Round The States
New Delhi, 23
August 2012
Coalgate
Scandal
UPA PASSES BUCK TO
STATES
By Insaf
Opposition States
may well come to the rescue of a beleaguered Congress-led UPA Government at the
Centre over the Rs 1.86 lakh crore ‘Coalgate’ scandal. Records of five
States—Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal
and Rajasthan are being brazenly flashed across by the Centre to wriggle out of
the damaging CAG’s report on distribution of coal blocks. Taking the lead is
Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal, who asserts that the Government could not
auction coal blocks because of strong Opposition from these States. It was
them, he insists which were against the idea of introduction of coal block
allocation through auction, during the period 2005-2009. This apart, the CBI
has put the scanner on two dozen private companies while investigating the
allocation of coal blocks during the same period. Importantly, it claims that
the number of beneficiaries were the “maximum” in the two States of Jharkhand
and Chhattisgarh! The big question is
will the Centre succeed in its “master stroke” of trying to pass on the buck to
the States? Will it be able to take the wind out of Opposition sails and manage
to get Parliament proceedings back on the rails?
* * * *
Rajasthan On Alert
Rajasthan offers a
classic example of the vagaries of nature. Facing a drought-like situation just
a few weeks ago, the desert State since Wednesday last has been put on high
alert following heavy rainfall! Large parts of its capital, Jaipur, which
witnessed the heaviest downpour in the past three decades, went into a spin
with schools being shut down and flights and rail services disrupted. Worse,
eight people died, while another seven were feared killed across the State. The
downpour recorded 17cm rainfall, as against 1981’s 32.6cm rainfall and the Met
department has predicted more rainfall. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is
overseeing relief operations with reports stating that so far 200 houses have
collapsed, 2,000-odd people evacuated and at least 20,000 food packets
distributed. The State has been put on alert and all eyes are on the weather
Gods for some respite from the rains.
* * * *
Nagaland’s Blockade Misery
Nagaland’s blockade
misery seems never-ending. Assam
is up in arms against its neighbour for what it alleges encroachment of land in
its Golaghat district by miscreants. Six organisations, primarily youth
outfits, have launched an indefinite economic blockade since August 18
demanding that the 250 bigha acres of farming land be returned. The district
administration has been unsuccessful in getting the blockade lifted from two
roads and National Highway 39, which is not only affecting the Nagas but
Manipur too is facing hardship as oil tankers are stranded. Assam Chief Minister
Tarun Gogoi has had to step in and asked his counterpart in Kohima to maintain
status quo on boundary demarcation. Don’t encroach on our land as the issue was
pending in the Supreme Court, is his plea. Will Nagaland yield or face the
hardship?
* * * *
Mumbai’s Illegal Bangladeshis?
Maharashtra may
well touch a chord amongst the Assamese people. On Tuesday last, the
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Chief Raj Thackeray joined their chorus against
illegal Bangladeshi migrants. At a massive rally at the Azad Maidan, which was
in reply to the one held on August 11 by Muslim organisations, Thackeray
alleged that it was these immigrants who were behind the violence witnessed in South Mumbai that day. Flashing a Bangladeshi passport,
which he claimed was found at the Maidan, he warned that the influx of illegal
Bangladeshi immigrants posed a serious threat to Mumbai. While his allegations
may fall flat like the pleas made by the Assamese to their political leadership
against the migrants, Thackeray has tasted some success. The Chavan government
on Thursday last, transferred the Mumbai Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik,
under attack for the violence on August 11. Perhaps this would give the
Assamese some hope that its problem of immigrants will gain greater shrill.
* * * *
UP Key Player
Uttar Pradesh will
be a key player in the Centre’s bid to bring a Constitution Amendment Bill to
provide reservation in promotions to SC and ST employees. While most parties
are eager and have lent their support to the Prime Minister on Tuesday last at
the all-party meeting, the Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav appears
to have put a spanner. He is of the firm view that such a move would do
injustice to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs). The argument being: “providing
reservation in promotion to SC/ST employees will result in their becoming
senior people who had joined earlier.”
However, his bête noire, the Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati is
obviously not with him. While she claimed she had no objection to OBCs getting
reservation in promotions, the issue as of now was only dealing with SC/STs.
Which lobby will yield is worth a watch.
* * * *
Gujarat Cong Promises
The
Congress in Gujarat is going all out to woo
the voters in the Assembly elections later this year. The party yearning for a
comeback after ten years is promising the moon, one could easily say. Not only
does it propose to offer free plots under “own your own home” scheme, but if
voted to power, it shall extend the same to rural urban women. Accordingly it says that it will allot 100 yards plots in the name of women of
middle class homeless couples in rural areas and “provide loan up to Rs 1 lakh
for constructing 30 square meter premises, to be repaid in affordable
installments in 15 years.” To its pleasant surprise, the voters seem to have
got carried away. Thousands of women queued up at the various centres to get
the forms for starters for the 'own your own house' scheme. Under this, the
Congress has promised to give flats to poor and middle class women at the cost
of Rs 75,000 to 2 lakhs. The Opposition party has also been quick to influence
the women by alleging that though the Modi government has granted 105 crore sq
m land at cheap rates to industrial houses, it has “not allotted a single plot
to the homeless, landless families in Gujarat under 20 point programme
implementation scheme!" Will the Congress be able to re-build its
popularity on these promises is worth a watch.
(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)
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