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Round The States
New Delhi, 30 January 2014
Telangana Bill
WILL CENTRE
OVERRULE AP?
By Insaf
The snakes and ladders game between the Centre and Andhra
Pradesh is truly getting absorbing. While Chief Minister Kiran Reddy may be
upbeat with the State Assembly rejecting the AP Reorganisation Bill 2013, can
he have his way with New Delhi?
While the Assembly’s rejection by voice vote was on expected lines as it has
majority of members from Seemandhra region, 175 in the 294-member, the minority
in favour of Telangana, is too a sizeable number, 119, not be ignored. Reddy has
claimed that the Bill contained provisions that were detrimental to the
interests of the State and had urged President Pranab Mukherjee for an extension
for the Assembly to discuss the Bill and send it back with its views. But that
didn’t happen. The next step is for the Centre to now process the 9000-odd
amendments sent for inclusion in the Bill and decide how soon it can be tabled
in Parliament’s ensuing Budget session? If it’s adamant it may do so
mid-session, but if it develops cold feet it has a readymade reason --not
enough time to go through all the amendments! Recall it had happened with the
Lok Pal bill in Rajya Sabha, before it was finally passed. The big question now
is: Will Kiran leave politics or will Delhi
give him a reprieve?
In the meantime, the famous Andhra cuisine is the latest
casualty in the bitter slug fest over the creation of Telangana. Tensions are
rife in capital Hyderabad
wherein culinary delights have overtaken political speeches and street protest
with menu cards and restaurant names displaying their flavour: Andhra or
Telangana, have your pick. Gone are the days when eateries seduced people with
mouth-watering spicy ‘Andhra food cooked in the coastal style’ from Nellore fish curry,
Gongura chicken or Andhra chilly chicken, today ready-to-eat meals talk of
Telangana Thali and Telangana chicken. Erstwhile Andhra restaurants display
Taste of Telangana bill boards while not a few have changed their style of
cooking dishes depending on which State they owe allegiance to. Also, taking a
leaf from gastronomy, educational institutions originally from coastal Andhra
have re-christened themselves as Telangana educational societies. Vehicles are
not behind, registration number plates have been repainted alongside. Clearly,
in the Andhra-Telangana imbroglio all ways lead to the stomach!
* * * *
Problems For
AIADMK, DMK
Tamil Nadu is hitting the headlines with the AIADMK and the
DMK besieged with unpleasant news. On Thursday last, Chief Minister J
Jayalalithaa got a rude shock from the Supreme Court after it directed that she
would face trial for not filing income tax return pertaining to a case
involving her partnership in Shashi Enterprises, with aide Sasikala. The court
directed the trial court to complete the case, pending since 90s within four
months. Apparently, neither Jayalalithaa nor the enterprise filed income-tax
return for 1991-92, 1992-93 and 1993-94, claiming that there was no income from
it and thus there was neither any tax evasion nor that not filing of IT return
was an offence. However, the Chennai economic
offences court disagreed and insisted that non-filing of IT return was an offence
and the two were liable to face trial. Even the High Court agreed with the economic
offences court and rejected Jayalalithaa and Sasikala’s appeal. With the
Supreme Court giving no respite, AIADM’s next move needs to be watched.
Insofar as DMK is concerned, the ongoing political feud in the
First Family has spilled on to the public domain with patriarch and Party
Supremo Karunanidhi suspending his first born MK Alagiri from all Party posts
and even its primary membership. Simply for hurling invectives, spewing hatred
topped by a “death wish” on his favourite second son and heir apparent MK
Stalin. Karunanidhi’s justification? “My heart broke when my eldest son said
that Stalin would die in three-four months.” But the political soap opera
didn’t end here. The film producer son of ex-Madurai DMK Chief accused his grand
father of leveling false charges against his father. Topped by a “heart broken”
Karunanidhi writing to the Prime Minister seeking protection for his successor
Stalin. Clearly, the DMK’s bloody succession battle could put to shame many a
Tamil filmy blockbusters.
* * * *
Jharkhand Govt
Crisis
Jharkhand continues to reel under a jinx since its creation 14
years ago in 2000. Wherein each successive Government has not been able to
complete its full five-year term. The latest crisis has erupted with three
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s MLAs resigning leading to a fresh crisis for the
Government. All over bickering on one Rajya Sabha nomination. Initially, the
JMM endorsed the late Deputy Chief Minister Sudhir Mahto’s widow, but withdrew
her candidature under pressure from Sonia’s Congress and Lalu’s RJD which
extend outside support to the State government. True, there is no immediate
threat to the Hemant Soren Government as 40 MLAs, one short of majority in the
81-member Assembly, continue to support it. Needless to say, Guruji Shibhu
Soren will leave no stone unturned to ensure that his Chief Minister son’s Administration
remains stable.
* * * *
Congress-NC Ties
Sour?
The Congress-NC alliance in J&K is under New Delhi’s scanner, with
the latter threatening to opt out, if it doesn’t get its way. This is so even
with Congress Vice-President Rahul and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah
being buddies. Jr Abdullah has dug his heels over the creation of 900 new
administrative units, with partner Congress initially opposed to it on grounds
that it would result in a heavy financial burden of Rs.8000 crores to the State
exchequer. But with the veiled threat of Chief Minister staring it in the face,
the Congress has for the time being buckled in. Congress General Secretary Ambika
Soni has held meeting with Abdullah, Ghulam Nabi Azad and PCC chief Saifuddin
Soz in Delhi to
sort out the mess. So far, both sides are optimistic that a way out can be
found. The NC may not quit, thus paving the way for both Parties to go there
separate ways in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls. Undoubtedly, since the
inception of the alliance, relations between the two have been tardy bordering
on unhappiness with discontent spilling out in to the open. Yet, observers
believe a break-up could be a red herring, part of the NC-Congress strategy to
win votes in their respective bastions, the former in the Valley and the later
in Jammu. Also
it would help the NC retrieve lost ground in the Valley where it won the
highest Assembly segments to emerge as the single largest party with 28 seats
in the 2008 elections. While Delhi
is hopeful the situation may not arise, there can be many a slip between the
cup and the lip.
* * * *
It’s Raining
Freebies In UP
It is raining political freebies in the run-up to the Lok
Sabha polls mid-year. The latest to join this endowments-merry-go-round is
Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav who has done himself proud. On Tuesday last, he
announced a slew of measures including raising the annual income limit for the
‘creamy layer’ from five to eight lakhs, monthly pension scheme of Rs. 500 for
nearly 50 lakhs poor families under the Samajwadi Pension Yojna and
regularizing 1.70 lakh ad-hoc teachers. Whether these sops can keep arch rivals
BSP’s Mayawati and BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi at bay
along-with ensuring that the Samajwadi Party nets an impressive tally in the 80
constituencies remains to be seen.
Either which way, it underscores a harsh home truth of our leaders:
Government money is nobody’s money.---INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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