Jaipur Terror: Politicians Still Busy With Policy of Appeasement

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Jaipur_blasts_SIMI_hand_suspected/articleshow/3047314.cms

In the past three years, this is the 21st terror attack outside Jammu & Kashmir. More than 400 people have been killed in the terror strikes since Oct 2005. India had more than 2,300 terrorism-related deaths in 2007 - about 10% of a worldwide figure of 22,000 terrorism-related deaths that year. The Jaipur attack might have been worse had three unexploded bombs not been defused in the walled city area. The macabre statistics pose a serious question to our corrupt, outdated and over burdened law enforcement and legal systems.

One of the suspects in the serial bomb blasts in Jaipur on 13th May has been identified as SIMI activist Abu Faisal. He had been arrested from a hotel in the Gwaltoli area of the Indore in 2006, but was later released on bail. Faisal has been actively involved in anti-national and illegal activities since his release and was absconding after March 27, 2007.

All District Collectors and Superintendents of Police in Rajasthan have been directed to complete within 30 days the process of identifying Bangladeshi migrants living with or without voter ID Cards and/or ration cards and get them verified. The procedures for deporting the identified illegal nationals could then be started. Did we have to wait for such an exercise to commence?

An outfit calling itself Indian Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for the mass murder in Jaipur. There is little doubt that the tag Indian Mujahideen is a smoke screen to camouflage Pakistani roots of jihadi terror and present it as a homegrown phenomenon. When Mohammed Jalaluddin - alias Babu Bhai, the "Indian operations commander" of the Bangladesh-based militant group, Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (Huji), at the time of his arrest - was arrested in Lucknow in 2007, he told his IB interrogators that Jaipur and Haridwar were few of the prime targets for terror strikes. Yet the terror strike could not be prevented! A native of West Bengal, Jalaluddin was trained in Bangladesh and then sent to unleash terror in India in 1999. He claimed involvement in the July 2006 serial train bombings in Bombay, in which 209 people were killed. His trial is yet to be concluded in the painfully slow legal labyrinths of the Indian legal system. It should not surprise anyone if another hijacking like the IC 814 in 1999, forces the government of India to release him in exchange for hostages; or execution of his sentence delayed by deranged politicians and power hungry political parties out to grab Muslim votes; never mind more such strikes in the country.

Based on Jalaluddin's confessions, India's Intelligence Bureau did issue advice last year, listing a number of cities like Jaipur that it said were on the "hit list" of the jihadis. When nothing happened for a few months, the warning found its usual place, in the garbage dump. Unfortunately, intelligence agencies rarely chase up leads to get more specific intelligence and when something like Jaipur happens, they refer to their old report to save their necks.

The Jaipur serial blasts must be seen in conjunction with the recent infiltration attempts in Kashmir, gun battles along the border, and the new democratic government of Pakistan’s promise to deport Dawood Ibrahim - the mafia don blamed for bombings in Mumbai in 1993, to India. The move has obviously not gone down well with Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) as the agency has traditionally exploited Dawood Ibrahim’s criminal network to export arms, explosives, drugs and terrorism in Asia and elsewhere. The ISI now operates more through Nepal and Bangladesh, where they have developed a secure network of operatives who liaise with militant groups such as Lashkar-e-Toiba or the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami. The Huji and the Lashkars have scores of sleeper cells all over India ready to strike on direction of Pakistan’s ISI.

But the real strength of the Islamic jihadi groups responsible for explosions in Kashmir and other Indian states lies not so much in the "foreign hand" but in the proliferation of these "sleeper cells" within India. The need for laws like the TADA or POTA to curb terror menace was never so acute. The serial bomb blasts in Jaipur must be recognised as a national shame and a challenge by Pakistan’s ISI and Muslim terror outfits to all Indians. The impact of the dastardly crime must not be restricted to Rajasthan and the families of those killed. Localising such cowardly misdeeds by fanatics would amount to condoning the mass murder and encourage these medieval philosophers to repeat their sordid performance elsewhere. It is high time the Indian politicians stopped blaming “foreign hand” euphemism for Pakistan and discard all indirect references to countries involved in encouraging terrorism. Unless the calculating political establishment shuns all shallow vote bank politics and resolves to hold the terrorism bull by its horns, more Jaipur like strikes and scores more innocent deaths are just waiting to be reported.

Blast in SIMI Terrorists' Trial Court

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Explosion_in_Hubli_court_no_casualty/articleshow/3027753.cms

The explosion is an attempt to intimidate the judge hearing the case of seven SIMI terror suspects. Fortunately there are no casualties! The incident should strengthen state resolve to come down on the terrorists with an iron hand. SIMI’s twisted philosophy reflected in its slogan “Allah is our Lord, Qur’an is our constitution, Muhammad is our leader, Jihad is our way and Shahadat is our desire", is outdated and more suited to Pakistan and medeival arab states than to a modern and forward looking India. Its self delusionary beliefs that Osama bin Laden is an outstanding example of a true Mujahid, who has undertaken Jihad on behalf of the 'ummah' and that Israel's Mossad was responsible for the 9/11 attacks, render the fanatic outfit a misfit in any civilised society. SIMI’s intolerance for secularism, democracy and nationalism, keystones of the Indian Constitution, also loudly proclaim its deranged thinking and intellectual malnutrition.

The bombing incident in Hubli court must be taken seriously even if there are no casualties. There is no hiding the intention of the terrorists.

Meddling Communists Accuse the PM of Incompetence

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/PM_hindering_WBs_growth_Buddhadeb/articleshow/3027585.cms

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee of West Bengal has a fantastic sense of humour accusing Manmohan Singh of being inefficient and incompetent. His assertion that West Bengal is suffering due to Manmohan Singh's incompetence, is also laughable. The communists might as well blame Manmohan Singh for the hooliganism displayed by CPM cadres in Nandigram. There is nothing new in the state not performing well under communist misrule. That is the story the world over, whether it was the Soviet Union, China, Vietnam, Cuba or North Korea. He should know that inflation is a world wide phenomenon and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is more than adequately capable of handling the situation for India. Perhaps Buddhadeb would prefer one of his comrades to handle the crisis like Kim Jong-Il is doing in North Korea – simply print more currency.

