Baffling silence

Two minutes of silence for Sonia!

VIJAY DEO JHA

RANCHI

Congress Rajya Sabha MP Dhiraj Sahu exhausted his quota of common sense in sheer excess of loyalty towards the Nehru-Gandhi family and observed a ‘two-minute of silence’ for the speedy recovery of the Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

Sahu used a public occasion, the foundation laying ceremony of a school at Simaria in Chatra, to display his loyalty towards Madam, a day back. On his call hundreds of his faithful bowed their head in silence with frustrating freeze on their tongue. But many kept wondering, questioning and whispering about his baffling act.

A local Congress leader part of that silence session intelligently lifted a part of the quote Mani Shankar Aiyar about the ‘Congress party like a circus and every party member has to join’, to narrate the incident.

“As though we were the animals of the circus company and he was the ring master he suddenly asked all of us to observe silence and we had no time to correct him. He refused to realise the mistake even when he was told about this later on,” the leader said.

It was too late for the liquor baron Sahu to realise that a two-minute silence is meant to mourn the death not to wish longevity of a person who has not died. “My intention was not bad. It was a prayer meeting for the speedy recovery of Soniaji. She is our party chief and guardian too,” he defended later on. None in the Congress came to defend him; Sahu too withdrew in silence after the episode. But his adversaries have ensured that the party general secretary Rahul Gandhi must be briefed about this with added pepper and spice.

“It is a serious matter not the prank and frolic of a baby to laugh. He is an MP after all. He thinks that such acts will give him the access to the 10 Janpath Road. Dukhad hai dukhad hai,” said one of the party seniors. Sahu is not the only State Congress leaders who have funnily attempted to get direct access to the Congress chief and Rahul Gandhi and to catch their attention. “Most of us make regular visit to Delhi and mostly return without getting an audience of the party chief over Jharkhand. We laze and roam there,” confided a former party MLA. Back to Jharkhand they claim having met Madam.

The tradition of flattery of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty is not new in Jharkhand. Rahul Gandhi is referred with honorific title Yuvraj (prince) and Yuva Hridaya Samrat officially. Since there is no prescribed limit of the degree of loyalty they go overboard often creating controversy. Some Congress workers led by Ajay Rai had celebrated the victory of Italy in 2006 in FIFA ‘World Football’ by hoisting Italian flag not out of sportsman spirit but Sonia being the native of Italy. The matter was patched-up.

But Sahu’s faux-pas cautioned many in the state Congress who wanted to rewrite their insipid CV of their loyalty towards the party and its chief. So why the fax machines of media houses are least troubled these days by their press release seeking speedy recovery of Sonia Gandhi. “Initially I too wished to issue a press release but dropped the idea since only few statements have been issued by important leaders of the Opposition and the Congress. Let not hype it,” a senior party office bearer said. State Congress President Pradeep Balmuchu has announced to organise Mahamritunjaya to seek the blessing of divine for her good health. A Sarv Dharm Prathana Sabha was held on Monday for Sonia and her health. Thanks heaven it remained a prayer meeting not a point to prove loyalty.

State to share river mining revenue with panchayats


Malay/Vijay Deo Jha | Ranchi

It was a small step but one seen as a landmark one that will go a long way in empowering panchayat bodies. The State Government has decided that panchayat bodies will be a major stake holder in the auctioning of the work of quarrying of sand from the river beds of Jharkhand.

As per the proposal agreed upon, mining of sand will be decided by an open tender involving the panchayat body. The significant part of the proposal is that the panchayat body will have a major share of the money generated out of the tender at 80 per cent. The remaining 20 per cent will go into the State coffers.

Close on the heels of this decision, panchayat bodies of two districts Godda and Dhanbad have been provided with sums of Rs four and five crore, respectively, against the bandobasti of sand quarrying.

The Government took this step after various rounds of consultations with different bodies. The proposal is very much on the lines of the Panchayat Act which says that the local body should have the right over minor mineral resources including water.

