Round The States

New Delhi, 12 July 2007

Presidential Elections

STATES BRACE UP FOR D-DAY

By Insaf

The States are busy bracing up for the controversial Presidential poll on 19 July. Hectic activity is in full swing in various Capitals from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and Maharashtra to West Bengal and the North East. The High Commands of the Congress and its coalition partners as also the BJP and its allies have directed their respective State units to ensure cent per cent presence of all its MLAs, MLCs and MPs in the State Capitals prior to the polling date. Nothing is being left to chance. Notwithstanding, the Election Commission’s decision to allow MLAs to vote at State capitals other than their own in special cases. Some parties have even requested the MPs to be present in Delhi. In fact, meetings of some of Parliament’s Standing Committees have been scheduled to coincide with the polling date to ensure the MPs presence in the Union Capital.

Meanwhile, the UPA Presidential candidate, Pratibha Patil continues to busily criss-cross the country to solicit votes. She has already toured most of the important State Capitals. Even as her rival, Vice President Bharion Singh Shekhawat ‘connects’ with his friends, cutting across party lines, via a private telephone installed at his official residence in Delhi. He is also using private stationary to write letters to MPs and MLAs. The BJP on its part, has sent an emissary to Chennai to try and cut a deal with the AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa and her friends in the newly formed United National Progressive Alliance to back Shekhawat. Recall, the UNPA, comprising 9 regional parties, has decided to maintain equi-distance from the UPA and NDA’s candidates, following President Kalam’s decision not to contest.

*                                      *                                          *                                       *

Karnataka New Hub Of Jehadi Network?

Bangalore, prided as India’s IT capital and garden city, has earned the ignominous distinction of being dubbed as the new hub of Jehadi network. Following the shocking disclosures that the failed terror attack on the Glasgow Airport in Scotland, was allegedly the handy work of two Indian doctors hailing from Karnataka. Both Kafeel and Sabeel Ahmed, according to the State Police, were part of a large radical gang, operating in the State. During a raid at their residence in Bangalore, the police found three CDs containing inflammatory speeches and bomb manuals on Kafeel’s computer. A massive manhunt has been launched to find others in the terror net who were in touch with the brothers.

The Karnataka Police has begun running a fine toothcomb through several coastal and border districts on Sunday, hunting for affluent, radical young men who could provide key links in the global investigation into the failed terror attacks in the U.K. Not just Bangalore and Mysore but also towns like Gulbarga, Chintamani and Mulbagal have of late been infiltrated by militants from Kashmir. Clearly, from being a “safe hideout”, the city is now being seen as a “breeding ground” for terrorists, who have roots in the Middle-East. Needless to say, the arrest of Kafeel Ahmed, Sabeel Ahmed and Dr. Mohammed Haneef marks a change in the way intelligence agencies worldwide view Bangalore on the terror circuit.

*                                  *                                               *                                        *

NEC Charts A New Path

The North East appears at long last to be set for all-round development of the sensitive and strategic region. According to the Union Government’s Vision Document, a supplement to its Look-East Policy, the North East Council (NEC) has now put in place a roadmap for growth and infrastructure development. Importantly, the NEC, according to the Meghalaya Governor, B.L. Joshi, will now play a more proactive role than work as a mere loan disbursal agency.  It is being geared up to be target-oriented having a specific timeframe for implementation of each plan. As pointed out by the Governor Joshi, lack of connectivity in the north-east had not only created a sense of isolation among the people but also added to the transportation cost, making trade and investment uncompetitive in the region. If Joshi has his way, all this should become past history.

*                                   *                                               *                                      *

Gujarat Pre-poll Games

Gujarat is in the throes of pre-poll games. With five months left before the Assembly elections, the arch rivals in the State, the Congress and the BJP are trying to get the better of the other. Taking a lead, the Congress has started its poll preparations in full swing. Its state unit has started distributing application forms among the State’s tribals, exhorting them to claim their right on forest land (over land, minor forest produce, etc) as provided under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006. In the hope that this will enable the Congress to expand its reach among the tribals, who have a sizeable strength in the State. The Congress’s optimism stems from the fact that the draft rules to implement the Act, are to be finalized and enforced shortly by the Centre.  Meanwhile, Sonia Gandhi has started touring the State.

