PM’s defence of Sharm-el-Sheikh Joint Statement lacks conviction

Though Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh made spirited defence of the Sharm-el-Sheikh Indo-Pak Joint statement in Parliament,which created the impression that India diluted stand on Pakistan especially in regard to terrorism. There was criticism from all quaters-media, opposition as well as ruling Congress party of the Joint statement. The Manmohan Singh-led UPA government had suspended the composite dialogue process with Pakistan immediately after 9/11 Mumbai attacks, which were planned, plotted, designed on Pakistani soil and carried out by 10 Pak-based terrorists that killed 170 inocent persons. It was apparently clear after the investigation that the attacks were carried out by Pak-based dreaded terrorisdt outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba under the supervision of its founder Hafiz Saeed. After the outfit was banned, he founded its front organisation Jamai-ud-Dawa. Hafiz Saeed masterminded the 9/11 Mumbai attacks. With the launching vigorous diplomatic offensive against Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of Mumbai attacks to justice, international pressure mounted on it and Hafiz Saeed was put under house arrest. But his detention was set aside by the law court of Pakistan and he was set free because of the absence concrete evidence about his involvement. Pakistan appeared to have deliberately failed to produce evidence against him in the court. India provided clear evidence of involvement of Pakistani terrorists and asked Pakistan to bring these terrorists to justice. It clearly told Pakistan that untill the perpetrators of Mumbai attacks were broght to justice, the resumption of composite dialogue process is out of question. Then question here arises what led to the softening of India’s stand that it issued joint statement with Pakistan delinking action on terror from composite dialogue process and mentioning of Balochistan. Prime Minister Mr. Singh though has assured the Parliament that dialogue process can not resume untill the Mumbai attackers are brought to justice and the use of Pakistani territory is stopped for terror acrtivities against India.Mr. Singh said one important thing that this is first time on the part of Pakistan that it has accepted the involvement of its nationals in Mumbai tererror attack (9/11) through the dossier it handed over to India before the PM’s visit to Egypt.And it is also the first time that reference to Balochistan has been made in Indo-Pak Joint Statement. Pakistan rightly sees it a victory because it has got opportunity to raise the question of India’s alleged interference in Balochistan whenever India would raise the question of cross border terrorism sponsored by Pakistan in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Because of Balochistan blunder, the ruling Congress party does not stand with the government in its entierty on the issue of Sharm-el-Sheikh Joint Statement. Though the Congress party leadership has suported PM’s defence of joint statement in Parilament but with subdued voice. Pakistan is our neighbour and we can not change it. It is also eqipped with nuclear power. So, in the prevailing situation war is abosolutely no option. Therefore engaging Pakistan in talks if it genuinely acts against terror infrasructure on its terrirtory and bring the perpetrators of Mumbai attacks to justice is also a good idea. But as far as the question of acting against terror is concerned, Pak has shown no sincerity if the trial of the mastermind of Mumbai attacks Hafiz Saed is anything to go by. There is also contradiction in the statement of Prime Minister in Parliament when he reiterate India’s stated stand on Pakistan on one hand and asks it must act against terror before any dialogue process is set in motion on the other. But this is also a fact that without showing statesmanship by the leadership of both the countries-India and Pakistan, the amicable and friendly relations can not be established.Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilan has has lauded prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh’s speech in Parliament by praising his statesmabship. The situation demands that he must reciprocate his counterpart's statesmanship.

