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ROUND THE STATES
New Delhi, 5 April 2006
Assembly Elections
ASSAM SETS A HAPPY TREND
By Insaf
The first phase of the crucial Assembly
poll in Assam on Monday
last for 65 of the 126 constituencies ended on a satisfactory note, hopefully
setting a happy trend for the second and final round on Monday, April 10. The Election Commission
and the State Government, headed by Tarun Gogoi of the Congress, had reason to heave a sigh of relief. The
polling went off remarkably peacefully.
Despite threats from militant outfits, no violence or untoward incident
was reported from anywhere. What is
more, Assam kept up its
record of being a high-polling State. As against the voter turn-out of 79.2,
74.7, 78.9 and 74.6 per cent in the last four elections, this time 70 per cent
voted, braving uninterrupted rain in the first half of the day.
The large voter turn-out clearly shows that the people have
voted for peace. For the first time, the
dreaded ULFA did not boycott the election, thanks to Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi
who has been working patiently for months to bring the underground outfit to
the negotiating table and convince it against boycotting elections. Illegal migration from Bangladesh and
insurgency, which has claimed more than 10,000 lives, were the main poll issues. Reflecting the popular mood, ULFA Chief
Paresh Barua’s 81-year-old mother “cast her ballot for peace.” The poll is the biggest challenge that faces
the ruling Congress and Tarun Gogoi,
who is confident of retaining power and establishing a record.
* * * *
Pre-Poll Rhetoric
The election may also end up raising some basic issues of national import. In their anxiety to retain power, the Congress party’s main campaigners, Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh and party Chief Sonia Gandhi made statements directed mainly at the
party’s Muslim votebank. Sonia Gandhi even assured
the minority communities (read Muslims, since other minorities hardly exist in Assam)
full legal safeguards and protection. Are not such statements, made repeated directly or indirectly, violative
of the Model Code of Conduct? Election
Code? Was the PM dead serious when he
declared that there would be no redrawing of the boundaries in the North-East and
no discussion on sovereignty with
ULFA? Or was it only electoral rhetoric?
* * * *
DMK Too Woos
Minorities
Tamil Nadu’s main Opposition, itching to regain power
following the one-day Assembly poll
on May 8, has promised a goodie bag in its manifesto – Rs.2 a kg. rice, free
colour TVs, gas stoves etc. Alarmingly, however, the party, headed by
Karunanidhi, has gone overboard to bag Muslim votes: reservations for the
minorities in Government departments and educational institutions. Perhaps this too, is a case of electoral
rhetoric, thanks to a surge in Anna-DMK’s fortunes in Tamil Nadu. (Remember, a
similar move by the Andhra Pradesh Government last year was struck down by the
High Court). Interestingly, the DMK has
suddenly decided to work out a poll understanding with the Congress in adjoining Pondicherry, reversing its earlier decision
to go it alone.
* * * *
West Bengal Protest To EC
In West Bengal, where the Election Commission has considerably cleaned up the electoral
rolls and phased out polling in five prolonged rounds, starting on April 17 and
ending on May 5, the ruling CPM-led Left Front is increasingly getting worked
up by the Commission’s firm handling
of the polls and its myriad whips. Some
senior Left leaders, led by the CPM General Secretary, Prakash Karat, met CEC
B.B. Tandon in New Delhi on Monday. They protested against the decision to
deploy Central para-military forces on poll duty. Their argument? This was against the Constitution which gives
the States the right to manage law and order. Tandon heard the plea but seems
to have forgotten about it!
* * * *
White Paper On
Bihar’s Economy
Bihar’s Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, truly faces a
Himalayan challenge in his plans to develop the backward State. A White Paper laid on the table of the Assembly by Finance Minister Sushil Modi shows that
the State’s finances are in shambles. The 29-page White Paper elaborates how
the State was plunged into a financial crisis during the Lalu Yadav-Rabri Devi
regime over the last 15 years. During
1991-96, there was zero economic growth in the State, as against 5.4 per cent
for the country. In 1994-2002 it was 3.8
per cent as against the national’s average of 6.1 per cent. The State survived
alL these years largely on borrowed money. The Nitish Kuamr Government, which
took over the reins of office in November last, has now taken up several
development projects, which have been highly appreciated not only by the
Planning Commission, but also by
President Kalam, who has visited the State twice in four months.
* * * *
Congress’ Operation U.P.
The surprise announcement that the Rae Bareli byelection to
the Lok Sabha will be held on May 8 has brought great cheer to the Congress. This would
enable the party supremo to be back in the Lok
Sabha in just 49 days after she resigned her seat on 23 March in the
wake of the office-for-profit controversy. Soon after her re-election she is
also expected to get back her Chairmanship of the UPA Government’s National
Advisory Council. Moreover, the Rae Bareli bypoll is being used by the High
Command to kick-off its “Operation U.P.” and take advantage of the Congress Chief’s “sacrifice.” UP is scheduled to go to the
polls for its Assembly early next
year.
The timing from the Congress
viewpoint could not have been better. U.P’s ruling Samajwadi Party of Mulayam Singh
Yadav, in alliance with the Rashtriya Lok Dal of Ajit Singh, is in difficulty.
So also is the BJP because of its intra-party problems, notwithstanding the
fact that the State’s Thakur leader and former Chief Minister Rajnath Singh is
now the party President. The anti-SP and
anti-BJP trend is reflected in the recent biennial elections to the Rajya
Sabha. Former Chief Minister Mayawati’s BSP demonstrated its ever-growing clout
by poaching votes of not only the vulnerable BJP but also the Samajwadi Party. The
two BSP winners polled 16 more votes for the Rajya Sabha while for the
Legislative Council it managed to draw in 31 additional votes.
* * * *
Increase in Naxal
Violence
The steady increase in Left-wing extremist violence is
causing mounting concern both to the Centre and the affected States. The “red
corridor” has now extended to as many as 15 States, affecting over 170
districts. In other words, about 40 per
cent of the Indian terrain is almost under siege of the Naxals. About eight
times more Indians are estimated to be affected by the Left-wing terror than
all other forms of militancy put
together. The Naxals’ latest spectacular
expansion has taken new territories of Punjab, Haryana, Uttaranchal and Tamil
Nadu. Naxalites are making inroads into
Tamil Nadu’s once-exclusive Veerappan zone in Satyamangala forests. They are
reportedly coordinating with the LTTE.
The Naxalite attacks increased after the mega-merger between
the People’s War Group and the MCC into the CPI (Maoists). This group is known to be having contact with
the ISI of Pakistan, the Maoists of Nepal and some militant groups of the
North-East. The Union Home Ministry has
once again reviewed the situation. The
Coordination Centre of Naxalism, headed by Home Secretary V.K. Duggal and
comprising Chief Secretaries and DGP’s of the States, has at its 20th
meeting last week worked out a strategy once more to meet the menace. This
includes modernization of police forces and intelligence agencies of the
States. Such a scheme has been worked
out before also. Its implementation is
yet to be seen, even as the Naxals continue to spread their tentacles. ---INFA
* * * *
(Copyright, India News and Feature
Alliance)
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