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PFI Sinister Gameplan:KERALA “A MUSLIM STATE”?, by Insaf, 29 July, 2010 Print E-mail

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?

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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.

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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?”

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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.

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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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