The Hindu : Tiwari's task ahead

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 05, 2002

Opinion

Opinion - Editorials

Tiwari's task ahead

THE ELECTION OF the veteran Congressman, N.D.Tiwari, as Chief Minister of Uttaranchal was no smooth sailing for the Congress(I) as a party. The inability of the State unit (and the newly-elected MLAs) to find a leader from among the legislators is a reflection of the culture that has crept into not just the Congress(I) but the political establishment as a whole in recent times. The roots of this crisis can be found in the attitude of a whole generation of members of the political class which looks at office as a means to self-preservation rather than an integral part of a commitment to social life. The public display of anger against Mr. Tiwari's choice leading to demonstrations at the party office in Dehradun could have been prevented if only the high command had taken care to contain in the fold the others — Harish Rawat and Satpal Maharaj — who too had aspired to become Chief Minister. Now the imperative for those who lost the race is to bury the past and lend themselves and their support base in the State to the new Chief Minister and let him go ahead with the task of governance.

The Congress(I)'s victory in the State, despite the fact that its ranks were burdened with the baggage of a past where some of its leaders were not seen as supporters of the movement for a separate State, showed the anger among the electorate against the BJP. The 18-odd months (after the State was formed) that the BJP was in power were a period when there was hardly any governance. The aspirations of the people (a large number of them having suffered in the course of the agitation for a separate State) were hardly of concern to those at the helm in Uttaranchal — Nityanand Swamy and Bhagat Singh Koshiary. The BJP did nothing to retain the confidence of the people of the hill region throughout this period either. This is a lesson relevant to Mr. Tiwari as he begins his tenure. While it is one thing for him (and his team) to have managed the confidence of the Congress(I) high command, his real challenge lies in the months to come when the new Government will be expected to address the needs of the people. The long years of neglect, because of the distance (Lucknow) from which the affairs of the hill region were administered (lending the basis for the demand for a separate State), have led to considerable alienation of the people here from the mainstream. The problem will have to be addressed in real earnest.

It may be true that Mr. Tiwari does not belong to the hills. And in this sense, he could be seen as an outsider. But then, such facts that Mr. Tiwari had represented the Nainital Lok Sabha constituency in the past and his contribution (as Union Minister for Industries) to the region by way of getting the various Central Public Sector Undertakings to set up production units in the region cannot be ignored. Apart from this, Mr. Tiwari is certainly from the older generation of Congressmen with long years of experience in running the administration. And the difficult agenda of governance in Uttaranchal does require a person with exposure to the art of governance and an ability to guide the civil administration. Mr. Tiwari certainly fits the bill. There is, however, yet another factor the Congress(I) high command will have to focus on. The developments in the wake of Mr. Tiwari's election from within the party could build into a serious irritant and end up distracting the new Chief Minister from carrying out his tasks. It is in this context that the party high command will do well if it discourages the leaders from Uttaranchal from indulging in dissident activities. Any letup on this front will not only affect the party adversely but will lead to a crisis of confidence in the political establishment in the region.

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