*              *                           *                                                                              *

Terror Continues In Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh continues to be in the grip of Maoists terror. Carrying out another big strike in the State, the extremists killed over 23 security personnel and critically injured another 12 in the forest near Errabore in Dantewada district on Wednesday last. This comes on the heels of last week’s hacking of two farmers in the insurgency-affected Bijapur district. Their fault? Defying the extremists diktat instructing tribal villagers to desist from farming in the Bastar area to avoid exploitation of the State’s natural resources by the Government. Moreover, the Maoists also imposed a two-day economic blockade to reiterate their seriousness. Notwithstanding, a major breakthrough by the Chhattisgarh Police in nabbing three top Naxals leaders.

*                                    *                                               *                                      *

Haryana-Punjab Water War Intensify

Punjab and Haryana, which share a long love-hate relationship over the sharing of river waters, are once again in a confrontation mode.  The water war between the two States seems all set to intensify with the Prakash Singh Badal Government deciding to move the Supreme Court on the construction of the Rs. 260-crore Hansi-Bhutana Branch Multipurpose Canal by Haryana. On the ground that it would result in displacement of over one lakh people in 70 villages due to flooding and over 29,000 acres of fertile land would be submerged. It would also lead to a disruption of the existing canal irrigation system in Punjab as the new canal would draw water from the Beas to irrigate farmlands in Bhiwani and Mahendragarh districts of Haryana.

*                            *                                                 *                                            *

Maharashtra Village Seeks SEZ Status

Amidst the raging controversy over the setting up of the Special Economic Zones, a Maharashtra village, Avasari Khurd, has charted a new inspiring story. Around 1500 farmers from the village on Thursday passed a unanimous resolution seeking Special Economic Zone status for their village which is located about 20 kilometers from the proposed international airport at Rajgurunagar. They have also sought necessary permission and recommendations from the State and the Central Governments. No matter that farmers across various States, specially Haryana and Punjab, have revolted against the SEZs.

 (Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

Round The States

New Delhi, 5 July 2007

India Battered By Rain

NEED FOR FRESH URBAN PLANNING

By Insaf

Unprecedented havoc caused by this year’s monsoon in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, West Bengal and elsewhere has compelled almost all the State Governments to sit up as never before and decide in principle to take a fresh look at urban planning, development and governance in their respective capitals, cities and towns. The heavy downpour brought normal life to a standstill and resulted in untold misery for the people, leaving over 400 dead across the country. Worse affected was Maharashtra’s capital Mumbai, which witnessed large-scale cancellations of suburban trains, air flights, water-logged roads, traffic snarls, flooding of the airport and disruption of power supply. Once prided as the financial hub of the country, Mumbai saw all its grandiose dreams of becoming a global financial centre washed away and the metropolis reduced to a provincial town.

Shockingly, the rains have once again exposed the ineptness of the civic administration and the inadequate infrastructure to deal with the annual phenomenon of incessant rains year after year in various states. Thanks mainly to a corrupt polity, supine bureaucracy and   powerful land mafia which has resulted in illegal structures coming up randomly and haphazardly at the whims and fancies of the powers-that-be. This has resulted in unplanned growth with a scandalous lack of sewage and drainage facilities leading to water-logging and flooding of low-lying areas and washing away of slums and crumbling buildings. Notwithstanding, the tall claims made by all and sundry in the various State capitals of their ability to tackle disasters. Take Delhi and Mumbai. Incredibly enough, neither has one single civic authority to deal with the chaos faced by the two metros in the past fortnight.

*                               *                                             *                                            *

No Ray Of Hope For Bhopal Gas Victims

Twenty-three years after the Bhopal gas tragedy, there is still no ray of hope for the 20,000 survivors. If the UPA Government at the Centre succeeds in pushing through an out-of-court settlement with the US multi-national Dow Chemical Company, which now owns the principal culprit, the Union Carbide Corporation, the latter will merrily walk away with its liabilities. Plainly, Dow Chemicals would get indemnified from compensating the victims of the ongoing contamination and cleaning up the soil and ground water. Not only that. Exclude it from having to pay compensation for the damage caused to the survivors’ health because of exposure to the toxic contaminants in their drinking water. Astonishingly, this largesse to let the Company off the hook, seems to have the approval of the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministries of Commerce and Finance and the Planning Commission.

These shocking facts have reportedly been obtained by the gas tragedy survivors’ organizations under the Right to Information Act. The bone of contention is an application moved by the Ministry of Chemicals in the Madhya Pradesh High Court appealing to the Court to order Dow to deposit Rs 100 crores against initial payment for costs of remediation. The Centre reportedly favours an out-of-court settlement as Dow Chemicals has made it clear that it will not invest in India unless the liability issue is cleared and the Ministry of Chemicals application withdrawn from the Court. Remember, 15,000 people died and over 5 lakh suffered health damages in the gas tragedy 23 years ago. Dow Chemicals is a $49 billion giant with 43,000 employees in 175 countries.

