Round The States
New Delhi, 22 February 2007
Seven-Phase Poll in
U.P.
CONGRESS GAMEPLAN
WRECKED
By Insaf
Fast moving political developments on U.P., crucial Assembly polls in Uttarakhand and Manipur and the
heart-rending Samjhauta Express
blasts pushed into the background a welcome review of the UPA Government’s Twenty
Point Programme (TPP) for the aam aadmi.
Planning Secretaries of the States met in New
Delhi during the past week to monitor implementation
of the programme all over the country and identify the black sheeps among the
States. Interestingly, the review showed that the non-UPA Governments had
performed better than those led by the Congress
or its supporters during the first eight months of the current fiscal. The
performance report prepared by the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme
Implementation threw up a surprise: U.P. finished third in the implementation
of welfare schemes for the common man. Assam
finished last.
Notwithstanding its performance on the economic front, the
Mulayam Singh Government faced dismissal
and imposition of the President’s rule under Article 356. The Congress, which leads the UPA Government, had almost
decided to take this route to settle scores with Mulayam Singh. Brazenly
ignoring the point settled by the Supreme Court and the Sarkaria Commission that the majority of any Government has to be
tested only on the floor of the Assembly. The Congress
gameplan with the connivance of Governor Rajeshwar was initially held up by the
CPM’s firm ‘No’ to the use of Article 356 and the strong possibility of the President not concurring.
Thereafter, it was wrecked by the Election Commission
on Wednesday with the announcement of the poll schedule for the State Assembly in a month-long seven-phase process starting on April 7.
* * * *
Close Race In
Uttarakhand
The Assembly poll
in Uttarakhand on Wednesday seems to have produced a neck-and-neck race between
the ruling Congress and the BJP.
Various exit poll predictions indicate that both contestants for power would
win 25 to 30 seats each in the 70-member Assembly,
leading to a hung House. The regional
parties, Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) and the BSP of Mayawati are expected to
improve their positions and play a major part in the Government formation. The UKD has only four MLAs in the present Assembly but may win eight to ten seats. If that
happens, the BJP would stand a better chance of forming the Government. However,
if Mayawati’s BSP wins more seats, the Congress
is almost certain to gain. The final outcome would be known on February 27 when
counting is due to take place.
* * * *
Bihar Performs Well In
Social Sector
Derided until recently as a laggard State, Bihar
has considerably improved its performance in the implementation of the Centre’s
20-Point Programme. The State has now jumped to the 13th position
from a tail-ender among the 29 States across
the country. Equally surprising, is the
performance of the U.P. Government which has been placed at No.3. Interestingly,
the non-UPA ruled States like U.P., Chhattisgarh, Gujarat,
Rajasthan, Karnataka and Orissa
figure among the first ten. In sharp contrast, the progress
report shows poor performance by the “progressive”
States of Maharashtra and Kerala, which have been placed at 21st and
19th rank. J&K and Assam
are at the bottom, ranking 27th and 29th respectively. So
much for full autonomy enjoyed by successive
J&K Governments.
The 20-Point Programme 2006, monitored by the Ministry of
Statistics and Programme Implementation, includes Centrally-supported 20 social
sector programmes. These are: poverty eradication; power to the people; support
to farmers; labour welfare; food security; housing for all; clean drinking
water, health for all; education for all; welfare of Scheduled Castes,
Scheduled Tribes, Minorities and OBCs; women welfare; child welfare; youth
development; improvement of slums; environment protection and afforestation;
social security; rural roads; energization of rural area; development of backward
areas; enabled e-governance. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Statistics and
Programme Implementation has issued
detailed guidelines on the programme.
* * * *
Buddhadeb’s New
Policy
Acquisition of farmland for industrial development through
SEZs continues to needle the Left Front Government of West Bengal, led by
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. The Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee has now given an
ultimatum to the Government of a Statewide agitation if the acquisition of the
agricultural land continues. This has constrained Buddhadeb to look for an
alternative route to industrialization: acquiring the land of various closed or
sick industries. Since most of these
industries are in the small or medium sectors, the Government now plans to target
them across the State. It has already surveyed about 500
medium and large sick or closed industries which could be acquired and offered
for suitable Special Economic Zones (SEZs).
* * * *
Bar On “Political”
Violence
The historic verdict of the Additional District Sessions Court in Salem, Tamil Nadu, awarding death sentence to
three AIADMK activists and seven years rigorous imprisonment to 25 others may
have a sobering effect on reckless
violence as part of political
agitations. Remember, three girl students were burnt to death at Dharmapuri on
February 2, 2000 when a mob of the AIADMK workers sent fire to a bus in which
they were traveling, to protest against a verdict in a corruption case against
their leader, Jayalalitha. The father of
one of the girls filed a petition in the district court, which remained pending
during the five years of the AIADMK rule in Tamil Nadu during 2001-06. With the
change of the Government and of the public prosecutor, the Sessions Court found the death of the three girls as
the “rarest of the rare” cases. The verdict has made the country sit up and
think. Better late than never.
* * * *
Shyama Charan Passes Away
Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have lost a great and noble
son and the Congress Party a
Gandhian in the death of Shyama Charan Shukla, 83, thrice Chief Minister of the
undivided Madhya Pradesh in 1969, 1975 and 1989 on February 14. Son of MP’s first Congress Chief Minister, Pt. Ravi Shankar Shukla, he was
the party’s tallest stalwart in Central India
and admired even by his rivals as a gentleman politician. He symbolized five
decades of history of the Chhattisgarh region, now a State. Popularly known as
“Shyama Bhaiya”, he preferred active politics even in his eighties to the
comfort of a gubernatorial assignment. His popularity was widely reflected in
the mourning in both States, irrespective of party affiliations. The BJP Government at Bhopal declared a State
mourning and its Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan attended the cremation
and lauded Shukla for “always advocating
high values in politics”. Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, also attended,
alongwith Congress Treasurer,
Motilal Vora.
* * * *
Goa’s Carnival of
Fun & Frolic
Panaji, Goa’s capital city
reverberated to a non-stop, three-day carnival of fun, frolic, music, song and
dance over the last week-end. Highlighting
the Goa extravaganza were colourful floats on
parade along the city’s streets to the chant of “Viva Carnival”, with the
mythological central figure of the festival, King Momo ushering in his
three-day mock rule and calling upon his people to “eat, drink and have
fun”. The floats were based on the
State’s traditional occupations, like fishing, and depicted its local
traditions to the tune of “Amcha Goem” (Our Goa). The annual festival, celebrated since the 18th
century Portuguese rule, provides an occasion for feasting, drinking and
merrymaking for 40 days before “Lent”, a time of abstinence and spirituality.
---INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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