Round The States

New Delhi, 12 December 2015

‘Political Vendetta’

BENGAL, UP  SPRING SURPRISE

By Insaf

In politics there are no permanent friends or enemies, only permanent interests. This is what West Bengal’s Trinamool Congress can argue with those surprised over it rallying behind the Congress, which stubbornly is stalling Parliament. Till this summer, the TMC was seen ‘cosying’ up to Prime Minister Modi. The reason being guessed was Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee needed the CBI on its side in the Saradha Scam. However, with the sword hanging over her now with three MPs and a former minister in jail, it makes political sense for her to join forces with the Congress. Thus, her MPs in both houses of Parliament are heard echoing the Congress “political vendetta” accusation in the National Herald case. This apart, the reason for supporting the Grand old party may well have to do with the Assembly elections. A possible tie-up with the Congress cannot be ruled out, to keep the BJP at bay.

On the other hand, the ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh has also stumped many. It seems to have broken ranks with the “secular” camp by criticising the Congress for stalling Parliament and saying that it’s the Opposition’s responsibility too to ensure the House runs. Its leaders haven’t yielded to Congress overtures to support its cause. Here too the Assembly elections could be a factor. At its end, the BJP treasury benches have done well in getting support from other State MPs such as Telengana and Tamil Nadu, who agreed with it that issues of drought and floods in the country should be debated in the House and proceedings should go on. Clearly, isolating the Congress is the ruling dispensation’s agenda. And, the Parliamentary affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu has done well in putting the onus on leaders of various parties and members to ensure that Parliament runs and business is carried out. Like the Congress, it seeks friends, not necessarily permanent.     

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Haryana’s Panchayat Reform

Haryana follows in the footsteps of Rajasthan. The State Government’s new law mandating that general candidates wanting to contest panchayat elections must be tenth class pass and Dalit and women should have cleared fifth and eighth class respectively got the green signal from the Supreme Court. It dismissed petitions which challenged the Haryana Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015 passed in September, stating that it was constitutional, there was no violation of Fundamental Rights as alleged and the Legislature was empowered to usher in the new law. The polls shall be held soon and hopefully not only will the panchayats now have members who can read and write but the law should trigger a yearning for minimum education at the grass root level. Recall, that Rajasthan was the first State to bring in such a law, which too got the SC’s nod. Calling it a ‘progressive’ step, Haryana hopes that Parliament too follows suit for better functioning and considers an educational criteria for candidates. Not a bad idea, but it’s a shot in the dark.

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Ache Din For Kashmir?

Is there a ray of hope of ache din (good days) ahead for the Kashmiris? The question would be doing the rounds in Jammu and Kashmir following External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s unexpected visit to Pakistan. The PDP and Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed have welcomed the resumption of the dialogue process as that is what it “had talked about and hoped for a long time”. The National Conference too has pinned hopes that the visit would help reduce tensions between the two countries. Importantly, the moderate faction of the Hurriyat under Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is positive but repeats its advice that any talk on resolution of Kashmir issue without inclusion of Kashmiris would remain incomplete. The Congress, however, comes out as a sore thumb slamming the Modi government of doing another U-turn by throwing aside its assertion of ‘terror and talks can’t go together’. Be that as it may, Sushma has termed the talks as “successful.” Eyes and ears will be open to what the roadmap for the future would be. 

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Tripura Governor Row

Congress-ruled Tripura is the latest entrant to the non-BJP States ‘Governor bashing’ club. Chief Minister Nabam Tuki has accused Jyoti Prashad Rajkhowa of “interfering” with the functioning of his administration, the Legislature and running a “parallel government” from Raj Bhavan. In a letter to the Governor, Tuki bluntly charged that actions of directly calling commissioners, secretaries to the Raj Bhavan, asking them to report to the Governor without even informing the Chief Secretary has ‘diluted the constitutional provisions’. Instead, “Any report should be through the CM or his ministers”. Likewise, he accused Rajkhowa of “interfering” with the Legislative Assembly’s activities superseding the Speaker’s office by directly asking the secretary and other officers to report to Raj Bhavan! Desist from all such activities and uphold the dignity of the position you hold, was his advice. Obviously, he’s taking a cue from West Bengal, UP, Assam and Delhi, who all have a running battle with their Raj Bhavans. Guess, it’s not the Governors as much as Modi they are targetting!  

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Delhi’s Car Scheme

Will the New Year usher in hopes of cleaner air for Delhities? Well, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal would have his fingers crossed. The AAP government is set to go-ahead with its scheme to reduce the dangerous air pollution levels. From January 1 on, private vehicles with odd and even numbers will be allowed to ply only on the odd and even days of the month. It has evoked a missed reaction. Some welcome it and have started considering the car-pool option suggested, others are sceptical. The nagging questions being: Will the government improve the public transportation system; will the police be able to check and book offenders; what do people do in case of an emergency; what about outsiders from nearby cities entering Delhi; how to check well-off people with more than one car from misusing the scheme, et al. Importantly, what about sources of pollution other than vehicles, especially industrial and commercial units and establishments not following emission norms, burning of leaves or other fires, etc. While Kejriwal has said the scheme is on trial basis, he would do well to remember the adage: well begun is half done.

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Post Chennai Floods

The Chennai floods have finally forced the Centre to be far-sighted. The Central Water Commission under the Ministry of Water Resources will set up ‘100 flood forecasting stations’ during the current five-year plan. While Tamil Nadu will get 14 of these, Rajasthan 12, Sikkim eight, Arunachal three, Kerala two and Himachal Pradesh one. The other 60 stations will be set up in States already having the stations to cover their uncovered areas. While it’s ‘better late than never’ for some States, Tamil Nadu yearns for immediate action. It anxiously awaits the Centre’s response to its plea of declaring the floods as a national calamity, seeking special set of measures from New Delhi, other than the Rs 1,000-crore relief it has got. However, till then it would do well to get its maths right in the compensation it offers to the flood-affected as well as the machinery back in place to restore the flood-ravaged city. The Opposition DMK is bound to seek political mileage out of the tragedy. ---INFA

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