No unity in this diversity
29 Dec 2012 11:42 PM GMT
Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa’s anger at not being given sufficient time to put across her views at the National Development Council’s (NDC) meeting on Thursday is understandable. Ten minutes can indeed seem too little to express one’s views on the state of economy and women’s safety, the two subjects that were on the agenda of discussion for Thursday. Especially for a veteran leader like Jayalalithaa who can be expected to have sound opinions on both, and possibly ideas that can help in improving the condition of both. She is also right in saying that if the Centre was not prepared to give the chief ministers time to present their views, it shouldn’t have called them to the meeting. The UPA has indeed been on the defensive lately, because of the controversy raked up by its various policies and acts and unwilling to let opposition parties or even allies have a say on the same.
However, what is more worrying are the differences that are steadily cropping up between the state and central governments. When the state and the Centre are governed by rival parties some sparks are bound to fly before the two reach a decision on any policy. But Thursday, saw a growing number of disgruntled chief ministers at the NDC meet. While West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, a former UPA ally, accused the Centre of an ‘unholy nexus’ with the former Left Front government, resulting in the ‘disastrous’ financial condition of the state, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi hit out at ‘the policy paralysis, intellectual bankruptcy and lack of leadership in the country’. The structure of the Indian polity is such that the Centre and the state must work together, if any part of the country is to develop. But there has been an increasing trend of promoting the party at the cost of holding back regional and national development. When a particular state and the Centre are governed by different parties, the state puts obstacles in the path of implementation of central policies, even if there is benefit in them. Similarly the Centre is stingy with funds and development works in states that are ruled by a rival party. The Centre hopes, with such politics to promote its own party’s interest in the state in the next election. The ones who suffer in this power play are the people.
However, what is more worrying are the differences that are steadily cropping up between the state and central governments. When the state and the Centre are governed by rival parties some sparks are bound to fly before the two reach a decision on any policy. But Thursday, saw a growing number of disgruntled chief ministers at the NDC meet. While West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, a former UPA ally, accused the Centre of an ‘unholy nexus’ with the former Left Front government, resulting in the ‘disastrous’ financial condition of the state, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi hit out at ‘the policy paralysis, intellectual bankruptcy and lack of leadership in the country’. The structure of the Indian polity is such that the Centre and the state must work together, if any part of the country is to develop. But there has been an increasing trend of promoting the party at the cost of holding back regional and national development. When a particular state and the Centre are governed by different parties, the state puts obstacles in the path of implementation of central policies, even if there is benefit in them. Similarly the Centre is stingy with funds and development works in states that are ruled by a rival party. The Centre hopes, with such politics to promote its own party’s interest in the state in the next election. The ones who suffer in this power play are the people.
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