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ROUND THE STATES
New Delhi, 17 May 2006
Stir Over OBC Quota
CHIEF MINISTERS OF
MASS FOLLOWING
By Insaf
The last fortnight saw a heart-warming demonstration of the
power of the people. The intense nationwide stir over the OBC quota in higher
technical institutions, which paralysed health services in several cities,
forced the Centre to work out a mechanism that would protect the interests of
all sections of the society. Even as the
students’ agitation began taking a serious turn, five States completed their
electoral process by duly electing
their Chief Ministers. Each CM has his
mass following built over decades.
The new Chief Ministers of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, V.S. Achuthanandan and M.
Karunanidhi are both 82-plus years of age.
But both are overwhelmingly supported by the people. “VS”, as Achuthanandan is known, was given a
party ticket for the Assembly poll only
after a public outcry.
A member of the Communist Party since 1940, Achuthanandan came
up the ranks the hard way, working his way up through a maze of political and
trade union work. As the Leader of the
Opposition during the last five years, he emerged as a brand within the CPM,
with the hallmark of a crusader. He
astutely managed to turn the people’s attention on issues
as diverse as water, sex racket, mafia gangs and plunderers of forest. He thus emerged as the best-loved Left
leader. So much so, that when the party declined even to field him in the
polls, a mass public agitation
forced the Politburo to reverse its decision.
Now an automatic choice for the Chief Minister, “VS” faces a difficult
task from within. The dominant Pinaraji
Vijayan faction in the State CPM is in no mood to cooperate with the new Chief
Minister.
* * * *
Gogoi’s Four Firsts
Assam’s Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi has
scored four “firsts” in his political career. He is the first to be sworn-in
for a second successive term, first
to head a coalition Government in the State, first to break the anti-incumbency
jinx since 1972 and first to involve the indigenous tribals in running the
affairs of the State. He was confident
from the very beginning about the Congress
retaining power in the State. But
despite his confidence, based on several of his initiatives, including his
pre-poll alliance with the Bodoland People’s Progressive
Front (Hangrama faction), the party High Command had its misgivings about the
anti-incumbency factor and therefore did not project him as its next Chief
Minister. However, Gogoi has proved his critics and detractors wrong.
Gogoi is now comfortably placed with 75 MLAs in the
126-member Assembly. In fact, some more MLAs have offered to join
him. But he is not interested for the
present. He has also made it clear to Badaruddin Ajmal that there is no
question of his taking any help of the latter’s Assam
United Democratic Front since it has grown into a communal party. The people of
Assam,
he believes, are convinced that communalism and regionalism cannot bring peace
and progress to the State.
Badaruddin’s outfit cost the Congress
only one Muslim seat, contrary to loud claims and propaganda. In addition, he has
won back all the tribal seats. The Chief Minister has three top priorities: provide
good governance, build peace with the militants and put the Assam’s
development on a fast track.
* * * *
Karunanidhi Keeps
Poll Promise
Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister for the fifth time, M.
Karunanidhi kicked off his latest inning by implementing his two election
promises: providing ration rice at Rs.2 per kg and waiving cooperative loans of
all the farmers of the State. In fact, he signed only one other file on the
first day of taking oath as the Chief Minister.
The third order provides for the provision of two eggs per week for each
student under the free noon meal scheme for all school students. This will be
implemented from July 15, the birth anniversary of the late K. Kamaraj. The rice at the reduced price will be sold
from June 3, Karunanidhi’s birth anniversary. The additional burden on the
State exchequer on account of the reduction in rice price and waiver of farmer
loans will be Rs.550 crore and Rs.6,866 crore respectively.
* * * *
Buddha A Reformist
Comrade
In his second innings as the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Buddhadev Bhattacharjee has announced that
his pragmatic reforms package will roll. His stress
is clearly on providing a better quality of life to the people, a target which
can be achieved only by ensuring greater capital inflow from within the country
and outside. Interestingly, his list of invitees for the oath-taking ceremony
included most of the leading industrialists of the country. The projects for
early implementation on his agenda are: Jakarta-based Salim group’s health
city, Tata’s small car project, expressway
linking Kolkata with Haldia, rapid mass
transport system for Kolkata and contract farming by Pepsi, Dabur and
others. Personally, however, his
lifestyle remains that of a pucca
comrade: living in a two-room Government flat on a party allowance of Rs.3,200
p.m. He has no bank account, no cash deposit, no savings, no property and no
cell phone!
* * * *
BJP Revolt In
Jharkhand
The BJP faces a new bout of factionalism, following a near
wash-out performance in the recent Assembly
elections. This time the culprit is its Jharkhand unit. Former Chief Minister
and presently National vice-president, Babulal Marandi has raised a banner of
revolt against Chief Minister Arjun Munda. Babulal, who has reportedly
threatened to quit the BJP, has been cut-up with the party leadership for having
ignored his claim for the CM’s post after the State’s first Assembly poll. He has joined hands with the State UPA
Convenor and former Deputy CM, Stephen Marandi. They have planned a
non-political outfit, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM), mainly to highlight the
Munda Government’s failure to rein in corruption and ignore development. Marandi had also launched a tirade against
the Munda Government last year which was supported by the party’s senior leader
Yashwant Sinha.
* * * *
Muslims’ Outfit In
U.P.
Emboldened by Sonia Gandhi’s massive
victory in Rae Bareli, the Congress
High Command has decided to revamp its U.P. unit and prepare it for an intense political struggle
with the ruling Samajwadi Party in the run-up to the Assembly
poll early next year. A State-wide mass-contact programme has been planned, something not
done in the Hindi heartland for long.
Both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul are expected to step in to enthuse party
workers. But the party’s effort to win back the Muslim vote-bank has suffered an
unexpected setback. Muslim clerics of
the State got together in Lucknow
on Monday last and announced the formation of a political party on the lines of
the Assam United Democratic Front.
The Muslims constitute about 23 per cent of the State’s population. They feel
they could play a major role (and extract a bigger price) in the State politics
by ganging up.
* * * *
Sex Scandal In
J&K
Jammu and Kashmir continues to agitate against the sex
scandal involving some politicians and people holding high offices in the
Government, including some senior police officers. Violent protests continued all of last week, compelling
Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to personally intervene and suspend two
district police chiefs. Clerics and Imams insist that a special investigation
team be appointed and this be monitored by the High Court. A public interest litigation (PIL) has been
admitted in the High Court. A 12-member
CBI team has also started working on the scam, initiated by a woman in
Srinagar, who enjoyed the backing of several high-placed persons. The racket reportedly involved intimidation,
drugs and blackmail of teenage girls, who became “comfort girls” for the people
in high-places.---INFA
(Copyright, India News and Feature
Alliance)
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