If the communists are not satisfied with the performance of Manmohan Singh and, in their perception, the whole country is suffering due to his failure to perform his duties and responsibilities as a Prime Minister on all fronts, the communists are to blame too. Why are they supporting the Congress at all and helping to have an incompetent Prime Minister? In any case, I wonder who appointed Buddhadeb a spokesperson for the whole country! The communists did promise outside support to the Manmohan Singh government but have only extended interference from all sides. If the Chief Minister is keen to have better governance in West Bengal, he should reign in his goons who went on a murderous spree in Nandigram, restrain the other meddling comrades from interfering in functioning of the PMO and come up with more intelligent suggestions than to do away with the posts of state governors.

Buddhadeb Bhattacharya has also accused the Prime Minister of neglecting the interests of the common man. Now isnt that too much coming from murderers of Nandigram? West Bengal has been under communist misrule for over three decades. It is not too difficult to comprehend the true reason for communists blaming Manmohan Singh for being the cause of all their ills.

Arjun Singh Put in His Place

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Congress_snubs_Arjun_Singh_again/articleshow/3025511.cms

The Congress has finally begun to put its 'dead wood' in the right place. Arjun Singh has always had a long rope in the Party and this was the right moment to remind him of his standing in the establishment. Cronies like him, whose caliber doesn’t match his political ambitions, can only fetch a bad name to the Party and the government.

Quixotic Anbumani and His Moronic Supporters

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Venugopal_back_at_AIIMS_within_hours/articleshow/3022799.cms

With a frustrated Anbumani Ramadoss still the health minister, it is unlikely that the Supreme Court's direction will see a prompt implementation. The political establishment that supported Anbumani in his nefarious 'remove Venugopal' campaign is also not going to be too keen in restoring Venugopal his legitimate position back to him in a hurry. Under the circumstances, Dr Venugopal can be excused for overlooking the red tape and assuming charge at the AIIMS. The action will, ofcourse, infuriate the already incensed PMK and Left parties. Hopefully, the morons who cheered Anbumani on during his quixotic venture will refrain from doing any further damage to their already shattered image.

Constant Sources of Embarrassment for the PM

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Aiming_at_Venugopal_Ramadoss_hit_PM/articleshow/3023205.cms

The decent Mr Manmohan Singh will do well to remember that it is better to have wise enemies than to have foolish friends. Once again, Anbumani Ramadoss, with the support of trouble making Left, has landed him with an embarrassment over the 'Remove Venu Amendment' to AIIMS Act of 2007. It would be too much to expect the thick skinned PMK and the Left, who were mainly instrumental in pushing through the personal vendetta amendment in the Parliament, to feel any shame by the Supreme Court verdict quashing it. These are parties who have collected the worst in the country to form their respective ranks.

Known for its opportunistic bent of mind, the PMK advocates bifurcation of Tamil Nadu on caste lines, was part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government from 1999 to 2004 and then switched sides, and loyalties, to dump the NDA to join the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in 2004. In Tamil Nadu it has the Communist Party of India as a major political partner; hence the blind support extended by the Left in Anbumani Ramadoss’ personal battle against Dr Venugopal, in total disregard for democratic norms and all sense of decency.

The Left Front comprising of Communist party of India (Marxist) [CPI (M)], Communist Party of India (CPI), Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and the All India Forward Bloc (AIFB), is a rigidly disciplined totalitarian outfit which depends on murderous cadres and which has no real patience with democracy and dissent. The Left has rigidly opposed the Indo – US Nuclear Deal, has a sordid record of governance in West Bengal, Tripura and Kerala, opposed any economic reforms that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh proposed, acted as China proxy in the country, proposed strengthening of under performing public sector, supported divisive policies like reservation in higher education and jobs, and, after the Nandigrm episode, is generally considered as the party comprising of goons. No wonder the CPM is plagued by increasing dropouts, and problems in getting whole-timers? The communists have even made a ridiculous proposal to establish a pro-China regional alliance.

To top it all they have questioned the conduct of the Governor in West Bengal in switching off the lights of Raj Bhawan when Kolkata was forced to endure one of the frequent power cuts. They have even raised a doubt over the necessity of having the post of governors in states. Sixty years on, India can in fact, legislatively do away with the communists and the likes of Prakash Karat, D Raja, AB Burdhan and Sitaram Yechury. With friends (read coalition partners) like these, there cannot be anything but embarrassment, shame and disgrace for the Prime Minister and his party.

AIIMS: Supreme Court Verdict Not Enough for Shameless Anbumani Ramadoss to Resign

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Venugopal_back_at_AIIMS_within_hours/articleshow/3022799.cms

Supreme Court striking down the discriminatory law that facilitated the removal of cardiologist P Venugopal as the Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is a slap on the face of Mandal II Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss. There was little doubt that the AIIMS Act was amended by Parliament at the behest of Anbumani Ramadoss just to satisfy his vendetta against Dr P Venugopal. A bench of Justices Tarun Chatterjee and H S Bedi upheld the appeal filed by Dr Venugopal challenging the law as being discriminatory and purposely brought in to superannuate him. He had contended that the amendment was brought with the sole purpose of removing him from his office due to his differences with Ramadoss. The Supreme Court held that the Act was illegal as the High Court had in March last year upheld his continuation in the post and the matter was pending in the apex court. But Anbumani Ramadoss supported by the likes of Arjun Singh, RK Dhawan, Laloo Prasad Yadav and the ever trouble maker communists of Left, in the meantime, brought the amendment in Parliament. Ramadoss sacked Venugopal in November 2007 after parliament passed the law and it received President Pratibha Patil's assent.

It may be recalled that Anbumani Ramadoss, ever since he became the Health Minister, had functioned with a single point agenda of removing Dr P Venugopal from AIIMS, ignoring the more important responsibilities his position demanded. Most of his tenure was spent in eroding the premier medical institute and demolishing its reputation as a medical centre of excellence. It is amazing that the Health Minister was not bothered by 51% vacancies in the posts of doctors in government hospitals, 7% children in Madhya Pradesh dying before they reached their first birthday, 60% children in the country under the age of three being malnourished and total absence of planning in rural health; but had occupied himself with low level vote bank politics of reservation, gaining cheap publicity by constant interference in domains he is unfamiliar with, and ofcourse his main objective of ridiculing and removing Dr P Venugopal.

