Will Madhavrao Scindia shift to Guna?
FOR a considerable period of time, speculation was on in the Capital whether former Union Minister, Madhavrao Scindia, would seek renomination from Gwalior or shift to Guna, the constituency his mother, Mrs Vijayaraje Scindia, represented.

75 Years Ago

Chinese
disturbance
on Burma
border

A Press communiqué, issued two days ago with regard to the situation in the North-East frontier, says that the reason for the despatch of a large force of military police from Bhamo was that there has been considerable disturbance in the Chinese Shan State of Kanai, the precise causes of which are obscure.

A dogged fighter against NC ‘dynasty’

By Harihar Swarup

MUFTI Mohammed Sayeed is a relentless fighter and the cause he espouses have been invariably correct. Some call him a habitual dissenter. He carried the Congress flag on his shoulders for years in the valley and fought virtually single-handed against the mighty Sheikh Abdullah and his son Farooq Abdullah and suffered in the process. He had to pay a heavy price for his hostility to Sheikh Abdullah; he could never win an election during the Sheikh’s life-time. He had also to face Farooq’s wrath but the tide turned in his favour in the 1998 elections and, for the first time, he romped home from the Anantnag constituency.

In an emotional outburst the Mufti had then said: "People have considered me anti-establishment since the time of Sheikh Abdullah. I was fighting for political existence... I was swimming against the current and I have succeeded now".

The Mufti has been "let down" twice by the Congress leadership and once by the United Front. He broke his long association with the Congress in 1986 when Rajiv Gandhi entered into an alliance with Farooq Abdullah. His grouse then was that even though he headed the J & K unit of the Congress, he was not taken into confidence on the alliance issue. Rajiv Gandhi, who was the Prime Minister and President of the Congress, did his best to appease him — brought him to the Centre as a Cabinet Minister — but he never reconciled to soft line towards Sheikh Abdullah’s son, resigned his cabinet post and ultimately quit the Congress.

The Mufti joined hands with V.P. Singh and became the first Muslim Home Minister in the Janata Dal Government which came to power after 1989 election but he carried his animosity against Farooq there too. He was faced with the same dilemma in 1996 when the United Front decided to align with Farooq Abdullah but it was, as if, a repeat performance; he snapped his nine-year old ties with the JD, gave up the prestigious position he held in the Front and quit his membership of the Rajya Sabha too.

The Mufti returned to the Congress like the prodigal’s son and welcomed with open arms, raising the hope of revival of the direction-less party in Kashmir but he was completely disillusioned with his parent organisation. The man, who symbolised the Congress during the gruelling years of Sheikh Abdullah’s regime and enjoyed the trust and confidence of Indira Gandhi, was sought to be marginalised by "small fries" like Ghulam Nabi Azad, say Mufti’s supporters. Azad, who has no base in the valley whatsoever, is described by them as a "paratrooper".

The Mufti was often quoted as saying that the 1987 experiment (Rajiv — Farooq alliance) was a contributory factor to the rise of militancy in the state. The same blunder was repeated in 1996 by UF, which he had professed, would not be in the interest of the front. He proved correct for the second time — Farooq moved away from the front and supported the BJP-led government.

Mufti has now floated a regional party — J & K People’s Democratic Party — and the issues raised by him appear to be still pertinent even though the situation has undergone a change in the wake of the Kargil conflict. He wants "unconditional dialogue" with separatists, particularly the Hurriyat Conference. The only snag is his emphasis on "unconditional" parleys which neither the Congress nor the ruling dispensation at the Centre are likely to accept. Some Congress leaders, however, feel that there is no harm in holding unconditional talks but they cannot publicly agree to such a proposition.

While there can be no objection to a policy of more conciliation towards those who took to the gun and a comprehensive dialogue, as suggested by the Kashmir veteran, any move in that direction has to be within the framework of the Constitution. The Kargil war is a big setback to militants and it should be an eye opener to separatists. They should pause and think if they want rule by Islamic fundamentalists, as witnessed in Afghanistan, or an open, free and democratic polity.

The Mufti has evidently an eye on the coming elections and his attempt is to carve out a popular base for himself in the valley. It will be an achievement if in the process he is able to raise a democratic political force in the valley, strong enough to counter the National Conference. Sheikh Abdullah and Farooq Abdullah were able to rule the state as their empire as there was no viable political alternative. The Congress could have provided one with the Mufti as the leader but both Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi backtracked and now Sonia Gandhi, too, appears to have missed the opportunity.

Lately, the Mufti and his daughter, Mehbooba, have made it a point to visit the family members of those who have been victims of militancy. There are already reports of the people’s disenchantment with the NC. He has already decided to contest all the six Lok Sabha seats from J and K. He is certain to pose a formidable challenge to the National Conference in the valley and the Congress in the Jammu region.

Will Madhavrao Scindia shift to Guna?

FOR a considerable period of time, speculation was on in the Capital whether former Union Minister, Madhavrao Scindia, would seek renomination from Gwalior or shift to Guna, the constituency his mother, Mrs Vijayaraje Scindia, represented.

There was talk that Mr Scindia was seeking the shift since he was not certain of romping home from Gwalior, the seat of power of the Scindias during British India.

Apparently Mr Madhavrao Scindia was keen to go back to Guna, a constituency he represented before shifting to Gwalior.

Mr Scindia was asked by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to contest from Gwalior in 1984 against the BJP leader, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee. The election became historic as Mr Scindia emerged one of the few ‘giant killers’ in the 1984 elections, defeating Mr Vajpayee.

