|
Rajashahi over, Badalshahi starts: Clause 5,
Vigilance Commission out
WSN
Bureau
 Chandigarh: Desperate to deprive his
predecessor, Capt Amarinder Singh, of the halo that the c earned him, newly annointed Chief
Minister Parkash Singh Badal has vowed to strike out a clause of the
Act which gave legislative protection to the Ravi-Beas waters
flowing to Rajasthan and other states. Badal had promised to remove
this Clause 5 of the Act, and is keen to do that since the political
calculation is that this will take the sheen off what Amarinder
Singh accomplished by passing the SYL-blocking Act in total defiance
of the Congress-led Centre and even hiw own party leader Sonia
Gandhi.
But Badal is only planning to remove the clause 5. He has not said
that he will not allow the waters to keep flowing to other states.
By all calculations, the waters will keep flowing as a "goodwill
gesture". Incidentally, Badal had failed to oppose the same clause
when he backed the bill in the Assembly and even accompanied
Amarinder Singh to the governor's house to get it cleared.
Having won 19 of the 23 seats, the BJP now knows which side the
bread is buttered. It has said it will back the move to remove
Clause 5.
The clause in question states that "Not withstanding anything
contained in sections 3 and 4 of this Act, all existing and actual
utilisations through the existing systems, shall remain protected
and unaffected." Amarinder Singh had probably introduced the clause
to soften the blow as he expected the Parliament and the country to
explode in anger at the temerity of Punjab.
Union Water Resources Minister Saifuddin Soz has advised Badal
government against going ahead with the move to strike out Clause 5.
" It would worsen the situation and create unnecessary
complications," Soz said, adding Badal should wait for the Supreme
Court decision on the presidential reference made to it on the SYL
issue.
Clearly, this is the oneupmanship game. Deeper implications on the
legal front are still not very clear, but so urgent is the need to
remove Amarinder Singh from the SYL pedestal that Badal is moving
full speed ahead.
Of course, it is not just the move to remove a debilitating
provision of the Termination Act that is being sought to be removed.
Much else is also changing.
It is easy to know what happens when a government changes. In
Punjab, it is even easier, because most of the changes are
shamelessly blunt. Even as the results trickled in and it became
clear that Badal will be the next Chief Minister of Punjab, the
public prosecutor in a corruption case against the Badals in the
Ropar court was asked by his boss to shut up and wind up his
arguments within seconds.
A couple of days later, the poor fellow was booted out merely
because he was trying to do what he was hired to do. Suddenly, the
prosecution realised that the Badals have submitted some Income Tax
returns which amount to a clean chit as an IT return proves the man
has no unaccounted property.
A day later, the defence and the prosecution were in a bonhomie
mood, and both agreed that new and fresh investigation was required.
No prizes for guessing what the new investigations will show.
The officials have started showing their new colours (no, not true
colours. Just new colours). Race is on for plum postings. Badals
have learnt certain things from their predecessor royale scion. So,
the media was treated to a sumptuous dinner at a five-star hotel in
Chandigarh. As for other demands of the journalists, Badal was more
magnanimous than even his atta-dal pricing policy: "Just put on
paper what all you want, I will sign it."
Good. Journos are ready. They need free housing, insurance, welfare
funds, pensions, more facilities, free accomodation in circuit
houses, Delhi's Punjab Bhawan, Shimla's guest house, free bus
passes. The list is endless. But so was Badal's kindness.
A bit of magnanimity for himself and the officialdom also does not
harm. So the very first meeting of the Cabinet ordered scrapping of
the Punjab State Vigilance Commission. Now a bill to repeal the
Commission will be tabled in the first session of the Assembly.
Badal's house in Chandigarh's Sector 9 where journalists used to
click photographs of bathroom tiles and sanitary fittings to prove
how Badal has hidden Rs 3,500 crore worth of property is these days
a sought after address. Sukhbir Singh Badal holds court there and
top officials think social calls at this address are the most
guranteed way to success and better postings.
Clearly, after the Raja-shahi, Badal-shahi has started. Nanak-shahi
is a long way off, and is so far merely a calendar.
7 March 2007
|
Read Also