Callous negligence in DU lab

With the origin of the Cobalt- 60 established and reflected clearly that how callously the so dangerous sustance was lying in the Department of Chemistry unused for the last 25 years and sold through auction without taking into consideration its implications if lapses were committed due to ignorance of its effect the scrap dealer of west Delhi in Mayapuri, it is now the responsibility of the Delhi government to take preventive measures against radiation in future. The ridiculous thing is that all this was done by none other than the organisation known for using Cobalt - 60 very carefully by the experts of the members of Chemistry department of Delhi university. Though the Vice-Chancellor Deepak Dental has taken moral responsibility of the radiation, DU must make thorough inquiry about how it took place and why it was lying unused for so long a time uncared. It must ensure that such types of incident may not recur in future. The impact of the radiation of Cobalt - 60 is so deadly that in absence of treating the desease caused by exposure to it for the lack of expertise in government hospitals make the incident horrible.The origin of radioactive Cobalt-60 found in west Delhi’s Mayapuri, which led to the death of one person, has been traced to Delhi University’s Chemistry Department where it was lying unused since the last 25 years. The Cobalt-60 was in a Gamma Irradiator, which was bought in 1968 from Canada The scrap dealers dismantled the equipment and in the process, the lead covering on it was pealed off leading to radiation exposure.The equipment was in use till 1985 and after that it was lying in a room unused. Govt has rightly decided to train doctors in treatment of radiation cases. It is good that in the wake of radiation at a scrapyard, Delhi Government has decided to chalk out a programme in consultation with National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to train its doctors for such emergencies.Health Minister has assured that the Delhi Government hospitals would be trained to treat patients affected by nuclear, biological, chemical or radioactive material.It has also decided to set up an isolated ward at a city hospital to offer treatment in such cases.Govt. must follow the guidelines and recommendations of NDMA to meet the challenges of any such incidents.If the the Delhi Health Minister is to believed, the government is highly concerned about the incident of radiation leak and will put its best effort to ensure that no such incident happen in future.The radiation, which has taken life of one man, if not checked in future and the Delhi Government and Delhi University continued to be casual and callously negligent in keeping Cobalt- 60, it may lead to catstrophe in the national capital Delhi.

Cut motion defeated, but not the issue

As was expected, the cut motion was defeated by a massive margin courtesy to the alleged deal with UP Chief Minister and BSP supremo who extended support to the UPA government on the issue. The cut motion was sponsored by the main opposition BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and the Left against the government on the issue of sky-rocketing price of essential commodities and the excessive hike in the price of petroleum products. The opposition leader Sushma Swaraj and CPI MP Gurudas Das Guptpa move the cut motion in Lok Sabha on price rise of all commodities and fertilizers, which was defeated by a massive margin. If the cut motion was passed in the Lok Sabha, the UPA government would have been to resign. But the opposition must have thought that Congress-led UPA would at no cost let its act of Giridhar Gomango repeated by the opponents who tried to do with Jharkhand CM Sibu Soren, who made the U-Turn by going with the UPA government in Lok Sabha despite the fact that he was heading JMM-BJP coalition government. The a day after the voting on cut motion, BJP withdrew support to Soren govt. in Jharkhand.It clearly reflects that the Congress party has got mastery in floor management and smoothly arranging to thwart any attempt to topple the government in the House as far as the number game is concerned. It has already acted the role of master juggler in the art of numbers in the past also. Though by defeating the cut motion the UPA has assured the nation and the world alike that the government is stable, which is a good sign in the given situation of economic revival after the worldwide economic slump, the sky-rocketing price of all commodities, especially the food items is alarming and that must be halted. The back breaking price rise is hurting all economic categories of soceity and the poor are badly hit. So the UPA government must not celebrate the victory in Lok Sabha and its top priority must be to address the issue of price rise. If it fails to act before the situation goes out of hand, it is bound to get befitting reply from the people of the country in next general elections. UPA govt. has defeated the cut motion by a massive margin as 246 MPs voted against it and 162 voted in favour with SP and RJD MPs abstaining from voting. The opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Left parties moved cut motions in the Lok Sabha against the Budget proposals to hike prices of fuels and fertilisers but the govt. comfortably passed the test of strength.

