Round The States

New Delhi, 13 March 2008

Kerala’s Bloody Feud

Court Demands Central Intervention

By Insaf

Kerala, brilliantly described touristically as “God’s own country,” has been hogging the headlines this past week for all the wrong reasons. Initially, it was the bloody feud between the RSS and CPM workers in Thalassery, in Kannur district, on Wednesday, which has so far claimed 11 lives. In the past 30 years, 350 political killings have taken place in the red-saffron clashes in this infamous district.  The violence spilled over to the Capital, as the BJP-RSS activists clashed near the CPM’s central headquarters in New Delhi with stones, when its Central Committee was meeting. Eighteen persons were injured in the violence that lasted a couple of hours. Some arrests have been made. But the truth has yet to be fathomed. Who attacked whom first? 

Not only have the Kannur and Delhi clashes had their fallout on Parliament resulting in adjournments of the two Houses, but so also on the judiciary. In an unprecedented response, the Kerala High Court has advocated timely Central intervention as the only solution to end the violence in Kannur. Importantly, it added that New Delhi should send forces that “will not yield to the political or plutocratic clout by those in power and out of power.” Not just that Justice V Ramkumar also hoped that there “would be gubernatorial move to apprise the Central government of the urgent need for a permanent prophylactic action to curb further bloodshed and killings” in Kannur district “where manslaughter is a competing sport.”

The observations were made while ordering an investigation by the CBI into the murder of a worker in Thalassery, which was described as the “hotbed of political; violence and carnage of the worst order.” In a veiled reference to a move of the two parties to hold a meeting to stop the violence, the court observed that “all-party peace missions are nothing but a hoax to hoodwink the fickle-minded public.”  Past lesions have shown that restoration of peace and harmony was only “an evanescent episode invariably followed by history of repeated violence and vindictive vandalism.” No serious concern appeared to have been shown to this manmade holocaust in which the bread winners of several families had been “slain to death driving widows and children to the streets. A severe indictment of the State government for sure, even as the latter protests loudly!.  

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Poor Show By Congress In North-East

Congress hopes of revival in the strategic north-east after the bashing it received in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh have proved to be a pipe dream. Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland, which went to the polls last week, have sent a strong signal to the Congress — wining back power is an uphill task. While Nagaland and Tripura have given a clear verdict against the Congress, in Meghalaya the party has made a back door entry to power, forcing the Supreme Court to intervene. On Tuesday last, Meghalaya Governor SS Sidhu swore in Congress leader DD Lapang as the Chief Minister, ignoring the Meghalaya Progressive Alliance (MPA) and its claim of a majority in the 60-member Assembly. While the Congress has 25 MLAs, and claims support of three independent legislators, the MPA, comprising the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the United Democratic Party (UDP), Hill People’s Democratic State Party (HSDP) and Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) has 31 legislators.

The NCP leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno Sangma, whose petition challenging Sidhu’s action has been admitted by the apex court, has denounced the Governor’s action as “unconstitutional and murder of democracy”. However, the Governor has justified his action on the ground that he had gone by established “convention by inviting the single largest party”. Furthermore, the MPA was not a pre-poll alliance.” Sidhu has also claimed that he had exercised his discretion to “prevent horse trading.” But Sidhu has gone wrong in having given Lapang 10 days to prove his strength on the floor of the House. Two to three days would have been more than enough if horse trading was not to be encouraged. Sangma sees this as an attempt “to please his political mentors.” All eyes are now on the Supreme Court, which will hear the matter next week.  

In Nagaland, the Congress has paid the price of imposing President’s rule in the State on January 3. It’s score of 23 seats was outdone by the NDA-backed Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) bagging 34 seats. A 12-member Ministry headed by Nagaland People’s Front President and former Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio was sworn-in on Wednesday, by Governor K Shankaranarayan. Recal, the Centre had sacked Rio’s government nine weeks ago. Rio is confident of providing a stable government and is relieved that the Governor did not choose to keep the Assembly in suspended animation, despite having a majority. As for Tripura, it’s been a clear no-go for the Congress, with the Left Front winning a thumping majority and Manik Sarkar taking over as Chief Minister for the third consecutive term with an unrivalled image of probity and simple living.        

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Ghisingh Resigns, Gorkhaland Revived

The demand for Gorkhaland is set to move into top gear, with Subash Ghisingh giving in to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM). After an inning lasting two decades, Ghisingh bid goodbye to the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council on Monday last. The man, who had set the Hills ablaze with the agitation for Gorkhaland way back in 1986, settled instead for an autonomous Council for 20 years. The news of his resignation from the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council brought hundreds of people onto the streets. The hill town and adjoining areas reverberated with jubilation as Ghisingh’s bete noire and GJM chief Bimal Gurung won the first round in the battle for separate statehood. The month-long bandh not only had stalled Ghisingh’s plans of placing the Council in the Sixth Schedule, but his entry into Darjeeling. The blockade against Ghisingh has hence been lifted and the GJM finds itself “one step closer to Gorkhaland.” Who will the West Bengal Government or the Centre talk to --Ghisingh’s GNLF or Gurung’s GJM? The coming weeks should throw up an answer.          

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Goa Govt In Spin Over Teenager Death 

The controversy over the death of British teenager Scarlette Keeling on a beach in Goa has sent the State government into a tizzy. Though the 15-year-old’s body was found on Anjuman beach on February 18, the case hit the headlines this past week, following allegations that she was raped and murdered, far from the police’ initial description of “overdose of drugs and  death by drowning.” In fact, the incident has not only put a question mark on how safe is this international tourist haven, but has blown the lid over the extent to which drugs, crime and sex are a part of it. Fearing a backlash on the tourism industry, which is the State’s mainstay, Chief Minister Digambar Kamat had held meetings with the State police officials to ensure there is thorough investigation. Under pressure of being accused of “a cover-up and collusion” the police on Thursday, claimed that they cracked the case. Two persons have been arrested and confessed of raping Scarlette and then dumping her on the beach. The teenager’s mother doesn’t believe the police and has accused the Goa police of trying to cover up for the real culprits. For her the “case is not over” and she is going to “fight for justice till the end.”  Battered by bad publicity in the case, the government not only needs to dispel her doubts but more importantly ensure that Goa doesn’t get exposure for the wrong things.  ---INFA

                     (Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)