As Health Minister, he even accepted the post-graduate medical degrees of five English speaking nations: Britain, Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand. The Medical Council of India (MCI), the apex medical education regulating body of the country does not recognise it. As per an act of parliament, MCI is the 'medical education recognising body' of the country. The health ministry cannot take a decision on foreign degrees completely by itself. Ramadoss’ ministry unilaterally recognised the post-graduate medical degrees without any reciprocal arrangement with those countries. He never bothered to explain the weird logic of his action.

Anbumani Ramadoss proposed quota for other backward classes (OBCs) in institutes of higher learning. Indian Medical Association(IMA) has been at loggerheads with the minister over the issue. Other hair brained schemes proposed by Anbumani Ramadoss included MBBS students to serve one year in rural India before being awarded a degree. According to him, compulsory rural service is the best way to set right the anomalies in public healthcare. He has conveniently ignored the fact that the students are not trained to serve in the villages and that rural health cannot be treated so casually, particularly when most Government funding goes to provide the best healthcare for urban India. Relying on students to provide healthcare amounts to giving second-class treatment to rural India. There is indeed a pressing need to correct the imbalance of doctors in rural and urban areas. But for that, the Minister should have concentrated on improving the 'Healthcare Centres' and their infrastructure instead of putting the cart before the horse and sending novice doctors there. Rural and socially disadvantaged people tend to have far more serious and complex medical problems that need more knowledge, expertise and experience. These problems are certainly beyond the capacity of young, unsupervised doctors. But that did not disturb Anbumani Ramadoss.

Instead of concentrating on his job instead of expressing an opinion on issues that he is totally clueless about, Anbumani Ramadoss busied himself proving his creative genius by devising ways to rid the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) of its Director, P Venugopal by pushing through an ordinance in the Parliament. A case in point is the Minister’s refusal to sign the degree certificates, a demand put forward by the agitating medical students in 2006. The flimsy ground for refusal to sign the document cited by the Minister that the signature on the certificates of Registrar Dr Sandeep Aggarwal, whose appointment he contended was illegal, is sufficient proof of his indifference to the plight of the young doctors who had no degrees to apply for a job. The fact that the resident doctors ended their strike on a promise of immediate issuance of their degree certificates by AIIMS administration, albeit minus the Minister’s signature, should have pleased the Minister as it had taken the initiative to solve a problem that was solely in his domain. Instead, the Minister chose to place his ego above the careers of the affected doctors and the problems of AIIMS, whose President he happened to be. To add insult to injury, Anbumani Ramadoss is a typical hypocrite has been mouthing niceties about the Dr P Venugopal. He may have succeeded in fooling the constituency that elected him. He is naive if he thinks he can fool the whole country by his 'Nothing Personal' comments on the Venugopal issue. The people can see him clearly for what he is.

It is a shame that other politicians of dubious public record, like RK Dhawan, Arjun Singh and Laloo Prasad Yadav joined Anbumani Ramadoss’ efforts to dislodge P Venugopal and interfere in the AIIMS. Given that Anbumani Ramadoss has shamelessly refused to resign and continues to be the Health Minister and President of AIIMS, the relief is bound to be temporary in nature. For, the Minister’s earlier belligerent stance towards the Institute’s Director P Venugopal and his penchant for interfering in the normal functioning of the Institute has once again been revived. The fact that Delhi High Court had earlier ruled in favor of the Director of AIIMS in the dispute did nothing to deter a bitter Ramadoss from bulldozing his ways in the AIIMS. That belligerence is set to grow with the Supreme Court verdict. The country can expect more mischief from a frustrated Health Minister.

Police Serves Only Politicians and Criminals

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/6-yr-old_beaten_to_death_in_W_Bengal/articleshow/3009490.cms

A six-year-old boy was beaten to death by a neighbour at a village in Murshidabad district of West Bengal on 3rd Apr 2008, while three policemen present there stood as mute spectators. Inspite of the villagers pleading with them to intervene, the policemen did nothing to stop the heinous crime from being committed. Following the incident, women of the village came out of their homes with sticks and damaged two police vehicles parked at the spot. District police authorities suspended the three constables who were present when the child was being beaten up, along with an assistant sub-inspector who had also gone to the spot. Somehow, the story sounds familiar!

The incident of a serious crime being committed, this time a child being beaten to death, in the presence of the police without the latter taking any preventive action, is not new. Neither is people taking the law into their hands a new development in the country. Unfortunately, the police going through the sham drill of suspending the guilty policemen is also an old police trick to put the incident in the cold storage. It is only a matter of time before the policemen are reinstated, maybe at some other location. One cannot find fault with the police in the country detrminedly sticking to its track record!

Unless the role of the policemen is treated at par with abetment to murder and exemplary action, with a committed intent to stem the rot, taken against them there will be no let up in criminals roaming freely and the police continuing to remain a rag tag outfit meant to serve only politicians and criminals.

OBC Quota: Politicians in a Hurry

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Centres_order_on_OBC_quota_in_IIMs_challenged_in_HC/articleshow/3005452.cms
Hope the contention of the alumni association of IIMs that the Supreme Court judgement, which while upholding the OBC reservation policy, had said that it would not be applicable to the higher educational institutions, is upheld by the High Court. The government seeking more time to go through the supreme court judgement before responding to the contentions of the Association of IIMs is indicative of the fact that Arjun Singh, always in a hurry to advance his political ambitions of becoming the prime minister, had not even bothered to study the judgement before ordering implementation of his OBC agenda in higher education.

The nefarious designs of ambitious politicians like Arjun Singh, Anbumani Ramadoss, RK Dhawan, Laloo Prasad Yadav and Mayawati to meddle with quality education in the country need to be demolished in the larger interests of the country.

The President and All her Kin

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Govt_denies_breach_of_protocol_by_Presidents_son/articleshow/3002351.cms

President Pratibha Patil's son Rajendra Singh Shekhawat has denied any breach of protocol by him while accompanying his mother on an official visit to Latin America. According to him it was okay to go around on his own even when tax payers finance the trip of the President and her family. If he was so inclined, he could have got a direct flight from Delhi to Florida – and avoided the national embarrassment. Surprisingly, even the President’s office has found "nothing wrong" with wasteful expenditure of exchequer’s money and the utterly uncouth behavior of the President’s son.

