Cong dangles package to woo Nitish, Mamata

Venkat Parsa New Delhi: The Congress has begun the hunt for new Allies, by vigorously wooing Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, through special economic package. This assumes significance, as SP leader Mulayan Singh Yadav is flexing his political muscle against the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre. According to sources, the Government is mulling changes in the criteria for a state to be entitled to a special package. Already there are three categories like the Hill states, states with large SC/ST population and Border states. Bihar is claiming a package, after Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar, when it lost the mineral resources and West Bengal, which languished under three decades of Left Front rule, is seeking a package to tide over the staggering debt in which the state finds itself. The Congress is working both on Mamata Banerjee and Nitish Kumar in the larger perspective of the Lok Sabha polls slated for 2014. Mamata Banerjee and Nitish Kumar are both capable of winning 20 plus MPs each and together, they could help the Congress in a big way even in the government-formation after the Lok Sabha polls in 2014. Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee already softened her stand on the Congress. With panchayat polls coming up in West Bengal, she needs to enter into some sort of arrangement with the Congress, in order to convincingly defeat the Left. For the Congress, it is equally important to get her back on board, in order to reduce its dependence on an undependable ally like Samajwadi Party of Mulayam Singh Yadav, now openly praising the BJP and its leadership. Unlike Mulayam Singh, Mamata Banerjee cannot afford to praise the BJP or its leadership, given the large Muslim presence in her state. It is more her political compulsion to keep off the BJP, especially in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls. Janata Dal (United) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is uncomfortable in the NDA, with the steady rise of Hindutva icon and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Since he, too, has a large Muslim presence in Bihar, it is his political compulsion to keep off Narendra Modi. Political observers feel that a possible Congress-Nitish tie-up in Bihar could be beneficial to both. While the Congress can gain a foothold, Nitish Kumar may well sweep the state during the Lok Sabha polls. Though the Congress leadership has dismissed Mulayam Singh Yadav's view on coalition politics, it is aware of the efforts being made by the SP leader to revive the Third Front in order to provide a better alternative to people ahead of the next General Elections in 2014. The SP chief is also believed to be harbouring ambition to become prime minister in the event of the Congress and the BJP failing to win a large number of seats in the 2014 elections. The Congress central leadership is of the opinion that by mending ties with Mamata and accepting the demands of Nitish Kumar, the party can easily counter the threats posed to its government by the SP and the DMK. If the government sources are to be believed the Centre is soon expected to review the backward criteria for states. Nitish Kumar recently held a massive 'Adhikar Rally' in Delhi to press for his demand. If the Centre decides to review and change the criteria of backward states then Bihar, parts of Rajasthan, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand will also come under the new parameter. The government recently indicated that the existing criteria of backwardness like 'Hilly State' is now obsolete. The new criteria will take socio-economic factors into account. A In addition to all this, the Finance Commission may give relief to debt-ridden states. The Finance Commission award may provide relief for Mamata Banerjee as West Bengal reels under a huge debt. "We have decided to change the criteria (for backwardness), and it will be done so in the coming months," a senior government official was quoted as saying. The decision, indicated by Finance Minister P Chidambaram in his Budget speech, will take on huge political significance because of the Bihar CM's relentless advocacy for a new yardstick for judging backwardness of states and his preparedness to pledge support to whoever meets his demand. The development would be significant at a time when the Manmohan Singh government is dealing with reduced numbers in the Lok Sabha after the departure of 19 MPs of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham and its one-MP ally VCK. Janata Dal (U)'s 20 MPs can prove very handy to the government.