Badal Clueless On Action Programme
By B.K. Chum in Chandigarh
Eight weeks are too short a period to judge the performance of a new ministry. But the eight weeks yardstick cannot be applied to the incumbent Badal-led Akali-BJP government which took oath on March 14 as the coalition, for all practical purposes, has been in power for about 260 weeks after it won the 2007 elections.
One need not be a cynic to describe the ministry’s performance as lackluster. One has only to have a look at some of the headlines that have been appearing in newspapers. These relate to high borrowings, mounting debts and poll freebies adding to huge liabilities.
It is not only grant of freebies and failing to mobilize additional resources, the government’s performance on administrative and political fronts has also been dismal. For instance, the ruling Akali leaders who have been supporting Anna Hazare’s demand for a stronger Lokpal to check corruption has failed to appoint a new Punjab Lokpal after the expiry of the term of Justice D.S.Dhaliwal (retd) a month ago. The government also relieved his staff. As a result, the Lokpal is without the judicial wing.
One of the much-hyped administrative reforms measures of the Akali-BJP government was enactment of the Right to Service Act in 2011 aiming at providing public services in a time bound framework. But the Act has remained a non-starter for six months in the absence of notification of rules.
In his maiden address to the state’s top bureaucrats on May 3, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal sermonised them to practise austerity, humility and objectivity. He also advised them to stay away from political affiliations. His austerity sermons are, however, in sharp contrast to his government’s contrarian actions. For example the ruling alliance appointed 21 Chief Parliamentary Secretaries. Without any work they would get all perks of the ministers thereby putting huge burden on the exchequer. About asking bureaucrats to stay away from political affiliations, the less said the better. Badal’s own party had given tickets to his principal secretary D.S.Guru and DGP Gill to contest the Assembly elections. Both lost.
As though these negatives of the government were not enough, two of its ministers Bibi Jagir Kaur and Tota Singh were awarded five years and one year jail terms respectively –Bibi Jagir Kaur in connection with her daughter’s mysterious death case and Tota Singh for misusing the official machinery.
In this era of competitive populism, political parties, particularly regional, announce generous freebies and make extravagant election-eve promises. Not sure of returning to power, the ruling Akali-BJP alliance had also made populist promises. They knew that the burden of the freebies would fall on their opponents if they themselves failed to return to power. The promises which would cost Rs.10,000 crore included providing free laptops to students, unemployment allowance to jobless youth, Rs. two lakh medical care to the poor and enhancement of ‘shagun’ from Rs.15,000 to Rs. 31,000.
Since the alliance has returned to power, it would cost the allies politically if they fail to fulfill these promises. They have three alternatives: One, to mobilize additional resources by imposing new taxes. Two, to borrow more money. Three, to go to the Centre with a begging bowl. Claims ruling leaders often make that they would meet the burden of the freebies by reducing expenditure and by plugging loopholes in tax collections usually prove humbug.
The Chief Minister had on January 24 announced that “our government would start implementing these schemes from March itself and decision to this effect would be taken in the first cabinet meeting.” A number of cabinet meetings have been held after March 14 but implementation of these schemes is no where in sight.
In order to prevent the government from going bankrupt it will have to mobilize additional resources by increasing or imposing new levies or by curtailing exorbitant subsidies. If it takes any such measures which affect rural people, the Akali Dal will have to pay their political and electoral price. If the measures affect the urban population, the BJP is bound to oppose them. It will be interesting to watch how the ruling party comes out of the dilemma.
The second alternative to overcome the financial crisis is to go in for large scale borrowings thereby further increasing the state’s debt burden.Punjab’s ruling leadership has decided to opt for the third alternative of going to the centre with a begging bowl, the warning the Akali rebel Manpreet Singh Badal had given and for which he was dismissed as Finance Minister and expelled from the Akali Dal. Mr. Badal has now asked for a Rs.22,000 crore waiver from the Centre.
There cannot be two opinions that in a federal set-up, the Centre needs to help the states to overcome their crises. But the states too have to reciprocate by cooperating with the centre on important national issues.
Though the Centre is already considering bailing out the crisis-hit West Bengal, Punjab and Kerala, Punjab has weakened its case by not fully utilizing grants it received under various central schemes as it failed to contribute its own share.
Obviously the Akali leadership has been following the strategy: Announce huge freebies to help it capture power. After coming to power, ask the Centre to bail it out from the burdens of its freebies. When the Centre fails to bail out or gives help asking the government to fulfill the conditions of central help, charge the Centre with discriminating againstPunjab.
The Akali leaders perhaps believe that “politics is the art of the possible.” (IPA Service)