Issue of Indo-Pak bilateral talk

Though Foreign Secretary Nirupma Rao has said that
there is no bilateral meeting scheduled between Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistan counterpart
Yusuf Raza Gilani , India’s previous attitude despite
Pakistan’s repeated reluctance to address its
concerns about terrorism, that is being sponsored
from across the border, is to be taken in view there
is every possibility of bilater talks between the two
neighbours on the sidelines of Saarc meeting in
Bhutan next week. Talks between the two are good but at the same time
it must be result-oriented in a positive way. India
has sent dossiers after dossiers to Pakistan to act
against those involved in Mumbai attacks but it has
never been seriously taken up from the other side and
always defend them about the innocence of the
accused. One thing that makes the possibility of
starting bilateral talks is also the American
pressure that is being put on both India and
Pakistan. Because the US wants both the countries to
be always involved in talks to avoid any ugly
incident of terror. The matter of the fact is that the democratic regime
of Pakistan is so weak that it can not rein in Jehadi
elements who have full backing of their military
establishment and ISI. This has been the tradition
of Pakistan since its inception. Until and unless the
democracy in the country is strengthened, terror
elements would continue to act against India from the
soil of Pakistan. When Rao during her press conference herself has
expressed her view that there has been no change in
the perception of Pakistan and it failed deliberately
to act even after handing over three more dossiers
handed over to it during the Foreign Secretary
meeting of the two neighbours, why does she talks of
no scheduled bilateral meeting?The US is always trying to get entangled both the
countries in bilateral talks, no matter whether it
yields result or not so that it may not be
embarrassed to decide to go with which country if
ever any tension develops as it tries to keep both
in good humour.Every one in India knows that the talks are useful in
establishing friendly relations between the two
neighbours and common people of both the countries
are in favour of peace and development of the
country. But the Pakistani military establish, ISI
and Jehadi elements in Pakistan deliberately create
tension by carrying out terror acts in India. They
are bent on destablising India by desturbing its
secular fabric through continuing acts of terror. In
the given circumstances even if Indo- Pak bilateral
talk takes place , it can not be fruitful as the
outcome of several bilateral talks is before us. Pakistan has pledged umpteen times to rein in terror
elements operating against India from its soil but
has never kept them.But to score diplomatic points
over Pakistan, India must not be rigid for bilateral
talk if it gets the offer.

Gadkari's first big show of strength

BJP president Nitin Gadkari has shown the strength of party by successfully organising a massive rally against price rise at historic Ram Lila Maidan in Delhi. Gadkari after being appointed its president in December last the party has for the first time came out on the streets in the capacity of a responsible main opposition against the sky-rocketing price of all essential commodities in the sixth consecutive year of the UPA regime. Gadkari has given the direction to the party and it appeared that there was no opposition party to the government because it was itself involved in internal bickering just after losing power. The back-breaking price-rise of all essential commodities, especially food items, is the burning issue of the day. So far it was seen that there was no pressure of any sort of the main opposition BJP on the UPA government for its anti-people policies and it was going all-out for only economic reforms to make the rich richer and the poor poorer. Before the coming of Nitin Gadkari on national political scene as the president of BJP, the party had forgotten its role in vibrant democracy of the country. The people were crying in the pain of price- rise and there was no opposition political party to hear them. But the massive rally against price rise of all commodities at Ram Lila Maidan by the BJP has exposed the Congress-led ruling UPA that how callously careless it was for the people of the country. The sharp rise in food inflation is the total failure of the Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar whom the prime minister can not take to task because of the coalition arithmatic of the government and its mismanagement of economy. The people in the country are on the verge of hunger death due to continuing steep rise in the inflation of food items on the one hand and the government is blindly emulating the management style of the US economy for the sake economic reforms. The country where more than half of the population is below poverty line, what is economic reform meant for them? Dr. Manmohan Singh-led UPA government should first ensure that the benefits of opening -up of economy must reach to the ground level of Indian villagers, where the majority of poverty stricken people live. Otherwise, the unchecked price rise has assumed so vicious shape that the day is not far off when the common people of the country will rise in revolt against the incompetent governance andpolitical class . The BJP anti-price rise rally in Delhi is a grand success and the massive crowd of more than three lakh BJP rallyists at Ram Lila Maidan is a wake-up call for the government. The rally has clearly given out the massage to the government that now enough is enough and people are no longer in a mood to tolerate the mal functioning on the front of price- rise.

IPL is the route of betting and money laundering

The Indian Premier League’s formation by the top
ranking BCCI’s officials is aimed at only earning
money under the cover of most popular game of cricket
in the country. It has virtually turned out to be a
safe route of betting and money laundering. The
franchisees of IPL teams are earning unaccounted
money. As there is everything opaq in its dealings,
every transaction made in it is known. Black money
has been used in it because it finds easy route of
money laundering. The government has taken the right steps first by
showing the door to Union State Minister for External
Affairs Shashi Tharoor for his alleged involvement in
IPL controversy over stake-holders in newly formed
Kochi Team by IPL . Tharoor is alleged to have
exerted his influence to get stake-holding in Kochi
Team for his girl friend. So, the government first
needs to make provision in such a way as to be every
investment and investor's source of money
transparent.Government has clearly assured in Parliament that no
guilty or wrong doers will be spared and the
department concerned has already started to probe the
alleged route of IPL through which money laundering
and betting are going on unchecked. The nation has the right to know where the money
comes from and who has bought certain owner and stake
holders in the IPL team. BCCI is itself the richest
cricket organisation of the world. It is an
autonomous body so the government does not interefere
in its functioning. But as excessive money is being
earned through the game of cricket, the government
and the nation must know its details.IPL commissioner Lalit Modi has already come under
the scanner of Income Tax authorities. Income tax
authorities have asked the Board for Control of
Cricket in India (BCCI) to respond by April 23 to 10
queries, including the one on income from IPL and its
structure. Since Modi revealed the IPL Kochi stakeholders’ names
on this social networking site, it opened a can of
worms, leading to union minister Shashi Tharoor’s
exit from the goverment and Income Tax raids in IPL
office in Mumbai. The serious question that arises here why Lalit Modi
singled out Sunanda Pushaker, girl friend of the Ex-
Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi
Tharoor, to reveal her name on his social networking
site. Why did he not reveal the details of his family
members (relations) alleged to have stake in the team
Rajasthan Royal of IPL. Every thing must be clear so that murkey financial
deals in the name of the most popular game cricket
should be checked immediately. Lalit Modi is cricket
Czar in India and he can not be absolved of
responsibility of making the IPL a route of betting
and money laundering. The government needs to make
indepth probe and whoever, howsoever, powerful and
well-connected politically must be awarded deterrent
punishment to keep the IPL clean and away from
mal-practioner.

