Round The States
New Delhi, 21 May
2022
Gyanvapi
Mosque Row
VARANASI
PUSHES BJP AGENDA
By Insaf
Inflation be dammed,
long live mandir-masjid hullabaloo! Uttar Pradesh keeps the flag flying for the
BJP and its Hindutva agenda. The fresh controversy over the Gyanvapi mosque in
Varanasi has relegated burning issues such as inflation, growing unemployment and
rising petrol, diesel prices among others to the backburner. All attention is
now whether the mosque complex was built over a temple. A reminder of
BabriMasjid-Ram temple row which catapulted the saffron party to power?Expectedly,
the matter reaches Supreme Court, which on Tuesday directed Varanasi DM to
ensure protection of the ‘Shivling’ and allow Muslims to offer namaaz and
perform ‘religious observances’ as it was “Balancing the equity.” On Friday
last, it also transferred the case pending before civil judge, to court of
Varanasi district judge for trial, saying a “slightly more mature” and
“seasoned hand” should handle it, for ‘it’s a joint mission to preserve a sense
of unification in the country.’Hope the mission is successful for the survey
being conducted now shows ‘debris of old temples were found at a corner of
northern/ western walls outside the barricading, and Hindu motifs such as
bells, kalash, flowers and trishul were visible on pillars in the tehkhana
(basement)’.Plus,
the Kashi Vishwanath Mandir trust is toying with the idea of filing a
petition in court, seeking to bring down the wall in front of Nandi. Whipping
sentiments for 2024?
* * * * * *
Patidar Blow
The timing couldn’t
have been worse for the Congress in Gujarat. Ahead of year-end Assembly
elections, its working President and Patidar leader Hardik Patel quit the party
on Wednesday last, accusing its top leadership of behaving as if they hated
Gujarat and Gujaratis. In his resignation letter to Sonia Gandhi he said: top
leaders were distracted by their mobile phones; State leaders were more
interested in arranging chicken sandwiches for them; some leaders were enjoying
abroad when the party/nation needed them; over last three years, Congress both
at Centre/State levels, has been reduced to opposing everything…India wanted a
solution to issues for a long time and Congress only played role of a
roadblock.’ Expectedly the list was
trashed with Congress accusing Patel of singing BJP’s tune: he was made
a star campaigner during 5 States polls. He used to criticise BJP. What has
changed suddenly? He was in touch with BJP for last six years to withdraw cases
against him.” Be that as it may, there’s no denying that Patel joins the others
leaving the sinking ship, forcing the Congress to reach out to another Patidar
leader, Naresh Patel. Will the party be able to put its house in order before
the polls?
* * * * * *
Punjab Headlines
Developments in
Punjab make interesting headlines. On the one hand, the ruling AAP managed to
resolve a brewing crisis and on the other the Congress got into a bigger
crisis! Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday last, nipped the farmers’
agitation in the bud by accepting several of their demands, and the latter
ending their protest at the Chandigarh-Mohali border. The 13 demands included revising the schedule
for staggered sowing of paddy, MSP for moong (green gram) crop, maize, Basmati
and bonuses on wheat. At a meeting, Mann told leaders of over 20 farmer
organisations that while MSP for gram and maize was being done at the State
level, he would take up Basmati MSP and bonus issue with Home Minister Amit
Shah, (which he did on Thursday). He urged them to give him at least a year’s
time to bring farmer-friendly reforms in the sector. The farmers obliged and
called off their indefinite protest at Chandigarh.
* * * * * *
However, for the
Congress it hasn’t been smooth sailing within the party after the poll debacle.
Former State president and Jat leader Sunil Jakhar resigned and joined rival
BJP on Thursday last. He said it’s not easy to break a 50 year relationship,
three generations with the Congress in good times and bad. “But, when
principles are broken, when we move away from our ideology, then I believe it’s
right time for a re-think…” He accused the party of insulting the Punjab’s
spirit of brotherhood by trying to divide it in terms of percentage of castes,
communities and religion. The bickering, change in guard is all well known,
triggered by Navjot Singh Sidhu, who further adds to Congress woes. The Supreme
Court sentenced him to a year’s rigorous imprisonment, after he was let off
four years ago with a fine of just Rs 1,000 over the death of a 65-year-old man
in a road rage case of 1988. The court noted that “some material aspects which
were required to be taken note of appear to have been somehow missed out at the
stage of sentencing’ and remedial action needed. Before the order came, Sidhu
had led a protest against inflation in Patiala, sitting on an elephant and had
been touring villages. That shall be no more. The Congress is down another two
wickets!
* * * * * *
Bihar Shenanigans
There is no respite
for the RJD and its patriarch in Bihar. On bail in the fodder scam case since
past few weeks, Lalu Prasad Yadav finds himself charged again by the CBI. On Friday
last the investigating agency booked him in a fresh case of corruption and led
search operations at 17 locations across Patna, Delhi and Gopalganj, linked to him
and his daughter Misa Bharti, among others. The CBI claims that Lalu ‘accepted
plots of land as bribes to give jobs to people while he was the Union Railways Minister
in the UPA government.’He is said to have favoured a company while awarding operation
and maintenance contracts of two IRCTC hotels and that as quid pro quo, his
family received a prime piece of land in Patna at a throwaway price from the
owners of the company that bagged the contract.Others charge-sheeted include Sujata
Hotels, which won the contract, its owners, former MD and general managers of IRCTC
group. What impact this IRTC scam will have on Lalu’s son Tejaswi Yadav’s
functioning as Opposition leader time will tell, but he could take it as a
backhand complement— the RJD is a force to reckon with for the ruling
dispensation of JD(U)-BJP .
* * * * * *
Delhi L-G Quits
The national capital,
Delhi, woke up to a surprise. Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal resigned on
Wednesday last, citing ‘personal reasons’ and submitting his resignation to
President Kovind. Baijal had taken over
from Najeeb Jung and during his over five-year tenure had frequent run-ins with
ruling AAP over administrative jurisdiction and governance-related issues. The timing
of putting in his papers is curious. It comes at a time when the terms of the
three municipal bodies end as the Centre has issued notification for
unification, which will be followed by elections. While three subjects, i.e., land, services and law
and order, come directly under the L-G’s purview, the matter regarding control
over the services department is pending in Supreme Court. Perhaps, Chief
Minister Kejriwal had an inkling of Baijal’s exit for in March he had tweeted:
“Is Mr Praful Patel, Administrator of Lakshadweep, being made the next LG of
Delhi?”While there is no name doing the rounds for Baijal’s replacement, the
grapewine has it that a person with a political background rather than a
bureaucrat as was the practice, may be appointed. More so, as reunification of
the municipal corporation and elections thereafter will need deft handling.
---INFA
(Copyright, India
News & Feature Alliance)
|