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PM-CMs Collision: CENTRE-STATE PROTOCOL HIT, By Insaf, 21 August, 2014 Print E-mail

Round The States

New Delhi, 21 August 2014

PM-CMs Collision

CENTRE-STATE PROTOCOL HIT

By Insaf

Prime Minister Modi’s visit to poll-bound States has raised a big stink. Not only is he and the BJP being accused of using public functions for political gains but of having party cadres humiliating the Chief Ministers by hooting and booing them down. In fact, the Congress has sent an advisory to its CMs not to attend the public functions of Modi and give him only the basic protocol courtesy such as receiving him at the airport or attending official functions. This follows the nasty experience Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had at a stone-laying ceremony at Kaithal, where the crowds shouted him down. Promptly, Hooda’s counterpart in Maharashtra, Prithviraj Chavan announced that he would not be attending an event at Nagpur scheduled with PM Modi for the foundation-laying ceremony of Nagpur Metro. He further justified saying he already got a taste of this stage-managed heckling by the BJP cadres at an earlier event with the PM in Solapur.

However, Jharkhand Chief Minister and JMM leader Hemant Soren, heading the coalition Government, failed to heed to partner Congress’ advice and at a rally and had to face a jeering crowd in Ranchi, where he had accompanied Modi to lay a transmission line. Soren too is peeved because he had got an assurance that he would not be embarrassed. At its end, the BJP claims that Modi and the party have no hand in the crowds showing their anger. Why can’t the Chief Ministers realise and admit that it is public anger against their governance, the BJP argues. While both the sides argue it out in this Assembly election season, sadly the casualty may well be country’s federal structure.    

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Assam-Nagaland Row

The Assam-Nagaland tension at the border has sadly got entangled in a political blame game. With the number of people killed in the border clashes going up to 14 and over 10,000 forced to flee their homes and shift to relief camps in Uriamghat, Assam Chief Minister has put the blame on Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for the violence, saying Assam-Nagaland border is a disputed subject and the area is controlled by the Centre with CRPF’s help, which has failed to provide security to the people and properties there. However, New Delhi contests the charge. Minister of State Kiren Rijiju who has been sent to review the situation hit back saying law and order is a State subject, “we only end Central forces and it is the State government which regulates them.” Not just this, apparently the Ministry of Home holds the opinion that dissidents in Gogoi’s party are fanning the protests! Both sides should realise that accusing each other doesn’t help matters. The problem, which started over a minor land dispute between a Naga and an Assamese tribal at the border, has now blown into a major confrontation with involvement of the Adivasi Nagaland Liberation Army and NSCN-IN cadres on either side. Efforts should be made to restore peace and normalcy at the earliest and not seek to score brownie points.

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Bengal Woos Foreign Investment

West Bengal has made its first major move to reach out for overseas investment. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has decided to opt for the “Look East policy” too and chose Singapore as her first foreign destination in the last 15 years. But Didi would have to do aggressive hard selling. This she did. Her Government she told Prime Minister Lee Hsein Loong has brought down loss of mandays from 78 lakhs to zero, there is big scope for tourism and that a two-and-a-half hour time difference would be an important advantage for business. On queries about MNCs working in Bengal, the Chief Minister is said to have given him the real picture. Wonder whether she actually did, as it is well-known that the industry is wary of investing in the State. However, in a Facebook post an upbeat Mamata boasted: A promising 13 business dealings have commenced between Singapore and West Bengal. Are times changing? Will the firebrand leader’s “bigger dream to have local roots with global pursuits and make ‘Biswa Bangla’ brand resonate beyond borders,” come true? Time will only tell.

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Telangana Survey

Hyderabad, the joint capital of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh seemed to have turned into a ghost town on Tuesday last. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao ensured that his first pet project takes off smoothly. The ‘Telangana survey’ of 8.4 million households had people staying indoors with business establishments, school and colleges, banks, shops and even petrol pumps remaining shut in view of the declared public holiday. While the survey was declared a success, its use is going to be under close watch. There are apprehensions that it would be used for ethnic profiling and keep out people from regions of coastal Andhra and Rayalseema from State welfare programmes. However, KCR insists the nativity clause was dropped and that the survey’s aim is to prevent people from misusing welfare schemes as has been borne out by the exercise undertaken. For example, while there are 8.4 million households in Telangana, 10.7 million ration cards have been issued in the State! The data collected is going to be computerised and according to KCR shall ensure there is “no pilferage of a single paisa.” Will other Chief Ministers take a cue, as he suggests?

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Goa Bans Ram Sena

Goa government seems to be adhering to the adage—a stitch in time saves nine. It has banned the Hindu right-wing Ram Sena from entering the BJP-ruled State. So stated Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday last. The action has been taken to stop the Sena from setting up a branch in the State in September as announced by its Chief Pramod Mutalik in June. It was feared that if the Sena made an entry then Mangalore-like violence against women going to night clubs and pubs some years ago, would be re-enacted at this international tourist destination. While representatives of the tourism industry, women organisations among others who had petitioned banning the Sena would be relieved by the announcement, whether Parrikkar would rein in his ministers from moral policing is also doing the rounds. Just the other day his PWD Minister had hit the headlines asking for a ban on bikinis in public beaches!

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Toilet Target

The Centre’s ambitious 100-day target for constructing separate toilets for girls in schools doesn’t seem to have many takers. According to the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation about 17 States are lagging behind in this aspect of Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan. These include BJP-ruled States of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, north-eastern States of Tripura, Mizoram,. Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, Congress-ruled States of Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Assam, Uttarakhand among others. What would be more distressing for New Delhi is that the BJP-ruled States are also in the red when it comes to achieving 100 days target in constructing individual household latrine. Goa, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan figure in this list. Where lies the problem would be a worthwhile exercise for the Ministry. Is the message to the States to reach out to corporate to help achieve the target being taken lightly or is the latter unwilling to oblige?

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

 

 

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