The Hindu : Sheila Govt. on the defensive

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 17, 2002

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Sheila Govt. on the defensive

By Sujay Mehdudia

NEW DELHI NOV. 16. The softening of the stand by the Sheila Dikshit Government over the "controversial'' amendments to the Transaction of Business Rules and on the State Government's role in operation of the Metro rail project has raised eyebrows in political circles. Indications are that the war cry against the political conspiracy by the Vajpayee Government has given way to reconciliation.

The Sheila Dikshit Government and the party raised the hype over the issue and termed it as a conspiracy by the BJP-led Central Government to curtail the autonomy and powers of the duly-elected Government in the Capital. However, political observers are of the view that the Government and party could stand to lose politically if it softened its stand. Both the issues had generated a lot of sympathy for the Congress Government which was seen as being wronged by an indifferent Central Government.

The Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, had gone to town along with her party crying foul and alleging that attempts were being made to destabilise her Government. She had even pointed an accusing finger at the Delhi Lieutenant-Governor, Vijai Kapoor, and the Ministry of Home Affairs for having joined hands to marginalise her Government. In fact, the bureaucracy in Delhi was also following the new amendments and has started routing files through the Lieutenant- Governor. Many in the party and Government feel that the Congress Government would have to pay a heavy political price for first upping the ante and then suddenly going into the shell on the issue.

The Congress Government had also summoned a one-day special session of the Delhi Assembly to condemn the move. But that was the ultimate and after that things have remained stagnant. A rejection by the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K.Advani, for withdrawing the amendments and no reply from the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, has dented the morale of the State Government.

As for the party, all its pronouncements of launching an agitation if the amendments are not withdrawn have turned out to be nothing but rhetoric lacking any concrete action. "In fact, there is serious talk going on in political circles that the amendments were nothing serious and the Congress Government had raised a hue and cry just to score a political point. It could recoil on the party as the masses are sure to react adversely any such impression,'' a senior Minister remarked.

As for the Metro rail issue, here again the Sheila Dikshit Government has gone on the defensive. It has been unable to effectively take up the issue of ignoring the rights of the Delhi Government in running of the Metro rail. Initially, the Government refused to react on the pretext that the Metro Ordinance had not reached the Government officially. Now that it has received the Ordinance "officially'' there is still no reaction. The Delhi Cabinet has failed to discuss the matter and convey its strong resentment on the issue to the Central Government.

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