Cong takes moral high ground on Tharoor-IPL issue

Congress has taken high moral ground on the issue of Union Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor for his alleged involvement in Indian Premier League controversy by showing him the door as it did with its senior leader and Ex-Foreign Minister Natwar Singh over Iraq Oil for Food scandal to maintain probity in public life and uphold the moral values in politics, which have deteriorated alarmingly in recent days. As Parliament is in session and the opposition demanded nothing short of Tharoor’s head over his alleged involvement in week-long IPL controversy over newly formed Kochi team, the Congress party rightly impressed upon the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to seek Tharoor’s ouster to cool down opposition’s heat to run the House as several important bills are to be approved by it. The united opposition stalled the Parliament and did not allow to speak Tharoor to defend himself against their allegation that he influenced by using his office for stake-holding in Kochi IPL team for his girl friend Sunanda Pushkar. The way his friend Sunanda was given equity share of Rs. 70 crore by Redevenzous Sports in IPL Kochi team smacked of some malpractices. The Congress Party President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s stance since she joined politics has been upholding moral values and maintaining probity in public life in politics and she never ignored shoddy affair wherever it appeared in the organisation as well as government.Before the IPL controversy Tharoor had tweeted several times, causing embarrassment to the party and now it was enough to him the door.Sonia Gandhi gave only five minutes to Tharoor present his case during his meeting before the arrival of PM and after that it appeared certain that he would have to go despite his own denial to resign and brilliant academic and foreign service record. Ultimately, the entire top brass of the Congress party, including Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee was for removal of Tharoor to avoid the clash with opposition in the House, leading to its stalling during the most important period for the government. Government has assured the nation that no wrong doers will be left to go unpunished. Here on the issue of taking high moral ground in politics, the ruling Congress party has scored over the main opposition BJP as they have miserable failed to act against the mal-practicenor withing the party and in the state where they are in power. BJP also must rise to the occasion and look into Bellary brothers episode in Karnataka. The deneration has set in political class so deeply that honesty and integrity have no longer any consideration for politicians.

Evolve unanimity over Maoist issue

Though the Congress Party has promptly reprimanded its General Secretary Digvijay Singh for airing differing views in public with Home Minister P Chidambram on the issue of tackling naxal insurgency, Singh has raised vital aberration in HM’s handling of the situation. Neither Maoist insurgency is a law and order problem nor could it be dealt with agression. The problem virtually is a socio-economic and it should be dealt with that perspectives. Congress Party General Secretary has delineated his point of views how to tackle naxal insurgency very finely which totally differs with Home Minister approach of using agression to crush it. It is not good that the ruling Congress party is divided on the burning issue of the day, though the Home Minister has full backing of the party as it was clearly reflected in the rejection of his resignation in the wake of Dantewada massacre of 76 CRPF personnel by Maoist insurgents. Though Chidambram is the most sincere Home Minister in UPA government and he has been delivering since he was appointed Home Minister, he is no doubt intellectually arrogant, which is evident in launching Green-Hunt operation to clear the jungles of naxals. But he must understand that all tribal population is not maoist and force can be used against maoist insurgents only, that can be only possible through encouraging the general tribal population of the country in government’s development programmes. In the prevailing naxal insurgency, Digvijay Singh is absolutely right when he says through his newspaper article that the participation of tribals in government’s development programmes for them is a must and HM is intellectually arrogant and rigid . When the ruling party is itself divided over government policies to deal with naxal insugency, what to talk of opposition. However, the main opposition BJP has shown co-operation and suported the government on this most vital national problem. It is the urgent need of the country that the ruling coalition of UPA must show unanimity to wipe out the enemy of humanity - the maoist insurgents. And Maoist problem can only be solved by undertaking development and starting talks and not by only the absolute use of force.