Round The States

New Delhi, 18 January 2007

Governor-CM Tiff

BIZARRE DEVELOPMENT IN U.P.

Insaf

Uttar Pradesh, increasingly called “ulta Pradesh”, has thrown up a bizarre constitutional situation.  Thanks to the continuing confrontation between Governor T.V. Rajeshwar and Chief Minister Mulayam Singh, a basic question mark has gone up over the powers of the Governor: does the Constitution permit him to govern his State, like under the British raj? The interesting debate was triggered on January 9 when Mulayam Singh’s Cabinet called for a special two-day session of the Assembly on January 15 to seek a vote of confidence,  following the decision of the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) of Ajit Singh to  pull out of the Government.  Rajeshwar refused to accept the Cabinet’s decision on the ground that he had already prorogued the Assembly on the basis of the Cabinet’s recommendation of January 3 after the Speaker had adjourned the winter session of the Assembly sine die.

It is another matter that Mulayam Singh avoided a Constitutional crisis by choosing to go by the old adage that discretion is often the better part of valair. He dropped the idea of holding the session on January 15 and instead opted for the session on January 18.  But the Governor’s role in refusing to go by the Cabinet’s earlier recommendation has raised many expert eye brows. The Raj Bhawan’s decision is viewed as unconstitutional and a bad precedent as it could create avoidable problem in various States and at the Centre. In a democracy, the will of the people is supreme. This is reflected in the legislatures at the State level and in the Lok Sabha at the national level.  The Governor has no power to become a dictator or act as one. The ultimate power rests with the legislatures and its Council of Ministers, appointed by the Governor in accordance with the composition of the Assembly or the Lok Sabha. When Ajit Singh’s RLD pulled out of the State Government on January 9, Mulayam Singh had every right to summon the House and seek a vote of confidence on the floor of the House on January 15, prorogation or no prorogation.

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Scandalous Poll Campaign

The pre-poll scene in Punjab is getting murkier and murkier, setting a scandalous trend. The main contestants for power, the ruling Congress and the Akali Dal (Badal), are not only attacking each other personally but are now indulging in a highly libellous advertisement war through the State’s leading newspapers. Although these advertisements have been inserted by groups or individuals who are not covered by the moral code of conduct, they are at once highly defamatory. The ruling Congress, on its part, is trying hard to retain power. In an attempt to win over the Sikh votes, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and other State Congress leaders have even approached Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to contest the Lok Sabha byelection for the Amritsar seat which fell vacant following Navjot Singh Sidhu’s resignation. Manmohan Singh is disinclined to oblige. But the last word has not been said on the subject. Manmohan Singh’s term in the Rajya Sabha ends in June this year. 

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Congress Plans For Uttarakhand

Next month’s Assembly elections in Uttarakhand and Manipur are also crucial for the Congress party, which is ruling both the States and is facing strong anti-incumbency factor. Additionally, the already-divided State Congress in Uttarakhand has received another jolt. Chief Minister Narain Dutt Tiwari has conveyed to the Central leadership that he would not contest the upcoming Assembly elections and would like to give an upper hand to the State party Chief, Harish Rawat, in future sweepstakes if the party is able to beat anti-incumbency and returns to power. Meanwhile, the Central Committee for finalizing the party’s manifestos for the poll-bound States, has decided to stay committed to the aam aadmi.  In its manifesto for Uttarakhand, the Committee has identified housing, roads and employment as the key issues. It intends promising a special package for the State’s faster growth.

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AFSP Act Main Issue In Manipur

The ruling Congress in Manipur, as also the party High Command are concentrating on the major grievances of the people. The Manipur unit has already proposed to the AICC’s Manifesto Committee that the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act be adequately amended to assuage the hurt and resentment of the people in the State. Union Labour Minister, Oscar Fernandes, who heads the Group of Ministers to negotiate peace with the NSCN(IM), has visited Manipur and has had wide-ranging consultations with partymen there.  Fernandes has found that within the State party the issue has triggered a popular movement in the north-eastern State which needs to be addressed. He is now having consultations with the Union Home Ministry on how best an amendment to the AFSP Act could be promised in the party’s manifesto for the upcoming poll.

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PM’s Tough Talk On ULFA

The Prime Minister’s visit to Assam earlier this week came not a day too soon against the backdrop of increasing ULFA violence and chilling attacks on defenceless migrant workers.  He visited the affected areas on Tuesday and stated in no uncertain terms that “there will be no compromise with such groups if they resort to violence.” Much now depends upon how far the ULFA can be cajoled to come to the negotiating table. Of interest was the PM’s reference to recent public survey over the ULFA’s demand for sovereignty. This shows that no one in Assam supports ULFA’s acts of violence and terror. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has been trying hard to have a peace settlement with the ULFA. But the militant group has so far spurned all gestures. Gogoi has now decided to act tough. He has constituted a Unified Command under himself on the lines of the one in J&K to deal with the militancy in the State.

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Naxals Reach Bhopal

Madhya Pradesh, considered immune to the spreading Naxalite menace is now beginning to face the heat. Left-wing extremists have appeared in Bhopal out of the blue, making the State Government sit up. Five suspected Naxalites were arrested last week from a residential colony in Bhopal. Some weapons and ideological literature were also seized.  Searchers in several other colonies in Bhopal and elsewhere in the State were conducted. No further arrests were made, but the Police seized another cache of parts of weapons and literature. This has been taken as a warning signal and the Government has sounded a red alert across the State. Four districts, Balaghat, Madle and Dindori have already been declared as Naxal-affected. The State Police has also got in touch with its counterparts in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, to which the five suspected Naxals belong.

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Tamil Nadu Reacts Sharply

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi has reacted strongly to the Supreme Court ruling on the scope of judicial review of laws under the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.  In fact, he has warned that the supporters of social justice were prepared “to even shed blood” to protect the reservation quota in the State.  He has been quoted as stating that “the death knell would be sounded for quota rights, which were won by shedding blood and tears.”  The Tamil Nadu Reservation Act of 1993, which provides for 69 per cent quota for the SCs/STs/OBCs was included in the Ninth Schedule in 1994 when the AIADMK Government was in power. Karunanidhi’s sharp reaction follows the AIADMK supreme Jayalalitha’s statement that her regime had striven hard to provide constitutional protection to reservations. She has blamed the DMK Government for its failure to defend the position before the Supreme Court.

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Mulayam’s Pre-Poll Gift!

The just-concluded Ardh Kumbh in Allahabad turned out to be a great opportunity for Chief Minister Mulayam Singh to project himself and his party Government before millions of people at the Mela, spread over an area of 42 km along the banks of the Yamuna. The Mela draws a massive crowd of Hindu devotees and saints from far and near. Huge hoardings were put up at different places of the Mela, carrying pictures of Mulayam Singh welcoming the gathering: “Sadi Ke Sabse bare samagam mein apka swagat hai” (welcome to the country’s biggest gathering). The message said it all in the run-up to the crucial Assembly poll, whose outcome is anybody’s guess. This may hit the BJP hardest, since the party is hoping to regain power in the State on the Hindutva plank. 

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)