Round The States

New Delhi, 27 May, 2017

Presidential Poll

BATTLE SHIFTS TO SOUTH

By Insaf

All political parties are busy crunching numbers for the upcoming Presidential polls. While the Congress prima donna Sonia is lunching Opposition leaders, BJP President Amit Shah has taken wings to the South to woo allies. But with limited success so far. His first stop over led to a tu tu mein mein with the TRS in Telangana and has its genesis in two meals in the State. Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao upset with the saffron outreach to the Dalits by visiting homes and partaking a meal hit out at Shah for faking food which was cooked by an upper caste person sent to a dalit hut and passed off as breaking bread with the lowly. The second meal too, at another village came from a famed southern eatry. Naturally, a livid BJP hit back by accusing the State government of failing to take the welfare programmes like the Swachch Abhiyan vis-a-vis of the construction of toilets in households to the grassroot level. Sharply countered KCR by lashing out at Shah for blatantly lying about Central aid to the State and contradicted that the Centre had extended Rs 1 lakh crore aid to Telangana. Instead, the State maintained it was making a hefty contribution, to the Central exchequer. Amidst this war of words, the NDA government is worried which way the TRS will go in the presidential poll in July. BJP has got its fingers crossed and is finding ways to extend the olive branch to ensure that KCR, who was earlier peeved with the Congress over its remarks on government influencing youth towards the IS does not break bread with Sonia Gandhi and ally with the Opposition.   

However, the BJP has indeed something to smile, as the rival AIADMK factions are warming to the saffron brigade. Last week, after the breakaway AIADMK leader O Paneeraselvam had a closed door meeting with Prime Minister Modi, it is now the turn of Chief Minister  Palanaswamy to come calling at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg (earlier Race Course Road). Interestingly, the meetings take place against the backdrop of ensuing Rashtrapati Bhavan poll looming large on the political horizon. With both factions holding their cards close to their chest by asserting that it was too early to take a call on the issue, BJP leaders underscore the precedence of Late Puratchi Thalavi Jayalalitha voting in favour of candidates promoted by the Sangh. Partymen have their fingers crossed and read the recent calls on Modi as the two factions inching towards their side. Will it become a reality?

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Assam Faux Pas

This is a confession which has shaken the political and security establishment in Assam. With an Inspector General of Police of the CRPF admitting that two militants killed in the North East was in fact a fake encounter by a joint squad of security forces in March in the State. Predictably, this has sent shock waves whereby the Union Home Ministry has sought an immediate report from the Director General of the CRPF. Further, the IGP alleged that the victims were already in custody and the entire encounter was a classic case of premeditated custodial killings. Pertinently, the IG now posted in Shillong had earlier arrested three IPS officers in the infamous Gujarat Sohrabddin fake encounter case in which BJP President Amit Shah was named as an accused. Caught in the bind, the security forces, including the Assam Police, the Army, the CRPF and its jungle warfare unit “COBRA’ is running for cover. Has the IG hit the bull’s eye? 

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MP Embarrassment

It’s a classic case of the leopard changing its spot and still being caught. This truism has come to haunt a senior Madhya Pradesh minister and an MP after eight long years, wherein arrest warrants were issued against them in the murder of a Congress MLA. Ironically, both the legislators were at that time with the Congress and had switched sides for greener political pastures. Needless to say the arrest has embarrassed the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government with the Congress tom-tomming that the Sangh has turned into a party of criminals and fraudsters. Notwithstanding the two accused were earlier its own party men. Clearly, this holds out a lesson for the ruling party that in its hurry to gather flock and outnumber the Opposition it has failed to do a complete background check on the antecedents of those that it is admitting into its fold. Indeed, Uttar Pradesh also needs to pay heed given that many disgraced ex-Congressmen adorn the treasury benches. Haste, does make waste.

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Bengal Trouble

The ghost of Nandigram, in West Bengal has come to haunt Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. As residents of 12 villages in Bhangar protest against the setting up of a Government-backed power project. According to them, the TMC forcefully acquired their land during 2013-14 without taking them into confidence about the potential harmful affects of living underneath transmission wires. Worse, instead of reasoning with the residents, Trinamool Congress goons inflicted violence on the hapless villagers. However, in a major embarrassment to Mamata the locals drove out the police and TMC leaders, even as 24 people have been arrested. To soothe the frayed tempers, Didi who swept to power on the back on the land agitations has highlighted that the project will not go forward if the people don’t want it. Will she keep her word and will it be yet another victory? 

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UP Card Blunder

The much-touted Aadhar card has exposed a major goof-up in Modi government’s armour. Astonishingly, 1000 villagers of Kanjasa, Uttar Pradesh, woke up to the fact of celebrating their birthday on New Year’s Day—January 1. Bluntly, every fifth person in this miniscule village! A red-faced administration when flooded with complaints that their unique identity did not actually mention their actual date of birth has hurriedly ordered a probe and trying to remedy the faux pas. An angry Modi, who has made Aadhar mandatory by linking it to bank accounts, Income Tax returns et al in his fight against corruption and black money has asked for an explanation and an immediate rectification of the mistake. Undeniably, one should not rest laurels by putting success of schemes in a technological basket. ---INFA

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