Perfect scene in the Colony

[PalashKL]

PERFECT SCENE in the COLONY:TERRORISM and its BYPRODUCT, the BLIND
NATIONALISM have created very interesting equations to sustain the
WASHINGTON PLANTED UPA PRIME MINISTER in Power! Anti Pakistani WARRING
pose might complicate the Ethnic problems, I have been writing since
MUMBAI ATTACKS. It may not be the CONCERN of the Ruling hegemony at
all. The SHOPPING LIST for the WESTERN WEAPON MARKET has been
Finalised in India as well as Pakistan. DEPLOYMENT for Real WAR needs
a little bit STREAMLINING after all. THE CORPORATE World, MNCs and
India INCs consisted Greedy KILLER Money Machine banks on WAR PROSPECT
to get out of RECESSION. AS LOKSABHA POLLS Ahead on sharp TURN, Every
ingredient of the RULING BRAHAMINICAL Hegemony UPA, NDA, RSS,
MARXISTS, REGIONAL Forces Have Taken Opportunistic STANCE on ANTULAY
and ATS in accordance with SUITABILITY to respective VOTE BANK.
nationalism has TRANSFORMED into Vote bank in India whereas DEMOCRACY
in Pakistan ENDANGERED with FRESH Flare UP of murderous Infighting and
MILITARY HEGEMONY remains ABSOLUTE. The LEGACY of FOREIGN RULE and
GENOCIDE Culture Remain INTACT!



I must CONGRATULATE MD. SALIM as I had been insisting that the
MARXISTS should take a STANCE regarding KARKARE issue. I am PLEASED to
see that the Marxists have taken the stance. Then, it remains a PUZZLE
for me that Neither the POLIT Buroue nor the CPIM GENERAL SECRETARY
did take a STANCE but it is MD. SALIM, incidentally a MUSLIM. Antulay
is also a MUSLIM. It is quite interesting that the HINDUTVA RSS led
BJP and SHIVSENA do oppose Antulay EPISODE which CONGRESS inserted
STRATEGICALLY as an APPEASEMENT for the Annoyed MUSLIM VOTE BANK. But
the SECULAR MARXISTS have also FIELDED a MUSLIM! In Nuclear DEBATE
CPIM used the MUSLIM FACE. Again the MARXISTS BLUNDER to project a
MUSLIM FACE in Resistance of HINDUTVA, FASCISM, War against Terrorism
and BLIND NATIONALISM! Why? After NANDIGARM Insurrection, Muslim VOTE
BANK happens not that a SURE MARXIST BASE as it had been. Is it the
REAL CAUSE to ELEVATE MD. SALIM? I personally LOVE SALIM and Respect
his commitment and intelligence. I am not questioning SALIM`s
Integrity. But thsi development shows how far goes our parliamentary
POLITICS. NO ONE is interested to recognise NATIONALITIES and ETHNIC
Identities. Rather they do EVERYTHING to Complicate the ETHNIC DIVIDES
to SUSTAIN the AGE OLD COLONY!


Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams: Chapter 131

Palash Biswas


Votebank

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Look up Votebank in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
A Votebank (also spelled vote-bank or vote bank) is a loyal bloc of
voters from a single community, who consistently back a certain
candidate or political formation in democratic elections. Such
behaviour is often the result of an expectation of real or imagined
benefits from the political formations, often at the cost of other
communities.
Votebank politics is the practice of creating and maintaining
votebanks through divisive policies. As this brand of politics
encourages voters to vote on the basis of narrow communal
considerations, often against their better judgement, it is considered
inimical to democracy.

The term was coined in India, where the practice of votebank politics
is rampant. Since then, it has gained currency in other Asian
countries with a significant English-speaking population

Origins
The term vote-bank was first used by noted Indian sociologist, M. N.
Srinivas[1] (who also coined the terms Sanskritisation and dominant
caste), in his 1955 paper entitled The Social System of a Mysore
Village[2]. He used it in the context of political influence exerted
by a patron over a client. Later, the expression was used by F. G.
Bailey, a professor of anthropology at the University of California,
San Diego, in his 1959 book Politics and Social Change[3], to refer to
the electoral influence of the caste leader. This is the usage that
has since become popular.

Thought the term originally referred to voting along caste lines, it
was soon expanded to describe votebanks based on other community
characteristics, such as religion and language.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Votebank

ASK PRABHU

India TodayStory
When will this politics of vote bank die in the country? Why can't we
get rid of the politicians who can do anything to save their chairs?

December 22, 2008

Prabhu Chawla Answers...Vote bank politics will die only if the
cheques written by such politicians finally bounce. If the banks
refuse to honour such cheques, the politicians will become bankrupt
and vanish from public life.



-Asked by Gaurav
gshar...@hotmail.com
http://indiatoday.digitaltoday.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&issueid=36&id=23315&Itemid=1&sectionid=62

Evidence sharing depends on Pak behaviour: India

New Delhi, Dec 22 (PTI) As Pakistan continues to harp on "proof" of
Lashkar-e-Taiba being involved in Mumbai attacks, India today said it
will share evidence after the probe is completed but it would depend
on how Islamabad acts on the details provided about earlier terror
acts in concrete terms.
India sees "very little credibility" in Pakistan's "fragmented system"
and wants Islamabad to show "sincerity" about cooperation in ending
terrorism emanating from its soil by handing over the terrorists
demanded by New Delhi.

Considering the denial mode of Pakistani government and existence of
multiple forces in that country, India feels that sharing of evidence
would serve no purpose and rather could be detrimental to its
interests.

Citing the case of Ajmal Amin Iman 'Kasab', the lone terrorist
arrested during the Mumbai attacks, sources here point out that
Islamabad continues to be in denial mode even though there is ample
evidence about his origin which even former Pakistan Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif has confirmed.

Evidence regarding the Mumbai attacks will be made available to
Pakistan after investigation is complete, the sources said here.

However, sharing of evidence and the kind of evidence depends on
Pakistan's behaviour with respect to the proof given about earlier
incidents, the sources said.

Talking about Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar who was released in
exchange of hostages in the 1999 hijack, the sources said Pakistan
should have no problem in handing him over as his crime is of
international nature, involving India, Nepal and Afghanistan.

There are interpol notices against him also, they pointed out while
questioning Pakistan's refusal to hand him over. PTI

Defiant Pakistan says prepared to fight war

Zeenews Bureau

Islamabad, Dec 22: Reacting to the two-day high level meet held in
India on Monday to discuss on the steps taken by Pakistan against the
Mumbai terror attack, distressed Pak Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood
Qureshi said, “Pakistan defence forces and armed forces are ready to
face any challenge as Pak has the full right to defend itself”.

“Pakistan Air Force has increased its vigilance,” he added further.

On the other hand an embattled Pakistan PM Yousuf Raza Gilani said,
“Pakistan remains united and is ready to fight anyone to defend
itself”.

By approaching a defensive stand, which Pakistan is now taking, after
pressure from the international community to crack down on terror he
said, "we will fight back any country’s attempt to encroach upon our
rights”.

“We have support from all parties and also from those who are out of
the party. All the parties have backed the Pakistan government in this
tough time,” he said.

Pakistan is trying hard to show unity among its people and forces but
still it seems this time India’s strong steps against terrorism has
shocked Pakistan from roots.
http://www.zeenews.com/nation/2008-12-22/493105news.html

India hands over Kasab’s letter to Pak High Commissioner

Zeenews Bureau

New Delhi, Dec 22: India summons Pakistan's acting High Commissioner
Afrasiab and hands over letter written by Mumbai terror attack accused
Ajmal Amir Iman 'Kasab' to Pakistan government.

In what seems to be another embarrassment to the Pakistani
authorities the lone arrested terrorist in Mumbai terror attack has
confessed that he and all other terrorists in the attack were
Pakistanis.

Earlier, Kasab had sought a meeting with the Pakistan High
Commissioner to get legal assistance in the case and to ensure that
his family gets security in his Faridkot village.

Kasab's letter was handed over by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)
which they had received from Maharashtra government.

Meanwhile, Pakistan High Commissioner has acknowledged to have
received letter from Indian authorities and has been checking its
facts and details.
http://www.zeenews.com/nation/2008-12-23/493110news.html

PERFECT SCENE in the COLONY:TERRORISM and its BYPRODUCT, the BLIND
NATIONALISM have created very interesting equations to sustain the
WASHINGTON PLANTED UPA PRIME MINISTER in Power! Anti Pakistani WARRING
pose might complicate the Ethnic problems, I have been writing since
MUMBAI ATTACKS. It may not be the CONCERN of the Ruling hegemony at
all. The SHOPPING LIST for the WESTERN WEAPON MARKET has been
Finalised in India as well as Pakistan. DEPLOYMENT for Real WAR needs
a little bit STREAMLINING after all. THE CORPORATE World, MNCs and
India INCs consisted Greedy KILLER Money Machine banks on WAR PROSPECT
to get out of RECESSION. AS LOKSABHA POLLS Ahead on sharp TURN, Every
ingredient of the RULING BRAHAMINICAL Hegemony UPA, NDA, RSS,
MARXISTS, REGIONAL Forces Have Taken Opportunistic STANCE on ANTULAY
and ATS in accordance with SUITABILITY to respective VOTE BANK.
nationalism has TRANSFORMED into Vote bank in India whereas DEMOCRACY
in Pakistan ENDANGERED with FRESH Flare UP of murderous Infighting and
MILITARY HEGEMONY remains ABSOLUTE. The LEGACY of FOREIGN RULE and
GENOCIDE Culture Remain INTACT!

NDTV reports:As the Malegaon investigation reaches its final stages
are more Army links coming to the surface? The focus is now on serving
Army personnel who worked with Lt Col Purohit, one of the main accused
in the blast case.

The global economic crisis will push up unemployment by up to 25
million by 2010, the OECD head forecast on Monday, saying there had
been a Global stimulus package.

'truly scandalous failure' of regulatory supervision.

"We're heading for a loss of between eight and 10 million jobs in the
OECD area... and 20 to 25 million in the world as a whole between now
and 2010," Angel Gurria said on France's BFM radio.

The International Labour Organisation earlier forecast that the number
of global unemployed could go up by 20 million to reach a record high
point of 210 million people by the end of 2009.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris
brings together 30 countries, including all the world's industrialised
economies. The group conducts research and publishes economic
forecasts.

Gurria also said that European countries should spend more in stimulus
plans to kickstart their economies and suggested that the European
Central Bank should lower interest rates because of falling
inflation.

A top US Intelligence official on Monday held series of meetings with
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram and senior officials during when
the progress in investigations into the Mumbai terror attacks was
reviewed.

Director of National Intelligence John Michel McConnell, who flew into
the Capital, is also believed to have met National Security Advisor M
K Narayanan and discussed issues relating to evidence gathered so far
in the probe in the 26/11 terror strikes, official sources said.

The sources said McConnell had a 30-minute long meeting with
Chidambaram during which the two sides touched upon the progress in
the probe into the terror strikes at the country's financial capital.
US Ambassador David C Mulford was also present at the meeting.


NEW DELHI: Foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday criticised the
international reaction to last month's attacks on Mumbai, saying
pressure put
on Pakistan by world leaders was inadequate.

Pranab Mukherjee said that he wanted to see more results from US-led
attempts to force Pakistan to co-operate with the probe into the
attacks, which India blames on Pakistan-based militants.

MARXIST MP MD. SALIM projected as CPIM Spokesman during
Parliamentary NUCLEAR SOAP OPERA last time has sided with AR ANTULAY
and HE insisted that the NATION has EVERY RIGHT to know the TRUTH how
KARKARE and ATS TEAM had been killed!

Amid the escalating tension with Pakistan and ongoing furore over
Union Minister A R Antulay's controversial remarks about the death of
ATS chief Hemant Karkare, constituents of the United Progressive
Alliance met at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's official residence
here for a dinner on Monday.UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and several
Union ministers including Lalu Prasad, Ram Vilas Paswan, Pranab
Mukherjee and P Chidambaram attended the dinner. This was the second
UPA dinner after the one hosted by the PM in May on the completion of
the government's four years in office.

The government is likely to affect the second round of reduction
petrol, diesel and cooking prices just before the Lok Sabha
elections
are announced in February, sources said. Earlier this month, the
government reduced petrol price by Rs 5 a litre and diesel by Rs 2 per
litre as international crude dipped from an all-time high of $147 a
barrel in July to under $45 a barrel.

"This period (till February) will be used to monitor the movements in
international prices. There is no point in cutting fuel prices just
now and then having to raise them again if oil makes a retreat," an
oil ministry official said.

The government will make a statement in Parliament on Tuesday on the
Antulay controversy which showed no signs of easing as Opposition
rocked both the Houses of Parliament demanding his removal leading to
early adjournments.