Strife-torn J&K need only peace and development

Defying boycott call by separatist leaders in Jammu and Kashmir in assembly elections 8 months ago, the people of the state participated in the electoral process in large numbers. Have the leaders of major political parties in the state Congreess, National Conference and People’s Democratic party ever paid any attention to why the people came out of their home to caste their vote by defying guns and what for? They are only yearning for the peace and development of the state. People of the state have great expectation from NC-Congress coalition of Omar Abdullah government. It has only eight months since Omar Abdullah been sworn in as the chief minister of J &K. Since Omar Abdullah was elected as the yougest Chief Minister of state, his government is facing violent protests over one incident or the other. At the very ordinary incident, to give bandh call in J & K by separatist leaders is very easy. The people of the state have become fed-up with strikes and bandhs. They have become the routine affairs in the state. Among the excesses by the security forces in the state in the last eight months, Shopian murder and rape case is the most infamous. The state has seen strike and Bandh over the incident for several days. Two young women were allegedly raped and murdered by security forces and the state police initially said that they died due to drowning. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also bought police version initially and mishandled the incident over which he drew flak. With the beginning of the assembly session first the theatrics by the PDP Chief in the assemby by storming into the well and uprooting the Speaker’s microphone over the Shopian incident as her way of protests were enacted,which amply shows the degeneration which has set in politics of the trouble-torn state of J & K. The show of hooliganism in the well of state assembly staged by her makes the mockery of democracy. She created bedlam in the House to attract people's attention in the state. Though this type of ruckus in the assembly has been enacted in several states of the country, this one is most deplorable where attention of the entire nation is focussed. The pandemonium of this type witnessed so far in the state assemblies is Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar. In all these assemblies the opposition has adopted the way of opposition by breaking microphone and furniture to attack the rivals. This type of behaviour by the elected represetatives only shows their lust for power and degradation among them. No political party is sancrosant whenever it get opportunity, it creates pandemonium in the assembly over trifle. The political class has stooped so low that they can go to any extent to level charges at their political opponents without the veracity of the charges. In the ongoing assembly session of Jammu and Kashmir, the senior PDP leader and former deputy chief minister Muzaffar Baig dug out the infamous 2006 sex scandal of Jammu and Kashmir and levelled charge at Chief Minister Omar Abullah’s involvement in it. He said on the floor of the house that Omar Abdull’s name figures on the CBI list of accused persons. So , the chief minister has lost moral authority to rule the state and he must resign. The house was stunned into silence and and immediately there was imotional outburst by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah showing immaturity but standing the high moral ground by deciding to resign immerdiate till he is proven innocent. He left the assembly despite fierce opposition of his move of resignation by his own party’s MLAs. But he did not yield to any pressure and went to meet Governor to resign as CM of J and K . The CBI immediately denied about involvement of Omar Abdullah anywhere in 2006 J&K Sex Scandal. Home Minister P Chidambaram has also rejected the allegation of Baig against Abdullah outright. As far as the chasrge is concerned, it is very serious and it has been levelled by none other than Muzaffar Baig who is a senior opposition leader and a brilliant lawyer. Now it is up to him to prove the charge against Omar or face the fall-out. Though our law says one is innocent untill he is proven guilty by the highest court of the law, Omar Abullah has stood the moral high ground. But the demand of the people in the state on all political leadersto play positive politics and discard the negative one and government to respect the people's mandate by coming up to their expectation.

Heavy rains expose Delhi govt

Heavy rains-the first of this season- which started in the evening of Monday and continued up to midnight exposed the condition of civic amenities in Delhi. Though this is the first time that Delhiites have seen the heavy downpours in the season, it has exposed the hollow claims of cleanliness of the city by the MCD. The MCD has become the playground of corruption if the news report, published a few days back, of a prestigeous national daily is anything to go by. It had carried a detailed story about how the forgery is practised in the MCD in the appointment of staff meant for keeping the city neat and clean. Delhi is faced with one of the worst drainage system. There is hardly any drain in the city through which the dirty water could flow smoothly. What are the army of MCD staff doing? Are they meant for only drawing monthly salary by keeping their boss satisfied through bribery. Sheila Dixit government must cast off the cover of complacency and act immediately to fulfill her promises of making Delhi a world class city. Presently, it is worse than even a state capital of the country. The roads all over the city are turned into lakes whever there is a heavy rain and whether itis pedestrians, bikers and motorists all are inundated by heavy water. The city's drains are choked and it is very difficult for the traffic to move. Life comes to a standstill and there becomes chaotic situation all over the city as was evident in the late Monday evening when the Delhiites experieced the haviest rain of this season. All drains of the city appeared choked and there was no way for water to go out through proper channel. The life in the city was thrown out of gear. The pictures about dreadful traffic jams carried by almost all newspapers in the morning must have opened the eyes of MCD and the Delhi government. They painted the sorry state of affairs about the arrangement of civic amenities in the city. Delhi being the national capital of India, the civic amenities must be upto the mark. The heavy rains which were long awaited by the Delhiites first brought extreme pleasure for them but after the closure of the office in the evening and when they started going home, they started cursing the organisation whether it is Delhi government or MCD entrusted with task of looking after civic amenities for them. Knee deep water logged every where in the city and it appeared that the Delhiites are having worse civic amenities than that of a district town of our country. By only laying bridge overhead all over the city for Metro rail can not give the city a swanky look. The Delhi government must take the serious of the situation that arises in the city whenever there is heavy rain. Otherwise it paints a very sorry picture.

