BJP playing second fiddle
The 2019 general elections are not far off. If the present political imbroglio continues and BJD’s Ponzi link is proved, a midterm election in Odisha cannot be ruled out. Whether the main opposition Congress or BJP, the second fiddle as of now is prepared to take advantage from such a probable situationIJ The Congress is more aggressive in putting the Government on the dock but organisationally it lags behind and the reverse is true for the BJP which is organisationally one step ahead because of the initiatives taken by its new president Basant Panda. But its performance in the State Assembly reflects poorly. The reason is, though small in number, they are divided into many factions. Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo is not happy after he lost the crown and Bijay Mohapatra, the round eyed politician, is conspicuous by his absence in the party headquarters these days. Pratap Sarangi is internally unhappy. Dilip Ray is serious to his business commitments than the required indulgence in party affairs. He is happy in the company of Jual Oram and Dharmendra Pradhan with occasional meetings with Narendra Modi to keep his Rourkela voters happy. Whatever may be the political situation in the State, despite support from the Centre, State BJP’s progress is at a snail’s pace and it cannot stay ahead in the race unless its bête noire behaves like the proverbial rabbit.
Nationalising education
The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) recently published a list of country’s top 100 educational institutions. It was a sort of a merit list to evolve a spirit of competition among the universities and colleges. Not a single Government institution getting grants either from the Centre or the State in Odisha found a place in the list. Two private institutions, namely, the Education and Research Institute and the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology acquired the 26th and 53rd position. Surprisingly, not a single university from Odisha had applied to grab such an all India ranking in the higher education arena. This has drawn a lot of flak after the list was made public. The reasons for such a state of affairs are known to one and all. Administrative mismanagement, whimsical financial grant to universities and colleges, besides large scale vacancies are among the principal reasons. Appointment of junior lecturers in Government colleges is first of its kind in the country and an insult to those among them who fulfil all criteria applicable to UGC pay scale holders. The OPSC examination has not been conducted for many years. The Service Selection Board set up by the Government is also not functioning. On the whole, a drought like situation in the recruitment of lecturers and professors has throttled the free flow of the higher education channel. In Odisha, we have 1,519 +2 colleges and 714 +3 colleges. 31 +3 colleges have post graduate courses and there are vacancies of around 800 teachers. We have 20 universities in Odisha out of which 14 are dependent on Government grants. The Chancellor of universities and State Governor should make it mandatory for the VCs to ensure NAAC accreditation for their universities. The State Higher Education Department should also take the onus for getting into the business of NAAC ranking. Nationalising the education system and creating a new cadre of Indian Education Service (IES) through the National Civil Service Commission is perhaps a way out.
Unaffordable housing
The Government of Odisha has fixed the price of a 2 BR flat at Rs46 lakh and that of a 3BR flat at Rs66 lakh in Bhubaneswar which is certainly beyond the reach of the middle class. Only black money hoarders and mafias of Bhubaneswar can go for such flats. Can a popular Government afford to allow such discriminationIJ Wooing the people in the BPl category by raising the Indira Awas subsidy and providing house to construction worker @1.5 lakh to consolidate the vote bank being the strategy of the BJD Government, it is the middle class which is hard pressed with limited source of income and housing for them remains a distant dream. Prices of essential commodities like onion, potato and dal remaining uncontrolled, the middle class women in their kitchens are hard hit to manage two square meals for their families. House is a life time investment besides being a dream. Now if ‘housing for all’ is a populist slogan and remains beyond the reach of the middle class then the high premium buildings at Bhubaneswar will go to the goons and unsocial elements of this future Smart City. Is Minister for Housing and Urban Development Pushpendra Singh Deo listeningIJ
KKD fading out!
Once Pramod Mishra’s interest in the Kosal Kranti Dal (KKD) after completing three terms (six years) as its president lost steam, the new born political outfit has gone into oblivion. He never encouraged the second line of leadership. In order to prove himself as the messiah of the Koslites in line with the undisputed TRS leader Chandra Sekhar Rao, Mishra floated Kosal State Coordination Committee (KSCC) convincing his blind followers that KSCC being ‘apolitical’ would attract leaders from other political parties in large numbers. The alibi failed as nobody was trapped in the net he had cleverly laid. This was similar to his earlier plan to introduce a tribal face as president of KKD and woo members of the western Odisha Adivasi Mahasangha. Kosal State idea has a glowing patriotic punch. But why should they play the second fiddle to Mishra or KSCC. The KSCC has no political locus standi and the shenanigans of old KKD are under the KSCC banner. What about the next 3-tier panchayat electionsIJ Are they going to contestIJ If yes, under which bannerIJ They have no alternative but to lean on KKD which is a registered political party. And, that is the reason why Mishra wants to keep the present KKD president at his beck and call but in the process he lays himself in the manger to prevent others to take advantage from which speaks of his attitude of standing like a banyan tree.