UN's partisan action

This is the first time that the UN has called upon three countries by name to join NPT and CTBT without pre-conditions in a statement at the conclusion of the month-long 2010 NPT review conference. By calling up on India by name to join NPT and CTBT and bracketing with Israel and Pakistan, it has shown its short-sightedness in dealing with international issues.The NPT Review Conference is held every five years to assess the progress in reaching the goals set out in the 1970 treaty to disarm and stop the spread of nuclear weapons.India, Pakistan and Israel did not attend the meet. The last conference in 2005 had ended in failure. In fact, the UN once known for impartial action ceases to be an independent international organisation. It only does what the US wishes it to do. Because it is run totally on the financial contributions from the US. So,it has completely become a puppet in the hands of the US.It is very bewildering why the UN bracketed India with Pakistan and Israel. While the entire world accepts the fact that India is a responsible nuclear power state and the chief exponent of disarmament. India only voices concern and refuses to join Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) because they are discriminatory. Both the treaties only favour the developed western powers, which have enormous of nuclear weapons and installations. That is why it wants them to first show cutting down of nuclear weapons by action. They must lead the world in anti-nuclear weapons campaign from the front.India will never join NPT and CTBT as long as they are discriminatory. The UN has adopted a new tradition time that it singled out countries by names. By doing this, the UN has clearly shown its partisan behaviour and also reflected that it is favourably bent towards the US-led western powers. Its call to join NPT and CTBT is completely unacceptable to India. The government of India must not come under any influence to join NPT and CTBT as long as they discriminatory. In a departure from tradition of not singling out countries by name, the United Nations has asked India, Pakistan and Israel to join NPT and CTBT without further delay and pre-conditions.

Pak's intention is doubtful

The verdict of the court of law is absolutely based on the evidences provided by the party. As Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has already said that trust deficit is the biggest problem with Pakistan,it is not that only but the deliberate devilry of Pakistani military establishment and its notorious Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) that make the atmosphere amidst the two neighbours inimical. The question here is who is responsible for this trust deficit? Is it the government of Pakistan or the people? The answer is very easy and simple. The government of Pakistan is solely responsible for the trust deficit existing between the two countries if people to people contact exercise is anything to go by. The People of Pakistan are in favour of good and friendly relations with India. It is the Pak government which is instrumental in allowing the terrorists under pressure from its military to use its territory for fanning terrorism and creating mayhem in India. If the evidences about the role of Jammat-ud-Dawa boss Hafiz Saeed as mastermind of Mumbai attack supplied by India to Pakistan were handed over to Federal and Punjab government, they would have produced them before the Supreme court. As they failed to produce proper evidences before the Supreme Court of Pakistan that their appeals were dismissed outright by the court.Federal and Punjab governments had filed appeals challenging the release of JuD chief Hafiz Muhammed Saeed to take meaningful action to address India's concerns under pressure from international community to hoodwink India once more. India has already given enough evidences to Pakistan on the role and activities of Saeed in Mumbai attack and other anti-India campaign.Saeed (60), also the founder of the banned LeT, was put under house arrest in December 2008 in the wake of the Mumbai attacks after the UN Security Council declared the JuD a front for the Lashkar-e-Taiba.After he challenged his detention in the Lahore High Court, Saeed was freed on June 2 last year by a three-judge bench that said the Punjab and federal governments had failed to provide sufficient evidence to keep him in custody.Following pressure from India and the international community, the federal and Punjab governments challenged the High Court’s ruling in the apex court. New Delhi has been demanding action against him for his involvement.Pakistan has been maintaining as it has done in the past umpteen times that India has not provided any evidence that will allow authorities to act against Saeed.The Indian leadership’s disappointment over people like Saeed roaming freely in Pakistan is apt and natural.To relay on Pakistan that it would make well-intentioned effort to improve relations with India by acting against and reining in terrorists operate from its territory against India is nothing but sheer foolishness. Pakistan's effort to open chain of comminactions with India is to show the international community to show that it intends to establish good neighbourly relation. India must not rely on Pak assurances and always keeps its security full-proof in place to face any eventualities from across the border.

