Code keepers of state sop operas

NEW DELHI: If democracy is a pursuit of happiness, the pre-election time can simply be a wild chase for it. Take a look at the Super-9 — UP,
Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, TN, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. These states together elect 372 out of the total 543 MPs.

When CEC N Gopalaswami was reading out the poll schedule around 3.30pm last Monday, the CMs in most of these states were busy with their most important task of the day — announcing big schemes so as not to default on the model code of conduct. In the run-up to the EC announcement, every perceivable section of voters got 'poll free' goodies — free TV sets, cheapest possible rice (TN), monthly cash help to BPL families (Andhra), massive waiver on rural power arrears (UP, Bihar, MP and other states) and other monetary schemes for the rural and urban poor.

Only last year, Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government in Rajasthan had tabled a bill for quota to economically weaker section among the upper castes. The much-hyped bill is still pending with the state governor, who has sought president's opinion on it. Her successor, Ashok Gehlot raced against time last Monday to beat the EC's code of conduct deadline by announcing a string of sops.

The biggest sop story, however, came from West Bengal. The Buddhadeb government announced a Rs 5,106-crore fiscal stimulus package. The concessions included Rs-2-a-kg rice for BPL families. Terming it an extra-budgetary allocation, finance minister Asim Dasgupta saw an immediate burden of Rs 1,000 crore on the exchequer.

"In times of meltdown, we had to expand the domestic market by helping the common man increase his income," the minister said. In Andhra, where both LS and assembly polls are due, CM Y S Rajasekhara Reddy put it all in place in mid-February. His list includes a loan waiver up to Rs 1 lakh — for SC-ST-BC and minorities — taken from their respective federations, adding about nine communities into the list of BCs and rescheduling loans to weaker section housing societies for a seven-year period.

And how could Bihar lag behind? On February 27, around 10 Union ministers trooped into the state to launch various schemes. The show stealer was RJD's Lalu Prasad's unveiling of hundreds of granite plaques for 36,500 km of roads under Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana — worth Rs 16,300 crore. During the last one month, CM Nitish Kumar has launched various schemes worth over Rs 10,000 crore in 20 districts.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Code-keepers-of-state-sop-operas/articleshow/4248083.cms