To make matters worse, Rajendra Singh Shekhawat’s hollow explanation that he was a mere "visitor" to some of the programmes he had attended and that there was "nothing to discuss" during the visits, raises more questions about his having been included in the President’s entourage in the first place. The President and her son have seen nothing wrong with the son making a trip on the side of the President’s official trip on his own expenditure. Did the President’s son also pay for the officer of the Indian Embassy in Washington to go and receive him at Miami where he was on a private trip? The arguments in favor of the President and her son may sound convincing to the Congress and its UPA allies who were keenly instrumental in replacing Bharat Ratna Dr APJ Abdul Kalam with Pratibha Patil, but do not seem to hold much water for their countrymen. That such goings-on have occurred during the tenures of KR Narayanan and Shankar Dayal Sharma, both Congress nominees, only gives an insight into the Congress culture of selecting the wrong people for the wrong reasons to head responsible positions they lack the merit to hold. Shankar Dayal Sharma, incidentally, holds the distinction of being the only President who refused to vacate the Rashtrapati Bhawan at the end of his tenure, unless an alternative accommodation was suitably prepared to him.

The least the shameless politicians of Congress and its UPA allies can do is gracefully apologize to the nation to stem the growing controversy surrounding the highest office of the land. It would be futile to expect the President’s office and Rajendra Singh Shekhawat to extend such a grand gesture as both have already found nothing amiss in their conduct.

The Congress and UPA Choice: National Embarrassment

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Presidents_son_defies_protocol/articleshow/2998067.cms

In a serious breach of protocol, President Pratibha Patil's son Rajendra Singh Shekhawat, who accompanied his mother on her recent trip to Latin America, disappeared for a day on April 17 to conduct personal business in the US, keeping his Mexican hosts in the dark. Shekhawat was missing from the banquet hosted by Mexican President Felipe Calderon at Castilo de Chapultepec, where a seat was reserved for him.

The lapse was casually explained away as Shekhawat having gone to Florida to visit the university. The MEA also vaguely mentioned his having borne the expense of his journey from Mexico to Florida. As if that was an acceptable enough reason for treating a presidential invitation in the host country with such abandon. In any case, Shekhawat’s name would have been included in the seating plan at the banquet after an acceptance of the invitation by him.

During the same three nations tour of South America, there were reports of the President having walked passed the host country’s national flag without paying the customary compliment. Is it any wonder then that the presence at her address in the host country’s Parliament was inadequate?

Why can’t political parties accept a person of proven merit, like N. R. Narayana Murthy, Kiran Bedi and many more, for the highest office of the country? It is as if they are determined to soil the prestige of the office of the Indian President just to promote their respective party interests. The incident once again confirms that party interests are above national interests for our calculating politicians.

India can thank the Congress and its UPA partners for the national embarrassment.

Bharat Ratna Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Criticised by Bureaucrat Over The Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Amendment Bill, 2006

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Kalam_erred_on_Office_of_Profit_bill/articleshow/2970756.cms

An office of profit is a term used in a number of national constitutions to refer to executive appointments. A number of countries forbid members of the legislature from accepting an office of profit under the executive as a means to secure the independence of the legislature and preserve the separation of powers. The term is used in Article 102 (1)(A) of the Indian Constitution which bars a member of the Indian Parliament from holding an office that would give its occupant the opportunity to gain a financial advantage or benefit.

The controversy started with the disqualification of Ms Jaya Bachchan as Rajya Sabha MP on the ground that she was holding an office of profit as chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh Film Development Council. This turned the spotlight on many other MPs as well and in 2006, Indian National Congress President and MP, Sonia Gandhi, had to to resign from several posts under pressure from opposition who asserted that the posts were 'offices of profit' and thus unlawful.

The Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Amendment Bill, 2006, also referred to as the Office of Profit Bill was passed exempting 56 posts from the purview of disqualification. The politicians came up with this instrument to save the fifty odd MPs from the possible disqualification from their respective offices of profit. The President, Mr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, returned the Office of Profit Bill asking Parliament to reconsider it taking into account the legal propriety of its application with retrospective effect.

As expected, corrupt politicians ignored Kalam’s advice to observe legal propriety and The Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Amendment Bill, 2006, was introduced on May 17 and passed on the same day by voice vote without any detailed discussion. The Bill was sent to the President on May 25 for assent and it is common knowledge that besides obtaining expert views, APJ Abdul Kalam personally studied the Bill before sending it back for reconsideration by the Parliament. Exercising his power under Article 111 of the Constitution, the President wanted the Bill's focus to be on evolving a comprehensive criterion, which would be just, fair and reasonable, and applied across all States and Union Territories in a clear and transparent manner.

To achieve the noble objective of ensuring that the lawmakers of the country at the Center and States, who are sworn to uphold the law and Constitution, discharge sacred trust which the people reposed in them, in a fair and impartial manner, the Constitution mandated that the Members of Parliament (MPs) and the State Legislatures should not, during their tenure, hold any 'office of profit' under the Government, so that they would not be 'obliged' to the Executive. Unfortunately, the Constitution also empowered the Parliament and the State Legislatives to identify those `offices of profit' which would be exempted from disqualification. This power has been unabashedly used by the politicians to create a host of offices of profit for themselves which were saved from constitutional disqualification and made a mockery of the Indian Constitution.

APJ Abdul Kalam’s then Secretary P M Nair, now accusing him of sitting over the issue for 17 days and asserting that Kalam was duty bound to give assent to the bill when it came to him a second time, is a blatant and disgraceful attempt by an opportunist to please the Congress and improve his future prospects. His statement that he had advised the then President verbally and in writing to clear the bill amounts to an ill concealed effort to clear himself from the responsibility for the delay in signing of the Bill by APJ Abdul Kalam. That the President said he was going by his conscience is obviously not enough for the sycophant babu to refrain from criticising the best President India has had after independence. It is the collective responsibility of corrupt politicians and sycophant bureaucrats, like Mr PM Nair, that India is stuck with undeserving people occupying the highest post in the country.

Mounting Rape Incidents: Is Mob Fury the Answer?

