ROUND THE STATES

New Delhi, 1 March 2006

Mulayam Faces Crisis

POLITICAL SCENE IN U.P. HOTS UP

By Insaf

A shrewd political move by Mulayam Singh Yadav has helped the Chief Minister to save his Government in U.P., at least for now.  Soon after the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court set aside the recognition of 40 breakaway BSP MLAs by the, then, Speaker Kesri Nath Tripathi of the BJP, Mulayam Singh moved a confidence motion in the Assembly which luckily for him is in session. He won the motion with the support of the 40 rebel MLAs.  The BJP and the BSP staged a walk-out, while the Congress abstained.  Mulayam Singh and his Samajwadi Party have undoubtedly won a respite, but political scene is hotting up in Lucknow.  Former Chief Minister and the BSP supremo Mayawati has claimed that her rebel MLAs were willing to return back to the party.

The Congress too has questioned the validity of the trust motion and demanded Mulayam Singh’s resignation.  The BJP Chief, Rajnath Singh has also demanded dissolution of the Assembly and imposition of President’s rule.  Ajit Singh and his Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), the partners in the coalition Government, too are unhappy with Mulayam Singh’s style of functioning.  Their support is now crucial for the survival of the Government.  The ball is now in the court of the present Speaker, Mata Prasad Pandey of the Samajwadi Party.  Pandey has reportedly stated that the case of rebel BSP MLAs “would be decided as per the law”.  With the future of the 40 MLAs still in balance and Mayawati dangling carrots before them, Mulayam Singh is certain to spend the next few days counting his supporters.

Already, credibility crisis looms over UP’s most powerful political duo, Mulayam Singh and Amar Singh. The disclosure of tapes reportedly quoting their conservations spells trouble for them, notwithstanding Amar Singh getting a Supreme Court order against the publication of the contents in the CDs.  More explosive is Amar Singh’s alleged conversation with Mulayam Singh on 40 BSP MLAs’ disqualification case. The duo had reportedly talked in terms of getting the verdict of the High Court in the rebel BSP case “fixed”.  Such alleged conversations have the potential to invite political reactions.  Already, the Samajwadi Party has been shocked by internal dissensions. Amar Singh’s woes have only served to add to the party’s problems.

*                                   *                                               *                                   *

Roundtable On Kashmir

The much-hyped Prime Minister’s roundtable on Kashmir, without participation of almost all the separatist groups, in New Delhi over the week-end has received a mixed reaction in political circles. If Manmohan Singh termed the “mahapanchayat” as the beginning of a larger process aimed at evolving a consensus among different sections of the society, the main Opposition at the Centre, the BJP has called it a “big blunder”.  The party leaders, led by former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee have vehemently opposed the idea of self-rule and autonomy for the State, thrown up at the meeting by the PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti and the National Conference President Omar Abdullah.  In fact, the BJP Chief Rajnath Singh has written to the Prime Minister that decentralization of powers for quicker decisions must not be confused with autonomy and self-rule. 

The Prime Minister, on his part, considers the first roundtable as the beginning of a process to resolve the Kashmir imbroglio and hopes to get the separatist leaders to the next meet scheduled at Srinagar in May.  The PM is keen for the separatist leaders’ participation in the next round, even though former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed dismissed them as “minuscule opinion”. At last week’s roundtable, the Prime Minister stressed that the J&K autonomy and self-rule can be achieved within the “vast flexibilities” of the Constitution of India.  In fact, as the Centre’s interlocutor in Kashmir, N.N. Vohra, stated at the meeting: “Self-rule is embedded in Article 370”.  However, the Centre’s strong articulation of a Kashmir solution within the Constitutional framework, while co-opting the secessionist demand of self-rule, is a clear indicator of New Delhi’s disdain of Pakistan President Musharraf’s “self-governance” proposal which has so far remained unexplained.