*                                *                                             *                                            *

Patil’s Clean Chit To Pak On Infiltration

The Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, has once again let Pakistan off the hook on infiltration from across the Line of Control in strife- torn Jammu and Kashmir which has increased substantially in the past few months. On a two-day visit to the State to review the security scenario, Patil is stated to have told reporters in Srinagar: “We should not blame Pakistan for every wrong thing …. Increase in infiltration and spurt in violence.” Notwithstanding, that barely a week ago, the Defence Minister A.K.Anthony had spoken of a rise in filtration and described it as a “matter of concern.” The Home Minster’s visit was against the backdrop of the Army’s assertion of a sudden spurt in violence juxtaposed with the renewed demand by the Congress coalition partner, People’s Democratic Front’s for troop reduction. Patil also reviewed the arrangements for the annual Amarnath pilgrimage and visited the hallowed Cave.

*                                 *                                           *                                             *

YSR Government In Cleft Stick

A 30-year-old Andhra Pradesh Government Order (GO) has become the bane of Chief Minister YSR Reddy’s life. The GO MS No 610 issued on 30 December 1985 by the then NT Rama Rao Government had restricted the share of the “outsiders” in the State Government jobs to 20 per cent to safeguard the interests of the people of Telangana. The order was issued on the basis of a six-point formula aimed at safe-guarding the overall interests of the Telangana people, following the violent stir for a separate state in 1969. With the State Administration all set to identify and repatriate the non-local employees from Hyderabad (so far 4500 non-local employees have been identified), the Telangana Rashtra Samiti has raised the ante for implementation of the GO as over 70,000 Government jobs in the region had gone to the people from the coastal Andhra. Needless to say, the State Government is caught between a rock and a hard place: To back the Telangana dhoti or the coastal lungi!

*                                  *                                           *                                            *

Karnataka MLAs Fail To Declare Assets

Even as UP Chief Minister Mayawati, has boldly declared her assets at Rs 52 crore, her Karnataka counterpart, H.D.Kumaraswamy and 31 MLAs  have fought shy of doing so. All of them have failed to declare their assets and liabilities, according to the State’s Lok Ayukta N. Santosh Hegde in his report to the Governor T.N.Chaturvedi. The last date for filing the returns was 30 June last. Under Section 22 of the Lok Ayukta Act it is mandatory for the legislators to submit details of their assets including those of their family members before 30 June every year. So much for upholding the tenets of honesty and transparency in governance, especially when the air is full of scams, big and small. Only last week, the Janata Dal (United) State President demanded an enquiry by a Supreme Court judge into all land deals in the State since 1991. Many among these were bogus.

*                              *                                               *                                           *

The travails of the Narmada oustees for “proper rehabilitation and resettlement” continue. The villagers affected by the Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar projects and led by the Narmada Bachao Andolan have been on nearly a month-long indefinite hunger strike demanding land for land or a special rehabilitation package for the adult sons and adult unmarried daughters of  the farmers being displaced by the two dams in Madhya Pradesh. They are also demanding land for the Omkareshwar oustees under the environmental clearance and also right over the draw-down land in the Indira Sagar reservoir. In the hope of some succour, the oustees have brought their struggle to the State capital Bhopal.

*                                 *                                             *                                           *

No Salaries For Jharkhand Acting SPs

In Naxal-infested Jharkhand, 12 of the 22 districts are headed by acting superintendents of police, none of whom belong to the Indian Police Service (IPS) but are from the Jharkhand Police Service. The SPs all have air-conditioned chambers but get no salary as they do not belong to the IPS. According to Section 9 of the IPS Rules, the post of the SP is a cadre post, which shall not be filled by a person who is not a cadre officer. Thus no pay. Shockingly, the State has posted only 59 out of the 110 IPS officers sanctioned for the State. It is saddled with a shortfall of 43 IPS officer and with eight others being on deputation to the Centre. So much for combating Naxalism! ------ INFA

(Copyright India News and Feature Alliance)

New Delhi, 27 June 2007

Gurjjar Maha Panchayat

CASTE CAULDRON GETS MURKIER

By Insaf

Rajasthan is getting poised for another caste conflagration which could create problems in the other States. The Gurjjar reservation stand-off is a classic case of a lull before the storm. Last week, the Gurjjar Maha Panchayat 70,000 plus at Pushkar from several States sounded the bugle for a longer agitation unless the Government conceded the community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status. Asserted Gurjjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla: “The Government has three months and three days; from the fourth day, the people will be in charge.” Even as Bainsla apologised for the violent-turn their agitation had taken and the consequent loss of lives, he made it plain that their demand for a share in the reservation pie would continue non-violently. Two Maha Sabhas, public meetings and jail bharo aandolans have been planned to secure popular support.

