Round The States
New Delhi, 4 August 2011
WB’s Maoist Policy
THREE STATES UP IN
ARMS
By Insaf
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has started
giving sleepless nights to her counterparts in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and
Orissa. Her soft approach towards the Maoists has turned her State into a soft
haven for the ultras on the run from these three adjacent States. Shockingly, the
anti-Maoist operations in West Bengal were recently
brought to a halt, when Didi mandated
six civil society members to initiate talks with the rebels. Worse, Mamata has
decided to release 78 political prisoners in the State, including many prominent
Maoist leaders. Worried senior police officials in the three States now find
the going tough. With Bengal stopping the
joint operations against the Maoists, their force has to work overtime. They
plead that at least the TMC Government should seal the borders so that when
they conduct operations the rebels are unable to flee. Sadly, Writer’s Building
has expectedly turned a deaf ear. Will the Union Home Ministry please step in
or will it allow Mamata to play havoc with the nationwide crackdown against the
Maoists? The Centre can ill afford to molly-coddle partner Mamata.
* * * *
Karnataka’s New CM
The old order gave way to the new in Bangalore with the swearing-in of D V
Sadananda Gowda as Karnataka’s new Chief Minister on Thursday last. The affable
and non-controversial Lok Sabha member from Udupi-Chikmagalur who had also served
as Deputy Opposition leader in the Assembly in 2004. Underscoring not only a
victory for his embattled predecessor Yeddiyurappa’s camp but also showcased
the Lingayat leaders hold within the party in the State vis-à-vis the rival
camp led by BJP General Secretary Anant Kumar. It took over three days and a
secret ballot to finally anoint Gowda. Needless to say, the new Chief Minister
would need to balance and walk a tight rope to get various camps within the
party to agree and ensure smooth running of the his Government. Additionally,
he would have to ensure that his mai-baap
now set to be prosecuted by the State Lokayukta does not perceive to be
meddling in running the Government, specially the mining issue and other
development matters. All eyes are on his handling of tricky issues.
* * * *
Delhi CM In CWG Mess
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit is in deep trouble. The
CWG ghost has caught up with her Government. In its performance audit report,
the Comptroller and Auditor General has severely indicted the third term CM,
saying there have been serious lapses and irregularities in the bidding process
for procurement of different Games-related items and several instances of “wasteful
expenditure.” These include: modernization of street lighting system
(imported), Rs 20 crore sanctioned for plants which were bought instead of
being grown in Government nurseries, for better road signage three PWD zones
floated separate tenders, which resulted in higher rates and loss to Government,
Rs 97 crore sanctioned for Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit system, wherein
the job is incomplete, etc. However, Dikshit maintains that her “conscience is
clear and that the situation warranted certain actions and we responded to it.”
Is this enough?
* * * *
Clean Chit To
Mayawati
Beleaguered Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati can heave
a sigh of relief, at least on one front. On Wednesday last, the Delhi High
Court gave her a clean chit viz her wealthy birthday gifts. It dismissed the
Centre’s appeal challenging a 2007 order of the income-tax tribunal that these
gifts shall remain exempted from being taxed. Recall, that the Tribunal had
concluded that the immovable properties worth Rs 62.72 lakhs and cash payments
of Rs 2 lakhs were “gifts” given by her supporters “out of love and affection”.
And as luck would have it for Mayawati, all donors have proved their
genuineness and capacity to make gifts. Besides, the court noted that “there is
no evidence on record to prove that Mayawati has favoured the donors in any
manner whatsoever by acquiring the gifts in question.” With this clean chit in
hand now Mayawati can comfortably look forward to her next birthday bash.
* * * *
Assam Peace Talks
The peace process in Assam may soon get a fillip. The
pro-talk group of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) is happy with the
Centre’s efforts of getting back their leader Anup Chetia from Bangladesh.
Apparently, Chetia was one of the pro-talks leaders back in 1998 and is one
among the 50 Indians who are believed to be in hiding or in detention in Bangladesh.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, on Wednesday admitted that the “Government wants
him back, the people of Assam
also want it that way… So definitely, the prospects of peace have brightened.”
Obviously, having come back to power for a record third term Gogoi is keen
peace talks with the ULFA resume and that with its top leader party to tow,
there is much to hope for.
* * * *
DMK Bounces Back
The DMK in Tamil Nadu has decided not to lie low any longer.
Enough of AIADMK vindictive action is its new chant. On Monday last, the party
which has been pushed to the back row, staged State-wide protest against the
Jayalalitha Government for allegedly filing false cases against party members.
Thousands of cadres under former deputy chief minister Stalin protested against
Jaya’s crackdown on so-called land grabbers in Chennai, whereas M K Alagiri
organized dharnas in Madurai.
The DMK leadership has resolved that it would not be cowed down by the AIADMK
and was ready to face any kind of case. The DMK patriarch M Karunanidi made it
a point to go to the party headquarters and monitor the situation. Guess, the 2
G scam hurt is healing and the turf war has begun.
* * * *
J&K YC Family Tree
Jammu and Kashmir Indian Youth Congress is all set to
cause embarrassment to the High command in New Delhi. In its newly-constituted State
Executive, eight out of 11 General Secretaries are relatives of senior leaders,
including Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Jammu MP Madan Lal Sharma
party. This is contradictory to what All India General Secretary Rahul Gandhi
had in mind when he stepped into the scene four years ago. Didn’t the Gandhi
scion resolve to eliminate the role of the “family, patronage and money” in the
IYC? The party cadres are up in arms as children and relatives of senior
leaders have got the plum posts in the youth wing. The justification by YC
President Shoaib Lone that “we cannot leave somebody out just because he or she
is related to somebody” has not cut much ice. Obviously, something will never
change in the grand old party. ---INFA.
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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