ROUND THE STATES

New Delhi, 24 May 2006

Pope’s Unwarranted Caution

RAJASTHAN’S ANTI-CONVERSION BILL

By Insaf

Stepped-up militancy in Kashmir on the eve of the PM’s second roundtable at Srinagar and continuing anti-reservation stir across the country pushed on to the backburner an equally important issue: Rajasthan’s anti-religious conversion bill.  The State Assembly passed it last month to cry a much-needed halt to organized conversions by fraud, deceit or allurement. But Governor Pratibha Patil, who belongs to the Congress Party, expectedly  returned it for reconsideration. Vasundhara Raje’s Cabinet has appropriately  reconsidered the bill and sent it back to the Governor, leaving her no option but to clear the legislation in accordance with the Constitution.  However, of greater concern than Patil’s objection is that a domestic matter has needlessly been given an external dimension. Pope Benedict XVI cautioned India’s Ambassador to the Vatican, Amitav Tripathi, against what he described as “disturbing signs of religious intolerance in some regions of the country”.

Belatedly though, South Block summoned the Vatican representative in New Delhi and protested against the Pope’s remark. The BJP and some other leaders reacted sharply to the Pope’s intervention in an internal matter already settled by the Supreme Court in 1973, after the Congress Governments in Orissa and Madhya Pradesh had enacted similar legislations in 1967 and 1968 respectively. The Court had upheld the Constitutional validity on anti-conversion laws enacted by the two States. It ruled: “What the Constitution grants is not the right to convert another person to one’s own religion, but to transmit or spread one’s religion by an exposition of its tenders.”  The court also observed that organized conversion was anti-secular and that respect for all religions was the essence of India’s secularism. Interestingly, the BJP Chief, Ranjath Singh, has highlighted these facts in a letter to the Pope.

*                                    *                                            *                                    *

Disturbing Situation In J&K

Jammu and Kashmir is slowly going back to its bloody days. Many hopes were built on  Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s second roundtable at Srinagar on Friday last.  But it  lost much of its sheen, thanks to the separatists. The All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) changed its colour and at the eleventh hour decided to boycott the roundtable.  Hardliners Syed Ali Shah Geelani, the JKLF Chairman Yasin Malik and JKDFF leader Shabir Shah had earlier announced their boycott.  Mirwaiz Umar Farooq-led moderate APHC, which had earlier indicated its willingness to join the Srinagar roundtable, eventually felt that “no result can be expected out of it”. They were willing to talk to the PM separately. But the mainstream National Conference Chief, Omar Abdullah threatened to abstain if that happened.  The PMO too rejected the proposal for any separate meeting.

The militants too intensified their terror in an obvious effort to undermine the PM’s initiatives to resolve the problem through dialogue. As many as six blasts and massacres took place in as many weeks since April 14 in Srinagar and Doda, Chief Minister Azad’s hilly district in Jammu.  The worst happened on May 21.  In an unprecedented incident a fidayeen duo attacked a Congress rally on the occasion of Rajiv Gandhi’s death anniversary in the heart of Srinagar.  Shockingly, the two militants smuggled themselves into the rally venue in police uniforms and succeeded in killing nine persons and seriously injuring about 25, including the Director-General of Police.  They missed their main target, Ghulam Nabi Azad, thanks to the CM’s decision to have a quick lunch on the way. This delayed his arrival at the venue by about 15 minutes and saved him.   

*                                    *                                            *                                    *

Congress Plan  To Woo Muslims

The Congress is now increasingly concerned about the erosion of Muslim support for it. The Congress Working Committee (CWC) took serious note of this at its meeting in New Delhi over the week-end and considered ways and means to set things right before the next round of Assembly elections early next year, especially in U.P.. Two Muslim Ministers in the Union Government, Saifuddin Soz and A.R. Antulay were the first to express concern, citing the emergence of the Congress rebel Badruddin Azmal-led Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF) and the growing ambition of Muslim clerics in U.P. to launch a political clone of the AUDF.  Most CWC members felt that instead of reducing the Muslims to a mere votebank, some specific measures need to be taken. They include boosting Muslim enrolment in Sarva Shiksa Abhiyan, modernization of Madrassas and steps to include swift implementation of promises in the manifesto pertaining to the minority community, which now totals over 15 crore.

*                                    *                                            *                                    *

Punjab Plan For Farmers

The Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre is greatly concerned about a report by the National Crime Bureau of the Home Ministry that more than one lakh farmers have committed suicides in India during the decade 1993-03.  Ninety per cent of these have been reported from Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, followed by Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and U.P.  The main cause is debt; which they are unable to repay.  While the Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar is working on a package to provide relief to the farmers, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has finalized an imaginative plan to offer sops to indebted farmers and bail them out. The package includes one-time settlement to farmers who face problems in paying off loans they owe to various State-owned cooperatives.  The interest rate for future advances in the farm sector would also be reduced by one per cent.  The relief to the farmers is estimated to cost the Government Rs.353 crore.

*                                    *                                            *                                    *

Towards Peace Talks With ULFA

In his second innings as the Chief Minister of Assam, Tarun Gogoi has succeeded in implementing what he has been recommending to the Centre for long: release of the imprisoned ULFA leaders to bring them to the negotiating table for peace. This was the first decision Gogoi took within minutes into his second term at the helm. Release of its leaders was one of the pre-conditions ULFA had set for peace talks after the dreaded outfit formed its nine-member People’s Consultative Group (PCG) in September last to prepare the ground for negotiations. Gogoi has not yet announced the number or names of the leaders proposed to be released.  He has, however, indicated that the top six leaders are to be released so that the peace talks can start soon – a commitment made by him prior to the Assembly elections.

*                                    *                                            *                                    *

DMK Woos Investment For Progress

Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister and his new DMK regime are all set to woo investment from both foreign and domestic sources. Like his counterparts in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and West Bengal, Karunanidhi has in his fifth tenure as the Chief Minister realized that smooth flow of cash is the key to development.  To ensure this, his Government would become fully accessible to all prospective investors, both from within and outside the country.  The approach would be a major departure from the past.  Also, the Chief Minister has directed all the concerned persons that decision-making should be “very quick” with regard to the Government facilitation and support packages. Speed and transparency will be the two key words for new investments in the State.

*                                    *                                            *                                    *

Bumpy Road For Achuthanandan

Kerala’s new Chief Minister, V.S. Achuthanandan has a bumpy road ahead, thanks to the continuing infighting between the reformists and hardliners in the State CPM. Pinarji Vijayan and his powerful faction, which had succeeded initially in even blocking “VS” from getting  a party nomination for the Assembly election, has managed to corner nine of the eleven CPM Ministerships. The State CPM Secretariat had even allocated portfolios for these Ministers.  But the Chief Minister put his foot down at this stage and claimed his prerogative to appoint Ministers and allocate portfolios.  This has been finally conceded.  However, this has intensified factional fight in the party and the Government. More trouble is clearly in store for the new Chief Minister.---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)