Bihar Agenda
By Insaf
Come April 1 and Bihar will go dry. Well, prohibition is uppermost on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s list of poll promises to be kept. His pronouncement will obviously make the men-folk frown. But that should be of little concern. It’s the die-hard women supporters, who outnumbered the men in casting their vote this election, that Nitish seeks to please. Liquor consumption hits the poorest of the poor, their families hard and the kids’ education; it leads to domestic violence, particularly against women, and an increase in crime, is Nitish’s reasoning for the ban. However, there hangs a big question mark over coming out tops on this front. Prohibition may like in Mahatma Gandhi’s Gujarat, turn out to be sham. Liquor is easily there available thanks to the bootleggers, who it goes without saying, are raking it in. And, how does Nitish propose to deal with the local hooch industry? To top it all, how does the State, craving for funds, make up for the loss of revenue of Rs 3000-odd crore annually? All eyes would be on the ‘peg’ measures. Will Biharis say ‘cheers’ or scream ‘April Fool’?
Likewise, bigger partner RJD too has an agenda. Its Chief Lalu Prasad’s son and Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi stated that “corruption will not be tolerated …people have given us a big mandate only to work for them and we’ll do our work with full honesty.” The zero tolerance warning and the commitment to develop Bihar as a modern State came soon after he assumed charge of his ministries. Ironically, a day later Lalu found himself cautioning his flock of newly elected MLAs “not to scramble for bungalows in Patna before it was officially allotted to them.” The need arose as some of the legislators had affixed their nameplates to many a gate of several palatial bungalows, notwithstanding the fact that these were still occupied! Will signs of the famous ‘jungle raj’ fade away and how soon, is the big question.
MP Dampens BJP Spirits
Madhya Pradesh offers no solace to the BJP headquarter in Delhi. The ruling party suffered a humiliating defeat in the by-election for the Ratlam-Jhabua (ST) Lok Sabha constituency, following the death of its MP, Dilip Singh Bhuria, who incidentally won the seat in the 2014 Modi wave. On the other hand, the Congress is upbeat. The victory of its candidate and former Minister, Kantilal Bhuria offers a glimmer of hope of a comeback in the State. More so, as Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had camped in the constituency and addressed over 25 rallies with his ministers in tow. The timing of this defeat makes matters worse for the BJP – close on the heels of the Bihar debacle. Losing its first parliamentary seat after its spectacular victory in the Lok Sabha elections is indeed not a good omen. Is the magic wearing off? While the BJP may scoff at the suggestion, it may at least admit that the Ratlam verdict dampened its high spirits of having made its debut in the two Manipur Assembly by-elections. Victory turned sour?
War Cry In Punjab
The bugle for the 2017 battle in Punjab is already sounded. By accusing the Congress of ‘orchestrating’ the recent anti-government protests in the State, the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal has realised that best defence is offence. It now charges the Grand old party of ‘supporting pro-Khalistan groups’, of being “anti-national” and petitioned the President for ‘derecognition.’ Besides, in a massive show of strength at a ‘Sadbhavna rally’ in the Badals stronghold, Bhatinda, the SAD has thrown the challenge –try dislodging the Akali rule. The Congress has scoffed at the ‘theatrics’ and is too ready with its ammunition. Capt Amarinder Singh, who is slated to be back as Pradesh Congress chief, has hit back by charging the SAD of using ally BJP to use ‘dirty tricks’ against its opponents, read asking the Swiss authorities to investigate his wife and son’s accounts! Daggers are indeed drawn. However, in their bitter war both shouldn’t forget the AAP waiting in the wings. After Delhi, will it be Punjab?
Of State Parties & Ambedkar
The Constitution Day being observed by Parliament to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary celebration of Dr B R Ambedkar, had State and regional parties seeking to outdo big brothers Congress and the BJP in appropriating his legacy. While Congress President Sonia Gandhi drew home the point that her party came in for praise by none other than Ambedkar for appointing him the chairman of the Constitution committee, BJP’s Rajnath Singh showcased his Government’s schemes as being directly related to Ambedkar, who had inspired Prime Minister Modi. However, when its turn came in the Lok Sabha, debating commitment to India’s Constitution, the Trinamool Congress was quick to insist that after the Constituent assembly was set up, Ambedkar represented West Bengal even though he was born in Madhya Pradesh. Besides, while Mahatma Gandhi wanted him to be inducted from Maharashtra or MP, neither obliged! While the Shiv Sena may have been miffed, it chose to train its guns on the Congress, reminding it that while it made him chairman it put up candidates against him in two elections in Mumbai, both of which he lost. Sadly, in the clamour for scoring brownie points, the MPs and parties seemed to have missed the woods for the tress!
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Fiercely Violent Bengal
West Bengal should hang its head in shame. While the world joined the UN to mark the Day to end violence against women last Wednesday, statistics revealed the State, ruled by a woman Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, continues to top the nation’s chart in domestic violence cases for the 7th consecutive year! Shockingly, married women continue to be beaten in their homes and over one in 10 cases of crime against women last year was reported from the State. Worse, while the Bengalis claim to be more liberal, the State accounted for one in five cases of cruelty by husband and relatives, more than northern States like UP, Haryana and Rajasthan, whose society is typecast as brutally parochial. It also ranks second in cases of suicide due to dowry and fourth in dowry murder. The statistics by an international network to end domestic violence have been contested by the Government saying the figures reflect only those cases which are registered by police. And, while Bengali women go to the cops and lodge complaints, others in many States don’t do so. Be that as it may, is there any justification it can offer as to why justice eludes these women?