Self-inflicted issues rocking coalition govt
The current congress is a fine example of attempts for early harvest without even giving the crop time to grow. The govt is a coalition of JD(S) and Congress. It came into existence under duress and as a result of anxiety that BJP and JD(S) may come together to claim their right over forming the govt. All this hurried coming together is showing its impact now. There were two main reasons for this hurried coming together. One was to keep BJP away from the seat of power. Second was to keep former CM Siddaramaiah away from the power centres of Congress. The latter reason was a lot more important to leaders within the congress since the party had become synonymous with his identity. The preparation for this had started even before the elections were announced. The failure of Siddaramaiah was more of a result of Congress conspiracy than the attempts made by leaders within the BJP.
HD Kumaraswamy, the declared antagonist of Siddaramaiah, was made CM for the same reason without even negotiating on any terms and conditions. Politically, giving up the chair of CM to JD(S) and make HDK the CM, with mere 37 seats, was not a well-calculated decision. Even worse is to believe that HDK will remain CM for all five years of his term since Congress is not too clear about this within the party lines. Amid all this, the dissidence has started within Congress with Jarkiholi brothers being unhappy with the treatment they were meted out since the formation of the govt. While Congress is writhing over this, BJP has used this opportunity to start on operation Kamala. They are just looking for a tender spot to start the surgery of destruction.
BJP has not forgotten the humiliation it had to undergo around the time of forming the government. Hence it is keeping a close watch on the developments within coalition partners. If there is a crack in the relationship of Cong and JD(S), the possibilities of JD(S) and BJP coalition government before the next Lok Sabha elections. Hence, the possibilities of coalition cannot be ruled out for sure. BJP has to secure all its forts in states to ensure Modi returns to the seat of PM in 2019. Hence, the party is willing to purchase MLAs at any cost. The party is waiting for such a weak moment to surface sooner than later.
With all these realities around, JD(S) and Congress have to reach a workable equation to ensure things work to people’s benefit. Kumaraswamy cannot always hold Congress to ransom over having BJP as a choice. This cannot work for a long time. JD(S) has already paid a heavy price for having done this musical chair for politics in the past. Devegowda and his sons have repeatedly regretted and cried in public, apologising over having practiced politics like this.
The recent complications within Congress have prompted BJP to believe it can make a headway into the situation. The Belgaum politics has had a direct impact on the government. On the outset, though the coalition looks like a result of being a convenient arrangement to avoid communal forces from clinching power. But the whole government set up stands on money and muscle power. Siddaramaiah is in the equation only for name sake. The whole responsibility of coalition equation rested on the shoulders of D K Shivakumar.MLAs were held together with money power. Or else, many would have jumped over to the BJP side owing to money itself.
The same moneyed politicians are responsible for the complications that have cropped up within Cong. Jarkiholi brothers have been at logger heads with the govt from the beginning. It was the responsibility of coalition partners to take them into confidence. Satish Jarkiholi has been working not only though his strong economic background but also owing to his social commitment as well. He comes from grassroots and from a marginalized caste. Congress shouldn’t have ignored his cautions. The party felt he wouldn’t jump the fence for whatever reasons and hence the issue grew out of control. Though a coalition partnership forces everyone to camouflage their small grudges, people often show it at a time when the moment is apt for the show.
Siddaramaiah does not have the numbers to show his mite, neither the money nor the backing of other factors. He can never stage dissidence. But he is using the situation as per his convenience. The disgruntled MLAs have put Siddaramaiah before them to show their dissidence. This is a momentary show. No sooner are their demands met, they’ll soon stop their show and move on with other things. They’ll then side with DKS. But Siddaramaiah cannot be held directly responsible for the dissidence that has arisen out in Congress. DK Shivakumar needs to make his moves like a statesman, and not with the confidence that money or muscle power can bring. It is his need too, that the government remains in power. He has to engage in talks with the dissenting MLAs, setting aside his personal glory. JD(S) also needs to understand the responsibility and the stakes it has in ensuring govt remains in power with its partner, to create a level of confidence among people. This may give at least two years of life for coalition govt. Just about enough to save its reputation.
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Maharashtra Dy CM Ajit Pawar, four others killed in plane crash
Baramati (PTI): Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four other persons on board an aircraft were killed after it crashed near the Baramati airport in Maharashtra’s Pune district on Wednesday.
The 66-year-old leader’s death has not only left a vacuum in the BJP-led state coalition government, but also cast a shadow on the future of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which he headed.
His uncle and NCP founder Sharad Pawar said the plane crash was an accident which shouldn't be politicised.
The "black box" (comprising the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder) from the aircraft, will be analysed after recovery to determine the cause of the accident, an official said.
Ajit Pawar had taken off from Mumbai in the morning to address four rallies in the day in Pune district for the February 5 zilla parishad elections.
