards that end, he expressed his willingness to set aside all conditions laid down by his Party. He also appealed to the State Government to release all ULFA Central Council Members presently in jail. However, Rajkhowa’s assertion is a double edged sword. On one hand, it gives the Congress a peace plank as it readies for a third term in the forthcoming State Assembly elections. On the other, it would increase the pressure on the State Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to free other leaders of militant tribal outfits which are more “dreaded” than ULFA. Notwithstanding, Rajkhowa release the Chief Minister continues to play safe. He has reiterated that the ban on ULFA imposed in 1990 would continue as a faction of the militant outfit still opposed talks. The State Government is keeping an eagle eye on Rajkhova to ensure he does not step out of line while addressing rallies in the State.

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Haryana Fast-tracks Cases

Good news awaits litigants in Haryana. The Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has announced a policy to streamline cases involving the State Government whereby it intends having a more “accommodating approach to Public Interest Litigations” filed against it. This entails taking immediate remedial steps as listed in the petition even prior to filing a written statement in the court. The policy also proposes to set up a grievances redressal system within departments to prevent avoidable litigation. It also stipulates a time frame for deciding cases within the department. This is not all. To ensure success of its ‘no litigation incentive for land owners’ the Chief Minister asserted that those who opt for not challenging the acquisition of their land, the State proposed that if the litigant approached HC for enhanced compensation, then the appeal would be filed by the State, not by the concerned departments to avoid duplication.

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Breather For Kashmir

Finally some respite for our security forces in strife-torn Kashmir. In a astonishing disclosure moderate Hurriyat leader Abdul Ghani Batt asserted that his colleagues Mirwaiz Muhammad Farooq were killed by ‘our own people and not by the police. Needless to say he has raised hackles among the hardline camp who have presently maintained studious silence. Bhatt however, seems undeterred by the threat to his life following his ‘bombshell’. Accusing Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani for brow beating the moderate leaders he ruled out any unity among various factions. This is not all. He questioned Geelani’s double standards whereby he tells the moderates not to talk to the Government but is the fist one to meet the MPs. More, Bhat’s comments has been endorsed by Lone’s son Sajid who had earlier accused the ISI of killing his father but today he thinks otherwise. Will Bhat’s revelation give another chance for peace to evolve in the valley.

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Karnataka’s Global City

Karnataka’s beleaguered Chief Minister Yeddiyurappa has reason to smile. Not only has the BJP come out trumps in the State local elections but capital city Bangalore is all set to join the league of metros. In less than 100 days India’s IT capital will have trains that ‘connect’ the city. In fact, its citizens who find the infrastructure inversely proportionate to its global image, see Namma Metro (our metro in Kannad) as the most exciting advance since the inception of the software industry. Already, the ongoing civil work of the Rs.11,609 crore has changed the skyline of the city which will soon have trains gliding a long overhead ferring passengers. Importantly Bangalore metro model unlike its counterpart in Delhi is a ‘business as usual model to develop a template for metro projects in other Indian cities. Come Republic Day, Bangalore will catapult the city in to the league of vibrant global cities. ---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)