Clearly, the Vasundhara Raje-led Government is in trouble unless it gets its act together vis-a-vis the Gurjjar demand for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes list, as in the case of the Meenas, many of whom are today represented in the top all-India services, including the IAS and IPS. The Gurjjars, who constitute 6 per cent of the State’s population, seem to have moved away from the BJP and even demanded the Raje Government’s resignation for having perpetrated violence against them. Importantly, with Gurjjars from neighbouring Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and other States flocking to Pushkar, the caste reservation cauldron is getting murkier and more complicated. The State and the Centre will have to tread cautiously to contain the Gurjjar uprising in Rajasthan and prevent it from igniting new caste wars elsewhere.

*                                  *                                        *                                              *

Himachal CM On Sticky Wicket

With eight months left for the Assembly elections, the Congress Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Virbhadra Singh, suddenly finds himself on a sticky wicket. Five-times CM of scenic Himachal, he is now having to walk a tightrope after enjoying a hassle-free rule of four-and-a-half years. Thanks both to rival Congress leaders and the Opposition. Notwithstanding, the high hopes among his followers who expect Singh to bring the Congress back to power next March. His biggest problem are the detractors within the State Congress, who are covertly and overtly receiving support from at New Delhi in pulling the rug from under his feet prior to the Assembly poll. On the premise that a new leader alone would ensure the Congress return to power against the backdrop of the party’s defeat in the recent Hamirpur bye-election to the Lok Sabha, despite the fact that Singh led the month-long campaign personally. Adding grist to the cloak-and-dagger maneouvers is the CD released by CM-baiter and former Minister Vijay Mankotia, accusing Singh and his spouse, Pratibha, member of the Lok Sabha, of corruption charges.

However, Virbhadra Singh is unperturbed by these “wild and concocted allegations”. He continues to enjoy a clean image and credibility among the people and is in commanding position both in the party and the State. Interestingly, Virbhadra Singh’s top rival was unable to mobilize the support of even five MLAs after the last poll. His followers are clear: Hamirpur has always been a BJP stronghold and the very fact that it was forced to field former Chief Minister Dhumal is indication enough of the strong challenge posed by the Congress. Not a few State watchers, including senior Ministers, also hoot for Singh’s vote-catching ability, no matter his detractors tirade that he would be able to win only 15 seats, as against 43 out of 60 in 2003. They aver: “If the Congress nets only 15 seats, as they argue, it will be because of Virbhadra Singh. Without him it will be zero.” *                                   *                                        *                                                  *        

Farmers Suicide In UP

*                      *                                  *                                               *

Unending Woes Of Kashmir Pandits

The woes of the displaced Kashmiri Pandits (KPs) continue to increase. At the height of their “ethnic cleansing” from Kashmir during the militant-infested 1990’s, the displaced Pandits totalled 3.5 lakhs. Today, the number has surged to about 14 lakhs. Worse, according to the Panun Kashmir Movement Chairman Ashwani Chrungoo, successive State Governments have only paid lip service to their demand for return to the homeland. Their plea of being forced to live in temporary migrant camps that are “no better than pigeon holes” continues to fall on deaf ears. Matters have been made worse by two factors. First, the political panel set up by Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has failed to take any unanimous decision on the KP migrants return. Second, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s special package for their safe return and rehabilitation has yet to be endorsed by all the political parties in the State. Scandalously, the KPs continue to be called migrants when, in fact, they are displaced refugees!

*                           *                                                    *                                         *

Haryana Plugs For Guest Teachers

Haryana is all set to add a new and laudable dimension to its education policy. In its quest to increase literacy in the State, it has upgraded 419 Government schools from the primary to middle school and 174 from the middle to the high school. Similarly, 419 schools have been upgraded from the high school to senior secondary school level. Moreover, it plans to hire around 1,000 ‘guest teachers’ in more than 800 upgraded Government schools. At present there are 14,660 guest teachers working on a temporary basis in various Government schools in the State. Initially, the State Government appointed teachers to tide over the crisis of finding a large number of permanent teachers. But it now seems to have had second thoughts about appointing permanent teachers. Instead, it has enhanced the number of guest teachers. Additionally, to uplift the education level, the Haryana Board of School Education is set to spend Rs.12 crore on computerising Government and private recognized schools.

