Round The States
New Delhi, 29 July 2010
PFI Sinister Gameplan
KERALA “A MUSLIM STATE”?
By Insaf
Kerala’s Marxist Chief Minister, V S Achuthanandan, has dropped
a bombshell causing unprecedented sensation. He has bluntly warned that the State
is under grave communal threat of losing its ambience and secular character
which enabled it to be called “God’s own country.” Sinister efforts, according
to him, are underway to convert the State into a “Muslim country.” On Saturday
last, he lashed out at the radical Popular Front of India (PFI), based in
Kerala saying it was aiming to make “Muslims a majority community in the
State…In 20 years they want to make Kerala a Muslim majority State.” The PFI,
he added, was pumping in money to lure youth into Islam and persuade them to marry
Muslim women. The organisation was lately in the news for chopping off the hand
of a college lecturer for preparing a controversial question paper that
allegedly insulted the Prophet. One more activist of the PFI was nabbed on
Saturday last bringing the total of those arrested to 12.
The CM believes that the PFI is the new avatar of the National Democratic Front (NDF), an active Muslim organization
in Kerala, known to have disbursed funds, and provided training and weapons to the
youth to eliminate opponents, even as it claimed to be focusing on “socio-economic
issues of the minorities.” Recently, the CPM General Secretary, Prakash Karat too
voiced similar concern about the Front and the increasing threat of Muslim
terrorism in the country. Sadly, the issue is being watered down by the
Congress, known for its increasing appeasement of Muslims. In fact, the party
is echoing the PFI’s line, alleging that the State Government was unnecessarily
targeting the Muslim community. Obviously, it is eyeing the sizeable Muslim
vote bank for the elections to local bodies this September and Assembly polls
next year. Will the CM’s pointed attack on the PFI trigger off a strong Hindu
backlash against Islamic extremist activities in the State and help the Left
cut ice with the electorate?
* * * *
Low Birth Rate in 8
States
Family planners have reason to rejoice—at long last. The
country’s birth rate is showing a welcome decline with eight States taking the
lead. According to statistics provided by the annual Sample Registration System
(SRS) survey conducted by the Census office, the crude birth rate, i.e. the
number of live births per 1,000-population, has dipped from 26.4 to 22.8
between 1998 and 2008. However, the decline has been much more in Punjab, where
the birth rate fell by a whopping 23 per cent, followed by Kerala and
Maharashtra both 20 per cent and West Bengal 18 per cent. Additionally, the
crude death rate too has come down by 18 per cent in a decade. Both Rajasthan
and Madhya Pradesh saw a dip of 23 per cent followed by Bihar’s
22 per cent and UP’s 20 per cent. There is more good news. In the past decade,
there has been a decline in the infant deaths /mortality rate from 72 in 1998 to 53 in 2008. Hope other States
follow suit.
* * * *
Big Treat For Assam MLAs
Assam legislators have voted themselves a
scandalous treat. On July 17 the Assembly passed five Bills enhancing their
salaries by a whopping 300-400 per cent! As a result the raise in the basic
salary of the Chief Minister, Speaker, Ministers and Leader of Opposition will
approximately be Rs 60,000 from Rs 15,000. For the MLAs the basic salary would go
up from Rs 12000 to Rs 40,000. Not enough, the MLAs have increased their daily
(in and outside the State), sitting and constituency allowances too. However,
both the CPM and CPI members have expressed serious reservations and suggested
amendments as the hike was unjustified. The percentage was a lot more than that
of price rise. Worse, while 78 per cent of the State’s population comprised farmers,
the Tarun Gogoi Government had done precious little to increase their income.
Same was the case of employees of the PSUs. “Are we becoming too selfish to
increase our salaries ourselves,” was a question posed before the House. For
shouldn’t “politics be the highest form of social service?”
* * * *
Hard Knock For Bihar
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s efficiency report card
has received a major setback. The Bihar State Food and Supply Corporation
(BSFC) has recently been declared the “most corrupt and inefficient,” forcing the
Public Distribution System handled by it in neighbouring Jharkhand to a near-collapse.
The severe indictment comes from none less than the Supreme Court committee on
distribution of cheap ration through the PDS. Shockingly, the PDS in Jharkhand
continues to be handled by the BSFC even after 10 years of the State’s creation
and no fresh survey for identification of BPL families has since been
undertaken. Worse, the PDS Grievance Commission there has no power to take
action against erring BSFC officials who, along with the Department of Food and
Supply, have not ensured sufficient storage for foodgrains. This is because it
could be a ready excuse for their acts of commission and omission! While the
report, submitted to the apex court, suggests that a proper criteria be fixed
for the identification of BPL families, Bihar
would need to do much more. Perhaps, the above could be one of the reasons
behind the rise of naxalism in Jharkhand, where a majority of the population
lives in tribal areas.
* * * *
Nagpur A Transit Point
Nagpur appears to have moved into the
Union Home Ministry’s top security radar. This is because the Maharashtrian
district is fast emerging as a transit point for the Naxals. According to
credible information available at New
Delhi’s North Block, the Naxalites from affected
States, specially Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, find the district an easy
location to move to some of the Naxal hotbeds. In fact, the district police has
confirmed that naxals from Chhattisgarh often “visit hospitals in Nagpur for treatment.”
This apart, Nagpur’s
proximity to Gadchiroli, one of the worst-hit naxal areas, is also one of the
reasons why naxalites are visiting, passing through and staying in the
district. With this new found information, the security agencies are now
keeping a strict vigil in the district. Hope it can help contain the naxal
threat.
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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