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Political notes

	May 22, 2006

Freeze on demolitions in Delhi



Demolitions and sealing of unauthorised properties in the national capital has come to a stop with issue of a Notification by the Union Urban Development Ministry after the enactment of the Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Bill, 2006. The notification puts a one year moratorium on demolition and sealing in the capital so that a solution could be found to the problem. The major beneficiaries include those who made alterations in their residential accommodation without permission, owners of buildings without any sanctioned plan, vendors, hawkers and slum dwellers.



The notification sets Jan. 1 this year as the cutoff date for giving relief to various beneficiaries.



On Friday, May 19, cutting across party lines, Members in the Lok Sabha, the Lower House of parliament, came together to blame the judiciary for creating a confrontation with the legislature on the demolition drive in the capital. They were objecting to a ruling on demolitions by the Delhi High Court on Thursday, May 18, ordering appointment of a committee to monitor demolition of illegal structures. Agitated members turned the move as “contempt of Parliament.”



Meanwhile, two organisations, Delhi Welfare Residents’ Associations’ Joint Front and Citizens’ Voice have moved a petition in the Supreme court challenging the constitutional validity of the central law seeking to provide a one year moratorium on demolition and sealing of commercial premises operating from residential areas.



New Governments assume office in four states



New Governments have taken charge in the four states of West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Assam, and the Union Territory of Pondicherry which had Assembly elections earlier this month. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was sworn in as Chief Minister of West Bengal at the head of the seventh Left Front Government in the state. Soon after the swearing in of the a 44-member Ministry, the state landed up with four big ticket investments from eminent industrialists the Tatas and the Dhoots to the tune of Rs. 2150 crores. The Tatas have decided to set up their small car plant in the state. The plant aims at manufacturing cars with a price of less than Rs. 100,000.



It has also come to light that Bhattacharjee has written to the Centre seeking modernisation of Kolkata’s Netaji Subhash international airport on the lines of Delhi and Mumbai airports.



In Kerala, V.S. Achuthanandan succeeded at long last in his objective of becoming the Chief Minister, but his party, the CPI(M) has seen to it that he does not enjoy too much power. He is the first Chief Minister in 26 years not to have control of the powerful Home Ministry. The move is being seen as a master stroke by his old rival, state CPI(M)’s secretary, Pinari Vijayan. Observers have noted that out of 11 CPI(M) Ministers, eight belong to the reformist faction led by Vijayan.



Achuthanandan put a brave face on the development saying that giving up the Home portfolio will not erode his powers as Chief Minister. Participating in a meet-the-Press programme in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, May 19, the Chief Minister said the ultimate control of the Government would rest with him regardless of how the portfolios were allocated among the Ministers.



On LDF convener Paloli Mohd. Kutty’s statement that the Home portfolio is being taken away from the Chief Minister to lighten his load, Achuthanandan said he had said what he had to say on the subject. If any doubts prevail, they should be clarified with the LDF convener.



In neighbouring Tamil Nadu, Congress MLAs, kept out of the Karunanidhi Government, have come out with a categorical demand for a share in power in the state. The Congress legislature party at its meeting in Chennai on Friday, May 19, adopted a resolution saying that it is of the firm conviction that the mandate of the people in the state is for a Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA) government under Karunanidhi’s leadership. But the DMK showed no sign of conceding the Congress demand for a share in power.



In the Union territory of Pondicherry, Congress leader N. Rangasamy was sworn in as Chief Minister for the second consecutive term on May 18. He is heading a minority Government as the Congress could win only 10 seats in the 30-member UT Assembly. The DMK with seven members, PMK with two and CPI with one are extending outside support to the Government.



In Assam, 18 Ministers of the Tarun Gogoi-led Congress-Bodoland People’s Progressive Front (Hagrama) coalition were sworn in on Friday, May 19. The BPPF (Hagrama) has two cabinet ministers and a Minister of State.





Former Jharkhand Chief Minister quits BJP



Former Jharkhand Chief Minister, Babulal Marandi, has resigned from the BJP and Parliament in protest against alleged corruption prevalent in the Arjun Munda government in the state. He was BJP’s national vice president and the party’s sole member in the Lok Sabha from Jharkhand. The BJP sent former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha from Delhi to Ranchi to hold talks with Babu Lal Marandi to persuade him not to quit. There are conflicting reports on whether the effort succeeded. Marandi before leaving Ranchi for Delhi said, there was no scope for reconsideration of the decision. He said, “I cannot betray the people of Jharkhand by adopting some cheap blackmailing tactics. Moreover till date, the BJP higher up have not out in the public and said my allegations would be taken up seriously and redressed.”