Populism must not be allowed at the cost of development

Populism must not be allowed to have its way because every move must not be aimed at only how to win elections. In democracy, to win elections are the first priority of the political party but for that matter the government must decide the priority keeping in view the benefit of the people. The people of the country thought that UPA in its second consecutive innings at the Centre in power will not be remote controlled by the political ally like CPI(M) boss Prakash Karat but to the disappointment of all the UPA-2 is faced with more rigid and maverick ally like Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Bannerjee. This was reflected in the last Cabinet meeting over the issue of Land Acquisition(Amendment)and Rehabilitation Bill 2007 when Mamata Bannerjee showed her tantrums the Cabinet meeting by opposing it fiercely. Mamata Bannerjee is opposed to any role of state in land acquisition for industry. She is dead against UPA being seen as “pro land acquisition ahead of 2011 West Bengal polls.If govt. is to help acquire land, say for SEZ, firms must first buy 70 percent at market rate, if need be, government will deal with ‘holdouts’ in remaining 30 per cent. Bill stresses resettlement berfore displacement; compensation is average of land price of last three years, plus 60 per cent of that value. Social impact assessment must if acquisition leads to displacement of 200 families in tribal areas, 400 families in plains. If land not used in five years, it reverts to government. Because she sees her loss of vote bank in her home state West Bengal where on the issue of Land acquisition in Nadigram and Singur for the industrialisation of the state, she had opposed vehemently and led the opposition of land acquisition in Nandigram and Singur from the front.She buit up mass support base and on the strength of that agitations, she trounced the Left front in its own den. She drove away Tata from Singur where it was to set up Car factory to manufacture the cheapest car the Nano. It was her fierce opposition and mass mobilisation on land acquisition that Tata had to leave the state. West Bengal Assembly election is going to be held in 2011 and Mamata Bannerjee has set her eyes on it and would try her best to defeat the ruling Left Front. Congress is the alliance partner of Trinamool but it also leads the UPA government at the Centre. It has to take developmental issue on priority basis and if the move of industrialisation will be opposed in this way what we can expect from the government. The industry will be set up on the ground and not in the space. It will need land primarily and if the land could not be made available how would the indutrialists set up industry. The Trinamool Congress chief is understood to have opposed a major provision in the bill which provides for private developers acquiring 70 per cent of the land for a proposed industrial project directly from the farmers and land-owners. The remaining 30 per cent is to be acquired by the state government, the bill proposes. Banerjee is understood to have strongly demanded penal provisions to check the use of money and muscle power by private developers while acquiring land from the farmers. The Trinamool Congress is of the view that these legislations fall short of protecting poor farmers as their rehabilitation and resettlement is not fully guaranteed by the provisions. The old law regarding Land acquisition of 1884 is that land can be acquired only by the government for its purposes. The land can be acquired only for government purposes. But the Land Acqusition (Amendment) Bill 2007 allows the industrialist to acquire 70 percent land directly with the landowners and 30 remains in government’s domain to take permission. The majority of the people are of the view that the law regarding land acquisition for industrialisation must be made to benefit the citizens who are displaced for setting up industry. THe rehabilitation of the displaced people must be made before their displacement.

