top of page

By:

Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 4:29:04 pm

Federal Farce

India’s federal compact was never meant to resemble street theatre. Yet that is precisely what unfolded in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, where opening sessions of the Assemblies degenerated into petty skirmishes between Raj Bhavans and elected governments. Governors deserve scrutiny for overreach. But what played out on January 20 says as much about the studied belligerence of two state governments that have turned constitutional convention into a contact sport. Start with Tamil Nadu. Governor R.N....

Federal Farce

India’s federal compact was never meant to resemble street theatre. Yet that is precisely what unfolded in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, where opening sessions of the Assemblies degenerated into petty skirmishes between Raj Bhavans and elected governments. Governors deserve scrutiny for overreach. But what played out on January 20 says as much about the studied belligerence of two state governments that have turned constitutional convention into a contact sport. Start with Tamil Nadu. Governor R.N. Ravi’s decision to walk out of the Assembly without delivering his address was dramatic, ill-judged and constitutionally questionable. But the stage for that walkout was carefully set by the ruling DMK. The Speaker’s insistence that the Governor read only what the Cabinet had approved, delivered with the pugnacious aside that “only MLAs can express opinion in the House,” reflected not reverence for convention but contempt for dialogue. Tamil Nadu’s government treated it as an opportunity to box the Governor into a corner and then feign outrage when he refused to play along. The subsequent statements from Raj Bhavan, disputing the state’s extravagant investment claims and invoking disrespect to the national anthem, only deepened the ugliness. But it is worth asking why such disputes routinely explode in Tamil Nadu. The answer lies less in New Delhi’s alleged conspiracies than in Chennai’s habit of governing by provocation. The DMK has discovered that permanent confrontation with the Governor serves its political narrative as it keeps the Centre in the dock. Kerala’s episode was no less revealing. Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar delivered his address and left, only for Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to return to the House to announce solemnly that the Governor had tampered with Cabinet-approved paragraphs. The offending omissions concerned fiscal federalism and pending Bills, subjects dear to the Left Democratic Front’s sense of grievance. Vijayan’s declaration that the Cabinet’s version would prevail was less a constitutional clarification than a performative assertion of supremacy. Governors are not meant to rewrite policy. But nor are Assemblies meant to retroactively overrule a Governor’s address by executive fiat. Kerala’s government could have placed its objections on record or sought judicial clarity. Instead, it chose to dramatize the dispute, turning the Assembly into a forum for moral grandstanding. Together, these episodes expose a deeper malaise. State governments, particularly those ruled by parties opposed to the BJP, have begun to treat Governors not as constitutional functionaries to be constrained by process, but as political foils to be publicly humiliated. The irony is rich. Tamil Nadu and Kerala style themselves as guardians of constitutional morality, federalism and democratic norms. Yet, by weaponizing Assembly proceedings against Governors, they weaken the very conventions they claim to defend. None of this absolves Governors who stray into partisan commentary or obstructionism. India has no shortage of such examples. But federalism cannot be sustained if elected governments respond to irritation with institutional vandalism. Assemblies are not arenas for settling scores with Raj Bhavans.

Suicide threats, hostage tragedy highlight crisis


Mumbai: The tragic death of Rohit Arya, who was killed by police during a tense hostage standoff in Powai on Thursday, has forcefully thrown a light on a sprawling financial crisis that has pushed thousands of government contractors in Maharashtra to the brink of ruin and desperation. Arya’s final, extreme act, driven by what he claimed were years of unpaid government dues and denied credit for a state project, tragically mirrors the widespread economic despair gripping the state’s construction and development sector.


The situation unfolded at an acting studio in Powai where Arya, 50, held 17 children and two adults captive for several hours. Though police successfully rescued all hostages, Arya was shot and later succumbed to his injuries after allegedly threatening officers. Before the standoff, Arya released a chilling video stating that he chose this shocking path—which he framed as demanding “moral and ethical answers”—instead of committing suicide, a grim indication of the deep psychological toll his financial battle had taken.


Arya’s grievances centered on the state’s School Education Department, claiming he was owed approximately Rs 2 crore for work executed under his “Swachhta Monitor” initiative, a component of the government’s “Majhi Shala, Sundar Shala” campaign.


While department officials dispute the exact amount, citing procedural issues and unclear documentation, Arya’s case resonates loudly across Maharashtra, where a far larger, unresolved financial crisis looms.


Unpaid dues

Across the state, infrastructure and development contractors are collectively reeling from an estimated Rs 89,000 crore in unpaid dues from the state government for completed projects. Major associations, including the Maharashtra State Contractor Mahasangh, claim that payments have been pending since as far back as July 2023, leaving over half a million contractors financially crippled.


The protracted payment delays have created an economic chokehold. Contractors are unable to clear debts to raw material suppliers, pay salaries to their employees, or service their bank loans, forcing many into insolvency.


Representatives have repeatedly warned that the extreme financial stress has fuelled a spate of suicides across the community—the ultimate, tragic outcome of bureaucratic indifference and frozen funds.


“We are the second biggest sector in Maharashtra after agriculture,” Milind Bhosale, president of the Maharashtra State Contractor Mahasangh, has stated. “The government continues to prioritise populist spending while neglecting infrastructure debt. The economic impact is immense, but the human cost—the mental stress, the desperation—is immeasurable.”


Delayed clearance

While government departments have occasionally released small instalments, they often cite delays due to administrative clearance processes, changes in political leadership, or a tight financial environment.


Contractors, however, point to the paradox of new large-scale work orders being issued while old bills remain uncleared, questioning the state’s financial planning.


The Powai tragedy has forced a rare, public reckoning. It highlights the volatile social consequences when official debt becomes unbearable for ordinary professionals.


Until the government addresses the systemic failure to clear the staggering arrears – estimated at nearly Rs one lakh crore – the risk remains high that more individuals will be pushed into desperate, irreversible acts.

Comments

bottom of page