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Delhi_woman_gangraped_in_moving_car/articleshow/2958077.cms

This is one more in a long chain of disgraceful and preventable incidents. Unfortunately, barring updating of rape statistics in the capital no effective action will be taken by those responsible for maintaining law and order in the Capital. Even the culprits who committed the bestial crime will be out on bail before long, if they are caught at all. The judiciary will make nonsense of the trial by dragging it on till the witnesses are bought, murdered or simply harassed by having to drag their tired feet to the courts every so often and turn hostile, unless the media keeps the tragic memory alive. Then there is always the possibility af a 'Ram Jethmalani' helping to keep the culprits / rapists out of jail. The number of sexual assaults in New Delhi has increased 22 percent over last year, yet there is no visible effort on part of the political establishment to check the menace. It is as if they are either not interested or will be shaken out of slumber only after they themselves are affected, as happened when the Parliament was attacked. Why blame mobs taking the law into their hands to punish the guilty?

Priyanka's Benign Gesture to a Repentant Nalini Sriharan

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/I_met_my_fathers_assassin_Priyanka/articleshow/2952959.cms

Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by Thenmuli Rajaratnam alias Dhanu, a suicide bomber of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at Siriperumbudur near Chennai in a conspiracy hatched by Velupillai Prabhakaran and his intelligence Chief Pottu Amman on 21 May 1991. Anton Balasingham, LTTE's chief ideologue, was to later declare to NDTV that the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi was a monumental historical tragedy which the LTTE regrets. He tried to justify the senseless and brutal act by saying that “We were not very happy with the political solution proposed by India in 1987 because it did not satisfy the political aspirations of our people”. That, in LTTE’s view, was reason enough to extinguish a bright Indian leader along with 17 other innocent lives. The horrific mentality of the LTTE was revealed in the fact that it had entrusted the task of filming the physical liquidation of Rajiv Gandhi to Haribabu, a local photographer who also perished in the blast at Siriperumbudur. Anton Balasingham even had the temerity to call upon the Government of India and the people of India to be magnanimous and put the past behind and to approach the Sri Lankan ethnic question in a different perspective. He did not specify what that perspective might be.

During the investigation into Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination, 25 LTTE cadres, including Sivarasan, the one eyed jack, Subha and others committed suicide in order to block the progress of investigation. While LTTE has a proven record of mindless violence, murder and thirst for blood, and may have forgotten its own cadres who committed suicide to conceal its sordid role in Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination, the terrorist organisation expected India to forget and forgive the event and promote its cause in Sri Lanka.

S Nalini Sriharan, then 33, was arrested on 14 June 1991 along with her husband Sriharan alias Murugan, a hardcore LTTE militant. A local girl, and the only living member of the five-member assassination squad at the blast site, she faced maximum number of charges including providing cover to belt-bomb assassin Dhanu and her standby Subha, accompanying the duo to a textile shop to purchase the churidar which Dhanu wore to conceal the bomb. She was convicted in 1997 and sentenced to death. An appeal against the sentence was turned down by the Supreme Court. While in custody she gave birth to a female child who now lives in London. It was a compassionate Sonia Gandhi who appealed to the President for clemency and got the sentence reduced to a life term.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi’s daughter, visited the assassin Nalini Sriharan to come to terms with a tragedy which affected the family deeply. It was her way of coming to peace with the violence and loss that she had experienced. Though there might be different perceptions on the issue since the person involved was one of the brightest stars on the Indian political scene of that time and the nation may not be as forgiving, it was a daughter’s poignant attempt to see life on a much larger canvass and comprehend the motivations that drove Nalini Sriharan to participate in the macabre plot to eliminate her father. By all accounts, the grand gesture has helped both, the daughter as well as the assassin. Priyanka has forgiven Nalini for her father’s murder and the latter has felt cleansed of all her sins.

Priyanka’s visit to Nalini Sriharan must only be seen in that light and no other meaning attached to it. Rajiv Gandhi’s brutal assassination was a colossal national loss; it was a much greater tragedy that befell his daughter too. Rajiv Gandhi's daughter should have the right to come to terms with her personal loss and her method for it must be respected.

UK Seeks These Pakistani Islamic Clerics' Help

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/UK_monitoring_30_terror_plots/articleshow/2949643.cms

With terror networks and active terror plots galore in Britain, the Interior Ministry has accurately assessed the threat to UK. Its proposed proactive scheme to deal with the menace effectively and strengthen legal tools for law and order machinery is overdue already. Home secretary Jacqui Smith could not have been more correct when she pointed out the futility of waiting for another 7/7 before rushing to initiate appropriate measures to deal with elements opposed to peace and harmony in the country.

However, all the good intentions of the Interior Ministry will be negated if they bring in ‘moderate Islamic clerics’ from Pakistan to assist British imams in combating extremism in their communities. The UK might as well import good terrorists to reform the bad ones. There are no ‘moderate clerics’ in Pakistan. The Home Secretary would do well to pull out a BBC documentary from its archives titled ‘The Islamic Blowback’ dealing with the role of Pakistan in growth of Islamic extremism in Asia before heading to Pakistan to look for ‘moderate Muslim clerics’.

MP Abdul Wahab Stoops Further: Wont Apologise for Misconduct

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/I_wont_apologise_MP_to_pilots/articleshow/2949058.cms

The Indian Muslim League MP Abdul Wahab is right in saying that there was no question of any apology from him and that he had done nothing wrong. Why should he apologize when his party is ready to stand by his uncouth conduct and fight the battle for him? Besides, the other politicians too have been true to form and supported his boorish high handedness in the aircraft. The Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) has no call to expect any graceful or decent behavior from an elected politician. This is not the first time an elected representative of the people has placed his king sized ego before civilised behavior. MP Abdul Wahab fully justifies the kind of conduct people expect from an elected politician.

Congress: Dont Panic Over Price Rise, Party creates Other Worries

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/No_need_to_panic_over_price_Cong/articleshow/2948036.cms#write

The Congress is right! There is no need to worry on the price rise issue when the very livelihood is being put at stake by the Party pitching for reservation in private institutes. So the picture would only be complete with prices going through the roof and admissions of children, even after they slog and do well at school, being jeopardised by Congress busy collecting votes to ensure its hold on power at the centre. The Congress will stop at nothing to capture votes, even if it means ruining the lives of meritorious students! Doing well in studies is the one aspect that parents emphasize upon their children in order to ensure their bright future. Even that is not acceptable to the power hungry Congress scum like Arjun Singh and some of their equally retarded UPA partners.