*                                      *                                               *                                   *

Naxal Terror in Chhattisgarh

The Naxalite terror is fast picking up in Chhattisgarh, despite Chief Minister Raman Singh’s several initiatives to tackle the menace.  His effort to support a retaliation “Salva Judum” campaign against the Left Wing extremist organization took a direct hit on Tuesday last when the militants used a landmine to blast a convoy of trucks carrying the Judum activists. Twentyfive people were killed on the spot and 40 injured, according to official figures.  Unofficial figures are much higher.  More than one hundred people are believed to have been killed and about the same number injured.  This is the first time that the Judum campaign was attacked by the Naxalites.

*                                        *                                               *                                * 

Jayalalitha Strikes

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha has taken a major political step to disturb the Dravidian groupings in the run-up to the Assembly elections.  She has finalized an electoral alliance between her AIADMK and the Dalit Panthers of India (DPI).  The latter has been allotted nine seats.  The arrangement would be a major setback to the DMK of Karunanidhi.  With the DPI joining the AIADMK and the PMK remaining with the DMK, the two smaller parties are likely to fight it out between themselves.  Both have a sizeable support base in atleast eight districts of the State.  The DPI’s move to fight nine seats in alliance with the ruling AIADMK is sure to cause some discomfiture to the PMK, whose founder, S. Ramdoss was keen to have on board the DPI in the DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA).

*                                   *                                               *                                   *

Kumaraswamy’s Target

Karnataka’s new Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has set for himself a target of three months to bring about a qualitative change in the infrastructure of Bangalore which has been neglected for long.  A special task force is being constituted for the purpose.  The force will comprise retired senior officials known for their integrity and representatives of various agencies and major industries.  The force will be empowered to monitor the implementation of all projects. To start with, the condition of roads will be improved and traffic congestion eased.  High priority has been given to the improvement of infrastructure because major industries of the country, such a Siemens and SemIndia, were hesitating to initiate their new projects in Bangalore because of what they called the “crumbling infrastructure” in the city.

*                                      *                                               *                                   *

Farmers’ Friend In High Court

The impoverished farmers of the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra have found a valuable friend in the State High Court.  After a spate of suicides, the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court has taken exception to the “casual” approach of the State Government in handling the Vidarbha debt crisis and slapped notices on the concerned officials in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by some NGOs.  The petition alleged that the Government has “systematically” encouraged the cultivation of Bt. cotton whose expensive seeds sunk the farmers because of successive crop failure. The Bt seeds were allegedly promoted under pressure from multinationals.  To add to the farmers’ woes, banks and money-lenders too did not spare them. They went on recovering debts by force, leading to suicides by several farmers.

*                                       *                                               *                                   *

Soil Health Cards in Rajasthan

Rajasthan’s Chief Minister, Vasundhara Raje of the BJP, has initiated a welcome farmers’ welfare plan: “Agriculture renewal and renaissance”.  The State Government will distribute about ten lakh “soil health cards” to small and marginal farmers. These are intended to provide them with vital information on the presence of biological elements in the sands and the requirement for fertilizers and micronutrients in their land to get a good crop yield. The Government has also decided to establish six working groups for different agro-climatic zones in the State. Independent experts will head each of these groups.  The experts would examine various aspects of land and soil health improvement and water management. ---INFA

 (Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

ROUND THE STATES

New Delhi, 22 February, 2006

Poll Scene in West Bengal

LEFT FRONT READIES TO RETAIN POWER

By Insaf

The Left Front has completed its fool-proof preparations to retain power in West Bengal for the seventh time in succession.  It has finalized its list of candidates for the Assembly poll in April, even before the announcement of the election schedule.  The Front’s election manifesto has also been released and its campaign has taken off in earnest, not only in West Bengal, where it has been ruling for the last 29 years, but also in Kerala where it is hoping to wrest power from the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).  The Left leaders have announced their intentions to fight tooth and nail in these two poll-bound States against the Congress and its allies in the UPA they are presently supporting at the Centre from outside.

The CPM, main constituent of the Left Front, which would be contesting 209 seats in the 294-member Assembly, has made an effort to field only winning candidates. In the exercise for the selection of candidates, the party has dropped seven Ministers and 52 sitting MLAs.  This has been done to induct young and dynamic comrades and ensure more effective governance.  The Forward Bloc, the second-largest constituent of the Front, has also dropped one Minister.  It would field 34 candidates, while the RSP and the CPI would put up 23 and 13 candidates respectively.  The Front has offered two seats each to Lalu Yadav’s RJD and the Nationalist Congress of Sharad Pawar.  Pawar is yet to decide.

