Tags:
Journalism of Courage
States dont and shouldnt take orders from New Delhi any more when will UPA get this?
With West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee joining the critics on the proposed National Counter Terrorism Centre,the Manmohan Singh government would do well to take note of a recurring pattern. This is not just about Banerjees unreformed imagination of herself as leader of a party of the opposition. Or an early testing of political waters by a possible non-Congress,non-BJP grouping of regional chieftains earlier,Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik wrote a letter to J. Jayalalithaa,Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu to rally opposition to the NCTC. If it looks carefully,the Congress-led government will find that the growing chorus mimics opposition to some of its big moves in the recent past in three ways. One,the opposition comes not just from the political opponent,but also,and more,from the ally. Think Banerjee on the Lokayukta or on FDI in retail,and now on the NCTC. Two,a crucial part of the problem arises from the fact that the Centre is not talking or seen to be doing so,either to its allies or to states. And three,sensing a weakening Centre,allies and state governments are tempted to be oppositional,even for the sake of it. The federalism-in-danger argument deployed in each case masks a sorry chain reaction touched off by a ruling party that does not consult and engage enough,even though it does not have the numbers or the legitimacy to push big-ticket initiatives through.
To be sure,for wary state governments,the proposed bodys powers to arrest and search and to seek information might remain worrisome. Yet,these issues could have been placed on the table between the Centre and the states. With the NCTC likely to be delayed beyond its deadline of March 1,the UPA government may now initiate that conversation. But that will be seen to be keeling over to pressure,not conducting an exercise in democratic negotiation. And,in the process,underline its weakness again.
