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Newshunt
New Zamindari
The UPA government appears to have a strange concept of populism. On the one hand, it is neglecting the workers and curtailing their bargaining power, on the other, it is promoting the big industrial houses. Presently, the new mantra for development appears to be development of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in various states where large stretches of farm/forest land would be given to promoters at throw-away prices, albeit at the cost of the poor farmers. Although Congress president Sonia Gandhi, in a clever posturing, asked the Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states in Nainital to go slow on SEZs and to protect farmers? interests, whereas cabinet minister Kamal Nath claims that developing SEZs is the only way to provide large-scale employment to unemployed youth of the country. Whom to believe?
Unmerited acclaim
One should think twice before falling prey to Lalu?s management mantra. Recently, he delivered a lecture at IIM, Ahmedabad, giving an impression that he has provided efficient management to the Indian Railways, which turned the loss-making Railways into a profit-making world-class transport enterprise. However, the fact is otherwise. Whatever the positive picture is being witnessed in the Indian Railways may be attributed to the far-sighted decisions of the former Railway Minister Nitish Kumar taken during the NDA regime. Nitish Kumar is really a conceptual leader to build any sector brick-by-brick and to his credit goes the recent development model of Bihar within a limited span of time. One can now see a better-looking city of Patna having schools at par with our national capital, motorable roads and, after all, his style of good administration. Now investors are eying for Bihar as a better option, bureaucrats say. In fact, RJD had got a better Bihar than what it left. Likewise, Lalu received Indian Railways in a better position when he took over and he is only enjoying the fruits of what Nitish Kumar sowed.
Confusion conclave
The recently held Congress CMs? conference at Nainital gave a strong message that there lies a total confusion between the party and the Congress-ruled state governments. For example, the general secretaries of the Congress party hit at the Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh to write off farmers? loan in Vidarbha so as to check the further suicides. But an irritant Deshmukh said: Do you have a list of those who are going to commit suicide in the future, so that I can write off their loans? In another instance, one hi-fi Congress general secretary asked Punjab Chief Minister not to allow any agricultural land to use as Special Economic Zone (SEZ). Capt Amarinder Singh losing his temper replied: Is there any non-agricultural land in Punjab?
Scared of Vande Mataram
It seems that Vande Mataram has become untouchable for the so-called secularist Congress, which claims to be a party, fought for the independence of the country. First, the podium for the celebration of Vande Mataram Janma Shatabdi Samaroha on September 7, 2006, was shifted from 24, Akbar Road, New Delhi to the Congress Seva Dal office. Then, the Congress President Sonia Gandhi and the Prime Minister were too busy to attend the august occasion, where they could have saluted (Vande) our motherland (Mataram). It appears that they (PM and Sonia) and the fellow Congress workers felt more proud by not singing Vande Mataram at the recently concluded Congress conclave of CMs in Nainital. Since the elections to the UP assembly is not far away, it is said that they are giving a clear message to a section that they have been exploiting since Independence.
Hub of political tourists
As elections to the Uttaranchal assembly are approaching, the political parties have started making a bee-line for the state. First the NCP, then the BJP and thereafter the Congress and now the RJD is planning to organise a political conclave in Uttaranchal. But the common man cannot expect more out of such conclaves, as all these political tourists can give nothing to the state but hollow promises.
?By Deepak Kumar Rath
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