Dynastic politics in Cong and UDP’s blues
Even as the Congress party has started its preliminary rounds of choosing candidates for the 2013 elections in several constituencies candidates who have abandoned their old constituencies are striving to push their sons, daughters, wives and sundry relatives in the fray so that their control over the political resources grow.
But this time it appears that even supporters of the Congress party in different Blocks are unwilling to be taken for granted and are trying to assert their own right to elect the candidate of their choice.
Sitting MLAs are not happy with this new assertive nature of their constituents they have always thought they could control or ‘have in their pockets’ as they say.
“Infighting in the Congress is not a new phenomenon, but we have always won because other parties are in greater disarray,” say seasoned Congress supporters. The regional parties however think differently. They believe there is no time like 2013.
Ironically, the only person who does not have enough faith in the UDP is its president. A senior UDP functionary confided with dismay that the party president told members at a meeting that the UDP should be realistic and accept that the party can never go beyond 10-12 seats since it has virtually no presence in Garo Hills. His party supporters are not amused.
National anthem faux-pas
During the recent inauguration of a car showroom in the outskirts of the city an absurd thing happened at the end of the function. The announcer requested the audience to pay attention to the National Anthem which was to follow. Meghalaya Governor, RS Mooshahary who inaugurated the showroom was standing in full attention along with a host of dignitaries, staff and other invited guests.
But to the embarrassment of all, the person controlling the music system played a heavy metal song even while the patriotic guests were on their toes and began to sniggle.
Later everyone burst into fits of laughter. Fortunately or unfortunately that embarrassing moment was not captured by the otherwise obtrusive Paparazzi of Meghalaya. Later, when the real anthem was played the guests still could not control their giggles. So much for official faux-pas to turn a serious event into a comic one.
Whither State Assembly?
Questions are once again asked as to whether Meghalaya’s much awaited State Assembly Building will ever come up and where. The Rs 260 crore project seems to have taken a holiday for the time being.
The issue is no longer in the news and so too the public indignation about Tara Ghar as the choice of venue.
Everywhere in this country suburbs are developing at a fast pace. On the Mumbai-Pune road areas like Lonavala have come up as new booming townships with several institutions of repute being set up at such distant suburbs. And rightly so! Mumbai is choc-a-bloc with buildings and cars.
Unless people move away from this economic capital of India into the vast expanse outside it they will choke. It’s the same with neighbouring Assam. Areas beyond Guwahati are developing.
But the mindset of people in Meghalaya is set in stone. No one – neither government nor individuals want to move out of Shillong. So any suggestion that the Assembly be constructed at Mawdiangdiang is considered sacrilegious. But for how long?
Some in the government are sensible enough to believe that some key offices should move to the suburbs so that the New Shillong Township starts up. However, those with such views are in the minority. Perhaps when some of the bigger institutions like IIM Shillong move to Mawdiangdiang then people would try and venture into those areas. But even before it could become a full fledged township land prices in and around the New Shillong Township have skyrocketed.
“Real estate prices in Shillong and beyond is totally unrealistic,” people complain. But isn’t that what happens when land is privately owned and prices are decided by individuals?