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Round The States
New Delhi, 20 January 2011
Union Cabinet
Reshuffle
EYE ON KERALA, UP
POLLS
By Insaf
Two poll-bound States are preening over the induction and
elevation of their MPs in the reshuffle of the Union Cabinet earlier this week.
Kerala which goes to the polls later this year has got a boost with the Congress’
Cabinet Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi getting additional
charge of the heavyweight Civil Aviation Ministry. Alongside another Keralite K.C.
Venugopal has been inducted as the new Minister of State for Power. Also, given
a leg up is Professor K.V. Thomas who has got Independent charge as Minister of
State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution. Notwithstanding
that this would now make the Congress directly responsible for the rising food
prices. Further, E. Ahmed, who belongs to the second biggest constituent in the
Congress-UDF alliance in the State, returns to his earlier charge of being
Minister of State in the External Affairs Ministry.
Significantly, Uttar Pradesh is the other State which has
come out triumphs in the Manmohan Singh-led UPA-II. Clearly with the intent of
reviving the party’s fortunes in the State and with an eye to take on Mayawati
in the polls next year. The Congress has elevated two Ministers of State to
Cabinet rank: namely, Salman Khurshid and Sriprakash Jaiswal. While Khurshid’s
shifts from Independent charge of Corporate and Minority Affairs to Water
Resources and Minority Affairs, Jaiswal has been elevated as full-fledged
Cabinet Minister for Coal. By not filling up ministerial vacancies in the share
of its key allies DMK and TMC from Tamil Nadu and West
Bengal respectively, the Congress has made its intent of playing
hard ball and not succumbing to either blackmail or tantrums. Even as Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh has dangled the carrot of another reshuffle following
Parliament’s Budget Session.
* * * *
Himachal’s
Problematic Vacancy
Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. A maxim that has
come to haunt the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal as he
juggles prospective candidates without causing any heartburn for the lone berth
in his Cabinet. The vacancy had risen following the resignation of his Forest
Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda after being elevated as the BJP national general
secretary. The jostling among MLAs has started. With Nadda being a Brahmin, the
community avers his replacement should be a Brahmin given that it has the
largest population in the State. Dhumal’s woes have multiplied as the Speaker,
the Deputy Speaker and a Rajya Sabha MP have thrown in their hat in the
Ministerial ring. Additionally, the MLAs in the fray do not have the requisite
experience. One component not on the Chief Minister’s side is time as the
Vidhan Sabha session is due to begin.
* * * *
Sabarimala Tragedy
Tragedy struck at the famous Sabarimala Ayappa temple in
Kerala on Friday last killing over 102 pilgrims and injuring over 70 due to a
stampede. Over three lakh devotees had collected for the annual Makaravilakku
ritual. At a height of 1260m above sea level in the Western Ghats, the South
Kerala shrine, one of the oldest in the country draws over 4 crore pilgrims each
year--more than the State’s 3 crore population. Shockingly, there were only three
policemen, two doctors and 30 forest officials to take care of three lakh pilgrims
present there. Worse, there was no communication system, ambulance, rescue
teams or proper roads to carry the injured to the hospitals. More so, as the
pilgrim rush has been increasing year after year due to the ruling deity’s
unique rituals practiced at the temple. Importantly, one of the factors for
rising popularity is that unlike many other shrines in the State, Sabarimala is
open to all religions. Interestingly, the pilgrims first offer prayers at a
mosque on the foothills of the temple before trekking up the mountain. A unique
national integration!
* * * *
Darjeeling Shuts Down Again
The scenic hills of Darjeeling
yet again resounded to the battle cry for a separate State of Gorkhaland on Tuesday last. The week-long
shutdown had been called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. Not only did it
paralyse normal life in the three hill sub-divisions of Darjeeling district, but it forced traffic
off the roads leaving the people with no option but to remain indoors. Worse,
winter chill and heavy fog added to the hill town’s gloominess. Making it incumbent
on the State Government to shift Central forces from the Maoist-hit West Midnapore. In fact, Darjeeling has witnessed periodic
disturbances since the 1980s over the Gorkhaland demand. The first to raise the
ante was the now defunct Ghising-led Gorkha National Liberation Front. However,
the GJM not only overtook the GNLF quickly but also its cause for statehood. Who
will have the last word?
* * * *
Mayawati’s Return
Gifts
It was raining gifts galore in UP Saturday last. The cause
célèbre was Chief Minister Mayawati’s 55th birthday. Unlike past
years where the Dalit leader would show off her jewellery and clothes, this
time round she not only dressed down but instead handed over gift vouchers
worth Rs.4000 crores to the people. Emphasising her commitment to empower the
dalits and destitutes cutting across the caste barrier she announced a slew of
welfare projects. The package includes launch of UP Janhit Guarantee Kanoon and
Mukhyamantri Mahamaya Sachal Aspatal Yojna, public dedication of a new look
Hazratganj/Lalbagh, and a promise of 53 other projects for Lucknow alone. That she has gone in for an
image make over was made plain when Mayawati dismissed her party’s Cabinet
Water Resources Minister A K Dohre accused of misconduct. What next?
* * * *
Madhya Pradesh’s
Loot
In the swirling eddy of corruption which has traumatized the
nation comes the scandalous news of bureaucrats in Bimaru Madhya Pradesh
sleeping on beds of cash! In a massive crack down on erring officials the
income tax department was horrified to find an IAS couple with unaccounted
wealth of over Rs.360 crores. This included 25 flats, life insurance premium of
Rs.3.5 crores and speculative trading for 274 crores. This is not all. At the
house of a PWD Executive Engineer, drawing a salary of Rs. 20,000 per month,
7.8 kgs of gold mostly in bars and Rs.1.6 crores cash was found. Equally
shocking were raids on the residence of a former Health Director whereby notes
were falling out of washing machines, wardrobes, quilts, pillows, bed-sheets
and masala dabbas. Who says babudom
is not lucrative? ---INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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