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UPA-II’s Relief: UP, TN PARTIES COME TO AID, By Insaf, 29 Nov, 2012 Print E-mail

Round The States

New Delhi, 29 November 2012

UPA-II’s Relief

UP, TN PARTIES COME TO AID

By Insaf

 

Political parties of two States, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh have come to the rescue of a beleaguered Parliament and the UPA-II. Sadly, however, they have exposed the double standards they can adopt with impunity. On Thursday last, the Lok Sabha was finally able to transact business after four agonising days of adjournment following the Government conceding the Opposition’s persistent demand for a debate on FDI in retail under rule 168, which entails voting. While the Government had already got the support of UP’s warring parties—the SP and BSP, it is only after the DMK agreed to go with it that it relented. For now, it would be in a comfortable position of sailing through the required vote of 273 in a house of 545. However, the UPA-II is perplexed with the SP, who has stated that it would vote against it in the Rajya Sabha, when the discussion takes place. Though the final picture will emerge only next week, what is rattling is how the three parties can change their stance. Recall that they had openly opposed FDI in retail and had participated in the bharat bandh called against it.  Only time will tell, what made them change their minds. Any guesses?

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Modi Upbeat

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is rightly exuding confidence. Reports emanating from poll-bound State suggest that he is all set for a hat-trick victory this December. Among the various factors going in his favour, two clearly stand out. One, there is no alternative to him and the BJP as the Congress is a severely divided house, as problems in finalising its list reveal. Two, the ghost of 2002 riots is no longer part of the Congress campaign as the party has realised that it shall only harms its prospects with the Hindutava vote further solidifying with Modi. The Congress, thus, has instead been hitting out at Modi’s claim to the State having made major development strides under his leadership. On his part, a confident Modi has ensured that his loyalists get the party tickets. In the second list of candidates released by the Party on Wednesday last in New Delhi, Modi’s controversial Home Minister Amit Shah, accused in an alleged fake encounter finds a place. In fact, the Chief Minister’s entire Cabinet and nearly all junior ministers have been given tickets, confirming that none other than Modi is in the driver’s seat.

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Haryana Visitor Scanning

Travel to Haryana by road will be cumbersome soon. The Congress government of Bhupinder Singh Hooda believes that a percentage of crimes in its State are committed by outsiders. Thus, it has decided to set up check-posts at 30 places bordering Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan wherein vehicles would be stopped at random and fingerprints of visitors scanned. The scanners have been loaded with the database of wanted criminals with the help of the National Crime Records Bureau and in case fingerprints and faces match with it, the persons will be arrested. The check-posts, called Pehchan Kaun, (Whose Identity) will get cracking from December 10.  The Haryana State Crime Records Bureau is hopeful that the check-posts will help it recover stolen vehicles as well as minimise crimes related to property, 20 per cent of which are committed by those from other States. It’s confidence emanates from the positive results the Pehchan Kuan PCR vans have yielded by way of apprehending 500 people in just five months.  

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Rajasthan’s Quota Dodge

Rajasthan’s Congress Government has by hook or by crook sought to resolve the Gujjar’s demand of reservation. On Wednesday last, Ashok Gehlot’s Cabinet cleared 5 per cent quota in Government jobs for the community under the Special Backward Classes (SBC) category. But it did this after cleverly adding Gadaria/Gadri (community of shepherds) to this category. The purpose being that it would try to convince the High Court that the increase in quota from the permissible level of 50 per cent to 54 per cent in the socially backward communities, is because the addition of this new group and should be allowed under the provision of “special circumstances.” Recall that the previous BJP government had given 14 per cent reservation to the Economically Backward Communities, but it was stayed by the High Court as it had exceeded the cap of 50 per cent. Ironically, the Gujjar’s for whom the Gehlot government has brought about these changes, has turned down the formula. Their fear that it would not pass the legal test of surpassing the 50 per cent cap may not be unfounded. And, the Government may find itself back to square one.    

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Bihar’s Great Robbery

Bihar is the latest State to be bitten by the corruption bug in the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS). In a report titled “The Great MNERGA Robbery” a Delhi-based NGO has alleged that the State has been robbed of a whopping Rs 6,000-odd crore over the past six years! In its survey conducted on 2,500 households in 100 Dalit villages of 10 districts, the Centre for Environment and Food Security, found that 73 per cent of the funds distributed in 38 districts during 2006-07 to 2011-2012 had been “embezzled by implementing authorities.”  It drew this conclusion by comparing the Centre’s figures for the scheme and what the beneficiaries actually got. An embarrassed Nitish Kumar government has ordered an inquiry in the said districts. However, not much should emerge as the probe will be to dispel the scam figure of Rs 6000 crore.   

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J&K On The Roll

Times are indeed changing in Jammu & Kashmir. Two developments, one on the political front and another on security are a pointer. The J&K National Conference patriarch and Union Minister Farooq Abdullah has made up with his estranged elder sister and President of the Awami National Conference Khalida Shah. The latter has agreed to merge her party (formed by her late husband, Ghulam Mohd Shah, who was Chief Minister for 11 months) with the NC, thus bringing an end to the three-decade old feud. The announcement made on Tuesday last, should put the NC on a better footing viz the Opposition PDP in the run-up to the 2014 elections as well as poll ally, the Congress. The other good news is the falling levels of militancy in the Valley and the drastic reduction in the killings of terrorists from across the border--from 35 last year to nine till this October 31.  Peace and political stability have both got a welcome boost.---INFA  

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

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