Banning Bajrang Dal?

Soon after the formation of a Congress government in Karnataka, newly sworn-in minister Priyank Kharge, son of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, spoke about the possibility of not just the Bajrang Dal but the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) being banned if the situation warranted it. The comments, intended to assert Congress’ ‘secular’ credentials, led to a predictable political to-and-fro. While Kharge may have been indulging in popular semantics intended to please certain constituents, he is possibly unaware that banning an organisation is not a simple matter. The decision to ban the Popular Front of India (PFI) took a long time and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs gathered evidence that it thought would hold up in court before acting against the organisation despite a lot of disquieting news about the jihadist outfit’s activities. It was only when the Centre was convinced that PFI actually believed in the establishment of an Islamic state in India and that there was sufficient evidence relating to organising and carrying out acts of violence did a national crackdown take place. As to whether raising Congress’ manifesto promise to ban the Bajrang Dal ‘backfired’, a senior BJP leader said his party’s reaction would have been no different if there were no election in sight. In any case, the hasty visits of Congress leaders to various Hanuman temples did indicate their concern about the ill-considered manifesto promise.

Railways On Fast Track

Indian Railways’ (IR) revenues are on an upward curve, registering a 25 per cent growth in the financial year 2022-23, but the overall shortfall or gap between costs and earnings is a yawning ₹9,000 crore a year. This is even as IR is not able to meet the demand for freight and passenger traffic in an all-India scenario. Raising rates is an unpopular choice and the argument that on an average a passenger pays only 45 per cent of the cost to the railways fails to cut ice with various groups demanding concessions. The option of allowing the private sector to develop infrastructure has gained limited traction with railway officials pointing out that the experience in many parts of the world is not encouraging. Private parties are loath to spend anything more than what is absolutely necessary, leading to maintenance and quality problems even in countries like Germany and the UK. Besides, private capital will not service difficult and remote areas where the returns are low, leaving it to the Union government to build infrastructure. Assessing that it will be called on to develop and deliver high-quality infrastructure for several years to come, IR has launched major initiatives that include modernising or redeveloping 1,200 railway stations over the next two-three years.

Fiscal Folly

A key issue discussed at the recent meeting of NITI Aayog, attended by several chief ministers, was the need for fiscal prudence which has been worrying the Union finance ministry for some time now. Some states have been a matter of particular concern as they repeatedly seek help from the Centre. Often a point of contention is the release of dues from the Union government and when finance ministry officials get down to the nitty-gritty, it is often the case that the required certification from the state accountant general is missing or delayed. The finance ministry has provided for a part release of dues but full disbursals cannot take place without the completion of required processes. This is regularly a cause of friction as also demands by some states to be allowed to raise borrowing that will not be added to the state’s debt. The Centre has opposed such borrowings, saying there are incentives for certain types of expenditure and infrastructure development. Those norms must be adhered to rather than resorting to borrowings to pay pensions and salaries.

Nine Years of Modi

The interactions organised by BJP on the occasion of the Modi government completing nine years in office featured a presentation on key achievements in various sectors. The presentation stood out for its simple and effective messaging, with one idea being elaborated on each slide. A selection of 500 slides was whittled down and a final cut was readied that looked at the government’s initiatives in areas like social welfare, ease of living and economic reforms, and offered a comparison with the situation Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inherited in May 2014. By any reckoning, the data shows a much wider and deeper spread of government action across sectors. This may, at first sight, appear contrary to the “minimum government, maximum governance” slogan but it can be rephrased as “effective governance”.

Akalis Must Decide

The presence of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) at the inauguration of the new Parliament building led to speculation whether there could be some signs of a thaw in the party’s ties with estranged ally BJP. While SAD’s departure from NDA over the farm laws—subsequently withdrawn—did help the opposition, it has not led to any uptick in the political fortunes of the Akalis themselves. The recent Lok Sabha bypoll for Jalandhar saw SAD finishing third behind AAP and Congress. BJP, which has not contested the seat in years, ended with a 15 per cent vote and led in two Assembly segments. It does seem clear that the Akalis may find it difficult to stage a comeback without BJP’s Hindu vote. It remains to be seen whether SAD will support the Centre on the ordinance to restore the powers of Delhi’s lieutenant governor over postings of officials even though AAP is a rival in Punjab. Most regional parties place a stress on regional autonomy but with the next Lok Sabha polls not too far off, the Akalis need to decide soon.

Missing The Pulses

While several reasons for Congress’ victory and BJP’s defeat in Karnataka have been much discussed, the effect of the limited procurement of pulses by the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) and the Food Corporation of India (FCI) in the northern parts of the state, which led to considerable discontent among farmers, has escaped notice. The decision to limit the procurement of pulses—despite the Centre having offered incentives to farmers to grow the crops—was apparently due to inadequate storage space. The failure to detect the problem on time points to serious gaps in governance on Basavaraj Bommai’s part. And it was too late by the time correctives could be considered. Incumbency against BJP was evident in many parts of the state but was particularly pronounced in rural areas and farmer anger on various counts was a key reason for the party’s defeat.

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