Meanwhile, the Congress leadership is making another effort to get Mamata Banerjee and her Trimanool Congress to join hands with the party to end the Left hegemony in the State.  The AICC General Secretary incharge of West Bengal, Margaret Alva has approached Mamata to work out an electoral understanding.  Mamata is, however, unwilling so far to break with the BJP.  This would mean three or four-corner contests to the advantage of the ruling Left Front which has made several promises to the voters in its manifesto. These include development of infrastructure, boost to the on-going industrialization and increased power generation.

*                                     *                                               *                                   *

LDF Problem In Kerala

It is not going to be easy for the CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF). The CPM politburo’s decision to overrule the State party’s move for a pre-poll alliance with Karunakaran’s Democratic Indira Congress (DIC) has deepened the factional feud in the State unit.  A majority in the State unit had favoured a tactical alliance between the LDF and the DIC.  The LDF sweep of the recent Kerala civic polls and the Thiruvananthapuram byelection had given credence to the benefits of aligning with Karunakaran. But another view, espoused by V.S. Achutanandan, prevailed that any association with Karunakaran’s party would tarnish the Left Front’s image.  Karunakaran has now decided to fight the election on his own, leading to triangular contests.

*                                   *                                               *                                   *

DMK Gets Stronger In Tamil Nadu

In Tamil Nadu, another poll-bound State in the South, Karunanidhi and his DMK appear to be getting stronger against the ruling Anna-DMK. Smaller Dravidian parties, including the MDMK of Vaiko, have finally promised support to the DMK, a constituent of the Congress-led UPA at the Centre.  After dithering for the last few weeks, Vaiko publicly declared in Chennai on Monday last that not only would the MDMK continue in the DMK-led front but would work towards strengthening the bloc to help it win the Assembly elections. Vaiko’s decision was influenced by his octogenarian mother’s “No” to joining Jayalalitha who had kept him in jail for 19 months. The Congress, moreover, refused to allow Vaiko to do a Ramvilas Paswan: fight election against an UPA constituent.

*                                      *                                               *                                   *

Sangma Keeps His Pocket Borough

Former Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Purno Sangma continues to keep his firm hold over his Tura Lok Sabha constituency in Meghalaya, even after leaving the Congress which first sent him to Parliament.  He won his Tura pocket borough in a byelection for the ninth time in a row.  Purno defeat his Congress rival Mukul Sangma, by over one lakh votes.  The Congress candidate had resigned from the State Cabinet in the wake of police firing on student protesters in Garo Hills. Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena has suffered a setback in two byelections to the Maharashtra Assembly.  It lost the Naigong constituency to the Congress.  This constituency was known to be the Sena’s stronghold. It was held by Kalidas Kalambhkar, who had quit the Sena and joined the Congress with Narayan Rane.

*                                      *                                               *                                   *

Mulayam’s Problems

UP’s Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party Supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav is presently facing several political problems. At a time when the party’s important leader Raj Babbar was expelled for revolting against General Secretary Amar Singh, Ajit Singh, Chief of the RLD, a coalition partner in the Mulayam Government, has threatened to withdraw support. Even though Ajit’s RLD has only 13 MLAs in the 403-member State Assembly, the SP with 187 MLAs may face difficulty since the BJP, BSP of Mayawati and the Congress have stepped up thier campaigns against the Government on various issues. Ajit Singh also dissociated his party from the Samajwadi Party’s No-Confidence Motion in the Lok Sabha against the UPA Government.  In fact, if the group of 16 independent MLAs also takes anti-Mulayam stance, the Government may lose its majority.

