Round The States

New Delhi, 8 May 2014

BJP-EC Face-Off

FREE & FAIR OR  FREE FOR ALL POLL?

By Insaf

The nine-phase-long election seems to have finally taken its toll. Patience and credibility was the casualty with an all-out war breaking out in Varanasi, tremors of which were felt in Delhi. An angry BJP decided to go into the last segment with no holds barred. And, this time the guns were trained not at its political opponents, but the Election Commission. The Constitutional authority was accused of being “partisan, timid and adopting double standards.” Unprecedented! At its end, the EC asserted it wasn’t “afraid of anyone, or any political party or entity”. And, it would not remove the Returning Officer, as demanded.  Could the face-off have been avoided? Perhaps, if the EC had handled the BJP’s grievance and apprehensions more swiftly, there wouldn’t have been a stand-off. Time was a crucial factor for Modi to campaign in his constituency and the Returning Officer’s ‘yes, no, yes permission’ posture got the better of wits. However, the party too could have refrained from insisting on a venue of its choice when security reasons were cited. But it chose to cry foul as a different yardstick was being applied for their opponents’ road shows! While there will be many ifs and buts, the unsavoury episode has done the damage. Unfortunately, it has left a bad taste. A question mark on the EC’s impartiality and a “free and fair poll,” is indeed not healthy for a democracy.           

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Corrupt Bureaucrats Nudged 

Three cheers to the Supreme Court. Corrupt senior public servants can no longer be shielded by the Centre. A five-member bench has struck down the provision that forced the CBI to seek prior sanction under the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, to probe corruption charges against an officer above the rank of joint secretary. “The status or position of a public servant does not qualify such public servant from exemption from equal treatment,” asserted the court and drove home the point by asking “Can there be sound differentiation between corrupt public servants based on their status?” The answer is obviously a clear no. Irrespective of their status or position, corrupt public servants are “corrupters of public power,” indeed. Undeniably, the CBI, once described as a “caged parrot” would be upbeat with its new-found freedom. It would, however, now need to get its act together as no longer will it have a ready excuse of its hands being tied. More importantly, it should ensure that honest babus are not wrongly accused. Will the CBI come up to the expectations of carrying out an ‘independent, unhampered, unbiased efficient and fearless inquiry’, or will it fail the court, is the big question?          

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TN Water Pangs Over?

Has Tamil Nadu’s eight-year-long wait finally ended? So it seems for the time being. But may not be for long. The Kerala government has decided to file a review petition against the Supreme Court order which allows its neighbour to raise the water level in the century-old Mullaperiyar dam to 142ft from 136 ft. It did so after declaring Kerala’s 2006 law setting up the Dam Safety Authority to prevent Tamil Nadu from raising the water level as “unconstitutional”. The Bench was firm that by enacting the law and fixing dam storage height at 136 ft, Kerala had nullified its 2006 judgment and “usurped judicial power and thus interfered with the judicial functioning.” The court also appointed a three-member committee, headed by chairman of Central Water Commission with a representative from each State to ensure implementation of its order. Additionally, it has been entrusted to carry out periodic inspection of the dam and take all necessary steps to ensure the dam’s safety. Expectedly, while there was jubilation in Chennai, protests were seen in Thiruvananthapuram, which observed a bandh on Thursday last. How long will Tamil Nadu have to wait to say a final hurrah, is anybody’s guess.

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Assam Put To Shame

Assam could barely revel in a having a peaceful poll. Rather it has had been put to shame with the bloodbath in Kokrajhar and Baksa districts. Over 30 migrant Muslims were done to death by Bodoland militants for allegedly going back on a deal to vote for a Bodo candidate! The culprits are still at large and the ruling Congress is under fire for “shielding” its ally the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF), alleged to be involved in the killings. This apart, survivors are demanding the dissolution of the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts. While this says, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is not in his hands, he has promised to break the alliance with BPF if allegations turn out true. But should this suffice? For the present, the administration needs to ensure the 300-odd survivors in camps are given prompt relief and assured all help to back to their villages. It is a tall order though, for let us not forget the clashes tthat took place two years ago between the Bodos and the Muslims. Dozens were killed and 4,00,000 fled their homes, many of whom never returned!

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Seemandhra Aid To BJP?

Seemandhra’s high percentage voting has given the BJP-led NDA hope of it adding to its kitty. While it hopes to manage to get a large chunk of the 25 MP seats with ally Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP, it needn’t lose hope if it’s otherwise. For opponent YSR Congress has thrown the bait already. Jagan Mohan Reddy has made it amply known that he is keeping “all options open” on a post-poll alliance. The tricky question will be who it shall go with eventually. There is a nagging suspicion in the TDP that its partner could change sides if Jagan triumphs in the elections, also held for the first 175-member Assembly and if the NDA falls short of the magic numbers. Remember Jagan played tough to overtures as he has been confident of getting mileage out of his father’s legacy as well as ‘sympathy vote’ for being a victim of “political vendetta.’’ He has said that he would weigh the best options ‘in the interest of Andhra Pradesh’, which unfortunately was bifurcated ‘cruelly’, guess he’s hinting at the Congress. The latter, unlike in Telangana, has little to hope for here. It’s clearly been a Naidu-Jagan fight, but the last big round will be under keen watch in Delhi too.        

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Gujarat Heat Off 

Pleasant winds of change are blowing in Gujarat. Closer to the wrap up of Election 2014, the heat of the CBI and the Centre on BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and his close aide Amit Shah is certainly cooling. There is good news for them on two fronts. One, the CBI has given a clean chit to Shah in the infamous fake encounter case of Ishrat Jahan in 2004, citing “insufficient evidence.” Thus, the former State Home Minister has been cleared of charges of his involvement in the case. Two, not only has the UPA-II developed cold feet to appoint a judge for the Commission of inquiry into the snooping scandal against Modi, but that the alleged victim, an architect and her father have approached the Supreme Court to prohibit both the State and the Centre to investigate the murky episode. They want an end to the “sinister campaign”. Is this the beginning of good news coming Modi and his team’s way? ---INFA

(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)