There should be no reference to Balochistan in Indo-Pak joint statement

The reference to Balochistan in the Joint Statment of India and Pakistan issued at Shram-el-Sheikh in Egypt on the sidelines of Non-Aligned Summit has drawn a lot of criticism from the Opposition parties as well as the ruling in India. The joint statement was issued after the meeting between Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gillani. Prime Minister Singh has said that as India has nothing to hide, mentioning of Balochistan in the joint statement makes no meaning. But this is for the first time in the history of India and Pakistan that the name of Balochistan has figured in the joint statement of the two countries. Pakistan accuses Indian intelligence agency RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) of espousing the cause of insugency in Baloch. By mentioning Baloch, Pakistan can accuse India of fomenting and sponsoring insurgency before the international community as India has been doing against Pakistan in case of Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere in India. Home Minister P Chidambram has also said that India is not involved in Balochistan and it has nothing to do with interference in the affairs of Baluchistan. It also appears credible that why India will involve in the internal matter of its neighbour. On the contrary Pakistan alleges that Balochi insurgents are trained in camps in Afghanistan with the assistance of Indian inteligence agency RAW. Pakistan has also talked to Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai in this regar and he has assured of closing the camp if the allegations were found true. It is true that Balochi insurgent leaders appeal to India for providing help to them. But India has never obliged them. As far as Pakistani media report about handing over dossier on Balochistan to Prime Minisater Dr. Manmohan Singh by his Pakistani countrerpart Gillani is baseless. Shram-el-Sheikh joint statement also delinks action on terror from composite dialogue process and 26/11 is not to be bracketed with the dialogue process but India has clearly told Pakistan that the talks between the two countries hinge on terrorism.Before resumption of the talks, Pakistan has to act against terror. Actually other than the issue of terrorism, there is no point of contention between the two countries. If from tomorrow itself Pakistan stops sponsoring terror from across the border and dismantle the terror infrastructure on its soil, the cordial and friendly relation between the two countries will be automatically established. Because the common citizens in both the countries support encouragement to encreasing people-to-people contact. Though the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has brushed aside the rift between the government and the ruling Congress party over joint statement and said that it is media creation, the common perception in the country is that India has diluted the vital issue of terror with Pakistan. There is also general perception in the country that India has gone extra-mile to make the possibility of resuming dialogue process with Pakistan. India is right here when it says that it has nothing to hide in relation to Balochistan. Because its hands are clean an if ever Pakistan accused India of fomenting insurgency in Balochistan it can inspect the matter under question by an international agency and if it was found guilty it is ready to do whatever it is asked to do but the same parameter must be adopted in the case of sponsoring of terrorism by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir.

A shameful act of woman's molestation in Patna

William Shakespeare the greatest playwright of English language has very aptly written about
woman. He said, "Frailty Thy Name is woman". The weak and the frail are synonemous for
women. The molestation of a woman in Patna in full public views makes Shakespeare's saying is
100 percent correct even in 21st century.The alleged stripping of the twenty two years old in full public view in Patna the capital of Bihar .
The woman was molested in full public view near Gandhi Maidan. The site of the incident is
hardly hundred kilometres away from police station but the police came half an hour late. Though
type of outraging the modesty of a young woman had taken place in Mumbai in full public view
also and no one from the mob did anything to either protect the woman or inform the police
immediately. The woman is reportedly belong to the Jashidih district of Jharkhand and allegedly involved in
flesh trade. According to the report one a man who is a suspected pimp blamed the woman of
snatching his mobile. She may be allegedly involved in flesh trade and there mightly be quarrel
over sharing money with the suspected pimp but whatever happened with the woman in full
public view in the busy Gandhi Maidan market is a shame for Patnaitesin particular and the
nation in general. We should hang our face over the molestation. The bestial act of molesting the
woman by a group of people in full view of the public which was played on the TV screen of
different news channels has even compelled the viewers to hang their head in shame. The cite of molestation and how the woman was pushed and pulled from all sides by the mob and
paraded almost half-naked on the rikshaw clearly portray the insensitivies of the mob. The public
watching the scene of molestation as mute spectators depicts the degeneration setting in our
society. The police too appeared inactive and their reaction to the incident is callous neglect of
their duty. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in his little more than three years in
power has tried his best to bring the state back on track which had completely derailed in the 15
years rule of Lalu-Rabri duo. He improved law and order and has taken several measures of
development of the state. Robbery, Kidnapping, rape and murder had become the industry in
Bihar during the regime of Lalu-Rabri duo. But CM Nitish Kumar has brought in some relief for
Biharis by taking initiatives for developmental projects and freeing state of kidnapping, roberry,
muder and rape by restoring rule of law . But the alleged stripping of 22 year woman in full public view is a shame for his administraction.
National Women Commission Chairperson Girija Vyas has rightly taken serious note of the
incident and asked CM Nitish Kumar to take stringent action. NSW team must also visit Patna to
make an on the spot study of the molestation of the woman and prevailed on Chief Minister Nitish
Kumar to act immediately. The NCW should not only centre its attention on high-ups in different
fields when they are found guilty in crime against women. A few months back film personality
Shiney Ahuja allegedly rape his maid and because the film personality was allegedly involved in
the incident of rape it hogged the headlines of national newsapapers and NCW chief herself
visited Mumbai and talked to the victim to know the detail and left no stone unturned in getting
Ahuja punished. NCW did the right job but it must also pursue the case in the same vigour in
which the commoner is involved and get the guilty to justice. Though Nitish Kumar has ordered for probe into the incident, it is not sufficient. The credit goes
to the media only which brought the incident into national focus because not even a signle person
from among the mob opposed the molestation of the woman. All were taking sensuous
pleasure.The culprits must be awarded deterrent punishment.CM Nitish Kumar must also create
an atmosphere that could inculcate sensitivity among the public against molestation , rape and
insult to the woman in society of the state.

