Round The States
New Delhi, 24 June, 2016
UP Up In The Air
Trouble
In BSP, SP
By Insaf
All does not seem to be well among regional Parties in Ulta-Pulta Pradesh. Early this week, in
a major political upset, Mayawati received a rude jolt when the BSP’s OBC face,
Opposition leader in the Assembly and second-in-command Swami Prasad Maurya walked
out of the Party. Ostensibly, because the BSP supremo was auctioning Party
tickets for next year’s Assembly poll.
Moreover, he accused Mayawati of “industrial institution” to fulfill her
personal interests. It’s another matter that Mayawati’s loss in all likelihood
will be Mulayam’s gain as reportedly Maurya is all set to join the Samajwadi Party. Indeed, ironic considering the BJP was
the first to try and poach Maurya from the Dalit Party. On the face of it,
Mayawati nonchalantly dismisses Maurya’s exit as his ‘greed’ for wanting Party
tickets for his son and daughter who had lost the last Assembly and recent Lok
Sabha elections.
Barely had this been digested came news of a family
one-upmanship tussle in Mulayam Singh’s Samajwadi Parivar. Wherein son and Chief Minister Akhilesh has flexed his
muscles vis-à-vis uncle Shiv Pal
Yadav and sacked his Secondary Education Minister Balram Yadav for allowing the
merger of mafia don-turned MLA Mukhtar Ansari’s Quami Ekta Dal (QED).
Reportedly, Akhilesh was dead against the QED being inducted in to Samajwadi fold
as it sent a wrong signal to the electorate about the Party hobnobbing with
criminals. But father Mulayam and uncle Shivpal prevailed whereby Ansari’s brother
and confidant have joined, even as Ansari marks time in Lucknow jail. Interestingly, with four
vacancies in Akhilesh’s Council of Ministers, Ansari is hopeful that his
brother would be inducted as a Minister. Party seniors close to Mulayam assert
that the Chief Minister will eventually fall in line as elections close in
specially against the backdrop of the QED extending a helping hand in the
recent Legislative Council and Rajya Sabha elections.
* * * *
After Affect Of Jat
Agitation
The Jats in Haryana might have called off their agitation
for reservations in education and State jobs. But it all the 90 MLAs and 10 Lok
Sabha MPs might have to pay a heavy price. A Rewari court has taken cognizance
of a petition by angry residents demanding recovery of Rs.340 crores for losses
to the State and private persons in the recent February riots. The cause
célèbre? The State Administration’s failure in upholding law and order and our
law makers failing in discharging their duty as public servants by controlling
the violence and protecting public and private property from untoward damage.
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, his MLAs and MPs are keeping their fingers
crossed that the judge takes a lenient view when they appear in court on July
24.
* * * *
Rs.200 for Drugs In
Punjab
Film Udta Punjab is a reality check on the drug menace which
has gripped the State in its vicious tentacles and how easy it is to ‘get a fix
and high’ there. All it takes is the right connection with the dealer and knowing
the local slang: ‘Chitta, chand and ganja’ for a measly Rs.200/-. Disgustingly
over six lakh youths are doped out of their minds. Worse, allegedly the
kingpins of the drug nexus are politicians, police, bureaucrats etc whereby
cocaine and heroin availability beckons at every nook and corner. To put a halt
to it, the State Administration seems to have finally woken up. It is now mandatory
for aspiring candidates for over 7000 constables’ jobs in the police force to
undergo a five-drug dope test. But who will take care of the drug addicts
languishing in jails?
* * * *
Congress Follows
Jayalalithaa
The Congress seems to have taken a leaf out
of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s ‘How to Win Election’ book in
Karnataka. With the run away success of the famous Amma canteens which
facilitated the AIADMK’s return to powering the State, her counter part in
neighbouring Karnataka is following suit. Chief Minister Siddharamaiah is busy
wooing the homeless and migrants in Capital Bengaluru with subsidised meals
being provided every night through mobile vans set up at night shelters, bus
stands, hospitals and railway stations. Add to this, the State's Food and Civil
Supplies Department has tied up with international society Iskcon to get the
scheme off the ground. Interestingly, Jaya Amma too had copied the idea from
Rajasthan where feeding the homeless has been in place for over six years. It
remains to be seen if Siddharamaiah will reap electoral dividends in the 2018
Assembly polls? Food for thought!
* * * *
Low Enrolment In
Kerala
This could be straight out of comic strip Believe It Or Not.
In God’s own country which boasts of a 100 per cent literacy rate, school
classrooms are empty due to low enrolment. Shockingly, in the last 15 years
admissions have dipped from 52.46 lakhs to 37.70 lakhs, consequently this has
led to closure of 5,573 out of 12,615 schools as they have become uneconomical
to run. Of these, half are directly run by the State Government while the
others are State-aided institutions. Scandalously, not only is the States
pupil-teacher ratio the lowest in the country but also 3000 teachers are taking
their salaries without any work. Worse, over 1000 schools have approached to
the State Education Department for closure. Not of few educationists allege
that it is not low enrolment of students, but the motive is to usurp the
schools land as they are located in prime localities which would fetch crores
of rupees. All eyes are on the new LDF Government to see how they will reignite
students to go back to the classrooms.---INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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