Round The States
New Delhi, 2 October
2021
Punjab
Drama
POLITICAL
UPHEAVAL AT WORST
By Insaf
The political drama unfolding
in Punjab relegates the IPL season to the background. Navjot Sidhu’s inconsistent
batting in the Congress has queered the pitch for the Grand Old party. Not only
has former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh given up his decades-old Congress
membership, but jeers are being heard all the way in Delhi, as G-23 starts demanding
from Sonia Gandhi a CWC meeting. The events indeed have caught the umpires by
surprise. Amarinder is asked to resign as CM and he does, Navjot as PCC
President glees and then sulks putting in his resignation after a new Chief
Minister Charanjit Singh Channi takes oath. Navjot said he wouldn’t take back
his resignation but Channi says he has and all is sorted out with the aim to
work together. Amarinder meets Home Minister Amit Shah soon after and the
political grapewine says he’s joining the BJP, but as of now no, says the
Captain. The meeting it was said was to discuss the prolonged farmer’s
agitation.
In all these twists
and turns, the Congress central leadership in Delhi remains a silent spectator.
However, a group of party leaders who have been seeking organisational reforms,
known popularly as G-23, have seized the moment. They are voicing serious concerns
over developments in Punjab and elsewhere.“We (G-23 leaders) are not the ones
who leave the party and go elsewhere. Ironically. Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal
throws a googly,“People who were close to them (party leaders) left and they
were nearby. Those who don’t think are gone. They are still standing with them….
We are G-23, not JeeHuzoor 23. It’s very clear. We keep talking. We keep
repeating our demands…” Will their demands be heard? The Assembly elections are not too far and
time is running out. AAP is waiting in the wings and already got into a batting
mode. Will the Congress umpire, whoever
it is wake up and give a verdict? Set its team in order.
* * * * * * *
Farmers Protest
The farmers’ ongoing
protest has the Supreme Court giving the Centre a lesson or two in governance.
Questioning how can highways be blocked perpetually, the apex court firmly
stated on Thursday last: “We may lay down a law but how to implement the law is
your business. The court cannot implement it. It is the executive who has to
implement it.” To the question where does this (blockade) end, the Centre’s
reply revealed a sense of helplessness as it urged the court to make farmer
unions’ party to the petition, wherein a Noida resident had sought removal of
the blockades at Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border at UP Gate. The big question is
whether the Centre will, as asked, be able to convince the court of the ‘steps
taken to resolve their (farmers) grievances’ and how impleading representatives
of farmers ‘will help in the resolution of the dispute’? For their seems no
resolution in sight as talks have miserably failed with both sides adamant on
their positions for the past one year. In fact, the Samyukta Kisan Morchais buoyed
with the ‘massive response’ to the Bharat bandh called on Monday last. It was
felt most at the centre of the protests--Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and western
Uttar Pradesh, with large pockets of Kerala, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and
Odisha giving it support, in addition to Rajasthan Jharkhand and Maharashtra. Where
lies the solution? Says the SC, it lies in ‘the hands of Centre and concerned State
governments. They have to coordinate to find a solution that when a protest
takes place, roads are not blocked and traffic is not disrupted to cause
inconvenience to the common people.’
* * * * * * *
WB To Delhi ?
All eyes will on
counting of votes for Bhowanipore by-election on Monday as Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee needs to get elected to the Assembly before November to
continue in the coveted seat. With ballot boxes sealed on Thursday last, her
winning appears a foregone conclusion, but TMC is aiming at the margin, with
target of a bigger vote share and beating rival by over 50,000 votes. This will
help didi in her vision of catapulting into the national politic arena.
Her speeches during an unusual high voltage campaign is a pointer: the voters,
a mix of Gujaratis, Sikhs, Marwaris and Biharis, were told ‘every single vote
counts…if she can win Bhowanipore, she can win the rest of India… If people
want to get rid of BJP government at Centre, then vote for her..’ Plus, the campaign
trail included meeting/greeting people in their language, visiting
temples/gurdwaras; asking Cabinet ministers, MPs/MLAs to take charge of
different wards; stepping up welfare schemes such as Duare Sarkar (Govt at
doorstep), etc. The BJP, which put up Priyanka Tibrewal, who lost in Assembly
poll, too had lined up 20 star campaigners, including Hardeep Puri and Smriti
Irani. And on polling day, it lodged 13-odd complaints on malpractices, guess
making a base for the probable loss. Be that as it may, the big question is
whether this by-poll will be the next step for Election 2024?
* * * * * * *
Develop LWE States
A vision is not
enough, fast track development is key to wean away youth from the Maoists
movement. Oft-heard but reiterated by Home Minister Amit Shah at a meeting with
leadership of 10 States affected by Left-Wing Extremism, adding ‘development
hasn’t reached there…since independence..” Instead of usual passing the buck, he
would do better by heeding to States’ request of raising security-related
expenditure and development funds for LWE districts on the principle of
‘cooperative federalism.’ As Jharkhand Chief Minister Soren put it: both Centre
and States have to deal with the problem; till now bills of Rs 10,000 crore has
been raised against the State and these should be written off; Centre should in
future decide not to send such bills to State governments including AP,
Maharashtra, Odisha, West Bengal, Telangana, Bihar, MP, Chhattisgarh and Kerala.
Maharashtra demanded Rs 1,200 crore for various measures including more police
stations and mobile base stations, better roads, railway network, setting up of
banks, developing schools etc. Predictably, no commitment was made, but North
Block urged States to conduct ‘joint operations’as Naxals move across borders
and DGPs and Central agencies’ officersshould hold review meetings at least
once every 3 months.Well meaning alright, but it should set its priority right
as this review meeting was held after two years!
* * * * * * *
Assam’s ‘Refugees’
Civil society and
human rights activists should be seeing red over the misery of 7000-odd homeless in Dhalpur, Assam. Reports reveal
that over a week since the ruthless eviction ordered by Himanta Biswas Sarma
government took place in Darrang district, they are ‘living either in makeshift
shanties or under open skies.’ Public health experts are said to be worried as
crowded conditions, lack of safe water, open defecation could lead to an
epidemic in the area. However, district administration claims that toilets and
tube-wells have been provided, other than health camps. If that was the case,
then why would NGOs, or for that matter the All Assam Minority Students' Union
or the All India United Democratic Front reach out with ‘ration, tarpaulin
sheets, rice, pulses, mustard oil, salt, sugar and biscuits, sending a medical
team etc.’ Shouldn’t the BJP government have planned in advance basic amenities
before evicting the people under the ambitious Gorukhuti agriculture project
and turning them into ‘refugees’? Perhaps it should give a thought that while
it plans to spend Rs 960 crore to implement modern farming and scientific
animal rearing practices on the land regained, it would do well to spend some
funds on their rehabilitation. Is it asking too much?---INFA
(Copyright, India
News & Feature Alliance)
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