This is the second such move of the State Government in the last two months and it will allow the local body a major say in critical issues. Barely two months ago, Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda placed a bar on the industrial houses from direct purchase of land for establishment of industry. He made it amply clear that the consent of the local body should be taken and the local people taken into confidence before acquiring land for industry.

The Government has said the step will be one of the biggest sources of finance for the panchayat body. Government sources said the panchayat body could be given preference in sand quarrying if it so wishes.

"This is an innovative project from the Government's side and is a win-win situation for such panchayat bodies as well," Secretary Mines AK Sarkar said.

The system is working effectively in other BJP-ruled States such as Chhattisgarh where the panchayat body has been vested with rights to manage minor mineral resources. Even if the move has been described as "innovative", it follows the Central Government guideline issued to State Governments asking them to empower local bodies to put an end to complaints of alienation among the tribal populace. Last year, the Central Government had accepted the right of the locals and tribals over minor forest products and even directed the State Governments to withdraw minor cases of theft of forest products against them. Governor K Sankaranarayanan had ordered the withdrawal of 11,000 such cases in Jharkhand.

Involving the panchayat as share holder in the sandbank may upset stakeholders who have been controlling this unorganised yet profit-making business. Hemant, holding the charge of the Department of Mines and Minerals, said: "No doubt, it is going to end the tussle between sand miners and the people of the area who are the natural stake holders. Additionally, it will prove to be a source of revenue for the respective panchayat bodies."

But this step will not benefit all panchayats of Jharkhand. "It's quite natural since a river cannot be forced to flow through every panchayat," Sarkar said. But then it is a minor step that will usher in major change, he added.

Oppn to corner Govt despite curtailed Monsoon session
August 13, 2011 11:34:07 PM

VIJAY DEO JHA | Ranchi

Even if the nine-day long Monsoon session of the Assembly gets reduced to five working days due to intermittent holidays the Opposition will make best use of the time to grill the Arjun Munda Government.

The Opposition's strategy will be revealed only after the joint meeting of the united Opposition on July 18 but a section of the Congress MLAs can even propose to boycott the session.

“The Government does not want to face the Opposition over public issues so why it deliberately chose short duration of the session. I am of the view that the Opposition should boycott the session if the Government does not accept a month-long Monsoon session,” Congress MLA KN Tripathy said.

And Tripathy is even going to place this proposal during the meeting as he said: “Many of my party colleagues have a similar opinion that the Opposition should boycott the session since the five working days are of no use.” His proposal may face flank of the JVM since the party is mulling some bigger assaults on the Government and placing no-confidence motion against the Government could be one of these.

“Some of the MLAs of the coalition Government are speaking in a pattern that echoes their distrust against the Government. They had open spat during the Jamshedpur by-election. The JMM chief has already made his displeasure known towards the Government for ignoring the minorities. The people would like to know whether the Government enjoys support of the majority," leader of JVM legislative body Pradeep Yadav said.

Yadav clearly stated what he meant: “We can even bring a no-confidence motion against the Government.” Both Tripathy and Yadav favoured extreme steps but even the milder one will be enough to smother the Government on various issues.

The House will boom with Opposition's noise over poor results of the Class XII affecting thousands of the students of the State who became the victim of JAC's inapt handling and subsequent failure of the HRD Minister and the Government to find a solution.

“It is top on our agenda since it involves the future of the students. The Government has the tendency to avoid a problem even if the public anger boils,” CMI (ML) legislator Vinod Singh said. On the issue of anti-encroachment drive also Chief Minister Arjun Munda and the Deputy Chief Minister Hemant Soren will have to face angry show of the Opposition. “Our strategy will revolve around eviction of the poor in the name of anti-encroachment drive and the failure of the Government to resettle them. I know what this Government is going to parry this issue by issuing a nonsense statement but that will not work,” leader of RJD legislative body Annapurna Devi said.

