J&K: Demographic change Vs course correction

By Vinod Kumar 15 hours ago

The demographic dividend of India is sold to the world as a hot cake but various political parties have been attacking each other for supporting a particular kind of demographic arrangement orchestrated in certain parts of the country. Alleged demographic changes in Jammu and Kashmir by various governments with the help of Article 370 and 35A and finally exodus of Pandits from the Valley have been the flashpoint. But the government seems to have started the course correction by abrogating Article 370 and 35A and now new Domicile Law for J&K in place.

But the government responded to the opposition on the issue of demography in no unequivocal term when Union Minister Jitendra Singh said that the opposition is raising the bogey of J&K ‘demography’ for vote bank because it is apprehensive that the new Domicile Rules Notification will not enable it to continue thriving on limited pockets of vote bank by exclusion as they had been doing in the past.

From scrapping the Roshni Act that enabled Muslims to occupy forest land to giving citizenship to many living since 1947 to undoing such acts of the past government that disallowed such things to happen has baffled many. Moreover, the government is committed to send Pandits back to J&K.

Actually a few families had succeeded in maintaining their hegemony in J&K by including only those in the voter list whose vote bank they were capable of manipulating and excluded those who they thought would not be vulnerable to their tactics and could vote with free will. They not only deprived outsiders of obtaining citizenship but also did not allow voting rights to a large section of people who had settled in J&K since 1947 with arguments like these people were not entitled to citizenship because they were refugees from West Pakistan.

Now, the opposition is accused of committing the greatest assault on demography by remaining silent on the mass exodus of Pandits. All India Service officials putting 30 to 35 years of their lives in the state were asked to pack up after superannuation. The worse was the plight of the children who were born, brought up and did schooling in J&K but were not eligible to apply for higher education institutions. So miscarriage and anomaly that waited for 70 years is being corrected.

Is Baghel Government inching towards trouble with its lieutenants under surveillance

By Rakesh Ranjan 22 May 2020

If some well-placed sources are to be believed, the Bhupesh Baghel government in Chhattisgarh may land into trouble. Extensive raids conducted by Income Tax Department in February this year on the residence of Saumya Chaurasia, a 2008 batch PCS officer, may prove to be a prelude to further actions. The I-T Department had conducted raids at over 25 premises; including those of Ajaz Dhebar (Raipur Mayor and Congress leader), former Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand and several contractors, Chartered Accountants, and big businessmen.

It may be mentioned here that Ms Chaurasia who was posted as Deputy Secretary to Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel has been considered among a few closest officers to the present dispensation in the state. Reportedly, she is under the surveillance of central agencies.

It is learned that key conversations between senior Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh and New Delhi were intercepted and the said IT raids were supposed to have some links with the intercepted calls.

As it happens in Indian politics across party lines, the ruling party in a state or states are expected to support or fund elections in other states. Chhattisgarh too supposedly extended huge financial assistance during Jharkhand elections. Sources say that central agencies have intercepted some key conversations between senior Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh and New Delhi.

Sources indicate that the Baghel government may get into trouble the same way it happened with Kamal Nath. It may be recalled that on April 07, 2019 in the middle of 2019 Lok Sabha elections, there were massive IT raids at various locations having direct and indirect links with Kamal Nath including his nephew Ratul Puri (CM’s OSD), Praveen Kakkar and a close associate R K Miglani.

It could well be underlined that for the BJP, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka are accomplished tasks now and BJP Rajya Sabha Member Subramanyam Swami has started instigating the Uddhav government in Maharashtra to untie the knot with Congress-NCP alliance. However, it would not be so easy to destabilize the Congress government in Chhattisgarh which has a brute majority unlike MP, Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Maharashtra.

(By Rakesh Ranjan)

Congress finds a sea of opportunities for revival in COVID crises and distressed migrant labourers

By IndianMandarins 22 May 2020

The Congress is looking at the ongoing scenario as a sea of opportunities for its revival amid people’s distress over alleged mismanagement of certain things by the Centre during the nationwide lockdown. Congress leaders like Rahul Gandhi not only questioned Centre’s strategy in handling the global COVID-19 pandemic but also offered various suggestions. One such suggestion was to provide direct cash assistance instead of loans to the people affected by COVID-19. The Congress also criticised the Centre over Rs 20 lakh crore stimulus package calling it a farce.

Further, the cash-strapped Congress has left no stone unturned to be seen as a party with proactive ground workers reaching out to the distressed people directly. Offering to pay for migrant labourers’ train fare, arranging busses for their repatriation to ration distribution have been some of the initiatives that had put the ruling BJP on defensive. The Congress knows well that the Modi government has been in constant endeavour in engaging the attention of rural masses with innovative ways leaving minimum avenues for its opponents to call it anti-poor and anti-people.

