Crucial reshuffle

The expansion and reshuffle in his ministry that Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal carried out on Saturday can be seen from various angles. One of the most important aspects is that it is only a few months left for the BJP-led government of Sonowal to enter its crucial election year. The term of the present Assam Legislative Assembly will expire in May 2021, and election for constituting the next Assembly will thus have to be held before that. Given this critical time-span, Sonowal and the BJP are bound to gear up for the next elections. One of the best things for a party in power to gear up for elections is to focus on those departments which have the highest mass contacts, and then put some of the most efficient ministers in charge of those. In states like Assam, departments that have the maximum mass contact include health & family welfare, education, and public works. Chief Minister Sonowal had in his previous expansion inducted former State BJP president and Guwahati (East) legislator Siddhartha Bhattacharyya as the education minister. But then, in less than three years the people of the state have almost openly identified him as the most unsuccessful minister in the present government. Though Himanta Biswa Sarma, while holding the education portfolio in the first one and a half years of the Sonowal government had caused some resentment among the teaching community through his harsh words in full view of the public against the non-performers, Bhattacharyya had several times rubbed the teachers the wrong way, apart from doing practically nothing as Education Minister that the teaching community can recall. Bhattacharyya is lucky to have retained his ministerial berth, but not before he has been left with only three departments, Guwahati Development, Cooperation and Law & Justice. Bhattacharyya, however, is not the only non-performing minister in the Sonowal government. The Food and Civil Supplies Minister, the Science and Technology Minister, the Public Health Engineering Minister, the Social Welfare Minister, the Excise Minister and the Forest and Environment Minister are a few others whose poor performances have remained as clear as crystal in front of the people of the state. Prices of essential commodities have been skyrocketing like never before in the four years of the Sonowal government and onion prices are enough to prove that this government, and particularly the minister concerned has no control over the situation. The Social Welfare department continues to be one of the most corrupt departments in the state, and a large number of ghost ration cards and fake anganwadi kendra entries continue to exist. Women and Child Welfare in Assam being under the Social Welfare department, implementation of various centrally-sponsored welfare schemes and programmes for the welfare of women and children continue to be sipped in corruption and malpractices. About ensuring the rights of women and children in Assam, the less said the better. Similarly, taking a close look at the excise scenario one can easily find that manufacture, sale and consumption of illicit and spurious liquor continue unabated across the state. Encroachment in reserved forests, wildlife sanctuaries, wetlands and river-banks has only worsened every passing day. Illegal mining of sand and boulders too is on the increase. Looking at the overall governance scenario, any lay citizen of the state will say that corruption in state government offices, including in those under the Revenue department has been continuing as before. The common is compelled to pay bribes for getting files moved, be those for passing a medical reimbursement bill or for a passport application verification at the police station level. Given the political situation of the state, the ruling BJP may feel comfortable in the event of the AASU launching a new regional political party and win the next elections without much effort. But then, winning a majority in elections is one thing, good governance and delivery is another.