Round The States
New
Delhi, 5 December 2015
Gujarat Civic
Polls
WARNING
BELLS FOR BJP
By Insaf
Gujarat’s feel good factor is
wearing off. The recent civic polls should set the alarm bells ringing both in
the State and at the Centre. There is no denying that the Congress is making a
comeback after over a decade. It has won 23 out of 31 district panchayats and
113 of the 193 taluka panchayats, showing that the rural hold of the Anadiben
government is clearly on the wane. However, the big question is whether the BJP
should see the writing on the wall, following the Patel reservation stir. Much
that it would like to take solace in the fact that it has retained its urban
vote bank and won all the six municipal corporations --Ahmedabad, Surat,
Vadodara, Rajkot, Jamnagar, and Bhavnagar, and that won 42 of the 56 municiplaities,
it cannot shrug the fact that its majority has been reduced. Importantly, while
the BJP could admit that the Patel agitation dealt a blow, it would have to
realise that anti-incumbency is setting in. Its earlier staunch vote bank of
farmers too is disillusioned. Add to this that the Modi charisma is clearly
missing. While the BJP gets into a huddle analysing what went wrong, the
Congress would do well to encash on its victory. 2017 in not too far.
* * * *
Kerala
Solar Scam Murkier
Kerala’s solar panel scam is getting
murkier. Worse at a time, when New
Delhi is floating an idea of solar alliance with the
outside world! Accusation of bribe and sleaze continue to haunt the UDF
government. The prime accused in the solar panel scam, Biju Radhakrishnan has
now claimed before the judicial commission that he paid bribes to the who’s
who, including Chief Minister Oommen Chandy (Rs 5.5 crore), Rs 40 lakh to his
former forest minister Ganesh Kumar and Rs 35 lakh to Congress MP K C Venugopal
when he was MoS in the UPA. Besides, he alleged that the CM, his two colleagues
and three others had sexual links with his live-in partner Saritha Nair, who
mercifully, for Chandy has rubbished the charges. Recall, the scandal had hit
the headlines in 2013 and involved the firm ‘Team Solar’, which apparently
collected huge sums from investors promising to give solar energy material and
make them partners in wind energy solutions. While that went kaput,
Radhakrishnan is ensuring that Chandy and team have no ray of hope of the
pressure easing.
* * * *
Non-BJP
States ‘Intolerant’
The Centre has good reason to scoff
at belligerent States and their leaders complaining about growing hate culture
in the country. In its recent data on incidents of communal violence, the Home
Ministry has said that non-BJP States were the big offenders too—recording 52
per cent of the cases this year until October. Topping the list was Uttar
Pradesh with the highest communal violence at 139 incidents, surpassing last
year’s 133. Congress-ruled Karnataka witnessed more communal incidents at 79 as
compared to 73 in 2014, Bihar has so far recorded 59 incidents against 61 in
2014 and West Bengal has 24 in the first 10
months of this year, up from 16 through 2014. So, is it a classic case of the
pot calling the kettle black? It could have been, but BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh
(86 incidents as compared to 54 last year), Jharkhand (24 instead of 10), and Maharashtra (97 communal incidents, same as 2014) have
become spoilers. However, Rajasthan with 54 incidents (72 last year) and Gujarat with 47 incidents as compared to 74 in 2014,
gives it some solace. How bad the statistics turn in the next two months would
be worth a watch.
* * * *
Festive
Trouble in Hyderabad?
Hyderabad’s Osmania University
is on tenterhooks. The threat by a section of students to hold ‘a beef
festival’ to coincide with International Human Rights Day on December 10 has
got another section up in arms. The latter has demanded that if the festival is
allowed then it would like to hold a ‘Gau pooja’ (cow worship) in the campus
alongside. And if not this, then it would hold ‘a pork festival’ the same day!
This section is obviously influenced by BJP MLA Raja Singh, who threatened to
“kill anyone” who holds the beef festival. The VC’s office finally woke up to
the looming threat and denied permission to all such activities that are unrelated
to academic and research. While all eyes would still be on how the Human Rights
Day eventually pans out in the University, it’s sadly certain that the
Parliamentarians debate and appeal on curbing intolerance failed to make a mark
on the young minds.
* * * *
States
Help Sought
States need to chip in to help stop
exploitation of their labour force in the Gulf. That’s a message from the
Ministry of Overseas Indians Abroad to Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh,
Kerala, Telangana among other States, which see large number of their people
going across to earn a better living. While spelling out the various steps
taken to check exploitation of Indian labourers in the Gulf, Minister Sushma
Swaraj in the Lok Sabha particularly drew attention of the members that the
Centre has for starters insisted that all Indians going abroad as domestic help
must go through government-registered recruitment agencies. They must follow
too and set up a system in place. At the same time, the States have been asked
to promote the Ministry’s 24X7 helpline “Overseas Workers Resource Centre”, which
provides guidance on all matters and problems pertaining to overseas employment
of Indian nationals. Will the States help strengthen the Centre’s hands?
* * * *
Tripura
Malaria Check
Tripura believes in the adage a
stitch in time saves nine. Bitten badly by the malaria bug last year, the
Tripura Government doesn’t want to take chances anymore. It has started gearing
up to protect its people from another tragedy. The Manik Sarkar government has
procured nine lakh-odd medicated mosquito nets and proposes to distribute these
free in malaria-prone areas. Fortunately for it, the Union government has
contributed 8 lakh of the long lasting insecticidal nets (LLIN), whereas 50,000
have been bought from the UNICEF at the cost of Rs 90 lakh. Recall, that last
June following a two-month long malaria epidemic in the State, a 100-odd
people, mostly in tribal dominated mountainous areas had died and over a lakh
fell ill, in what was described as the worst situation in 30 years. While
health camps and blood testing facilities are also being put in place, fingers
would be crossed that this time round the mosquitoes fall prey. Undeniably,
distribution of the nets and of course usage will be critical. ---INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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