Round The States

New Delhi, 8 November 2006

ULFA Renews Violence

GOGOI TAKES TOUGH STANCE

By Insaf

Renewed violence with greater vigour by the ULFA militants is causing concern to both the Centre and the Congress Government in Assam. After the Centre failed to persuade the separatists to negotiate a peaceful settlement, the militants struck on Sunday last with two bomb blasts in Guwahati, killing 14 people and badly injuring over 50. Most worrying about the attack was their changed strategy. Earlier the militants were targeting mainly security forces and vital installations. This time they hit the common, innocent men, women and children, on the pattern of the Pakistan’s ISI-trained jehadi militants in Jammu and Kashmir. In fact, their association with the ISI men operating from across the Bangladesh border has been established beyond doubt.

 
A Central team, headed by Home Secretary Vinod Duggal rushed to Guwahati and found their worst fears confirmed: the rebels had mainly bought time by pretending to hold peace talks with the Centre.  They only wanted to buy time and re-group themselves for their mission to establish a “sovereign Asom”. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi too is greatly upset and has reason to be so, having made determined efforts over the past five years to get the ULFA leadership to eschew violence and reach a negotiated settlement. Gogoi has gracefully admitted security failure that caused Sunday’s blasts and declared that counter-insurgency operations will be worked out afresh and the ULFA made to realize that violence does not pay.  The Centre has assured Gogoi full support.  Duggal told Insaf on return from Guwahati: “ULFA will now be hit and hit hard.”

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Disturbing Development In Nagaland

Also causing concern to the Centre are reports of the latest scenario in Nagaland, now that the long-drawn talks between the Centre and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (I-M) have ended in an impasse once again. The NSCN (IM) is already running a de facto “Government of the Peoples’ Republic of Nagalim” (GPRN) from its headquarters near Dimapur. Incredibly enough, the GPRN has well-oiled Finance and Home Departments. It collects “taxes” and its “crime suppression department” maintains law and order. Its directives are followed by the people, many of whom feel that life in the city has become orderly under its dispensation. Casual workers moving into Nagaland now require a resident permit issued by the NSCN (IM).  A fee of Rs.250 is reportedly charged for the permit, a laminated document with a photograph of the holder.  The NSCN (IM) is thus so well-placed that it has adopted an incremental approach in its quest for sovereignty and territoriality.

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BJP’s Come-Back Bid In UP

The much-talked-about civic body elections in UP last week, which were considered as the semi-final in the run-up to the Assembly poll early next year, have given the BJP an unexpected new lease of life. At the same time, it is a wake-up call for Chief Minister Mulayam Singh and his Samajwadi Party, a satisfaction to Mayawati and her BSP and a worrisome outcome to the Congress.  The biggest gainer is the BJP which has regained its hold over the urban areas, as reflected by the Mayoral polls. Written off as having been marginalized, the BJP has retained the corporations of Ghaziabad, Agra, Varanasi, Aligarh and Lucknow and won Gorakhpur, Meerut and Kanpur. The Congress could win only Allahabad, Bareilly and Jhansi. The ruling Samajwadi Party could win only one corporation, Moradabad.  Obviously, the SP has failed to revive its popularity among the Muslims and traders.

Despite all-out efforts by Mulayam Singh to woo the Muslims and traders, the two communities have forsaken the SP and moved to the Congress.  Nevertheless, the SP has retained its hold on the Nagar Panchayats and Nagar Parishads. Of the 191 Nagar Parishad, the SP won 81, BJP 37, Congress 10, RLD of Ajit Singh 3 and Independents 34, 26 of whom were reportedly supported by Mulayam Singh.  Of the 414 Nagar Panchayats, the SP won 185, the BJP 48, Congress 16, RLD 6 and Independents 122. Mayawati’s BSP did not field any candidate on her party ticket, but it has claimed that most of the Independents and other party candidates it supported have won.  The Congress may claim to have improved its overall performance. However, Amethi, Rahul’s Lok Sabha constituency has administered it a rude shock. All its candidates lost.

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BJP Triumph In Madhya Pradesh

The BJP and its Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan have every reason to rejoice over the victory of the party candidates in two byelections in the State---one for the Vidisha Lok Sabha seat and other for the Bada Malhera Assembly constituency.  Both the constituencies are known to be the BJP’s stronghold. However, the byelections posed major challenge for the party, especially for Chief Minister Chouhan, thanks to Uma Bharti, once a popular BJP leader in the region and former Chief Minister. She went all out to oppose the BJP and humble it by putting up candidates of her newly-formed Bharatiya Janashakti Party (BJP) after her expulsion from the BJP. It was a tough BJP versus BJP fight especially for the Bada Malhera Assembly seat. This was first held by Uma Bharti and later by Chauhan.  Both had won with big margins.

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Punjab Poll Jitters

The most difficult and controversial task of selecting the ruling Congress candidates for the upcoming Assembly poll in Punjab has begun.  Chief Minister Amarinder Singh is strongly of the view that the party should not hesitate to drop at least 25 sitting MLAs from the list of its nominees.  This view has reportedly been supported by the AICC.  Both are in agreement that non-performing legislators and those likely to lose should be kept out if the Congress is to retain power. The leadership has already assessed the performance of the sitting MLAs and has come to the conclusion that at least 25 need to be replaced by those who have better wining chances.  There is a general agreement among the State leaders that the Congress faces an uphill task in Punjab where the party won comfortably in the 2002 Assembly poll, bagging 65 of the 117 seats.

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Basu Ticks Off Buddhadeb

The CPM patriarch and former Chief Minister of West Bengal, Jyoti Basu, has finally ticked off his successor, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, after lying low about the latter’s  policies and style of functioning.  Last week, he criticized the Chief Minister for keeping the Left Front allies of the ruling coalition in the State out of the loop while striking deals with the Tatas and other business houses.  He cautioned the Chief Minister at a Left Front meeting in Kolkata about the dangers of not keeping the party’s partners informed about its policies. Basu also forced Bhattacharjee to apologise for his recent remarks against some allies. The CM had sarcastically said that some of them were raising doubts over the Tata Motors project only to get media publicity.  Basu advised: “You are the Chief Minister. You should be restrained in your comments.”

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Karnataka’s Rural Development Plan

The Karnataka Government has chalked out a massive Rs.1000-crore special rural development programme for its villages. The programme, “Suvarna Grama” would be launched in one thousand villages, to start with. Each village will be allocated Rs.1 crore for its overall development in the next financial year.  According to the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister, C.M. Udasi, the programme is intended to remove regional imbalance. It will include works such as improving roads, providing drinking water, income-generation schemes for farmers and education and health for children.  Ministers incharge of various districts have been asked to identify the villages where the programme could be implemented within three months. ---INFA

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