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Lok Sabha polls in redrawn constituencies

	January 21, 2008

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has made it clear that all states barring Jharkhand and four north-eastern states, would have the next elections on the basis of the redrawn constituencies as per the Delimitation Commission report. Speaking to mediapersons on his way back from China, he said, “The next Lok Sabha elections will be held on the basis of the report completed by the Delimitation Commission and placed by us in Parliament.” Observers say that the unambiguous statement by the Prime Minister is sure to remove uncertainty over whether it would be possible to draw up a new electoral map of the country by next year in the face of resistance from influential sections of various political parties, adversely affected by the delimitation.



In Jharkhand, several political parties have made representations that this could create new tensions as it will reduce the representation of tribals in Parliament which was the purpose of creating the state of Jharkhand. But in all other 24 states, the next parliamentary elections will be held on the basis of the recommendations of the Delimitation Commission,” Singh told mediapersons.



Jharkhand, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh where there were legal issues involved, would go to the polls according to current mapping of constituencies.



Asked whether the next Lok Sabha elections would take place in 2008 or 2009, the Prime Minister replied that he was not an astrologer, but hoped his Government will complete its full term.





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Nuclear deal on backburner



Indicating that the nuclear deal with the United States has been put on the back-burner, the Prime Minister said that there was no deadline to conclude the agreement. More significantly, Dr. Manmohan Singh said while talking to mediapersons on his way back from China that domestic political arithmetic in pursuing the initiative could not be wished away. Speaking candidly, Dr. Singh said he could not give a, “definitive” answer to a question about what the Government would do with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) negotiations if domestic objections to the civil nuclear initiative persisted, But he said that an early decision would have to be taken on the next step on the deal.



Asked if he could persuade the Left to give up its opposition to the deal, Dr. Singh said with a smile that it was an “essay in mutual comprehension and mutual persuasion. “The effort, process (to convince the Left) is on. I have not lost hope,” he said.



An indication of the UPA Government’s changed thinking on the nuclear deal came earlier in a statement from External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Jan. 13 when he said that the Government will not go ahead with the nuclear deal with the United States if the Left pulls the rug from under its feet. He admitted that the inability to operationalise the deal would hurt the government’s image.



The Minister’s assertion came in the backdrop of clear indications that the government may not be able to extract a fuel supply guarantee from IAEA.



The Left has been insisting that the government should ensure a fuel supply guarantee in the safeguards agreement. Government leaders familiar with the negotiations have begun conceding that a forward movement on the deal is quite tough. With the Congress leadership unwilling to risk a rupture in the alliance at the Centre, it is unlikely to give a go ahead to any move that will invite the wrath of the Left.



On its part, the Left countered Mukherjee’s statement that a roll back on the deal would hurt the country’s interests. The CPI said the country’s standing in the global polity could enhance if the government withdrew from the negotiations with the US.



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Populist schemes announced, quota mooted for minorities



With the need to face Assembly elections in about ten states this year and possibly Lok Sabha elections ahead of schedule, the Congress-led UPA Government has announced two populist schemes which will cost the exchequer Rs. 2,500 crore. The Union Cabinet on Jan. 17, approved an additional release of over Rs. 530 crore towards waiver of overdue loans to benefit agricultural borrowers in 31 districts of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala, where farmers are facing difficulties because of indebtedness.



In another populist move, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved a scheme to provide one lakh jobs a year to people with disabilities. The scheme will cost Rs. 1800 crore during the Eleventh Plan period. The CCEA also approved a provision of Rs. 16 lakh for four years for giving publicity to the scheme, a move which is likely to be criticised by the Opposition.





Government considering ways to provide quotas to minorities



On Wednesday, Jan. 16, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil said the Government was exploring the possibility of providing reservation to the minorities in educational institutions and jobs.



Referring to the debate on reservation for minorities during his inaugural address at the State Minorities Conference in New Delhi, the Minister said: “We cannot say it cannot be done.”



Of the view that a little bit of ingenuity should be used to find the best possible way to address the issue, Patil said: “We have to apply our minds to find out how it can be done in the best possible manner. We are looking into the matter but have not come to a conclusion as yet.”



Later, addressing a press conference at the end of a meeting of the National Monitoring Committee for Minority Education (NMCME), Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Arjun Singh was non-committal when asked if reservation for the minorities was being considered. “Lots of issues are [to be] considered,” he said.