Since then, Mr Scindia continued to represent Gwalior and when later he wanted to shift he realised that Guna was being favoured by his mother, the Rajmata. Even though Mrs Vijayaraje Scindia contested from the rival BJP, Mr Scindia could not bring himself to challenge his own mother.

This time around, Mrs Vijayaraje Scindia has announced her intention not to contest and so Mr Madhavrao Scindia wants to reclaim his old seat. While it is okay between the mother and son, that could leave his sister out in the cold.

Plane diplomacy

A recent trip undertaken by Defence Minister, George Fernandes, and Home Minister, L.K. Advani to oversee the arrangements for the pilgrims going to Amarnath had speculation ripe as to the purpose of the two travelling together, specially after the merger of the Samata Party and the Lok Shakti with the Janata Dal.

Ever since the BJP-led coalition government came to power at the Centre this was the first occasion that the two ministers had travelled together. Despite pressing events in the past, the two had always chosen to travel separately and at times to the same place.

There was speculation that ‘plane diplomacy’ was under way, specially from the Defence Minister, who being the chief of the Samata Party, wanted to get the merged Janata Dal admitted to the National Democratic Alliance. With the hardliners in the BJP opposed to the idea, two hours alone with the Home Minister aboard the special plane could probably turn around the thing for the merged Janata Dal.

Indifferent DoT

The government’s hasty decision to announce a new telecom package has brought the sector under intense media focus and scribes are leaving no stone unturned to get behind the truth. However, for once the officials are not cribbing about the nosey journalists stalking the corridors of Sanchar Bhavan in search of juicy stories. Scribes realise that their traditional sources have dried up.

The reason: The scene has shifted from Sanchar Bhavan to the Prime Minister’s Office in South Block. For every query raised with officials in the Department of Telecommunications, the stock reply is that they are not aware of what is happening. "You ask the PMO", is the standard answer.

One reason for the indifference of the DoT officials to the whole deal is that they are very unhappy at the Prime Minister’s decision to shift former Communications Minister, Mr Jagmohan, to the Ministry of Urban Development. The officials at Sanchar Bhavan say that they have never found a better Minister than Mr Jagmohan.

The reason was that the Minister used to apply his mind to each and every detail of the files sent to him and in most occasions he used to make personal notings, which left no scope for any confusion. Mr Jagmohan also owned up all the decisions and the officials could work without any fear. However, ever since the scene has shifted to the PMO, the officials at DoT have been reduced to mere clerks, signing in dotted lines showed by the South Block coterie.

The new look AICC

This is the era of information and media. Keeping pace with changing times, the All-India Congress Committee has decided to also alter its look — not just in its ideology but also the manner in which it appears.

To begin with the Press briefing room at 24, Akbar Road AICC Headquarters, is undergoing a revamp. The first thing is to change the backdrop and the podium from which the party spokesmen address the media each day.

Replacing the pantheon of leaders in frames of varying sizes was a huge vinyl board with the tricolour in fluorescent colours. On one side is the party symbol, the hand, and written across is the party’s name, Indian National Congress.

The vibrant backdrop is draped with sodium lights which appears pleasing to the eye specially when viewed on the television screen. To go with it, the long table from which the leaders speak has also been changed to go with the decor.

Another addition is the podium through which the party slowly wants to shift the present practice of the leaders speaking to the media sitting, instead in future they would have to take turns to reach the podium to address the media.

The whole exercise was the brainchild of the newly-appointed Secretary of the Media Department, Tom Vaddakkan, who got the entire backdrop generated and printed on a computer.

George and airport manager

While it is well-known that Defence Minister, George Fernandes does not believe in utilising the trappings of power, another little-known fact came to the fore recently.

Apparently, Mr Fernandes, who prefers to travel in economy class on routine political work, refuses to avail of the facilities that the government-run Indian Airlines offers to VVIP passengers.

In fact, he travels by the same coach which carries economy class passengers and discourages officials from making him feel important.

Disclosing this, an airport manager at the Delhi Airport said another habit that Mr Fernandes has not discarded even after becoming a Minister is to share a cup of tea with this Indian Airlines official whenever the former is on duty! One way to keep a finger on the pulse of the people?

Freehold not so free

The government’s decision to permit Delhiites to convert their leased plots and flats into freehold at concessional rates by September has evoked considerable interest. The Delhi Development Authority, the organisation responsible for making the changes, however, appears not too happy with the scheme.

Contrary to newspaper advertisements that the forms for freehold scheme were available in most of the major nationalised banks, house owners have realised that it was a mere gimmick. A majority of the banks which are supposed to distribute the forms say they have not received the forms till now. With time running out for the concession the forms have acquired a premium.

With this state of affairs it appears doubtful if the favoured scheme, floated apparently for electoral considerations, will be rewarding for the ruling party. If matters don’t improve, the scheme could also boomerang.

(Contributed by T.V. Lakshminarayan, K.V. Prasad, Girja Shankar Kaura and P.N. Andley)

75 YEARS AGO

Chinese disturbance on Burma border

A Press communiqué, issued two days ago with regard to the situation in the North-East frontier, says that the reason for the despatch of a large force of military police from Bhamo was that there has been considerable disturbance in the Chinese Shan State of Kanai, the precise causes of which are obscure.

As a result, the roaming band of Chinese were reported in the vicinity of our frontier and it was said that it was their intention to cross and raid.

The force had to be sent to protect the frontier until the truth or falsity of the rumour could be ascertained.

Further enquiries showed that there was no truth in the rumour that these bands intended to raid the British territory.