Reiterating friendship with Iran

Iran has been a long time and very good friend of India. With the US coming closer to us since the onset of economic reforms worldwide and Atal Behari Vajpayee- led government was installed in 1998, our foreign policy got leaned towads it even at the cost of our friend.The US is hell bent to impose sanctions against Iran for frivolous charges of amassing nuclear weapons. The Manmohan Singh-led UPA government in its first stint blindly supported US discriminatory foreign policies. But in its second stint, the External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, who is in Tehran on Iran visit, openy opposed US intention of imposing sanctions against Iran by charging falsely that it is proliferating nuclear weapons stealthily. But the ground story is altogether different. The US wants to punish Iran only because it does not support its highhandedness in other countries. Iran is a sovereign country and it has every right to do under international, law, norms and decorum what it likes. It must not be punished only because the sole superpower of the world US does not like its action. Manmohan Singh UPA Govt in its second innings has adopted its own established foreign policies that are governed only by the interest of the nations and its old friends and well wishers. India is a sovereign country and the largest democracy of the world. It does not beieve in ganging with super power against the small and weak nations. It has also always stood up for the protection of sovereignty of independent nations. The growing policy rift between India and the US on how to deal with Iran’s nuclear enrichment plans has now come out in the open, disagreeing with the American position to welcome Tehran’s decision to send its low enriched uranium stock to Turkey. External Affairs Minister S M Krishna has rightly described Iran’s agreement to send enriched uranium to Turkey as a constructive move. US’s plans to rope in other members of the UN Security Council to impose sanctions on Iran despite the swap deal under which Iran will send 2,640 pounds of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey within one month and, in turn, receive fuel rods for a medical research reactor. US along with several European nations have taken a dim view of the swap deal facilitated by Brazil and Turkey, suspecting that it was just a manoeuvre to derail the push for Security Council sanctions against Iran. The swap deal is similar to the offer US and other countries had put on the table in October. As far as India is concerned, it has taken the right and appropriate stand by opposing US's move to find out excuse for imposing sanctions against Iran. India must asserts before the US for its tendencing of establishing its hegemony on the entire world by adopting whatever means suits its interests.

Haphazard and negligent style of Delhi Government's functioning

The Sheila Dikshit Government of Delhi has faced severe embarrassment over haphazard and negligent its functioning on the sentisive and most important issue of clearing file, regarding the clearance of the death sentence to the convict of Parliament attack for waging war against the nation and murder. The Delhi govt. officials concerned of the Home ministry had been sitting on the file for the last four years. Afzal Guru was awarded sentence to death by a Delhi Court, which was upheld by the Delhi High Court in 2006 itself. The court had even fixed the date of hanging convict Afzal Guru. And it was following the mercy appeal filed by Afzal Guru before the President that the file was sent to the Home department of the state by Union Homeministry to get clearance to complete the official procedure as per established procedure in the case of mercy appeal. The issue of pending of files about Afzal Guru’s death sentence with the Delhi Government came to light in the wake of the recent verdict of Death sentence to Ajmal Kasab for 26/11 Mumbai attack. If this verdict was had not come, God knows how long the Guru’s file would have been in dust in the Home Department of Delhi Government. This delay throws very poor light on the functioning of the Sheila Dikshit Government. It also reflects Sheila govt's vested political interest delaying the file. Chief Minister Sheila Dikshi must explain why her government was sitting for so long a time on the file, dealing with the enemy of the nation. The Parliament attack was the attack on India’s sovereignty. And when the court of law had awarded the convict Afzal Guru death sentence, why her government was prologing it deliberately to complete the official procedures? The issue in question is related to the emotion and sentiment of the nation. Her government should have dealt with the file promptly, which was sent by the Home ministry to complete the official procedures prior to the decision of the President about the mercy appeal filed by the convict in Parliament attack case How disturbed the CM Dikshit is can be guaged from her statement when she told the reporters in Hindi,“File age chali gayi hei. (The file has been moved for further action)". According to the top government sources, the Delhi Home Department has sent the file to the office of Lt Governor Tejinder Khanna, who will examine it and send it back.After it is returned by the LG office, the state Home Department will forward the file to the Union Home Ministry. The sheer negligence of the Delhi govt's. functioning comes to light when the clearance of the file came after it received the 16th reminder from Union Home Ministry recently seeking its opinion on the mercy petition. Whatever caused the delay in clearing the file, CM Sheila Dikshit will have to be accountable for all the mal-functioning of her government.

