By Nora Chopra
The most important and hyped legislation bifurcating Andhra Pradesh to create Telengana is unlikely to come up in this session because of shortage of time. The bill creating Telengana has to be approved first by the GOM then by the cabinet and then by the President. It will then be sent to the state assembly and then to parliament. The government will have to give 40 days time to the state and if it does not approve, then the government can pass it in parliament. So Telengana is lost. The Congress is also apprehensive of the president Pranab Mukherjee’s moves. Mukherjee who was initially the first chairman of the GOM on Telengana was opposed to it initially and had sat on the decision till he was in the chair. The Andhra Pradesh sources reveal that the President has indicated to the Andhra People during his recent visit to the state that he was consulting legal experts and may finally not sign on the bill. The bill that can come in this session is the Women Reservation Bill. In a face saving gesture, the Congress is planning to bring the Women Reservation Bill. Except for the caste parties like Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party, the RJD and the JD (U) no other party can afford to oppose the bill. Despite the division in the rank and file of the Congress, Sonia Gandhi is determined to bring the legislation. The bill has already been passed in Rajya Sabha it has to be passed in Lok Sabha. And Sonia will ensure that the bill is passed ensuring the support of the women for the Congress. The Congress would like to then capitalise on the Women Reservation Bill particularly in the season where women issues today dominate the society. The Communal Violence Bill again may not see the light of the day if the Congress fails to make it in the state polls. The party is again divided on the issue. While the secular elements in the party think that it can appease the minorities and will help the party to garner their support. The rightist upper caste leadership on the other hand are opposed to it as they think this would alienate the majority community and further push them to the BJP.
BJP DIVIDED ON ARTICLE 370 ISSUE
Narendra Modi might have played to the gallery in Jammu by raising the issue of article 370 but the Bharatiya Janata Party is divided on the issue. When they were in power they had foregone all their three issues Article 370, common civil code and the Ram Temple. It was only after they gave up these issues that they could muster support and get allies like the TDP or the Trinamool Congress or the BJD or even the National Conference. But with Modi at the helm, it would not be an easy task to get allies and if he rakes up Article 370 then where can the BJP get allies unless it gets 200 plus . It is in view of this the BJP’s top brass in Delhi was quite upset and Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley both adopted a soft stand.
NEW PCC CHIEF IN UTTARAKHAND SOON
The Congress top leadership has intensified its search for a new PCC chief for Uttarakhand particularly after Yashpal Arya resigned about two weeks ago. Arya who was made minister in the Vijay Bahuguna government was under pressure to keep only one post and resign from the other. Two weeks ago Arya opted for his ministerial post and resigned from the PCC but the Congress has failed to zero in on his successor. No minister is willing to give up his ministerial post particularly in view of the infighting between the chief minister Vijay Bahuguna and the union minister Harish Rawat. The Congress is even keen to strike a balance of castes in the hill states. Among the names floating around are of Satpal Maharaj MP Lok Sabha and Mahinder Maharaj MP Rajya Sabha. Meanwhile the chief minister has suggested two names – Vikram Singh MLA Pratap Nagar and Sheila Rani Rawat MLA Kedarnath . All four are Rajputs.
WEST BENGAL CONGRESSMEN GETTING DISENCHANTED
The Congress is vanishing in West Bengal. The West Bengal PCC chief the seventy year old Pradeep Bhattacharya is a thorough gentleman. But this is what is going against him. This is the standard complaint against him that he is too gentleman a person and too old to rejuvenate a dying Congress in West Bengal. The West Bengal Congress men are extremely upset with both Delhi for giving everything to Bhattacharya who is not even being able to contain the exodus that has started in the state. State leaders are disillusioned with Delhi for having bestowed all the jobs to the ageing Bhattacharya. He is not only the PCC chief but even heads the state INTUC and has also been made a Rajya Sabha member. Unhappy with the state of affairs in their party and the realization of the growing might of Mamata Banerjee after her spectacular success in the Panchayat and municipal polls, senior leaders are all leaving the party to join the Trinamool Congress- the latest being the party Vice President Ajoy Dey a very senior and respected Congress leader. About three to four municipalities controlled by the Congress have joined Trinamool Congress lock stock and barrel. And despite the exodus, Delhi has put on deaf ears and turned a blind eye. Whether it is strategic move or West Bengal is not on the Delhi agenda, the state leaders are not being able to understand. The party general secretary in charge CP Joshi, the blue eyed boy of Rahul Gandhi is not available to address their grievances as he is busy politicking in his home state Rajasthan .
IS RENUKA CHOUDHURY LEAVING CONGRESS?
Question being asked in political circles is why was Renuka Choudhury the most vocal spokesperson of the Congress sacked but in the most hush hush manner. Nobody was informed that she has been removed. What Makan later said was that the Congress needed more serious people. But the allegation that worked against her was her anti Telengana stand. Pressure had mounted on the Congress high command to remove her as she was taking advantage of her position as spokesperson to air her views as that of the party leading to misconceptions in the party. But if you go by the rumour Choudhury can join the BJP before the 2014 elections. Her utterances on Telengana issue were quite in consonance with the BJP views on the issue. (IPA)