Round The States
New Delhi, 9 July 2015
Vyapam
Scam
MADHYA
PRADESH’S SHAME
By Insaf
The stars seem to be fast deserting
the ruling party BJP. After Rajasthan, BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh has been in the
eye of a storm, rather hurricane. The going is getting tough for Chief Minister
Shivraj Singh Chouhan with the Vyapam scam, involving mind-boggling
manipulation in the selection process for government jobs conducted by the
Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB), getting murkier
day-by-day. Politicians, businessmen and bureaucrats are said to have a finger
in the mega scandal involving crores of rupees. But what is worse is that it
has sinister dimensions. So far 48 people have died in mysterious circumstances
and the count is growing. Murder, screams the opposition, ‘coincidence’ says
the government! Sadly, not much has surfaced since the MP High Court started
monitoring the special task force (STF) investigations through a Special
Investigation Team (SIT) from 2012 and despite 2000 people arrested.
However, the recent scandalous death
of a TV journalist, followed by a constable and the Dean of a University have
hit the national headlines, leading to a spate of petitions in the Supreme
Court, which has now ordered the CBI to investigate the matter and get to the
bottom of the truth. This apart, it has issued notices to Governor Ram Naresh
Yadav on a petition challenging the High Court’s order to quash an FIR
registered against him in the scam relating to recruitment of forest guards.
The timing couldn’t have been worse for the Modi government, which tom-toms
corruption-free governance. Encircled by the Lalitgate affair, the Vyapam
scandal adds to its miseries. How it jostles out of it, is anybody’s
guess.
* * * *
Rajasthan
Courts Controversy
While Madhya Pradesh may have dimmed
the spotlight on the Vasundhra Raje-Lalit Modi scandal, Rajasthan continues to
make news, for the wrong reasons. Governor Kalyan Singh of Babri Masjid fame
has put his foot in his mouth, much to embarrassment of the parry. At the
convocation of the Rajasthan
University, he has questioned
some words in the national anthem. In his interpretation, the word adhinayak (person) praises the angreezi sashan (British rule) of
pre-independence era and he wants it replaced with the word ‘mangal’, notwithstanding his respect for
the anthem’s writer Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Moreover, he would
also, like the replacement of ‘mahamahin’
ne ‘His Excellency’ as nobody is today mahan
(great), he argues and this too is of the raj relic. Predictably mum is the
word from the BJP headquarters in Delhi.
And, if this is not enough, BJP MLAs have joined forces with the RSS to red
flag the demolition of temples in Jaipur to make way for the metro. They are
resorting to chakka jam (traffic
blockade) in the State capital. Leading the charge is Raje known detractor
Narpat Singh Rajvi, who has likened the demolition drive to Mughal king
Auranzeb’s time and warned that these would cost the party dearly. Pertinently,
the demolitions have been undertaken by the State government drive against unauthorised
religious structures in line with the Supreme Court order in 2013. Over the
last one year of the 73 shrines that have been razed, 65 were temples. Another
hot potato on Raje’s plate?
* * * *
States
To Check Prices?
Hoarding and black marketing should
be a no-go in all States. This is Centre’s advice to State food and consumer
affairs ministers. With the weather god playing truant and fears of rain
deficiency and spurt in vegetable prices, Union Food Ministry has prepared a
six-month contingency plan. Minister Ram Vilas Paswan has asked States to
crackdown on hoarders and black marketeers, ensure adequate supplies of pulses,
rice, edible oil, onion, potato and tomatoes and remove inter-State trade
barriers. Besides, the advisory is to identify ‘vulnerable areas’ of supply
shortages and that ‘stock-out’ situation doesn’t arise. However, the Centre is
guarded. It doesn’t want to impose ‘inspector raj.’ “You have the powers
against the hoarders so please use these’, it urges. At the same time, the
Centre is preparing itself to bring cheers to consumers. It proposes to amend
the Consumer Protection Act, wherein the aggrieved will no longer have to wait
for years for justice, every district would have a consumer court, a lawyer
would no longer be mandatory and there would be an option for mediation. Will
the common man be spared high costs and agony, is worth a watch.
* * * *
Punjab For
Farmers Rights
Punjab is batting for its
farmers. The NDA’s ally, the Shiromani Akali Dal is clearly not on the same
boat as the Centre. It is learnt to have objected in writing to certain clauses
in the controversial Land Acquisition Bill, referred to a Standing committee of
Parliament. Making a clear note that land is precious to its farmers the SAD is
firm that there must be 100 per cent consent of farmers. If the farmer doesn’t
want to sell his land he should be allowed to become a partner in its
development. Besides, it is vital that the social impact is studied and that the
land must be acquired only for the public sector and not for private entities,
as is being alleged. The SAD has also suggested that not only should the farmer
be paid for the land, but be given an additional displacement allowance. And,
if he becomes a partner, he should get back 50 per cent of the developed land
as his share. The Centre, it has made known cannot have its way as the States’
land laws should be followed first given the fact that land is in the
concurrent list. And while it is aware that the Centre is going slow on the
Bill, and it may not figure in this Parliament session, it is best to keep the
record straight. Playing tough, is it?
* * * *
Women
Have Rights
Unwed mothers and deserted wives
across the country have reason to cheer. In keeping with its endeavours to give
a leg up to gender equality, the Supreme Court in a path breaking order has
ruled that unwed mothers could be a child’s guardian without the father’s
consent and she doesn’t have to name the father. The order thus protects both
the unmarried mother and child from social stigma, which sadly is very common
in India.
Undeniably, today’s women demand parity with men and yearn to change mindsets.
Fortunately, the Kerala High Court too has come to the rescue of women. In an
order, it has ruled that a woman deserted by her husband shall have the right
to get her child’s passport without having to obtain the husband’s consent.
Thus, the Passport offices across the country would need to take note. No longer
can they insist that consent should be obtained from the father or an order
from a competent court. Instead the passport must be issued in the minor
child’s name if the mother files an affidavit. It remains to be seen if these
judgements will remove the obscurantist attitude of the various authorities?
---INFA
(Copyright,
India News & Feature Alliance)
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