Onus of stampede on Railway Ministry

The stampede at New Delhi Railway Station yesterday, that killed a lady and a minor boy and injured several other passengers , has been totally caused by the sheer negligence, mismanagement and miscalculation of the increasing rush of passengers during the period of summer vacation in schools and marriage season in North India by the Railway officials and the Minister Mamata Bannerjee .The tragic incident of stampede clearly reflects how railways official are callous and negligent to learn from the past. This is not the first time that the stampede has occurred at New Delhi Railway Station. Before this, stampede had taken place in 2004 at the same railway station and during the boarding of the same Bihar bound train, that kiiled 8 innocent persons and injured several. After that, the Rail management made some rules and regulations to regulate the passengers to avoid any untoward happening. But after some time all of them were thrown to the winds by the officials concerned of the rail ministry. How insensitive is the Railway minister Mamata Bannerjee to the safety of passengers reflects in her statement in connection with stapede that it took place due to the unruly passengers. Can she tell the nation that railways have no responsibility for the safety of passengers? Or Can the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh tell the nation that due to the coaltition character of his government, he can not control his minister? Can Raliway Minister Mamata Bannerjee being head of the largest national organisation whose reach is to the every nook and corner of the country confine herself to the politics of her home state to remove the Left-Front long time government of West Bengal and introduce new trains there only for her party’s political interest in the coming state assembly elections. She must understand that she runs the largest organisation of the nation and that is why she is responsible to the people of the entire nation. Prime Minister must ask her bluntly either she runs the railway ministry from the rail Bhavan or vacate the seat in Union Cabinet. She reportedly keeps herself absent from Rail Bhavan and runs it from Kiolkata. She must resign from the ministry and come out of UPA to do full-time politics in her home state of West Bengal , if not, PM must dismiss her to save the life of innocent rail passengers. As History repeats itself, she must go as had happened with her in her first stint as union Minister for Railways in the NDA government.

President’s Rule seems certain in Jharkhand

The inordinate delay by the BJP and the JMM in Jharkhand to sort out the issue of new government formation has brought the state to a halt.There has been no sign of governance there since the BJP announced to withdraw its support to Shibu Soren Government in the aftermath of voting on cut motions against the UPA Government in Lok Sabha in which the party ally Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren in the capacity of Lok Sabha member violated the principle of coalition by voting in favour of the UPA government on the issue.
Instantly, the BJP’s lust for power was reflected when its coalition partner JMM offered chief ministership, requesting it to review its decision of withdrawing support to the government. It put its withdrawal decision on hold and started the exercise of choosing the right man from among the state party for the post of Chief Minister.
Again, its internal differences came to the fore when it failed to do so. It has been reported that the BJP has agreed to JMM formula but now it is too late. The tribal dominated state of Jharkhand was created out of Bihar 9 years ago but it has never seen the stable government.
In the absence of stability, the cause for which the state was created never adressed to. Jharkhand was created for speedy development but it has gone down very low as far as the issue of development is concerned. The state suffers from the perenial disease of instability. It has 7 chief ministers in its 9 years of existence. The main motive of the politicians in the state has been to exploit its mineral resources as it is very rich in minerals. Jharkhand has been made a money minting machine by the state leaders.
Therefore, the President rule for atleast two years in Jharkhand is the urgent need to bring it back on the rail of development. The Congress has rightly indicated that it may seek President’s rule there if the standstill over government formation continued there without any solution. All the activities of the government have come to a halt since the uncertainty about the formation of the new government . This must come to an end. BJP and JMM should give a government there as soon as possible. Otherwise, Congress may demand the use of Constitutional powers in the other way. To think of imposing President's Rule in the state by the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre is a right move to save the Jharkhand from administrative collapse. Now it is too long a period since the uncertainty is prevailing in the state over formation of an alternative government. BJP and JMM can not reach an agreement to form an alternative government as both the partners have excessive lust for power .Keeping their pressure on, four of the 18 JMM MLAs have already demanded continuation of party President Shibu Soren as Jharkhand Chief Minister for first 28 months before handing over the baton to the BJP. The time has come for the Centre to intervene in the interest of Jharkhand and ask Governor to submit report about the state of affairs there to carry out constitutional reponsibility without any loss of time.

