Can an Election Commissioner resign and contest in an election and can states lose their autonomy ?  

A selfish Union

It is no secret that the Union Government has been encroaching on the rights of the states. By promoting the promise of ‘one nation, one market, one tax, one law, one party’, the central government has systematically chipped away the autonomy of states. It took away the rights of the states to raise revenue by imposing taxes, promising that the GST would more than compensate them. But we now know that by an act of ‘God’ or ‘fraud’, the states have been robbed of their share and have been blandly told to borrow from the market to make up the shortfall in GST collections and the compensation that the Centre is denying them.

The farm laws are one more example. Both Agriculture and Agriculture Marketing happen to be in the ‘State List’ and are the exclusive domain of the states. How can the Centre ram through the farm Bills in Parliament and force the states to forego revenue? Even BJPruled states will bear the brunt of this anti-farmer and antistates legislation. Since they are unconstitutional as well, it is hoped that the High Courts and the Supreme Court will lose no time in striking them down. But given the track record of the Supreme Court, one is forced to keep fingers crossed.

It is no longer amusing to find the states powerless. There is not a single example to show that a state has not supported the Centre in matters of national security, defence and international relations. But whether it is maintaining law and order, provide education or health facilities or, for that matter, water and electricity, they have all been explicitly the states’ responsibility. What then does the Centre hope to achieve by strangulating the states?

Gajinder Singh

Hot and cold

Can a CEC resign and contest an election four weeks later? Or a Home Secretary, a CBI Director, a NIA chief ? He can use the police, the Special Branch and the CID to keep a tab on both potential candidates and rivals, collect dirt on them and help in propaganda. A DGP can actually do a lot more. With His knowledge of policemen and police stations, he can ensure the deployment of pliable officers, tamper with electoral rolls and misuse state surveillance for political or electoral gains.

That the former Bihar DGP Gupteshwar Pandey harboured political ambition cannot be held against him. That he may have served the ruling parties in Bihar while in service also cannot be insinuated without evidence. But what is certainly objectionable is the Government’s conduct, both at the state and at the Centre, to accept with alacrity his request to allow him to retire voluntarily barely five months before his retirement, so that he could contest the Assembly election.

Shouldn’t there be a cooling off period before these ‘public servants’ are allowed to serve the public?

Jitendra Ambasht

A Memorial for SPB

He was truly a living legend and the untimely demise of SP Balasubrahmanyam, addressed universally as SPB, has left a void which is difficult to fill. Having sung 40,000 songs in 16 languages, his was no mean feat and his songs were as popular in Bollywood as in Chennai or Hyderabad.

Heartfelt tributes that poured in following his demise last week also pointed to the fine person he was. Gentle, humane, humble and dignified, it seemed he treated everyone, from competitors to young aspirants, with the same respect. His life and work reinforced the conviction that you need to be a fine human being first. Stories of how he would go out of his way to meet fans, greet passengers in the economy class who wanted to get a glimpse of him and encourage budding singers brought tears to many eyes.

But was he as well known in the North? I found several friends in northern states who are otherwise fond of music and songs, indifferent to his death. The reasons could be many. Perhaps SPB attended fewer concerts in the North or appeared infrequently on TV channels in the North. But whatever be the reason, one way we can make amends is by building an institution in his memory in a northern state to promote appreciation of Carnatic music and songs in South Indian languages.

Rama Srinivasan