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Political Notes

	November 22, 2004

Maharashtra : NCP-Congress shadow boxing

Nationalist Congress Party Chief Sharad Pawar has criticised Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh for calling his outfit a regional party. He said the NCP was a sapling that was destined to grow into a big tree in the years ahead. On the other hand, Sharad Pawar said the position of the Congress is like that of Deshmukhs (traditional village heads) who had been losing their relevance these days. In some states, he said the walls of the party had collapsed.

Pawar’s comments were triggered off because of Deshmukh’s diatribe against the NCP a few days back. In an interview to a news channel, Deshmukh had described NCP as a regional party. He had stated that there was “nothing significant” in the NCP winning a couple of seats more than the Congress in the Assembly elections.

The war of words between the two leaders started earlier when Pawar spoke against the State Government’s decision to continue with the free power sop to farmers.

Pawar has maintained that these freebies should be limited only to the poorer sections of society. Deshmukh hit back at Pawar a day later saying the Government would be firm on honouring all commitments made by the combine before the Assembly elections.



Uttar Pradesh : Mulayam denies Sonia’s charge of discrimination

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav has refuted Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s charge that his Government was discriminating against the Rai Bareli and Amethi Lok Sabha constituencies. He said his Government has done nothing that can be construed as discriminatory. Rai Bareli and Amethi are represented by Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi. Mulayam Singh Yadav said it would have been better if Sonia Gandhi had brought the issue to him, than taken it to the media. As chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance ruling the country, Sonia Gandhi should not only be concerned about these two constituencies, but the entire state. He said : “She is a very powerful lady. One nod from her can ensure that all the projects held up by the Centre get the go-ahead. If she is really interested in the development of the state, she should ensure that the Centre announces a special financial package.” Both the Samajwadi Party and the Congress are supporting the Governments led by each other from outside, but they lose no opportunity criticising each other. The SP believes that the Congress-led UPA Government is conspiring to pull down its Government, a charge which the Congress denies. Mualayam Singh Yadav, however, praised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as an”honest man and a world renowned economist,” but lamented the fact that he had been unable to sanction a package for Uttar Pradesh.”



Bihar : Uncertainty continues about anti-RJD front

The chances of a broad anti-Rashtriya Janata Dal alliance coming up in Bihar ahead of the Assembly elections continue to be uncertain. Lok Janshakti Party leader and Union Minister Rambilas Paswan has ruled out forging an alliance with the Janata Dal United, a member of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. Earlier there was speculation that the two parties may come together to give a united fight to Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal, specially after the presence of their top leaders at an Iftaar party. Paswan said : “I have nothing to do with the NDA and any party or leader who is part of the NDA is not my ally,” he declared. Following a statement by Nitish Kumar that the JDU was ready to accept Paswan as leader of the joint anti-Lalu front, a move was initiated to unite all anti-RJD forces in Bihar to end Lalu Prasad’s hegemony in the state. Kumar had attended an Iftaar party in Patna two weeks ago hoisted by Paswan. Now Paswan says that even if the JDU quits the NDA, he would not forge an alliance with the party. “The chapter is closed now,” he added.

The BJP on the other hand has again shown interest in forging an alliance with the Lok Janshakti Party. The central leadership of the party had a meeting with Bihar leaders last week to galvanise the party workers in a state ruled by the husband-wife duo of Lalu Prasad Yadav-Rabri Devi for the last 14 years. The leaders admitted that the task of regime change in the state could not be completed without rallying the anti-RJD forces together. Observers say that the BJP has decided against putting any roadblock in JDU leader Nitish Kumar’s efforts to build bridges with Union Minister Rambilas Paswan.



Union Cabinet expansion likely to be put off

The much-awaited reshuffle of the Union Cabinet is unlikely to take place soon, at least not till the end of the three-week session of Parliament scheduled to begin on December 1. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is reported to be of the view that there was no urgency in undertaking an expansion or reshuffle of his Council of Ministers. The expectations of a Cabinet expansion had heightened ever since Satish Sharma won a Rajya Sabha seat from Uttaranchal. Capt. Sharma is generally described as “close to 10 Janpath.” Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader, Shibu Soren, too has been expecting his Coal portfolio back ever since he got bail from a court of law. Soren had quit the Cabinet after a Jharkhand court issued a warrant of arrest against him. Also, Telengana Rashtra Samiti Chief K. Chandrashekhara Rao, so far a Minister without portfolio, is expecting a Ministry.



Naxalite violence spreads to north India

Naxalite extremists have killed 17 policemen in Chandauli district of eastern Uttar Pradesh. The Naxalites numbering about 150 ambushed a truck carrying police and provincial armed constabulary jawans on combing duty on Saturday, November 20. They also blew up a culvert in the area. So far no outfit has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Earlier in the week, Naxalites had killed two forest guards in the same area. The killing of 17 policemen is said to be the first attack on such a scale in Uttar Pradesh. Observers say it marks the beginning of a new phase of Naxalite violence which was earlier confined to the states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.



Best Bakery witnesses retract

Two witnesses in the Best Bakery carnage, both brothers of the prime witness Zahira Sheikh, turned hostile during the case hearing going on in Mumbai. First, Nasibullah Sheikh and then Nafitullah Sheikh, told the court that they were not aware of the deaths that took place during the incident. Both were declared hostile by the judge. It may be recalled that earlier Zahira Sheikh had made a statement outside the court that she was being influenced by an NGO activist. The Best Bakery retrial is going on in Mumbai on a Supreme Court order after the original trial court in Gujarat acquitted all the accused in the case.