PUNE, 24 July 2006 — Delhi state’s Congress chief minister, Sheila Dixit, appears to have set the cat among the pigeons by suggesting that Bombay along with India’s two other metros, Calcutta in West Bengal and Madras in Tamil Nadu, should be granted “state” status like Delhi. Sheila’s statement has generated a lot of controversy, with the chief of Shiv Sena saying that Bombay will never be separated from the state of Maharashtra and would remain its state capital.
Sheila made the remarks yesterday in Pune at a function organized by a private educational institute imparting education in governance. Giving a state status to metros, particularly Bombay, would promote better governance, said Sheila adding, “Delhi as a city had developed faster after getting the status of a state and the same should happen with the three metros in the country.”
Shedding more light on governance, the Delhi chief minister said, “Good governance has to be participative. We in Delhi have evolved the concept of participative governance called partnership. Elected representatives, citizens and executives jointly run civil projects to ensure unopposed development.”
“Capability to take tough decisions matters a lot in speeding up the development process. And if it can happen in Delhi, there is no reason why it cannot happen anywhere else,” Sheila asserted.
In a surprise note, while addressing students engaged in governance education, Sheila advised them not to study to become politicians. She categorically mentioned that a degree in politics would not turn a student into a politician. “Not a single political party will give you a ticket to contest elections just because you hold a degree from this school. Politics is a means of serving society. A political leader has to understand his responsibilities and should have the courage to meet the needs of his position,” Sheila added.