Though Antulay, who created a political storm with remarks raising
doubts over the circumstances surrounding the killing of Maharashtra
ATS chief Hemant Karkare, received the backing of Congress leader
Digvijay Singh and Muslim leaders from outside, the party and the
government have not not done so.

With an unrelenting BJP and Shiv Sena MPs baying for Antulay's ouster
indulging in slogan shouting and rushing to the well of both the
Houses, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in the Rajya
Sabha the government will make a statement on Tuesday, the last day of
the current session.

It is unclear whether Mukherjee or Home Minister P Chidambaram will
make a statement. There is speculation that the government will also
distance itself from Antulay's controversial statement like the
Congress party did earlier.

The opposition has been demanding that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
should make the government's position clear as it contended that
Antulay had compromised the country's position in the war against
terrorism and given a handle to Pakistan by his remarks.

Last week Antulay kicked up dust by demanding an inquiry into the
killing of Karkare by asking who sent him and his other officer
colleagues in the "wrong direction" of Cama hospital instead of Taj
and Trident which were "on fire".

The Minority Affairs Minister suggested a link between Karkare's death
and the fact that he was investigating the Malegaon blasts in which
Hindus have been arrested.


Meanwhile as parliament was in SESSION addressing Nationality ISSUE as
far as Pakistan is Concerned. The WARMONGER TV CHANNELS which remain
TRP HUNGRY after LIVE TELECAST MILAGE from MUMBAI Carnage created
SENSATION with BREAKING NEWS of ANOTHER TERRORIST ATTACK Foiled! it
simply happened like that in Jammu, A Harkat-ul Jehad-e-Islami
militant accused in Faizabad and Varanasi blasts and three suspected
Lashkar-e-Toiba militants have been arrested, officials said on
Monday.Fazial Sohail Ahmed, a self-styled HuJI commander, who was
arrested in Jammu on Sunday evening, is a suspect in Faizabad and
Varanasi blasts in Uttar Pradesh and killing of five Border Road
Organisation officials including commandant Lt Col Ajay Verma in
Kishtwar in June, police said. Sohail was arrested in a police raid
carried out on information provided by the Intelligence Bureau (IB),
they said, adding that a pistol and two grenades were recovered from
him. The HuJI operative was arrested soon after he survived an
encounter at Kapran in Kokernag area, police said. Police also
arrested three suspected militants of LeT during a raid in a hotel in
the city on Sunday night, they said.

I am AFRAID that the FDI fed MEDIA, PRINT as well as ELECTRONIC,
happen to be ENGAGED in Nationalism and WAR HYPE sidelining all other
issues ac cross the LOC! I wonder what MRS Indira Gandhi, who declared
EMERGENCY in the face of a PRO US JP Movement in 1975, would have DONE
in these Circumstance provided if SHE could Survive the PLOT within
around her!

I must CONGRATULATE MD. SALIM as I had been insisting that the
MARXISTS should take a STANCE regarding KARKARE issue. I am PLEASED to
see that the Marxists have taken the stance. Then, it remains a PUZZLE
for me that Neither the POLIT Buroue nor the CPIM GENERAL SECRETARY
did take a STANCE but it is MD. SALIM, incidentally a MUSLIM. Antulay
is also a MUSLIM. It is quite interesting that the HINDUTVA RSS led
BJP and SHIVSENA do oppose Antulay EPISODE which CONGRESS inserted
STRATEGICALLY as an APPEASEMENT for the Annoyed MUSLIM VOTE BANK. But
the SECULAR MARXISTS have also FIELDED a MUSLIM! In Nuclear DEBATE
CPIM used the MUSLIM FACE. Again the MARXISTS BLUNDER to project a
MUSLIM FACE in Resistance of HINDUTVA, FASCISM, War against Terrorism
and BLIND NATIONALISM! Why? After NANDIGARM Insurrection, Muslim VOTE
BANK happens not that a SURE MARXIST BASE as it had been. Is it the
REAL CAUSE to ELEVATE MD. SALIM? I personally LOVE SALIM and Respect
his commitment and intelligence. I am not questioning SALIM`s
Integrity. But this development shows how far goes our parliamentary
POLITICS. NO ONE is interested to recognise NATIONALITIES and ETHNIC
Identities. Rather they do EVERYTHING to Complicate the ETHNIC DIVIDES
to SUSTAIN the AGE OLD COLONY!

We all have witnessed.After Gujarat riots, the Marxist Government of
West Bengal went out of the way to give asylum and rehabilitation to a
harassed Qutbuddin Ansari, victim of Gujarat riots-- whose face
adorned the covers of leading magazines--to prove their secular
credentials! By sending away Tasleema Nazreen, who sought asylum in
Bengal unceremoniously from Kolkatta at the first signs of trouble
from fundamental Muslims has exposed the communist "secular" hypocrisy
for ever!

For instance, the Marxist HEGEMONY in West Bengal tried its SECULAR
MUSLIM Politics in nandigram but failed to apply it successfully due
to its general genocide Culture and uncontrolled GESTAPO. Thus,
despite withdrawing the Controversial Chemical Hub from nandigram CPIM
could never address the Ethnic problem there. Contrarily, EX NDA ally
and never known as a FIGHTER against either Imperialism or Fascism
Mamata Bannerjee succeeded to incarnate herself as the Goddess of
Minorities and SC as well as ST. The Marxists failed to address
properly the problems originated fro indiscriminate development and
quite unpopular SEZ drive.Neither they could address Pure nationality
questions relating Gorkhaland or Lalgargh Insurrection. Singur and
nandigram destroyed their all achievements of Land reforms and rural
development during Jyoti Basu tenure. Mamata suddenly became the FACE
of the Resistance and the CIVIL society consisting of Kolkata
Intelligentsia, hitherto staunch Leftist, sided with the Fire Brand
girlie! The Marxist base is now limited into Urban and suburban caste
Hindu White Color bases. Meanwhile, Sidicullah Chowdhuri and the
MAOISTS also snatched away the Marxist bases in West Bengal.

Salim Stance may be well defined with the Marxist Back tracks!With the
government due to make a statement in Parliament on the Antulay
controversy, the Left on Sunday backed the minister by claiming
that the circumstances of ATS chief Hemant Karkare’s death and the
terror attacks on Mumbai were two entirely different issues.

“Clubbing the two things would be wrong; Antulay has not denied the
Pakistani role in the Mumbai attacks,” CPI leader D Raja told TOI.

Striking a similar note, CPM leader Mohammed Salim pointed out that
neither the government nor the Congress party was able to answer the
questions raised by Antulay. Salim, however, agreed that with the
Mumbai terror strikes posing a major diplomatic challenge for India in
exposing Pakistan to the world, there was a need both for restraint
and speaking in one voice.

What remains a VERY INTERESTING POLL Concerned situation of Indian
Power Politics within the Ruling Brahaminical Hegemony, is the
DIFFERENCE of STANCE amongst the so called SECULAR and Progressive
forces claiming to be in Continuous RESISTANCE against Fascism as well
as Imperialism and United States of America as well!

CPI and CPI(M) on Monday differed in their approach towards Minority
Affairs Minister A R Antulay's remarks on circumstances surrounding
Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare's killing.

Terming it "unnecessary", CPI(M) politburo member Brinda Karat said
that Antulay should not have made the statements. "As a minister in
cabinet, it was unnecessary for him to make these statements... He
should not have made the statements," Karat told reporters outside the
parliament.

CPI leader D Raja, however, said "If a senior minister raises any
issue, the government cannot brush away it. The government must come
out clear on these issues."

"He (Antulay) has raised some issues. He is a senior minister and
handling a very sensitive portfolio. It is for the government to
explain...Why Congress is speaking in different voices?" Raja asked.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar, on being repeatedly asked to explain his stand
on the issue, said: "When investigation is already on into the issue,
why should any one say something on it. I do not think anybody should
speak in between."

Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan meanwhile sought to caution against
raking up the issue further.

Meanwhile, Congress Masterminded to jstify the ANTULAY dilemma in
DISSENT Democratic defeating the ENTIRE OPPOSITION in ELECTION
STRATEGY!Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh charged on Saturday
that BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate L K Advani had ‘laid the
foundation stone of terrorism’ in the country by taking out Rath
Yatras. Returning from 'Sadbhavna rally' at Azamgarh, Singh said that
‘terrorism spread in the country because of the politics of hate by
BJP and specially its Prime Ministerial candidate LK Advani's
Rathyatras.’

Mind you, thsi GS of CONGRESS party has sided with Antulay so that no
disciplinary action against Antulay initiated. congress plays well the
DOUBLE Game of Blind Nationalism of WAR CRY against pakistan as well
as Surgically Perfect APPEASEMENT of MUSLIM VOTE BANK pushing Antulay
forward! Oppositionfailed in MASTERY over VOTE POLITICS face to face
CONGRESS!

In Fact, CONGRESS has SUCEEDED in HIJACKING the BLIND NATIONALISM
issue from RSS decidedly. Just after Mumabi carnage, POLLING was on in
the Indian Capital, where the CONGRESS Veteran SHEELA DEXIT made a HAT
RIC to sustain congress rule as VOTERS had been MOBILISED by the STIFF
ANTI PAKISTAN, ANTI TERROR and ANTI MUSLIM stance of Congress. RSS had
been DUPED for lifetime. They allied with Sonia Brigade to stop
Mayawati and the INDO US Deal discussion was a GOT UP GAME in the
Parliament. Now the MONEY Machine is CAPTURED by the Congress and it
has PROVED itself a BETTER AGENT of corporate US Imperialism as well
as Hindutava and rightist Fascism as well. The Left despite the PULL
OUT from UPA could not prevent either Indo US Nuclear deal or
Strategic Realliance in US UK Israel Lead! Indian Ocean Peace zone
being a WAR Zone and the Nations around a CLUSTER of Colonies as
KILLING FIELDS, HUNTING remains the Previlege of Manmohan, PRANAB ,
Chettiar Chidambaram, ahloowalia and the World Bank Gangster! RSS as
well as THE Marxists could not stop US SUPER SLAVES. They may not STOP
either!

"Politics on terrorism is not good for the country and the BJP must
understand this", he added.

He accused Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati of playing with the
sentiments of Dalits ‘as their exploitation crossed all the limits
during the one and half year period of her government.’

"The exploitation of Dalits during the one and half year period of
Mayawati's regime has crossed all limits", Singh, in charge of party
affairs in UP, alleged.

Proceedings in both Houses of Parliament were stalled on Monday as
main Opposition BJP mounted pressure on the government to sack
Minority Affairs Minister A R Antulay while the Left parties opposed
bills for reforms in the insurance sector, including hiking of FDI. On
the other hand,Terming terror infrastructure in Pakistan as the
"greatest danger" to the entire world, India on Monday said the
efforts made by the international community to deal with the situation
are "not enough" and New Delhi will use "all measures" necessary to
tackle the problem.
Slamming Pakistan for not keeping its promise of ending cross-border
terrorism, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said India is
"not closing any options". Mukherjee said the Mumbai strikes and the
attack on Kabul Embassy show that terrorism emanating from Pakistan is
"acquiring an increasingly dangerous dimension and continues to
threaten peace and stability in this region and beyond."

On the other hand , the ITALIAN Supremo of UPA, Mrs Sonia Gandhi
projects herself as the WAR GODDESS DURGA Incarnation as her Mother in
Law, Mrs Indira Gandhi had been during Bangladesh liberation war in
1971 against Pakistan!

Thus, Sonia warns countries abetting terrorism!

Jammu Congress President Sonia Gandhi has warned neighbouring
countries against encouraging terrorism. She was addressing an
election rally in Dableer village near Jammu ahead of the final
seventh phase of the assembly elections.
Sonia said India's desire for peace should not be taken as a sign of
weakness.

"We have always tried to maintain brotherly relationship with our
neighbouring countries. The sad part is that our emotions have never
been respected. I want to make one thing very clear that our wish or
having peace and harmony should not be misunderstood as our weakness.
People who are continuously encouraging terrorism from their soil, we
want to tell them that we are competent of giving a befitting reply to
them," she said.

Sonia Gandhi''s comment comes in the backdrop of the ongoing
investigations against Pakistan-based outlawed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
militant group blamed for the recent rampage of Mumbai.

India, the United States and Britain have blamed LeT and other
affiliated groups for the Mumbai attacks, saying Pakistan must do more
to stamp out militants.

UPA Chairperson congratulated people of Jammu and Kashmir for
participating in large numbers in the ongoing assembly elections.

