Tough going for Cong in Uttarakhand
By TNN |
Highlights
NEW DELHI: Even as the Congress in Uttarakhand fights it out over who should be projected as the chief ministerial candidate, the ruling party���s ticket-selection process has been complicated by the ���lal-batti��� (red siren) largesse in the state.
The 70-member Uttarakhand assembly, according to the Congress��� own estimates has about 70-odd lal-batti totting members, whose official government cars with flashing red sirens are big status symbols. These profusion of ���officials���, who have been given a rank equivalent to that of minister of state, head various state boards and corporations and are all ticket hopefuls for the forthcoming assembly polls in the state.
For the Congress, whose return to power is threatened by intense factional fight between chief minister ND Tiwari and the state congress chief Harish Rawat, the lal-batti wallahs pose a substantial problem during tickets allotment.
With each of these minister-rank Congress leaders having influence enough to get cushy sops for non inclusion in the 12-member state cabinet, the party���s decision to turn down their request for tickets ��� as it would have to in several cases ��� could spell wholesale rebellion just weeks ahead of the polls.
The Central party, which is yet to scrutinise the names sent by the state election committee, has now been straddled with the prospect of accommodating all the 70 and more of them in the available 70 tickets. When asked about what the party was going to do about the many lal-batti wallas in the state, the Uttarakhand PCC chief, Mr Rawat said: ���We have the best human resources and we will use it for the best of Uttarakhand���. The BJP, however, sees the phenomena in a different way.
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To begin with, the opposition party���s estimate of these extra-cabinet ministers stands at a whopping 300. ���Of the many grey areas in the ND Tiwari government, the 300 lal-battis represent a most disgusting trend,��� former Union minister and BJP���s chief ministerial hopeful BC Khanduri said. The BJP leader said his the party would make it an election issue along with corruption. ���We will bring out how these lal-battis are being used and misused,��� Mr Khanduri said. Other than the lal-batti dilemma, the Congress list for Uttarakhand, which is expected by 22 January, will have to see the camps represented by Mr Tiwari and Mr Rawat adequately represented.
Another leader with big ambitions is Satpal Maharaj, who has a religious following in parts of Gharwal. As of now, Mr Tiwari has declared his intention to refrain from contesting in the upcoming polls (despite the fervent requests for him to do so from the Central party).
The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister who has been eyeing a plum ministerial posting in the capital or a stint at the Rashtrapati Bhavan for a while now, is ostensibly citing health reasons for his decision to not contest the polls. However, his remaining on the sidelines has raised questions about whether Mr Rawat (who is a Rajya Sabha member) or Satpal Maharaj should contest the polls.
All this adds to the prevailing confusion regarding the identity of the Congress��� leading player. In addition, the party���s 36 sitting MLAs are also expecting re-nomination. The ���lal batti��� factor, then, could be the lights out signal for the Congress during ticket selection along with in-fighting.
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