*                                      *                                               *                                   *

JD(S) Action To Have No Impact

The Janata Dal (Secular) of former Prime Minister Deve Gowda is slowly and surely losing its hold over Karnataka.  The party high command’s decision to suspend the State Chief Minister and Gowda’s eldest son, H.D. Kumaraswamy, and 39 other MLAs for their coup against the party supremo is unlikely to have any impact.  Kumaraswamy and others were suspended last week for pulling out of the coalition arrangement with the Congress and forming the Government at Bangalore with the support of the BJP.  Coming almost a month after the dramatic developments that altered the political equations in the State, the action has actually weakened the party considerably. The suspension of the 40 MLAs after Kumaraswamy had flouted the party policies and formed a government with the bjp has effectively left the Gowda with barely eight MLAs.

*                                      *                                               *                                   *

Uma Bharti Backers Suspended

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan has got a shot in the arm and former CM Uma Bharti a big setback.  The BJP high command has suspended four of its MLAs, all known supporters of expelled Uma Bharti. The charge against them? Recently, when a Bharti supporter, Prahlad Singh Patel was sitting on a hunger strike in Bhopal, protesting against the working of the Chauhan Government, the four MLAs were seen sitting by his side. Earlier they backed Bharti and supported her campaign for leadership change that ultimately led to Shivraj Singh Chauhan replacing Babulal Gaur as the Chief Minister.  Earlier, several other BJP MLAs were expelled, following a violent protest outside the State BJP Legislative Party meeting which elected Chauhan as the CM. The action sends a strong message to the State BJP.

*                                       *                                               *                                   *

Cartoon Fury Erupts

The cartoon fury currently lashing the world singed several Indian cities, especially Hyderabad and Lucknow over the week-end. Hyderabad was worst affected when a mob protesting the publication of the images of Prophet Mohammed in a Danish newspaper went on the rampage in the old city last week. Nearly a dozen vehicles and several shops were damaged. Soon after the Friday prayers at the Mecca Masjid, thousands of protestors spilled on to the streets, trampling on Danish flags and shouting “death to Denmark”. Protest marches have also been held in Calcutta, Bangalore, Muzaffarnagar in U.P. and several other parts of the country.  In Lucknow, some clerics reportedly close to the ruling Samajwadi Party took out a massive rally over the week-end. ---INFA

(Copyright, India News And Feature Alliance)

ROUND THE STATES

New Delhi, 15 February 2006 

Amending Foreigners’ Act

APPEASEMENT RISKS NATIONAL SECURITY

Insaf

National interest is being trampled on by the UPA Government at the Centre in its desperate bid to return to power in Assam. This is clearly reflected in the reckless dilution of the Foreigners’ Act of 1946, enacted to protect India from depredations by foreign nationals.  The legislation is now being amended, as per the Union Cabinet’s decision last week, clearly compromising with national security.  The Government has been working on the move since July last when the Supreme Court struck down the controversial. Illegal Migrants Determination by Tribunals (IMDT) Act.  This Act had  failed to control the illegal influx of Bangladeshi Muslims into Assam by putting the onus of proof of a person’s foreign identity on the complainant.  The situation would predictably remain the same once the Foreigners Act is amended.

The amended Foreigners’ Act, designed to appease the Muslims for electoral gains, amounts to a “backdoor” move to get past the Supreme Court order.  It provides for a “fair hearing” by Tribunals set up by the Government before persons are declared  foreigners.  In fact, Sonia Gandhi, who kick-started the Congress campaign at a rally in Jorhat over the week-end, virtually admitted that the amendments to the Act were aimed at wooing lakhs of Muslim migrant voters in Assam.  Recently, 13 hardline Muslim organizations in the State formed a political platform to take on the Congress in the Assembly poll in April-May.

*                                      *                                               *                                   *

Alarming Situation

Steady influx of Bangladeshis continues to be a major political issue.  About eight years ago the, then, Governor of Assam, Lt-Gen (Retd.) S.K. Sinha had, in a special report to the President of India, stated that there was a 77.42 per cent rise in the Muslim population in Assam over the past 20 years and that 57 of the 126 Assembly constituencies in the State had shown more than 20 per cent increase in the number of voters between 1994 and 1997.  Dhubri, Gopalpara, Barbeta and Hailakandi had become Muslim-majority districts. The latest estimate is that Muslims in Assam account for 30 per cent votes and hold the key in 35 of the 126 Assembly constituencies. The appeasement of Muslims would, indeed, help the Congress to retain power in Assam.  But the amendment of the Foreigners’ Act undermines national security.

