Round The
States
New Delhi, 31 October 2020
J&K Land Laws
UT ON SALE, A BETRAYAL?
By Insaf
Good, bad or ugly, is
a question that needs debate after the Centre amended and notified land laws
for Jammu & Kashmit. The People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, of
mainstream political parties, firmly sees it as “J&K has been put up for
sale”, “fear of demographic changes and alteration to character of this place”,
“a huge betrayal”, “massive assault on people’s rights”, “grossly
unconstitutional.” However, industrialists’ bodies like Jammu-based Bari
Brahmana Industries Association have welcomed it saying there’s “a ray of hope
of industrialisation by prospective entrepreneurs from outside.” This should
please L-G Manoj Sinha who has sought to dispel fears and stated: “rest
assured, land will not be given to anybody. But if someone wants to set up an
industry they will have to be given land...through industrial parks.”
Convincing? Remember, after revocation of Article 370, the promised Business
Summit simply failed to take off. The Centre’s notification on Monday last is a
lot more: it opens up urban or non-agricultural land for purchase by outsiders,
permits contract farming on agricultural lands, insulates zones identified for
development from various laws’ application which earlier ensured ownership
remained with ‘permanent residents’, etc. Fear is Kashmir—the paradise on earth
will not be same the again. While time will tell, at least it has kick started political
activity.
* * * *
Bihar Poll
Puzzle
The Opposition in
Bihar is definitely giving Chief Minister Nitish Kumar a run for his money. Election
issues are clearly local such as jobs and Nitish babu is having a tough time this
time and is asking the electorate to vote for Modi as that’s how development
will get to the State! The voter turnout for 71 seats in the first phase of
polling on Wednesday last was impressive -- 52.24% as compared to 53.54 per
cent in non-Corona times in 2015. Looks like the outcome here shall reverberate
beyond and could impact course of national politics. Bihar is first to go to
polls since COVID-19 and should give an inkling of how unplanned lockdown and
sagging economy has gone down with the people. This could impact NDA equations
for as it is the JD(U), BJP and LJP failed to put together a viable jugalbandi. The RJD’s Tejaswi is getting
huge crowds and so is Chirag Paswan, sending out hopes for younger generation,
However, if the ruling combine wins the polls, it will reaffirm Modi’s popularity
and BJP’s ability to overcome incumbency.
* * * *
Free
Country
Three cheers to the
Supreme Court for coming to rescue of ordinary citizens. On Wednesday last, it
stayed Calcutta High Court’s order of September 29 asking a Delhi woman to
appear before the State police. The case pertains to Kolkata police having summoned
her for questioning following an ‘objectionable’ Facebook post she shared about
a crowded Raja Bazaar area scene, ‘inferred’ as questioning government’s sincerity
in enforcing lockdown! Finding the post too innocuous to be converted into an
FIR, the bench said “If some person writes something against the Government in
some country, are you (state) going to make him appear, say in Kolkata or
Chandigarh or Manipur and tell him that now we will teach you a lesson. This is
a dangerous proposition. Let this remain a free country.” It also said ‘We have
to be here to ensure ordinary citizens are not harassed like this…We have
strong reservations against people being called from one state to another just
because they have criticised the government.” It asked the lady to cooperate
with the investigation, which could be through video conferencing or if the
police came to Delhi. Some protection to fundamental right of free speech?
* * * *
Uttarakhand
Bewilderment
Bizarre, to say the
least is what Uttarakhand High Court order is. Fortunately, the State BJP can
heave a sigh of relief as its Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat in the hill
State gets relief from Supreme Court. On Thursday last, it stayed the High
Court’s order of October 27 for a CBI probe into allegations of corruption
levelled by a journalist against Rawat in a Facebook video. While the rival Congress
has been accused of hatching a conspiracy to destabilise the government, the
3-judge bench is bewildered how the High Court had passed such a drastic order and
exercised suo moto powers under Article 226, when “the CM was not even a party”!
It emerges the HC ordered CBI probe while deciding writ petitions filed by two
journalists – Umesh Kunar Sharma and Shiv Prasad Semwal – who had sought
quashing of an FIR lodged in July this year by Dehradun police following a
complaint by a retired professor against a video uploaded by Sharma on Facebook
levelling corruption charges against Rawat. The High Court, said Attorney
General, had mixed up all grounds and its order ‘was contrary to SC rulings
against destabilising governments.’ He urged the apex court to look at
consequence and “surely HC knows what will happen thereafter. HC is not
competent to do this.” Not a truly happy ending, as there seems more than meets
the eye. More unravelling required.
* * * *
Rivalry
Back In UP
It’s back to square
one for Uttar Pradesh’s foes-turned-friends -- BSP and SP. Within 24 hours
after seven BSP MLAs rebelled against the party’s candidate for Rajya Sabha poll
and met the SP leadership, BSP supremo Mayawati lashed out at father and son,
Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh. Regretting the 2019 alliance with them and
withdrawing the June 2, 1995 guest house case, an alleged attempt on her life, as
“a big mistake”, she warned much in advance: It’s going to be “a tit-for-tat
response and BSP MLAs will vote for BJP or any other Opposition party to defeat
SP’s second MLC candidate.” Besides, on Thursday last she suspended all 7 MLAs
from party membership and will seek cancellation of their Assembly membership under
the anti-defection law ‘if and when they join another party.’ The SP has hit
back saying her statement is “a confession of siding with the BJP” and that
there was ‘prior understanding’ with the saffron brigade! What happens ahead is
anybody’s guess but for the time being BJP and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath
will be having the last laugh.
* * * *
Assam
Women & Alcohol
It’s an odd
distinction which Assam wouldn’t be pleased with. Its women consume much more
alcohol than their counterparts across the country! Not a conjecture but a
finding of a recent survey released by Union Ministry for Health and Family
Welfare. As per 2019-20 data, 26.3% women in Assam, in age group of 15-49 years,
consume alcohol--the highest among all States and UTs, i.e. 1.2%. The figures include
those of National Family Health Survey-4, conducted in 2015-16. While NFHS-5
report (2018-19) is yet to be released, data of NFHS-3 (2005-06), revealed 7.5%
women in Assam in age group of 15-49 years had reported to have consumed
alcohol. At that time, 5 States were ahead of it -- Arunachal Pradesh (33.6%),
Sikkim (19.1%), Chhattisgarh (11.4%), Jharkhand (9.9%) and Tripura (9.6%).
Interestingly, while corresponding figure for Assam jumped from 7.5% in NFHS-3
to 26.3% in NFHS-4, there was a slump in these other States-- AP to 3.3%,
Sikkim (0.3%), Chhattisgarh (0.2%), Jharkhand (0.3%) and Tripura (0.8%). The
only saving grace for Assam perhaps is that while 44.8% of its women consume
alcohol around once a week, as compared to national figure of 35%, they are
behind their menfolk –51.9%. Happy, did one hear?---INFA
(Copyright, India
News & Feature Alliance)
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