As for the definition of ‘minority’ - a contentious issue in several States - Arjun Singh was guarded, stating that it was defined in the national perspective with inputs from States for the benefit of precision. However, he refused to elaborate saying that it could generate a controversy.



Questioned about his reasons for championing the cause of the minorities and the disadvantaged sections of society, the Minister said: “I have been doing this for 50 years. I do not need a new reason other than the fact that this is a Constitutional mandate. So, do not attribute motives.”





PM reviews implementation of minority schemes



With the prospect of general elections taking place sooner rather than later, the Prime Minister took meetings in New Delhi on Jan. 17 on the implementation of the Sachar Committee report on the minorities’ status. Reports say that with steps taken by the Manmohan Singh government in two key areas - minority development and the flagship NREGS - failing to draw adequate political dividends for the ruling combine, the Prime Minister was constrained to tell stakeholders to give more publicity to these programmes, while expediting their implementation.



The government’s reflexes in the execution of the Sachar Committee report and NREGS came up for review in New Delhi on Thursday. While the implementation of the social regeneration programme was undertaken at the level of Rural Development Secretaries of each state, in the case of minority development, it was the Prime Minister himself who chaired the stock-taking.



Minority Affairs Ministry Secretary M N Prasad, in his presentation, reeled out the steps being taken by the implementing agencies, in this case the central ministries and the states.



The Prime Minister, while expressing his satisfaction over the execution of these programmes, called for greater publicity for these efforts so as to enhance awareness levels. Among those present at the review meeting, were Arjun Singh, S Jaipal Reddy, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, Selja, G K Vasan and Suresh Pachauri, who represent the stakeholding ministries.



The need to review NREGS assumed greater urgency in view of the CAG’s damning draft report on the UPA government’s flagship rural development programme. CAG, while undertaking the audit of the scheme’s execution in its first year, found shortcomings at the procedural level and serious irregularities in its implementation.



An important decision taken by the participants was to disburse payments only through bank accounts and post offices so as to check the possibility of any fraud.



Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh pulled up state government officials and cautioned them to avoid any laxity in the implementation of the scheme, which is to be expanded to cover all districts across the country.





Drive to fill up OBC posts



The UPA government has decided to conduct a drive to fill vacant posts for other backward classes (OBCs) in Central Government jobs.



A Group of Ministers headed by Home Minister Shivraj Patil has asked all central ministries to immediately respond to the drive. The drive is aimed at sending the signal that the UPA government is concerned about the welfare of OBCs, a government official said. The GoM has given a timeframe of about a year to fill the vacant posts just in time before the general elections next year.



The drive would be a boost to the OBCs who have less than six per cent representation in central government jobs. Scheduled Castes representation is about 18 per cent in central government jobs.





Congress introspects on poll defeats



The AICC’s high profile Group on Future Challenges on Jan.14 examined ways and means to strengthen the party in the backdrop of electoral setbacks in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. The group also considered steps to rework the party strategy in Karnataka and three other election-bound states. Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi attended the meeting of the group headed by senior leader M. Veerrappa Moily.



Reports say that the group has put together two reports on measures to strengthen the party organisation. An interim report has recommendations for party units in the four states going to the polls before April. A second comprehensive report lays out broad parameters of reforms in the context of scheduled Assembly elections in ten states this year.



With Union Minister of State Jairam Ramesh reinducted in the group after being dropped last year, the 11-member AICC panel has been reconstituted. Earlier, Ramesh had been the convener of the group.



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Congress to have new address



The country’s oldest political party, the Congress, would finally have a new address. The Congress headquarters would shift from 24 Akbar Road to 208 Rouse Avenue, much closer to the busy ITO area. The Urban Development Ministry has allotted a plot at Deen Dayal Upadhaya Marg for the new party office.



The Congress has big plans including a hi-tech office complete with close circuit cameras and other security gadgets. Though it has not finalised the detailed architectural plan yet, it is looking forward to an auspicious beginning by the end of this month. AICC Treasurer Moti Lal Vora said, “We wanted to have the foundation stone laying ceremony by Makar Sakranti on Jan. 14, but it has been delayed till the end of this month now.”



Vora has asked the Urban Development Ministry to speed up the process of demarcation of plots so that the foundation stone ceremony can be completed within January. The party office would take at least 18 months for completion.