Dancing Democracy-1
Posted : March 10, 2009 at 9:31 am [IST]
Navin Turns from Saffron to Red
Navin has dropped BJP after 11 years of alliance with it and are seeking the company of Brinda, Yechuri, and Budhdha.
The media calls it ‘NDA’s loss and third front’s gain’. I foresee the troubled future for Orissa and certainly a gain for leftists. Leftists have carefully planned and made this breakup to happen. Navin perhaps found Yechury and Brinda, naturally younger with better English speaking skill, better than Advani. I don’t know if Navin is also one of the aspirants for Delhi chair through third front. But how could he not see the consequences of the tie-up. Leftists didn’t allow many reforms of national importance to be brought in by Man Mohan. They will now see that the big dream industrial projects in Orissa never come up. After the news of this tie-up, the investors themselves will be shy to continue in Orissa. Has Navin overlooked that for saving government? Will the people take it positively or prefer to drop Navin, even though he has become the best known face of Orissa?
Orissa did better in governance since Navin took over as chief minister. I started seeing a new future for Orissa that was one of the lowly ranked states in east. It appeared that the state will be able to move ahead faster. Coming of educational institutes and IT biggies to Orissa was exciting. News about hundreds of new investments particularly in metal sector kept the media buzzing. Unfortunately, very few got realized on ground. Local protests made land acquisitions difficult.
Vested interests brought in concerns for the damage to the environment as well as to the livelihood of tribals to make it emotionally sentimental. I was closely following the South Koren Posco’s proposal of huge investment in the steel plant. However, I don’t think the company has been able to start the construction. Is this what the people of Orissa want? Can the people power be strong enough to resist the conspiracy? Is this not the test for democracy to win over individual’s aspiration to remain in power?
Leftists’ alliance with Navin will make the government survive. Over the period, the people will get disenchanted with Navin run party, and the gainer will be leftists with all their populist tricks. The leftists may succeed to become as dominant in Orissa as in West Bengal. It is the strategy that they were planned and worked on intelligently.
Ideally if Navin got disenchanted with BJP, he would have joined Congress. It would have helped Orissa and maintained the relation with Gandhi family that his father once had. Unfortunately, Navin has chosen devils that would put him in trouble very soon.
But in this dancing democracy Navin decided to create another wave.Unfortunately BJP depended too much on Navin and didn’t create a strong leadership in the state that could compete with Navin. Moditva can’t be an answer to Navin in Orissa. Congress also lacks a formidable local leader.
- Indra
Category: Indian politics |
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