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Wednesday, July 15, 1998

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Power politics in full swing in Uttaranchal
From A.S. Prashar
Tribune News Service
NANAKMATTA (Udham Singh Nagar district), July 14 — Power politics is in full play in the run-up to the creation of the new hill state of Uttaranchal consisting of 12 mountainous districts of Uttar Pradesh.
All major political parties have taken up positions on the contentious issue of the inclusion of Udham Singh Nagar district in the proposed Uttaranchal state. The BJP stands committed to the proposed hill state complete with Udham Singh Nagar district. It is actually orchestrating the entire operation on the political as well as legal and constitutional front. Given the unstable nature of the Vajpayee government at the Centre, there is a certain amount of anxiety on the part of the BJP leadership to get the Bill for the creation of the new state enacted by Parliament before any unfavourable development takes place.
Stakes are the highest for the BJP in the proposed hill state. The BJP will be the main beneficiary if Uttaranchal is created now. It is already fairly strong in the hilly region of Uttar Pradesh and is sure to secure a majority in the elections which might be held after the formation of the new state. Already, jockeying has begun among the state BJP leaders to don the mantle of the first Chief Minister of Uttaranchal. Among the front-runners is Mr K.C. Pant, whose wife, Mrs Ila Pant, is the BJP MP from the Nainital parliamentary constituency which includes Udham Singh Nagar district. Mr Pant is the son of Mr Gobind Ballabh Pant, the first Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh after India became free in 1947. Mr K.C. Pant has served as a Union Minister in the Indira Gandhi Cabinet, but is now a member of the BJP.
The Congress too is committed to the creation of Uttaranchal inclusive of Udham Singh Nagar district. In the recent past, some of its leaders have made certain noises regarding "looking into the grievances" of Punjabi settlers and other inhabitants of the district. But it is aware that it cannot be seen as running with the hare and hunting with the hounds for long. It just cannot afford to annoy the hill people even before the creation of Uttaranchal.
Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav, the Samajwadi Party chief, has expressed his support to the Akali demand for the retention of Udham Singh Nagar district in Uttar Pradesh. But his stand appears to be borne more out of his desire to throw a spanner in the BJP works than any genuine feelings for the inhabitants of the district. His opposition and hostility towards the hill and the tough manner in which he dealt with the Uttaranchal agitation when he was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh is still vivid in the memory of the people here.
Ms Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party is yet to formulate a clear stand on the issue, apparently because the party does not count for much in the hills. However, some of the local level leaders of the BSP say they want Udham Singh Nagar district to be retained in UP.
A movement for a "greater Uttaranchal" has also begun in Udham Singh Nagar district. It is being argued that the Punjabi-dominated district must be kept out of the proposed state because they have nothing in common with the hill people. However, if the district has to go to Uttaranchal, then the other contiguous districts like Hardwar, Bijnore, Muradabad, Rampur, Bareilly, Pilibhit and Kheri should also be transferred to the proposed state. This would not only provide economic viability for Uttaranchal, but also ensure just and equitable representation for all sections of population in the new power structure in the hill state.
Leaders of the Udham Singh Nagar District Sangharsh Samiti have offered this alternative to the government in exchange for their agreement to the transfer of their district to Uttaranchal. They point out that if Udham Singh Nagar district alone is included in the new state, its inhabitants will not figure anywhere in the new scheme of things. However, if other districts from the plains are also transferred to Uttaranchal, that would ensure a proper balance in the new legislative assembly and put an effective check on any measure by the hill government against residents of the plains. Already, there is talk of putting a ban on the purchase of land in the hills by people from the plains on the Himachal and Kashmir pattern and putting a ceiling of just 3.5 acres on land holdings.
The reaction from the Uttarakhand leaders to the offer has been predictably negative. They see in it a conspiracy to reduce them to a minority in their own state and sabotage the entire movement for a separate hill state. "We will never agree to this preposterous idea," they declare. "It will defeat the purpose of a separate hill state."
Meanwhile, bandhs, strikes, demonstrations and rallies continue in the district. Yesterday, a complete bandh was observed in Sitarganj, an important trade centre of the district, about 35 km from the district headquarters of Rudrapur.