*                                   *                                  *                                               *

Women Drug Peddlers

Women in Punjab appear to be on a new, different kick--- of drug peddling. In the last two months, the Punjab police have recovered kilos of opium, heroin, smack, poppy husk, sedative pills, drug capsules, morphine injection et al. The rising number of women drug peddlers is giving sleepless nights to the police who have arrested 25 women in the NDPS cases in the last three months. Faced with a severe shortage of women officers, the police department is finding it very difficult to check suspicious looking women. Alive and alert, the drug mafia is taking advantage of this weakness and is, therefore, using women to peddle drugs among the youth, especially in the border areas. Clearly, the drug moll has replaced the drug mafia, posing a new and tough challenge to the Punjab Government and its police.

*                        *                                   *                                         *

Bihar Has World’s Tallest Stupa

Bihar and Buddists the world over owe a special thanks to President Kalam for taking the  initiative on the world’s tallest stupa, the Kesaria Stupa. A letter by a Buddhist monk propelled the President to ask the Archeological Survey of India to dig afresh the 104-feet Buddhist Stupa, buried by the 1934 earthquake in East Champaran district. The stupa is relevant to Lord Buddha’s life. It was here that the Buddha first mentioned about his Mahaparinirvana and where he reportedly donated his begging bowl to the Lichchavis. The Borobudur Stupa, a prominent World Heritage site, is 103 feet high. Huien Tsang, the well-known Chinese traveller, mentioned the Kesaria Stupa to be 123 feet high, when Buddhism thrived in its Halycon days. Some archaeologists claim it was built between 200 AD and 750 AD. ------- INFA

(Copyright India News And Feature Alliance)

Round The States

New Delhi, 13 June 2007

As Governments Change...

VENDETTA POLITICS TO THE FORE

By Insaf

Witch hunt seems to have become the flavour of the season.  Politics of vendetta is being pursued increasingly by erstwhile Opposition parties voted to power in the States in recent elections. UP and Punjab provide glaring examples of two major States where Governments have recently been replaced by the rival parties---the BSP in Lucknow and the Akali Dal-BJP in Chandigarh. Soon after assuming charge as Chief Ministers, Mayawati in U.P. and Parkash Singh Badal in Punjab publicly declared that they would not practise any vendetta against the Chief Ministers and other leaders of the outgoing Governments. Nevertheless, contrary to the established norms of administration, both have allowed partisan interests to influence their outlook and undermine the continuity of governance even on the development front. The new Governments are undoubtedly entitled to take corrective measures required without fuss in public interest. But all norms have been thrown to the winds.

Mayawati has announced her Government’s decision to review almost all major actions taken by the outgoing Mulayam Singh Government, especially those relating to the projects of Anil Ambani and Subrato Roy, both close friends of Mulayam Singh and his close associate Amar Singh. Such decisions, together with mass transfers of 154 senior officers, has not only affected the smooth continuity of governance, but also created chaotic conditions in the administration.  Similar situations have also arisen under Badal’s Government in Punjab. Enquiries have been ordered in several causes of corruption. This includes the Ludhiana City Centre scam, in which the former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and four of his advisers are allegedly involved. The State Government has also shunted out seven Special Public Prosecutors (SPP) appointed by the erstwhile Congress Government to probe high-profile corruption cases involving Badal and his family.

*                             *                                               *                                           *

Task Before Goa CM Kamat

Goa’s new Chief Minister Digambar Kamat has reason not to celebrate. The State’s Chief Ministership has become a crown of thorns, given the Goa’s political history of defections and unstable governments. The Congress he leads in the Assembly has only 16 MLAs in the 40-member House. He has managed to cobble up a majority with the support of the NCP, a Congress ally, and the  MGP, which have three and two MLAs respectively, and two Independents. Importantly, Kamat defected from the BJP to the Congress only two years ago. Yet, he outsmarted two senior Congress leaders, Pratapsinh Rane and the PCC Chief Ravi Naik, both of whom were in the run for the Chief Ministership. The former has been the State’s CM seven times and the latter thrice. Kamat has already faced his first difficulty in finalizing his Ministry and distributing portfolios. In fact, the exercise was still on at the time of writing.

