Round The States
New Delhi, 5 February
2022
Recall of
Governors
BENGAL, TN
RAISE DEMAND
By Insaf
The Raj Bhavans in
West Bengal and Tamil Nadu are embroiled in a battle with the elected
governments. The open fracas between West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and
Governor Jagdeep Dhankharhas got murkier. After a Cabinet meeting on Monday
last, Didi blocked Dhankaron social media platform, saying: “I am sorry to say
I was forced to do this. Every day, he (Governor) abuses me and our officers
using unethical and unconstitutional words. He hands out instructions as if we
are his servants or bonded labourers. The elected Government is bonded labour,
but he, someone who is only nominated, is a super guard. Every day after seeing
his tweet, I become irritated.” Besides, she accused him of“spying on everybody
from Raj Bhavan… Pegasus is
going on in Raj Bhavan!”Dhankarhit back with the tweet: “WB Guv: Under Article
167 it is Constitution ‘duty’ of the Chief Minister to furnish such information
relating to the administration of the affairs of the State and proposals for
legislation as the Governor may call for. Why ‘block’ information to Guv now
for two years?” The war between the two which has been hitting headlines is
said to have reached Parliament doorstep. TMC’s Lok Sabha leader Sudip
Bandhyopadhyaysaid he has told President Kovind ‘to remove him from the post
for the sake of Parliamentary democracy.’Further, the party plans to move a
substantial motion in the Rajya Sabha against him, if it manages to get support
of non-BJP parties. It’s anybody’s guess what the climax will be in this
high-pitched drama.
Likewise, Tamil Nadu Raj
Bhavan is embroiled in a row. This after
Governor Ravi returned to the Stalin government an Assembly bill which seeks exemption
to the State from NEET. The justification being given is that it goes against ‘interests
of rural and economically poor students.’ A livid DMK government is to plan future
course of action with other political parties, following a Raj Bhavan release
which said: “The Governor has returned the bill, adopted by the state Assembly
in September 2021 and the report of a high level committee constituted by the
Tamil Nadu government in this connection to the Assembly Speaker M. Appavu,” A
determined government, which has been opposed to NEET, has “assured all steps
for adopting the bill again in the Assembly”, and the Governor’s opinions will
be studied and “truth about NEET explained.” Plus, DMK and Congress members
staged a walk out in the Lok Sabha demanding recall of Ravi. How far this
battle will go needs to be watched.
* * * * * * *
Kerala Govt Relieved
Kerala’s LDF
government can heave a sigh of relief. On Friday last, the State Lokayukta
rejected a petition seeking investigation against Higher Education Minister R
Bindu in the controversial re-appointment of Kannur University Vice-Chancellor
(VC) Dr Gopinath Ravindran. Former Opposition leader Chennithala had in his
plea accused the minister of ‘nepotism, misuse of power and corruption’ in the
re-appointment. Lokayukta Justice Cyriac Joseph observed the minister had ‘only
suggested’ the name of Gopinath for re-appointment and such a suggestion ‘did
not amount to misuse of power or nepotism.’Besides, he said the governor is the
sole authority of appointing a VC and there’s nothing illegal if a minister,
who is pro-VC, makes such a proposal. The timing of the order is interesting as
only last week the Cabinet had recommended to the Government to issue an ordinance
to amend the Kerala Lokayukta Act, 1999, wherein it gives powers to the government
to “either accept or reject the verdict of the Lokayukta, after giving an
opportunity of being heard”. Will the Lokayukta wings be eventually clipped?
* * * * * * *
Haryana Job Quota Setback
The BJP-JJP
government in Haryana has suffered a major setback to fulfil its promise of
providing job opportunities to the youth. On Wednesday last, Punjab &
Haryana High Court granted an interim stay on the Haryana State Employment of
Local Candidates Act, 2020, providing 75% reservation in private sector for
those who have a “domicile in the State.” The law, which came into force on
January 15, covers private companies, trusts, societiesand partnership firms
and applies to jobs which offer a maximum gross monthly salary or wages of up
to Rs 30,000. Industry associations have opposed it saying it would: affect
their business and make them less competitive; the “sons of the soil” law was
an infringement on the constitutional rights of employers; private sector jobs
are purely based on the employees’ skills and analytical bent of mind and that
citizens of India have the constitutional right to seek jobs in any part of the
country.An adamant government knocked on the doors of the Supreme Court on
Friday challenging the HC order. Chief Minister Khattar said the government “will
firmly stand its ground and will fight in the court…” How long will the battle
be, is anybody’s guess.
* * * * * * *
‘Criminal’
Legislators
The Supreme Court has
good reason to be distraught. It’s directions of November 2017 asking State
governments to setup Special Courts to try pending criminal cases against
legislators, is not being adhered to. Only 12 such courts have been set up
across the country, but what is worse is the warning that “more and more
persons with criminal antecedents are occupying the seats in the Parliament and
the State Legislative Assemblies.” This as per a report submitted on Thursday
last by Amicus Curiae, who is assisting the apex court in the matter. As on 1 December
2021, 4,984 criminal cases involving legislators were pending in various courts
of which “1,899 cases are more than 5 years old”. In December 2018, the number
was 4,110; and on October 2020 it was 4,859. The report sought it was of “utmost
necessity that urgent and stringent steps are taken for expeditious disposal of
pending criminal cases”, and that the SC direct that “courts dealing with cases
against MPs/MLAs will exclusively try these cases” and “other cases would be
taken up only after trials of such cases are over” to avoid delay.The “trial
would be conducted on a day to day basis…and necessary allocation of work would
be made by the HC and/or Principal Sessions Judges of every district within two
weeks”, said the report. The big question is will clean-up operation pick up
steam.
* * * * * * *
Ladakh Anguish
All is not well in
Ladakh. A battle appears to be brewing between elected councillors and the
bureaucracy. The latter is being accused of undermining Leh and Kargil Hill
Councils in Ladakh since it was turned into a Union Territory in August 2019.
In fact, councillors of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Lehhad boycotted
the Republic Day function as they were peeved over being denied entry into the
event’s venue at Leh through the VIP gate. The bureaucracy, they claim has been
getting ‘increasingly more powerful, encroaching into their jurisdiction and
disempowering public representatives like them.’ The grievance, they add is across the political and regional spectrum and
instead of being empowered they are being undermined. What needs to be done is
the question. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, some suggest needs to set the ‘warrant
of precedence’, streamline it and strengthen the LAHDC Act. Clearly, the Centre
needs to get its act together as the UT has its border with China and Pakistan.
The demand of Statehood is also pending and residents have observed shutdowns since
last August to press for it. Will the Centre yield?---INFA
(Copyright, India
News & Feature Alliance)
|