The others killed in the tragedy were Captain Sumit Kapoor, who had a flying experience of 15,000 hours, co-pilot Capt. Shambhavi Pathak with 1,500 hours of flying, Personal Security Officer (PSO) Vidip Jadhav and flight attendant Pinky Mali.
The government released a statement detailing the sequence of events that led to the crash and Pawar's death.
The aircraft, a Learjet, was cleared for landing in Baramati on Wednesday morning after a go-around due to poor visibility, but having finally received a clearance it did not give any read-back' to the ATC, and moments later burst into flames on the edge of the runway.
In aviation parlance, a go-around is a standard procedure where a pilot discontinues a landing attempt and initiates a climb to fly another approach. It is used when a landing cannot be completed safely due to factors like poor weather, an unstable approach, or traffic on the runway. It is a proactive safety measure rather than an emergency.
A readback is a crucial safety procedure where a pilot repeats back the essential parts of a message or instruction received from Air Traffic Control (ATC). It acts as a "closed-loop" communication system, ensuring that the controller's instructions were heard and understood correctly by the flight crew.
The 16-year-old chartered aircraft, operated by VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd, crashed while attempting a second landing approach at Baramati airport which is an uncontrolled airfield where traffic information is typically provided by instructors and pilots from local flying training organisations.
V K Singh, owner of VSR Ventures, said the pilot apparently could not see the runway and carried out a "missed approach", a standardised procedure in such cases.
Terrifying eyewitness accounts have emerged from the site of the aircraft crash as residents near the Baramati airport described a scene of chaos as the plane appeared to lose control before erupting into a series of big explosions.
An eyewitness described watching the aircraft circle the airport, noting it appeared 'a bit unstable' before its final approach. According to her, the plane 'hit the ground hard and exploded' upon impact, with the blast being heard in homes throughout the area.
Later, the Civil Aviation Ministry, quoting the person manning the Air Traffic Control at Baramati, issued a statement about the sequence of events indicating that the flight encountered visibility issues during its landing attempt despite reports of calm weather.
The statement said that at 8.18 am, the aircraft first established contact with Baramati air traffic control after being released by the Pune approach at 30 nautical miles (around 55 km) inbound to Baramati.
The crew was advised to descend at their discretion under Visual Meteorological conditions and were also informed that winds were calm and visibility was approximately 3,000 metres.
Upon reaching the final approach for the runway, the crew reported that the runway was not in sight and initiated a go-around to reposition for a second attempt on the runway.
After initially stating the runway was still not visible, the crew reported "runway in sight" just seconds later and the ATC cleared the aircraft to land at 8.43 am.
However, the crew did not provide the mandatory readback of this final clearance and at 8.44 am, exactly one minute after the last communication, ATC personnel observed flames erupting near the threshold of the runway.
Emergency services reached the scene immediately following the explosion and the wreckage was located on the left side of the runway.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is currently analysing why the crew struggled to maintain visual contact with the runway despite the reported 3,000-metre visibility.
According to eyewitnesses, the force of the explosion was so great that parts of the aircraft were hurled through the air, landing near residential structures. "The plane tilted before coming down. We saw the explosion and it was frightening," an eyewitness said.
Another eyewitness reported that the aircraft appeared to be losing control from an altitude of approximately 100 feet above the runway.
"The way the plane was coming down, we felt it was going to crash... As we rushed towards it, we saw flames, followed by four to five consecutive blasts, which prevented us from going anywhere near the aircraft".
Pramod Madurikar, a witness at the scene, said the victims were identified shortly after the crash and were shifted to ambulances. Fire brigade personnel reached the spot shortly.
The aircraft was trying to land amid poor visibility, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu told reporters in Pune.
VSR Ventures’ fleet includes seven Learjet 45 aircraft (including the one involved in the crash), five Embraer 135BJ aircraft, four King Air B200 aircraft and one Pilatus PC-12 aircraft, the statement said.
Superintendent of Police, Sandip Singh Gill, said that after the crash, there was a fire. "People onboard were immediately taken to the hospital," he said.
Ajit Pawar is survived by wife Sunetra, a member of the Rajya Sabha and two sons, Parth and Jay.
His Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) had contested the recent municipal corporation elections in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad in alliance with his uncle Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP).
President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and several other leaders expressed grief over Pawar's demise.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who reached Baramati and met Ajit Pawar’s family members, described the NCP leader’s tragic death as unbelievable, and said he had lost a good friend.
Maharashtra government declared a three-day state mourning till January 30, during which the national flag will be flown at half-mast on all buildings.
Ajit Pawar’s last rites will be held with full state honours on Thursday in Baramati.
Modi and Shah are expected to attend the funeral, which will be held at Vidya Pratishthan ground at 11 am, the Nationalist Congress Party said.
