Monday, July 19, 2010

Power & Politics / Mail Today, July 19, 2010

SPIRALLING prices, the Maoist menace, the Bhopal tragedy compounded, the fiasco in Islamabad, feuding ministers. The list is long enough to make anyone think that there is trouble lurking around the corner for the government as Parliament prepares to meet for the monsoon session. Perish the thought.

The government has already drawn up plans to keep the Opposition wolves at bay and senior ministers of UPA II exude confidence as they say that they will tide over the severest of challenges with the least effort. Towards the fag end of the budget session, the government seemed to be teetering on the brink as the Left and the Right closed ranks and moved cut motions on the finance bill.

Since then, the Opposition has flexed its muscles on more than one occasion, the latest being the all India bandh on July 5 against rising fuel prices. Though the BJP and the Left parties gave separate calls for the bandh, it brought the country to a standstill, even triggering speculation that the two had worked in unison. Having seen the wrath of the combined Opposition, the government is least inclined to take chances.

The Opposition has an embarrassment of riches as far as issues are concerned to pillory the government, but the latter is not so lucky. But it has one trump card: the ideological card that will make it difficult for the non- NDA Opposition to rally around the BJP either on the floor of the house or outside.

The emphasis will be on dividing the Opposition by raising issues that would isolate the BJP and make it ideological untouchables. Governor H. R. Bhardwaj’s offensive in Bangalore typifies this in many ways. Occupants of Raj Bhavans are supposed to be impartial and apolitical and expected to play strictly by the book that is the Constitution. But governors have seldom been able to hide their political past. Bhardwaj is probably the only one who openly flaunts it.

As the mining scandal threatened to sink the Yeddyurappa government, Bhardwaj was brazen enough to say, “ I am proud to be a Congressman.” His statement makes it abundantly clear why the ace lawyer who got so many Congressmen, including some VIPs, off the hook in many serious cases, was sent to the Bangalore Raj Bhavan.

The same tactics are evident in Gujarat where the Centre is trying to pin down Narendra Modi by targeting one of his closest aides, the minister of state for home Amit Shah. Sohrabuddin Sheikh was killed more than five years ago by Gujarat’s Anti- Terrorism Squad in an alleged encounter and now the CBI says there is evidence to show Shah’s involve- H. R. Bhardwaj ment in the fake encounter. It doesn’t require special investigative skills to realise that the real target is the Gujarat chief minister who is perhaps the only one in the whole country who evokes similar sentiments in the Congress and the non- NDA Opposition parties. So they will target Modi to weaken the BJP.
It’s almost a week since Nitin Gadkari made the intemperate remarks about Afzal Guru’s relatives in the ruling party and the Congress seems in no mood to forgive. How can it, when the JD( U), the BJP’s coalition partner in Bihar, has slammed the BJP president? The 50- yearold fight between Karnataka and Maharashtra has surfaced once again and the Centre is watching with considerable glee as the Shiv Sena in Mumbai raises its pitch against Karnataka where a BJP government is in power.

The Congress strategy is working and consequently, the frustration in the Sangh Parivar is boiling over as was evident on Friday when hoodlums vandalised the office of the Headlines Today TV channel in Delhi. Such reactions are normally associated with those who have lost the common touch. And the Right has clearly lost it.

Just two months ago, it was all so different. With everything that could possibly go wrong indeed going that way, the government looked vulnerable and even the government’s spin doctors admitted the future looked bleak. But almost overnight, the doubts have vanished and there is a spring in the establishment’s step.

For that, they must thank the BJP. Democracy works not just because of the elected government but also because of a rigorous Opposition that scrutinises the government’s every step and seizes its chances. By that yardstick, the BJP’s performance has been a disgrace.
The punishment for that will be a much longer wait in the wilderness.

4 comments:

ketanbparekh said...

Prabhuji your article is really good. It reflects the strategy of Congress to attack BJP's strong man and the organisation that runs it so that BJP weakens and they can deflect the nation in such stories. But the blame also lies with the English media which has become sycophants to Congress and is manuplating the news. Its not a good sign of democracy, if RSS workers are guilty in attacking your offices then equally guilty is your organisation for that.

Unknown said...

your channel was unable to
show the full footage when asked by ig singhal so it more looks like an conspiracy and alot of dirty hands involved in it including you

muslim bhagawat said...

Governor of Karnataka has created a constitutional crisis by exceeding his limits. He has asked the CM of Karnataka to dismiss two ministers from his ministry. But he should know that all are equal and all have the same rights. Corruption is not the sole and exclusive right of the congress and UPA ministers. Corruption is a cancerous virus that is killing all of us. But the Karnataka mining scam is not of corruption, but of nepotism and abuse of ministerial powers for profitable gains. The two ministers have been in the govt and are also having their mining business. They should not be allowed to remain in the govt as they have violated the clause “office of profit”. All the mines and mineral in India should be exclusive property of govt at centre as it has the exclusive rights on the gas from wells in deep sea. Why centre has not made any law to made all the minerals of all the mines exclusive property of centre as it has done with gas from well in deep sea. Moreover the governor of Karnataka has exceeded his brief as governor. He has been appointed by the president on the advice of cabinet at centre to work as governor only to help the state govt. He has no right constitutionally to ask or demand for resignation or drop of any ministers till they enjoys the confidence of the CM. Apart from the constitutional impropriety, the governor has done much harm to his party by keeping silent on the corruption by his colleague minister in UPA I , Mr.A.Raja who has made loss of 100000 crores of govt money to central govt in the allocation of 2g spectrum in dirt cheap rates to some of his chosen parties who had filled his party coffers,but now asking CM of Karnataka to take action on Reddy brothers. Mr.Bharadwaj,the then law minister had objected to his manipulations, but he(Raja) had side tracked his advices and also our PM was made to look like a buffoon by him as he had showed the confidential letters of PM. A few TV news channels has reported the scam in details and exposed the link between the middle-woman and minister In allocation of 2g spectrum as well super powers of super woman. But nothing happened to the minister who still enjoys the confidence of our PM.Coalition politics has played havoc with the central govt but in Karnataka it is not coalition govt but it is a BJP govt kept hostage by the Reddy family who had links with “YS JAGAN MOHAN REDDY” of Andhra and having his interests. It is also unbecoming for the UPA govt to destabilize the Karnataka govt on accusations of corruptions as they are themselves and some of their ministers are neck deep in corruption. All the corruptions during their regime from 2004 needs to scrutinize by next govt whosoever comes. Congress should not think that the country is their paternal property. They were ousted several times by the same voters who would not wink eyelid before throwing them once again. All the congress leaders should introspect themselves before submitting vague and false allegations on anybody.

Vinoy Sinha said...

I broadly agree with you.As a common man I am no longer interested in getting Amit Shah or for that matter any one else responsible for the fake or real encounter of Sohrabuddin punished. And Shrabuddin was no saint as the Congress has been trying to make out. The soaring prices of essential commodities (Tomato is selling at a price of Rs 45/kg, beans at Rs 29/kg, Bhindi 20/kg and so on and so forth) has been making a hell of my life and that of other Indians.Manmohan may have been some sort of an economist but he has failed to show results. All that he seems interested in is daily worship of Sonia Mata ! Why is this man who has been a mere babu all his life and knows it very well that he does not have the ability to run this complex country continuing in office just for the sake of it ? Just diverting attention from the real issues facing the country seems to be the pastime of politicians of every hue and color.Who bothers for the common man !