Do us a favour

Madan Lal Khurana8217;s great expectations of becoming the next chief minister of Delhi are creating an impossible situation. The announce...

Madan Lal Khurana8217;s great expectations of becoming the next chief minister of Delhi are creating an impossible situation.

The announcement on Monday that the implementation of the Conditional Access System CAS 8212; which was to be rolled out in a zonal fashion across the four metros 8212; is to be deferred in Delhi until the assembly election in the state gets over, is only the latest in a string of concessions that the BJP-led central government has made to the man whom it favours as its chief ministerial candidate for the state. Even as Information and Broadcasting Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad made the CAS announcement, there was Khurana beaming over his shoulder to claim every bit of the credit for the rollback that was his due 8212; a perfect picture of political lobbying if ever there was one.

Khurana8217;s exertions to postpone the CAS regime are prompted by the fear that it could turn off voters and damage the BJP8217;s chances of winning Delhi just as the issue of scarcity of onions had done in 1999.

In fact this obsessive fear had prompted him to meddle with the state8217;s administration right through these last five years at the expense of efficiency, good governance and public welfare. When the Supreme Court, in an effort to clean up Delhi8217;s air, ruled that all public buses here should run on CNG, it was Khurana 8212; fuelled by the promptings of his supporters in the transport business 8212; who tirelessly lobbied with central ministers to avoid switching to the new regime. The Centre, at one stage, even considered promulgating an ordinance to sidestep the apex court8217;s directive. Thankfully, he proved unequal to the task and Delhi got its CNG buses, allowing it to breathe just a little easier.

When the Supreme Court ruled that polluting industries be moved out of the National Capital Region, once again it was Khurana who threw a fit. Today, he claims that his party brought the metro to Delhi, but here too the man forgets that initially he had vehemently resisted the idea and had wanted a light rail system instead.

Once the metro became a reality, he concentrated on interfering in its work schedules, occasionally demanding that its route be altered to accommodate 8220;friendly8221; interests.

Khurana has, in fact, attempted to interfere with every aspect of the administration of the state: He has lobbied for regularising unauthorised colonies, fought to allow alterations in DDA flats, argued for changing land use patterns 8212; and all this, ostensibly, for the welfare of Delhi and its citizens.

Story continues below this ad

Given this history of persistent and pernicious meddling, we have only one suggestion to make: Just appoint Madan Lal Khurana as the chief minister of Delhi and be done with it. That way we can at least hope for an end to this interminable messing around and, what8217;s even better, we will get a chance to vote him out some time in the future!