But the way BJP government has committed certain mistakes in handling the issues of migrant labourers, it gets a beating from almost every quarter and a dent into its image creating space for the Congress for its revival. However, one of its MLAs from Raebareli – Aditi Singh -- revolting against the party asking a certain question may help the BJP to question the very intent of the Congress. But it is the ruling party that is supposed to answer not the opposition.

Now or Never: Swamy cautions Uddhav to break alliance

By IndianMandarins 22 May 2020

With Maharashtra situation getting grim by the day, Rajya Sabha MP and senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy tweeted recently: ‘time is now or never: Uddhav break the alliance now otherwise NCP and Congress will destroy you by staged events.” The Shiv Sena-led government in Maharashtra has failed to handle the Coronavirus situation resulting into huge spike into the number of COVID-19 cases. Therefore, the President’s Rule is the only way out in Maharashtra to prevent its further spread. Although, it is a clear embarrassment to the present government because of the collapse of the economic capital of India as the country is virtually at the doors of an economic emergency.

Shah’s illness and his differences with Modi: More into the virtual world than real!

By Vinod Kumar Shukla & Rakesh Ranjan 09 May 2020

This is something that has been in the air for quite some time about the schism between PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the later suffering from some very critical ailment. Many tweets and news video clips did rounds in social media even in the last couple of days.

Shah on Saturday (May 9, 2020) released a statement saying that “rumors about his ill health are wrong.” He further stated that he was “completely healthy” and is not suffering from any disease.

Actually the recent tweet by one independent journalist and political activist Vijaylakshmi Nadar about Shah was not only in a bad taste but also surpassed every limit of journalistic ethics and civic decency when she tweeted wishing his illness to end conclusively and that is something she wants to celebrate. There were many cohorts to Nadar.

It goes on with PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah falling apart and Shah might be divested from Union Home ministry anytime the PM finds suitable. This speculation has been rife for long and even faces stepping into the shoes of Shah have been discussed in social media and by Youtubers who named from Nitin Gadkari to Ajit Doval to Yogi Adityanath to many other for the coveted post.

To put it in perspective, the entire media fraternity failed to get even inkling of the news that S Jaishankar will be inducted in the cabinet as an external affairs minister in Modi’s second term as PM. So when will cabinet reshuffle happen and who all will be the new ministers and if Shah will be replaced is known to only and only Modi. There should not be any confusion about it.

Now, one must understand that Modi-Shah stayed together in their thick and thin and the most important aspect of their long-lasting understanding has been that Shah never crossed Modi’s path and did that much only whatever was asked him to do. So differences emerging between them is nothing more than speculation and wishful thinking of Modi-Shah detractors who are checkmated by duo’s moves.

Though, there are certain arguments that endorse their differences like he became more popular after the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A and passage of triple talaq bill in Parliament. Both the leaders were not on the same page as far as NRC is concerned and spoke in different voices on the issue. Moreover, the passage of CAA has brought to Shah in the league of Sardar Patel rather some say he will go down in the history books as the best home ministers the country ever had.

Hold on! Shah was made to stay at former Union finance minister Arun Jaitley’s Ashok Road residence on Modi’s intervention, he was made general secretary of the party with the blessings of Modi and brought to the government from the party as he knew that only he can execute his plans without any if and but and in toto with Rajnath Singh’s tenure proving to be a complete dud as Home Minister.

Amid all these talks, some activities are visible as generally, Shah avoids even informal interaction with media unless it is mandated, necessary, and asked by his high command (Modi). Ever since speculation about his ill health started doing round, his picture about meeting with Bharatiya Majdoor Sangh delegation was released in media and also he expressed his concern and grief about laborers behind mowed down by the goods train and now his statement.

He is working till late at night every day. So one caution that must be mentioned that sometimes eerie silence like this leads to some storm herein some political storm!

(By Vinod Kumar Shukla & Rakesh Ranjan)

Congress goes more aggressive against Modi; govt remains unfazed

By IndianMandarins 28 Apr 2020

Congress is constantly putting pressure on the Modi government whether it is on ramping up testing or Rs 1 lakh crore package for MSME sector or asking some measures for migrant labourers or accusing a scam in rapid test kits. But the government is working in its own way unfazed with suggestions and criticism. Moreover, people appear to be in no mood to pay attention, despite more aggression shown by the Congress.

Now former Congress president Rahul Gandhi has come up with allegations of a scam in the supply of rapid test kits to the government to detect coronavirus cases saying it was unbelievable that people were indulging in profiteering from suffering people. Gandhi requested the PM to take immediate action to bring the culprits to book.