Gujarat Chief Minister, one time Hindutva face for next prime Minister
and the Master Mind of Gujarat Genocide and ethnic Cleansing, Narendra
Modi had alleged that the Congress has committed the heinous crime of
shielding terrorism in India for the sake of vote- bank politics. In
his speeches at the BJP rallies for the Rajasthan Assembly elections,
Modi said the Congress cannot be expected to provide security to the
common man. The Congress has no leaders, no policies and neither the
good intentions. India needs to do a total rethink on its ties with
Pakistan, he said. He also questioned the need to continue the
ceasefire with Pakistan as well as run the Samjhauta Express. Modi,
who had been on a five-day trip to Rajasthan, questioned why the
Indian Government is keeping quiet when Pakistan is sending terrorists
to the country. He said India needs to send strong signals to the
world by responding to Pakistan’s hard line attitude in equal measure.
Stepping up his rhetoric in Rajasthan, Modi said the UPA government is
keeping quiet by misleading the country with the resignation of
Shivraj Patil as the Home Minister.

But, miserably, enough Modi could not prove himself as the Saviour of
HINDUTVA as Congress managed the MUMBAI Carnage crisis in CORPORATE
Manner strategically more than Correct to hold on POWER in India
Politics!
India will have to deal with Pak problem on its own: Pranab
New Delhi:India on Monday made plain its displeasure with the US and
UK for not doing enough to get Pakistan fulfill its promise to take
action
against jihadi terrorists behind 26/11 and other terror attacks,
saying that it would be forced to disregard the call for restraint if
Islamabad was not made to behave.
The blunt warning, indicating that the country was chaffing at the
calls for restraint, in face of Pakistan's continued cussedness, was
sounded by foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee, drawing a belligerent
response from his counterpart in Islamabad. "If war is thrust on us,
then we have all the rights to defend," Shah Mahmood Qureshi had said
in an exchange that reminded of the build-up after the attack on
Parliament which almost triggered a full-scale war.
Mukherjee, who was addressing a global conference of over 122 Indian
envoys, said that India will have to "deal with this problem" on its
own, since international action against Pakistan has not been enough.
"Much more needs to be done and the actions should be pursued to their
logical conclusion... We will take all measures necessary as we deem
fit to deal with the situation," said the foreign minister in remarks
which were interpreted by many to suggest that India was considering
unilateral steps.
The growing resolve to punish Pakistan's outrageous behaviour
irrespective of the international concern about a flare-up between two
nuclear armed nations came amid clear signs of India's waning
patience. On Saturday, the political leadership discussed the option
of precision strikes against terrorist targets on Pakistan-controlled
territory. This marked the end of India's restraint, in the face of
Pakistan's assurances made under pressure from the international
community, particularly the US and UK.
There were also indications that the US might be aware of India's
readiness to strike targets across the border. On Sunday, the US,
which had publicly expressed satisfaction with Pakistan's response to
India's demands, suddenly switched gears with secretary of state
Condoleezza Rice stating that it could not be brushed under the
carpet. The US would not have tried to lean hard on Pakistan at this
juncture, had it not been convinced that India meant business.
In another development which mirrored the gravity of the situation,
the US joint chiefs of staff Mike Mullen visited Islamabad for the
second time in the recent past to convince the Pakistanis. It is
believed that Mullen warned Pakistan in no uncertain terms that things
would go out of hand if it did not respond to India's demands.
Pakistan's behaviour has been along known lines. Its rulers have used
promises of good behaviour when faced with threats from India and
others only to revert to their usual ways once the pressure was off.
India has made it clear that it would not be taken in by pledges,
signalling to the world that it would not hesitate to use force if
Pakistan continues with the "shift and deflect" manoeuvre. India has
now put everything with Pakistan on "pause", said sources.
Mukherjee said India has asked the international community to "put
pressure on Pakistan to deal effectively with terrorism. We have
highlighted that the infrastructure of terrorism in Pakistan has to be
dismantled permanently... This terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan is
the greatest terrorist danger to peace and security of the entire
civilized world."
While the warning marks a disappointment with US and UK, it is also a
warning against Pakistan's all-weather friends China and Saudi Arabia.
Mukherjee said India would no longer only rely on the rest of the
world. After the attacks, sources here said, India had spoken to key
countries with influence on Pakistan, particularly China and Saudi
Arabia. The foreign minister of Saudi Arabia is expected here later
this week and India wants them to exert their influence on Pakistan to
give up some terrorists.
India articulated the outcome it wants from Pakistan. "We need
effective steps not only to bring those responsible for the Mumbai
attacks to justice, but also to ensure that such acts of terrorism do
not recur," said Mukherjee. India also wants Pakistani terrorists, for
Mumbai and earlier, to face Indian justice. Sources said it would give
"evidence" to Pakistan after the investigation into the attacks was
over.
So far, India has asked for Maulana Masood Azhar and Omar Sheikh but
it will be more aggressive and add the names of the Mumbai
perpetrators after the investigations are over. Sources said Pakistan
had enough evidence against earlier fugitives like Azhar, and they
could be handed over. But Pakistan too is playing its own game. India
believes Pakistan's big feign about "evidence" is all intended to drag
things on until election fever takes the sting out of the Indian
position.
The real problem as India sees it, is that the Pakistan of end-2008 is
very different from the Pakistan of end-2001. Then India was dealing
only with Pervez Musharraf, a sort of one-stop shop. But now, in
India's assessment, Pakistan is a fragmented establishment and all the
parts are moving in virtually independent ways. "There are many
Pakistans," said sources.
The formal authority in Pakistan (read civilian government) is
different from the real power (read military-intelligence
establishment). The multiple centres of power also explain the
different statements and the "flip-flop". But Mukherjee on Monday kept
the pressure on the civilian government in Islamabad. "We expect
civilian government of Pakistan to take effective steps to deal with
elements within Pakistan who still continue the use of terrorism as an
instrument of state policy. We have so far acted with utmost restraint
and are hopeful that international community will use its influence to
urge Pakistani government to take effective action."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/India_will_have_to_deal_with_Pak_problem_on_its_own_Pranab/articleshow/3876133.cms
Bal Thackeray to govt: Attack Pak, don't warn
22 Dec 2008, 1803
MUMBAI: Describing the present regime at the helm of affairs in the
country as "impotent", Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on Monday
stressed the need
for imposition of emergency.
"Only Indira Gandhi had the guts to handle threats which endangered
national security. There is no use of issuing just warnings to
Pakistan. The government should have the daring to attack it,"
Thackeray told his party mouthpiece 'Saamna' in an interview.
On his self imposed exile from public life, Thackeray said he did not
wish to be a part of the present day politics. "I have made a
deliberate decision to stay away. Mine is not a political 'sanyas'.
You never know what happens in coalition politics," he added.
He said Shiv Sena was making good progress under his son Uddhav
Thackeray, also the executive president.
"I have handed over the charge to him. He consults me whenever
necessary for advice," Thackeray added.
PTI
Wary Antulay hunts for options
22 Dec 2008, 2300 hrs IST, Rajeev Deshpande, TNN
NEW DELHI: The BJP MPs who called him a "Pakistani agent" in Lok Sabha
weren't all unreasonable people, minority affairs minister A R Antulay
said.
Some "BJP friends" assured him that if he "clarified" not having ever
doubted the Mumbai assassins were Pakistanis, the matter would be
settled.
Antulay said he had only raised questions over why Maharashtra ATS
chief Hemant Karkare had headed for Cama hospital while the shooting
was happening elsewhere. "Any fool knows terrorists were Pakistanis.
BJP people are telling me I should clarify my stand. I think I will
seek permission to speak in the House on Tuesday," said the minister.
The concern in Antulay's manner was apparent even as his swagger, on
display in the House where he sat derisively waggling his thumb at BJP
benches, soon returned. "I don't think I have done anything wrong. If
I have sinned, so be it," he declared. To Congress MPs he declaimed,
"Antulay is Antulay. I will not change my position."
Antulay did get his share of sympathy. MoS (home) Shakeel Ahmed has
been more like a minister in waiting. RJD's M M A Fatmi offered words
of support. MIM's Asauddin Owaisi dropped by. PMK's R Velu and
Congress's Madhusudan Mistry were pally. In the afternoon, for all of
26 minutes when Lok Sabha transacted business amid a din, he smiled
and waved.
But Antulay has been around long enough to know verbal expressions of
support count for nothing. The chill with which home minister P
Chidambaram heard him without comment and foreign minister Pranab
Mukherjee's studied brush off could hardly have escaped the minister.
Speaking to media persons in a corridor near Parliament's gate number
2, Antulay took care — like every 10 Janpath loyalist in trouble — to
invoke his connections with the Gandhi family. "Cong(I) was born in my
house, 2, Janpath. Only Indiraji and Sanjay Gandhi know how things
were," he averred solemnly.
Even as he considers his options, whether to seek martydom or recant,
his party colleagues agree Antulay has damaged Congress's determined
post-26/11 bid to take the "hard" ground on terrorism. His suggestion
that Karkare's shooting was somehow linked to the ATS chief's
investigation of Hindu radicals in the Malegaon case is not supported
by facts, and sits totally at odds with government's efforts to pin
down Pakistan.
"The effect of Mukherjee and Sonia delivering a tough message to
Pakistan is diluted by Antulay's claims and his defiance. He should
have been asked to go much earlier," said a senior minister. Another
minister pointed out that it was evident that the shootings had been
random events. "You could question the wisdom of senior officers
exposing themselves to danger, but nothing suggests a conspiracy," he
said.
By allowing Antulay to play to the "minority gallery", the party had
made things more difficult for itself. Even though Antulay argues
otherwise, the deliberate manner in which he has leveraged Muslim MPs
is obvious. This is undeniably a worry for Congress which is wary of
any desertion of minority votes.
But recent assembly elections have a silver lining for Congress and
could spell trouble for Antulay. Faced with a saffron alternative,
Muslims stuck to Congress. This means that though sacking Antulay can
cause some pain, the knife can still be wielded. The canny politician
that he is, Antulay would know time is running out.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Wary_Antulay_hunts_for_options/articleshow/3876112.cms
Urdu daily claims Mossad, CIA behind Mumbai attacks
22 Dec 2008, 2300 hrs IST, TNN
NEW DELHI: In the season of conspiracy theories, there is another one
that is gaining ground. A demand for the probe of Mossad and CIA's
role
behind the Mumbai terror attacks has been made by Roznama, Rashtriya
Sahara's Urdu daily.
The demand comes at a time when minority affairs minister A R Antulay,
supported by large sections of the Muslim community, has demanded a
probe into the killing of Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare.
Roznama group editor Aziz Burney said the operation could not have
succeeded without local support. "The terrorists came at least some
time before 26/11. They created a hub in Nariman House. Neighbours
have said that they noticed the presence of some strangers a few days
before the attack," said the well-known Urdu journalist in an effort
to link the Mumbai attacks to a conspiracy involving Jews. Nariman
House is owned by a Jewish sect. According to him, terrorists ordered
large amounts of mutton and other provisions to last for several
days.
He also added that it was impossible to stash such arms and ammunition
in the Taj Hotel without having checked in for some time. "Why isn't
the guest list being checked. The terrorists would have received some
support from within the hotel," he said.
Linking the Mumbai terror attacks to 9/11, the editor said that on the
day that New York was attacked, deaths of Jewish citizens was minimal
because they had been forewarned and had taken off from work. "That
was a plot hatched by Mossad and CIA and so is the Mumbai attacks," he
said.
Burney said the attacks were part of a larger conspiracy hatched in
connivance with the Congress government, Leader of Opposition L K
Advani, Mossad and Chota Rajan to disable the Malegaon investigations.
He also named Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and BJP president
Rajnath Singh as involved in the conspiracy.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Urdu_daily_claims_Mossad_CIA_behind_Mumbai_attacks/articleshow/3876111.cms
Chidambaram, Mulford discuss Mumbai attacks probe
22 Dec 2008, 2300 hrs IST, TNN
NEW DELHI: In the backdrop of Washington's offer to share information
and collaborate with New Delhi post-26/11, US ambassador David C
Mulford and a
top US intelligence official met home minister P Chidambaram on Monday
and are learnt to have discussed progress in investigation into the
Mumbai terror attacks.
The meeting came days after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
thoroughly questioned Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab,
the lone surviving Lashkar-e-Taiba jihadi involved in the terror
attacks on Mumbai.
Sources in the home ministry said the meeting, attended by national
security advisor M K Narayanan, discussed streamlining sharing of
information between the two countries as the FBI was also probing the
incident in which some US nationals were killed.
The top US intelligence official -- Director of National Intelligence
(DNI) John Michel McConnell -- also had a separate meeting with
Narayanan where they, sources claimed, discussed issues relating to
evidence gathered so far in the Mumbai attack probe.
The DNI, which came into existence post-9/11, is considered to be the
most powerful intelligence official of the US government under direct
command and control of the US President.
The role of the DNI is to effectively integrate foreign, military and
domestic intelligence in defence of the homeland and of the US's
interests abroad. India is hoping to benefit from DNI's experience in
countering terror while it formulates policies for the proposed
National Investigating Agency, a bill for which was cleared by
Parliament last week.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Chidambaram_Mulford_discuss_Mumbai_attacks_probe/articleshow/3876097.cms
Terror attacks exacerbated cash-flow problems: Tata to UK Govt
London (PTI): The Tata Group is strumming on the terror strikes on its
Indian hotel property to get British government assistance to run
Jaguar Land Rover, although it is believed to have already secured
bank loans for the purpose, the British media reported.
"Tata told (UK Business Secretary) Lord Mandelson that its cashflow
problems were caused by plunging price of steel, one of its key
products, and exacerbated by the terrorist attacks in India...,"
British daily The Times said in a report on its website.
The report quoted a source as saying: "Tata had been asked to provide
further information, but that Lord Mandelson accepted that the group
faced 'immediate pressures'."
The Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, one of the targets of the terror
attacks in Mumbai last month, was reopened for business on Sunday
although many sections of the over 100-year-old building was still
shut down as the damage was extensive.
Tata Group chief Ratan Tata had criticised the Indian authorities for
their handling of the situation in the immediate aftermath of the
terror strike.
"There should be leadership in knowing what to do. The fire department
didn't know what to do, the commandos came too late, the police were
not equipped to engage," he had told a TV channel.
At the reopening on Sunday, he said: "We can be hurt but not knocked
down."
The Times quoted a source as saying: "We're not yet in a position to
know the true situation with Tata, but the feeling is that it's not
worth the risk to confidence to do nothing in the short term."
Where'd the bailout money go? Shhhh, it's a secret

WASHINGTON (AP): It's something any bank would demand to know before
handing out a loan: Where's the money going?

