Round the States Insaf
Regional political parties in Bihar are yet to get ready for the upcoming elections – and are cut up with EC for proposing voting in Sept-Oct
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Janata Parivar wants the Bihar assembly polls postponed, while the BJP would like to have a preponement, and the EC is caught in between; Arvind Kejriwal is again at it, locking horns with the Lt Governor over appointment of officials, while the Centre keeps calling the shots in Delhi; Babus in the Delhi government are divided on regional lines too, to take on ruling AAP and its ‘whims’; ruling partner Shiv Sena in Maharashtra is taking its fight beyond the borders, and spiting Mongolia for receiving aid from Modi when Marathi farmers were struggling with failed crops; Ruling PDP wants separatist leader Syed Geelani be given a passport to fly out, but ally BJP has its reservations.
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Strangely, all political parties have upped the ante against the Election Commission’s proposal to hold the Bihar state assembly polls in September–October for a variety of reasons. The ruling JD(U) would like to defer the polls on three counts: one, large parts of north Bihar would be battling the yearly floods in September; two, October is the beginning of Hindu festivities such as Durga Puja and Dussehra, and three, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar would like the amalgamation of the skewed Janata Parivar to return to the original Janata Party pre-elections. He is worried after Samajwadi Party leader in Rajya Sabha and Mulayam Singh’s confidante Ram Gopal Verma has asserted that the merger would only be after the state polls.
It’s another matter this is music to BJP’s ears, as reports from the state do not hold out good prospects for the party. On its part, the hindutava brigade would like the elections to be preponed to July-August, which would shorten the time for merger talks. Trust RJD’s Laloo Yadav to bluster his way through by averring he was ready for polls anytime. Will the EC oblige given that the state assembly has to be in place before November 24 and in the backdrop that it went ahead with polls in Kashmir despite it being devastated by floods?
Kejriwal again
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s fight with Prime Minister Modi, albeit via Lt Governor Najeeb Jung, has opened a pandora’s box on Centre-State relations. It all started with Shakuntla Gamlin being appointed acting chief secretary by Jung when the chief secretary went on 10 days’ leave, which triggered a political tsunami. An angry Kejriwal rescinded the order by shooting off a letter to Jung that he had no business appointing any officer as he was usurping the powers of an elected government.
Jung retaliated by rolling back the AAP government’s orders on officials. This has resulted in a major constitutional crisis with lawyers split down the middle between Jung and Kejriwal. Chief Ministers too have jumped into the fray in support of Kejriwal. Bihar’s Nitish Kumar queried what kind of a government it would be if it doesn’t have a say in selection of officers. Former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah too backed the Delhi CM by underscoring that Kejriwal had every right to choose his own team. CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury noted that the Centre was trying to encroach on the rights of a State government.
In this high drama, finance minister Arun Jaitley further ignited temperatures by asserting that AAP was a costly experiment as governance was not its agenda. Both sides then took the issue to President Pranab Mukherjee’s court, who told them to amicably resolve the matter. Further, even as home minister Rajnath Singh has washed his hands of this murky affair and referred the matter to the attorney general, Kejriwal has sent a stinker to Modi, accusing the PMO of running the Delhi government through the LG. “Let Delhi government function independently,” he demanded. While the Centre is backing Jung, also with an order that Lt Governors of all Union Territories will have authority to deploy officials, Kejriwal and team are contemplating knocking on the door of the Supreme Court. Who will break this Constitutional impasse, is obviously the big question.
Divided babus
Meanwhile, an unseemly fallout of the Kejriwal-Jung tug-of-war is that the bureaucracy is divided down the middle. The acting chief secretary, who belongs to Assam, has found her North-Eastern colleagues rooting for her efficiency and honesty even as they decry Kejriwal for alleging her closeness to private power companies. They deem it as an insult to the North-East. Kejriwal had also sealed the office of the principal secretary, administration, Anindo Majumdar, after stripping him of his post. This has resulted in another section — the Bengali bureaucrats — refusing to work in the Delhi government. This apart, the IAS officers’ association Wednesday last is learnt to have passed a resolution against the ‘ill-treatment’ of its members by the AAP government, and said the “humiliation would not be tolerated”. Deputy chief minister Sisodia has thus been at pains to undo the damage and held a long meeting with senior officials to pacify tempers. It won’t be easy, the simmering discontentment may grow louder and wider.
Sorry, Mongolia
Maharashtra’s Shiv Sena is at it again — playing hardball with partner BJP. Thus, not surprisingly, it hit out at none other than Prime Minister Modi, questioning his decision to extend $1billion credit to Mongolia on his recent visit there, while completely ignoring the plight of the state’s farmers! In an editorial in its mouthpiece Saamana, the party stated: “Maharashtra’s farmers are caught in a debt trap. Mauled by unseasonal rains and hailstorm, they are eagerly awaiting a financial package from the Centre. The people of Mongolia are more fortunate…” Recall, earlier this month, the Sena had taken on Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on the farmers’ suicide issue and questioned his claim of repeatedly asking the Centre to help tide over the crisis. The Union agriculture minister noted Saamana has stated that no such request has been made. While it’s obvious the BJP would be pink with embarrassment, with its ally singing a different tune, Modi would need to do some fire-fighting. He can ill-afford an NDA partner speaking the same language of the Opposition.
Passport to more trouble
Developments in Jammu and Kashmir may make the BJP see red. Partner PDP is putting pressure on the Centre to grant a passport to separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, dismissing the BJP’s objections. Geelani has applied for a passport to visit his ailing daughter in Saudi Arabia and the PDP says that it should be granted on “humanitarian grounds.” The issue has now put the ball in the home ministry’s court. Minister of state Kiren Rijiju has said that too much is being made of it and that a passport is the right of every Indian citizen and it will process the application on merit when the matter is referred to it. Well, it shouldn’t take long as Geelani was given a passport earlier. However, with the new regime at the Centre known for its rather tough stance against the Hurriyat leaders, the question of Geelani getting a passport would be a hot topic in the Valley. The home ministry would need to tread cautiously because the reason cited by Geelani may well put in on the wrong foot in case of a refusal without merit. Besides, PDP is watching. —INFA