Reservation: Congress Gone Berserk

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cong_pitches_for_OBC_quota_in_pvt_institutes/articleshow/2947997.cms#write

The politicians have gone berserk on the quota issue. With Congress having lost all sense of correctitude with its emphasis on caste promotion instead of merit in education, the people must teach these supporters of caste system in India the lesson of their lives in the next elections. But then, this was the expected course after the retrograde Supreme Court ruling on the issue. The next elections must throw these divisive politicians out who are bent upon promoting mediocrity in place of excellence. VP Singh, the biggest proponent of Mandalisation, going out of the country to get quality treatment for his ailment has not taught any lesson to our selfish vote seekers. What a disgrace!

Reservation Road to Personal Ambition: Politicians in a Hurry

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/OBC_quota_HRD_ministry_keen_on_swift_rollout/articleshow/2942767.cms

As expected, the Supreme Court verdict has spurred Arjun Singh to speed up work on the Bill designed to extend the quota to unaided and private institutions. The legislation was put on hold after SC had stayed reservation in the central institutions. Not that it will help him achieve his lifelong ambition of becoming the Prime Minister, with Laloo Prasad Yadav and Mayawati chasing the same dream. The damage to the country and the education system are least of his concerns right now, time being at premium for the ‘Minister in a hurry’.

The Supreme Court’s insistence on keeping the creamy layer out has not helped Lalu Prasad Yadav, RamVilas Paswan, A Ramadoss or Mayawati, as they would have liked to see a more complete destruction of higher education in the country. No half measures for these perfectionists! Not satisfied by ruining the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) by constant interference, Anbumani Ramadoss has gone beyond expressing his dismay at the Supreme Court excluding the creamy layer and has promised to keep the issue alive in Parliament until the damage is irreparable. With active support from Laloo Prasad Yadav, he is bound to achieve spectacular results, to the detriment of the nation; all in the name of a sham being passed of as ‘social justice’.

In blind pursuit of their personal ambitions, these politicians have failed to foresee the divided and caste ridden country they will pass on to the next generation. The damaging potential of Mandalisation of the country has completely escaped the imagination of politicians who refuse to see beyond their own selfish and immediate personal political ambitions.

27 % OBC Reservation: Politics Win Over Social Justice

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Supreme_Court_approves_27_OBC_quota/articleshow/2940232.cms

The main reason for India emerging out of economic wilderness is its large educated genext. Imagine the heights we can achieve if the next generation is equipped with quality education based on merit and free from interfering vote seekers like Arjun Singh, Anbumani Ramadoss, Laloo Prasad Yadav and D Raja who won’t think twice before taking the country to dogs with their reservation agenda. If these witless and self seeking politicians were seeking a 27 per cent quota for the deserving out a sense of social responsibility, the folly would have been forgivable. Unfortunately, the Congress and its communist allies have willingly joined the race for vote politics with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) to win the reservation race. That in the bargain the country faces a retrograde future, is of no consequence to them as long as their position in power is ensured. The plight of meritorious candidates deserving admission in these institutes is understandable. But their numbers are small and cannot hold any quid pro quo for the politicians, hence must suffer the unjust treatment silently, now that even the Supreme Court has dashed all their hopes.

The Supreme Court upholding 27 per cent reservations for the OBCs in central educational institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) is bound to encourage calculating politicians to rely on vote-bank politics to make their way to power rather than quality performance. The only saving grace in the Supreme Court ruling is the exclusion of the creamy layer and children of MPs and MLAs from the 27 % quota. But the country can trust the politician-babu combine to find ways to circumnavigate the Supreme Court rider.

Although the issue has been settled once and for all by the Supreme Court ruling, there is still a way to show dissent for the reservation policy. The people must identify the politicians and political parties favoring the policy and ensure their defeat in the next elections. Arjun Singh, Anbumani Ramadoss, RK Dhawan, Laloo Prasad Yadav, D Raja, Mayawati are some of those who advocate reservation to make a career; Congress, RJD, BSP and the Left parties would bid for reservation again, not out of any sense of social justice, but to win elections and gain power.

Apparantly, Rajeeve Goswami and others who lost their lives in 1989-1990 fighting against reservation were mere sacrificial lambs for the political predators and unconcerned political parties.

Arrogant MP Deplaned for Harrasing Passengers

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Offloaded_MP_wants_Pilot_punished/articleshow/2935208.cms

This is another example of high handed behavior by an elected politician where he does not find anything wrong in making fellow passengers wait for him and delaying a flight to make a grand entry before the aircraft can get on its way. Instead of being apologetic, the Rajya Sabha MP and Dubai-based businessman PV Abdul Wahab has threatened to move a privilege motion in Parliament against Flight Captain Rajat Rana who forced him to disembark from the plane in Kozhikode. The Indian Union Muslim League MP did not stop at issuing threats, but also called the Captain of the flight a glorified driver. Such arrogant and uncouth behavior of our politicians is nothing unusual and must be put down firmly in Parliament where the MP intends to raise the issue.

Flight Captain Rajat Rana deserves credit for taking a stand in the interest of other passengers and showing the MP his place, off the plane. It is heartening to note that the ICPA has extended full support to the pilot and not cowed down before his uncalled for threat. Kozhikode airport manager Srinivasan Rajachandrasekhar should draw a lesson from the Flight Captain and the investigation of the incident that he has promised should only focus on the conduct of the MP. Being rich and member of the Rajya Sabha does not automatically entitle the MP to enter the cockpit of the aircraft. He deserves to be taken to task for abusing his position and harassing other passengers on board the plane.

Ingrate Behenji Attacks Rahul Gandhi

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2933362.cms

Hope the Congress has learnt a lesson in who to support next time. A corrupt Mayawati is known to stoop to unimaginable levels for political gains. It is the same ungrateful Mayawati whose prosecution was averted by Congress through a pliant Governor of Uttar Pradesh. Wrong thing to do in the first place! The Congress has no one else to blame for the Mayawati attack on Rahul Gandhi. Its own sins have returned to haunt it in uglier forms than the act of preventing a corrupt politician from being put behind bars.

Income Tax raids at the residences of Mayawati's sister Munni Devi, her brothers Subhash and Anand and brother-in-law Narendra Pal Gautam, have failed to deter Mayawati in any way from openly demanding more money from her Party MLAs. Mayawati is so confident about the loyalty of her 'vote bank' that in public meetings she has accepted that she takes money from Thakur-Brahmin candidates to run her party. For the first time, she audaciously gave tickets to 89 Brahmins. It is indeed unprecedented in the caste-ridden society where social prejudices and identities are at the very core of political action-reactions. She doesn't care for niceties and sophistication and is openly contemptuous of middle class sensitivities over issues like corruption. Accused of converting the mission initiated by the Late Kanshi Ram into a Machinery to print currency, she is under investigation for her past misdeeds of corruption, continues to accumulate unaccountable wealth and, ofcourse, power.

