Round The States

New Delhi, 29 July 2010

PFI Sinister Gameplan

KERALA “A MUSLIM STATE”?

By Insaf

Kerala’s Marxist Chief Minister, V S Achuthanandan, has dropped a bombshell causing unprecedented sensation. He has bluntly warned that the State is under grave communal threat of losing its ambience and secular character which enabled it to be called “God’s own country.” Sinister efforts, according to him, are underway to convert the State into a “Muslim country.” On Saturday last, he lashed out at the radical Popular Front of India (PFI), based in Kerala saying it was aiming to make “Muslims a majority community in the State…In 20 years they want to make Kerala a Muslim majority State.” The PFI, he added, was pumping in money to lure youth into Islam and persuade them to marry Muslim women. The organisation was lately in the news for chopping off the hand of a college lecturer for preparing a controversial question paper that allegedly insulted the Prophet. One more activist of the PFI was nabbed on Saturday last bringing the total of those arrested to 12.

The CM believes that the PFI is the new avatar of the National Democratic Front (NDF), an active Muslim organization in Kerala, known to have disbursed funds, and provided training and weapons to the youth to eliminate opponents, even as it claimed to be focusing on “socio-economic issues of the minorities.” Recently, the CPM General Secretary, Prakash Karat too voiced similar concern about the Front and the increasing threat of Muslim terrorism in the country. Sadly, the issue is being watered down by the Congress, known for its increasing appeasement of Muslims. In fact, the party is echoing the PFI’s line, alleging that the State Government was unnecessarily targeting the Muslim community. Obviously, it is eyeing the sizeable Muslim vote bank for the elections to local bodies this September and Assembly polls next year. Will the CM’s pointed attack on the PFI trigger off a strong Hindu backlash against Islamic extremist activities in the State and help the Left cut ice with the electorate?

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Low Birth Rate in 8 States

Family planners have reason to rejoice—at long last. The country’s birth rate is showing a welcome decline with eight States taking the lead. According to statistics provided by the annual Sample Registration System (SRS) survey conducted by the Census office, the crude birth rate, i.e. the number of live births per 1,000-population, has dipped from 26.4 to 22.8 between 1998 and 2008. However, the decline has been much more in Punjab, where the birth rate fell by a whopping 23 per cent, followed by Kerala and Maharashtra both 20 per cent and West Bengal 18 per cent. Additionally, the crude death rate too has come down by 18 per cent in a decade. Both Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh saw a dip of 23 per cent followed by Bihar’s 22 per cent and UP’s 20 per cent. There is more good news. In the past decade, there has been a decline in the infant deaths /mortality rate from 72 in 1998 to 53 in 2008. Hope other States follow suit.

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Big Treat For Assam MLAs

Assam legislators have voted themselves a scandalous treat. On July 17 the Assembly passed five Bills enhancing their salaries by a whopping 300-400 per cent! As a result the raise in the basic salary of the Chief Minister, Speaker, Ministers and Leader of Opposition will approximately be Rs 60,000 from Rs 15,000. For the MLAs the basic salary would go up from Rs 12000 to Rs 40,000. Not enough, the MLAs have increased their daily (in and outside the State), sitting and constituency allowances too. However, both the CPM and CPI members have expressed serious reservations and suggested amendments as the hike was unjustified. The percentage was a lot more than that of price rise. Worse, while 78 per cent of the State’s population comprised farmers, the Tarun Gogoi Government had done precious little to increase their income. Same was the case of employees of the PSUs. “Are we becoming too selfish to increase our salaries ourselves,” was a question posed before the House. For shouldn’t “politics be the highest form of social service?”

