Politics has entered the portals of Niti Aayog, erstwhile Planning Commission. In a first of sorts twelve chief ministers gave the Governing Council meet a miss, of which nine belonged to Congress-ruled states. Also absent were West Bengal’s Mamata banerjee, Uttar Pradesh’s Akhilesh Yadav, Orissa’s Naveen Patnaik and Tamil Nadu’s Jayalalithaa.
Importantly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the occasion to forge a consensus on his pet project, Land Acquisition Bill stuck in political deadlock in Parliament. But his hopes were dashed as he encountered resistance from political opponents as also among his allies.
While Bihar and Delhi Chief Ministers stoutly opposed dilution of the 2013 Land Act provisions, dittoed by an absent Mamata Banerjee, co-partners Akalis and PDP advised caution in acquisition of land without the consent of the farmers.
With Bihar going to the polls in a few months, the ruling Janata Dal(U)’s Nitish Kumar made plain that in the event the Central Government failing to reach an amicable solution then states should be allowed to enact their respective legislation and the Centre could vet it. A move, which seems to have found favour with the ruling NDA Government for fast development even as Punjab’s Chief Minister Badal stressed the need for a social impact assessment of all acquisitions. Predictably, BJP-ruled Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat concurred with the Prime Minister’s decision. With Congress-ruled states playing hard ball, clearly the Land Act is all up in the air.
Fissures in Badal family
All does not seem to be well in the Badal Parivar. For the first time, Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal reportedly taunted daughter-in-law Union minister for Food Processing Harsimrat Kaur family and his Samdhis, Majithia’s for “enjoying maximum benefits of power”, that too in her presence. Speaking at the annual convocation of the Khalsa College presided over by Harsimrat’s father SS Majithia, Badal senior elucidated: “Majithia is the only man in the country whose son is the state Revenue Minister (Bikram Singh Majithia), daughter a Central minister and son-in-law Sukhbir the deputy Chief Minister. Pertinently when senior Majithia asked Badal senior to release funds for the colleges, the Chief Minister retorted, “I have already given the maximum”. It’s another matter that later he granted `50 lakh from the Chief Minister’s discretionary quota. A shell-shocked Junior Majithia tried his utmost at damage control by asserting, his sister Harsimrat’s father-in-law Badal had said this in lighter vein, yet the truth is words once spoken cannot be retracted. Predictably, this has sent Punjab politicians into a tizzy and provided fodder for arch opponent Congress.
IPS officer Vs Mulayam
The ruling Samajwadi Party in Ulta-Pulta state has once again unleashed its ‘state power’ by suspending a senior IPS officer, Amitabh Thakur, who took up cudgels against the mining mafia. In a repeat of the Durga Shakti Nagpal case, who came down heavily on sand mafia, Thakur complained to the police that Samajwadi supremo Mulayam Singh in a phone conversation had threatened him to desist from his ventures, which he recorded and released to the media. In retaliation, the IPS officer was suspended after a woman slapped a rape case against him. For good measure, the Akhilesh government charge-sheeted Thakur for indiscipline and holding anti-government views. The official has now demanded a CBI enquiry into the “false” molestation charges and sought security from the Union Home Ministry. But North Block has turned a blind eye as the officer is known for ‘undue activism’. All eyes are on what happens next!
All roads lead to Varanasi
All roads lead to Varanasi, the most important constituency in the country, obviously Prime Minister Modi’s. In the last one year since Modi’s high-powered election promising various goodies, the city and its surrounding areas had witnessed 129 high-powered visits by 31 of the 64 Union ministers. This was topped by another 144 tours by 56 secretaries and joint secretaries from 27 ministries to oversee various projects. Besides the cleansing of the river Ganga, redevelopment of the Varanasi’s famous ghats, the Urban ministry has prepared a blueprint for the integrated development of the constituency. Varanasi’s residents have their fingers crossed whether the litany of ministerial who’s who visits promising various goodies will translate into reality!
NDA’s Santa Claus Act
If it is raining goodies and freebies, it must be Bihar. In a no-holds-barred election campaign the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Modi sarkar is leaving no stone unturned to upstage the ruling JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar – Lalu’s RJD combine. After biting dust in Delhi’s poll, Bihar is crucial for the Hindutva brigade as it would be a barometer of Modi’s policies and popularity. Towards that end, the Union Finance Ministry is leading an 18-ministry initiative to woo voters with various gifts couched as a Bihar development strategy. To upstage the erstwhile UPA’s IIT, the NDA has mooted an Indian Institute of Management, granting Central status to Patna University, upgradation of Patna and Bodh Gaya airports. It remains to be seen if BJP’s Santa Claus Act will reap rich electoral dividends.
Food for thought
From Amma canteens to aam aadmi khana: Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal has taken a leaf out of compatriot Tamil Nadu’s Jayalalithaa’s book and has promised to kick-start eateries to provide college going students, small traders, construction workers and working class nutritious food between `5 and `10. Criticising the erstwhile Congress government’s unsustainable Jan Ahaar Scheme, which served unhygienic food, the AAP Governments intends replicating Amma’s 225 canteens in the Union Capital. Kejriwal intends roping in NGOs and private contractors. But is mum on what would be the fate of his key constituents, the street hawkers. Either which way, food for thought! –INFA