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ROUND THE STATES
New Delhi, 27 September 2006
Congress CMs
Conclave
FARMERS GET OVERDUE
ATTENTION
By Insaf
Farmers and their vote banks are now attracting attention nationwide,
especially in the States due to go to the polls early next year. This was reflected
loud and clear at the Congress CMs
conclave at Nainital over the week-end.
The ball was set rolling by Sonia Gandhi. She made a strong case for protecting the
interests of farmers where land is diverted to “non-agricultural uses”. This has led to a political storm about massive land acquisition for Special Economic Zones
(SEZ), which several States have planned in cooperation with top industrial
houses. At the end of the ten-hour debate on the state of the agricultural sector, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh too
pitched in for a better deal for the farmers through a better procurement
system, a fair minimum support price and reasonable terms of assistance to make agriculture remunerative.
Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar went a step further
when he asserted “You can’t throw
the farmers on the road” to promote commerce and industry through the
SEZs. Instead, he wants the Centre and
the States to tackle various causes of the farmers’ plight, especially inadequate
irrigation system. The Prime Minister also advised greater concentration on irrigation
and, in this context, specially complimented Andhra Pradesh and its Chief
Minister, Rajashekhar Reddy for setting up irrigation projects. Chief Ministers
of the poll-bound States of Punjab and Uttaranchal, Amarinder Singh and N.D.
Tiwari too pitched in and strongly pleaded for waiving cooperative bank loans
and lowering interest rate for the farmers. They were supported by the CMs of Maharashtra
and Andhra, where farmers continue to commit suicides. Last week Vidarbha saw
as many as eleven suicides in 24 hours.
* * * *
BJP Hopeful In U.P.
The BJP is now beginning to speak more confidently about its
prospects in the U.P. Assembly poll
early next year. Until recently, the
party leadership was talking only in terms of winning enough seats to play
kingmaker. But it is now increasingly hopeful of forming a government by
itself. This sea change has taken place, thanks to the decision of the party’s
High Command to project its former Chief Minister, Kalyan Singh, as their
candidate for leading the new government. Kalyan Singh is confidant that the
people will vote the BJP back to power on the basis of its performance first
under himself and then under Rajnath Singh.
The people, he says, have three clear models to choose from --- Samajwadi,
BSP or the BJP. They will surely vote for the BJP, since they are sick of
mounting corruption, lawlessness and criminalization.
Meanwhile, the ruling Samajwadi Party-led coalition Government
in U.P. is facing increasing problems as the D-Day approaches. Besides a deteriorating law and order
situation, Chief Minister Mulayam Singh is slowly losing his allies. The latest threatening to leave the coalition
is Ajit Singh’s Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). He is now consulting his district leaders about leaving Mulayam Singh because of the
latter’s failure to meet their demand for carving out a separate state of
Western UP, Harit Pradesh. Withdrawal of
support by Ajit Singh could lead to the fall of the Government and imposition
of the President’s rule. Nothing would suit anti-Samajwadi Party forces more,
especially the Congress, which rules
at the Centre and otherwise counts for little at present in the Hindi
heartland.
* * * *
Koda’s Problems
Continue
The woes of Jharkhand’s new Chief Minister, Madhu Koda have not
eased although the two main parties, the Congress
and the RJD, have tactically decided to support from outside. This was designed
to facilitate Koda in forming a stable Ministry since most of his supporters are
aspiring to become Ministers and he can only have a 12 ministers. After
initially inducting four Ministers, it took him one full week to finalise the
second list of five ministers (two from the JMM, two from UGDP and one from the
Forward Bloc). But he counted without Governor
Syed Sibtey Razi, who firmly decided to enforce constitutional morality and
much-needed integrity. He refused to
administer the oath of office to the Forward Bloc MLA, Bhanu Pratap Shahi as several
criminal cases were reportedly pending against him and his induction could lead
to political ramifications. Ironically, Koda has yet to decide on the new
Speaker. Both the Congress and the
RJD have staked a claim to the coveted office, creating a headache for him.
* * * *
Telangana Agitation
Flares Up
A no-holds-barred battle is now on for a separate State of Telangana to be carved
out of Andhra Pradesh. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has finally walked
out of the UPA. Earlier, its president,
K. Chandrasekhar Rao, resigned from the Union Government and the Lok Sabha,
along with his colleague A. Narendra, in protest against the Government’s
failure to give a concrete assurance
on the long-pending demand for Telangana. The party is now finalizing its
strategy to step up the agitation. Rao, on his part, has challenged the Congress to put up a candidate against him from his old
constituency of Karimganj where a
byelection has been caused for the Lok Sabha following his resignation.
Already, the TRS’ moves have led to a division in the Pradesh Congress on regional and caste lines.
* * * *
ULFA Shatters Peace
Move
Blazing guns and a brazen extortion drive by the outlawed
United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) have shattered recent hopes for peace in
Assam. After a month-long ceasefire
against the banned outfit, the Centre resumed on Saturday last its Army
operations against the militant group across
the State. The ULFA leaders refused to respond positively to the Government’s request
for expressing in writing its
willingness for talks within the
framework of the Constitution. The rebel
outfit also flouted an understanding that it would remain in a ceasefire
mode. Its cadres continued to be hostile
and violent as before. What caused the Government to eventually resume
operations against the group was the killing of a tea estate manager. The ULFA too
has hardened its stand. It has decided
to impose for the first time a “tax” on all non-Assamese
Indians living in Assam. The fight
is once again on.
* * * *
Arunachal: A
Hydro-Power House
A great future awaits the strategic and sensitive Arunachal
Pradesh. The State is destined to become
a “Hydro Power House”, in the words of the Union Power Minister, Sushil Kumar
Shinde. Its massive
hydro power potential, estimated to be 50,000 MW, is now poised to be exploited.
Four Central Public Sector Undertakings and the Union Government signed an MoU
with the State Government last week for harnessing
15,000 MW from different projects in the next few years. This would be the
biggest-ever MoU for hydro power to be signed in one go in the country. Once
completed, the project would go a long way in solving the power crisis of not
only the north-east region but of the whole country. It would also fulfil Rajiv
Gandhi’s dream of making India energy self-sufficient, as disclosed by Chief
Minister Gegong Apang.
* * * *
Bansagar Finally
Completed
The controversial inter-State Bansagar project on river Sone
in Madhya Pradesh is now complete even though 18 years behind schedule. Prime Minister Morarji Desai laid its foundation
stone on May 14, 1978 and the project was scheduled to be completed in ten
years. But financial crunch and disputes between the concerned States delayed
the Rs.2,964-crore project. Madhya Pradesh, U.P. and Bihar will benefit from
the project which will provide irrigation facility to nearly four lakh hectares
in the three States. It will also
generate hydel power of about 425 MW for which ten turbines have been stalled.
Besides solving the drinking water problem in the region, the project is also
expected to facilitate fish production. This may generate an annual income of
upto Rs. 2 crore. ---INFA
(Copyright, India News and Feature
Alliance)
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