*                                       *                                               *                                   *

Terror From Nepal

National security is already threatened from the North, reflected in a recent report by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), a Central para-military force guarding Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan borders.  It has disclosed mushrooming madrasas in some Nepal districts bordering India.  These have become a hotbed of Islamic fundamentalism  and are helping to push militants and weapons into India.  At least 73 madrasas along the border in India are reportedly providing the militants and the agents of the ISI of Pakistan shelter and financial assistance. These are proliferating in three border districts of Bihar and two of U.P.  More concernedly, the SSB has given a detailed account of how the madrasas in India are being used by the ISI in close coordination with the Pakistan Embassy in Kathmandu. 

The madrasas and mosque-cum-madrasas, on the Indian side of the border numbering 810 and 383 respectively are allegedly getting financial assistance through the Islamic Development Bank, Jeddah, and the Habib Bank of Pakistan.  The funds are being used as the militants’ bases to accumulate arms and ammunition and provide training to the terrorists. Add to this the daily deteriorating Naxalite menace in as many as 13 States of India, from north to south. The outfit is said to have links with the Maoists of Nepal. The SSB report gives credence to this theory.  The latest is the Naxalites’ first-ever attack on a public sector unit, killing eight Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel and injuring nine others at the NMDC’s depot in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh.  Three days earlier, they had killed 12 security personnel in the same district.

*                                      *                                               *                                   *

Pre-Poll Scene In Kerala

Kerala, another poll-bound State in the next two-three months, is poised to provide a different political scenario.  Unlike in the past when the main players used to be the Left-led LDF and the Congress-led UDF, this time four-corner contests are in the offing. The CPM Politburo has rejected the proposal for an alliance with K. Karunakaran, former Chief Minister and a Congress veteran who has since formed a new party, Democratic Indira Congress (DIC).  Karunakaran’s DIC which helped the LDF win the local body elections recently, could now become a key player in the political space outside the two fronts. The party is unlikely to ally with the BJP which is planning to fight the upcoming Assembly poll on it own.  Right from the beginning, the LDF was sharply divided over the Karunakaran party’s alliance with it.

*                                       *                                               *                                   *

Re-Building Bihar

Bihar’s new Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has now a strong supporter in the Planning Commission and its Deputy Chairman, Montek Singh Ahluwalia. While finalizing the State’s annual plan with Nitish Kumar last week, Ahluwalia stressed the need to urgently re-build Bihar and extricate the State from its development freefall.  A supportive panel thus approved a plan of Rs.8,250 crore for 2006-07, as against Rs.5,400 crore for the current fiscal. Later, Ahluwalia told the media that funds would flow into Bihar districts in a big way through programmes like the Rural Employment Scheme, Backward Region Grant Fund and Bharat Nirman.  He favoured a convergence of different schemes.  Nitish Kumar promptly responded:  “I can go all whole hog.”

*                                      *                                               *                                   *

Dim View Of Maharashtra’s Progress

Maharashtra has been given a bad chit by the Planning Commission.  It has taken a dim view of the State’s performance during the last four years.  It observed while finalizing the annual plan for the coming financial year that Maharashtra, historically a favourite of the investors, has slipped on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and the industrialization fronts. Montek Singh Ahluwalia told Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh that Gujarat had taken an edge in FDI and that even Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu were only marginally behind. The Commission also showed concern about the regional imbalance. The Deputy Chairman reportedly remarked that Vidarbha and Marathwada looked poor relatives at a wedding. The Commission has stressed that the imbalance was at the root of demands for Statehood, like the one in Vidarbha.

