Round The States
New Delhi, 23 May 2007
Dera Ideology Hurts
Sikhs
SECTARIAN TENSION
ENGULFS PUNJAB
By Insaf
Sectarian Sikh rivalry has reared its ugly head in Punjab. Tension exploded across
the State following a clash on May 14 between the Akal Takht clergy and the
Dera Sachcha Sauda. Earlier, Sikh organizations, led by the Sikh Gurudwara
Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), were livid on seeing an advertisement featuring
the Dera Chief, Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, dressed
up as Guru Gobind Singh. This not only hurt the sentiments of some Sikh
organizations but provoked about 200 of their activists, led by two members of
the SGPC, to burn an effigy of the Baba near the main Dera headquarters in
Bathinda district. A clash with the Dera activists followed, causing the death
of 17 persons and injury to many more. Tension mounted with each passing day and culminated in a total State-wide bandh
on Tuesday by the Akal Takht.
The Akal Takht and all the other Sikh organizations have
been opposed to Dera Sachcha Sauda (True Deal) ever since the latter was set up
as a sect in Sirsa in 1948 by one Baparwah Shah Mastana Balochistani. Sachcha
Sauda claims a membership of more than two crore Sikhs in India and
abroad, mostly from the backward communities, including Dalit Sikhs. It recognizes
one universal God and respects all religions, as part of its ideology described
by the sect as the only “True Deal” in keeping with the idealism of Guru Nanak,
founder of the Sikh faith. The Sikh clergy has also found the conduct of the
Dera Chief in adding “Ram Rahim” to the middle of his name wholly
objectionable. Equally unacceptable is his colourful attire imitating Guru
Gobind Singh. What is more, the sect also faces grave charges in connection with
a murder.
* * * *
Political Overtone
What has added fuel to the fire is the charge that the Dera continues
to be actively involved in politics as a supporter of the Congress since the Akali Dal came to power in 1978, even
though it claims to be a spiritual and social organization. This enabled the
Congress to win many more seats than
the Akalis in the Malwa region, a known Akali stronghold, in the recent Assembly elections. Its leadership reportedly
appealed for support to the Congress
regime, led by Amarinder Singh, against the Shiromani Akali Dal of Parkash
Singh Badal. In fact, some Sikh leaders accuse the Congress
of having actively supported the Dera’s expansion during the last four decades,
a la Bhindrawale. Nevertheless, the present
Badal Government upheld its governance dharma last Tuesday by enforcing law and
order and maintaining peace both during the bandh and thereafter. Much now
depends upon the Baba and his willingness
to apologise appropriately for having hurt the sentiments of the Sikhs as a
whole.
* * * *
Mystery Explosion
At Hyderabad
Mystery continues to surround the bomb explosion in Hyderabad’s famous Mecca
Masjid which killed nine people and injured more than a hundred. Most
surprisingly, another five were killed by police firing. The State Government
initially denied that the police had fired on the panic stricken crowds of namazis,
trying to escape to safety and carry the injured to nearby hospitals. It,
however, subsequently conceded that the police had fired (first with rubber
bullets and then with regular bullets) when confronted with highly
incriminating video recordings of the tragic incident. Top Muslim leaders both
in the State and at the Centre now want nothing less
than a CBI probe into what is viewed as a calculated bid by some people to
disrupt communal harmony and set the State ablaze for political gains.
Intelligence services point fingers at Harkat-ul-Jehad Islami (HUJI), whose
leader hails from Hyderabad.
But others suspect something more sinister. Hence the uproar for a Central
probe.
* * * *
Revolt In Goa Congress
Trouble continues to multiply for the ruling Congress in Goa in the
run up to the Assembly poll on June
2. Encouraged by the Congress
Party’s increasing dynastic inclinations at the Centre, several State leaders
have challenged the State Congress
decision to enforce “one-family one ticket” principle in the distribution of
party nominations. Revolting against the policy, as many as eight senior party
leaders have fielded their family members as independent candidates against the
party’s official nominees. Even Chief Minister Pratapsinh Rane’s son Vishwajeet
is contesting as an independent from Valpot, which neighbours his father’s
constituency of Partem. The Congress
High Command supported the State unit’s policy on the plea that the 40-member Assembly should not just comprise 16 families. In
fact, things have gone so far that some leaders have even started questioning
the Gandhi family’s moral authority in the matter when it fields Sonia Gandhi
and Rahul without batting an eyelid!
* * * *
Mayawati Warns
Bureaucracy
UP’s new Chief Minister, Mayawati, has swiftly got down to
serious business of pulling the
State out of what Governor Rajeshwar described in his address to the joint session
of the State legislature as Mulayam Singh’s “corrupt, lawless mafia raj”.
The CM has given two months to the State officials to mend matters. At a
marathon four-and-half hour meeting in Lucknow
without any tea or lunch break, the CM told the officers from Principal
Secretaries down to the district level to concentrate on improving the law and
order situation. She warned them that she would start visiting the districts
after two months and see things for herself. She is also giving top priority to
development, for which she has created two new Ministries---Urban Integrated
Development and Rural Integrated Development. Both are being headed by hand-picked
Cabinet Ministers.
* * * *
Apang Opposes Fresh
Delimitation
Former Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Gegong Apang has
strongly opposed fresh delimitation of the Assembly
constituencies in Arunachal Pradesh. He has told Chairman of the Delimitation
Commission, Justice Kuldeep Singh
(Retd) that any change would go against the interest of the people and result
in social conflicts among the peace-loving people of the State. Apang should
know with his unrivalled experience as the State’s Chief Minister for 23 years.
The former Chief Election Commissioner,
the late P.V. Perri Shastri, had recommended the present 60 Assembly constituencies only after extensively
touring the State and consulting the people at a number of public meetings. Some
State leaders have suggested delimitation of constituencies on the basis of
population. Apang feels this should be done only if additional seats are
allotted to the State, both for the Assembly
and Parliament.
* * * *
SEZ Problems
Continues In W. Bengal
There seems to be no end to the troubles for the Buddhadeb Government
in West Bengal
in regard to Special Economic Zone (SEZ) projects at Singur and
Nandigram. Mamata Banerjee seems hellbent on keeping the problem of farmland
acquisition burning prior to the Panchayat elections next month. Last week,
Mamata’s supporters, alongwith the members of Krishi Bachao Committee (Save
Farmland Committee), clashed with the police while trying to reclaim the Singur
land. Twenty Trinamool activist and two policemen were injured in a series of
clashes with the police. Interestingly, the Trinamool activists these days are
increasingly unleashing demonstrations at both Singur and Nandigram
particularly on Sundays when the State administration and the police are
relatively less alert than on the working
days.
* * * *
Gogoi Woos
Industrialists
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has
visited the country’s business
capital Mumbai recently to hardsell the Union Government’s revamped North East
Industrial Promotion Policy (NEIPP) and woo the industrialists. In several
interactions with captains of industry
and businessmen, he apprised them of
the new policy under which the region constitutes a whole new SEZ for
prospective investors. He has assured
incentives to all industrial units for their expansion anywhere in the region. Moreover,
the distinction between “thrust” and “non-thrust” industries, made in the earlier
policy of 1997, has been discontinued. Importantly, the subsidy for capital
investment has been increased from 15 per cent to 30 per cent. All in all,
Gogoi has every reason to keep his fingers crossed
for big investments in the strategic region. ---INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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