Of Politics & Terrorism
By Insaf
The Ishrat Jahan encounter case has become a hot political potato, post the CBI indicting six Gujarat police officers stating that it was a cold-blooded fake killing. Recall in 2004, she along with three others were branded terrorists and accused of planning to assassinate Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi which resulted in their being gunned down in the outskirts of Ahmedabad. Predictably, it has led to a murky war of words between arch rivals Congress and BJP. While the former has accused Modi and his then Home Minister Amit Shah being behind the encounter and warned that the Chief Minister would soon be exposed, the latter has retaliated by asserting that its counterpart was politicising terror to serve its own political ends, worse as usual by using the CBI. Notwithstanding the tu tu mein mein, the case underscores dangerous portents. By involving the IB’s role in the killing it has led to further mudding of the waters between the CBI on the one hand and the country’s intelligence apparatus on the other. The IB chief has bluntly stated that it would demoralise his cadres in having their ear to the ground to keep terrorists at bay. Can our political leadership please stop playing ducks and drakes with the nation’s security?
Bengal Votebank Politics
Time for West Bengal’s ruling TMC to learn a lesson or two on constitutional propriety against religious vote bank politics. Much to its chagrin it can no longer dilly-dally on the impending Panchayat polls on grounds that these clash with the holy month of Ramzan. The polls shall be held as scheduled–July 11-25, thanks to the Supreme Court rejecting both TMC and Congress plea seeking postponement or re-arranging. Religious considerations that ‘one-third of the Muslim voters would not be able to elect their representatives because they are fasting’ rightly did not gel with the apex court. Noting that the Constitution mandated elections be held expeditiously before completion of its term, the SC pointed out that given it was already over, it would not be swayed by religious sentiments. Perhaps, the WB Government should have done its homework rather than indulge in vote bank politics. It should have kept in mind that Islamic nations don’t come to a standstill during Ramzan.
Jharkhand Naxal Attack
Maoist attack in Jharkhand, soon after Chhattisgarh, has sent warning bells ringing all the way to New Delhi. Obviously, the Centre’s strategy to fight the Naxal menace with the States is not yielding desired results. On Wednesday last, it had little option to send out a red-alert to all Maoist-affected States urging them not only to be extra cautious but consider getting more aggressive as planned. Additionally, the Centre has advised the States to concentrate not only on core areas (such as inter-State borders) but also ‘non-core zones’ too, in the backdrop of Tuesday last ambush in Dumka district in which an SP and five other policemen were killed. The Union Home Ministry has sought that while there should be no let up in the offensive against the Maoists in their strongholds, the States’ local police can ill-afford to ignore warnings given by the CRPF, as in the recent-most case. While the advice should be welcome by States, the Centre too should give credence to alerts coming from them. Apparently, a Jharkhand MP has accused New Delhi of not paying heed to his counsel– that the State’s Santhal Pargana, of which Dumka is a part, be included in the highly Maoist-affected areas. His plea went unheeded for four years!
Bihar Poll Overdrive
Talking of vote bank politics, Bihar has gone into election poll overdrive for 2014. Having severed his ties with the BJP for reasons well known, JD(U) Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is going all out to further woo the minorities. On Tuesday last, his Cabinet approved Rs 800-odd crore to include 20 more districts with concentration of minorities under the Multi-Sectoral Development Programme, which is centrally-sponsored. Accordingly, ’75 blocks and eight towns’ will see development of madrasas and schools, and distribution of scholarships during the 12th Five Year Plan. Nitish who has been cosying up to New Delhi, has got the Centre to agree to give Rs 300-odd coroe of its share for minority development. This apart, Nitish had one of his Rajya Sabha MPs to host a meeting of the All-India Pasmanda Muslim Mehaz in Patna on Monday last. Though he chose not to be present at the meet despite posters saying he was the Chief Guest, Nitish would be happy with its outcome. Expectedly, the forum was used for NaMo bashing (accusing the Gujarat CM of playing divisive politics) and Nitish being adorned as the “new Messiah of the Muslims.” So much for secular credentials!
NCR Expanded, New LG
Delhi which is bursting at the seams has good news. The NCR Planning Board (NCRPB) has given the nod to include two more districts of Haryana (Bhiwani and Mahendargarh) and one of Rajasthan (Bharatpur) in the National Capital Region. This has been done to cut down the pressure on health, educational and economic infrastructure of Delhi, says the Urban Development Ministry. And how? There will be new growth centres in the districts and shall attract investment. However, the NCR authorities will need to ensure connectivity and infrastructure along with job opportunities.
Rajasthan’s Crorepati Compounder!
Can one imagine a compounder in a hospital having assets worth Rs 200 crore? Absurd as it sounds, there is such a case. The Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur, Rajasthan, is indeed an eye opener, insofar as how corrupt our system can be. On Sunday last, its compounder, Mahesh Chand was caught taking a bribe of Rs five lakhs. Peanuts, after what was eventually unearthed in raids by the Anti-Corruption Bureau thereafter. Sharma held assets worth Rs 200 crores which includes a hospital in Mansoravar, a resort, a number of houses and runs some nursing homes. And he has confessed to it all! The modus operandi: being a member of the Indian Nursing Council since 2007, Sharma was extracting money from nursing colleges for new course, accreditation, change in number of seats etc as well would hold surprise inspection so that he could bulldoze his way and extract money. —INFA