*                                   *                                               *                                   *

Punjab Bonanza To State Staff

With more than a year to go for the next Assembly poll, Punjab’s Chief Minister Amarinder Singh of the Congress has started offering sops to the people.  Like his counterpart in Kerala, Singh too has announced appointment of the Fifth Pay Commission to revise the pay and allowances of the State employees. Addressing a massive rally of 55 different Unions, the Chief Minister also announced a package for the employees which will include merger of 50 per cent of the DA with the basic salary.  He has also announced restoration of the pension scheme for teachers in Government-aided schools.  New recruitment has also been announced for 12,000 teachers, 3,000 police personnel, 1374 doctors, 450 Patwaris and 1300 veterinary doctors.

*                                     *                                               *                                   *

Communal Clashes In Ladakh

The scenic city of Leh in the upper reaches of Kashmir, known for its communal harmony over three centuries, is tense today for alleged tearing of the Quran by some miscreants.  The holy book is now in the Centre of a row between the two principal communities of Ladakh – Buddhists and Shia Muslims.  On February 5, some Shia Muslims who are in a minority in the Leh district but in a majority in adjoining Kargil, claimed that some Buddhists had torn a copy of the Quran at a village mosque. A widespread agitation flared up throughout Ladakh and led to communal clashes. The situation was soon controlled, thanks to timely intervention of Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad who rushed the high-level teams of police and army officers to control the situation and enquire into the issue.  No untoward incidence has been reported since. ---INFA.

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

ROUND THE STATES

New Delhi, 8 February 2006

Lakhs of Bogus Voters

OPERATION CLEAN-UP IN WEST BENGAL

By Insaf

The voters list of West Bengal is slowly turning out to be an outrageous scandal in India’s electoral history, thanks to the Election Commission’s tireless screening of the electoral rolls.  As many as 9.89 lakh bogus voters have been struck off the rolls after the Commission’s 19-member team of observers, headed by K.J. Rao of Bihar fame, exhaustively combed the list across the State. On-the-spot verification revealed that the list included the names of as many as 2.22 lakh persons who are no more. Equally shockingly, the remaining 7.67 lakh persons were found non-existent. Maximum number of bogus voters have reportedly been recorded in Burdwan and Nadia districts.

Despite the deletion of so many names, the fresh list may see an increase of 2.33 lakh voters–from 4.81 crore in 2004 to 4.92 crore.  In fact, the rolls would have swelled further but for the EC team’s strict vigil. Of the 44 lakh applications seeking entry into the voters’ list, about 23 lakh bogus names tried to creep into the list on the basis of fake ration cards, which political agents secured from district ration offices with the connivance of officials.  The drastic changes in the electoral rolls have constrained the CEC to extend the date of publication of the final list by a week, from February 15 to 21. The State’s Chief Electoral Officer had recommended the extension in view of the flood  of applications received for inclusion in the rolls.

*                                       *                                               *                                   *

E-Rolls In Poll-Bound States

Interestingly, the Election Commission used a software package to clean up the list of voters.  Called “E-Rolls Cleaning”, which was used on an experimental basis in Bihar last year, the software package is in-house technology which enables the Commission to delete the names of those who figure in the rolls more than once and of those who have shifted or died. Once the software throws up duplicate voters, the Commission gets the names verified on the ground to see if they are duplicates.  The ground verification exercise is still continuing in West Bengal and more bogus voters may be detected in the next few days.  In Bihar, the software technology detected about 18 lakh bogus voters. 

The Election Commission has now decided to use the “E-rolls cleaning” technology in all the States, starting with such States where Assembly polls are due in the next two to three months: Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Kerala and Assam.  These elections are crucial for the UPA Government at the Centre, especially in Kerala and Assam where the Congress is presently ruling. The Union Government has therefore, planned a publicity blitz to highlight its “achievements”. An official circular has directed all the Union Ministries to spotlight the UPA Government’s “hits” in the five States.  Important projects like the National Urban Renewal Mission and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme will head the poll pitch.

