Round The States
New Delhi, 15 November 2007
Nandigram Festering
Violence
CPM
Reveals Stalinist Streak
By Insaf
West Bengal’s showcase of liberalization with
its SEZ, started ten months ago in Nandigram, today resembles a war-ravaged
graveyard. It has become a tussle
for might and power between the ruling CPM, Congress,
Mamata’s Trinamool and the Bhumi Uchched Pratirodh Samiti. With one and all,
accusing the other of inciting violence. While Mamata, who resigned her Lok
Sabha seat in protest, denounced the Stalinist streak of the CPM cadres
“capturing” and preventing the CRPF from entering the area, the Left parties
accused the State’ s stormy petrel of taking the help of the armed Maoists
squads to create lawlessness. For the Congress
licking its nuclear deal wounds, Nandigram spells sweet revenge for having put
the red brigade in the dock. Not to be left behind, the Leader of Opposition in
the Lok Sabha, L.K. Advani, has demanded President’s rule or imposition of Article
355 in the State.
Significantly, Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi, grandson of
the Mahatma, showed uncommon courage to publicly indict the State Government
for the “unlawful and unacceptable” manner in which the CPM cadres had laid
siege and recaptured the villages, turning the district into a “war zone”. He also
called upon CPM patriarch Jyoti Basu to help restore peace, confidence and
security in the State. Even as the CPM supremo Prakash Karat defends his cadres
for their action and justifies “recapture” of the area, the farmers have vowed
afresh to drive out the CPM “mercenaries”. No matter that a besieged Chief
Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has asked the police to apologize for assaulting intellectuals and artisans led by Medha
Patkar and Aparna Sen. At another level, the continuing strife in Nandigram has
caused the first crack in the Left Front. The CPM’s partners --- RSP, Forward
Block and CPI --- have expressed
their unhappiness over their ally’s version
of “restoration of peace”, aptly described by I&B Minister P.R. Dasmunshi
as “politics of annihilation and revenge”.
* * * *
Relief On Rural
Debt
The States have much to smile over the Centre’s decision to
urgently rework the Rs.17,000 crore relief package on rural debt. This follows
the findings of the Radhakrishna Committee on rural indebtedness which has criticized tardy implementation of the
Prime Minister’s package for 31 farmer suicide-hit districts in Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka, Maharashtra and Kerala. Towards
that end, the Economic Advisory Council of the Prime Minister is scheduled to
meet shortly to take up specific tangible action points for implementation and
finalize a coordinated approach. It would also look into the setting up of the
agriculture development fund to finance special agricultural development
programmes in 100 agriculturally-distressed
districts based on the Radhakrishna report. Also, on the anvil is the creation
of a Rs.100 crore fund as a one time measure of providing long-term bank loans
to farmers to enable them to repay their debts. All are keeping their fingers crossed in the hope that this will put an end to the agony
of the farmers.
* * * *
Naga Peace Talks
Log Jammed
Nagaland peace talks continue to surprise the nationalists
across India and tire out their patience.
Aimed at ending the decades-long insurgency in the Naga
Hills, the dragging talks with the NSCN-IM General Secretary
Thuingaleng Muivah do not seem to be making much headway. The Naga rebels are
now talking in terms of a “federal” relationship between the federation of
Nagaland and India.
Rejecting New Delhi’s formula under Article 371-A of giving a special status to
Nagaland, Muivah has asserted in an
interview to a national daily that his outfit is looking at the Indian Constitution
in the area of defence and external affairs to see what parts could be
acceptable to them. Muivah’s latest thoughts are disturbing against the
backdrop of one major development in the State which has not received the
attention it deserves. The NSCN-IM is in de facto power in Nagaland today. As a
former CM told Insaf, the rebels are in total control over all matters ---
political, economic and financial!
* * * *
No Third Party In Gujarat
Polls
Gujarat never stops surprising. Incredibly
enough, the State is poised to emerge as a classic
example of a bi-polar polity. Unlike all the other States, it has only two
parties in the overall sense of the term. In fact, the polorisation in the
society is so complete that the State’s electoral landscape comprises only the
Congress and the BJP. The 2002 Assembly elections bear this out. The BJP polled
49.85 per cent of the votes, with 127 seats and the Congress 39.28 per cent of the total votes cast, which
gave it a tally of 51 seats in the 182-member assembly.
Significantly, there are hardly any “others”. The JD (U) won two seats and the
Independents two despite 344 in the poll fray. The other parties including the
NCP, Samajwadi Party, BSP, CPM & CPI all drew a blank. Proving beyond doubt
that there is little space for a third party.
* * * *
UP Congress Breath Of Fresh Air
The Congress in
Uttar Pradesh is all set for a make over if its newly appointed General
Secretary Rahul Gandhi has his way. For the first time, an AICC leader has
acknowledged that the party is in shambles in India’s most populous State which
accounts for 80 Lok Sabha seats and where it ruled the roost for over two
decades. Moreover, the Gandhi scion, while rejecting both the Samajwadi and the
BSP as rivals, stated that the challenge lay within the State party machinery. Shockingly,
even the record keeping and membership drive was in total disarray. He voiced
serious concern over the inability of the grand dame of Indian politics not
only to attract the youth to its fold but also its failure to “connect and
represent” the aam aadmi and the poor.
It remains to be seen whether this candid breath of fresh air can provide the
much-needed aphrodisiac to the comatose UP Congress
unit.
* * * *
Bihar Amidst
‘Development’ War
Bihar is in the throes of a political war
on development. What with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his bete noir Union
Railway Minister Laloo Yadav firing salvoes at each other to underscore their
commitment to progress in the State.
While the RJD supremo has accused the State of not providing land for a host of
Railway projects, the Chief Minister has countered it by asserting that the State would have to review its
commitment for land and water for the proposed mega thermal power plant at
Nabinagar in Aurangabad district, a joint venture between the NTPC and the
Railways, unless Bihar got at least
10 per cent of the power produced by the plant. Worse, the State Government has
red signalled the Railways pet Laloo-Rabri rail link connecting the Railway Minister’s
native village with that of his wife. The war continues.
* * * *
Gandhigiri Gets Divine Touch
Gandhigiri has been given a “divine touch” in a
village in Tamil Nadu. Senthapalayam village, close to the infamous Veerappan
territory, is perhaps the only village in India that has a temple of the
Mahatma. For the last 11 years, the villagers have been praying at this temple
where the main ‘deity’ is the two-foot tall idol of Gandhiji and in another
enclosure that of his spouse Kasturba. The Mahatma may not have approved of
this. Yet, there is no protest from the devout when the local Poossari
(priest) performs the sudhangam pooja
in which you can hear the name Gandhi instead of a God. Importantly, on Gandhi
Jayanti and the Mahatma’s death anniversary special abhishekhams are performed with holy water and even milk.
Gandhiji’s angavastramas and towels
are changed every day. Gandhigiri
indeed! --- INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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