Round The States
New Delhi, 8 April 2009
New Terror
Offensive
TALIBAN MOVING INTO
KASHMIR?
By Insaf
Jammu and Kashmir appears to be in the throes of a
new terror offensive by the jihadis from across Pakistan. The past week has seen a
huge increase in infiltration attempts by well-equipped and hardcore militants,
some of whom are feared to belong to the fundamentalist Taliban, presently
causing mayhem in Pakistan.
Two militants were killed again by the Indian Army in Kupwara. But another 30,
including 25 from Taliban, seem to have slipped in through the thick forests in
Gurez, close to the LoC. The incident pattern, however, is different from
previous years on two counts. One, the infiltration bid has started earlier
this year, much before the snow in the passes has melted. Two, larger groups of
20-30 militants are trying to infiltrate together in one go, unlike previous
attempts to sneak across in smaller numbers.
While police sources claim that intercepted conversation
suggests presence of Taliban militants, the Army says the infiltrators are from
Lashkar-e-Tayaba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Al-Badr groups, hailing from Pakistan’s Punjab,
PoK and NWFP areas. However, there are well-established links between militant
outfits operating in J&K and the growing Taliban movement along the Af-Pak
border. Given the situation, the oft-repeated demand by the local leaders to
reduce the Army’s presence in the Valley is ill founded. In fact, there is need
for stronger Central intervention. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah needs to read
the Constitution (and Nehru’s speeches) when he says that “no government in New Delhi has the power
to abrogate J&K’s special status (Article 370).” Part XXI of the Constitution clearly states
that Article 370 is only a “Temporary provision”.
* * * *
Assam Rocked By Blasts
With just little over a week left for polling, Assam is in the
throes of security turmoil. On Monday last, the State was again rocked by
serial blasts killing 10 people and injuring over 60. The blasts came a day before
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to his ‘home state’ for electioneering.
Shockingly, the blasts are the third this year coinciding with the visit of
VVIPs to the State. On January 1 there were three blasts before Home Minister P
Chidambaram’s visit, which left 5 killed and 60 injured. And on March 31 there was a blast in Guwahati,
claiming one life and leaving 13 injured not long before Foreign Minister
Pranab Mukherjee was to address an election meeting. The needle of suspicion is
clearly on the ULFA which marked its 30th Raising Day on Tuesday
last. The Home Ministry has put the State on maximum alert. But the people are wholly
dissatisfied and are, in fact, livid with anger.
* * * *
Sikhs Protests Yield Results
Angry protests by Sikhs in Delhi
and Punjab over the clean chit given by the
CBI to Congress MP and a prominent face behind the 84 riots, Jagdish Tytler,
have yielded unexpected results. A rattled Congress on Thursday last withdrew
the nomination of Tytler and his colleague Sajjan Kumar for the Lok Sabha poll
from North West Delhi and South Delhi
respectively. The pressure on the party had been mounting since early this week
when hundreds of Sikhs held up several trains in Punjab and protested outside
the Congress office in Jalandhar and on the streets of Delhi demanding justice for the anti-Sikh
riots 25 years ago. However, it cracked the whip on the two MPs after a
journalist Jarnail Singh threw a shoe at Home Minister P Chidambaram during the
latter’s Press Conference in the capital on Tuesday last. Jarnail has become a
‘hero’ amongst the Akalis and has additionally, been offered a Lok Sabha ticket
from Amritsar by the Akali Dal led by SS Mann, a job in case he lost his, and a
reward of Rs two lakhs.
* * * *
Rajasthan CM’s Magic Majority
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot staged a silent coup
last week by getting all six MLAs of the BSP to cross over to his Congress
party. Not only has he got the BSP supremo Mayawati worried about keeping her
flock together, but more importantly ensured himself the magic majority in the
200-member Rajasthan Assembly. The BSP MLAs who had expressed their desire to
join the Congress soon after the Assembly poll said they ‘believed it was the
right time and the right step so that the party may win maximum seats in the
parliamentary elections.’ With their entry into the party on Saturday last,
Gehlot’s strength in the Assembly has gone up to 102 members and assured a
steady and stable government in the State.
A jubilant Chief Minister obviously has got the much-needed spark just
ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
* * * *
Modi Poll On Black
Money
Gujarat’s Chief Minister Narendra Modi has embarked on a
novel way to whip up public support for getting back into India lakhs of
crores of black money stashed away in Swiss and other foreign banks, an issue raised
by L K Advani. He has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh requesting him
to find out the names of the Indians, specially those from Gujarat,
who had parked black money in tax havens abroad. More importantly, the BJP
Chief Minister has decided to hold opinion polls across the State next week and
involve about 50 lakh people in the exercise. Accordingly, polling will be
undertaken in 2000 booths spread over all parliamentary constituencies. Chits
would be given with four or five questions such as ‘do you feel that black
money should be used for the uplift of the poor.’ The replies would have to be
either a yes or no. Counting would be held under the supervision of an eminent
citizen from every parliamentary constituency.
Security Beef-Up
for 11 CMs
In a recent advisory to police chiefs of different States,
the Centre has suggested that additional security be provided to 11 Chief
Ministers in view of threats to them from terrorists and naxalites. The CMs
are: Gujarat’s Narendra Modi, Madhya
Pradesh’s Shivraj Singh Chauhan,
Chhattisgarh’s Raman Singh, West Bengal’s Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Uttar Pradesh’s
Mayawati, Orissa’s Naveen Patnaik, Maharashtra’s Ashok Chavan, J&K’s Omar
Abdullah, Punjab’s Parkash Singh Badal, Manipur’s Okram Ibobi Singh and Assam’s
Tarun Gogoi. The police chiefs have also been asked to hold an “advanced
security liaising” with officers from the IB in coordination with local police
given that the VVIPs movement during electioneering. This apart, the Home
Ministry has asked 40-odd senior politicians, including Sonia Gandhi, Mulayam
singh Yadav, Jayalalitha and Farooq Abdullah to take “adequate security
precautions” during the polls.
‘Gold Darshan’ For Tirupati Voters
Voters, especially women are in for a pleasant surprise in
Tirupati. Instead of the traditional gifts such as saris, rings and nose pins
offered to them in the previous elections, this time around they are being
wooed with gold. A candidate has decided to distribute a 2 gm gold-coated
dollar emblem of Lord Balaji, costing Rs 3000, to number of women voters,
particularly in slums and rural areas. Other than this, the over 2.3 lakh
electorate in this temple town is being offered free cellar darshan tickets (Rs
100 each) once a week, if elected. Another lordly promise being made is of
performing free weddings of all girls, willing to get married in the Lord’s
abode, if voted to power. In the end, it would be worth watching which
candidate is showered with the Lord’s blessings. ---INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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