Round The States

New Delhi, 4 October 2012

HP & Gujarat Polls

A BITTER & CRUCIAL RACE

By Insaf

Assembly elections in the two BJP-ruled States of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh shall be bitterly fought like never before. The reason is obviously more than one. For starters, the stakes are very high for the Congress at the Centre, as the results would be a curtain raiser for the 2014 General elections and its comeback as the single largest party. This apart, it would help the party to take a stand whether to yield or not to the fence-sitters such as the SP and the BSP. Two, Chief Minister Narendra Modi would not be just slugging it out for a third consecutive term but much more -- to be in an enviable position to stake claim as BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate. Three, former Union Minister Vir Bhadra Singh and PCC chief would need to fulfil his claim of regaining Himachal for the party and perhaps get his sixth record term as CM. However, he and rival Chief Minister P K Dhumal have a more onerous task of resolving intra-party feuds first. Fourth, the BJP which is under great pressure from alliance partner JD (U) needs to retain both States for its own and NDA’s survival. As of now, it is putting up a brave front that all is hunky dory. With the Election Commission blowing the whistle for the big fight to begin, all players have their punching gloves on. The campaigning rounds have already started but it shall be a long wait for the final knock-out. 

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States’ Water Concern

Close on the heels of the Cauvery water dispute, the Centre has fresh trouble on hands. Its proposed Water Resources Policy has States up in arms. New Delhi’s bid to privatise and commercialise the precious natural resource as well as to give priority to the industrial demand, is clearly not acceptable to “quite a few” States, including Congress-ruled Kerala and Haryana. The States are concerned that the Centre may through its policy impinge on their rights and functions as envisaged in the Constitution. At the receiving end for the national water framework law in mind, the Centre happily accepted a mid way at the meeting of State Irrigation and Water Resources Ministers on Wednesday last. As of now, it agreed to form a permanent national forum of concerned State Ministers to thrash out the differences and hopes that Chief Ministers will give the green signal to the policy at the National Water Resources Council meeting to be held month-end. If the CMs fail to oblige it would need to revise it for the third time!

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Gwalior-Delhi March

Madhya Pradesh has sounded the bugle for land reforms. On Wednesday last, thousands of landless farmers, dalits, tribals from various States converged into Gwalior and began what they call “jan satyagraha” padyatra (people’s protest march) to Delhi. The demands include creation of a land pool to distribute surplus land among the landless, right to shelter and amendments to the Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA). The organisers, an NGO, Ekta Parishad (United Council), which had a similar protest in 2007, turned down the Centre’s promise of penning a land reforms draft policy ‘within six months’ and warned there was no going back. The landless poor shall converge on Delhi on October 29, unless of course New Delhi comes up with a miracle. To start with, the UPA-II would need to ponder over the protestors’ moot point: “If the Government can set a policy to support industry and find 100 acres each for SEZs, it can set a policy to distribute land to the landless.” Undeniably, if there is a will there is a way! 

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Manipur’s “Executions”

Manipur has hit the headlines for shocking ‘revelations’. On Monday last, the Supreme Court issued notices to both the Union and Ibobi Singh government on a PIL seeking investigation into alleged extra-judicial executions in the north-eastern State. The petitioner, Extrajudicial Execution Victim Families Association Manipur, has placed a list of 1,528 such cases since 1979. The PIL claims that a large majority of these killings by the State police and security forces “were in custody and in cold blood.” In particular, it notes that though the apex court had 15 years ago upheld the validity of the AFSPA and issued dos and don’ts for security forces, these were “seldom followed” and that innocent civilians with no criminal records were conveniently labelled as “militants”. The petitioner, has among others pleaded for a special investigation team to probe the cases, disciplinary action against the guilty and compensation to the victims’ families. All eyes shall be on the next hearing on November 4.         

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Punjab & Haryana Challenge

Punjab and Haryana are facing their biggest challenge this season. Yet again, the two simply cannot fathom where to store the fresh wheat and paddy stock, which their governments are procuring from the farmers. Storage houses and government godowns (warehouse) are already overflowing with last year’s produce. In fact, of the 1.45 crore tonnes of wheat and paddy stored since 2008, Punjab’s godowns have been able to manage cover for only 30.58 lakh tonnes leaving the rest to rot in the open! Likewise, it’s the same story in Haryana. Thousands of tonnes of food grain have simply rotted or distributed for use as cattle feed. The Food Corporation of India hasn’t been of much help and merely promised lifting two lakh-odd tonne wheat from the mandis within a week! Can the two Chief Ministers Parkash Singh Badal and Bhupinder Hooda afford to rely on the FCI? Their past bitter experience says No.  

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Rajasthan’s First

Rajasthan has a first to its credit. On Tuesday last, the State marked the first anniversary of its “Free medicine scheme” in Government hospitals. Encouraged by its “huge success”, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is now toying with the idea of providing free diagnostic tests to all such patients. Apparently, records have shown that the number of people visiting the Out Patient Departments (OPDs) had grown by over 50 per cent thanks to the scheme. As a follow-up, the health department has opened a helpline for giving information on generic medicines; computerisation of the 1200-odd free medicine distribution centres across the State and launched an ambulance service for pregnant women and newborn babies in remote areas. A pleased Gehlot is, however, keeping his fingers crossed that New Delhi keeps its promise and urges other States to follow in Rajasthan’s footsteps.---INFA

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