Round The States
New Delhi, 31 December 2022
UP OBC Politics
HC PLAYS SPOILSPORT
By Insaf
The Yogi Adityanath government in
Uttar Pradesh has gone into a tizzy following a setback to its plan to woo backward
communities. The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday last quashed the ruling BJP’s December
5 draft notification providing reservation of seats in urban body elections for
OBCs apart from those for SC, ST and women. The Lucknow bench said until the
“triple test/conditions” mandated by Supreme Court is “completed in all
respects”, no reservation for Backward Class of citizens shall be provided. It
also directed State Government/State Election Commission to notify elections
immediately, as the Municipalities’ term has either ended or shall end by 31
January. This after hearing PILs alleging the exercise of reservation of seats
in municipalities ‘is being carried out by the state government in complete
derogation and defiance’ of the SC mandate.
While Yogi government promptly filed
an appeal against the order in Supreme Court, showcasing to be the messiah of
backward communities, other political parties have responded with equal
alacrity. A slugfest: SP chief Akhilesh Yadav announced a ‘Revolution for
Reservation’ and accused BJP of ‘a conspiracy to finish reservation for OBCs
and warned Dalits they would be next…they want to remove OBCs from positions of
power and reduce them to slaves…”; BSP chief Mayawati tweeted: “Congress
government at Centre didn’t allow Mandal report implementation, and with this
SC, ST reservation was also made ineffective. Now BJP is following in Congress footsteps…
SP government didn’t give full rights to most backwards, and ended SC/ST
reservation in promotions…” The BJP hit
back saying Akhilesh is shedding crocodile tears: he “wants welfare of his
family, not backwards. He should instead concentrate on his party as there’s a
long list of his MLAs who are in touch with us.” The Congress submitted a
memorandum to Governor, demanding reservation for OBCs in civic electionsand also
warned of launching a state-wide agitation to “expose the anti-backward
mentality of the government”. With all fronts trying to score brownie points,
the OBCs can wait.
* * * * * * *
Tripura Churnings
All is not well for the BJP in
Tripura. On Wednesday last one more MLA, Dibachandra Hrangkhawal, resigned from
the Assembly, becoming the 7thlegislator of the ruling coalition to
quit this year. While he cited personal reasons for his resignation, he joined
the Congress after being accompanied by a senior state Congress leader Saha,
who too had resigned as a BJP MLA earlier this year. Interestingly, Hrangkhawal,
former state Congress President had switched over to BJP just before 2018 Assembly
polls. Like himfive other MLAs have quit either the BJP or its allythe Indigenous
People's Front of Tripura, after having joined the two by quitting Congress or
TMC. The timing is clearly not good as the Assembly polls are due early next
year. Worse its intriguing as the BJP had won 3 of 4 Assembly by-polls this
June. Soon after Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb was replaced by Manik Saha in
May, following a revolt in the party. What triggers the exodus, only time will
tell.
* * * * * * *
Reprieve For Kerala, MahaOpp
The Congress in Kerala and the NCP
in Maharashtra can heave a sigh of relief. It’s veteran leaders, former Chief
Minister Oommen Chandy and former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh respectively have
got reprieve. Chandy has been given a clean chit by the CBI in the sexual harassment
allegation levelled by a woman, who is prime accused in the solar scam that had
rocked his government nearly a decade ago.The Congress has sought an apology
from Chief Minister Vijayan for recommending the probe, which was “politically
motivated”. While Deshmukh doesn’t have the same luck of exoneration, he was
granted bail by the Bombay High Court after more than a year after he was
arrested in an alleged corruption case. The court refused to further stay its
order of granting bail to him in a corruption case registered by the CBI. ‘I was
implicated in a false case’, he said referring to ED’s alleged money-laundering
case, based on an FIR registered by the CBI in an alleged corruption case in
April 2021. The Opposition in both States have a score to settle.
* * * * * * *
Gov-CM Row Sharpens
Far from ebbing,the Chief
Minister-Governor row is escalating in Chhattisgarh. On Thursday last, Bhupesh
Baghel sharpened the attack by sending a 4-page letter to Governor Uikey alleging
she wasn’t giving her assent to amendment bills providing overall 76% quota at
behest of BJP. These were passed by the Assembly on December 3, and since then
Raj Bhavan has been sitting on the file, even after Baghel submitted a reply to
its 10-point queries, despite ‘objection by his officers that there was no such
arrangement in the Constitution.’ “Keeping in view her stubbornness and
interest of 2.5 crore people of the state, I decided to send her the replies.
To satisfy the (her) ego… she is again looking for excuses…It’s unfortunate now
the legal advisor will examine it. Has the legal advisor become bigger than
Assembly?” Lamented Baghel. Viewing it as yet another example of attempts to weaken
and demean Constitutional institutions, his ruling Congress shall organise a
mega rally in Raipur on January 3to put pressure. A futile exercise, in the
backdrop that Governor-CM row is becoming a rule rather than exception in
Opposition States!
* * * * * * *
Odisha Odyssey
The BJP unmistakably adheres to the
proverb ‘the early bird catches the worm.’ While elections to Odisha Assembly
are a long way off, 2024, the party has already kicked off its campaign with
President Nadda addressing Shakti Kendra Karyakarta Sammilani, a meeting
of party’s panchayat-level workers, on his two-day visit to the State on
Wednesday last, two days after the ruling BJD celebrated its 25th
year. He slammed Naveen Patnaik government of being corrupt and
anti-development. The list of accusations: non-implementation of Ayushman
Bharat scheme and denying 60 lakh poor people its benefits; missing key of Puri
Jagannath temple’s ‘Ratna Bhandar’ (treasure trove) and Naveen Babu
roaming around with duplicate keys; failure of keeping promise of opening Odia University
in four years and a sugar mill; atrocities against women, Dalits and tribals at
its peak, etc. As against these he listed Centre’s developmental
projects/schemes for the State, urged people to join Modi’s ‘development Yatra’
and ensure the lotus blooms in both Assembly and Lok Sabha polls. Aware of
BJP’s plan to dethrone him, an astute and one of the longest serving Chief
Ministers Naveen babu is least worried. “Our party will serve Odisha for over
100 more years’, he said. Challenging enough. ---INFA
(Copyright, India News & Feature
Alliance)
|