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Politics in NDC Meet:WOOING MUSLIMS FOR ASSEMBLY POLLS, by Insaf,13 December 2006 Print E-mail

ROUND THE STATES               

New Delhi, 13 December 2006

Politics in NDC Meet

WOOING MUSLIMS FOR ASSEMBLY POLLS

By Insaf

The crucial upcoming Assembly elections in UP, Punjab, Uttaranchal and Manipur even injected politics into the sedate National Development Council meeting in New Delhi over the week-end. Intended mainly to finalise the Eleventh Plan (2007-12), the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers introduced in their speeches the flavour of vote-bank politics on party lines rather than economic issues of national interest. Speaking about the success of his economic reforms and rising growth rate, the PM and Chairman of the Planning Commission, stressed the need for the CMs and policy planners not only to devise “innovative plans” for the SCs, STs, OBCs but more so for minorities, particularly the Muslims who should have “first claim on resources.” The BJP CMs, led by Narendra Modi of Gujarat, reacted sharply to the new dimension to Muslim appeasement, which caused an uproar in Parliament.

The long-standing controversy over the Centre-State financial relations has also been raised once more. While the Prime Minister highlighted the critical issue at the NDC meet, stating that in view of the stretched resources of the Centre for its development efforts the burden should be shared by the States, the Chief Ministers highlighted their own fiscal problems. Karnataka’s CM H D Kumaraswamy, for example, demanded Central aid of 50 per cent on infrastructure, cut in interest rate on all farm loans and revision of cost-sharing in literacy programmes. The CMs of special category States demanded that external aid should be passed on to them in the ratio of 90:10. The PM has accepted this. In fact, most Chief Ministers have suggested the lowering of interest on outstanding State loans on National Small Savings Funds. They quoted the NDC sub-committee’s observation on deteriorating State finances and the need to reduce the interest rates on outstanding State loans.

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Bypoll Verdict Highlights

The outcome of the recent byelections for two Lok Sabha and 11 Assembly Seats across the country has provided food for thought to all the major political parties. Overall, the Congress had the satisfaction of winning five Assembly seats and wresting from the TDP Bobbili Lok Sabha constituency in Andhra Pradesh. But the party suffered a serious setback when it lost crucial Karimganj Lok Sabha seat. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief and former Union Minister Chandrashekhar Rao proved the pollsters wrong when he recorded a landslide victory, defeating the nearest Congress rival T Jeevan Reddy, by a whopping 2,01,502 votes. Rao’s victory has given a shot in the arm to the movement for a separate Telangana State, the issue on which the party had withdrawn its two Ministers (Rao and Narendra) from the Union Government and its support to the UPA at the Centre and to the ruling Congress in the State.

Former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (S) Chief, H C Deve Gowda was a prominent loser in the sense that his party’s nominee Shivadasappa lost to the OBC leader Siddaramaiah in a high-voltage bypoll from Chanmeedeshwari Assembly constituency in Mysore district. For Siddaramaiah, once a closed friend of Deve Gowda and now his bete noire, the victory is a revenge against the former PM and his clan in Karnataka. This defeat not only spells a setback to the Kumaraswami-BJP coalition Government in Karnataka but also provides a fillip to the JD (S) dissidents who have been demanding Deve Gowda’s expulsion from the party.  The poll outcome was disappointing for the BJP-Shiv Sena combine, which lost to the Congress both the Daryapur and Chimur Assembly seats in Maharashtra. The BJP candidate’s defeat at the hands of the Congress in the tribal-dominated Dungarpur constituency is also a warning signal to the ruling party in Rajasthan.

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UP Politics in Rashtrapati Bhawan

Pre-poll activity in Uttar Pradesh moved to Rashtrapati Bhawan last week. While the delegations of the main Opposition parties, the BJP and the BSP, led by L K Advani and Mayawati respectively, met the President and demanded Central rule in the State prior to the Assembly election next year, the ruling Samajwadi Party group of MPs demanded recall of the Governor, T A Rajeshwar. The Opposition parties stressed the need for President’s rule to save the State from “mafia rule”. Mayawati was most vocal and alleged a collapse of law and order machinery in the State. She said exactly what Sonia Gandhi had stated earlier that free and fair polls were not possible under the present dispensation. Reacting sharply, to the move, a group of SP sought the Governor’s recall on the plea that he was “conspiring” against the State Government.

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SC Scraps Foreigners Order for Assam

The Supreme Court verdict striking down the Union Government’s controversial Foreigners (Tribunals for Assam) Order has been widely welcomed in the State and elsewhere. The Order was denounced by many as an attempt to somehow overrule the apex Court’s historic judgment which had scrapped the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act in February last year, describing it as illegal and unconstitutional. The Government order on the Foreigners Act too had put the burden of proof in the case of Assam to the complainant as in the case of the IMDT, which the Court had been repealed on the same ground. However, illegal migrants would still continue to be a threat, until the State Government takes speedy steps to constitute adequate number of Tribunals to deport illegal migrants under the Foreigners Act, 1946. Much eventually depends upon the Centre’s willingness to issue multi-purpose identity cards to all the nationals, beginning with the sensitive border areas.  

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Sonia’s Direction to Punjab Leaders

The Congress President, Sonia Gandhi, is striving hard to get senior Punjab leaders to bury the hatchet and work unitedly for the Assembly elections early next year, if they want the party to retain power in the State. Sonia Gandhi has felt constrained to warn feuding Congressmen in the State following reports that differences between Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Jagmeet Singh Brar were continuing despite earlier advices from the AICC. Meanwhile, the ruling Congress’ main opposition SAD (B)-BJP combine has declared its agenda for the poll. It has promised subsidized flour and pulses, filling of vacancies in Government within six months of coming to power and insurance scheme for the farmers. The party Chief Parkash Singh Badal made this announcement at an impressive rally in Moga.

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Naxals Attack Train In Jharkhand

The Naxalites, now re-grouped as CPI (Maoists) have adopted a new method of attacking trains and looting. This was in evidence in the Jharkhand sector, (bordering West Bengal) of the South-Eastern Railways. They stopped the Khargpur passenger train for about two hours, looted two rifles and cash from the Railway Police Force (RPF) personnel escorting the train, snatched walkie-talkie sets from the guard and driver of the train and then fled. The train was stopped by five or six armed Maoists who were already in the train which they reportedly boarded at Tatanagar. The passengers noticed their presence but did not dare to inform the rail authorities. They told the Station Master only after the incident that the Maoists first forcibly snatched the rifles of the RPF personnel and looted some cash in their possession.

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What’s In A Name?

Uttaranchal, the new hill State carved out of UP, will now be re-named Uttarakhand. The Bill for the change in its name has been passed by both the Houses of Parliament. The UPA Government has defended the change on the ground that the move would fulfil the aspirations of the people of the State, especially the State Congress, which had successfully and, at times violently agitated for the creation of the hill State, initially named by them as Uttarakhand. When the State was finally created by the Vajpayee-led NDA Government, it was named Uttaranchal. During discussions of the Bill in Parliament, the BJP, SP and Left parties put up a united Front and argued that the timing of the alteration of the name was a political gimmick to court the electorate even though, as Ravi Shankar Prasad of the BJP pointed out, it would cost the State Government at least Rs 400 to 500 crore. --INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

 

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