While Mr. Badal has been continuously harping on his pet demand for a federal structure for the country and more powers to the states for the last more than 40 years, he has not only been grossly centralizing powers with self and family, but refuses to decentralize any powers at the state, district or panchayat levels in Punjab. By allocating 28 of the 55 Ministerial portfolios to his immediate family members, Mr. Badal has displayed his brazen dictatorial character unwilling to even decentralise power to his colleagues. Mr. Badals favourite Sangat-Darshan programme, is yet another blatant and flagrant display of centralization of powers like a despot. He not only breaks the chain of administrative command from the Chief Secretary to the BDPO, but also prefers to hijack the work domain of a Panchayat Secretary, by handing out cheques/grants to gram panchayats himself. In todays modern technology world grants can be deposited online through internet into the accounts of the panchayats, but Mr. Badal prefers to do it physically hindering the work of the district administration, which is a perfect and glaring example of centralization of power. Creation of the unconstitutional nomenclature of Halqa Incharges, to concentrate powers in the hands of few defeated partymen, is yet another draconian example of authoritarian centralization of power. Mr. Badal centralizes total authority with self and his feudal son, while making transfers and posting of officials even at the lowest level of the SHO, BDPO or Tehsildar, is this his model of a federal structure or delegation of powers? Even while constituting their party structure, the Badal duo ensures that the top 4-5 positions are cornered by their family members. The induction of Harsimrat Kaur the only unemployed member of the Badal clan in the union cabinet, also exposes his unitary and centralised way of working. Last but not the least, Mr. Badal has wilfully obstructed implementation of the 173rd and 174th amendments of the constitution in Punjab, undertaken to delegate more powers to the Panchayati Raj institutions. In any case, what stops Mr. Badal in getting his demand for a federal structure and more powers to the states implemented, now that there is his alliance govt. in Delhi. The true reality is, that Mr. Badals actions do not match his words on the issue of federal structure, he only rakes it up to whip up passions and sentiments of the electorate for cheap political gains, particularly when there is a Congress govt. at the centre. It only exposes his double standards, dichotomy and machiavellian style of politics, he has been practicing for the last 50 years misleading and hoodwinking people. Therefore, Mr. Badal is advised to either set a deadline with the Modi govt. on the issue and if he fails to achieve it, he should quit his position, or he should stop making such frivolous and bogus statements for merely playing to the gallery. Sukhpal Singh Khaira Ex-MLA
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 22:26:36 +0000
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