Round The States

New Delhi, 24 January 2007

Crucial Assembly Polls

CONGRESS FIGHTS TWO HANDICAPS

By Insaf

The Assembly polls next month in Punjab, Uttarakhand and Manipur are crucial for all and more so for the Sonia Congress, presently ruling the three States. The party is fighting two major handicaps: anti-incumbency and intense infighting in the State units over ticket distribution. Ticket-seekers are up in arms against ticket-distributors. Punjab is worse hit. The Amarinder Singh-led Government, which is fighting a tough battle against a resurgent Akali Dal (Badal) in alliance with the BJP, is facing protests and alienation by those denied party nominations. Allegations of denial of tickets to some long-time party workers even forced the High Command to re-consider the list and make some changes. Despite this, resentment continues among the party workers. 

Some State Congress leaders and workers have even come out publicly against the Amarinder Singh Government to state that not enough has been done for development during its first four years in office. The critics of the Government in the party however concede that the Chief Minister has tried to make up for the lapse during the last one year and enabled the Congress to retrieve the lost ground. Amarinder Singh, on his part, has claimed that the Congress was “very sure of winning atleast 70 seats in the 117-member Assembly.” The party’s task has been made easier on two counts. First, Uma Bhart is fielding her candidates in all the constituencies which the BJP is fighting. Second, Mayawati’s BSP has failed to consolidate its Dalit votes in Punjab, following Kanshi Ram’s death. Meanwhile, the Congress has drawn up hectic election campaign schedules ahead of the February 13 Assembly poll.

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Infighting In Uttarakhand Congress

Infighting in the State Congress over the ticket distribution for the Assembly poll in Uttarakhand on February 21 has affected the prospects of the Congress retaining power in the hill State.  A major problem has been created by some 300 “lal batti wallah” State leaders with flashing red sirens on their “official” cars and holding ranks equivalent to Ministers of State or heads of various State Boards and Corporations. The Congress’ return to power is also threatened by intense factional fight between Chief Minister N.D. Tiwari and State chief Harish Rawat. All the “lal-batti-wallahs denied tickets are expected to further spoil the party’s chances.  Added to this is N.D. Tiwari’s decision not to contest the election. His absence from the scene may cost the Congress a large part of the Brahmin votes in the Kumaon region. The support of K.C. Pant and his wife is already with the BJP.

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Maulana & Mahant Mulayam

Even as the main Opposition parties in U.P., the BJP, BSP and the Congress, have stepped up their offensive against the Mulayam Singh Government, the Chief Minister is making stout efforts to gain popularity and retain power. Hitherto identified with the epithet of “Maulana”, he has now tried to don a new hat, that of a “Mahant”. He took a dip in the Ganga at the Sangam during the Ardh Kumbh last week and paid an obeisance to the saints. The latter, showered blessings on the Chief Minister and wished him another full term on U.P.’s throne.  They even called him “mahant and protector” of the saints and sadhus. At the same time, Mulayam Singh has been using every opportunity to appease the Muslims.  A day after the Union Minority Affairs Minister, A.R. Antulay blamed his own Congress for the plight of the Muslims at a convention in Aligarh, Mulayam Singh’s Samajwadi Party pounced on the statement to accuse the Congress of anti-Muslim bias. 

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ULFA Continues To Strike

Unconcerned by the intensified Army action in Assam against the underground United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), the dreaded militant group continues to strike. After killing about 75 Hindi-speaking people, mostly from Bihar, the militants have issued a warning to the non-Assamese, who comprise three per cent of the Assam’s 2.6 crore population, to leave the State immediately.  Two days after this warning, the militant outfit triggered a power bomb blast in Tinsukia, killing two and injuring eight Hindi-speaking persons. They have now taken on the Congress leaders in the State.  A Congress worker was gunned down by the ULFA in Digboi over the week-end.  In another incident around the same time, the militants shot dead a Congress Panchayat Secretary at Betami village under the Digboi police station.  The group has threatened to continue killings of the Congress leaders if any of its cadres was killed by the security forces.

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Investment Climate In Bihar

Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has generated a lot of goodwill and hope for a great future for the State’s development at a three-day “Global Meet for a Resurgent Bihar” at Patna last week. The meet was at once successful and holds out promise for the future. The Chief Minister claimed in the presence of a large number of NRIs: “Now the people are working. They are not making excuses. On the law and order front, fear has disappeared.” This has created an atmosphere for investment in the State by the NRIs and the multi-national companies, some of which were represented at the global meet.  Bihar has a significant and flourishing non-resident community in the US, UK, Mauritius and the Caribbean. From this point of view, the Global Meet marks a new beginning for the State under the youthful leadership of Nitish Kumar. 

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Modi’s Achievements In Gujarat

Politics in Gujarat is hotting up, thanks to Narendra Modi and his Government’s achievements on the development front. Modi’s determined efforts led to the completion of the prolonged and controversial Sardar Sarovar Narmada project, which was dedicated to the Nation last week. It will generate 1450 MW power and would provide massive irrigation facilities to Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. This achievement of the Hindu icon Modi and the BJP has led the Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi to visit the State and fire her first salvo for the Assembly poll later in the year.  She addressed a massive rally at Devgadhbaria (Dahod) last week, targeting the tribals and their 26 reserved seats in the Assembly and 20 other constituencies which they dominate. Emboldened by the success of the rally, Sonia Gandhi is now planning three other rallies across the State in the next few weeks.

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States Favour Pension Reforms

As many as 19 States, except those ruled by the Left parties in West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura, have agreed to the provisions of the proposed Pension Fund Regulatory Development Authority Bill (PFRDA).  In fact, most of them, including those ruled by the BJP, are getting impatient to get the Bill passed quickly.  Rajasthan’s Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje even gave an ultimatum to the Centre at a meeting in New Delhi on Monday, that if the Centre was unable to have a legislation on pension reforms before March 31 this year, the State would enact its own law. Prime Minister Manmohan has, however, advised the Chief Ministers to look at the other dimension of the pension reforms---the unavailability of pension instruments for the common man at large. One major objective of the PFRDA Bill is to put in place the delivery mechanism for various pension schemes.

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Civic Polls Make Vilasrao Miss Davos

Politics prevails over economics. This is the message coming once more from Maharashtra. Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has missed the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting at Davos from January 24 to 28 because of the civic elections in the State and more especially the Bombay Municipal Corporation poll on February 1.  Maharashtra was the only State this year to  be invited to the WEF meet. The Chief Minister’s last-minute withdrawal is all the more unfortunate as the State had waited 12 years to get a call from the WEF. Riding on the recent economic boom that has brought in more than Rs.40,000 crore of investment to the State, Deshmukh was looking forward to generating more at the Davos meet. His hopes were dashed when he was advised by the party leaders not to leave station on the eve of the crucial civic polls.---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)