Round The States

New Delhi, 21 May, 2016

Results A Lesson For Parties

BJP Triumphs, Congress Bites Dust

By Insaf

The BJP has much to preene about. It has created history in Assam by winning a majority, opened its score in the Kerala Assembly, raised its MLAs in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. Especially, after the drubbing it got in Bihar last year and the recent debacle in Uttarakhand. By opening its score card in the North East, the Hindutva Brigade is no longer just a cow-belt party as it encompasses the entire country. Also the Assembly election showcased that India is increasingly becoming personality centric wherein polls are fought in a presidential rather than a parliamentary style. The Saffron party rectified its mistakes in Bihar and Delhi by projecting a Chief minister in Assam it foiled the Congress plan of making it a Modi vs outgoing Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi battle. Moreover, in the absence of any wave, the Modi-Shah combinie formed an alliance with the AGP and Bodo parties which have been demanding Assam for Assamese. Finally, its struck gold in Kerala after years of trying.

For the Congress it has been shown the writing on the wall. Rahul Gandhi has to work way harder and action not talk needs to be delivered at the ground level. It has lost the two crucial eastern States and one in Southern India. Today, it enjoys only six per cent of vote shares in India’s one billion plus population and has been reduced to only six States Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Himachal, Manipur, Meghalaya and Mizoram. Importantly, another take away of this election is that regional parties are going to be the main challenger for the BJP. Both Mamata and Jayalalitha have returned to power with a thumping majority. Indeed, the AIADMK has created history by being the first party to be voted back since 1989. For the DMK, it is curtains down for its Chief Karunanidhi. Now is the time for him to settle the succession issue between his two sons and daughter. All parties are now gearing up for the crucial battle of 2017 – UP.

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Northern India Sizzles

Northern India is sizzling under scorching heat with temperatures hitting over 51 degree centigrade in Rajasthan’s Phalodi town in Jodhpur district and alongwith Bikaner and Jaisalmer. The last time this scalding heat was felt in 1956 in Alwar. The Union Capital too is feeling the burn at 47 degrees. The bad news is that there is no respite from this heat till next week. In fact, the Met Department has issued a red alert of a sever heat wave in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Rajasthan and Delhi. Worse, the rising temperature has driven up the power demand over burdening the electric grid leaving many areas powerless. Not only human being but also animals are feeling the heat. At Delhi zoo, the tigers had to be given electrolytes to replace their body salt. When will rain god Indra oblige?

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Anandi Ben In Trouble

All is not well in Modi land Gujarat where his handpicked Chief Minister Anandi Ben seems to be on a sticky wicket. Wherein the BJP is toying with the idea of replacing her ahead of next year’s Assembly elections. On the face of it, the reason is Anandi Ben’s inability to diffuse the Patel agitation demanding reservation given that this caste is a crucial vote bank for the party. For the State’s first women Chief Minister, the last year has been tough going as the BJP ceded ground to the Congress in rural pockets in the civic elections and barely managed to retain municipal corporations. Add to it her style of functioning had her at odds with the bureaucracy which for 13 years was accustomed to Modi style of functioning. It is no secretat that there is no love lost between party President Amit Shah and the Chief Minister, who piped the former to the raj gaddi. Top ranking state leaders are keeping their fingers crossed waiting for a phone call from Shah.

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Name Changer For Delhi Roads

What’s in a name? Everything if one concurs with the ruling NDA’s gambit of changing road names at a drop of a hat. After renaming Lutyens Delhi’s Aurangzeb Road after late President APJ Abdul Kalam, the next on the target is Akbar Road which is all set to get a make over as Maharana Pratap Road. The reason doled out is that the great Rajput Mewar king had played a key role in stopping the might of the Mughal emperor Akbar but was not given his due place in history. Especially as the Mewar ruler enjoyed secular credentials wherein his army including Pathans, Bhils, Adivasis etc. In this merry go round all are busy playing the guessing game of which road next.

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Karnataka Flip Flops On Superstition

The Karnataka Government’s flip-flops on the contentious anti-superstition bill seem to be unending. In a volte-face yet again it has removed some key practices including Made Made Snana (rolling over used plantain leaves of upper caste people) from the Karnataka Evil, Inhumanand Superstitious Practices Prevention Bill, as it bowed to pressure from mutts and priest, much against the wishes of rationalists. Ostensibly, on legal grounds as the matter is sub-judice in the Supreme Court. Presently the diluted Bill has removed all superstitious practices except those followed in the name of religion as being legal and out of bounds. It is another matter that Chief Minister Siddharammaiah has specifically spoken against this practice as it was perceived as an instrument of victimization of Scheduled castes and tribes. What next? ---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)