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Jharkhand Scandal: MONEY TALKS IN RAJYA SABHA, by Insaf, 22 Mar, 2012 Print E-mail

Round The States

New Delhi, 22 March 2012

 

Jharkhand Scandal

MONEY TALKS IN RAJYA SABHA

By Insaf

 

Jharkhand has removed whatever little doubts there were over seats being up for sale in our parliamentary democracy. The ongoing election to the Council of State, Rajya Sabha, should make many hang their heads in shame. And, one can thank the “party with a difference”, the BJP for bringing the scourge to the fore. On Wednesday, it was forced to reverse its shameful decision of supporting London-based businessman Anshuman Mishra's bid for a seat in the House. The party asked its MLAs not to vote for the Independent. While Mishra has withdrawn from the contest, the BJP president Nitin Gagkari cannot wash his hands off the controversy. Several MPs within the party had spoken out harshly against his decision to support Mishra in the first place. Of particular import is what Yashwant Sinha stated. He openly declared that his party “had put a price tag on its MLAs” and that MLAs “were being put on the auction block!” Sadly, the House has been a route for businesspersons and the rich to enter Parliament. Last year, there were 100 members in the Rajya Sabha who were worth more than Rs. 1 crore!. Party leaders too are not behind. BJP’s Arun Jaitley has declared assets worth Rs 158 crores and BSP’s Mayawati a whopping 110 crore. The number is growing and so also the figures. Sadly, politics seems to be all about money. Who will stop the country from being short-changed?

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Bengal Has Its way

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her party, the Trinamool Congress is elated. Rather than biting the bullet, its partner the Congress has not only bended but crawled before it. Other than replacing its Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi with Mukul Roy, whose candidature had been earlier rejected by the Prime Minister, the TMC has managed to keep all four seats in the Rajya Sabha to itself. On Thursday last, Roy announced the rollback in passenger fare hike in all classes except in first and second AC. An already burdened aam admi and middle-class cannot be loaded more was his explanation. This, notwithstanding that the rail budget was approved by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. This apart, the TMC forced the Congress to withdraw its candidate Abdul Mannan from the Rajya Sabha elections in West Bengal on the last day, to avoid “any adverse impact on the alliance.” Wonder, how many more demands are going to be conceded.

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Odisha Hostage Crisis

Maoists in Odisha have set a dangerous precedent. For the first time, they have targeted foreigners and abducted two Italian tourists last week in Kandamahal district. The Maoists have put down a 13-point demand, including halting of security operations in the State and releasing Maoist prisoners, before the Naveen Patnaik government to set the two free. In response Patnaik in consultation with the Centre has temporarily called-off anti-Naxal operations and assured the Maoists that security forces would not take any coercive action as long as they don’t indulge in violence. The latter seems amiable and has announced a unilateral ceasefire and asked other Maoists operating in the State's border not to indulge in violence. This apart, they are learnt to treat the hostages well. However, while efforts must be made to end the crisis soon as it is taking diplomatic overturns, the State government needs to expedite its development strategy and reach out to the target groups. Lest, Naxals in other States take a cue from this kidnapping.  

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Gujarat Mansa’s Knock-out

Gujarat’s BJP government of Narendra Modi is shell-shocked. On Wednesday last, the Opposition Congress dealt a knockout punch and won the Mansa Assembly by-poll. The seat, close to the State capital Gandhinagar, has not only been with the saffron party for the past 21 years but recently Chief Minister Modi had held his Sadbhavana fast and took the Garib Kalyan Mela (Poor Welfare Fair) there. Both the local worker and leadership is a worried lot. Are the winds of change threateningly blowing in the State, which goes to the polls later this year and wherein Modi is aiming at capturing 150 of the 182 Assembly seats. However, will he be able to do it, is the concern as the Congress candidate Babuji Thakore defeated D D Patel by 8,188 votes. This may not be a big margin but it is more than the BJP's victory margins of the past three polls put together in Mansa, the BJP’s bastion. This apart, the Congress appears to be putting its house in order and its leaders are gearing to overcome factionalism and work as a team. Will celebrations in Congress camp in Mansa spill over to the rest of the State in coming months?    

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Andhra Blacklists Cong

Andhra Pradesh has unfortunately become a spoiler for Congress jubilation. The grand old party could not win a single seat of the seven in the Assembly byelections. On Wednesday last, though Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy accepted responsibility stating “every defeat is a lesson” to learn from, the question doing the rounds is whether the Congress will get its act together on the Telangana statehood issue. The pressure is definitely there for all to see with the Telanagan Rashtriya Samiti (TRS) bagging four seats. This apart, both the BJP and the YSR Congress fared better and were able to clinch a seat each, along with an Independent. They had all sung the pro-Telangana tune. The rout in Andhra obviously has made the Congress sit up, no matter whatever excuse it may offer.  Local State leaders are urging 10 Janpath to see the writing on the wall and have “clarity” on the Telangana issue and stop dilly-dallying.   

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Chandigarh Dispute

Whose baby is Union Territory Chandigarh--Punjab or Haryana? The long-pending debate got an unsavoury push from Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil greatly upsetting Haryana. In his address to the Punjab Assembly, Patil stated: “Chandigarh and several other Punjabi-speaking areas have been kept out of the State and must be transferred back at the earliest.” Both the ruling Congress and Opposition Indian Lok Dal are up in arms. While Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda claimed that Chandigarh belongs to Haryana as decided by the Shah Commission in 1966, INLD’s Om Prakash Chautala asserted that Haryana would not give up its claim till Punjab Hindi-speaking areas were transferred to the State. Likewise, the ruling Akali Dal-BJP Punjab Government is insisting that Haryana move its offices out of Chandigarh so that the UT can be transferred to Punjab! The big question is which and when of the two States will be able to make Chandigarh their capital.---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

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