Three states up in arms
By Insaf
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has started giving sleepless nights to her counterparts in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa. Her soft approach towards the Maoists has turned her State into a soft haven for the ultras on the run from these three adjacent States. Shockingly, the anti-Maoist operations in West Bengal were recently brought to a halt, when Didi mandated six civil society members to initiate talks with the rebels. Worse, Mamata has decided to release 78 political prisoners in the State, including many prominent Maoist leaders. Worried senior police officials in the three States now find the going tough. With Bengal stopping the joint operations against the Maoists, their force has to work overtime. They plead that at least the TMC Government should seal the borders so that when they conduct operations the rebels are unable to flee. Sadly, Writer’s Building has expectedly turned a deaf ear. Will the Union Home Ministry please step in or will it allow Mamata to play havoc with the nationwide crackdown against the Maoists? The Centre can ill afford to molly-coddle partner Mamata.
Karnataka’s New CM
The old order gave way to the new in Bangalore with the swearing-in of D V Sadananda Gowda as Karnataka’s new Chief Minister on Thursday last. The affable and non-controversial Lok Sabha member from Udupi-Chikmagalur who had also served as Deputy Opposition leader in the Assembly in 2004. Underscoring not only a victory for his embattled predecessor Yeddiyurappa’s camp but also showcased the Lingayat leaders hold within the party in the State vis-à-vis the rival camp led by BJP General Secretary Anant Kumar. It took over three days and a secret ballot to finally anoint Gowda. Needless to say, the new Chief Minister would need to balance and walk a tight rope to get various camps within the party to agree and ensure smooth running of the his Government. Additionally, he would have to ensure that his mai-baap now set to be prosecuted by the State Lokayukta does not perceive to be meddling in running the Government, specially the mining issue and other development matters. All eyes are on his handling of tricky issues.
Delhi CM in CWG Mess
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit is in deep trouble. The CWG ghost has caught up with her Government. In its performance audit report, the Comptroller and Auditor General has severely indicted the third term CM, saying there have been serious lapses and irregularities in the bidding process for procurement of different Games-related items and several instances of “wasteful expenditure.” These include: modernization of street lighting system (imported), Rs 20 crore sanctioned for plants which were bought instead of being grown in Government nurseries, for better road signage three PWD zones floated separate tenders, which resulted in higher rates and loss to Government, Rs 97 crore sanctioned for Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit system, wherein the job is incomplete, etc. However, Dikshit maintains that her “conscience is clear and that the situation warranted certain actions and we responded to it.” Is this enough?
Clean Chit To Mayawati
Beleaguered Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati can heave a sigh of relief, at least on one front. On Wednesday last, the Delhi High Court gave her a clean chit viz her wealthy birthday gifts. It dismissed the Centre’s appeal challenging a 2007 order of the income-tax tribunal that these gifts shall remain exempted from being taxed. Recall, that the Tribunal had concluded that the immovable properties worth Rs 62.72 lakhs and cash payments of Rs 2 lakhs were “gifts” given by her supporters “out of love and affection”. And as luck would have it for Mayawati, all donors have proved their genuineness and capacity to make gifts. Besides, the court noted that “there is no evidence on record to prove that Mayawati has favoured the donors in any manner whatsoever by acquiring the gifts in question.” With this clean chit in hand now Mayawati can comfortably look forward to her next birthday bash.
Assam Peace Talks
The peace process in Assam may soon get a fillip. The pro-talk group of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) is happy with the Centre’s efforts of getting back their leader Anup Chetia from Bangladesh. Apparently, Chetia was one of the pro-talks leaders back in 1998 and is one among the 50 Indians who are believed to be in hiding or in detention in Bangladesh. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, on Wednesday admitted that the “Government wants him back, the people of Assam also want it that way… So definitely, the prospects of peace have brightened.” Obviously, having come back to power for a record third term Gogoi is keen peace talks with the ULFA resume and that with its top leader party to tow, there is much to hope for.
DMK Bounces Back
The DMK in Tamil Nadu has decided not to lie low any longer. Enough of AIADMK vindictive action is its new chant. On Monday last, the party which has been pushed to the back row, staged State-wide protest against the Jayalalitha Government for allegedly filing false cases against party members. Thousands of cadres under former deputy chief minister Stalin protested against Jaya’s crackdown on so-called land grabbers in Chennai, whereas M K Alagiri organized dharnas in Madurai. The DMK leadership has resolved that it would not be cowed down by the AIADMK and was ready to face any kind of case. The DMK patriarch M Karunanidi made it a point to go to the party headquarters and monitor the situation. Guess, the 2 G scam hurt is healing and the turf war has begun.
J&K YC Family Tree
Jammu and Kashmir Indian Youth Congress is all set to cause embarrassment to the High command in New Delhi. In its newly-constituted State Executive, eight out of 11 General Secretaries are relatives of senior leaders, including Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Jammu MP Madan Lal Sharma party. This is contradictory to what All India General Secretary Rahul Gandhi had in mind when he stepped into the scene four years ago. Didn’t the Gandhi scion resolve to eliminate the role of the “family, patronage and money” in the IYC? The party cadres are up in arms as children and relatives of senior leaders have got the plum posts in the youth wing. The justification by YC President Shoaib Lone that “we cannot leave somebody out just because he or she is related to somebody” has not cut much ice. Obviously, something will never change in the grand old party. —INFA.