Disastrous performance

The accountability must be fixed for humiliating exit of Team India from the T20 World Cup. No excuses should be entertained as the issue of national prestige and pride. No matter Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar has stood up in the defence of Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, saying that all players have given their best in T20 World Cup. Can anyone justify Dhoni's excuses that the team performed disastrously because of players' participation in post IPL partying. Team India captain Mahendra Singh has blamed IPL parties for the team’s most humiliating exit from the T20 World Cup for the second consecutive events. It become more humiliating after being the Champion of first T20 World Cup under the same captain. It means either it was by chance that Dhoni’s team performed exceedingly well in the first world event in the new format of the game of cricket or his captaincy and individual performance has gone down that no other other members play upto their potential and they started attaching more importance to Club cricket over the national prestige and interest at world event. As the cricketers earn money, fun and enjoyment from IPL matches, they are partying, ignoring deliberately the national prestige and pride. No Indian players showed any hunger for runs and taking wickets in any of the T20 World Cup matches. They defeated only the weakest Afgha team and by chance South Africa.The BCCI on the other hand is so much involved in earning money that they care least to anaylise the performance of players in Team India and selection committee too do not care much to select on the basis of player’s talent and performance in the domestic cricket. They have the tendency of selecting the players for a series or two blindly only if they performed well in the debut match. They do not bother to judge those players’ potential and talent. One thing more serious is that some of the senior players of Team India barring Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, though they themselves avoid playing T20 international matches, know that their selection is a forgone conclusion whether they perform or not. They think themselves indispensable. This is a dangerous tendency and the BCCI must remove it from among them by dropping them if they don’t performe up to their reputation. Dhoni has blamed IPL post matches parties for their humiliating exit, but if any one asks him who forced them to go partying and avoid practices for doing well in the world event what will be his answer? His excuses for disastrous performance is ridiculous. He too thinks himself that whether he is himself fit to lead Team India or not. His team won no match in Super 8 and not only that why they are facing humiliating defeat at the world event of cricket for the last 4 years. No batsman of Team India could face the bouncers on the pitches of West Indies. They batted like cats and the bowlers of opponent team were like lions before them. The BCCI would do nothing but show captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni the door to save their skin. They would take no corrective measures which are urgently needed for the Indian team. This is the most humiliating exit from the scene in the iniatial stage itself. Dhoni and his boys have brought disgrace to the nation and they must pay for them.

Divisive political game

The demand for caste-based census is a divisive political game of the so - called leaders of bacward classes and SC/STs, who are trying to exploit politically the massive exercise of census. They only want to revive the Mandal politics of 90s as they have now left with no issue to divide the Indian society. Their main motive is to polarise the people on caste lines to extract political benefits by portraying themselves as their messiah. But the fact of the matter is that the OBCs and SCs leaders like SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, RJD boss Lalu Prasad Yadav, UP CM Mayawati, LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan and others would reap the benefits provided by the government to them for their family members and relatives, while the majority of backwards and downtrodden would remain be deprived. They only beat drums for them to fullfil their vested political interests The trio of Mulayam, Lalu and Mayawati pose themselves as the massiah of BCs, MBCs, SC/STs only to get their votes. Their main aim is to achieve political power through divisive means. After the caste-based , they would demand for community-based census to divide the Indian society vertically. This is their self-centred move and they are nothing to do with the upliftment for the poor and deprived sections of society. Though the demand of caste-based census has been raised by the members across party lines and government has assured them of thinking over it very soon, it must reject it to keep the Indian socieity united and to protect country’s chief charateristic of unity in diversity and must not go with the demand of these leaders who are bent on breaking the unity and integrity of India. The census must only be India based and it will be uncharacterics of the Constitution to ask the people what your caste is. It should be done as it has been doing since the country got Independence. The demand for caste-based census is their political ploy to mislead the poor and backwards once again after Mandal turmoil that the country had experienced 20 years ago.Union Home Minister P Chidambaram has rightly said in Lok Sabha in reply to the debate on the issue that the main aim of the exercise was headcount and listed difficulties in including caste in the list.The issue of caste-based census is absurd raised casteist leaders, that is detrimental to society and the nation as well. This issue needs no consideration of the government and prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh must also avoid to delibarate on it in his Cabinet. How can it be proper of government teachers who have been deployed enumerators to ask the people what your name is. If the demand of caste-bases census is accepted by the UPA govt., these leaders would canvas about the caste in elections freely and the nation would have to again pay for it like it paid after the announcement of 27 per cent reservation for OBCs by implemetng Mandal commission.