On 20 May 2007, Behenji issued a Government notification under which out of 22 offences covered under the Prevention of Atrocities on AC/ST Act, on which legal action is required to be taken under this Act, only two offences,viz. murder and rape have been retained and the rest of the twenty offences have been excluded. The rest of the offences like derogatory remarks against Dalits,forcible occupation of their lands, bonded labour, false evidence against Dalits, eve teasing, will be tried under the ordinary law of the land. Paradoxically, in 1999, Mayawati had alleged that BJP Government supported atrocities on Dalits. So much for her claim of being the champion of the down trodden!

Even as she accuses Rahul Gandhi of purifying himself after meeting ‘Dalits’, she cannot avoid acknowledging the contribution made by Nehru family that opened up chances for those like her. Her big drawback is that she has formed the government twice in the past with the help of Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). Both times she stabbed Bhartiya Janata Party in the back. Her credibility on issues like secularism, corruption, democratic norms and the constitutional rights of backward classes is less than inspiring.

With her track record, it is amazing that the Congress put itself, and its reputation, on line to prevent Mayawati’s prosecution for corruption. Guess its payback time, Mayawati style!

Pakistan: Visa Free Travel Trap

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Pak_may_drop_visas_for_Indians_Sharif/articleshow/2926699.cms#write

Pakistan considering visa free regime for Indians travelling to that country is a generous offer, particularly since there is no reciprocal expectation. However, India would do well to take it with a pinch of salt given the history of Pakistanis coming to India and going underground as well as the fact that Pakistan still maintains terror infrastructure hostile to India, on its soil.

BJP Investing in Indisciplined Politicians for Power

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/BJP_takes_back_Khurana_before_polls/articleshow/2925758.cms

The over ambitious Madan Lal Khurana who was twice thrown out of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has been reinducted into the party with some misplaced notion of the event doing the political party any good in the elections due early next year. On his part, Madan Lal Khurana has smartly refused to comment on his reinduction into BJP until the party clearly defines the future it has chartered for him. The erstwhile Chief Minister of Delhi was expelled from the party for indiscipline, publicly criticising BJP President Lal Krishna Advani in April 2006 over the Kandahar hijack episode and expressing inability and discomfort at serving with him. Khurana had often spoken against the party leadership and joined Uma Bharati’s party, Bharatiya Jan Shakhti. Wonder what has changed since the time he was thrown out of BJP? Has his discipline improved or has the BJP decided to overlook his anti party activities of the past? Maybe a few years in total political oblivion have taught him to be more tolerant towards Advani, if he is to get anywhere near his ambition to regain lost political relevance.

Of late the 'Dilli Ka Sher' (May God forgive whoever coined that title for him) created news for himself by espousing the cause of traders who had been operating their business outside of law and facing sealing of their shops operating from residential areas. That is the best he could do to earn some publicity for himself. The cranky politician does not mind traders breaking the law and reducing the Capital to slums, if that reserves a place for him in active politics.

The BJP hopes to return to power with the likes of Madan Lal Khurana next year. All the best to the party; they will need it with such people forming their ranks!

Rape in Lawless Capital: Corrupt Politicians, Inept Law Enforcers

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2924588.cms

What a pity such incidents recur at frequent intervals and there is no end in sight as the agencies responsible for maintaining law and order in the country continue to display a disgraceful performance. The law makers too are busy filling their pockets with total indifference towards the people who elected them. The saddest part of the sordid event is yet to come; the culprits will be granted bail in a couple of days. It is as if the law exists for the criminals and not for the ordinary law abiding citizens. The corrupt politicians who should be formulating stricter laws to check the growing menace of crime in the country, are incapable of thinking beyond their own political survival; hence the frequent walkouts from Parliament / State Assemblies during business hours. The courts too would pitch in by delaying the trial, to the advantage of the criminals. Is it any wonder the people take law into their own hands to punish the guilty?

Muslim Xinjiang: China's Wild West

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Now_a_rebellion_in_Chinas_west/articleshow/2921322.cms#write

This is not the first instance of Muslim trouble in Xinjiang Province in North West China. The Province borders Pakistan and has active sympathisers and assistance from across the border in fomenting secessionist ambitions. With 26,700 mosques in the Province, the Uighur Muslim have historically been the predominant ethnic group in Xinjiang, which is officially known as the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, also known as the 'wild west of China'. The Uighurs have often accused China of conducting a campaign of repression against its Sunni Muslim minority. China's war on terror is concentrated on Xinjiang. Pakistan Army is known to have trained the Uighurs along with other jihadi groups in a camp near Mirpur in Pakistan occupied Kashmir. A radical Islamic independence group, the East Turkistan Islamic Movement is active in the area and has active support from Pakistan’s ISI created terror outfits like Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jamaat-e-Tablighi and Jamaat-e-Islami.

The Muslim protest in Xinjiang is indicative of China’s problems with ethnic and religious minority groups in the country’s vast western regions, where there is a long history of unhappiness with Chinese rule. Beijing has sought to pacify them with economic development programs and suppress dissent with heavy police presence. According to Chinese official version, the Uighurs are using the Beijing Olympic Games as an opportunity to attract international attention to their causes.

The province borders eight separate countries. Foreign fighters, including members of the Taleban, have been captured here. There is a sudden influx of Arabic grammar books in the region so that the people can read the Koran better. The resident Uighurs discreetly disclose to outsiders that they are not afraid of the communist Chinese, that they are only afraid of Allah.

Officially, the Chinese loudly proclaim that they hope to keep all their heritage and customs alive, like ethnic cuisine and dress. But one part of their heritage is actively discouraged in school: Islam. It is clear authorities seek to contain religion within tight parameters. Sermons that advocate behavior that contradicts Chinese law or Communist policy are banned. Government-approved Muslim clerics, or Imams, are not allowed to criticize the Chinese government's family planning policies, for example, if they want to keep themselves and their followers out of trouble. The Uighurs are encouraged to join the Communist Party, a prerequisite for career advancement, and are required to disavow religion and declare themselves atheists.

