ROUND THE STATES

New Delhi, 19 April 2006

Left Upbeat In West Bengal

APEX COURT AVERTS NARMADA CRISIS

By Insaf

Political developments regarding Sardar Sarovar dam across the Narmada in Gujarat, triggered by Medha  Patkar’s prolonged fast in New Delhi, stole the headlines from  the eagerly-awaited first-phase of the poll in West Bengal on Monday last, and the ongoing process in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Pondicherry.  With the Centre, Patkar and the concerned States, mainly Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, failing to resolve the prolonged dispute, the Supreme Court stepped in to avert the crisis, at least for the time being.  Its interim order on Monday rejected the Narmada Andolan’s demand against raising the height of the dam from 110 metres to 121.9 metres but, at the same time, directed the Centre and the concerned States to ensure proper rehabilitation of the oustees. 

The States have been asked by the three-Judge Bench, headed by Chief Justice Y.K. Sabharwal, to submit a status report within a week and ensure adequate rehabilitation before the next hearing on May 1.  If that does not happen, the Court will stop work on raising the height of the dam. The “please all” direction of the Supreme Court led both  Patkar and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi too break their fasts, each viewing the Court’s order as “victory” for their respective demands. But the controversy about raising the dam height, has not yet been resolved. The issue, if handled properly, is simple: Proper rehabilitation of thousands of persons displaced by the project which, on completion, would benefit millions of people in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Undoubtedly, the dam with its raised height, already cleared by the Narmada Control Authority (NCA) and okayed by the Supreme Court in 2000, subject to completion of the rehabilitation work, would create a 213-mile reservoir which will submerge 91,000 acres in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Thousands of oustees, mostly tribals, who live in 53 villages in Madhya Pradesh, 33 in Maharashtra and 14 in Gujarat will need to be resettled. So also non-tribal oustees in 140 villages of Madhya Pradesh. All the three States are committed to providing adequate compensations. Yet the three-member Group of Central Ministers (GOM), headed by Water Resources Minister Saifuddin Soz, found the plans “only on paper”. This has encouraged the Prime Minister, as he told Insaf, to set up a Rehabilitation and Development Commission at the Centre.

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Peaceful First Phase In W. Bengal

The first round of the five-phase Assembly poll in West Bengal went off peacefully on Monday last in 45 of the 294 constituencies of the State’s three most strife-torn  districts of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia. The region is dominated by the CPI (Maoists) who had declared a poll boycott. But the voters defied the call, recording a whopping turnout of over 70 per cent.  Some booths recorded 95 per cent polling, thanks to the provision of unprecedented security.  Two helicopters conducted aerial surveillance, especially in the insurgency-hit areas bordering Jharkhand and Bihar. In most of the 7,700 booths, about 3,000 digital cameras were installed and 82 general observers and ten “expenses observers” were deployed. K.J. Rao, erstwhile EC observer for West Bengal and now covering the polls for a TV channel, expects the poll to be the “fairest”.

The ruling Left Front has, however, kept up its attack on the Election Commission. The CPM State Secretary Biman Bose has now accused the Commission of having kept the State’s administration “inactive”. Nevertheless, the Left Front is upbeat at the end of the first round. Competent Exit Pollsters give it 35 to 40 of the 45 seats for which the election was held on Monday.  Biman Bose expects the Front to win more than 39 seats, which it bagged in 2001.  Exit poll projections and Left Front expectations do not, however, indicate the same success for the Front in the next four rounds on April 22, 27, May 3 and 5. The three districts that have polled already are known to be Left-dominated .

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Big Names On Jaya’s Side

In Tamil Nadu where the one-day Assembly poll is scheduled for May 8, Chief Minister Jayalalitha and her AIADMK seem to be inching forward in the race for power. Some of the known firebrand Dravidian leaders have declared their backing for her party. After pulling the MDMK supremo Vaiko into her party, the Chief Minister has now worked out a poll understanding with some leading film stars of the South, including Vijaykanth. She has also reportedly won over the DMK Rajya Sabha member, Sarath Kumar. Despite this set-back, the DMK Chief and former Chief Minister Karunanidhi is confident of regaining power in the State.  In his hectic poll campaign across the State, he has claimed a “wave” in the DMK’s favour.

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Kerala’s New Hero

In Kerala, where the first of the three-phase Assembly poll is to be held today April 22, (second and third phases are scheduled for April 29 and May 3) it is a close race between the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF), led by the Congress and the CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF).  At one stage, the State CPM stood divided when the Central leadership denied the party veteran V.S. Achuthanandan a ticket. But the situation has changed now that the 82-year-old leader has not only been given a ticket but also virtually projected as the party’s next Chief Minister. Popularly known as “VS”, Achuthanandan has been drawing huge crowds, giving the LDF hope of regaining power, in line with the trend of State politics wherein the UDF and the LDF invariably  get voted to power alternately.

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Advantage Sonia in Bypoll

The BJP and other Opposition parties are increasingly critical of the Election Commission’s decision to hold the Lok Sabha byelection for Rae Bareli at a record-breaking speed. This, they complain, has loaded the dice in favour of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who resigned from the seat on March 23 in the wake of the office-for-profit controversy.  The byelection is due to be held on May 8 for which Sonia Gandhi has already filed her nomination on Monday. But the terrible rush for holding the byelection has created a problem for the Opposition, which has been given little time to groom suitable candidates and plan its strategy and tactics. Byelections to the Lok Sabha have normally taken months after the seats have fallen vacant. Interestingly, the Election Commission has yet to announce a date for the Rajya Sabha in the seat vacated by Jaya Bachchan earlier.

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N.D. Tiwari Stays As CM

Uttaranchal is breathing easy once more. Its Chief Minister Narain Dutt Tiwari, “is there to stay” and there is no question of replacing the veteran leader for the time being.  Tiwari’s replacement has been talked about several times before too, but the move was taken seriously this time when the CM himself publicly announced a desire to relinquish office. The ball is now in the High Command’s court, especially since the CM feels exasperated by the New Delhi-encouraged dissidence in the State party. He now awaits a meeting with the Congress President before taking any further step. He will continue only if he has her full confidence and the dissidents are shown their place.---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)