Amnesia On Railway Safety

The train tragedy near Balasore has led to a predictable war of words, with Congress quoting Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports to claim that funds allocated for safety were either misspent or underutilised. Public memory tends to be short but the Railways were subject to coalition politics when the Congress-led UPA was in office. Railway budgets were marked by hundreds of announcements catering to individual MPs and political interests and often enough never even made it to the drawing board. And everyone was complicit in the deception with even MPs knowing that they had not much more than a talking point as regards a halt, an overbridge or a station as the facility might not actually be provided. One railway minister successfully sold his ‘model’ to wide-eyed delegations from universities like Harvard. The leader and his party are currently facing an investigation for allegedly receiving plots of land at throwaway prices in exchange for jobs. The expenditure Congress leaders are pointing out as ‘wasteful’ was actually meant to enhance the well-being of locomotive drivers who have to undergo long hours of physical and mental stress, something highlighted in internal reports. The biggest step towards freeing the Railways from politics of patronage was the decision to merge the separate budget with the Union Budget in 2017. This freed railway ministers of the need for overtly populist optics.

In Seshan’s Own Words

The release of the late TN Seshan’s autobiography has turned the lens back to his tumultuous and decisive tenure as Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). An exasperated Narasimha Rao government, unhappy about Seshan’s profile as CEC, dug out an almost-forgotten clause relating to the functioning of the Election Commission (EC), and appointed two additional election commissioners. The new appointees immediately acted as a check on Seshan who privately claimed that one of his new colleagues appeared to be mentally unstable. Meeting a small group of journalists over lunch at the time, Seshan said he had been to Tirupati and sat at the feet of the Lord, seeking guidance on how to deal with the new challenge of a multi-member EC. So, did he receive any wisdom? a journalist asked tentatively. Seshan shook his head, pointed a “thumbs down” and said “nothing.” Seshan dealt with his colleagues the best he could but thereafter EC became a three-member body for good. As evidence shows, this was not a bad thing. EC became more deliberative and unanimous decisions of all three members on key issues reduced the credibility of accusations about the poll panel acting in an arbitrary manner even though opposition parties continued to raise allegations of bias, particularly when they ended up on the losing side.

NCP Family Soap

The latest episode of the NCP political soap played out with the appointment of Supriya Sule, MP and daughter of party founder Sharad Pawar, as working president with charge of Maharashtra along with a few other states as well as coordination for Lok Sabha polls. Pawar’s confidant and suave businessman Praful Patel was also named NCP’s working president. While he was present at the announcement, Pawar’s nephew Ajit Pawar, seen as a contender for the Maratha strongman’s mantle, did not offer any reaction for a couple of days. When he did, his words conveyed a lot, even for what was left unsaid. Ajit ‘Dada’ Pawar said he had in fact suggested Sule’s elevation at a meeting of NCP leaders. He then outlined his priorities, reminding the media that he would be ready to write on “stamp paper” that he remained focused on Maharashtra politics alone and was, after all, leader of the opposition. Without referring to Sule’s being given charge of Maharashtra, Dada said she had a good record in Parliament and was usually in Delhi. When talk of “two power centres” began, he said he had made plain his preference for the state arena. Interestingly enough, Sule has also referred to her uncle holding the leader of the opposition post. The question whether Dada would be able, or wanted, to carve his own path has been a matter of considerable speculation. What is clear is that he seeks his political destiny in Maharashtra and that includes achieving the elusive goal of being chief minister. Meanwhile, talk of his interactions with BJP leaders refuses to die down. While this remains speculation, BJP leaders are carefully assessing the need for an additional ally as the NCP-Uddhav Shiv Sena-Congress combination can be a numerically strong opponent. And, depending on the situation, Dada will be a very useful partner.

Different Strokes

There is no surer sign of parties slipping into election mode than leaders taking steps to end the ambiguity about their relations with one another. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was a prominent presence during the inauguration of the new Parliament—a rare instance when he visited the capital—at a time when several opposition parties had absented themselves. Just as talk of Andhra’s pending dues being cleared by the Centre was seen as evidence that Jagan’s YSRCP would support the Centre’s ordinance undoing a Supreme Court ruling to restore the lieutenant governor’s supremacy in appointing officials in Delhi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah sharply attacked the state government, saying that the ruling party cadre has misappropriated Central funds. He did not spare the chief minister either. Shah’s remarks are seen to indicate BJP may renew its ties with N Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls which coincide with the state election. It is, however, possible that cooperation in Parliament may continue hand-in-hand with oppositional politics in the state. So far, YSRCP has had no need to look for allies, being comfortably ahead of TDP. Despite its efforts, BJP has been unable to gain a significant profile and it might make sense to consider TDP’s olive branch. But Shah’s rallies in Tamil Nadu and Andhra make it evident that the 2024 campaign has begun with the BJP leader’s visits intended to propagate the party’s message and, importantly, tone up the organisation for the daunting task of seeking a third successive mandate from voters.

TOPS On Track

While the allegations levelled by India’s top female wrestlers against BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh have dominated headlines, the government recently held a review of India’s preparations for the Asian Games in China due later in the year. According to the sports ministry, the 100th meeting of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme or TOPS, started in 2014, was held where the progress of various programmes was assessed. More than `450 crore has been spent on TOPS since the last Olympics, with more than 350 proposals of athletes approved. These athletes are being trained under the TOPS programmes. The government bears the costs of food, lodging and training within India and abroad and by the time the Asian Games begin, the athletes would have benefitted by 142 foreign and 71 national camps that should hone their competitiveness.

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