Gandhi tweeted: “That any human being would try and profiteer from the immeasurable suffering of millions of his brothers and sisters is beyond belief and comprehension. This scam is an insult to every Indian. I urge the PM to act swiftly to bring the corrupt to justice.”

Earlier he requested the PM to clear ‘bottlenecks’ and ramp up coronavirus testing in the country holding the PM responsible for this delay in the same breath. He said: "Random testing is the key to beating the virus".

India has to scale up COVID-19 testing from present 40,000 to one lakh per day. Experts agree that mass random testing is the key to beating Corona. In India, a bottleneck is stopping us from scaling testing from the current 40,000 per day to 1 lakh tests a day, for which test kits are already available.

Sonia Gandhi demanded a special package for the MSME industry with former Union defence minister A K Antony and former Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal having their own sets of demands from the government. This could be a good tactic on part of the Congress to keep the government on toes.

Maha CM job at stake: Udhdhav faces constitutional hurdle with limited options

By IndianMandarins 25 Apr 2020

There is a constitutional obligation before Uddhav Thackeray under Article 164 (4) that he would have to be a member of any of the houses of Maharashtra Assembly before May 24, 2020. Since the Election Commission of India has postponed every election, he is left with no other option but to look at the governor to be merciful on him to nominate him for Legislative Council.

What will happen if he fails to get nominated? There is one option that he resigns and takes oath as the CM once again giving himself another six months. But this is easier said than done as it would involve not only both the Shiv Sena's partners, the Congress and the NCP but give the governor more power to take a call on this.

There is a Supreme Court judgment pronounced on August 17, 2001, that had ruled such re-appointment of a minister in the Punjab government without getting elected to the Assembly as improper and undemocratic.

So what other option does he have if the governor refuses to oblige him? He can let his son Aditya Thackeray to take over but making his allies to agree on this is very difficult as they may seek some more concession that SS might not agree as it has already compromised a lot with its ideology.

There is no problem technically with any nominated member holding top posts as they are as good as any elected member. There is no bar on the governor nominating him as well.

However, till date, no CM has been nominated to the upper house under the nominated category. So much so that no one has been able to get a ministerial berth from the nomination category. His name has already been sent for nomination for the legislative council by the state cabinet. But the Maharashtra government is looking at every possible option to deal with the scenario. Thackrey had taken over reins of the state on November 28, 2019.

(By Rakesh Ranjan)

A few patches may expose the entire country to danger

By Vinod Kumar Shukla 22 Apr 2020

Democracy has its own functional perils, but at the time when the country is reeling under serious threats of an unprecedented global pandemic that has affected over 200 countries, 25 lakh people getting infected and 1.75 lakh people already dead due to COVID-19, some of the state governments in India are still involved in politicking compromising the safety of people of the state speaks volumes about politics in India. However, some state governments are wise enough to give precedence to life over politics like Kerala, Odisha and a few others.

The BJP-ruled states don’t have any other options but to follow the dictate of their central leadership but state governments like West Bengal are completely defying central government's orders even at the time of crisis. They are also not cooperating with the central government officials. The home ministry has sent a letter to the West Bengal government to allow interministerial teams to review the implementation of lockdown measures in the state.

Similar is the case with Delhi which is also handled equally bad by the Arvind Kejriwal government. Now, he has realized and said that Delhi has paid the price of Markaz incidence while his MLAs were not only supporting, giving clean chit but also instigating Tablighi Jamaat activists. Unable to understand the gravity of the situation and resulting negligence has spiked the cases of COVID-19 in the city to the second-highest in the country with 87 containment zones. Though the Delhi police are directly taking care of the containment zone but the number of containment zones is likely to go further with the city police working on data dump procured from the telecom operators to dig out people attending Markaz congregation.

The case of Maharashtra is a little different with virtually three bosses operating in the state. However, the CM has been able to tell his friends to project him as the best performing chief minister but now only he is exposed but people serving him as it has emerged as the numero uno state in COVID-19 cases. The CM is trying to strike a balance with his allies appear to save his chair from allies who have their own political agenda. The Maharashtra CM is also facing his survival not from the allies but constitution obligation as well.

Amid these rogue states, Kerala, Odisha, Telengana and Andhra Pradesh are some of the states that are trying their best to contain the disease and Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has gone to the extent of saying that his government does not have any clash with the Centre on the issue of handling the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Congress-ruled Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh too are not defying government measures to contain COVID-19, some political statements were made by the Congress leaders but that is their democratic right. It is the responsibility of the people to judge if anyone has crossed the limit.

But there is a need to understand that any lapse or laxity from any part of the country will put the entire country in danger, the country might be divided into states but the disease transcends it.

(By Vinod Kumar Shukla)