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Hard Knock For Bihar

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s efficiency report card has received a major setback. The Bihar State Food and Supply Corporation (BSFC) has recently been declared the “most corrupt and inefficient,” forcing the Public Distribution System handled by it in neighbouring Jharkhand to a near-collapse. The severe indictment comes from none less  than the Supreme Court committee on distribution of cheap ration through the PDS. Shockingly, the PDS in Jharkhand continues to be handled by the BSFC even after 10 years of the State’s creation and no fresh survey for identification of BPL families has since been undertaken. Worse, the PDS Grievance Commission there has no power to take action against erring BSFC officials who, along with the Department of Food and Supply, have not ensured sufficient storage for foodgrains. This is because it could be a ready excuse for their acts of commission and omission! While the report, submitted to the apex court, suggests that a proper criteria be fixed for the identification of BPL families, Bihar would need to do much more. Perhaps, the above could be one of the reasons behind the rise of naxalism in Jharkhand, where a majority of the population lives in tribal areas.

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Nagpur A Transit Point

Nagpur appears to have moved into the Union Home Ministry’s top security radar. This is because the Maharashtrian district is fast emerging as a transit point for the Naxals. According to credible information available at New Delhi’s North Block, the Naxalites from affected States, specially Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, find the district an easy location to move to some of the Naxal hotbeds. In fact, the district police has confirmed that naxals from Chhattisgarh often “visit hospitals in Nagpur for treatment.” This apart, Nagpur’s proximity to Gadchiroli, one of the worst-hit naxal areas, is also one of the reasons why naxalites are visiting, passing through and staying in the district. With this new found information, the security agencies are now keeping a strict vigil in the district. Hope it can help contain the naxal threat.

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

Round The States

New Delhi, 22 July 2010

Mulayam’s Apology

UP LEADS IN MUSLIM COMMUNALISM

By Insaf

Uttar Pradesh now leads the other States in brazen Muslim communalism. Mulayam Singh, former Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party chief swears day in and day out by secularism. However, last week he went all out to play the communal card in his desperate bid to win back the Muslims’ support. On Thursday last, he publicly apologised to the country in general and the Muslims in particular for aligning with former BJP leader and UP Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, under whose tenure the Babri Masjid was demolished. Once described as ‘maulana’, he also assured the minority community that he would wholly work for its welfare in future. Remember, the Muslim support base deserted his party in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls after he aligned with Kalyan Singh. The SP dived from 36 to 24 seats and was relegated to the fourth position in the Assembly byelections.

Obviously, Singh’s strategy of all-out appeasement has mainly to do with the Assembly polls due in 2012 since Muslim support is crucial for his survival. Expectedly, the leading Islamic seminary Darululoom Deoband in the State has welcomed Mulayam’s atonement and described it as a step in the "right direction". The BSP supremo and State Chief Minister Mayawatihas, however, scoffed at it and lambasted it as the “height of political opportunism.” The Congress, too, has termed Mulayam’s  latest move as “opportunistic”.  Nevertheless, the two parties have hardly any legs to stand on as they too have indulged in Muslim appeasement time and again. The BSP has drawn up a comprehensive plan to woo Muslim voters. Her ministers and party workers have been organizing Muslim Brotherhood Panels with a two-fold agenda:  to showcase rising by positive work and constructive campaign. ……

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Bihar Put To Shame

Bihar today stands shamed as never before.  Its law makers reduced the State Assembly to a shameful akhara in its five-day monsoon session. Worse, the office of the Speaker was denigrated and a slipper flung at its occupant Uday Narain Choudhary. The House witnessed ugly scenes all of Tuesday and Wednesday last as the Opposition RJD, LJP and Left MLAs clashed with their ruling NDA counterparts demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The reason? The Patna High Court had on July 15 ordered a CBI inquiry into allegations of Rs 11,412.54 crore scam in the execution of welfare schemes, while dealing with a PIL based on the CAG’s report. The latter had noted non-submission of high expenditure bills between 2002 and 2008. While 67 MLAs were suspended and marshalled out, the Speaker has challenged the HC’s ruling saying the judiciary cannot interfere with any matter pending before the Assembly for disposal.          