Northern Xinjiang is rich and fertile, and it has known oil deposits. In 1940, Uranium deposits were located in Bortala, Daladi, Kashgar and Altay Shan in Xinjiang. The region’s importance for China can also be gauged from the fact all of China’s nuclear weapons were tested in Xinjiang. China has flooded the province with Han Chinese. In 1950 Uighurs were 94% of the population - they are now less than half. The indigenous Muslims resent large scale influx of Han Chinese in the area and accuse China of deliberately disturbing the region’s demographic balance.

Democratic Pakistan: Steadfast with Terror

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Pakistan/Pakistan_continues_to_train_terror_outfits_India_/articleshow/2911337.cms http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Kashmiris_must_be_involved_in_resolving_dispute_Pak/articleshow/2920702.cms Sticking to the old and oft repeated position on Kashmir, Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Sadiq told a weekly news briefing on 2nd Apr that "Pakistan's position is very clear that Kashmiris are a party to the dispute and must be involved in its resolution". Earlier, similar opinion was expressed by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani and members of his Cabinet.

When questioned on Indian National Security Advisor M K Narayanan's comments that Pakistan is still maintaining terror infrastructure inimical to India, Sadiq repeated the familiar lie, "We strictly follow the policy of non-interference in neighboring states” – A statement that amounts to a blatant denial by Pakistan of its involvement in creating the Taleban for interference in Afghanistan and supporting Lashkar-e Toiba, Al Badr and Jaish-e-Mohammed for terrorist strikes in India. It is clear that restoration of democracy in Pakistan has had little impact on its policy of using terror as a state instrument against India. The West is still to catch up with the fact that it is this very terror infrastructure that indoctrinates the terrorists with jihadi philosophy for strikes in Europe, trains them and exports them to Europe. Most terrorists apprehended in Europe have revealed during interrogation that they had been to Pakistan prior to participating in their nefarious activities on European soil.

Pakistan’s post elections approach to terrorism is set to follow the same old double standards it has always had. Conditional cooperation with the West to extract maximum economic benefits and continued maintenance of the ISI reared terror groups to inflict ‘death by a thousand cuts’ on India. Fortunately for India, the policy is fraught with grave consequences for Pakistan itself, some of which have already begun to extract a price from the terror host nation in terms of a raging insurgency in Balochistan and loss of state control in North West Frontier Province (NWFP). The West is aware of the existence of terror infrastructure in Pakistan but has mistakenly convinced itself that it is not directed towards the West. The impact of such myopic approach to terrorism is already visible in Europe. The cold blooded murder of Theo Van Gogh in his own home country, Holland, and the unruly Islamic demonstrations in Brussels, London and other European cities is only the foretaste of more gruesome developments to come. Construction of the world’s largest mosque in London, right next to the proposed site of a 2012 Olympic stadium, should not come as a surprise to anyone.

While the West has hypnotized itself with the idea of ‘political correctness’, Pakistan and other like minded Muslim countries have displayed no such qualms. Some of these countries, in fact, pretend to be on best of terms with the US and the West. India would do well to keep its guard and not expect much help from the West. Infact, the situation seems to be veering towards the West needing help in tackling Islamic fundamentalism.

Nandigram Loss of Life: Just a Political Setback for CPM

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/CPM_admits_its_plagued_by_desertion/articleshow/2915560.cms

Is it any wonder that the CPM is plagued by increasing dropouts, and problems in getting whole-timers? It is a clear sign of good sense finally prevailing in the country. It also indicates that most people dislike the negativity associated with the communists and the present lot of their leaders. In a country where the public sector has traditionally under performed, the communists are advocating the very system be strengthened.

That the party seeks to enforce stricter guidelines for whole-timers and a more stringent method of giving out memberships, is laughable, to say the least. Referring to the communists’ abominable conduct in Nandigram, CPM has admitted that the quality of members has come down lately. But the communists have failed to admit that the performance of the party cadres reflects the personality of the party’s leadership. That CPM considers the shameful murder of innocent people in Nandigram by its rabid cadres a "weapon in anti-CPM propaganda" also reflects the pedestrian mentality of the CPM leadership. Loss of innocent lives in Nandigram means little to Prakash Karat than a political setback to his party’s inflated ambitions.

The CPM attributes growing factionalism in the party to inability of cadres and senior leadership to settle grievances within established party forums. The communists have also expressed their distaste for cadres carrying their intra-party squabbling to the media. The communists are shy of the media is well known, particularly when the reports contain some negative content. The Chinese controlling foreign press in Tibet is a live example. They would prefer the muck to remain below the proverbial carpet.

When other states are leaving no stone unturned to invite investors to come and contribute in their economy and development, the communists have perversely advocated that private investors should not be loaded with too many concessions. Only complete morons will be attracted by the latest communist philosophy on investment in communists ruled states.

The communists, in their analysis of the dropout rate, have missed a major point. The dropout rate is much higher in states like Kerela and Tamil Nadu because these states have a higher literacy rate. There is another point that starkly comes across – communism thrives in states where education has still not reached desired levels.

Hats off to an Upright Mustaqin

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mumbai_man_gets_rapist_son_10-yr_jail_/articleshow/2915039.cms#write

Mustaqin has proved beyond any doubt that he is an honest and upright Indian citizen by helping the law punish his own son for a heinous crime. But the incident once again highlights a pressing need for review of lax laws in the country that permit bail to a rapist. Suppose Mustaqin had not helped the police to apprehend the fugitive criminal, some other children would have fallen victim to the rapist. The aim of laws must not only be to punish the guilty, but also to act as deterrent against commitment of crime.

Congress Discovers Mayawati is Corrupt

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cong_slams_BSP_hints_at_alliance_with_SP/articleshow/2911988.cms

The Congress is pretending to have only recently realised that Mayawati is corrupt, depending entirely on short public memory ofcourse. It was the same Congress leadership which conspired with a pliant governor of UP to prevent prosecution of Mayawati on corruption charges. But the Party was then keen to get rid of APJ Abdul Kalam and needed the support of Mayawati for that. Involvement of Mayawati in the Taj Corridor scam, her hob nobbing with criminals and ordering frequent transfers of police and IAS officers is old news. The Congress pretending this is a recent discovery would amount to deceiving their own selves.