Lesson for desi raja

Vijay Deo Jha

Ranchi Thursday, July 16, 2009

Syed Sibtey Razi showed the Jharkhand establishment how to win hearts.

Not with packages but with caring eye and promise to solve their problems Razi extended his helping hand to the people who had come from different parts of the State to attend ‘Janta Durbar. The Governor’s House was kept wide open for this on Wednesday.

He personally received the complaints of 368 people. He directed the concerned officials to solve the problem and inform his secretariat within a week about the action taken thereon.

It was a Governor who was not sitting in his royal chair to listen to the grievances of the common man. He rather rubbed his shoulder with the common masses and tried to get the feel of their problems unlike babudom which has been immune to these.

“I have come here to share their pain and suffering and the officials have been directed to take actions within a week. I will take the final decision. People got an opportunity to meet me and I have taken cognizance to their complaints and I will help them,” Razi dropping enough hint that his Janta Durbar was not a tamasha.

The officials will have to face the music if they have taken this initiative as a mere show. “Sabhi ka class lagega, kuch sikayat aisi bhi hai jisme administration ki laparwahi saaf dikhti hai,” a senior official of the Governor’s House quipped.

Will Razi hold another Janta Durbar in future? For those who unfortunately could not get registration to attend ‘Janta Durbar’ Razi signalled: “For me such initiatives are taken to be continued in future. Razi was trying to make the administration responsive to the need of the people and wanted to know how in the past his administration handled the problem of the common masses.

Only last year the former Chief Minister Shibu Soren had held similar Janta Durbar which attracted a huge crowd. On Wednesday among the complainants were those whose petitions were received by the same officials last year only to thicken the file.

Razi on his part refused to draw a parallel between the Janta Durbar held by a CM or Minister in the past and one that he organised. “There is no comparison between the two…I do not want to draw a parallel,” Razi curtly said. For media it was an oblique remark against the political mandarins of this state who flaunt their love for people’s welfare.

Tears rolled down the cheeks of Tapsi Chaudhary a native of Sindgora; Jamshedpur. She clasped the Governor’s folded hands and said: “Please do justice Sir. My daughter Mausmi Chaudhary was killed on May 9 by the owner of Air Hostess Academy Dhiraj and the owner of Hotel Sonnet. Police have not revealed the autopsy to ascertain her death.” Razi immediately instructed Gauri Sankar Rath, DG CID to look into the matter.

Razi cast a bewildered look at 82-year-old Ramdhani Chaudhary when he said that the administration refused to give pension facility despite high court’s order in this respect. “Queer case,” Razi mumbled only to find ‘learned officials’ around him to explain this.

Jatasanakar Prasad, the father of Deoghar based deceased reporter Pramod Kumar Munna deplored police apathy in solving the murder case having alleged involvement of the former Minister Harinarayan Rai. The then Chief Minister Madhu Koda had announced to give exgratia of Rs one lakh to the family of Pramod Kumar. So far the family has not received even a penny from the State Government, Razi was informed.

“Sir, I am forced to do begging. I have no means to keep my body and soul together,” Prasad along with his grandchild requested Razi with folded hand. “Police have been investigating this case. But the State Government will certainly help the family,” on being inquired by the media Razi said this.

Razi was visibly impressed to see differently abled Priti Kumari who sought a job for her. Secured 82 per cent marks in ISc examination this year; she also passed the competitive examination of AIEEE. “I am poor and fatherless. I seek your support,” Priti said.

Will officials swing to action after Razi reminded them that he would take the final decision? Will Razi stay as the Governor of Jharkhand till e date of decision and final judgement? Not sure perhaps?

Balmuchu’s days as State Cong chief over

Vijay Deo Jha Thursday, July 16, 2009

What Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said, during a debate on Tuesday, about the tentative date of Jharkhand Assembly election, it was aimed at the audiences sitting in the Central Hall of Parliament. The audiences were a handful of UPA MLAs, including president of the State Congress Pradeep Balmuchu, who had not lost hope of yet another UPA Government in the State.

While the political parties have started exercises for the election, it left many a UPA leaders wary about their future. The well-placed source in the Congress confided that former finance minister Stephen Marandi was in hurry to sport the Congress' tag.

Marandi held a meeting with Ahmed Patel, the political advisor of Congress president Sonia Gandhi over his proposed crossover to the Congress fold. The Congress secretly sent seductive notes to the RJD fold also. "RJD MLA from Sarath Uday Shankar Singh and the Jharkhand Party MLA of Tamar, Raja Peter, are also in the wish list of the Congress.