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Darjeeling Spared Misery

Darjeeling and neighbouring Sikkim have been spared yet another bout of agitation by the Gorkhaland Janmukti Morcha (GJM). On Wednesday last, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram was able to persuade West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to send a team to New Delhi for the tripartite talks on Gorkhaland. This follows the GJM’s threat of launching a 40-day bandh in the Darjeeling Hills from August 4 if the sixth round of talks were not held by July 23. Little is however, expected from this round as the State’s Urban Minister has refused to attend and instead will send the Health Minister to fulfil the State’s “constitutional obligation.” Meanwhile, GJM’s two top leaders, Bimal Gurung and Benoy Tamang, were served fresh front. Contempt notices by the Supreme Court on Monday last for refusing to accept its earlier contempt notice for threatening to lay siege to NH 31, the sole road link connecting Sikkim with the rest of the country.

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Naidu Eyes Telangana Polls

The demand for a separate Telangana in Andhra Pradesh is expected to pick up steam again. With byelections in 12 Assembly constituencies to be held next week, former Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party chief, Chandrababu Naidu, has interestingly managed to hit the headlines. Last week, along with 74 party MLAs in tow he courted arrest in Aurangabad to lodge a protest against the Babhli irrigation project in neighbouring Maharashtra’s Nanded district. The project is located on the river Godavari, which feeds the Sriram Sagar Project reservoir, which is the lifeline of Telangana.  Experts feel that barriers like Babhli would reduce the flow of the river into the Sagar and that the project itself would become redundant. If that happens seven districts of the region would be left without any water. Naidu sought to make this an issue even though the issue is to be settled by court. His primary reason to take up the Babhli project is thus being seen to help him undo his mistake. Naidu had done a u-turn on Telangana statehood and batted for a unified Andhra. Now with the byelections, he seeks send the message to the voters in Telangana region that his sympathies are still with them. Will he succeed?  

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Rajasthan’s Water Woes

Rajasthan is heading towards big trouble. A major water crisis is hovering over the Ashok Gehlot Government. The State’s dams and reservoirs are running dry by nearly 70 per cent and the normal rainfall pattern is below normal. Gehlot has had to put in an emergency plan. He has ordered taking over of private tube and bore wells, reduce water supply in several districts and will need to sanction more water trains. As per last week’s records, the water level was down from close to 12,500 million cubic metres (mcm) to 2,761.53 mcm, a bare 22 per cent of the capacity of the State’s dams and reservoirs. Additionally, a recent survey on groundwater shows that 90 per cent of the 237 blocks are exploited. While Tonk and Ajmer districts receive water once every 120 hours, Barmer, Nagaur and Bhilwara get it only once a week! Jaipur too shall not be spared. If the monsoon does not improve the capital city’s water supply will last till July 31. All eyes are on the skies. 

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NGO Bonanza In States

Ten States have the largest chunk of NGOs and not-for-profit organizations in the country. In fact, a study reveals that India has the highest number of such organizations in the world. The largest numbers of NGOs are registered in Maharashtra (4.8 lakh) followed by Andhra Pradesh (4.6 lakh), Uttar Pradesh (4.3 lakh), Kerala (3.3 lakh), Karnataka (1.9 lakh) Gujarat 1.7 lakh, Bengal 1.7 lakh, Tamil Nadu 1.4 lakh, Orissa 1.3 lakh and Rajasthan 1 lakh. The study commissioned by the Union Government shows the number of such entities accounted for 3.3 million till 2009, which in terms of finances raise a whopping Rs 40,000-80,000 crore annually. Another study would be welcome to see how many of these NGOs have honestly yielded results.