*                           *                                                           *                                   *

Poll Sops Raining

Sops are raining in the poll-bound southern States of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, as never before. In fact, the “benevolence” which the ruling party in Tamil Nadu, the Anna-DMK, is showing even looks like a “drama”.  In a sudden bout of kindness, Chief Minister Jayalalitha has reinstated nearly 10,000 workers dismissed by her Government in 2002.  Not only that.  She has even agreed to pay them three months’ salary as ex-gratia payment. Earlier, the Chief Minister distributed free dictionaries and atlases to 1.24 lakh school children, at a cost of Rs.2.17 crore, to help them improve their English and geography.  Not long ago, she distributed bicycles to students, donated foodgrains in temples, churches and mosques, much to the chagrin of the Opposition.  

In Kerala, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) Government, headed by Oommen Chandy, is not lagging behind. It has announced a scheme for the BPL (below poverty line) families, under which each of them will be given 25 kg. of rice at Rs.3 per kg.  The Chief Minister has also reversed an earlier hike in power tariff. That will cost the Government about Rs.400 crore.  Chandy has also forced the UPA Government at the Centre to keep on hold a decision to reduce food subsidy. This will affect the food bill, what with the Union Government now forced to import 5 million tonnes wheat. The Centre has also stepped up its efforts to promote tourism in the State and allocated Rs.48 crore for the development of tourist spots. Special funds are also been provided for the proposed International Hospitality Institute at Alappuzha and Ayurved Resort and Herbal Garden at Vagamon.

*                                               *                                               *                           *

New Government in Karnataka

Karnataka’s new JD(S)-BJP coalition Government took off last week with a bang. Both Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and the Deputy CM B.S. Yediyurappa of the BJP have promised to make the State No.1 in the country in development. What is more, both have jointly committed at a meeting with senior officers of the State Government that they will eschew links with politicians in the matter of law and order and crime. They have sought full cooperation of the Secretaries to the Government in making the new coalition truly a model.  Kumaraswamy candidly told the Press at his first conference: “If we make mistakes, please pull us up. If we do something right, please encourage us with a pat on the back.”  The Chief Minister, at 46, is virtually a novice in politics and governance.  But his statements hold out hope that he means business from day one.

*                                    *                                               *                                      *

Muslim Communalism In Manipur

Muslim communalism is raising its ugly head aggressively in Manipur.  The All Manipur Muslim Students’ Organisation (AMMSO) disrupted normal life in several parts of the State the other day when they organized a 36-hour general strike, demanding ten per cent reservation in Government services.  The State Government had earlier rejected their demand.  The strike was complete in Muslim-dominated areas. The Muslim students also boycotted examination for the selection of one hundred posts in the State Civil Service and Manipur Civil Service. The State Government has clarified that the Muslim students’ demand has been rejected on the ground that reservations in appointments and promotions already exist for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and the OBC groups which cover the Muslim candidates.

*                                               *                                   *                                      *

Centre-ULFA Peace Talk

Efforts have been initiated once more to buy peace with the outlawed ULFA in Assam.  The Centre has undertaken to roll out some confidence building measures (CBMs) to ensure direct Centre-ULFA peace talks. The Centre’s CBMs include a close look at the alleged human rights violations by the security forces and release of some ULFA militants in Assam jails.  This decision was taken at a meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday last between the eleven-member Peoples’ Consultative Group (PCG) and the National Security Advisor, M.K. Narayanan. However, the meeting did not touch the crucial twin issues of sovereignty and stoppage of military operations against the rebel cadres which the ULFA leadership has been demanding.  This continues to cast a dark shadow on peace talks. 

*                                    *                                               *                                      *

Hizbul’s Fund Manager Held

There is no respite from militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.  Banned outfits like the Hizbul Mujahideen are spreading their tentacles across the country.  The latest is the arrest in Delhi last week of a Dubai-based businessman, acting as Hizbul’s conduit.  The arrested person, one Nazir Safir Mir, was found in possession of Rs.55 lakh of hawala money, two kg of explosive RDX, a timer, a detonator and a pistol.  The money and the material was meant for the militant outfit and some separatist leaders in J&K.  The businessman, according to the Special Cell of Delhi Police, was carrying the consignment to be passed on to a terrorist in Kashmir. The police has discovered that Nasir was engaged in money exchange business in Dubai and was a “fund manager” for the Hizbul Mujahideen.

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)