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Round The States
New Delhi, 12 June 2008
Nuclear Dimension
Of Terror
STATES PUT ON HIGH
ALERT
By Insaf
India’s worst fears on terrorism seem to
be coming true. The chilling warning was sounded by Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh about nuclear technology “falling into the dangerous hands of terrorists”
at a conference on nuclear disarmament to mark 20 years of Rajiv Gandhi’s
action plan offered in the UN. In fact, an internal 68-page Government report -
Contemporary Appraisal of Internal Security Scenario, cautions of no letup in terrorists
threats till 2025. Besides, the 13 States already in the deadly tentacles of
various extremists groups, it warns against the ISI's plans to keep terrorism alive
in Kashmir and the Left-wing extremists increasing
belligerence. More. Militancy is all set to rear its ugly head again in Punjab,
the Naxalites would increasingly use the Bihar-Nepal border for smuggling arms,
ULFA’s reign of terror in Assam
would continue and insurgent networks would operate from Bangladesh and use madrasas in West Bengal for
terrorist activities.
To counter this major security challenge, the States would
need to monitor the influx of illegal migrants from Bangladesh, which has resulted in
big demographics changes, sheltered anti-India elements and provided a steady
recruitment to jihadi modules. Importantly,
the report states that the Bangladeshis would influence up to 20 Assembly seats
in Delhi and 25 Lok Sabha seats from West Bengal
and Assam where 50 per cent
of the population in Bengal’s 24 Parganas district and Assam’s Barpeta
are Bangladeshis. Six other Assamese districts are similarly affected. Worse,
terror cells in South India are liaisoning
with the underworld in Maharashtra and Gujarat.
The ISI’s two covert operations, Operation Topac and Operation Pin Code continue
to thrive and the Naxalites have made inroads in UP’s Terai region.
* * * *
Trouble Brews In Darjeeling
The Darjeeling
hills are headed for turmoil once again with the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM)
reviving its demand for a separate Gorkhaland and the West Bengal Government
arming itself with additional security force. On Monday last, the GJM enforced
an indefinite bandh, affecting normal life and forcing thousands of tourists to
cut short their holidays in the picturesque hills and adjoining Sikkim. While
the GJM blocked the National
Highway and resorted to violence, the Chief
Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee stopped talks, tripartite or bipartite, until
the agitators gave up their demand for a separate State. Instead, Bhattacharjee
has offered more autonomy for the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council. The ball is
back in the GJM’s court which is sticking to its demand for a separate State.
Will it succeed again? After having ousted the DGHC Administrator and Gorkhaland
architect Subhas Ghising in February last?
* * * *
Fresh Governor
Trouble In Goa
After a lull of few months, fresh gubernatorial trouble is
brewing in Goa where the BJP has intensified
its campaign to demand the recall of State Governor S.C. Jamir. It has now
petitioned the President Pratibha Patil by claiming support of over two lakh
Goans. Recall, the Governor-BJP fracas started in January last after the
Governor had prorogued the Assembly session after the Congress-led State
Government, had been reduced to a minority due to the resignation of three
Ministers and withdrawal of support by another three MLAs. It remains to be seen how long the Chief
Minister Digamber Kamat can fob off attempts to dethrone him. Already he has
survived two coup attempts.
* * * *
J&K To Get Own
Minority Commission
Jammu & Kashmir is all set to join other States and get
its own Minority Commission. Once the Chief Minister gives his assent to the
Union Ministry on Minority Affairs asking the strife-torn State to set up the
Commission as per the recommendations of the Sacchar Committee on minorities.
The new Commission would enable the minorities in the State to avail of the
same benefits as their counterparts elsewhere in the country. Interestingly,
the minorities in the only Muslim-majority
State in the country are
Sikhs, Kashmiri Pandits, Jains, Buddhists and Christians. The new Commission
intends to mitigate the minority’s political grievances and give a fill-up to
development. The Kashmiri Pandits aching to return home, have their fingers
crossed.
* * * *
Himachal Reaping
Power Whirlwind
With good governance being the buzzword for States going to
the polls later this year, Himachal is busy reaping the power whirlwind. Thanks
to big States rushing to their tiny counterpart to buy power and keep its
voters happy. Needless to say, this new ‘connect’ between power, electoral
politics and innovation is raking in huge revenues to feed the State’s various
infrastructure development schemes. Already the BJP-ruled
State has sold 2000 million units of
its 632 MW surplus power to rival BSP’s UP, ignoring the bids of Saffron
Rajasthan, BJP-SAD’s Punjab and arch foe Congress’ Haryana and Delhi. Given the ‘power dynamics’ of
elections, after much pleading Punjab and
Rajasthan will get free electricity. Significantly, Himachal has already earned
59 per cent of its annual outlay of Rs.2400 crores. Clearly, the politics of
power makes for strange bed fellows and earns big bucks!
* * * *
BJP States Better
With Jobs
Poor performance in various States could well be another
nail in the UPA’s coffin, if one goes by its latest report card on its own
flagship programme -- the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREG).
The BJP-ruled States’ have performed better than most Congress and Left-ruled States. In an exercise undertaken by the
Centre to verify implementation of the NREG scheme by State Governments, the
BJP’s Rajasthan topped the performance list with 124.71 points. Shockingly, the
Congress-ruled Maharashtra, the first State to
implement the scheme, was at the bottom. Barring Tripura, which ranked second,
Left-ruled West Bengal and Kerala ranked 22 and 11 respectively, behind the
Saffron Party’s Himachal Pradesh (ranked third) and Madhya Pradesh (ranked 9th).
With general elections next year, the Congress-led UPA has reason to worry. Or
better, it still has time to improve its performance.
* * * *
Delhi India’s Crime
Capital
Delhi has earned the ignominy of being
the country’s crime capital for the fifth consecutive year. Shockingly, the
Capital recorded the maximum number of murders in the world and occupies the
top slot for almost all other violent crimes, rape, dowry death, and
kidnapping, according to the latest report of the Union Home Ministry’s
National Crime Records Bureau. Over 53,244 criminal cases, including 467
murders, 581 rapes and 1764 dacoities were registered in 2007. Experts cite
lack of resources, police-criminal nexus and slow judicial process as some of
the causes for this. Besides, with Delhi
becoming a 'mayanagri' of artificial
development, there is a huge gap between the rich and the poor. Naturally, when
one-third of the population lives in slums in inhuman conditions devoid of any
basic amenities crime flourishes. If this is the state of affairs in Delhi, lest said the
better of the rest of the country!---INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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