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

Round The States

New Delhi, 15 July 2010

Another Meet On Naxalism

CENTRE, STATES FOR UNIFIED PLAN

By Insaf

The Centre and the Naxal-hit States have decided on a new roadmap to tackle naxalism. Unity is the Centre’s latest mantra to these States. After repeated failures and indulging in blame games, the Centre was able to impress upon four of the seven States—Chhattisgarh, Orissa, West Bengal and Jharkhand-- to form a Unified Command in the Red corridor. At the second meeting of Chief Ministers of affected States on Wednesday last in New Delhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urged the CMs to remain “united” and not let “inter-personal issues” come in the way. The “urgent necessity” he elaborated was for the Central and State forces to work in “total coordination and without any misunderstanding about each other.” Other than additional force, the new strategy lays equal emphasis on development. Importantly, Singh set the ball rolling by saying: “For far too long our tribal brothers and sisters have seen the administration in the form of rapacious forest guard, a brutal policeman, a greedy patwari….” It was time to provide a better delivery of services, one which is “sensitive and caring.”    

Though the CMs were in sync with the Centre they too had their piece of advice to offer to Singh and Union Home Minister Chidambaram, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Defence Minister Antony, who were present. Bihar’s Nitish Kumar was critical of the Centre for not providing adequate support to his State to tackle Naxalism. The Planning Commission’s integrated approach, according to him, was warped as it covered only 35 of the 83 such districts. “How can we then solve the problem”, he asked. Chhattisgarh’s Raman Singh insisted on a “concerted national strategy” as it was not the concern of a single State alone, whereas his Orissa counterpart Naveen Patnaik demanded enhancing of security-related expenditure. Making a note of the advice, the Centre has promised among other things 22 additional helicopters, establishment of 400 police stations, (there are 97,000 vacancies in the police forces of the seven States) Rs 950 crore for improving road connectivity et all. The coming weeks should be a test for the Centre whether its revisited strategy works. 

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Illegal Mining Haunts Karnataka

Karnataka is once again on the boil ---this time over illegal mining. The Opposition Congress, together with the JD (S), has pushed the BJP Government into the dock demanding a CBI inquiry into illegal mining by the Bellary brothers-- Tourism Minister G. Janardhana Reddy, Revenue Minister G. Karunakara Reddy, and MLA G Somashekara Reddy. The Governor, H R Bhardwaj, has dropped a bombshell by ignoring constitutional restraint on his high office and demanding publicly the dismissal of “corrupt ministers”. However, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has refused to yield so far. At best he has offered a probe by the Lok Ayukta, who recently withdrew his resignation saving the BJP government major embarrassment. At the same time Yeddyurappa conceded in the Assembly, which is under siege by the Opposition by way of a day-night dharna since Monday, that illegal mining has been in place for the past 10 years. In 2007-08 alone 4.7 million tonnes of iron ore was illegally exported from the State and 1.05 crore metric tones in the two-year tenure of the BJP Government. The Opposition claims the scam is worth around Rs.60,000 crore.

Meanwhile, in New Delhi the mining issue has escalated into a full-scale war between the BJP and the Congress. The former has accused the Governor of being hell-bent upon destabilising its Government in the State and in bringing the Congress into power “through the backdoor.” It asked Bhardwaj to decide his role: “Whether you are the holder of the constitutional office of Governor or the political agent of the Congress.” The outburst follows Bhardwaj’s talking to the media after meeting President Pratibha Patil on Tuesday last. He said he had asked the CM to take action against the ministers as their conduct had raised a basic question: “Whether ministers can indulge in this kind of corrupt practice. Whether they can continue as ministers and yet continue illegal mining and make profits.” With Bhardwaj clearly “overstepping his brief”, the State BJP has decided to petition the President for his removal. A delegation will now hold a dharna to press its demand. Which side will yield is the question doing the rounds.   

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Belgaum A Union Territory?

