from bridges to breakfast , there is little bit of Rajiv in every scheme

Article worth reading if you are not reader of economics times. UNLIKE Mayawati, the Congress may not be building statues of members of its first family — the Gandhis. Instead, it lends the family name to already-built structures. Clearly, the Gandhis are forever and all over. The latest among dozens of schemes and projects across the country with the Rajiv Gandhi moniker is the Bandra-Worli Sea Link in Mumbai that has been named Rajiv Gandhi Setu. This time, though, the Congress can claim that it was not the party but Union agriculture minister and NCP chief Sharad Pawar who proposed the former prime minister’s name. Apparently Mr Pawar’s googly caught even Congressmen by surprise, and now they have no choice but to go along with the name. This is not the first example of NCP largesse, though. In September 2008, Mr Pawar’s Man Friday, Praful Patel, had played a similar trick when he decided to name a flying academy in impoverished Gondia district after Rajiv Gandhi. The academy is Mr Patel’s brainchild. The justification back then was that Mr Gandhi had been a professional pilot before joining politics. But this can’t be said about the UPA’s other schemes that carry Mr Gandhi’s name. For example, the rural electrification scheme is called Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana. And then there are the Rajiv Gandhi Drinking Water Mission and the Rajiv Gandhi Watershed Mission. An international airport at Hyderabad, which was inaugurated last year, has also been named after the late PM — Rajiv Gandhi International Airport. Here again, locals were demanding that the same be named after NT Rama Rao, former Andhra chief minister and noted thespian. But Congress governments, both in Andhra and Delhi, ignored it. The late prime minister was not exactly known for his prowess in any sport. Nor was he known for any literary skill. Still the Centre’s awards that honour persons from the sports arena are called Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awards and the one encourages literary talent is called Rajiv Gandhi National Award for Original Book Writing. The government has also named a number of schemes meant to spread education like Rajiv Gandhi Shiksha Mission for children in tribal areas and Rajiv Gandhi Scholarship Scheme for students with disabilities. And the working class has schemes like Rajiv Gandhi Shramik Kalyana Yojana and Rajiv Gandhi National Creche Scheme for the children of working women. Even the scheme for tsunami affected is called Rajiv Gandhi Rehabilitation Package for Tsunami-Affected Areas. Unsurprisingly, the Congress-ruled states are not far behind when it comes to displaying their loyalty to Gandhis. Here is an ever growing list of various states’ schemes: Rajiv Gandhi Abhyudaya Yojana (Andhra Pradesh), Rajiv Gandhi Education City (Haryana), Rajiv Gandhi Vidyarthi Suraksha Yojana (Maharashtra), Rajiv Gandhi Rural Housing Corporation (Karnataka), Rajiv Gandhi Awas Yojana (Himachal Pradesh), Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (Kerala), Rajiv Gandhi Breakfast Scheme (Pondicherry), Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwa Vidyalaya (MP), Rajiv Gandhi Patasalas (Rajasthan), RajivGandhi Renewable Energy Park (Haryana) and Rajiv Gandhi Social Security Scheme for Poor Families (Pondicherry). But the clear winner among all loyalists will be Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Rajshekhar Reddy, who has an endless list of schemes or plans named after Mr Gandhi for every sector: Rajiv Palle Baata, Rajiv Nagara Baata, Rajiv Gruhakalpa, Rajiv Internet villages and Rajiv Yuvashakti. The list goes on. And with the state elections approaching, Maharashtra too may witness the launch of some populist schemes carrying the Gandhi moniker. This is in turn is bound to trigger a wave of protests about the neglect of the local sons-ofthe-soil and put the Congress on the back-foot. The Shiv Sena-BJP combine has already begun targeting the Congress for its sycophancy and obsession for the Gandhis.