It is not true that people of Orissa brought regionalism on their own

From: "Digambara Patra" digpatra@gmail.com Subject: Is the regional game fair? Date: Wed, 3 Jun 2009 14:46:14 +0300

Dear Top Congress Leaders & Jornalists of National Media ,
Reading the editorial in an esteem news paper my concerns are why the same rule is not applied to other major states?
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/rank-trouble/470272/0
I may agree on some of the argument on Srikant Jena, however, why other leaders like Bhakta Charan Das or Hemananda Biswal were totally sidelined by congress party?
Das's performance has been better as individual leader as well as working President of Orissa Pradesh Congress representing western Orissa, why he was not considered if Srikant Jena was a case?
Is Bhakta Charan Das or Hemanada Biswal who has worked as union minister or chief minister of Orissa is less talented than any x,y or z present in the union cabinet except few exceptional cases?
If national media could make an issue of UP not getting a Cabinet Minister, despite the fact that the sole decision makers for Congress Party and the UPA Government are Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi representing UP, what does it need?
It is the western Orissa which elected 5 out of 6 Congress MP, where as no representation was given from this poor region, where as similar number game policy is being applied in other parts of the country.
If the Government can promise that interest of any sort of major development, such as railway factory in Kalahandi (now represented by Congress), KBK railway connectivity, is addressed by the Government it would not be fair to lobby for two ministers from Orissa.
But it was not the case in past years.
In previous UPA Government there were data, some of which your esteem news paper published, showing regional and political favoritism by the central Government in railways, highways, establishing national institutions etc in the country.
Is not this regionalism, when 55000 crore investments in railways go to railway minister’s home state Bihar, a loss making zone, where as requirement of railway factory in Kalahandi and railway line in KBK region were ignored by previous UPA government even though Orissa comes under top two profit making zone.
Similarly, 50000 crore investments only in the home state of Minister of Highway, Surface Transport and Shipping, Tamil Nadu, when central Government itself mentions importance of roads & highways in Orissa and Jharkhand due to mineral transportation. How many states received this 50000 crore for highways, surface transport and shipping in India?
Is it right, when national institute of high repute for petroleum can be established in home constituency of Sonia Gandhi, whereas similar demand for central university in a place like Kalahandi are not even considered?
Your editorial missed an important issue, "the only thing that works in Congress party is personal lobby, where coterie of Rahulji & Soniaji steals the show."
It is heartening that Orissa's interest is being repeatedly ignored by the national media and Congress leaders by any other means despite the fact that regionalism is being seriously practiced in governance since decades by major states in India.
It is also not true that people of Orissa brought regionalism on their own. It was the other major states in India who exploited the situtation and national parties encoruaged them for their own benefits since Nehru's time. Fortuntely, Orissa is learning the trick slowly.
I wish national media should have focused in that respect first instead of countering a small, poor and backward state.
Best regards
Digambara Patra

--Digambara Patra, Ph.D Assistant Professor Department of Chemistry American University of Beirut Beirut, Lebanon Email: digpatra@yahoo.com