Maharashtra’s anger over Belgaum has exploded into a major issue, causing embarrassment to the UPA government. Its Congress-NCP Government in the State has demanded that the disputed areas be placed under Centre’s control till the Supreme Court gives its verdict. On Tuesday last, Chief Minister Ashok Chavan informed the Assembly that he wanted the centre to declare Belgaum and 865 villages with majority Marathi-speaking population on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border a Union territory. Accordingly the Assembly passed a resolution. The State government also threatened that it would not allow Karnataka to suppress its agitation and sought the intervention of the National Human Rights Commission in the matter. Though Chavan led an all-party delegation to New Delhi to petition Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday last, he could not cut much ice. While he may need to reconsider his strategy, Chavan can get some consolation that the BJP unit in the State (unlike Karnataka) has surprisingly supported the resolution saying if the Centre is ready for Central rule “then we are also ready.”    

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J&K Seeks PM’s Help

Jammu and Kashmir is ironically looking up to the Centre to bail it out of the current mess. The troubled State, which has been clamouring for more autonomy and withdrawal of security forces saw itself urging Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s intervention to improve the critical situation. An all-party meeting called by young but immature Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Srinagar on Monday last ended with an appeal to the Centre to strengthen peace in the State through dialogue, both internal and external, among other solutions. This is so because the moderate separatists are apparently inching closer to the hardliners and need of the hour is restoration of trust and credibility. A common feeling is that it is up to the PM to bring back “credibility to the institution of dialogue.” However, there is little that Singh can offer as the mainstream political parties continue to add to the strife. While the BJP has accused the NC-Congress of losing control over the administration and is vehemently against unconditional talks with the United Jihad Council and release of Hurriyat leader Syed Shah Geelani, the PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti rebuffed the PM’s ill-advised gesture by turning down his plea to attend the all-party meet. What next? 

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

Round The States

New Delhi, 8 July 2010

CM Queers The Pitch

KASHMIR SITUATION WORSENS

By Insaf

Kashmir is menacingly becoming too hot to handle for both the State and Central Governments. For the first time in over a decade, the Army was called out on Wednesday last, to restore semblance of order in the Valley, stricken by violent protests and riots for the past one month. A nagging fear is that the Valley may slip back into the 90s, when pro-azadi movement was at its peak. However, the Cabinet Committee on Security which met in Delhi following calls from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Home Minister P Chidmabaram, decided the Army should stage flag marches in Srinagar and be kept out of towns and populated areas. It left it to the civil administration to deal with the situation and to decide when and where it wanted the troops deployed. The Ministry of Defence too has made it clear that it wants the Army deployed for the shortest possible period. On its part, a dazed State government continues to impose curfews in entire Srinagar and separatists’ stronghold towns of Sopore and Baramulla. Unfortunately, the media too has come under attack. Curfew passes have been withdrawn for the first time ever.   

Meanwhile, Omar Abdullah has ill-advisedly queered the pitch and added fuel to the fire by stating the other day: “The aspirations of the people of Jammu & Kashmir cannot be assuaged only by development, good governance and economic packages but need a political solution”.  Pleading the case for more autonomy, the Chief Minister added: “But I am not averse to move beyond it, if there is a solution other than autonomy that is acceptable to both India and Pakistan and meets the aspirations of the people of Jammu & Kashmir”. Whether he is extending tacit support for the Opposition PDP’s espousal of “dual sovereignty” involving India and Pakistan is unclear. What is significant, however, is that the CM has challenged the belief mouthed by many well-meaning Indian liberals that a long dose of good governance could bring an alienated Kashmir Valley and its people back to the constitutional mainstream. Leading analysts have pointed out that the significance of this assertion should not be under-estimated. Not least because it loosely corresponds to the position taken by some of the ‘moderate’ sections of the Hurriyat Conference!

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Big Relief for Karnataka                    

Hope is not all lost for Karnataka and importantly for the country in its battle against corruption. After 11 days of suspense whether he would or not, the State’s Lokayukta, N Santosh Hegde finally withdrew his resignation on Saturday last conceding to the request of senior BJP leader L K Advani. Speaking to the media after a visit by Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and the BJP President Nitin Gadkari, Hegde said: “Advani is like a father. He was a close friend of my father (former Lok Sabha Speaker KS Hegde). I cannot go against his wish.” At the same time, Yeddyurappa assured him “all cooperation to fight corruption,” thus making amends and saving the BJP a national embarrassment. Hegde had resigned on June 23, peeved by the constant “neglect” shown by the BJP-led Government to the authority of the Lokayukta. His was the first case in the country where a Lokayukta had quit blaming the Government.

