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Ordinance to restore Bhopal gas victims' property

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NK SINGH Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh Government on Thursday promulgated an ordinance for the restoration of moveable property sold by some people while fleeing Bhopal in panic following the gas leakage. The ordinance covers any transaction made by a person residing within the limits of the municipal corporation of Bhopal and specifies the period of the transaction as December 3 to December 24, 1984,  Any person who sold the moveable property within the specified period for a consideration which he feels was not commensurate with the prevailing market price may apply to the competent authority to be appointed by the state Government for declaring the transaction of sale to be void.  The applicant will furnish in his application the name and address of the purchaser, details of the moveable property sold, consideration received, the date and place of sale and any other particular which may be required.  The competent authority, on receipt of such an application, will conduct...
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MP'S FEVICOL MINISTER

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DB Post 14 May 2016


 NK SINGH

Politics is full of paradoxes. BJP can boast of someone like Anil Dave, epitome of integrity and probity in public life. The same party harbours and nurtures someone like Gyan Singh, honourable MP from Shahdol, now known as the Fevicol Minister of Shivraj cabinet.

The curious case of Gyan Singh has no parallel in India’s parliamentary history. He brazenly continues as a minister in Madhya Pradesh Government despite resigning his seat in the State assembly almost six months ago. It is a classic case study of politicians’ unbridled lust for power. It also symbolises BJP’s metamorphosis from a party with a difference to a party that is hardly different.

The bare facts first, for the uninitiated. Gyan Singh, who is Tribal Welfare Minister in Shivraj cabinet, contested and won Lok Sabha by-election from Shahdol last November. The election was necessitated due to death of the then BJP MP Dalpat Singh Paraste. Consequently, Gyan Singh resigned his seat in MP State assembly. Rules prohibit dual membership of Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha.

As Gyan Singh ceased to be an MLA, he was expected to quit the State Cabinet too. That is what normally happens in such cases. But the Tribal Welfare Minister is apparently too fond of his own welfare. He refused to resign his office. Six months down the line he continues to enjoy the spoils of office. Never mind that he is just a spare wheel minister, who cannot even enter the state assembly because there is no seat for him there as of now!

A provision to attract outside talent 

The honourable MP from Shahdol is hiding behind a provision under which anyone can be appointed a minister without being a legislator. Such non-members can continue in office up to six months, by which time they must get elected to the House. The Constitution has this provision to attract outside talent. 

 When Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar was shifted to New Delhi as Defence Minister in 2014, he was not an MP. He was not an MLA when he was shifted back to Goa earlier this year. Similarly, Adityanath Yogi was not an MLA at the time of his appointment as UP Chief Minister.

The provision of six month grace period is, obviously, not for someone like Gyan Singh, who has quit the assembly, with no prospect of entering its portals too soon. The Government cannot give him a second term of six months, even if it wants to. The Supreme Court has found such practice ultra vires. 

 His clinging to the minister’s post is a case of naked hunger for power. It is pathetic, to say the least, as the 64-year-old veteran politician has been a minister since 1977. He has seen it all, enjoyed it all. He has been a member of the Lok Sabha as well as Vidhan Sabha several times over.

 Gyan Singh was reluctant to contest Lok Sabha by-election last November as it would have translated to giving up his post in the ministry. He knew pretty well that no ministerial berth awaited him in Delhi. Hence he bargained, and bargained hard before entering the electoral arena. 

 One of his conditions was, apparently, that he would not quit the State cabinet in a hurry. Hence he refused to quit the cabinet even after resigning his Vidhan Sabha seat. As part of the bargain, he also got a party ticket for his son to contest the assembly seat vacated by him. Now that his son has become an MLA, he is brazenly demanding that his son replaces him in the ministry!

BJP's seedy underbelly  

The case study should form part curriculum of School of Good Governance that MP Government has promoted. It demonstrates how a chief minister ought not to work. Shivraj Singh Chouhan allowed Gyan Singh to continue in his cabinet even after he ceased to be a member of Vidhan Sabha. He made this compromise just to keep the heavyweight politician in good humour.

Gyan Singh’s case thoroughly exposes BJP and its seedy underbelly, crowded with power hungry and self-seeking politicians. It has become an exact replica of Congress. One can give benefit of doubt when BJP workers are found involved in espionage for ISI. One can also condone the party when its leaders are found involved in sex rackets. After all, it is a mass organisation. 

 It is difficult to keep track of personal lives of multitudes that flock to every ruling party, looking for a share in the spoils of office. But one cannot understand the case of Gyan Singh. BJP simply caved in to moral deprivation in this case. It is time for Deendayal Upadhyay’s party to hang its head ---- in shame.

 Published in DB Post of 14 May 2016

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