But after receiving billions in aid from U.S. taxpayers, the nation's
largest banks say they either can't track exactly how they're spending
the money or they simply refuse to discuss it.

``We've lent some of it. We've not lent some of it. We've not given
any accounting of, 'Here's how we're doing it,''' said Thomas Kelly, a
spokesman for JPMorgan Chase, which received $25 billion in emergency
bailout money. ``We have not disclosed that to the public. We're
declining to.''

The Associated Press contacted 21 banks that received at least $1
billion in government money and asked four questions: How much has
been spent? What was it spent on? How much is being held in savings,
and what's the plan for the rest?

None of the banks provided specific answers.

``We're not providing dollar-in, dollar-out tracking,'' said Barry
Koling, a spokesman for Atlanta, Georgia-based SunTrust Banks Inc.,
which got $3.5 billion in taxpayer dollars.

Some banks said they simply didn't know where the money was going.

``We manage our capital in its aggregate,'' said Regions Financial
Corp. spokesman Tim Deighton, who said the Birmingham, Alabama-based
company is not tracking how it is spending the $3.5 billion it
received as part of the financial bailout.

The answers highlight the secrecy surrounding the Troubled Asset
Relief Program, which earmarked $700 billion _ about the size of the
Netherlands' economy _ to help rescue the financial industry. The
Treasury Department has been using the money to buy stock in U.S.
banks, hoping that the sudden inflow of cash will get banks to start
lending money.

There has been no accounting of how banks spend that money. Lawmakers
summoned bank executives to Capitol Hill last month and implored them
to lend the money _ not to hoard it or spend it on corporate bonuses,
junkets or to buy other banks. But there is no process in place to
make sure that's happening and there are no consequences for banks who
don't comply.

``It is entirely appropriate for the American people to know how their
taxpayer dollars are being spent in private industry,'' said Elizabeth
Warren, the top congressional watchdog overseeing the financial
bailout.

But, at least for now, there's no way for taxpayers to find that out.

Pressured by the Bush administration to approve the money quickly,
Congress attached nearly no strings on the $700 billion bailout in
October. And the Treasury Department, which doles out the money, never
asked banks how it would be spent.

``Those are legitimate questions that should have been asked on Day
One,'' said Rep. Scott Garrett, a Republican House Financial Services
Committee member who opposed the bailout as it was rushed through
Congress. ``Where is the money going to go to? How is it going to be
spent? When are we going to get a record on it?''

Nearly every bank AP questioned _ including Citibank and Bank of
America, two of the largest recipients of bailout money _ responded
with generic public relations statements explaining that the money was
being used to strengthen balance sheets and continue making loans to
ease the credit crisis.

A few banks described company-specific programs, such as JPMorgan
Chase's plan to lend $5 billion to nonprofit and health care companies
next year. Richard Becker, senior vice president of Wisconsin-based
Marshall & Ilsley Corp., said the $1.75 billion in bailout money
allowed the bank to temporarily stop foreclosing on homes.

But no bank provided even the most basic accounting for the federal
money.

``We're choosing not to disclose that,'' said Kevin Heine, spokesman
for Bank of New York Mellon, which received about $3 billion.

Others said the money couldn't be tracked. Bob Denham, a spokesman for
North Carolina-based BB&T Corp., said the bailout money ``doesn't have
its own bucket.'' But he said taxpayer money wasn't used in the bank's
recent purchase of a Florida insurance company. Asked how he could be
sure, since the money wasn't being tracked, Denham said the bank would
have made that deal regardless.

Others, such as Morgan Stanley spokeswoman Carissa Ramirez, offered to
discuss the matter with reporters on condition of anonymity. When AP
refused, Ramirez sent an e-mail saying: ``We are going to decline to
comment on your story.''

Most banks wouldn't say why they were keeping the details secret.

``We're not sharing any other details. We're just not at this time,''
said Wendy Walker, a spokeswoman for Dallas-based Comerica Inc., which
received $2.25 billion from the government.

Heine, the New York Mellon Corp. spokesman, said he wouldn't discuss
spending details, but added: ``I just would prefer if you wouldn't say
that we're not going to discuss those details.''

The banks which came closest to answering the questions were those,
such as U.S. Bancorp and Huntington Bancshares Inc., that only
recently received the money and have yet to spend it. But neither
provided anything more than a generic summary of how the money would
be spent.

Lawmakers say they want to tighten restrictions on the remaining, yet-
to-be-released $350 billion block of bailout money before any more
cash is handed out. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said the
department is trying to step up its monitoring of bank spending.

``What we've been doing here is moving, I think, with lightning speed
to put necessary programs in place, to develop them, implement them,
and then we need to monitor them while we're doing this,'' Paulson
said at a recent forum in New York. ``So we're building this
organization as we're going.''

Warren, the congressional watchdog appointed by Democrats, said her
oversight panel will try to force the banks to say where they've spent
the money.

``It would take a lot of nerve not to give answers,'' she said.

But Warren said she's surprised she even has to ask.

``If the appropriate restrictions were put on the money to begin with,
if the appropriate transparency was in place, then we wouldn't be in a
position where you're trying to call every recipient and get the basic
information that should already be in public documents,'' she said.

Garrett, the New Jersey congressman, said the nation might never get a
clear answer on where hundreds of billions of dollars went.

``A year or two ago, when we talked about spending $100 million for a
bridge to nowhere, that was considered a scandal,'' he said.

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi blamed for Marriott hotel blast
Islamabad (PTI): Pakistan on Monday blamed outlawed terror group
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi for the deadly suicide attack on Marriott Hotel that
killed nearly 60 people.

"Lashkar-e-Jhangvi was behind the suicide truck bombing," Interior
ministry chief Rehman Malik told the parliament.

Malik said the explosive-laden truck used in the attack was brought to
Islamabad from Jhang city in Punjab province. Two persons, who
facilitated the attack were arrested from Toba Tek Singh city in
Punjab, he said.

A hitherto unheard of group called the Fidayeen-e-Islam had claimed
responsibility for the attack on the Marriott in September and warned
of more such attacks on foreigners.

Around 60 people, including Czech ambassador, two US Marines and
several other foreigners, were killed and more than 260 injured when a
suicide bomber rammed a truck packed with 600 kg of explosives into
the hotel's gate.

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a Sunni Muslim extremist group, has been accused of
killing hundreds of Shiite Muslims.

Authorities in Pakistan recently claimed to have cracked a clandestine
terror network set up under which Lashkar-e-Jhangvi operatives had
been directed by Ahmad Omar Saeed Sheikh, the jailed killer of
American journalist Daniel Pearl, to assassinate former Pakistan
President Pervez Musharraf either in Rawalpindi or in Karachi.

Sheikh was released by India along with Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Maulana
Masood Azhar and another terrorist in exchange for passengers on an
Indian Airlines flight hijacked in 1999.

Attaur Rehman alias Naeem Bukhari, who was arrested in Karachi in June
2007 in connection with Pearl's murder in 2002 is also a key Lashkar-e-
Jhangvi militant.

We won't allow Pak artistes to perform in Maharashtra: Raj
Mumbai (PTI): Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Monday
said that his party would not allow Pakistani artistes to perform in
the state.

"We won't allow Pakistani artistes to perform here. Nor will we allow
anyone to sell cassettes, DVDs featuring their work," Thackeray said
on Monday.

He said that no film starring Pakistani artistes would be allowed to
be screened anywhere in the state.

"Why should we patronise Pakistani artistes when terrorists come from
their country and kill our countrymen?" Raj said.

"Do not force us to make you pull out cassettes of Pakistani
artistes," he warned music retailers.

Shiv Sena's students wing Bhartiya Vidyarthi Sena had yesterday issued
a similar statement.

Pak must stop denying truth, making excuses: US daily
Washington (PTI): Terming as "overwhelmingly" evident, the involvement
of Pakistan-based elements in the Nov 26 attacks on Mumbai, a leading
US daily has said Islamabad must acknowledge the truth and stop making
"excuses" if the war on terror is to be won.

"By now the evidence that the terrorist assault on Mumbai was planned
and directed from Pakistan is overwhelming... Stunningly, however,
Pakistan's civilian government is refusing to acknowledge the truth,"
an editorial in The Washington Post said.

Describing the crackdown initiated by Pakistan following the UN
Security Council's ban on Jamaat-ud-Dawa as "unconvincing," the edit
pointed out that similar actions taken after the 2002 attack on
India's Parliament could not prevent the Lashkar-e-Taiba from re-
emerging under a new name.

"This unconvincing sweep looks bad in the light of history: After a
Lashkar-sponsored assault on India's Parliament in 2002, the
government arrested many of the same people and formally banned the
group.

"Later the suspects were quietly released, and the organisation re-
emerged under the name Jamaat-ud-Dawa," The Post said, pointing out
that under heavy pressure from Bush administration, President Asif Ali
Zardari's government has placed the LeT leader under a loose "house
arrest" and rounded up several dozen of its militants, including the
man India has identified as the chief planner of the attacks.

The Post said that apologists for Zardari's civilian government point
out that the president's bluster probably covers his lack of authority
to crack down on LeT or its allies in Pakistan's Inter-Services
Intelligence agency.

"If the war on terrorism is to be won, the excuses for Pakistan must
end," it said.

was shocked at Antulay's remarks: Shabana Azmi
Nashik (PTI): Noted actress and former MP Shabana Azmi said Union
Minister Abdul Rehman Antulay's remarks about the death of ATS chief
Hemant Karkare might cause damage to the country's integrity.

Shabana, who was here yesterday to visit Dadasaheb Phalke Memorial,
said, "I was surprised on hearing Antulay's remark regarding the death
of Karkare."

"Instead of political leader I have faith in people of my country,"
she said.

Earlier she released a book 'Kaify and me' written by her mother
Shoukat Azmi and translated in Marathi.

Indian Americans ask UN to declare Pak terrorist state
New York (PTI): Braving sub zero temperature and cold wind, more than
200 supporters and workers of dozens of Indian American organisation
held a demonstration outside the UN, seeking the world body declare
Pakistan a terrorist state.

The demonstrators, from New York and adjoining New Jersey and
Connecticut states spearheaded by Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) and
Indian American Intellectual Forum, demanded that the international
community take action against Saudi Arabia also as groups based there
had been funding the terror operations which are planned and executed
from Pakistan.

The international community, they said, need impose economic sanction
against Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and force Islamabad to rein in its
"infamous" Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) which, they alleged,
provides logistic and other support to terrorists.

If Pakistan does not hand over the suspects that India has demanded,
they should be tried by the International Criminal Court for crimes
against humanity, they said.

The demonstrators carried pictures of Jewish couple Rabbi Gavriel
Holtzberg and wife Rivka, who were murdered by the terrorists during
Mumbai attacks, with caption: "It is a crime to be a Jew?"

The demonstration began with a silence observed for one minute to pay
homage to the victims of Mumbai attacks and the police officers who
were killed in the action.

Gaurang Vaishnav, a spokesperson of the Tristate Indians under whose
banner the demonstration was organized, said that it was important
that countries such as US, Britain, Israel and India come together to
evolve a strategy to root out the terrorism.




Saffron brigade’s chakka jam throws life out of gear!

Indian Express reports:

Surat, August 13 People witnessed a verbal row between two senior
police officers

Over 150 workers of the BJP and the VHP were detained at 12 different
places in Surat by the police while observing chakka jam on Wednesday.
The detainees included presidents of local units of the BJP, VHP and
RSS.