Hemant will have to face most of the lethal attacks of the Opposition since his Urban Development Department is a key to the anti-encroachment drive and rehabilitation policy. Left with less time the department is working overtime to give final shape to the rehabilitation policy likely to be tabled before the House. But confusion and chaos continues over some of the key issues

Sankarshan Thakur

Me Vijay Deo Jha along with Manoj Srivastava (Anchor Sadhana New) and Suruchi in New Delhi

Gandhi cap no more a Cong trademark

Gandhi cap no more a Cong trademark
August 21, 2011 12:07:19 AM

VIJAY DEO JHA

Good news has stopped flowing for the Congress in the wake of the Anna Hazare movement and the bad news is that the party has seemingly lost property rights as exclusive user of the Gandhi cap as its trademark.

The surge of men, women and children with white cap on their head to support Anna all over the country from Delhi’s pulsating vista India Gate to numerous hinterlands of the country is a clear indication of this. But dare not to look at the sale record of the Gandhi caps which is nothing but a topi boom that has boomeranged on the Congress.

Jharkhand is not far behind in selling Gandhi cap, which some call Anna cap too. The Khadi Board of Jamshedpur has witnessed a sudden surge in the sale of cap after its establishment in 1995. “We have sold about 200 caps in three days meeting the gap between demand and supply. We store 500 caps, but have asked our production unit to be prepared to supply more. It is not only the politicians and social workers, but majority of the customers are students, businessmen, teachers, retired persons etc”, said Bhibuti Rai, manager, khadi retail outlet in Bistupur. He went on to inform that the sale after August 15 especially picked off due to the campaign led by Anna.

“Gandhi cap,” the civil society activist Vishnu Rajgadhiya observes, “is on more deserving heads, those who are fighting for democracy rather than those who have made daily business to disdain and doubt Anna and his campaign.”

Back to Ranchi it is topi industry in making. “Sir we are more in a topi industry than selling usual khadi stuff. Everybody wants a Gandhi cap to join some procession to support Anna. Gandhi caps were never in demand except for few occasions. If people are returning to this cap to join protest it is an indicator of a big change lurking before the nation,” an employee of khadi retail shop in Ranchi observed.

“All it comes with a little cost `25 to `40 no more, and you get right gear on your head before to announce Mai Bhi Anna (Me Anna too).” Pandit Prakash and Bipul Vikash, the two brothers who have recently passed their Class XII and their sister Preeti Kumari, proudly display their caps; nevertheless, they have little idea about this popular campaign. Asked whether they know anything about the cause for which Anna stands for: Probably very little. But that does not bother these brothers to join the campaign with others.

Senior citizen Gaffar Khan, a tailor, of the Main Road has two sets of concerns before him. He is wary about the success of the Anna Hazare-led movement for that he makes daily prayer, but, equally worried since he has to supply around 200 Gandhi caps in the coming four days. His sewing machines are making lot of noise to stitch odd pieces of white cloth to make a cap. “Arey gol nahi tikona banao kabhi Nehruji ka topi pahne foto nahi dekha kya, bewakoof aadmi log, (Keep it triangular doesn’t make it round. Idiot and unskilled people haven’t you even seen Nehruji in Gandhi cap),” he chides his staff. He could be yet another tailor earning his bread and butter but making cap is something different. He could have told you if bobbin had not run out of thread.

But few veterans and old time leaders left in the State Congress understand the loss that the party has suffered. “You could be distinguished either as Gandhian or a Congress worker if you had placed this cap on your head.

Gandhi and his cap were the symbol of the Congress but today it has become a seething symbol of protest against the Congress. It is a big loss and nobody is realising it,” a veteran Congress leader lamented privately.

Back in 2008, the Congress had formally dropped Gandhi cap from its political wardrobe during the conclave of Congress Sewa Dal when cricket caps were distributed among the workers in New Delhi. Then Sewa Dal president Mahendra Joshi had said that the Gandhi cap would be used during special situation like disaster management where Congress workers are seen organising help.

The Congress today is facing a disaster of a different kind which is hard to manage at the drop of the hat. In between it has lost this cap at the hand of public.