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Round The States
Modi’s Solemn Promise
GOOD GOVERNANCE & DEVELOPMENT
By Insaf
New Delhi, December 30, 2007
TAll eyes continue to be on Narendra Modi and his Gujarat.
True, he singlehandedly took on the Congress, its supremo,
Sonia Gandhi and all the rebels and critics --- and created
history by winning hands down with a final tally of 117 seats
in a 182-member Assembly. The Congress had to be content with
barely 62 seats even though 11 up from its 51 in 2002. But
that was yesterday. Today, Modi is being watched closely as he
begins his third term as the Chief Minister. And Modi has not
disappointed so far. He has made all the right gestures and
the correct noises. Displaying magnanimity, he has reached out
to all his detractors, including Keshubhai Patel, within the
BJP and the Congress. More importantly, he has declared that
development and giving Gujarat good governance are paramount.
As he put it: “The people have not just given us power. They
have also handed over a responsibility”.
Modi’s message for his third term is loud and clear. He has
promised a sustained growth of 12.5 per cent and vowed to turn
former President Kalam’s 2020 vision of India into reality
much before that. Importantly, he has challenged all those who
continue to accuse him of having pursued his communal agenda
during the poll campaign. He has offered to step down if his
critics can show him even one instance of having made a
communal pitch. Even as Modi embarks on his Gujarati dream, it
remains to be seen whether the Congress will carry out a truly
Gandhian introspection and learn its Gujarat lesson. It has to
face facts. Neither Sonia Gandhi nor Rahul carried any great
conviction with the voters. True, they attracted big crowds.
But as the late Congress President, Kamraj, once stated, most
people come for tamasha. Every public meeting by a top leader
is a mela for them. Ultimately, the people vote on the basis
of their own judgment and fancy!
* * * *
Rajasthan Cabinet Expands
Emboldened by her Party’s historic triumph in Gujarat,
Rajasthan’s Chief Minister, Vasundhara Raje, sprung a surprise
on her Party earlier this week by expanding her Cabinet. She
inducted four new Cabinet Ministers and one Minister of State
while dropping two Ministers and accepting the resignation of
another. Even as Raje asserted that her expansion was to
‘bring efficiency’ to her Administration, the induction of new
Meena and a Gujjar faces is perceived as an attempt to mollify
the agitated Gujjar community, which has threatened to launch
a major agitation after being denied Scheduled Tribe status in
the State. Moreover, coming on the heels of Modi’s landslide
victory in Gujarat, the ministerial induction is a sharp rap
on the knuckles of the RSS-backed dissidents in the State.
With Assembly elections slated for December 2008 the message
to the dissidents is clear: Fall in line or quit.
* * * *
Nagaland Government To Stay
The controversy over the Nagaland Government’s longevity has
blown over. The Centre has wisely decided against dismissing
the NPF-led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland, as the State is
slated to go to the polls within the next three months.
Notwithstanding, the persistent demand raised by the Congress
MLAs that they had won the no-confidence motion against the
Neiphiu Rio Government by 31-23 votes and had the requisite
majority to form the Government. In doing so, New Delhi has
overlooked a “constitutional impropriety” committed by the
Speaker in ruling that the NPF-led Government had survived the
no-confidence motion last week. Astonishingly, the Speaker
barred three Independent MLAs from voting on the ground that
they had earlier supported the NPF Government. Moreover, he
declared the vote of nine dissident MLAs against the
Government invalid for having defied the Party whip. Raising a
moot point: the Government may have survived, but was the
Speaker’s unprecedented ruling justified?
* * * *
Mayawati Breaks Fresh Ground
Queen Bee of social engineering, Mayawati has unveiled a
nouvelle Economic Policy. At its core is the Public-Private
Partnership (PPP) model wherein the quota system would be
introduced, albeit voluntarily, in the areas and projects to
be developed under this model. The reservation policy would be
similar to the on-going policy in the Government service and
envisages 10 per cent reservation for the Scheduled Castes, 10
per cent for the OBCs and religious minorities and another 10
per cent for the economically poor among the Upper Castes.
Unfolding her Middle Path holistic policy, the UP Chief
Minister vowed that the benefits would accrue to the deprived
and downtrodden sections of the poor. Conveniently, brushing
under the carpet the ugly reality of rising unemployment,
increasing crime graph and pathetic infrastructure. All cannot
be waved off merely with her “sarv samaj” wand! Development is
a hard task master.
* * * *
Delhi’s Scandalous Record!
Delhi now has the dubious distinction of having shortest
Assembly sessions. Shockingly, the Assembly met only for 18
sittings this year. The established norm is around 60
sittings, as decided at a meeting of the Speakers of all
Assemblies convened by Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee
recently. Pertinently, the three-day winter session from 26 to
29 December has a litany of over 224 questions admitted for
reply, besides five bills and three private members
resolutions. Ironically, a BJP MLA’s resolution demands that
the Assembly should have a minimum of 50 sittings in a year
and each session should be at least of two weeks. No matter
that the Delhi Assembly Speaker, Prem Singh, summarily
dismissed the issue earlier this week by asserting that it was
the Delhi Government’s prerogative to decide on the sittings.
Questionably, is this fair to the system and the tax payer?
* * * *
Power For Arunachal Villages
Arunachal Pradesh has reason to feel ‘alight’. Gone before
very long will be days when sunset was synonymous with
darkness for hundreds of villages in the border areas of the
State and the twinkling Chinese lights from across the border
cast an envious glow. Happily, the State Government has
decided to end the India-China “divide” by preparing the
“Border Villages Illumination Programme” to develop
infrastructure in 842 villages. The 61-crore project envisages
setting up of plants of a capacity ranging from 10 KV to 200
KV to bring minimum domestic lighting facility to these
villages. Even the remote 170 villages which are not connected
by motorable roads will be aglow with independent hydel power!
However, a lot more will still remain to be done. Almost 45
per cent of the villages in the State, home to over 31,000
households, would continue to grope in darkness, thanks to
funds constraint. Time for the Centre to be generous!
* * * *
Bird Watching MP’s Latest Fad
Madhya Pradesh has earned a ‘bird’ feather for its cap. Bird
watching has become the flavour of the winter season in the
State with more and more people, including children, joining
various bird camps in Bhopal. The movement for birds and
nature started in the State two years ago in 2005 and has come
a long way. It has not only led to the creation of an NGO,
“Bhopal Birds,” devoted to the cause of nature conservation
but the State Forest Department, the Academy of
Administration, the State Tourism Development Corporation and
the World Wildlife Fund for Nature have joined hands to
conduct various bird camps in Bhopal, specially in the Upper
Lake, home to many bird species from Europe and Central Asia.
Happily, resulting in the formation of a “Green Brigade”
(Environmentally Aware Citizens) in support of environmental
conservation. This should indeed, be music to India’s bird
watchers led by legendry Salim Ali. ---- INFA
(Copyright India News & Feature Alliance)
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