As part of the protest over the Amarnath Shrine Board land row,
several activists of the VHP, BJP, RSS and other allied groups
gathered at places decided by their leaders and observed the jam for
sometime before they were detained.

The situation near the Surat railway station was critical.
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Saffron-brigades-chakka-jam-throws-life-out-of-gear/348723/


New Delhi: By forcing repeated adjournments in the Lok Sabha and Rajya
Sabha, BJP pressed for immediate removal of Antulay for raising doubts
over the circumstances that led to the killing of former Maharashtra
ATS chief Hemant Karkare by Pakistani terrorists in Mumbai attacks.

In the Rajya Sabha, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said
the government will make a statement on the issue on Tuesday before
Parliament adjourns.

Describing Antulay's statement as "anti-national" and "ridiculous", M
Venkaiah Naidu (BJP) said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should have
"fired" him.

Both the Houses saw three adjournments during the day before the
presiding officers called it a day sensing the mood of the opposition
as slogan-shouting BJP and Shiv Sena members stormed the well in both
Houses.

Antulay, who was present in the Lok Sabha, was seen smiling at the
opposition members, gesturing them to continue with their protest. At
one point, he even displayed the 'thumbs up' sign.

This is for the third consecutive day that the issue rocked
Parliament.

The Left on its part lodged strong protest against the government for
bringing bills that seek to hike foreign direct investment from 26 per
cent to 49 per cent in the insurance sector and raise the capital of
state-owned LIC.

ISLAMABAD:Pakistan on Monday scrambled fighter jets over several major
cities, including the federal capital, as it said it had stepped up
"vigilance" in view of the "current environment". The fighter
aircrafts roared over Islamabad, the nearby garrison city of
Rawalpindi and other cities this afternoon as Air Force spokesman Air
Commodore Humayun Viqar Zephyr said in a statement: "in view of the
current environment, PAF has enhanced its vigilance."

The brief statement from the air force did not give any more details.
Residents in the capital made panic calls to media stations to ask
about the low-flying aircrafts. The air sorties by the PAF came a day
after External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said India is keeping
"all options open" to deal with the aftermath of the Mumbai terror
attacks. India has blamed Pakistan-based elements, including the
Lashker-e-Taiba terror group, for the attacks and asked Pakistan to
take action against them.

Ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi too has said that India could
give a "befitting reply" to those involved in the Mumbai attacks.

The two countries were involved in a spat last week over alleged
violations of Pakistani airspace by Indian warplanes. Pakistan lodged
a formal protest that Indian jets had violated an agreement on
airspace violations in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Lahore
sectors, a charge flatly denied by India.

Indian High Commissioner Satyabrata Pal is in Delhi to attend a
meeting of all Indian envoys and Pakistani High Commissioner Shahid
Malik is in Islamabad for consultations.


NEW DELHI:Addressing a conference of Indian Ambassadors and High
Commissioners in New DELHI, the ELITE BRAHMIN from KIRNAHAR, Mukherjee
said India has sought the support of the international community to
put pressure on Pakistan to "deal effectively" with terrorism.

India has highlighted that the infrastructure of terrorism in Pakistan
has to be dismantled permanently, he told the first-of-its-kind
conclave being held in the backdrop of a fresh chill in relations
between New Delhi and Islamabad.

"We are not saying this because we are affected but because we believe
that it will be good for the entire world and also for Pakistani
people and society," he underlined.

Describing the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan as the "greatest
terrorist danger to peace and security of the entire civilised world,"
Mukherjee said "there has been some effort so far by the international
community but this is not enough."

"Much more needs to be done (by the international community) and the
actions should be pursued to their logical conclusion," Mukherjee
said, adding India needs "effective steps" not only to bring to
justice those responsible for Mumbai attacks but also to ensure that
such acts of terrorism do not recur.

"Unfortunately, Pakistan's response so far has demonstrated their
earlier tendency to resort to a policy of denial and to seek to
deflect and shift the blame and responsibility," the External Affairs
Minister said.

He said India expects the "civilian government" of Pakistan to take
effective steps to deal with elements within that country "who still
continue the use of terrorism as an instrument of state policy."

Mukherjee said India has "so far acted with utmost restraint" and is
hopeful that the international community will use its influence to
urge Pakistani government to take effective action.
"While we continue to persuade the international community and
Pakistan, we are also clear that ultimately it is we who have to deal
with this problem," he said, adding "we will take all measures
necessary as we deem fit to deal with the situation."

Later talking to reporters, Mukherjee said Pakistan cannot "shirk" its
responsibility of fulfilling its "promises" and "commitments" given to
India on ending cross-border terrorism.

"In pursuit of our objectives, we are not closing any option. We will
explore all options because we are obliged as our people were killed
and properties destroyed," he said.

Nothing is in anyone's hand, quips Antulay
New Delhi "Nothing is in anyone's hand", Union Minister A R Antulay on
Monday said when asked whether his party was contemplating action
against him on his remarks over ATS chief Hemant Kakare's killing in
Mumbai.
The Minority Affairs Minister, who has received support from a good
number of politicians including Muslim MPs from the NDA camp, parried
a volley of questions while entering Parliament House.

Asked whether Monday could be his last day in the House, Antulay just
pointed his fingers towards the sky. "Nothing is in anyone's hand," he
quipped.

He also declined to comment on the diverging views in the Congress on
possible action against him. "I am going inside the house. Let me see
there," was his only reply when pressed. He maintained silence on
repeated queries whether he stuck to his earlier statement.

Earlier, the Rajya Sabha on Monday saw two adjournments after BJP
members stormed the well of the House demanding sacking of Antulay for
his controversial remarks on the circumstances leading to killing of
Karkare.


Lashkar was operating as Dawa, Pak Minister says!


Lahore Pakistan's Religious Affairs Minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi has
said that Lashkar-e-Taiba had been operating on the pretext of Jamaat-
ud-Dawa in Pakistan and the country would have been isolated if it was
not banned.
“Pakistan would have been isolated in the world if the group had not
been banned and Jamaat-ud-Dawa was banned under pressure from the
United Nations," Hamid Saeed Kazmi was quoted by a private TV channel,
as saying.

The minister also denied reports of government sending people to Haj
on its own expense.

Kazmi clarified that some United Arab Emirates-based philanthropists
had deposited money in Pakistan and the returns on it had been used to
facilitate people who wanted to perform Haj.

Crude reasonable at $75 per barrel: ONGC

New Delhi Oil and Natural Gas Corporation on Monday said the current
crude oil prices has put its margins under pressure and oil price of
USD 75 a barrel were reasonable levels for upstream companies to keep
investing.
"Today's prices are not comfortable for us. Margins are under severe
pressure," ONGC Chairman R S Sharma said in New Delhi.

He said the company was constantly reviewing investments but has not
put any of its spending on hold.

"If the current level of prices continue, for the next four-five
months we will not have to put investments on hold, but if they stay
at these level for longer we will review," Sharma said.

Sharma said the current international crude oil prices were not good
for new investments being made in the upstream exploration and
production.

"USD 75 a barrel is a reasonable price for upstream companies to keep
investing," he said.

'Hand over fugitives, even if they are your citizens'

Express news service
Posted: Dec 21, 2008 at 0905 hrs IST

Kolkata, Jammu A day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, senior
ministers and service chiefs discussed the security scenario and
defence preparedness, India bluntly told Pakistan to act on evidence,
hand over fugitives even if they are Pakistani citizens and keep its
word on not allowing its territory to be used by terrorists.
“Not once, twice or thrice but as many as 10 times we have given
evidence. Pakistan must cooperate. No question of mere denial. You
will be caught in your denial then,” External Affair Minister Pranab
Mukherjee told a seminar organised by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce
in Kolkata.

And addressing a rally near the international border in Jammu, UPA
chairperson Sonia Gandhi warned Pakistan that India was “capable of
giving a befitting reply”.

“Pakistan continues to support terrorism from its soil despite our
overtures of peace and dialogue. We are capable of giving a

befitting reply, our sentiments of brotherhood and friendship should
not be construed as our weakness,” Gandhi said at Dablehar in R S
Pura.

In Kolkata, Mukherjee said Pakistan has to abide by its commitments
given first by former president Pervez Musharraf and then by Asif Ali
Zardari.

He said Pakistan has to arrest the fugitives who have taken shelter in
that country. “Those who are Indian citizens, hand them over to us.
And those who are required for investigations, may be your citizens,
also hand them over to us,” he said.

He took strong exception to contradictory statements from Pakistan
about the presence of Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar in
that country. “Masood Azhar was under house arrest was the observation
of the Pakistan Defence Minister (Chowdhury Mukthar Ahmed). But after
that contradictory statements are emanating from the country.
Sometimes it is said he (Azhar) is not seen. Sometimes it is said that
he is not available in Pakistan,” he said.

“We can deal only with the government of the day. Therefore, all
arguments which are coming from the other side (Pakistan) are not
really convincing... We have the evidence, including intercepts of the
conversation via satellite. Yesterday I described the conversation as
a chilling account. The captured living terrorist (Ajmal Ameer Kasab)
gave the chilling account of what transpired between him and the
controller from that side. They were monitoring Indian television. We
have this type of information,” he said.

Pakistan must pursue these evidence and take action, he said, noting
that “words must be followed up by action”.
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Hand-over-fugitives-even-if-they-are-your-citizens/401119/

VHP publishes report on humanitarian activities

New Delhi, Dec 22: For the first time, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)
has released an annual report of its humanitarian activities to convey
that its "efforts are as large as Christians missionaries across the
country".

The report include efforts to consolidate 198 Hindu charitable trusts
from 41 prants (region) for which VHP's sewa vibhag (social work
division) will now act as the apex body.

The trusts run tribal hostels, orphanages, education activities,
disaster relief and adoption centres among others.

"We are identifying all trusts that are Hindu-sponsored and carry out
Hindu-centric social activities," sewa vibhag secretary, Madhukar Rao,
said.

"We had never believed in publishing annual reports, but we had it
published this time to convey the message that our consolidated
efforts are as large as the missionaries across the country," he
said.

The annual turnover for various activities run under the sewa vibhag
had risen from Rs 75 crore in the last two years and it crossed the Rs
77-crore mark this year, Rao added.

VHP General Secretary and fire brand Hindu leader Pravin Togadia calls
the initiative an effort to counter "the imperialist mission of
Christian conversion".

"Christians and Muslims introduced welfare activities to carry out
conversions and jihad. Christians propagate evangelism which means
conversion and Muslims divert a part of their charity for jihad,"
Togadia told a gathering of representatives from several Hindu
charitable trusts here on Sunday.

Bureau Report

Lok Sabha passes bill to update Information Technology Act

New Delhi, Dec 22: Lok Sabha on Monday passed a bill to update the
law related to information technology to tackle cyber crimes and e-
commerce frauds.

The Information Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2006 seeks addition of
various provisions to the existing Act to deal with new forms of cyber
crimes like publicising sexually explicit materials in electronic
form, video voyeurism and breach of confidentiality and leakage of
data by intermediary and e-commerce frauds.

It is proposed in the bill to set up a Cyber Appellate Tribunal.
According to the bill, the Central government has to decide the number
of the members of the tribunal later.

The bill, which amends the Information Technology Act, 2000, proposes
to enable authentication of electronic records by any electronic
signature technique.

Bureau Report

Rahul speaks of the plight of yet another woman

Gauriganj (Amethi), Dec 22: AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, who
drew the nation's attention to the plight of a woman called Kalawati
recounting her tale in Parliament, on Tuesday shared with the people
of his constituency the abject poverty of yet another woman named
Sunita from Amethi.

Recalling how several members of the woman's family, including
children, shivered with cold as she could not afford giving warm
clothes to all of them, the scion of the Gandhi family said he dreams
of a world which did not have a home as poor as Sunita's.

"During one of the tours I visited the house of Sunita and was
surprised to see that while the elders of the family were properly
clad in warm clothes, the young ones comprising even a seven-year-old
girl were bereft of clothing that could keep the cold away", Rahul
said at the launch of the Priyadarshini pilot project here.

"I was surprised when told that the elders could provide warm clothes
to either themselves or the children. And since elders had to earn a
living and provide food to the young ones they were wearing warm
clothes", the young Congress leader, who has been touring the country
extensively to get the pulse of the people, added.

Recounting how Aman, Sunita's seven-year-old daughter, feared that she
was afraid of policemen beating up her father unnecessarily, Rahul
said his dream is not to come across any house like that of Sunita
where the young ones are afraid of policemen and elders unable to
provide warm clothes to the entire family.

This, he said, is the dream of lakhs and crores of Indians.

Bureau Report

Mumbai, Hyd to get new NSG hubs along with Chennai, Kolkata
New Delhi, Dec 22: Mumbai, IT city Hyderabad and two other metro
cities will now have bases of elite counter-terror force NSG.

"Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai are the four places that have
been identified to establish the new NSG hubs. These hubs will be
manned by the existing force of NSG as of now," Director General of
National Security Guards (NSG) J K Dutt told reporters here after
meeting Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta here today.

The strength of the force will also be enhanced, Dutt said but did not
specify the number of new recruitments or when it will take place.

Following the Mumbai terror attacks, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had
announced that the government would set up four NSG hubs in different
parts of the country and several states were keen on having a base of
the elite force.

The DG also said that steps are being taken to speed up procurement of
new arms and ammunition for the force, which successfully tackled the
three-day-long terror siege in Mumbai after killing nine terrorists.

"The procurements of arms and ammunition will be speeded up to meet
the requirements and challenges of the force," Dutt said.

Dutt also said that the decision to provide security to VIPs and
VVIPs, in which the NSG specialises, is for the government to decide.

The NSG is a premier agency set up by the government to deal with
national security. It comprises some of the best in-service officers
from the Army and the paramilitary forces.

Questions were raised on the delay in the arrival of NSG commandos in
Mumbai from Delhi on the night of November 26 when the city was struck
by terrorists.

Various measures were mooted by the government after the Mumbai terror
incident which included implementation of the 'Coastal Security
Scheme', setting up of Marine Commando Unit at each port along with
new Bomb Detection and Disposal Squads for various security agencies
in the country.

Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh are
some of the states that had evinced interest in the having the NSG
hubs.

Among its duties, the commando force has to respond to calls
pertaining to anti-terrorist operations or operations that are of
national security interest.

It is mandated to participate in anti-terror, assault, anti-hijack and
hostage rescue operations.

Bureau Report

http://www.zeenews.com/nation/2008-12-22/493135news.html

Mumbai Bomb Blasts and 'vote bank politics'
To: PRESIDENT OF INDIA
Mumbai Bomb Blasts and 'vote bank politics'





Just like any other True Indian out there my heart also ripped off
after looking at images of Mumbai Train Blasts.





Mumbai has always been victim of such violence as we know.





When union home minister Shivraj Patil can say that 'we knew this was
going to happen but not sure in which state' - what do we answer. This
is a 'stupid' statement.





Maharashtra chief minister vilasrao deshmukh does and knows nothing
other than giving 'standard statements' like 'situation is under
control'.





When all over Maharashtra explosives are being found.


Age old monuments/temples like the 'ellora one' are being targetted.


Law and Order - Police themselves are being killed.


Drug Mafias are working in hand with someone like 'Narayan Rane'.





What the F* is situation under control?





These are only 'vote bank' politicians who only wait for elections and
throw money earned from all the kinds of illegal means.





This is time to react.





This is time to act.





This is time to say no to them.





This is concern of our security.





This is concern of our national security.





THROW THE GOVERNMENT OUT AND EVERY POLITICIAL - MINISTER WHO IS AS
INCOMPETENT AS A 'DONKEY' AND GARBAGE WRECKING 'PIGS'.





Sign this petition and pass on to every patriot INDIAN.





Let them know that we can also do something about it if not dirty our
hands.





KIRAN PANDE


LONDON

Sincerely,

The Undersigned
http://www.petitiononline.com/mum0711/petition.html



Summary post and blog loveDecember 22, 2008...8:55 am
Antulay’s vote bank politics
Abdul Rehman Antulay, the Union Minister for Minorities, thought that
by saying that the death of ATS Chief Hemant Karkare in the recent
terror attacks was suspicious, he could be a hero to Indian Muslims .
However, I rather doubt that Antulay has impressed his vote bank. For
one thing he has not done much for Indian Muslims despite being the
Minorities Minister. Perhaps it was to cover up his dismal track
record that he went out of his way to say that he wondered why the ATS
Chief went in the direction of CST station and then Cama hospital
(where the terrorists ran) instead of the Taj and Trident where a
major attack was on. On the face of it, a rather dense statement by
Antulay considering that the Taj and the Trident were attacked a good
half an hour after CST station. And even Leopold Cafe was attacked
about 15 minutes after CST. In the CST massacre, around 60 people were
randomly gunned down and then the terrorists ran away. It was most
logical for Karkare to rushto the spot to follow them! But like MJ
Akbar says, Antulay was not interested in the truth or saying anything
intelligent. He wanted to please his vote bank.

The Congress is Maharashtra is in deep trouble and in the coming
elections it is thought that the Congress will crash out - after a
decade long rule in the state. Antulay was trying to keep his seat hot…
no matter if his statement flew in the face of logic, no matter if it
was a slap in the face of his own government. At least now (he
thought) he could a hero to his community.

It would be indeed a cause for worry if Antulay really pleased his
vote bank by talking like this. If some sections of the Muslim
community actually believed that some Hindus opposed to Karkare
decided to take this opportunity to lure him into the lion’s den. But
it’s a ridiculous premise (that Karkare’s enemies lured him) because
Karkare wanted to follow the terrorists, that was his very aim! In any
case, no one knew exactly where the terrorists were. So, if Antulay
was trying to say that elements in the radical Hindu parties who would
have liked to see the end of Karkare were in cahoots with the
Pakistanis (perhaps in wireless touch with them?), this is the joke of
the year. Well, Antulay’s remarks may be stupid, but some sections of
the Urdu press are supporting him. But only some sections. The Urdu
press is divided on the issue and in fact many have also called
Antulay’s statement “irresponsible.” The Urdu daily Inquilab slammed
Antulay in it’s 19th December editorial titled `Ek bayan do nuksaan
(One statement, two losses),’ said:

…by raising doubts over the circumstances of Hemant Karkare’s death,
Antulay not only unwittingly rejuvenated the Sangh Parivar who were on
the defensive but also harmed the Muslim cause. “After the massacre in
Mumbai, Muslims had joined the country in denouncing terrorism. They
justifiably received wide acclaim from the national media. It was a
positive wave of national solidarity against terrorism which Antulay
tried to spoil with his irresponsible statement…

Yes, the Sangh Parivar (Shiv Sena and co.) has always cast aspersions
on the patriotism of Muslims, and now Antulay has given them fodder.
So not only did Antulay not think of his party, his government, or his
country, he also failed his fellow Muslims in his desperate bid to
save himself in the next general election. This is the stuff of
communal riots.

I personally have no respect for Antulay. Way back in 1982 when he was
chief minister of Maharashtra he was convicted of extortion. In fact
it is well known that he is corrupt - he had collected Rs 30 crore
from businesses (by exhortion) dependent on state resources like
cement and kept the money in a private trust! However this man was
taken back in the Congress party after some years and even made a
Union Minister!

And funnily this happened even though Antulay was known to have a good
relationship with Balasaheb Thackeray of the Shiv Sena and had almost
joined the party once!

And as mentioned earlier, Antulay has also been accused of not doing
much for his own community, always more interested in his own perks
and position rather than improving the welfare of his community. He
has faced criticism for delaying important projects.

While everyone is free to give his views in a democracy, telling
deliberate lies to create a communal divide is not acceptable. But in
India this happens all the time. And playing vote bank politics and
using religion to garner votes also happens in India all the time. One
would have hoped that the Congress party would have desisted from
playing vote bank politics at a time when the nation is at threat.

The Antulay crises may have blown over but communal tensions have been
stoked. It’s not the international community that we need worry about
because everyone knows the truth. What we need to worry about is about
relationships between communities in this country.

(Photo is from Telegraph India)

Related Reading: Political interference in the Malegaon blasts
investigation
Other posts on Indian Politics.

http://nitawriter.wordpress.com/2008/12/22/antulays-vote-bank-politics/

MJ Akbar
Antulay is the Simi Garewal of Indian politics
21 Dec 2008, 0005 hrs IST, M J Akbar
There is, or should be, a well-defined line in media between the
liberty of impression and the freedom of expression. Both are
privileges of
democracy. Liberty of impression is the exhilarating-frightening
roller coaster on which public discourse rides. Freedom of expression
is cooled by the sprinkle of judgment, a mind that sieves speculation,
allegation and accusation from the end-product that appears in print
or on air.
There is outrage against the television coverage of Mumbai terrorism
because television celebrities surrendered their judgment before the
rising demand for hysteria. There is no supply without demand. The
very audiences that sucked out hysteria from cable are now howling
against its perpetrators. It is a human instinct to develop instant
amnesia about one’s mistakes and sharpen knives with the vigour of
humbugs the moment a scapegoat has been identified. The viewer is now
seeking absolution through anger.
But the information market has been flooded with toxic weed. Hysteria
is not the exclusive preserve of audio-visual junketeers. From the
moment the terrorist violence hit Mumbai, much before the course of
events evolved into a pattern, some sections of the Urdu press began
pumping up circulation figures with fantasy fodder, in the shape of
conspiracy theories, to a readership in search of denial. The
conspiracy-in-chief was that this mayhem was nothing more than a plot
to sabotage the investigation that ATS chief Karkare was conducting
into the Malegaon blasts. The death of the police officer was declared
instant martyrdom.
News media operates within a triangle of customer, producer and
politician. A clever politician is a master chef in cooking up a broth
of impression and expression. Since the customer is also a voter, the
politician panders to street opinion by lifting it into the loftier
realm of Parliament or television studio. The very act of transference
gives implicit legitimacy to fantasy fodder.
Abdur Rahman Antulay is not in search of truth. He is in search of
votes. He has become the Simi Garewal of Indian politics. Garewal saw
a Pakistani flag fluttering on every Muslim housetop in Mumbai.
Antulay sees a vote beyond every Muslim doorstep. Garewal was blinded
by a low IQ. Antulay has turned myopic because one eye is stupid and
the other cynical. But that is his secondary medical problem. His
primary disease is cancer of the vote-bank.
If you want to understand Antulay’s and, by extension, the Congress’
compulsions, then take a look at an SMS I received on December 1:
“Congress has been wiped out in Dhule corporation election. It could
get only 3 seats out of 67.” Dhule is barely fifty kilometres from
Malegaon. More than 30% of its electorate is Muslim.
As the minorities minister with the unique distinction of having done
absolutely nothing for minorities, Antulay and his party face a
meltdown in Maharashtra. If they cannot get even Muslim votes, they
can forget about power and pelf in Delhi. He has therefore chosen to
feed the Muslim with the comfort food of conspiracy theories, in the
hope that this will drug him to the point where he loses his bearings
until the April-May elections.
Will this succeed? Perhaps. It has succeeded before. But take a look
at another SMS I received, announcing a meeting of the Maharashtra
United Democratic Convention at Birla Matushri on December 17. An
experiment for the consolidation of the Muslim vote was begun in Assam
under a similar banner and did well in the last assembly elections. It
has 11 MLAs and came second in some two dozen constituencies. Maulana
Badruddin Ajmal Qasmi promised at the Mumbai convention that an MUDF
would set up candidates in every constituency in the next assembly
elections. Its aim would be to defeat both the Congress and the BJP.
He warned the Congress, which had got the Muslim vote in the state for
six decades, that the days of bondage were over, and the Muslim vote
had grown up: it was not going to be satisfied with toffee anymore.
It is a long journey from desire to destination. There will be
pressure and deviation; some attempts to purchase some leaders will
possibly succeed. But such language has never been heard from a Muslim
platform in Maharashtra.
Simi Garewal sees a Pakistan where there isn’t one. Antulay will not
see a Pakistan where there is one. But Simi is a fringe factor;
Antulay sits on centrestage. Antulay is a Cabinet minister, who has
provided sustenance to those Pakistanis who are trying to fool us into
believing that the terrorism in Mumbai was an instance of Indian
security failure rather than an invasion sponsored by Pakistani
elements.
I am amazed at the sheer gall of both the spinners in Pakistan and the
Antulays in India. They seem to forget that there is a Pakistani
canary sitting in an Indian jail, singing out the plans, preparations
and objectives. Nine dead men and their masters are being exposed by
the tenth man, the man who did not die.
If this is the state of deception and self-deception when one
terrorist has been caught, what would have been the level of denial if
all ten had died?
Cynicism is a staple of vote-driven politics. We all know that. I was
naïve to believe that our nation’s security would remain outside the
reach of cynicism.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Columnists/MJ_Akbar_Antulay__Simi_Garewal/articleshow/3868439.cms
My 1974 Pak visit triggered peace process: Farooq

