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Vote of Confidence in Goa:A FRAUD ON THE CONSTITUTION, by Insaf,2 July 2007 Print E-mail

Round The States

New Delhi, 2 July 2007

Vote of Confidence in Goa

A FRAUD ON THE CONSTITUTION

By Insaf

Last week’s vote of confidence in the 40-member Goa Assembly was indeed a blatant and scandalous fraud on the Constitution. The Speaker is supposed to represent the dignity of the House and uphold democracy. Yet he made a mockery of the system and the well-established rule that a Government must enjoy the confidence of the House. Speaker Pratapsinh Rane bailed out the shaky Congress-led Government of Digambar Kamat by brazenly disallowing three MLAs to vote, before the floor test. Of these, two belonging to the Maharshtrawadi Gomantak Party were well within their rights to withdraw support to the Government. Worse, Rane went a step further and cast his vote in favour of the Government even though the motion had already been passed by a voice vote in the absence of the Opposition, which had walked out.   

That is not all. The Speaker, obviously under heavy pressure from his Congress bosses in New Delhi, also went against the clear directions of the Governor, S C Jamir. The Governor had informed the Goa Democratic Front, led by leader of the Opposition, Manohar Parrikar that he had asked the Speaker to ensure that the floor test was conducted before any other business. He had also appointed observers to oversee the voting. Yet Speaker Rane went his own way, leading the Opposition to demand that Jamir should undo the constitutional mess and dismiss the Kamat Government. The matter has now gone before the Supreme Court which is due to take it up early next week. Clearly, the future of India’s young democracy is at stake!      

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First Time In Nagaland

There is fresh hope for durable peace in Nagaland. The latest round of talks between the Centre and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (IM) earlier this week has taken a positive turn. For the first time in its history of ten years of parleys, the two sides met across the table in Nagaland. Initially, the NSCN leaders insisted on talks only on foreign soil – Amsterdam or Bangkok. Last year, they agreed to meet in New Delhi. The visit this time to Dimapur by the NSCN (IM) leaders, headed by Isak Chishi Swu and Muivah, has not only given peace a new thrust, but more importantly provided the leaders and the local people an opportunity to interact and understand each others feelings and outlook. Importantly, the ceasefire has been extended “indefinitely.”

Information available shows that the Dimapur parleys were marked by an encouraging outcome. The NSCN(IM) appears to have more or less, agreed to the Centre’s firm stand that its demand for sovereignty is “unacceptable” and that a solution would have to be found within the framework of the Constitution. The NSCN (IM) seems agreeable to remaining a part of India but insists that this would have to be on the basis of a “special federal relationship”. This is not going to be easy for New Delhi to accept in view of the basic fact that India, according to the Constitution, is a Union of States and not a federation.  In fact, the word federation does not occur anywhere in the Constitution. Moreover, conceding a “federal relationship” would open a Pandora’s box for the Centre. More and more States are now demanding “federal powers.”  

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Falling Democratic Norms

Recent events in Andhra Pradesh too smack of falling democratic norms and standards. Time was when members of its State Assembly and the Council observed the highest standards of decorum. Both the leader of the House and the leader of the Opposition refrained from making personal allegations against each other. But this lasted only till the Telugu Desam came to power. Chandrababu Naidu as the TDP Chief Minister had spats with the present incumbent, Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, then leader of the Opposition. Last week Naidu once again found himself at the receiving end when Dr. Reddy went to the extent of saying that Naidu’s mother would be sorry for having given birth to him. Expectedly, this led to an upheaval. Fortunately, good sense prevailed on all sides. Dr. Reddy tendered an unconditional apology and Naidu accepted it -- and returned to the House. But the incident has left an appalling mark on the Vidhan Soudha.   

Land for the Landless 

Landless labourers across the States are now aggressively beginning to assert their rights. After Nandigram in West Bengal, big trouble is brewing in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. On Saturday last, eight persons were killed and six injured in police firing in Mudigonda village, in Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh, during a rally called by the Left parties to “distribute land to the poor”. In Tamil Nadu, the villagers in Sattankulam town, in Tututicorin District have decided to go on a fast on August 10, to oppose the acquisition of about 11,000 acres by the Tata group for its Rs 2,500-crore titanium-dioxide project. They plan to fight it out. One common factor stands out in all these incidents: the protest is for land, not money. While politicians in the three States are using the incidents to gain political mileage, they appear to be missing the wood for the trees. A new movement demanding land for the landless is taking shape.

Labourers & Tourists Flee Kashmir?

Tourism and development have been witnessing a revival in trouble-torn Kashmir. Sadly, however both appear to be in for fresh trouble. A blast in a tourist bus in the Valley on Sunday last, is likely to see holiday goers packing their bags and leaving. A repeat of what happened last summer after a similar attack, in which 16 people were killed. Tourists from Gujarat, a major influx, and other States simply cancelled their bookings, causing losses and heartburn amongst hoteliers and houseboat owners.

Worse, Kashmir is witnessing a massive exodus of workers thanks to the “Quit Kashmir” notice to migrant labourers by the Hizbul Mujahadeen. The call that they must leave Kashmir within a week follows an incident in which a schoolgirl was allegedly raped by two migrant labourers. The threat is bound to affect construction activity in the Valley, which started picking up during the Chief Ministership of Mufti Mohd. Sayeed. This should be a cause of serious concern to the present successor Government of Ghulam Nabi Azad. With three-and-a-half lakh migrant labourers sustaining the Valley’s “construction boom” of roads, bridges and much else, the Government can ill-afford to let the Mujahadeen have their way.

Monsoon Playing Havoc

Incessant rains across the north-eastern region continue to play havoc in some States. The flood situation in Assam and Bihar is getting from bad to worse, with over 11 lakh and 28 lakh people getting affected respectively. Meghalaya and Garwhal are trying to cope with landslides. Threat of flood looms large in Uttar Pradesh, with already 25 people having died in rain-related incidents. Over 5000 pilgrims to Badrinath were stranded. Over 26,000 hectares of crop has got submerged in Assam. The Army has been put on alert in Bihar. Rivers in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district are flowing above the danger mark. And, Kerala has suffered losses of Rs 15,000 crore. While the State Administration is working round-the-clock viz rescue operations and disaster management, the Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan has found a novel way to get relief. Last Sunday he threatened to stage a dharna outside the Prime Minister’s House at 7 Race Course Road if the Centre continued to ignore his demand for monsoon disaster aid. ---INFA

 (Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

 

 

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