VIP security or a status symbol of politicians

VIPs mostly from among the politicians demand for VIP security to flaunt his status symbol in the socieity. Politicians are the representatives of the people; then why they are afraid of their own life or see any threat to their lives from their own people. Crores of public exchequer is drained on providing security to the VIPs mostly from our political class. In U.S., U.K., only constitutional heads are provided security at government expense while in our country over 45,000 policemen guard over 13,000 VIPs .The number of VIPs is increasing day by day and so is the security demand. In democracy and wellfare state, government is to protect life and property of every citizen of the country. It is duty bound to provide security to the people if the demand has been made are they are to pay for the security. But in the case of politicians as security is provide free of cost, they are treating it as their status symbol.Like Britain and the US in our country also only constitutional heads like President, Prime minister and Chief Justice of the country should be provided security by the government and if any other dignitary besides them demand for security they will have to bear the cost of it. Taking a cue from countries like the U.S. and the U.K. where only constitutional heads such as the President, the Vice-President, the Prime Minister and the Supreme Court Chief Justice, are provided security at the government expense, the Ministry is trying to cull out more information on the practices being followed in other countries on VIP security and hopes to begin a debate on it.As bulk of the VIP protectees are politicians, the big question remains: Who will bell the cat? Home Minister P Chidambaram is himself not very eager to pass through security paraphernalia. The increasing expense on the security of VIPs has become a cause of serious concern. The government must act to cut expenditure on VIP security. The government of India must brought a bill in the Parliament regarding this and enact a law. The country where a little less than half its population is struggling to make both ends meet can not afford to spend 600 crore on the VIP security. This is nothing but the mockery of our democratic system. Once one is elected to Parliament or State Assembly, one becomes the representative of the people. The people have sent their representatives to Parliament and State Assembly because they like them. What is the need of security? It only makes distance between the people and their representative. The public representative must know that they are not Rajas and Maharaja; they are only public representatives. On the one hand our public representatives claim to be the messiah of downtrodden and want to live like Rajas and Maharajas on the other. As far as threat perception of any individual or MP and MLA is concerned, it is the duty of the government to decide who deserves security of which category. Government must ask the VIPs to pay for security. Only a few days back, Parliament was halted on the issue of frisking of our former President APJ Abul Kalam. The parliamentarians took it as rude behaviour to our former constitutional head by the American airlines at Indira Gandhi airport in Delhi because it he was frisked. American airlines officials and staff are bound to go be the rule of their airlines company. They did only their duty by frisking Kalam. They had no intention of hurting our sentiment nor modest personality like president ever took the frisking exercise at airport as hurting or demeaning. With demands for providing protection to VIPs increasing with each passing day, there is serious rethink rightly among top echelons of the Union Home Ministry to streamline and review the entire gamut of VIP security.