In Delhi, Marandi is to hand over his resignation from Parliament to Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee today. But before that, he is slated to meet former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and other senior leaders. Observers say that it is possible that they may successful in persuading him to go back on his resolve to quit the party.



In a related move, former Deputy Chief Minister and UPA convener in Jharkhand, Stephen Marandi has deserted the alliance. He said, “the UPA is not united in exposing corruption in the NDA Government in the state. I cannot afford to continue as convener of the UPA when its allies are singing in different tunes.”



Observers say that Babu Lal Marandi and Stephen Marandi, both hailing from the Santhal Parganas region may be thinking of setting up a new outfit with the support of tribal people and Christians.









Controversy over rejection of Mukherjee Commission Report on Netaji



The UPA Government’s decision to reject the report of the Mukherjee Commission on disappearance and alleged death of Netaji Subhash Chander Bose in a plane crash in Taiwan in 1945, has raised a storm of controversy. The Government disagreed with the Commission’s finding that the ashes kept in Renkoji temple in Japan were not of Netaji’s mortal remains. Justice M.K. Mukherjee in his report concluded that Bose, “is dead”, but he did not die in the plane crash, as alleged.” The report said that in the absence of any clinching evidence, a positive answer cannot be given to the terms of reference.



The views of the Government were presented in an action taken report along with the three volume report of the Commission set up by the previous NDA Government in 1999 to inquire into the circumstances concerning the departure of Bose from Bangkok in August 45 and his reported death in an air crash and subsequent connected developments.



The controversy over the death of Bose had surfaced after the announcement from Tokyo on 23 August, 1945, that Netaji had died in a plane crash on 18 August, 1945, the Commission said, observing “However, some Press reports published from Tokyo and Taihoku (Taipei) had given contradictory versions.”



The Shah Nawaz Khan Committee, set up by the Government in 1956 to inquire into the circumstances of Netaji’s death had through a majority view concluded that Bose was killed in the plane crash. One of its members, and Netaji’s elder brother, Suresh Chandra Bose, had, however, submitted a note of dissent stating that there was no plane crash that led to Bose’s death. The majority report was accepted by the Government. Another Committee headed by retired Chief Justice of Punjab High Court G.D, Khosla, which was set up by the Government in 1970 also concluded that Netaji had succumbed to injuries sustained in a plane crash in Taipei and that his ashes had been taken to Tokyo.





Rajasthan : Governor returns Religious Freedom Bill



Rajasthan Governor Pratibha Patil has returned the controversial Rajasthan Religious Freedom Bill passed by the state Assembly last month. She has asked the BJP Government in the state to get it cleared first from the President of India. The Governor has reportedly taken the stand that the Bill provisions would infringe upon the fundamental rights of citizens. Ever since the passage of the Bill minority and human rights organisations had been protesting against it.



Reports say that the State cabinet is likely to reapprove the Bill and send it back to the Governor for sanction.



Meanwhile, at the international level, Pope Benedict XVI has advised India to firmly reject attempts “to legislate clearly discriminatory restrictions on the fundamental right to religious freedom.” He was speaking when India’s new Ambassador to the Vatican, Amitava Tripathi presented his credentials on Thursday May 18. India responded on May 19 with a statement reiterating the constitutional freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess and propagate religion.” It is acknowledged universally that India is a secular and democratic country where adherents of all faiths enjoy equal rights,” said an External Affairs Ministry spokesperson.



The Pope’s remarks have not gone down well with the BJP, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the RSS. The BJP called his comments as grossly unjustified and an unnecessary interference in the country’s internal affairs.





Suicides by farmers



Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has admitted that rural indebtedness is a major problem in the country. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha on May 18, he said between 1993 and 2003, over 1,00,00 farmers committed suicides in the country. He was presenting what he called “Common Points” from a plethora of studies by experts and institutes on suicides during a debate in the House on wheat imports and agrarian distress. Pawar said he is working on a package to provide relief to the farmers especially in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu from where 90 per cent of the suicides were reported.





UP Muslims float political outfit



Muslim organisations in Uttar Pradesh launched their own political outfit - People’s Democratic Front - on Monday, May 15. Imam of Delhi’s Jama Masjid Ahmed Bukhari will be patron of the Front while eminent Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawwad has been named chairman. Speaking to newspersons in Lucknow on May 15, Jawwad said Muslims had been exploited by various political outfits over the years which did little for their uplift. He said the PDF will have poll adjustments with like minded parties during the assembly elections in the state next year. He said the Front will contest around 150 seats in the state.



Observers say that the advent of a Muslim political party may have a deep impact on Uttar Pradesh politics. It has the potential of harming the prospects of the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress, which rely heavily on the Muslim vote bank.