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UP situation gets volatile : Congress, SP in war of words |
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The Congress has stepped up its war of words with Sonia Gandhi and Rahul criticising the handling of the law and order situation in the state by the Mulayam Singh Government. This is surprising because while the Congress is backing the Mulayam Singh Government in UP, the Samajwadi Party is supporting the Congress coalition at the Centre from outside. But this has not stopped both the parties from hitting out at each other. SP leader Amar Singh has called Rahul a kid whose remarks need not be taken seriously while Mulayam has questioned his status and authority to comment on the UP political scene.
Mulayam has reasons to fear that the Congress is making grounds for the dismissal of the UP ministry though it enjoys a majority in the state Assembly.
Some observers believe elections could be round the corner in the state. The State Government has announced a series of populist schemes. After announcing scholarships for OBC (other backward castes) students and upper caste students living below the poverty line and more than 42,000 jobs for teachers, the state government has now announced free education for girls up to the graduation level. The decision is designed to benefit about four lakh girl students enrolled in 108 government and 345 aided degree colleges and will entail a financial burden of Rs 5.75 crores annually. The state government has also announced incentives for those investing in the power sector. The incentives, which include exemptions in taxes and allotment of undisputed land, would be available on the condition that 40 per cent of the power output would be supplied to the state. Mulayam Singh Yadav is also planning to announce free power supply to farmers. Officials are already working out the modalities and an announcement to this effect is likely sometime next month.
Interestingly, the state government has not made any budgetary provision for these populist decisions and the chief minister now plans to seek a financial package from the Centre to fulfil these promises which are aimed at consolidating the Samajwadi votebank for the next elections.
That the chief minister now means business is also evident from the fact that he has finally got down to reviewing his governments performance in various sectors. All this activity clearly indicates that the government is getting into election mode.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh has once again set political circles abuzz by calling on the former Prime Minister Vajpayee at his residence. Singh’s decision to call on Vajpayee assumes significance coming as it does in the backdrop of the strained relations between the SP and the Congress.
NDA convener George Fernandes has promised full support to Mulayam Singh Yadav. “All the strength which is required will be there to support Mulayam,” Fernandes said when asked to comment on Rahul’s attack on the Uttar Pradesh government on the crime graph in the state.
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