Manmohan’s 2nd innings also starts with humiliating Orissa
CENTER & ODISHA, Demanding equitable treatment, Elections 2009, UPA insults Odisha May 28th. 2009, 11:21amUpdate: The media coverage of the insult and its reaction is being archived at http://upainsults.orissalinks.com/.
When Manmohan Singh became the PM of India in 2004 one of the first things his government did was shift an announced for National Institute of Sciences (NIS) in Bhubaneswar to Kolkata and when Orissa MPs discussed with him about Orissa’ development he is reported to have replied "Money does not grow in trees." It took Orissa-wide demonstrations and a supreme court case for Dr. Singh to make amends and declare the establishment of a National Institute of Science Education and Research in Bhubaneswar. In 2004 he humiliated Orissa by not having a single minister from Orissa. Eventually he added a minister of state from Orissa. Somewhat similar to the NIS case, Dr. Singh’s HRD minister of state had mentioned in a speech in Patna that there will be an IIT in Orissa, but subsequently Orissa was not in the list. Again, after a lot of protests and demonstrations in Orissa, the PM included Orissa as one of the locations of a new IIT.
Fast forward to 2009 and now Congress gets 6 Lok Sabha MPs from Orissa, 4 more than what it had in 2004. Among the 6 MPs is an ex-chief minister and a tribal (Hemanada Biswal) who beat the national vice president of BJP in winning his seat, an ex-cabinet minister of parliamentary affairs and tourism, (Srikant Jena), an ex-minister of state of Railways (Bhakta Das), an ex state minister (Amarnath Pradhan), and two young MPs (one of them a tribal).
It is the PM’s prerogative to chose his team and there is no requirement that there has to be ministers from each state. After all these ministers are supposed to be ministers of all of India and it should not matter where they come from or what their caste is; all that should matter is that they are qualified and they have the PM’s confidence. So objectively one shouldn’t have a problem that he has chosen only one minister of state from Orissa and chosen 3 cabinet ministers and one minister of state from Karnataka, where it got 6 MPs, the same number as Orissa. But the insult to Orissa comes from his demotion to the minister he chose from Orissa. He has picked as a minister of state, not even with independent charge, Mr. Srikant Jena, who was earlier a cabinet minister of India and had Parliamentary affairs and tourism as part of his portfolio. If Dr. Singh did not have confidence in Mr. Jena he need not have picked him. But what is he trying to convey by picking him and giving him a demoted position other than showing his and his party’s continued dislike and insulting attitude towards Orissa.
Dr. Singh: You have won the mandate and I guess like your earlier insult to Orissa when you were reported to have said "Money does not grow in trees", you can do whatever you like. But India is watching and they can see how you continue to insult a state and its people. People of Orissa, including those who recently voted for Congress, are fast losing faith on you and are dreading the next five years, where your ministers will take their booties to their home state.
This is not suppose to happen; your ministers are supposed to look after the whole country and not their own state; but based on the past 5 years, where your ministers have focused less on India as a whole and more on their own states, India’s poorer states, with little representation in your ministry are going to get poorer. For introspection, you may look at your past Railway minister’s boasting about what he did for his home state and compare it with states like Orissa from where it got the most revenue, and what you and your past HRD minister have done for higher education and science and technology for your respective home states.
As per Orissa, it seems like humiliating Orissa is your favorite sport or perhaps your lucky charm, as you seem to be again starting your innings with that.
Reaction from other quarters:
- http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Naveen-ups-the-ante-over-states-share-in-PM-team/articleshow/4590533.cms.
- http://orissadiary.com/CurrentNews.asp?id=12813.
- http://www.orissadiary.com/ShowOriyaColumn.asp?id=12812.
- http://www.breakingnewsonline.net/2009/05/congress-humiliates-orissa-as-srikant.html.
- http://www.indopia.in/India-usa-uk-news/latest-news/584891/National/1/20/1.
- http://www.tathya.in/2009/story.asp?sno=2972.
- Congress humiliates Orissa again: Expressbuzz.com.
- http://www.indianexpress.com/news/MoS-for-just-Jena-an-insult–says-Orissa-Cong/467123.
- http://dailypioneer.com/179369/Why-Cong-injustice-to-Orissa-continues.html.
- http://dailypioneer.com/179368/UPA-has-neglected-Orissa-again-Naveen.html.
- http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/orissa-neglected-in-upa-ministry-naveen/359452/.
- http://www.orissadiary.com/Shownews.asp?id=12815.
- Orissa peeved: Telegraph.
May 28th, 2009 at 11:34 am
Oriyans voted for BJD. Now enjoy !!
May 28th, 2009 at 11:44 am
It is a pity that the third alternative is a party that harbors accused mass murderers and hate mongers and even puts them up as candidates. Under those circumstances the people of Orissa did the best they could.
If only the other national party would jettison its accused mass murderers and change its hate based approach and focus on its other assets …
May 28th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
It’s often said that History repeats itself.The reason being in the short run humans learn a lot from their experience, intermediate term a little and long run absolutely nothing.That is why India after being united twice under Maurya and Gupta empire broke apart.I have absolutely no doubt it will happen for a third time.However hard it may be to stomach, that’s how it will pan out.I am not the only one who thinks this.Jim Rogers, one of the celebrated investors of our time thinks the same.The symptoms are already here.Elected leaders from Parliament caring for their home state unabashedly almost to the extent of justifying it.I live in US and I have had the chance to interact with people of all states.A staunch nationalist is a converted man now thru this interaction.Idea of India probably is a “born-dead” concept that can’t be brought to life no matter how long India is held together.
This is why I put my bet on BJD knowing fully well that Odias have finally awaken to central indifference and will therefore root for BJD, especially in more literate Coastal areas.
May 29th, 2009 at 3:32 am
Even some time back Gilani a professor of Delhi University was seen as a terrorist, but the supreme court restored his dignity. Some people said Dr Binayak Sen is also a supporter of mass-murderers and he came out as a free citizen of India. Point is, why jump the gun and attribute things to people only because they believe in a particular ideology. Let’s have patience and treat the accused as innocent till they are proven guilty. Let’s not forget that BJP got 30 Lakh votes in Orissa in the recent elections, almost half the number of the ruling Party. Does that mean these 30 lakh people are belivers of violence and hatred. In these 30 lakh votes for BJP, Kandhamal’s contribution is just 1.5 lakh.
June 4th, 2009 at 3:24 am
In my opinion, BJD should try to make sure that the money made from/in Orissa and thru its resources must be retained and invested on the upgradation of infrastructure, schools, educational institutes, society & culture. The youth in Orissa wants to move to bigger and more lively cities. Provisions should be made to encourage native young entrepreneurs in our state. There is no “life after work” here.
July 23rd, 2009 at 7:51 am
WE the people of orissa, only can change this attitude of others.When WORLD keeping eys on us then who is Mr.Singh.