*                               *                                               *                                           *

Modi Has The Last Laugh

Political activity in Gujarat is fast warming up, ahead of the Assembly elections by the year-end. Chief Minister Narendra Modi is facing a challenge both from within his BJP and the Opposition Congress. Sonia Gandhi has visited the State twice and the loyalists of his bete noire and former BJP Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel are bracing up for show of strength within the party.  However, Modi seems to be having the last laugh in regard to the threat from within. A massive rally was sought to be mounted against Modi at Surat on Monday. But he nipped it in the bud successfully. Even Keshubhai stayed away from the rally attended by not more than one lakh locals against expectation of more than five lakh. In contrast, Modi’s influence and development-oriented governance was reflected at a rally in Ahmedabad, a day earlier. Held to mark his emerging as the longest serving Chief Minister, it was attended by more than seven lakh people.

*                              *                                               *                                           *

Raje’s Hat-Trick Against Gurjjars

Rajasthan Chief Minister, Vasundhara Raje has scored a hat-trick, striking thrice against the Gurjjars in the State who have been agitating aggressively for Scheduled Tribes status. First, she managed to get them to call off their violent stir which had spread to adjoining States and the Union Capital. She offered them a Committee to look into their demand and got their leaders to accept it. Second, she has managed to get the Gurjjar satraps to split over the agreement to withdraw the agitation. Simultaneously, she has got the State police to move against Gurjjar activists led by Col. Bainsla (Retd), for creating violence and destroying public property during the agitation. Third, she has got the State BJP to suspend three of its Gurjjar MLAs and hold two Ministers responsible for helping wage what the Government has described as “open caste war” between the Gurjjars and Meenas of the State.

*                               *                                               *                                           *

Generals Join Hands In Uttarakhand

The BJP and its Chief Minister in Uttarakhand B.C. Khanduri have managed to be one-up on the Congress Party. Khanduri has got a senior Congress leader and former Minister, Lt.-Gen TPS Rawat (Retd) to resign his Assembly seat from Dhumakot and offer it to him to enable him to enter the Assembly through this constituency before September 8. The deal is essentially a quid pro quo. Presently, Khanduri represents Pauri constituency in the Lok Sabha. Rawat has now been offered the Pauri seat. Interestingly, Khanduri had defeated Rawat in the 2004 election for the Lok Sabha by over 50,000 votes from Pauri.  Now that the two rivals, one a retired two-star General and the other a retired three-star General from the same IMA course, have  joined hands, the BJP is assured a majority on its own in the 70-member Assembly. At present, the party has 35 MLAs.

*                               *                                               *                                           *

AIADMK Agitates Against CM

The AIADMK cadres violently hit the streets across Tamil Nadu last week, protesting against Chief Minister Karunanidhi for allegedly making derogatory remarks against their supremo Jayalalitha. Thousands of party workers, including a large number of women, blocked roads in different places and burnt the CM’s effigies. Over 12,000 persons, including 1117 women, were detained across the State. One of the DMK activists died in jail reportedly of a heart attack. Alleging negligence of the prison authorities, the cadres demonstrated in Chennai again, resulting in more arrests. The State Government later  ordered release of all AIADMK workers, except for 28 people arrested on charges of attempt to murder. Jayalalitha has, however, warned the DMK Government that her party cadres would not remain silent spectators to derogatory comments against their leader.

*                              *                                               *                                           *

Chhattisgarh’s “Salwa Judum” Challenged

The Chhattisgarh Government’s initiative to constitute “Salwa Judum” (self-defence groups) to combat the growing Naxalite menace in the State has run into difficulty. A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court against the group by two individuals. The Court has issued a notice to the Government after hearing the petitioners about the killings and atrocities committed by the Salwa Judum in the guise of countering the Naxal movement. These local activists have been conducting frequent raids on villages and “suspected” Naxalite sympathizers are allegedly being beaten up and brutally killed. Their houses are torched and livestock stolen. These armed activists are also said to have been frequently involved in illegal checking of vehicles and levying of taxes.

*                              *                                               *                                           *

Meghalaya To Clean Up PDS

 The Meghalaya Government has worked out a nine-point programme to tackle the menace of increasing “diversion” of commodities meant for the Public Distribution System (PDS). This follows a survey that showed about 80 per cent of commodities meant for the below poverty line (BPL) families were diverted in 2004-05. The State will now use Government agencies to distribute the PDS material. This is expected to eliminate malpractices by private fair price shops. Moreover, ration cards will hereafter be distributed by the Block Officers, to end misuse. Wholesale dealers in the State are also proposed to be reduced from 756 to around 400. Those indulging in malpractices will lose their dealership. ---INFA

 (Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)