From the mood in its party office and manoeuvres of the leadership in the House, it seems the BJP is preparing for early Lok Sabha polls, possibly some time in February 2004. The allies, however, don’t seem interested. However, the BJP is cautiously but certainly preparing the pitch. A number of theories are doing the rounds to explain why. Many feel the party wants to exploit a possible pro-BJP swing in the bunch of Assembly polls in end 2003. But no party chalks up strategy on sheer possibilities. There is no warranty the BJP will come up trumps in the coming Assembly elections. The actual reason for the restlessness is Uttar Pradesh. The BJP has struck a deal with Mayawati that they must fight the next Lok Sabha polls together. Now the ground reality in UP — with the BJP state leadership humiliated and workers frustrated — has landed the party central leadership in a spot. Every passing day adds to the embarrassment of maintaining a, to say the least, compromised coalition. Ashoka Road knows how damaging continuing the alliance with Mayawati till November, 2004 — when the general election is due — can be. The BJP can’t afford to bear Mayawati for more than six months. The party leadership knows how vital UP is to the power equation at the Centre. If UP doesn’t deliver, it will not be possible for BJP to retain its present tally of 182 seats. Even a reduction of 20-25 seats can spoil the party’s chances at the Centre. No wonder the BJP can’t wait for polls. But the BJP may still not be able to hold an early election. After all, it’s the NDA that will decide. In such a scenario, one can safely predict President’s rule in UP. While talking about possibilities, we can’t rule out Mayawati herself dropping the BJP. Thin chances, do I hear you say? Knowing political currents in Lucknow, one can never tell. Anti-dowry, not anti-saas We tend to paint the world in black and white. So when we eventually woke up to the plight of exploited daughters-in-law and drafted a law to protect them, we didn’t imagine some daughters-in-law exploiting it to hold their in-laws to ransom. I personally know old ladies in their 90s, taken to custody under this law. In a couple of cases I know of mothers-in-law — too sick and infirm to harm a bird — who have been convicted and are serving terms. Once a case is filed under the law, the accused is/are arrested and, frankly, the onus of proving innocence lies on them. Many shrewd daughter-in-laws have spotted the imbalance and are simply blackmailing their in-laws. It’s high time the Law Ministry reviewed the Act. Investigation should be mandatory before arrest and there should be reasonable provision of bail. It should be made clear that charges can be brought under the law within two years (instead of the present seven) of marriage. By all means, I want the anti-dowry law to be there. But it should be balanced. The current law suggests all daughters-in-laws are angels and all mothers-in-law witches. It’s not like that even in saas-bahu serials. SC strikes back The recent Supreme Court judgement denying government employees the right to go on strike is a very pragmatic one. After the Fifth Pay Commission recommendations, state governments are near bankrupt, footing huge wage bills. The moral aspect of being part of the government apart, these employees enjoy complete job security and maximum number of holidays. In return, they offer minimum productivity. Vote bank politics and appeasement have spoilt the work culture almost beyond repair. The judiciary couldn’t have done better. Hats off to it. (The writer is a Congress Rajya Sabha member)
