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BJP’s Tiranga Yatra:UNFURLS STORM IN KASHMIR, by Insaf, 27 Jan, 11 Print E-mail

Round The States

New Delhi, 27 January 2011

BJP’s Tiranga Yatra

UNFURLS STORM IN KASHMIR

By Insaf

 

India’s National flag, the symbol of unity and integration created a storm in Kashmir. Thanks to the main Opposition party BJP’s plans to unfurl the Tiranga at Srinagar’s Lal Chowk on Republic Day. Its efforts to do so came to naught with an adamant Chief Minister Omar Abdulla refusing to allow it. Towards that end, the States borders were sealed to prevent the BJP yatris from proceeding to Srinagar on the fallacious plea that it would disturb the return of normalcy after months of strife. The leaders of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley were arrested at Jammu airport, sent to jail on the Punjab border and released only once the Republic Day celebrations were over. Abdullah may have notched a victory. But in the process he may have complicated the Kashmir imbroglio further.

 

Importantly, the reasons for disallowing the flag unfurling seem trite. How does peace get affected if the National flag is hoisted? Also, if the Separatists can raise the ante against India in the Union Capital Delhi and get away with it, why can’t a party proclaim its allegiance to the Indian Constitution by unfurling the National Flag? By its action has not the State Government played in to the hands of the Separatists who are demanding Independence? Needless to say the battle lines between the pro and anti-India groups have sharpened and not a few observers state that inadvertently Abdullah acted hastily by arresting the BJP leaders and played into the terrorists hands leaving its ‘handlers’ in Pakistan pleased as punch. All eyes are riveted on the BJP’s next move.

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Karnataka’s Royal Battle

Karnataka’s Governor H R Bhardwaj who has been having a running battle with the State Government has done it. Adamant, he has sanctioned prosecution proceedings against Chief Minister Yeddiyurppa for his involvement in the infamous land scam. Notwithstanding the State Cabinet’s advice to the Governor to drop the proceedings,  Bhardwaj shot back that he needed no lessons on the Constitution and his decision was based on a 2004 Supreme Court judgment of a five-judge Bench headed by present Karnataka Lokayukta N Santosh Hegde, which while deciding a request for grant of sanction to prosecute the Chief Minister said: the Governor would “as a matter of propriety, necessarily act in his own discretion and not on the advice of the Council of Ministers”. Turning deaf to the State Government’s plea that he was acting as the Centre’s agent. As a rebuff to Bhardwaj, the Karnataka cabinet boycotted the ceremonial tea party on Republic Day. Also, the BJP has petitioned the President to recal the Governor.  It remains to be seen who will have the last word!

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Chhattisgarh’s New Plan

A strange phenomenon is being witnessed in Chhattisgarh. Whereby all State Government proposals have to be approved by the Maoists. In a bid to woo the people through development projects and thereby dent the Maoists dominance, the Raman Singh Government has launched a new plan, Integrated Action Plan to fast track growth in 60 backward districts in the 4000 sq km Naxal belt. But its implementation depends on winning the minds of the Guerrillas. Only after they have whetted the ambitious projects can work be carried out. Else the structures are brought down without warning. Already 200 school and panchayat buildings have been destroyed in the last decade. Now the State has decided to play safe and only when they get ‘Andar se permission’ read Maoists are the works carried out. Indeed, a noble way to better the lives of the tribals.

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New Red Corridor

Worse. Emboldened Maoists are now trying to create a new Red Corridor through Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Jharkhand and West Bengal to counter pressure from the security forces. Towards that end the Naxalites have zeroed in on contiguous dense forests which link all the States to provide them cover to move fast and unnoticed. In fact, the Maoists have made Bastar their main battle ground and deployed half of the military strength there which includes nine out of 19 military companies each which have three light machine guns, 15 automatic rifles and assorted weapons in addition to mortar, crude rockets and grenades. However, the rebels’ grandiose plans would come to naught if the people across the States do not co-operate with them.

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Maharashtra’s Fuel Mafia

Maharashtra notched up another strike in the corruption index. Shockingly, an honest Additional District Collector of Malegaon, Yashwant Sonawane, was burnt alive by the kerosene mafia in Manmad in Nasik District as he tried to prevent them from adulterating the fuel. That too on the eve of Republic Day. True, the 11 perpetrators have been held for the Collector’s murder and the Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has promised to come down heavily on the petrol and diesel mafia in the State. But this is easier said than done given the fact that one of the culprits who set the office aflame was roaming free notwithstanding that he had seven cases of fuel theft registered against him since 2001. In his death the courageous collector exposed over Rs.10,000 crore fuel black market which thrives on the largesse of a benevolent polity and bureaucratic nexus. Who will bell the corruption cat?

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Manipur’s Unusual First

For strife-torn Manipur this indeed is an unusual first. A young Manipuri school boy is the first Indian to win the UN international peace poster contest. Showcasing a message that peace ultimately wins, the poster depicts a dove removing a dark covering featuring guns and explosives from the earth. Call it coincidence or what you may the young lad comes from remote Moirang, the place where Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army had hoisted the Tricolour for the first time on Indian soil. It remains to be seen whether the poster that got the 11-year-old class V student the award will be the torch bearer for peace to return in the State.---INFA

 

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

 

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