Round The States
New Delhi, 3 April
2021
Bengal
Polls
CENTREPIECE
NANDIGRAM KEY
By Insaf
The curtains came
down on the centrepiece of West Bengal Assembly polls, Nandigram. Both warring
sides, the TMC and BJP had their tales
of horror to share, with each accusing the other of terrorising the voters.
With the ballot boxes sealed, it’s a big prestigious fight for Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee who faces her protege-turned arch-rival Suvendu Adhikari. Remember,
it was the 2007 land acquisition war in Nandigram which put Didi into the
spotlight, paving the route for TMC’s victory in the 2011 Assembly polls, ending
over three decades of Left Front rule. Will Adhikari be able to turn the tide? The
turnout on Thursday last,sent a message the battle was close. And not without
high drama. Didi was held up for over two hours in a polling booth where
supporters from both sides nearly came to blows. Her security guards had to
form a cordon around her and she moved out only after Central forces and police
personnel reached the site.Predictably, she accused the ECI of inaction on her ‘63 poll-related complaints’ plus claimed
people had come from Bihar and UP and were being protected by Central Forces.
Adhikari responded saying “The incident and her behaviour show she has lost the
elections. She is just trying to grab some attention.” Over confidence and too
early, should one ask? But doubts do linger, more so in the backdrop that Didi
had a few days ago appealed to Opposition parties to sink differences and forge
a united front against the BJP. Will there be a constituency number two, as PM
Modi says?
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TN Tax Raids
The timing of income
tax raids in the midst of an Assembly election raises a big question--genuine
or usual arm-twisting by the Centre, wanting its share of the pie in the
electoral battle? Eyebrows have been raised and the DMK is seething with anger
as IT officials raided its chief M.K. Stalin’s son-in-lawSabareesan’s residence
and other places in Chennai. While the IT team claimed it had received reports
about ‘movement of cash related to election campaign’, DMK leaders say the
raids followed after Sabareesan, a key strategist of
Stalin’s core team, raised questions about the huge rise in Amit Shah son Jay
Shah’s assets. Apparently, this is the second set of raids carried out by IT
team. Last weeksenior DMK leader EV Velu’s residence was searched with same
reason of “credible inputs of cash movement”
during campaign. Another question is shouldn’t the Election Commission team
have instead stepped in? While debate shall rage, the DMK is using the raids to
hit out at BJP saying ‘since it came to power in the Centre, its practice has
been to use government institutions during polls to threaten opposition.’
Perhaps, even some sort of damage control after the EC debarred A Raja for 48 hours from the list of star campaigners for
his derogatory remarks.
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Gujarat’s
Anti-Conversion Bill
Gujarat offers a
lesson or two for legal luminaries on fundamental rights of an adult girl.
Whether it will stand the test of time is the big question. On Thursday last, while
introducing in the Assembly the Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill,
2021 which prohibits forcible conversion by marriage, and enhances punishment, Minister
of State for Home Jadeja said “Some intellectuals are arguing that it is a
fundamental right of an adult girl as to whom she should marry. And that it is
a right given by the Constitution. But Hindu Ramcharit Manas and Quran, too,
says not to break anybody’s trust. Marriage done with trickery is as good as
breaking trust. This government firmly believes that trickery cannot exist with
fundamental right. Marriage done by hiding name is trickery.” Ironically, was
it indulging in trickery as alleged by the Opposition which said by not using ‘love
jihad word in the Bill, people of Gujarat have been misguided.’ Though Jadeja’s speech did not have the M-word, it clearly
targeted the minority community, accusing it of doing activities through
trickery which “deprived us from Lord Ram’s darshan…tried to damage country
through cross border terrorism …did blasts in Mumbai in 1992, launched attacks
on Parliament…tried to defame Indian government by opposing CAA..”Whether this Bill like the one in Uttarakhand and UP be
challenged in the Supreme Court needs to be watched, the definition and debate
on fundamental right is expanded.
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NIA Targets Southern Activists
The heat on civil and human rights activists in the
country refuses to ebb, instead it’s getting hotter. This time round, the National
Investigation Agency has trained its guns on southern States of Andhra Pradesh
and Telangana. Since Wednesday last, it has conducted searches at 31 locations following
an FIR registered last month naming 64 persons, including lawyers, journalists
and civil rights activists for alleged Maoist conspiracy against the police and
government! While the NIA justifies its searches saying these are linked to a
case “relating to furthering activities of the proscribed organisation, CPI
(Maoist), in AP in the guise of frontal organisations”, Rights’ activists accuse
the Modi government ‘intimidating voices of dissent through intimidation and
raids without any proof or evidence … False cases under UAPA are being filed.”
The case is based on Vishakhapatnam police intercepting a journalist on November
23 last year on his motorbike, wherein the search of his baggage led to “recovery
of Maoist literature, press releases, medicines and wire bundles.”And, under
the radar now are activists belonging to Telangana Coordination Committee of
Human Rights Forum, AP Civil Liberties Committee, Revolutionary Writers
Association and advocates. The witch hunt is the second in NIA’s series after the
Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad case. How many more critical voices will be suppressed
should be a cause of concern.
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Odisha-Centre Pow Wow
Does the Centre have exclusive rights over a scheme when the State is
chipping 50% of the funds, is Odisha’s question which should spur a debate
amongst others. The ruling BJD’s co-branding of Pradhan Mantri
Awas Yojana-Graminwith the State’s housing programme and using its own logo has
the BJP up in arms. In the Assembly on Wednesday last, BJP demanded immediate
removal of logos of Biju Pucca GharYojna from the houses of beneficiaries
granted houses under the PMAY-G as the co-branding was a “deceptive” action to
“discredit” welfare schemes implemented by the Centre in the State. In fact, Union
Rural Development Secretary in a letter to Naveen Patnaik government
categorically stated that the contribution of minimum State share from State
resources is ‘a commitment’ by the State government for implementation of
centrally-sponsored scheme and it ‘does not confer the rights to the State
government for use of any other logo other than PMAY-G’! Unacceptable, is the BJD’s
response arguing that using BPGY logo is as ‘per norms as the State share is 50%...and
we shall continue to do so…’
Predictably, its
more than meets the eye --not just providing homes but the politics of who
should get the credit!
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Don’t Waste
Judicial Time
State government’s
must think twice before knocking on the doors of the Supreme Court and try not
to be clever by half. Well that’s the terse message they should clearly read
following the apex court dismissing a special leave petition of Bihar
government. Not just that, but the two-judge bench imposed a cost of Rs 20,000
on the State for “utter wastage” of judicial time in a matter, which had been disposed
of by Patna High Court in September after the parties had ‘jointly agreed’ for
it. It noted that the filing of the SLP was ‘a complete abuse of process of
court and that too by a State government, apart from being a utter wastage of
judicial time.” The costs of Rs 20,000 were directed to be deposited with the court’s
Group ‘C’ (Non-Clerical) Employees Welfare Association within four weeks and
that it’s open to the State to recover the cost from officers who were
responsible for this “misadventure.” While its worth a watch whether the
officials will pay for the costs eventually, Bihar and other State governments
would do well to remember the adage a stitch in time saves nine. Or better
still time is money! ---INFA
(Copyright, India
News & Feature Alliance)
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