Round The States
New Delhi, 18 October 2012
UP, Maharashtra In Scams Web
CONGRESS-BJP TRADE
CHARGES
By Insaf
Congress and BJP are amidst a raging political storm in UP
and Maharashtra. Two tempests they could well
do without, thanks to their top leadership. The former vis-à-vis senior Union
Cabinet Ministers Salman Khurshid and Beni Prasad Verma and the latter Party
President Nitin Gadkhari. Undeniably, the ruling Party faced acute
embarrassment when India Against Corruption (IAC) founder Arvind Kejriwal
accused Law Minister and his wife of “forging” documents worth Rs 71 lakhs on welfare
works for the disabled carried out by their Dr. Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust in
2009-10. Whereby, it had falsified
signatures of officials on “test check
reports” in 10 out of 17 State districts. The reports, it alleged carried signatures
of bureaucrats who had already relinquished charge prior to the date of these
reports or did not exist.
A livid Khurshid took the IIC head-on by first denying any
wrong doing and then threatening Kejriwal and Co in “mafia” language. Asserted
he, “I have been asked to work with the pen. I will work but also with blood…
let them came to Farukhabad (his constituency). But let him also return from
Farukhabad.” Thereby, sending shock waves in the political establishment. Compounding
matter, his colleague Union Cabinet Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma nonchalantly
laughed away Kejriwal allegations by stating that Rs.71 lakh was “too little” an
amount for the stature of Khurshid and a Union Cabinet Minister, “if it was
Rs.71 crores, I could understand.” Plainly, it is not corruption per se or that a Minister has been
charged for malfeasance for Verma but that the amount is too small, not worthy
of a Union Minister’s stature!
Before the Opposition BJP Party could make political capital
against the Congress, the IAC raised another
corruption squall against it Party Chief Gadkari alleging that he had profited
hundreds of crores in various deals, thanks to a nexus with Pawar’s NCP. Kejriwal’s
main charge was that the businessman-turned politician had been given over 100
acres meant for an irrigation project at the cost of farmers who were
cultivating it by former NCP Dy Chief Minister and Irrigation Minister Ajit
Pawar. Resulting in diversion of dam water for Gadhkari’s innumerable factories,
sugar mills and power plants. Scandalously, Pawar not only over-ruled
objections raised by bureaucrats but cleared all files in four days flat.
Predictably, even as the BJP top leadership rubbished charges, the Congress has
ignored Kejriwal’s allegations. Underscoring India’s political secret: Its all
about quid-pro-quos and you-scratch-my- back-I scratch yours.
Delhi-Mumbai Not
World Class
As India
aspires to join the global high Power table, two top metros Mumbai and Delhi lack what it takes
to be world class cities. A United Nations Habbitat Report on world’s cities, ranks
India’s
financial Capital 52 among 95 cities and its political Capital at 58th.
The cities bane were five factors: Poor infrastructure, quality of life,
productivity, environmental sustainability and equity. This is not all. It
issued a warning that political and technical intervention were the need of the
hour if the country wanted to improve living conditions. In tell-all statistics,
while the urban population stood at 36.4 crore people in 2007 it was likely to
cross over 59 crores by 2030 which would lead to chaos unless the Government
acted fast. Needless to say the time has come for the Government to take a
holistic view of the problem and not just formulate schemes!
Kerala Dalist
Embraced Buddhism
Move over Mayawati, it is the turn of Dalits in Kerala to
don the mantle of becoming the messiahs of their brethren. The Dalits Human
Rights Movement (DHRM) is busy exhorting Dalits to shun Hindu religion and
embrace Buddhism. Not only this. It has started a parallel English school for
children to inculcate a “Dalit perspective.” Significantly, the Movement, which
started in 2007 as a grouping of Dalit workers belonging to various Parties to campaign
against the caste system, has now forbidden its followers from going to temples
and instead to worship Dalit messiah Ambedkar in their homes. Undoubtedly, the
DHRM wants to carve out a distinct Dalit identity without the tag of being a
part of Hindu society, a dangerous step to say the least. Its, another matter
that the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry are hooting for foreign
direct invest in retail by raising the slogan of “fight caste with capital.”
JD(U)-BJP Saath-Saath
The Bihar Chief Minister has finally put a lid on its
on-and-off ties with the BJP. By making it amply clear that the JD(U) and the Saffron
Sangh would fight the next Lok Sabha polls together. Indeed, this is viewed as
Nitish’s most positive statement on the future of the JD(U)’s alliance with the
BJP since he red-flagged Narendra Modi as the NDA’s Prime Ministerial candidate
in the next Parliamentary polls. Remember, the two NDA allies witnessed a sharp
war of words over the continuation of their 16-year old pact, raising fears
that the alliance could be in jeopardy. Adding to the rumour windmills the
Chief Minister hinted he was open to joining hands with new allies post the
elections. Even as this is music to the Saffronites ears, its Muslim leaders
from Bihar have refused to campaign for the ruling party in Modi’s poll-bound
Gujarat. What next?
Shot In Arm For
Tigers
States which boasts of India’s famed Tiger reserves are
beaming with happiness. This follows the Supreme Court’s bonanza lifting the
ban on tourism to protect tigers whose population had dropped below 1500 in
various national parks.. The Apex court has also asked States to frame tiger
conservation plans in wildlife sanctuaries within six months and send their
report to the National Tiger Conservation Authority. Further, the NTCA has
mooted six more tiger reserves: two in Maharashtra, one each in Goa, UP,
Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu. By this measure, the Tiger Authority feels it
would help increase the tiger population as also promote eco-tourism in the
country. Meanwhile, in Assam’s
Rhinoceros Kaziranga National Park forest guards have been given Self-loading
rifles to keep away rhino poachers to protect the animals as the sanctuary is
recognized as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. Whether this will stop
poachers remains to be seen.
---INFA
(Copyright, India News and Feature
Alliance)
|