0.3 million complaints are pending in Madhya Pradesh CM helpline: Report

The former Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in Madhya Pradesh had started a CM helpline, one of its flagship programmes, with much fanfare in 2014. But it has lost its appeal. The helpline was meant for addressing public grievances with a one-touch complaint system. However, according to official data, 0.3 million complaints lodged in the CM helpline are pending with various government departments. The revenue department has the maximum number of pending complaints — 45,000. Sources said that most of the pending cases were registered in the last seven months. The new Congress-led government has shown no interest in solving the complaints but haven't admitted it publicly.

 
Water politics
 
As the water crisis worsens in Chennai, many are using this commodity as a marketing tool. While brawls over a pot of water are common now near water tanks, it even costs around ~15 a pot when one buys from private tankers, some of the shops have started offering a pot of groundwater free with a kg of dosa/idli batter. "Please bring an empty pot when you come to buy batter," says a poster outside a store in the city. Many families are opting to eat from restaurants as there is no water for cooking and washing utensils in the house. Considering the negative public sentiment and a possible hullabaloo from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in the Assembly, the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has mandated that none of its members can skip the session. The AIADMK needs its maximum strength in the House to face any argument and to show each of its members are serious about the crisis. There were rumours of a no-confidence motion moved by the DMK against Speaker P Dhanapal. However, DMK leader M K Stalin has clarified that there'll be no such motion as the issue has become old now.

 

Divided house
 
The Congress party’s confusion over its leadership question has affected its strategy in Parliament as well. Senior MPs from the party concede they are at sea on the position to take on important issues. Leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad in the Rajya Sabha and Manish Tewari in the Lok Sabha, have dipped into their experience to save the party from embarrassment on occasions. The Congress party’s lacklustre approach has given the Trinamool Congress (TMC) the space to drive the Opposition strategy in the two Houses. The latest example has been the TMC pushing for a discussion on electoral reforms. The party reached out to other Opposition parties, as many as 14, to get them to convince Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu to hold a short duration discussion.