Anna and Team: Danger to Federalism

Union is the Center and Federal are the different states.

In a democratic setup we separately vote and select a Central Government. Similarly we separately vote and select our respective State Government.

This needs to be communicated and explained very clearly to Anna and followers.

All the time the Central Government is reminded and even sometimes lectured on the Right of the States.

But in case if Anna and team start campaigning for the States Election due in Feb 2012 we will no longer be able to exert Moral Authority on the Center regarding Federal rights.

The reason: Why in a state Election we need to raise the Question of Lokpal. A State Election needs to talk only and only about Lokayukt because that is the domain for the same.

UP Elections must be fought on the Basis of UP Lokayukt and not Central Lokpal. But Team Anna for UP Election is not interested in UP Lokayukt set up by BSP but Central Lokpal to be setup by UPA. Similarly for Punjab Elections, they are not interested in Punjab Lokayukt but Central Lokpal.

Nobody is interested in questioning the Punjab government or the UP Government on their Policies and action towards a Lokayukt. But everyone wants to determine the Election Results on the basis of Central Lokpal.

Are we are going to punish the State Unit for a policy of the Union Government. Well that is what Anna and followers want.

So how is this danger to federalism?

Today if we are going to determine a State Election Result on the basis of the Policies of the Central government and not on the Policies of the State Government.

Then Tomorrow the central government will have the moral authority to take over the State Policies and justify it by saying that since it is the policies of the central government that are determining the state election result then the center has a moral right in directly participating in the states role.

We should not allow this to happen and must clearly point out that UP Elections must be fought on the basis of the Performance of the BSP Government and not on the Basis of a central Lokpal.

Team Anna, pls don’t make Central Policies to overlap with State Elections. It will mean mixing of Union over the State. And once you blur this line then it can lead to a New Pandora Box.

(Anna and team will argue that by bringing the Lokpal they will bring in Lokayukt. Buy after the parliamentary debates; it is the issue of Lokayukt that created problem in passing of the Lokpal)