THE STATES

A political celebration

The Bharatiya Janata Party government in Uttaranchal celebrates the State's first birth anniversary with a hail of election promises.

PURNIMA S. TRIPATHI
in Dehra Dun

ALTHOUGH with an unimpressive track record, the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Uttaranchal began its second year in office with fanfare. The party converted the first anniversary celebration of the nascent State on November 9 into a platform to launch its election campaign. At a "star-studded" show, which was attended by, among others, Union Home Minister L.K. Advani and Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi, the new Chief Minister, Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, made announcements aimed at pleasing different sections of society.

The Chief Minister promised to provide jobs for 15,000 engineering diploma holders and those trained at industrial training institutes in the next two months. His predecessor Nityanand Swamy had announced a plan to create 18,000 new jobs while taking over as Chief Minister on November 8 last year, but nothing much was done to fulfil this promise. A major reason why there is no fresh recruitment is that government servants who had opted for the Uttar Pradesh cadre still continue in Uttaranchal. Koshiyari does not seem to be deterred by such constraints.

Keeping in mind the fact that the State has a large number of people who were with the armed services, Koshiyari announced the setting up of a soldiers' welfare board and an increase in the pension for women who lost their husbands in the Second World War from Rs.250 to Rs.500 a month. Besides, he increased the freedom fighters' pension from Rs.2,250 a month to Rs.3,016. With a view to appeasing the politically strong farmers' lobby, he announced that the limit for the kisan credit card will be increased from Rs.45,000 to Rs.1 lakh. Paying tribute to women, who contributed to the creation of the new State, he announced the creation of 4,500 new jobs for them in anganwadis under the Integrated Child Development Scheme and free computer education for girls in schools.

For the people of Uttaranchal, who were reeling under power shortage, he promised uninterrupted power supply for 20 hours in a day. Given that there has been no addition to the power supply position in the last one year, it is not clear how the Chief Minister will fulfil this promise. It will take a minimum of two years to complete the on-going hydel power projects at Tehri and Maneri Bhali.

These promises have the potential to influence voters, but an objective assessment of the government's performance in the past year raises doubts about their fulfilment. Similar promises made by Nityanand Swamy remain on paper. Nor was there any blueprint for the State's development, which the previous Chief Minister said was high on his priority list. When Uttaranchal was created, there was talk of making tourism the mainstay of its economy. But no fresh investment has taken place in the tourism sector.

ON the political front, the BJP continues to be riven by infighting. Nityanand Swamy's appointment itself was resented by partymen who saw him as an "outsider". All along there had been a demand for his removal. His age and failing health only strengthened the demand. In the past one month he was summoned to Delhi three times. On the first two occasions he came back with an assurance from the central leadership that he would be allowed to continue in office until November 9. But on the third occasion, on October 26, the leadership asked him to quit. In these circumstances, the outgoing Chief Minister could not achieve much. In a fit of anger he even admitted once that he never got the party's cooperation. His government's achievements were moderate: it opened 14 degree colleges, provided drinking water to 550 of over 10,000 villages in the State, and gave road links to 550 villages. The much-hyped promise of getting the "special State" status for Uttaranchal also did not materialise.

While admitting the government's failure to deliver, Koshiyari said that its one achievement was to have moved closer to the people. "Lucknow was too far off. This government is more accessible; this is the people's own government. This is our main achievement," he said.

The process of delimitation of constituencies in the State is complete and the first-ever elections to the Assembly is expected to be held in February. In normal circumstances the BJP, which has a two-thirds majority in the Assembly, should have no cause for worry. But its poor performance in government appears to have spoilt its chances and paved the way for the return of the Congress. The general disenchantment with the BJP-led government and the absence of any other major party in the arena have made it easier for the Congress to emerge as an alternative after a gap of a decade. Another factor that has helped the Congress is the general perception that the region developed when Congress leader N.D. Tiwari was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. State Congress president Harish Rawat, a Rajput, is believed to have a strong hold over his community. Rajputs form an overwhelming majority of the voters in Uttaranchal. This is one reason why the BJP chose Koshiyari as its Chief Minister in an election year. Besides being a Rajput, Koshiyari has the image of being a "people's man".

With the BJP blowing the bugle for the battle, the political situation is hotting up in Uttaranchal. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is trying to gain a foothold among the tribal population. Its vice-president Mayawati has already toured the State to gauge the people's mood. The Left parties are keen to have an alliance with the regional parties, which have mushroomed with a view to cashing in on the hostility of the local people towards those from the plains. Among them, only the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) enjoys some credibility because it had consistently demanded a separate State for the hill people. The UKD might succeed in capitalising on the general sense of frustration among the people. If the Left parties, along with Samajwadi Party, which has a marginal presence in Uttaranchal, forge an alliance with the UKD, it would queer the pitch for the BJP.