Round The States

New Delhi, 24 January 2008

Formation Of SRC

MIXED REACTION OF STATES

By Insaf

There has been a mixed reaction from various States to the Centre’s proposal to set up the second State Reorganisation Commission to carve big States into small. With nine States slated for Assembly polls within a year, the Congress hopes to reap an electoral bounty with its announcement of formation of new States. The ball was set rolling by Congress heir and General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, who on a whirlwind visit to Bundelkhand promised the trifurcation of Uttar Pradesh --- Harit Pradesh out of Western UP, Bundelkhand and Purvanchal out of south-eastern UP. Clearly, music for UP Chief Minister Mayawati’s ears, who was the first to moot such a proposal. In Maharashtra, while Congressmen plum for Vidarbha, its coalition partner, NCP remains lukewarm to the proposal as it has no major presence there.  

However, the announcement of a new SRC and the proposal to create Telengana has led to intra-party bickerings within the Congress’ Andhra Pradesh unit. A section of Congressmen are upset with the Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy for his remarks against the creation of the new State. With the TRS and the BJP stepping up the offensive on the formation of Telengana, the Congress party’s central leadership is in a quandary on its next move. Also on the anvil is the creation for Gondwana from portions of Chhattisgarh, Andhra and Madhya Pradesh, Mithilanchal from north Bihar, Kodagu from Karnataka’s coffee belt. It remains to be seen whether the Congress lives up to its promise as it sets to open the Pandora Box on the demand for statehood from every nook and cranny of the country.

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Tug-Of-War In J&K Congress

If Andhra spells bad news for the Congress, its State unit in Jammu & Kashmir too is in the throes of a serious tug-of-war. A significant section of Congressmen, owing allegiance to the Chief Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, is up in arms against the Central High Command’s move to appoint the Union Water Resources Minister, Saifuddin Soz as the new PCC President. In the Congress scheme of things, Soz who hails from the Valley, fits into and the State’s political dynamics and is a perfect foil to Azad who belongs to the Doda sector of Jammu. Recall, the PCC post had fallen vacant following the resignation of Azad loyalist Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed as its President and Minister in the State Cabinet. With Assembly elections due in September, there is another proposal to appoint three PCC working Presidents from each region --- Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir Valley to fight anti-incumbency.

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Bird Flu Crossing Borders?

States neighbouring West Bengal have reason to worry. Bird flu which was detected in one district of the CPM-ruled State over a week back has spread its wings to nine districts and now threatens Kolkata. Worse, cross-border smuggling of poultry continues to thrive on the Indo-Bangla border, notwithstanding measures to seal it. Already, Meghalaya has sounded a high alert. Jharkhand, Bihar, Maharashtra and UP too are keeping a strict vigil. Recall, the Bengal Government was put on alert by the Bhopal-based High Security Animal Disease Laboratory following the death of 10,000 backyard poultry in the Margram and Birbhum districts. While culling targets have been raised to 20,000, the locals continue to resist the same due to less compensation. Not a few farmers have committed suicide. Health authorities have their fingers crossed that the avian flu doesn’t spread to more places and humans.

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Goa Government Survives

Politics in Goa never ceases to surprise. The seven-month-old Congress-led coalition Government was in a crisis last Wednesday. Four MLAs, three of Nationalist Congress Party and one independent withdrew support, reducing Digambar Kamat’s Congress Government to a minority. The rebels were opposed to the Finance Minister’s Rajiv Gandhi IT Habitat in the State, while the Congress accused the SEZ lobby for destabilising the Government. However, on Sunday, the beleaguered Kamat who had left it to “God” to save his Government regained majority when the Save Goa Front (SGF) with two MLAs and the UGDP’s unattached legislator merged with the Congress. The Chief Minister also bought peace with the rebels by offering them Ministerships. With this the Congress strength stands at 21 in a 40-member Assembly. Further, the Party High Command has also promised the setting up of a coordination committee and proportionate appointments on Government controlled boards, corporations, agencies etc. Will the truce last? Time will tell.

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UP Teachers On Test

A simple survey on teachers may well cleanse the rot that has set into Government-run schools in Uttar Pradesh. The lead in “Operation Cleanse” was taken by the Lucknow District Commissioner, who devised a novel method: a questionnaire which has to be filled by students in 70 Government secondary schools. Among other things, it asks for “naming teachers who do not take classes regularly, force you to join private coaching, don’t teach properly, assist in cheating during exams etc.” At the end of the exercise a divisional committee will look into the answers and finalise the list of teachers who shall be punished or rewarded. With teachers put on test perhaps education in Government schools could improve with flying colours.

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Chhattisgarh Woos With Rice

The Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, Raman Singh is all set to do a NT Rama Rao in the State by launching an ambitious food security scheme, christened Mukhyamantri Khadyann Saahayata Yojana. Whereby all families living below the poverty line will get 35 kg rice at a nominal price of Rs 3 per kg per month. Recall, the Telugu Bidda as Andhra Chief Minister in the eighties was the first to woo his electorate with the Rs.2 kg rice scheme, no matter that it spelt financial disaster. Singh’s scheme will cost the State exchequer Rs.837 crore per year and is expected to benefit 34 lakh families in all. There is no gainsaying that the BJP hopes to capitalize on the goodwill generated by the scheme among the people, especially SCs/STs to strengthen its case in the Assembly elections scheduled to be held by the year-end.

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Raje’s Peace Overtures Come Unstuck

The Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje’s move to buy peace with the Gujjar community by granting it reservation under the nomadic category has come a cropper with the Gujjar leadership outrightly rejecting it. Recall, Raje had recommended four to six per cent separate reservations for Gujjars, Gadiya Lohar, Banjara and Rebari castes. The President of the Akhil Bharatiya Gujjar Sangharsh Samiti, Bainsla made it plain that nothing short of being granted the Scheduled Tribe status would appease the community and warned the State Government of serious consequences. After its successful chakka jaam of the National Highway between Jaipur and New Delhi a few months ago, the Gujjar threat holds out an ominous portent for the State and the Central Governments as its ripples will be felt far and wide. ---INFA

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