Political class wants supremacy in every field

Though the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has assured the top functionaries of different sports organisations led by Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Suresh Kalmadi when they met him that there would be no change in tenure till Commonwealth Games, which is to be held in Delhi this year, he must not reject outright the Union Sports Minister M S Gill's guidelines to fix the term of office for 12 and years respectively.
The Minister issued the new guidelines, that seek to limit tenures of sports administrators to clear the mess in sports bodies after the embarrassment to him and the nation alike over the IPL mess. Apart from Kalmadi, the regulation seeks to end the more than a decade-old reign of VK Malhotra (archery), Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa (cycling), VK Verma (badminton), Captain Satish K Sharma (aero club), B S Adityan (volleyball) and Jagdish Tytler (judo). Except one or two, they are top ranking politicians of different political parties who have been heading sports bodies for years.
The politicians of the country has degenerated to such a level that if any act of improving the functioning in any field that clips their wings, they become intolerant. Gill's fixing of terms was described as erosion of the autonomy of the sports bodies by them.
The sports minister Gill is known for honesty and integrity so is the PM. That is why the PM must explain to the heads of sports bodies that they can not be allowed to manage their sports bodies in the way they like in the name of autonomy. After all, the government has to be accountable to the people if ever any financial bungling or anything else comes to light. So, it can not sit as mute spectactators if it has to keep the sports bodies free of corruption and malpractices.
The new regulation suggests NSF presidents, which includes long-standing Indian Olympic Association chief Suresh Kalmadi, cannot occupy the post for more than 12 years, with or without break, while secretaries and treasurers can serve eight years at a stretch and can seek a re-election only after a four-year gap.
Sports Minister M S Gill is a retired top ranking bureaucrat-turned politician and he has studies the International Olympic Council (IOC) regulation and they require their president to have a 12-year term in total, no more, and to retire at 70. Therefore, our NSF presidents can continue for 12 years even continuous. What more could he does for them?
Prime Minister Singh must take into account that his minister's motive behind circulating guidlines regarding the fixing of tenure for the officials of sports bodies is to clean the deep dirt stuck to them and nothing else. He also must take note of the fact that politicians always want to be supreme in all fields of activities under the sun.
As far as the autonomy of the sports bodies is concerned, it is totally unfair to take benefits from the government without being accountable to it. Political class of the country has left no sports bodies untouched. The question here arises why they are getting so much attracted towards them.
PM must support Gill in his initiative to clean the mess in sports bodies. And politicians also must realise that they have no business to interfere with all fields of activities whether they sports, music, entertainment, culture, banking and finance. Everything under the sun can not be in their domain. The Union Sports Minister is doing the fine job and he must be supported by the government.

Raja under scanner over 2G Spectrum

The role of Union Minister for Communications is under scanner in 2G Spectrum allocation. The way it has been allocated smack of corruption and irregularities. Though the issue of corruption has become a matter of routine affairs among political leaders these days in our country, the BJP-led NDA is demanding the that the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh must make the statement over 2G Spectrum allocation in which the Union Minister for Communications A Raja’s is under scanner.
Opposition alleges that it is one of the biggest scams in recent years. Though earlier PM had rejected the demand of the resignation of Raja, the opposition stalled the Parliament and appeared to be adamant on the clarifications of Minister’s role in the allocation by the prime minister.
Congress-led UPA government is bound by the dharma of coalition. DMK is one of its largest alliance partners and its boss and CM of Tamil Nadu M. Karunanidhi has also virtually rejected the Opposition demand for Telecom Minister A. Raja’s resignation over the 2G spectrum scam.
Raja is accused of causing a huge loss to the exchequer by selling 2G spectrum on a ‘first come first served’ basis, instead of auctioning it to the highest bidder.
The question here arises, is it coalition dharma also to ignore the issue of corruption in the government by the prime minister? Union Minister A Raja is from DMK quota in the Council of Ministers and he is the face scheduled caste in DMK in Tamil Nadu and is reportedly to be very close to TN CM M Karnanidhi. That why the PM can not act on the issue in such a way that would go against the wishes of DMK boss.And one thing is also certain that without the consent of DMK supremo, PM can not ask A Raja to resign and get his name cleared of the 2G Spectrum scam.
But as far as the issue of corruption is concerned, the PM must take his own way to remove it as the the allegation is made directly against the government and not its coalition partner.
If the mood of the opposition is any thing to go by, the rest of the days of Parliament is most likely to be rocked over 2G Spectrum allocation.It appears that this Congress-led UPA Government has forgotten the rocking of Parliament 14 years back over the Telecom scam for days during the Narsimha Rao-led Congress government, and Sukhram was the Telecommunications minister.
If ever any suspicion of corruption arises in any department, the head of the government must come forward to explain the matter and he must not be guided by his coalition partner in the government. Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh is known for his honesty and integrity. To uphold his clean image, he must make statement in Parliament over the alleged role of his minister for Communications in 2G Spectrum allocation.