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Round The
States
New Delhi, 12 December 2020
Towards Hindu Rashtra
KARNATAKA, UP DETERMINED
By Insaf
“Work is in progress’ should
read the sign in BJP’s making of a Hindu Rashtra!
Polarisation on communal lines and targeting
of minorities gets another fillip. This time it’s BJP-ruled Karnataka. On
Wednesday last, it passed the anti-cow slaughter Ordinance in Vidhan Souda,
amid bedlam but deferred it in the Council 24 hours later. It shall do so once
it’s certain of majority. But it doesn’t stop it from hitting headlines like
UP, whose police has gone proactive in regulating and punishing inter-faith
marriages and conversions after passage of the Prohibition of Unlawful
Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020. A clear tool to harass and intimidate
“the other” and questioning love and faith! Likewise, the Karnataka Prevention
of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill-2020 shall give the police power
to conduct checking as it envisages a ban on all
forms of cattle slaughter (including buffaloes) and stringent punishment to
those who indulge in smuggling, illegal transportation, atrocities on cows and
slaughtering them. A jail term of 3-7 years and (or) a fine up to Rs 5 lakh, is
on agenda. Those in the cattle industry and business are already hit and this
shall add to the economic difficulties. But why should the government care, for
the BJP cows “are holy to Hindus”. It’s just a
question of time, when others too like Karnataka shall join Uttar Pradesh and
Gujarat and the caravan will dangerously grow,
* * * *
Mahurat
Date Kept
New
Delhi kept its date with the big mahurat. An adamant Prime Minister Modi
laid the foundation stone of the new Parliament building on Thursday last,
ironically on International Day for Human Rights, when freedom of speech and
expression in the world’s largest democracy is under grave threat, even seen by
the UN. The urgency is beyond comprehension -- in midst of pandemic, economic
crisis, farmers’ protest, Opposition boycott, et al. Worse, a frown by the
Supreme Court hearing petitions against
construction work, doesn’t bother the government. The apex court but relents
saying: “We have shown deference to you and expected that you will act in a
prudent manner. The same deference should be shown to the Court and there
should be no demolition or construction,” i.e. till the petitions are disposed
off over the Central Vista project. Predictably it’s readily agreed as the pooja had to be performed and not just
ordinary ribbon-cutting. While Opposition senior leaders slammed the ceremony,
Congress leader P Chidambaram hit the nail on the head: “The foundation for a
new Parliament building was laid on the ruins of a liberal democracy.” Need
more be said!
Rajasthan
Big Upset
Rajasthan gives the BJP good reason to be
upbeat and even more obstinate. Not only did it give the Gehlot government a
run for its money in the panchayat elections but upstaged it at a time when
it’s in the thick of the farmers’ protest. Sharp that it is, the party quickly
used the victory to brag of it being “a
farmers’ mandate and a vote for farm reforms,” and that they were not on the
same page as their northern fraternity in Haryana and Punjab! Of the 4371
panchayat samiti seats, BJP
bagged 1,989 as against Congress’ 1,852 and of the 635 zila parishad seats, BJP
won 353 and Congress 252. Worse, candidates in some home districts of ministers
and even the State unit President lost. Plus, the results were different from the panchayat polls of 2010 and
2015, when the party in power had won the grassroot vote too. Candidates having
ncreased their base in 21 districts or that the party would do better in next elections
can be no consolation. Just two years in power, disillusionment appears to have
crept in. The writing
is on the wall and more than Gehlot the High Command must see it.
* * * *
Maharashtra’s
‘Shakti’
Three cheers to Maharashtra government. It
has proposed ‘Shakti Act’ to rein in heinous sexual offences against women and
children through stiff punishment, including
death penalty, life sentence, hefty fines as well as ensure speedy trial.
The draft bill, to be tabled in ensuing
winter session of Assembly in two parts -- Maharashtra Shakti Criminal Law
(Maharashtra Amendment) Act, 2020 and Special Court and Machinery
for Implementation of Maharashtra Shakti Criminal Law, 2020, got the
Cabinet’s nod on Wednesday last. Its provisions include: completing case
investigation within 15 days, trial
shall be conducted after filing of chargesheet on a daily basis and case completed
within 30 working days; time for appeal down from existing six months to 45
days; if found guilty, to be punished with imprisonment for life for not
less than 10 years but may extend to remainder of natural life or with
death in heinous cases; special police teams and 36 separate courts to be
set up; an acid attack victim to get Rs 10 lakh for plastic surgery/facial
reconstruction and the amount to be collected as fine from the convict.
Plus, in today’s digital age threatening and intimidating women on social
media, disclosure of victims’ identity in case of molestation/acid attack is
to be considered crime. Well meaning alright, but will it act as a deterrent?
Time will tell, but women can hope for a better tomorrow.
* * * *
Bengal’s
Costly ‘Lapse’?
Complete lawlessness and ‘goonda raj’ is now a near normal for BJP to describe the TMC-ruled
West Bengal. How soon will this line help it to get Mamata Banerjee’s fiefdom
under President’s rule is the big question. While rumours have been floating
for a while, the alleged attack on the convoy of BJP President Nadda by TMC
cadres with stones and bricks in Kolkata on Thursday last has upped the ante. Predictably,
Didi has scoffed at it and claimed it was “staged” by saffron brigade itself as
the cadre are every day “coming out (for rallies) with firearms. They are
slapping themselves and blaming it on us. Just think of the situation. They are
roaming around with BSF, CRPF, Army, CISF…then why are you so scared!” Perhaps,
it should be the other way round. North Block views it as a ‘serious security
lapse’ and has sought a report. While some cars were damaged, Nadda was unhurt
and thanked ‘Maa Durga’s blessings. However, blessings of President Kovind
would be required finally for both Amit Shah and Governor Dhankhar to save
Bengal, which “has descended into an era of tyranny, anarchy and darkness” with
a failed State administration. With Assembly polls early 2021, Didi will have to keep her ear to the
ground for the rug could be pulled ahead of time.
* * * *
Tripura Rumblings
BJP-ruled Tripura offers a
good lesson for party discipline. With Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb
contemplating nipping the rebellion in the bud by going public, the leadership
in Delhi has frowned. Don’t indulge in “public show” of strength on an intra-party
issue, is the stern message from Headquarters on Wednesday last. Deb has
relented and deferred plans for a public meeting at a stadium on Sunday.
Trouble has been brewing for sometime but came into sharp focus when a group of
BJP supporters shouted “Biplab Hathao, BJP Bachao” demanding his removal in front of Central observer
Vinod Sonkar. In October, a group of ‘12 MLAs’ is said to have met national
President Nadda warning if present leadership is allowed to continue,
“the Left and even Congress will gather lost ground” as Deb’s “total
dictatorship and poor governance is making the party very unpopular.” However,
Deb says he ‘wants to transform Tripura into a
model state of the country and wouldn’t compromise with hooliganism, illegal
land brokerage business, and smuggling of drugs.” What next? The BJP-IPTF came
to power in 2018 after dislodging 25-year-old Left Front government and surely
fruits of power can be allowed to rot.---INFA
(Copyright, India
News & Feature Alliance)
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