Wednesday, February 11, 2015

MAY I HAVE SOME MORE, PLEASE ?

The first thing which AAP chief minister designate Arvind Kejriwal did after making a clean sweep at the Delhi  hustings was to meet Home Minsiter Rajnath Singh and Urban Development Minister Venkahiah Naidu. He made a few pertinent demands. Kejriwal asked for statehood for Delhi. He also appealed for land for new hospitals and schools which the party had promised the electorates.He is supposed to have made a few more demands to the Centre. The Centre has said that it will look into these demands without any political prejudice.
With AAP in power in Delhi, centre-state relations are in for an overhaul. Kejriwal is wont to keep asking that Dickensian Question- May I have some more, please ? Modi will have a tough and non-pliant customer in Kejriwal, that is for sure. How Modi handles Kejriwal's demands will form the template for future centre-state relations.
Modi had made better centre-state relations a cornerstone of his domestic policy. The soul of newly-formed Niti Aayog is a harmonious centre-state relationship.
If Modi's earlier utterance on this matter is anything to go by, better relations with federating states is one of his major concerns.
He himself was at the receiving end of a biased relationship with the centre when he was chief minister of Gujarat, or that's what he says.
The recently concluded Niti Aayog meet was a damp squib on this count. The non-BJP chief ministers didn't ask for much. They said they hadn't come prepared. Now they will have a leader in Kejriwal. One assumes that demands will now come up fast and strong. Modi will have lots on his plate in the coming months. Best of luck, Sir.




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