‘I urged Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to open cross-border routes’
Rising Kashmir News
Srinagar, Dec 21: National Conference Patron and former chief minister
Farooq Abdullah Sunday said his 1974 Pakistan visit had brought New
Delhi and Islamabad closer and claimed he had urged the then Pakistan
Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to throw open cross-border and
cross-LoC routes.
Addressing public meetings at Khonmoh, Balhama and road shows on the 5-
km stretch from Gagribal to Buchwara in Sonwar assembly constituency,
Abdullah said: “I took up the issue of opening of roads India and
Pakistan and between two parts of the divides Kashmir. I also helped
bring India and Pakistan closer.”
He said only NC could bring the leadership of India and Pakistan
closer and assist both in creating a congenial atmosphere for better
bilateral relationship.
Expressing happiness over peace on borders, Abdullah said: “I hope
peace continues to prevail so that people on both sides flourish and
prosper.”
He said his party played a pivotal role in fostering better relations
between New Delhi and Islamabad and would continue to do so in future
in the interest of the two countries and for the welfare of the people
of Jammu Kashmir.
Abdullah said that during the recent All Parties Meeting at New Delhi,
he pleaded for accelerating the dialogue process and forbade India
against a war with Pakistan, which political parties like the pro-
Hindutva Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) were favouring.
“I stressed that dialogue is the only process which can facilitate
return of peace in the subcontinent,” Abdullah said.
Asserting that cordial bilateral relations between New Delhi and
Islamabad were the basic essence for lasting peace in the subcontinent
Abdullah said peace in subcontinent is not possible until relations
between India and Pakistan are strengthened and developed.
He said both India and Pakistan should work for creating an atmosphere
of understanding and confidence among each other so that both
countries and the State flourish.
He said people of Jammu Kashmir want peace and it was only possible
when the mistrust between the two counties was removed and cordial
relations strengthened.
Coming down heavily on PDP for ignoring the general plight of the
people of the State and bringing destruction and bloodshed to the
peaceful state, Abdullah said Mufti Muhammad Sayeed's anti-people
polices had added miseries to the people of the state. “They (PDP)
indulged in divisive politics and tried to divide the people of the
state on regional, religious, caste and ethnic basis for vote bank
politics thereby destroying the traditional secular fabric of the
State,” he said.
The NC patron said PDP's ministers during six years of coalition rule
swindled public money through all the wrong means and methods and
built their own houses and bartered the interests of common people for
their personal interests.
Abdullah said PDP-Congress coalition government swindled away huge
financial grants received form the Government of India for reviving
the economy and providing basic amenities to the people of the State.
Abdullah said if voted to power NC would probe all embezzlements and
wrongdoing of the coalition ministers.
"Fortunately now people of Jammu Kashmir have seen through their
manipulative, self-centered politics and would defeat PDP and remove
it form the political landscape of the state," Abdullah said.
He said: “If voted to power, NC will take the State out from the
morass created by the PDP-Congress coalition during their six years of
unfortunate rule.”
He said that the "vision" which the party had outlined for the people
of the State which is a roadmap for development would be implemented
in letter and spirit and added that the roadmap was backed by a
competent delivery mechanism.
Abdullah said, immediately after coming to power, NC would come out
with a special package for employment of youth and open new avenues
for young unemployed and ensure that every household of the State has
at least one earning hand.
He also promised that NC government would provide stipend to the
unemployed till they are suitably employed and lower the cost of LPG
cylinder by Rs 50 and lower electricity. “Besides the cost of
essential commodities would be reduced by 25 to 30 per cent,” Abdullah
said.
Abdullah was accompanied by senior NC leader Mehboob Beg, Chaudhary
Muhammad Ramzan, Mir Saifullah, Muhammad Yaseen Shah, Aga Sayeed
Rahoola and Shehnaz Ganai.
http://www.risingkashmir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9217&Itemid=1
Vote bank politics threat to nation’s security
R Dutta Choudhury
GUWAHATI, Dec 13 – Vote bank politics and wrong policies of the
Government posed a grave threat to the security of not only Assam but
of the entire nation, observed former Governor of Assam and Jammu and
Kashmir, Lt Gen (Retd) SK Sinha. He also expressed the view that the
party in power must put national interest above the interest of the
party for improving the situation.
In an interview with The Assam Tribune today, Lt Gen Sinha admitted
that the situation in Assam was alarming and said that the Government
must give up the policy of appeasement to deal with the situation
before it totally goes out of control.
Lt Gen Sinha pointed out that during his tenure as the Governor of
Assam, the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and other militant
groups were totally isolated from the people of Assam and on the
raising day of the ULFA, around 500 militants surrendered at the very
spot where the outfit was formed in presence of thousands of people.
Subsequently vote bank politics and wrong policies of the Government
gave a new lease of life to the outfit and the ULFA managed to indulge
in large-scale violence despite having very little popular support, he
added.
The former Assam Governor expressed the view that the threat posed by
jehadi and fundamentalist groups to Assam is a new phenomenon and this
happened because of the fact that the Centre failed to pay heed to
repeated warnings about the threat posed by illegal migration of
Bangladeshi nationals. He pointed out that hardly any action was taken
by the Government to check illegal migration and only the Supreme
Court struck down the controversial Illegal Migrants (Determination by
Tribunals) Act. “The security scene is very disturbing and unless we
wake up to the reality and take immediate measures, there is every
possibility of the situation deteriorating in the days to come,” he
added.
Lt Gen Sinha, who submitted a detailed report on the threat posed to
the security of the nation by illegal migration to the President of
India in 1998 with suggestions to deal with the problem, lamented that
the Government did not bother to act on his report to improve the
situation. “In my report to the President, I gave a detailed account
of the threat posed by illegal migration not only to the indigenous
people of Assam, who are facing a threat of being reduced to
minorities in their own land, but also the threat the migration is
posing to the security of the nation. I suggested several measures to
deal with the problem including scrapping of the IMDT Act, improvement
of the quality of the fencing along the international border, updating
of the National Register of Citizens, setting up of mobile
border posts on the riverine border, providing identity cards to
Indian citizens etc, but nothing was done by the Government,” he
added. He also said that immediate measures must be taken to detect
and deport the foreign nationals living illegally in Assam and the
names of the foreigners should be deleted from the voters’ list to
make them stateless citizens.
Lt Gen Sinha pointed out that even former State Governor BK Nehru had
warned about the grave threat posed by illegal migration to Assam.
Nehru wrote in his autobiography that he, along with the then Chief
Minister of Assam had initiated certain steps to check illegal
migration, but they were asked to stop by Congress Government at the
Centre. Nehru also wrote that the old generation of Congressmen had
always put national interest above anything but the new generations
put party interest above national interest, Lt Gen Sinha said.
Giving examples of the policy of appeasement adopted by the Congress
on the issue over the years, Lt Gen Sinha said pointed out that once
former Chief Minister Hiteswar Saikia told the Assam Assembly that
there were 30 lakh illegal migrants in Assam, but he immediately
retracted his statement. Moreover, the Union Minister of State for
Home Sriprakash Jaiswal once told the Parliament that 1.2 crore
illegal Bangladeshi nationals were living in the country but the Prime
Minister himself denied the report immediately and later Jaiswal also
claimed that the statement was not based on fact, Lt Gen Sinha pointed
out.
Lt Gen Sinha also said that the Government of India failed to react
properly when 16 Border Security Force (BSF) personnel were killed
near Mankachar in 2001. He pointed out that when the bodies of the BSF
men were returned, they were slung in polls like animals, which was
shocking. But the Government of India did not take any action on the
ground that elections were being held in Bangladesh at that time.
However, he admitted that the BSF handled the situation very
“unprofessionally” and action should have been taken against them.
http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=dec1408/at01
From the editor-in-chief
Aroon Purie
December 19, 2008
There are 83 million people in India who are 33 years old. With this
issue, which is our 1,119th, we join their ranks. I believe we are the
only English newsmagazine of that age in India.

10th anniversary issueAs a human being, 33 years is considered an
ideal age, when energy, ambition and maturity combine to elevate men,
and women, to the prime of their life.
At India Today, celebrating the 33rd year of our existence, we would
like to believe we are at a similar stage.
We’ve been a leader in the newsmagazine segment for the last 27 years
and that too by a long stretch.
More importantly, we would like to believe that over the last three
decades or so, India Today has made a difference by adding value to
people’s lives, giving them a greater understanding of events and
trends and their implications, expanding their knowledge of important
contemporary issues and, above all, making a significant contribution
to the level and quality of public discourse.

15th anniversary issueThe dramatic growth in readership we have
experienced over the last three decades suggests we have maintained
our credibility and relevance, and there is immense satisfaction in
that achievement.
In the last three decades, India has experienced some amazing
transformations. So have we as a magazine, adding new sections, new
design changes and turning from a fortnightly to a weekly over 11
years ago.
Reading through the pages of this special anniversary issue, I was
struck by the shocking paradox of our changes as a nation and society
during this time.

20th anniversary issueFrom a poverty-stricken Third World country
happy with a Hindu rate of growth to rampant consumerism and a booming
economy that is the envy of the world is perhaps the biggest story of
the 33 years we have reported on India.
The changes in the automobile sector where we have gone up from three
manufacturers who produced 23,000 cars to 50 manufacturers who make
more than a million and the proliferation of private airlines have
transformed the way Indians travel. The telecom revolution with over
325 million mobile phones in a country where one had to wait years to
get a landline has connected us like never before. The advent of
satellite television with over 300 channels available at the press of
a button and mushrooming multiplexes has changed how Indians entertain
themselves. There are many more such changes that stem from our
liberalised economy on which we have extensively reported in the past
33 years.

25th anniversary issueThat’s the good news. While the economy has
revolutionised our lives, what has not changed is our politics and
governance. That’s the paradox.
Dynasties and ageing leaders continue to rule the roost while across
the world dynamic younger politicians are increasingly in charge.
Corruption remains endemic, the bureaucracy is burdensome and
unresponsive as ever. Vote bank and caste politics is the order of the
day. One militancy has been replaced by another. Kashmir is still
unresolved. We are still at loggerheads with Pakistan. Reservation
still gets people on the boil. Even after spending thousands of crores
of rupees we are yet to clean the Yamuna and the Ganges. The list is
long and depressing.