Sadly, the Lokayukta institution exists in only 17 States and even among these there is no common legislation. In an interview to a daily, Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily has opined that the Lokayukta be accorded a constitutional status to safeguard the institution from the “whims and fancies of the State Government.” Accordingly, he should be vested with the powers to prosecute bureaucrats and politicians and the Centre was considering a collegium to appoint the Lokayukta, who will be a retired Supreme Court judge “with an impeccable track record.” However, this apart, a section of the judiciary feels the Lokayukta requires an efficient and effective infrastructure. He should be able to handpick his officers and have offices in every district. If the institution has to function meaningfully then it must have an independent budget. Above all, the Hegde episode has also put the spotlight on the Centre’s half-hearted fight against corruption. Successive governments have failed to legislate for the appointment of the Lok Pal at the Centre even after four decades since a bill was first introduced as far back as 1968.   

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Maharashtra Is Livid

Maharashtra is livid against the UPA Government at the Centre for having let it down badly in its decades-old dispute with Karnataka in the Supreme Court over Belgaum. New Delhi has opposed Maharashtra’s application of 2004 in the Apex Court challenging the constitutional validity of certain provisions of the State’s Reorganisation Commission Act 1956 and the Bombay Reorganisation Act of 1960. It has told the Supreme Court that Belgaum, where the majority population speaks Marathi, should stay with Karnataka as Maharashtra’s claim over it has no merit. The dispute has caused considerable tension between the two States. In 2006, the then ruling coalition of Karnataka, led by HD Kumaraswamy, son of HD Deve Gowda, even held a special session of the State Assembly in Belgaum, provoking Maharashtra to move an application in the Supreme Court seeking imposition of Central rule in the State. The Centre has stated that “the language of the people has been one criteria but not the sole criteria for inclusion of any area in a State.”

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Trouble in AP Congress

Trouble appears to be brewing for the Congress in Andhra Pradesh. Its young MP, Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, son of the late YSR started his Odarpu yatra on Wednesday last, his father’s birth anniversary, much to the chagrin of the party High Command.  This follows his inability to get the requisite go ahead from the party President Sonia Gandhi, whom he met last week in New Delhi along with his mother. In a letter in his paper Sakshi, Jagnamohan wrote it was his “moral responsibility” to finish the yatra, to console the family members of those who had committed suicide following YSR’s death. In fact, the MP from Kadapa has even ridiculed the party’s suggestion that he gather all families at one place and meet them by stating: “When my father died Sonia Gandhi flew down to console me and my family instead of asking us to come to Delhi.” So far, the Congress is unsure how to deal with the situation. At best, Chief Minister K Rosaiah has warned party ministers, MPs, MLAs and MLCs not to participate in the yatra, which will be closely watched.   

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Bandh In Opposition States 

Opposition-ruled States have finally brought the nagging price rise issue into sharp focus.  Importantly, the Bharat bandh called on Monday last also wittingly or unwittingly may help the Opposition parties bury their ideological and political differences for a larger cause. While the CPM sought to distance itself from the BJP and insist that there was no coordination for the bandh, facts suggest otherwise. Left-ruled West Bengal and Kerala were literally shut down, and in NDA-ruled Bihar, Gujarat, Orissa, Punjab, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh normal life too was disrupted. As expected, the call had no major impact in UPA-ruled Andhra, Tamil Nadu and Haryana, but the Shiv Sena and the BJP did manage a good response in Congress-NCP ruled Maharashtra. While industry outfits have given different figures ( Rs 3000 crore to Rs 300 crore) on the financial loss suffered by the country, the big question before the common man is  whether it will make the UPA government sit up and roll back prices? ---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)