The party, in fact, is looking for the potential leaders in view of the Assembly elections," said a senior Congress leader indicating about a long list of such leaders. After Chidambaram declined the Congress was willing to form the Government, he hinted the Assembly election could probably be held after the monsoon was over; the hope of Balmuchu was dashed to the ground.

Also the replacement of Balmuchu is a matter of time and the stint of the former might not go beyond the month of July, said a senior Congress leader. The Congress bosses are still to settle the leadership issues in Jharkhand following a campaign against Balmuchu by a section of party leaders.

"Reshuffle in the State unit of the Congress could be made anytime after the proposed revamping of the AICC on Friday. More probably the decision will be made in the favour of a tribal leader for the post of president," a party MLA said after returning from New Delhi.

Till the time the Congress decides a new president, the delay has only created an impasse and a state of confusion among the ranks and file of the party leaders and workers. A deeply divided Congress with atrophied organisational base, this election will be a litmus test for the party.

Even the party insiders accepted that present party president drained precious time in securing the nod of the Central high command to form a Government in Jharkhand. "Probably from the last two months he was trying to divert the attention of the party from the change of the guard in the Congress towards government formation exercise which was meaningless," said Dadai Dubey, the former Congress MP from Dhanbad, a sworn enemy of Balmuchu. A day before the debate in Parliament over the extension of the President's Rule in Jharkhand; State Congress in-charge K Keshav Rao subtly hinted the replacement of Balmuchu.

Union Cabinet Minister for Food and Processing Industries Subodh Kant Sahay, the senior party leader Rajendra Singh and former Union Tribal Affair Minister Rameswar Oraon are the front runners for the post. Whoever be the next Congress president, it will not be an apprentice job.

Web link http://www.dailypioneer.com/189427/Balmuchu’s-days-as-State-Cong-chief-over.html

BJP to question logic behind Prez rule extension

Vijay Deo Jha RANCHI Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Spell and thundershower are likely to occur when the UPA Government will table the bill to seek ratification of the extension of the President’s Rule (PR) in Jharkhand on the floor of the lower house of Lok Sabha on Monday.

After BJP MP Arjun Munda already announced to bring ‘disapproval motion’ against the proposed extension; the proceedings of the house is expected to be full of uproar and disruption. Munda along with other seven MPs of Jharkhand will be on the forefront to protest the bill. Karia Munda is the deputy speaker of the House.

“We will seek an answer from the UPA Government and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh the logic behind the extension of the President’s Rule in Jharkhand,” Munda said this to The Pioneer over telephone from New Delhi. Sources in the central BJP informed about a meeting of the senior party leaders about a close door meeting. In the meeting Munda along with senior party leader and MP Yaswant Sinha were asked to stir the debate when Union Home Minister P Chidambaram will table the bill.

Independent MP Indersingh Namdhari who has been trying to get the time from the chair will also raise BJP’s voices in the House. “I am trying to get the time to put up my point on this issue. But I will certainly like to join the debate to seek an early dissolution of the State assembly and a fresh election alongside. It is politically wrong to keep the assembly under suspended animation after no political party or alliance staked claim to form Government in the State,” Namdhari said.

If the BJP has planned to set a cat among the pigeons the Congress is unperturbed. “There is no cause to worry, this bill will have a safe passage in the House,” a senior Congress leader said over telephone from New Delhi.

But the BJP MPs will use each ‘allotted and snatched minute’ to pile on facts after facts; using their head and memory for statistics to expose the UPA’s design in Jharkhand. The BJP’s high octane note in the house might not have a much political impact. But the party will find solace in its effort to paint the Congress as politically bankrupt.

Even the Congress leaders in their private discourse accepted that the party should take a final decision over the fate of the State assembly as it is creating confusion among the UPA MLAs who have knocked doors of every central Congress leaders to allow them to form Government.

Over the fate of the State assembly and PR in Jharkhand a senior Congress leader said that the assembly could be dissolved in the month of August.

It should be noted that the six-months period of the President’s Rule in Jharkhand will expire on July 19 and the Centre is required to seek ratification of both the Houses to extend PR. The Union Cabinet in its meeting held on July 2 had taken a decision to extend PR in Jharkhand.

The State BJP in the meeting of the working committee already resolved to launch a mass agitation programme for early dissolution of the Assembly. The programme which is scheduled to be launched under the name of ‘Delhi Chale’ Munda was authorised to chalk out the programme.

The best part of the lively debate over PR will take place in the Lok Sabha but one can probably find the UPA MLAs of Jharkhand including State Congress president Pradeep Balmuchu and others who have not lost hope for yet another Government in Jharkhand. But best wishes are not with them.