Round The States

New Delhi, 28 December 2012

NDC Meet

GUJARAT, TN STEAL the SHOW

By Insaf

Gujarat and Tamil Nadu have upstaged the Centre on its own turf. The two Chief Ministers, Narendra Modi and Jayalalitha respectively chose unusual ways of making headlines, pushing the Prime Minister’s speech to the National Development Council meeting in New Delhi on Thursday last, to backstage. Fresh from his electoral triumph Modi had a terse taunt for the PM. He chose to give a lesson or two to the Centre on governance, specially on the economic front. The Government’s policies, he asserted "lack urgency or seriousness" in tackling economic crises. Further, he decried the "sense of pessimism" in the 12th Plan and claimed that the targeted GDP growth of 9 per cent was not impossible to achieve if the Government had the “political will to do what is necessary.”  Take a cue from Gujarat, was his crisp advice. On her part, Jayalalitha, stumped the gathering by walking out of the meeting, accusing the Centre of stifling the voices of Opposition States. Being given sheer 10 minutes to speak was unacceptable to the AIADMK supremo. Describing it as a “big humiliation" she stopped her speech mid-way and left for Chennai. While all other Chief Ministers made their respective speeches, the Gujarat-TN duo outshone them and of course  made the Centre go red with anger.   

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Delhi, Centre Rattled

The Delhi Government and the Centre continue to be on tenterhooks. The barbaric gang-rape case and the people’s spontaneous response have clearly rattled the powers-that-be. The country’s Capital, resembles a fortress around the main centre, India Gate, which is barricaded by large posse of Policemen and Rapid Force Action personnel. The tension is visible with knee-jerk reactions such as Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit having a pow-wow with the Delhi police chief over alleged tampering of victim Nirbhaya’s statement or for that matter the Government trying to deflect the issue with conflicting statements over constable Tomar’s death. Time, however, is the crucial factor, with both the State and the Centre, hoping that the people’s anger will simmer down and the protests will wither away, following its unprecedented action of flying Nirbhaya to Singapore for treatment at Government expense. The big question is whether it will tide over the crisis. The answer lies in how long the youth can sustain their protest.       

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Andhra Bait To Maoists

Andhra Pradesh is desperately trying to reach out to the Maoists. With 400-odd of them still operating in the State, the Kiran Reddy Government has given a bait-- if they surrender they would get cash rewards ranging from Rs one to 25 lakhs, the highest ever. The scheme offers a onetime package hierarchy wise: A dalam member to get Rs 1 lakh, commander rank leaders Rs 4 lakh, their deputies Rs 2 lakh, divisional or district committee Rs 5 and 4 lakh, state committee Rs 20 lakh and Rs 25 lakh for central committee or politburo members (as against Rs 12 lakh earlier plus a bonus for depositing weapons). The Government is hopeful of good results as most top Maoists leaders are “ailing” and the movement is slowly losing steam. The ball is clearly in the Maoists court and the government waits anxiously—will  they surrender and go for the cash reward or risk being killed in an encounter wherein the money will go to the informant and security personnel? It’s anybody’s guess.     

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Jharkhand Pinpricks For BJP

Jharkhand is the latest State to add to the woes of the BJP, somewhat like Karnataka. With coalition partner, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, asserting that the baton of power be passed on in January for the next 28months, Chief Minister Arjun Munda was seen rushing to New Delhi on Wednesday last, to beg a solution from senior BJP leaders. While the latter claim there was no power sharing deal between the allies and that Munda will complete his full term (since September 2010) , JMM’s Deputy CM Hemant Soren insists there was one and has issued an ultimatum. Interestingly, however, the consequences of a no-go have been kept under wraps! Will the BJP tide over this threat and be able to plug what it terms as a “communication gap” between allies and resolve all issues? Sooner the better.             

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Bihar Not Special

There is both good and bad news for Bihar. First the latter. On Wednesday last, the Planning Commission turned down Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s demand for declaring the State a special category one on the grounds that ‘being flood prone’ did not meet the criteria.  However, it softened the blow by admitting that as some parts of the State had a special problem it had already a Bihar package in place as part of the Backward Regions Grant Fund. While Nitish has not taken this well, and will harp for his demand, the good news is that Bihar has emerged as the fastest growing State with figures of 10.9 per cent, overtaking Gujarat. This apart, the State has marked a huge turnaround in the backdrop that it was the slowest growing State during 2001-05 with GDP figure of 2.9 per cent. It has shed the status of being sick State. Some consolation at least!   

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Odisha CM Upbeat

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has proved many sceptics wrong. On Wednesday last, the Biju Janata Dal, his father’s legacy, celebrated its 15th anniversary across the State on 26 December. Having taken the reins of the party, following the demise of his father Biju Patnaik, Naveen has not only kept the party flag flying but outdone the tenure of his father. While the senior Patnaik ruled the State for seven years, Jr Patnaik has had an innings of over 12 years, three consecutive terms as Chief Minister and still going strong. However, unlike his father, who was dynamic and a national leader, Naveen has largely confined himself to State politics. Though he has tried to make his presence felt on the national stage, he is yet to make a mark. But that should not be a cause of worry, for times are changing and the State’s seem to be calling the shots.  

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W Bengal’s Time Check

Habitual latecomers in Government offices in West Bengal are in for a rude shock. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has ordered installation of hidden cameras to keep a watch on the employees’ time of arrival and departure. The exercise will kick start in the New Year at the State Essential Supplies Corporation and come February, Operation CCTVs should get rolling.  While the staff, many of whom sign in after 10.30 a.m. and slip out before closing time may lose sleep over it, the employees’ unions are unmindful of the government order. Well, if umpteen circulars couldn’t change habits, neither would cameras. Looks like the Government would agree for other than the cameras, it also proposes to install fingerprint readers to record the “log in and log out time” of the staff. Will the combination make the system “foolproof” as desired? Time will literally tell! ---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)