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| May 8, 2000 | ||
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| Escape
from Bihar Since it can't get worse, two states now stand a second chance
Which is why the demand put forward by the Rabri Devi Government for a staggering Rs 1,80,000 lakh crore compensation to Bihar for the loss of Jharkhand is both ridiculous and preposterous. If the balance sheet of Jharkhand's Bihar experience is drawn up, much more needs to be paid by Patna to Ranchi as reparations. Yet, ironically, the loss of south Bihar could end up having a salutary effect on the rest of the state because persisting with the status quo would be absolutely horrific. With the modern sector in both industry and services virtually non-existent in truncated Bihar, the people will have to make a new beginning. They have to bear in mind that the rest of the country sees Bihar as India's foremost area of darkness. After the reorganisation, it will become the only state in India bereft of all hope. Bihar can't get any worse. Which is why the creation of Jharkhand may inspire it to become a little better. Friends of Tigers In its darkest hour, Sri Lanka needs reassurance from India External
affairs minister Jaswant Singh was right to clarify India's firm and
unequivocal commitment to the integrity of Sri Lanka after the unseemly
controversy over MDMK leader Vaiko's purported remarks to the Federation
of World Tamils conference Indeed, it would be imprudent to view Vaiko as an unguided missile pursuing a private agenda. With the LTTE stepping up its offensive and scoring important military victories, Sri Lanka needs to be reassured that the terrorist pipeline to Tamil Nadu has been snapped. Vaiko's comments, in fact his mere presence in Geneva, fuels suspicions of a persisting India-LTTE link. The Government must make its strong displeasure known to Vaiko and advise him to refrain from any public involvement with the LTTE. Such a gesture will be valued by a beleaguered island that is fighting a desperate battle for survival. India has wronged Sri Lanka too often. It must not repeat those mistakes. |
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If
there are no more man-made obstacles PUT in the way of the creation of a
Jharkhand state out of 18 districts of south Bihar, the people of that
region stand a second chance. What began as a movement for a tribal
homeland has evolved into a far wider movement for separate statehood
because Bihar offers its richest region precious little. The Jharkhand
region has been plagued by
non-development, maladministration and corruption precisely because it is
infected by the Bihar disease. The creation of a separate state won't put
an end to these problems. But it will at least make the administration a
little more responsive to day-to-day problems. A new state should give the
tribal minority a greater share in decision-making and also ensure that
returns from mining and industry accrue to the region. As things stand
today, nothing gets done in resource-rich south Bihar because the
political culture of Bihar decrees that nothing ought to get done.
in
Geneva. It is not that Vaiko's veiled words of encouragement to the LTTE
hit squads constitute official policy. They do not. But Colombo can hardly
be faulted for reacting so strongly. India itself has, in the past,
reacted similarly to gratuitous pro-secessionist remarks by backbench mps
of European countries. The objections stem from the fact that terrorist
organisations like the LTTE use encouraging noises such as these to
bolster their claims to respectability. Certainly, as an important member
of the ruling NDA, Vaiko should have known better than to express
solidarity with a murderous group that is banned in India and many other
countries. What would have been the reaction if another mp endorsed the
ways of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, a group responsible for terrorist
outrages in Kashmir?