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Round The States
New Delhi, 9 March 2024
J&K ‘Breathing Free’
NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR POLLS!
By Insaf
Jammu and Kashmir is ‘breathing freely today’. A message that
Prime Minister Modi sent out from Srinagar, which incidentally took him four-and-a-half
long years to pay a visit since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019! Addressing
a massive rally at Bakshi stadium on Thursday last, he pledged rapid
development in next five years, but steered clear on when the situation would
be appropriate for UT elections. Recall, Supreme Court last December asked ECI
to conduct Assembly polls by this September. Modi as always took opportunity to
hit out at the parties in the region, saying it ‘has been the biggest victim of
dynastic politics since independence. Congress misguided the nation about
Article 370 but who did it benefit, the people or a few political families?’
Predictably, the families hit back. PDP’ Mehbooba Mufti post
on X read: ‘Disheartening to see employees being forcibly mobilised to paint a
pretty picture that all is well post 2019 and that people here are celebrating
their own collective disempowerment and humiliation,’ This visit, she said was only
meant to address and drum support amongst BJP’s core constituency in the rest
of India for the upcoming Parliament elections’. NC’s Omar Abdullah accused the
administration of ‘pulling out all stops' to ensure a crowd for Modi's rally
and that BJP wouldn’t be able to do so on its own in Kashmir. Time will tell
which way the wind eventually blows. As said, the taste of the pudding is in
its eating and the first bite should be of having a democratically elected
government returning to the Valley.
* * * *
Judicial
Propriety
Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay joining the
BJP 48 hours after resigning from the bench, has raised a big question on
judicial objectivity and propriety. “Today, I have joined a new field. I am
happy to join the BJP and will work as a party soldier. Our objective is to
oust the corrupt TMC regime from the state,” he said on Thursday last. The statement
has given Mamata Banerjee a handle to stir up his controversial rulings, including
on various education-related matters and orders which led to 14 CBI probes and
arrest of four of its MLAs. Said she: ‘While occupying the chair of justice,
the BJP babu announced he would join the party. Can anyone expect justice from
such people? Every single day, they accept a PIL and work under the BJP’s
instructions”, adding “I am happy their masks are finally off.” Claiming his
judgements were wrong, she warned ‘the youths will not forgive you. We will
ensure your defeat. From tomorrow onwards, the people of the state will act as
the judge for your actions.” Guess, his fight against TMC government will not
be a cake walk, as he will no longer have the protection of the bench!
* * * *
HP Damage Control
Will Congress be able to put its house in order in Himachal
Pradesh? Chief Minister Sukhwinder Sukhu flew into Delhi on Thursday last to
hold meetings with High Command to douse the fire, allegedly lit by ‘BJP and Centre
to destabilise a democratically elected government.’ Efforts are on to see the
Cabinet’s resolution ‘state government completes a full five-year term,’ works
out, including Sukhu willing to reconsider disqualification of 6 MLAs who helped
BJP nominee win the Rajya Sabha seat and bring them back. The big question is whether
the ‘rebels’ are on the same page. One, former minister’s, also removed as
Secretary, AICC, Facebook post read: “When high command turns blind and those
in power become dictators, then I couldn’t have remained silent like a coward.
Our responsibility is towards fulfilling aspirations of people who elected us
and we can’t break their confidence.” Another MLA, who resigned as state working
president posted: ‘Running from Sujanpur to Shimla and from Shimla to Delhi
with folded hands for fulfilment of promises made by Congress in the run-up to
last Assembly polls didn’t yield results. I wished for justice but got only
humiliation.’ The High Command would do well to see the writing on the wall.
* * * *
Breather For Kerala
Kerala can heave a sigh of relief. The Supreme Court on
Wednesday last directed the Centre to allow the cash-strapped state to borrow
Rs 13,608 crore on an immediate basis. Plus, both parties should hold talks to
sort out the issue of borrowings, as the State was struggling to pay salaries
of government employees and pension to retired employees. Importantly, the court
observed that fiscal mismanagement by states is an issue the Central government
has to be concerned about as it impacts the nation’s economy, while hearing a
suit filed by Kerala government accusing the Union of India of interfering in
exercise of its ‘exclusive, autonomous and plenary powers’ to regulate the
state’s finances by imposing a ceiling on borrowing. Importantly, the court didn’t
agree with Centre’s condition the State withdraw the suit to consider its
demand saying it’s a ‘constitutional right under Article 131’, which allows it to
deal with disputes between Centre and a state or between states. Further it
advised, the dialogue must continue for ‘that’s the strength of the
relationship between Union and the state.’ A piece of advice which could halt
the ‘federalism’ war unleashed by New Delhi, of course if accepted.
* * * *
Failure of Justice
Three cheers to Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court. It has
made correction, albeit a decade later. Acquitting former Delhi University
professor G.N. Saibaba and five others in an alleged ‘terrorist’ case in 2014,
the bench trashed the prosecution’s claims saying the sanction given under UAPA
was without application of mind and the report recommending invocation of UAPA
provisions was ‘cryptic and a laconic half page communication.’ The state had
claimed the accused were members of banned Communist Party of India (Maoist)
after seizing pamphlets and electronic data from the accused. This said the
bench merely demonstrated they were ‘sympathisers’ of Maoist philosophy and
can’t be itself contemplated as an offence under the UAPA. Plus, the trial
court’s ‘guilty’ verdict was a “failure of justice.” Indeed, as Saibaba on his
release said ‘…Why has it drawn so long? Ten years of my life and my
co-accused’s life. Who will bring them back?... I couldn’t pull up, move out of
my wheelchair, go to the toilet (on my own), take a bath. It’s a wonder that I
came out of the prison alive today.” Unfortunately, it wasn’t the case for the
6th person, who died in August 2022 awaiting a verdict. As rightly
said: Justice delayed is justice denied. ---INFA
(Copyright, India News & Feature
Alliance)
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