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Governance Paralysed:KARNATAKA MESS CONTINUES, by Insaf,31 October 2007 Print E-mail

Round The States

New Delhi, 31 October 2007

Governance Paralysed

KARNATAKA MESS CONTINUES

                         By Insaf                          

Karnataka continues to bleed and suffer --- politically Governance in the State has been virtually paralysed for the past many weeks, thanks to the shenanigans of the politicians, especially the highly discredited Gowda duo of father and son. Imposition of President’s rule on the State on October 9 brought a glimmer of hope for the common people. Yet the mess has continued, this time thanks to the Governor, Rameshwar Thakur, and the powers that be --- the UPA Government and its Congress bosses. Both have been calculatedly dragging their feet in gross violation of the letter and spirit of the Constitution and the judgments of the Supreme Court. Otherwise, a BJP-JD(S) Government should have been sworn-in by now, ending the impasse and the administrative paralysis.

Governor Thakur should have clinched matters once the BJP and JD(S) paraded 129 MLAs in support of Yedyurappa as Chief Minister. But he chose not to do so. Surprisingly, he spoke of “consultations” with the Centre, which were not required. He also spoke about stability and horse-trading. In doing so, he ignored the Supreme Court’s land mark ruling in regard to President’s rule. In the case of S.R. Bommai, a former Karnataka CM, it ruled that whether a Government enjoyed a majority or not was to be decided only on the floor of the House.  Not so long ago, the Supreme Court ruled in the Bihar Assembly dissolution case that the shifting stand of the political parties could not be a ground for dissolution of House.  Basically, the Congress has had one clear strategy. Somehow keep the BJP out and ensure a Congress Government. Or, dissolve the House and order a fresh poll.

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Jharkhand Booms To Naxal Terror

Naxal terror struck Jharkhand last week with ghoulish vengeance. Killing 18 people including former Chief Minister Babu Lal Marandi’s youngest son Anup. Dressed in CRPF khakis, they opened fire at the end of a football tournament in Chilkhari village in Giridih district. Not only did they cock a snook at the joint operations being conducted by the Bihar and Jharkhand Governments to flush them out but this is the first time that the Red Brigade has targeted main line politicians. Specially against the backdrop that the local polity have accepted Naxalites as an inseparable part of the system at the grassroots. So much so that poll-time boycott calls by the extremists are often “bought off” by candidates, whatever their party affiliation.  Clearly, this holds ominous portends for the polity as Marandi was the only leading politician in the forefront of the anti-Maoist campaign in the State.

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Nandigram Erupts Again

After a lull of a few months Nandigram once again erupted in violence last week and turned in to a war zone with battle lines drawn between the Trinamool Congress and the Left parties. Four CPM supporters were killed in a bomb blast and gun shots were reportedly fired at the convoy of the Trinamool Chief, mercurial Mamata Banerjee. Predictably, this sparked off fresh trouble all over the State. With accusations and counter-accusations flung against each other by CPM leaders and Mamata. Trinamool activists retaliated by blocking roads and railway tracks in large parts of Hubli and also gave a bandh call, which paralysed the whole State. Making most of the war of words between the two political rivals, the Bhumi Uchchhed Prattirodh Committee paralysed large parts of East Midnapore by calling a bandh.

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Nitish Hits Laloo’s Come Back Plan

Bihar once again resonated to the sounds of ‘Jab tak samose mein aaloo, tab tak Bihar mein Laloo’ as the former Chief Minister of Bihar and the Railway Minister and RJD Chief held a massive Chetna Rally in the State. This was Laloo Yadav’s first trip to his home State after his defeat in the 2004 Assembly polls. A worried Laloo left no stone unturned to make this rally a resounding success to mark his arrival back in the State politics. Many special trains ferried people from all over the State and the neighbouring areas for the rally held in the Capital, Patna. The NDA Chief Minister Nitish Kumar didn’t take things lying down either. He announced his Government’s decision to reserve 50 per cent seats in the three layers of the panchayati raj system for the most backward castes’ and thereby not only consolidated his socio-political base but also hit Laloo’s comeback plan hard.

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UNPA To Mulayam’s Defence

The newly-formed UNPA has come to the defence of beleaguered Samajwadi Chief Mulayam Singh in his controversial disproportionate assets case. Calling it a “politics of revenge,” the TDP Chief and Convener of the anti-Congress front Chandrababu Naidu accused the Congress of being vengeful and victimizing the Samajwadi supremo and his kin. Notwithstanding the fact that the Supreme Court has issued notice to Mulayam and his family in the assets case after the CBI reportedly found evidence of huge property acquisitions. Needless to say, the action of the premier investigation agency is bound to further widen the Mulayam-Congress rift. Even as the CPI (M) Chief Prakash Karat met with SP leaders to enlist their support for the Left’s opposition to the nuclear deal.

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Unprecedented March Of Landless

New Delhi was besieged last Monday when 25,000 landless people barged into the Union Capital to demand land rights for the displaced and the landless. Under the banner of Ekta Parishad, they marched on foot from Gwalior to Delhi, taking 30 days. Significantly, the marchers included 250 foreigners from 29 countries. Over Rs. 3 crore to 4 crore was spent to feed, shelter and march the landless poor to Delhi to register their angst with the top powers that be. An anxious Prime Minister responded promptly and successfully prevented the marchers from reaching Parliament Street, the normal venue for rallies and demonstrations. Two committees were grandiosely announced at Ram Lila ground on behalf of Manmohan Singh. One, the National Land Reform Council, headed by the PM himself and two a committee on State Agrarian Relations & Unfinished Land Reforms. With the “solemn promise” that these panels would look into all land-related issues and make appropriate recommendations. It is a moot point whether these committee lollypops will sweeten the bitter lives of the landless!

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Sting Creates Tehelka For Modi

The Tehelka sting has indeed created tehelka for Narender Modi, who is seeking a third term as Gujarat’s Chief Minister. Notwithstanding Modi’s decision to brazen out all exposures with the response: “I will not comment.” The sting operation purportedly quotes the 2002 Godhra riot foot soldiers (Bajrang Dal, VHP and Shiv Sena men) disgustingly boasting about having carried out the killings with State support and having been sheltered by the Administration against the subsequent judicial onslaught.  As the Congress, various regional parties and human rights activist up the ante for Modi’s removal, following the Ahmedabad District Collector “blacking out” the TV coverage, the sting threatens to boomerang on the Congress. Reportedly, it has triggered the polorisation of voters in favour of the beleaguered Chief Minister. Will the polls be ‘hai hai Modi’ or ‘jai jai’ Modi’? Time will tell before too long.---INFA

 (Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

                                    

 

 

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