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Round The States
Nandigram Festering Violence
CPM REVEALS STALINIST STREAK
By Insaf
New Delhi,
November 17, 2007
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)
E-Mail :
newseditor@sarkaritel.com
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