30th anniversary issueThis issue is a record of all this done in the
form of lists. It has been put together by Executive Editor Kaveree
Bamzai and her young team relying on the able research skills of Chief
Information Manager Rajesh Sharma who sifted through over 1,000 issues
of the magazine.
I believe that a generation which ignores its history has no past—and
no future.
As a magazine, we try to do our bit to prevent that by connecting the
dots of the past to the matrix of the future.
http://indiatoday.digitaltoday.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&&issueid=85&id=23057&sectionid=3&Itemid=1&page=in&latn=2
India's rogues' gallery of politicians
By Neeta Lal
NEW DELHI - "In a democracy, people get the government they deserve."
American politician Adlai Stevenson's famous words may well have been
penned for India - a country where a remarkable rogues' gallery of
bandits, racketeers, murderers and assorted criminals crowd the
corridors of power. The fact was highlighted yet again during recent
assembly elections, when public records filed with the Election
Commission revealed some disquieting facts about India's power
aspirants.
The records showed that every third MLA (member of the legislative
assembly) in the capital, Delhi, has criminal charges pending against
them, that every sixth legislator in the central state of Madhya
Pradesh has a criminal record, while in the western desert state of
Rajasthan it is every ninth.
Undoubtedly next year, with the national election expected in April or
May, more horror stories of the criminal-politician nexus will
surface, as the link has become inextricable from India's democratic
polity. Take a look at past examples. India's most dreaded "Bandit
Queen", Phoolan Devi, became a member of parliament in 1996 after a
career roaming central India's desolate valleys, allegedly stealing
from and killing wealthy upper-caste landowners who according to her
"exploited" the poor.
Devi's biggest crime - killing the underdogs' oppressors - gave her
tremendous popularity in that region, and she used that groundswell of
support to win a ticket to the Indian parliament. There she remained
until she was murdered in 2001, by one of the upper-caste Hindus she
had fought against.
Why only Devi? There are many examples of rogues masquerading as
politicians in India. A decade ago, parliamentarian Shibu Soren was
alleged to have sent henchmen to spirit a former aide to a forest,
where he was killed and buried, to silence a corruption allegation
against his accomplice. But this minor matter didn't get in the way of
Soren becoming India's coal minister - during his trial - though he
was later forced to resign after his conviction.
According to a 1997 World Bank report, "corruption" is defined as
abuse of public power for private gain. In India, politicians think
nothing of abusing this power as they think it comes with the
territory. Sadhu Yadav, a member of the 14th Lok Sabha (India's lower
house of parliament), is another case in point. His sister is a former
Bihar chief minister and wife of current Railway Minister Laloo Yadav
- Rabri Devi. Yadav has a long list of criminal cases - and arrest
warrants - pending against him including those of bribery, forgery,
intimidation, assault, rape, cheating and embezzlement. Yadav was
forced to surrender to the police after a Supreme Court order in
December 2006.
Perhaps one of the most high-profile cases of corruption in politics
has been that of former prime minister Narasimha Rao, who was
sentenced to three years in prison in 2000 for bribing lawmakers to
back him on the crucial confidence vote that saved his government in
July 1993. Rao, who held office from 1991 to 1996, became the first
Indian prime minister to be found guilty in a criminal case. Buta
Singh, who served as his home minister, received the same sentence.
Another high-profile case was that of Mohammad Shahabuddin, a fourth-
term member of the Lok Sabha, who was given a life sentence for
kidnapping with intent to murder, and faced trial in more than 30
criminal cases including eight of murder, 20 of attempted murder, as
well as kidnapping, extortion and arms dealing.
Why does India set the bar so low for its politicians? Perhaps the
fault lies with its existing anti-corruption laws. Although the
Prevention Of Corruption Act, 1988, brings the offence under the
courts' jurisdiction, most politicians are able to get away scot-free
due to its weak enforcement. Or the case drags for so many years in
court that it fades from public memory.
This has led to a criminalization of politics which has been
recognized as the most dangerous facet of corruption in India. This
was acknowledged by NN Vohra, the former Union home secretary, in a
1995 report which observed, "A network of mafias is virtually running
a parallel government in India, pushing the state apparatus into
irrelevance." The report recognized that a cancerous growth of
criminal gangs, drug mafias, smuggling gangs and economic lobbies in
the country had developed an intensive network of contacts with
bureaucrats and politicians.
America, where a huge amount of accountability is demanded from public
figures, is a study in contrast. Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich was
recently arrested and forced out of office when he was charged with
conspiracy and bribery for attempting to sell a Senate seat vacated by
president-elect Barack Obama. Blagojevich's predecessor - George Ryan
- was also convicted of corruption while two other governors - Dan
Walker and Ottto Kerner - have served prison terms for bribery and
fraud.
While these cases highlight the omnipresence of corruption in global
politics, they also show that an efficacious criminal justice system
can succeed in bringing corrupt public officials to book. By contrast,
selling parliamentary seats for money, rigging elections, bribing
officials, doing underhand deals with cash-lush businessmen, and
unashamedly securing seats for relatives are par for the course in
India.
According to Pratik Pratibimb, a professor of political history at
Jawaharlal Nehru University, "Indian politics stands at a crossroads
today with regional and national parties having to search for new
frameworks of partnership in and outside coalitions." Due to this,
Indian politics has entered a period of unforeseen and
multidimensional crises. "The global integration of the Indian economy
through structural changes has also unleashed various forces due to
which the government set-up has come under unforeseen pressures," said
the professor.
Many people feel that these pressures have dramatically altered the
Indian political fabric. Ergo, in this inchoate, new brand of
politics, anything goes. What matters most to a political party is the
candidate's winnability. Everything else seems negotiable. In fact
because criminals keep winning elections all the time, the government
has been dragging its feet on long-standing demands for a ban on
criminal politicians. It was this prevarication which forced the
Election Commission to bring in alternative "extra-legal devices" to
stop criminals during this election.
Indian law too, only bars a person from running for office once they
are indicted by a court, which often happens years, even decades,
after an arrest. It's even harder to dislodge someone actually holding
office. In India's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, 92 members of
the current 403-member state assembly have police charges lodged
against them. One politician, Ramakant Yadav, even won election from
jail, while his brother, Umakant Yadav, a member of parliament, was
charged with murder.
While the majority of politicians are simply corrupt, part of an
endemic culture of graft, many of those charged with bigger crimes
have won tickets after defying the law under the garb of "championing"
the causes of smaller ethnic minorities and low-caste Hindus in a
country divided along caste, religion and wealth lines.
"We'd like criminals to be debarred, but for that to happen would
require an act that the government refuses to pass. Every political
party has a lot of criminal candidates and every political party has a
lot of winning criminal candidates, so they don't want to pass the
law," said a party functionary who didn't want to be named.
According to a report prepared by an non-governmental organization,
the National Social Watch Coalition, 16.28% of the candidates who
stood for election to the last parliament have criminal antecedents.
In the age group of 36 to 45 years, 30% of members of parliament have
criminal cases pending against them.
When corrupt politicians are confronted with evidence of their wrong
doing, their responses are stock. They say the cases are "false",
filed by rivals with a vendetta. This specious argument of course does
not answer questions about cases that involve abduction, murder, rape
and assault.
However, in the wake of the Mumbai blasts, a tidal wave of angst has
risen against corrupt politicians. Thousands of angry citizens spilled
onto the streets with placards like "We'd rather have a dog visit our
homes than a politician" and "India doesn't need politicians. Go home,
minister!"
Perhaps some good will come out of this. Perhaps this newfound low
threshold of tolerance for the corrupt Indian politician will force
political parties to clean up their augean stables. Till then,
however, the sinister minister rules.
Neeta Lal is a widely published writer/commentator who contributes to
many reputed national and international print and Internet
publications.
(Copyright 2008 Asia Times Online (Holdings) Ltd. All rights reserved.
Please contact us about sales, syndication and republishing.)
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/JL18Df02.html
Rajinder Sachar Report on Muslims confirms Vote Bank Politics has hurt
IndiaPosted on November 30th, 2006 by yossarin in All News, India
News, The War on Terror, World PoliticsRead 1,520 times.—
OffStumped For All Things Right of Center, Bringing a Right of Centre
Reality Check to Indian Politics, News Media Reporting and Opinion now
in Hindi ?? ?? ?? ???? ????? ??.
—
The recommendations of Rajinder Sachar committee on socio-economic and
educational status of Muslims in India, were tabled in parliament.
Muslims make up roughly 13 percent of India’s population of 1.1
billion. The Rajinder Sachar Committee has favoured a group of Muslims
with traditional occupations as that of Scheduled Castes be designated
as Most Backward Classes. Minority Affairs Minister A R Antulay said
he expected the implementation of the recommendations by February. The
BJP today rejected the Sachar committee report as “full of prejudices”
and said it would create disharmony in the society. The seven-member
committee headed by Rajinder Sachar, a former Chief Justice of the
Delhi High Court, was set up to go into the social, economic and
educational status of Muslims. The CPI-M meanwhile claimed that the
report has proved wrong the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and RSS
( Sangh )stance on “Muslim appeasement”.
Offstumped gets to the bottom of the politics surrounding the Sachar
Report to help parse the spin from the truth.
So what exactly did Rajinder Sachar and his Fellowship of Seven
uncover. We dont exactly know because the report has not been
published in the public domain. It however was distributed in
Parliament and select portions of it had been leaked to the media much
in advance of its official submission. It is rather strange that the
selective leaking was on for many months now before the report was
officially completed but there was hardly a murmur on who was leaking
and why. In any case from the tid-bits gleaned from across media
reports the Sachar Findings can be summarized as follows:
- percentage of Muslims in government employment was a mere 4.9 per
cent of the total 88,44,669 employees
- The number of Muslims in security agencies was 3.2 per cent - 60,517
out of the total of 18,79,134 in CRPF, CISF, BSF, SSB and ‘other
agencies’
- many states Muslims are significantly overrepresented in prison
- In Maharashtra, for instance, Muslims make up 10.6 percent of the
population but 32.4 percent of those convicted or facing trial
- Among district judges in 15 states surveyed, 2.7 percent were Muslim
- the literacy rate is about 59 percent, compared with more than 65
percent among Indians as a whole. On average, a Muslim child attends
school for three years and four months, compared with a national
average of four years.
- Less than 4 percent of Muslims graduate from school, compared with 6
percent of the total population. Less than 2 percent of the students
at the elite Indian Institutes of Technology are Muslim. Equally
revealing, only 4 percent of Muslim children attend madrasas
From an overall Muslim empowerment standpoint Dravidian ruled Tamil
Nadu and Narendra Modi Ruled Gujarat are at the top of the deck while
the communist ruled West Bengal is at the bottom. There in lies the
key message from the Sachar Report. For decades now since Independence
we have witnessed Muslim Vote Bank Politics practiced by the Congress
and the other regional outfits including the communists while paying
lip service to secularism and claiming cover under protecting Minority
Interests. So when the CPI-M and the Congress seek to make the case
that the Sachar Report nails the BJP lie one cannot but wonder what
make believe parallel universe the Congress and the Communists dwell
in.
If anything the Sachar findings far from nailing any lie, make it loud
and clear that Muslim Vote Bank Politics have been all about Minority
Appeasement and not about Minority Empowerment. They were never really
about caring for the ordinary Muslim on the road but were always about
how the Congress and the Communists could trade power, entitlements
and fear in exchange for the Muslim Vote Bank. Be it the Shah Bano
Case, be it the kow-towing to fatwas and Ulema, be it the indulgence
of the Shahi Imam on key political issues, be it Haj Subsidy or Wakf
Board freebies.
In fact the most damning indictment of the Muslim Vote Bank Politics
is the statistic on the crime rate within the community and the number
of Muslims in Jail. In the wake of the Malegaon Blasts Offstumped had
pointed out that - from Coimbatore to North Kerala to Telangana to
Maharashtra to Bihar, ghetoissation of muslim majority towns is
radicalizing muslim youth who have fallen behind on economic
opportunities. While the fifth economic census released earlier this
year showed that rural India saw free enterprise flourish it is clear
that this growth has not created sufficient workforce mobility to de-
ghettoise muslim the community. This explains the high rate of
incidence of crime within this segment. It also explains why the
Malegaon Blasts which targetted muslims were the handiwork of muslim
outfits like the SIMI.
The political debate around the Sachar Report is likely to revolve
around the question of reservations or affirmative actions for
Muslims. The battle lines are very clearly drawn. Like the OBC
reservation debate it looks like this debate too will very quickly
degenerate into one about creating a culture of entitlement rather
than one of empowerment and independence. Rather than focus on access
to educational opportunities and subsequent empowerment it now looks
certain that the Congress and its Communist allies will resort to
myopics shortcuts of doling out Government jobs to Muslims.
Unless the government’s policy focus is firmly on de-ghettoization and
workforce mobility any initiatives targetting religious Minorities
will be mere lip service and will lead to further institutionalization
of vote bank politics which we have seen fuels radicalization and
shelters terrorism. When one looks at an Azim Premji heading WIPRO, an
Abdul Kalam heading India, an Azharudding heading the Indian Cricket
Team, an Aamir Khan or Shahrukh Khan captivating minds and hearts, one
sees a succesful Indian professional not a Muslim. One has to only
travel to Hyderabad to see how scores of Muslim I.T. professionals
have done well for themselves in a Microsoft or a Infosys rendering
religious identity irrelavant.
In the run up to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections, the nation is
faced with a very important choice - should it promote the Congress/
Communist myopic vote bank politics of extending reservations to
muslims or should it rather do what is really expected of a secular
government which is make religious identity irrelvant through
ubiquitous access to opportunities and thus empowerment.

The Nation would do well to pay attention to an instructive case study
on how Muslim Vote Bank Politics can hurt the nation. Loook at what
the illigeal immigration from Bangladesh into Assam and West Bengal is
doing to our democracy. By cultivating the migrants muslims from
Bangladesh as a captive vote bank and by refusing to act tough on the
illilegality of their migration, the Congress in Assam sowed the seeds
for perennial strife in that state. The Communists in neighbouring
West Bengal who paid further lip service to secularism while
exploiting these immigrant votes, and doing little to improve their
lot. Now you have a situation where the proliferation of Islamic
Terror from Bangladesh is on the upswing. And this proliferation has
ample safe havens to thrive with the rise of Islamic a concerted
movement by Muslim bodies to consolidate a Islamic Vote Bank which in
Assam saw the Badruddin Ajmal AUDF bag 10 seats while polling just a
mere 24% of the votes in an election that saw 70-80% turnout. The
lesson from Assam was that despite a fragmented polity, there was
sufficient consolidation of Muslim votes behind an upapologetically
Muslim Political Outfit to ensure electoral victory despite very high
overall voter turnouts and a very low vote share to the Muslim outfit.
The twin effect of Muslim Vote Bank Politics is that it will not only
promote unapologetically religious politics but will also further
polarize the society as the vote consolidation in favor of one
religion is bound to provoke a similar vote polarization in favor of
the other religion.

Offstumped Bottomline: For all the spin from the communists and the
congress, the message from the Sachar Report is loud and clear -
Muslim Vote Bank Politics have lead to Minority Appeasement not
Minority Empowerment. Any talk of Reservations or that fancy american
catch phrase Affirmative Action is nothing but Muslim Vote Bank
Politics and must be rejected wholesale. Recognizing Madrassas as a
formal education centers is dangerous and retrograde step. The
Government would do well to focus its attention on access to education
and opportunities rather than dole out State Sponsored Entitlements.

http://www.bloggernews.net/12582

Indo-US nuclear deal and Muslims
Aijaz Zaka Syed | Arab News

As the debate over India’s nuclear deal with the United States heats
up, a totally new angle has been added to the controversy: Whether the
deal is “anti-Muslim” and if the Muslims, India’s largest minority and
the world’s largest Muslim population, support or oppose the accord
with the US. So the poor Indian Muslim, who keeps his head down and is
ever grateful for the empty rhetoric and promises of calculating
politicians, finds himself yet again at the heart of petty vote bank
politics.

Frankly speaking, who gives a damn what Indian Muslim thinks? But many
in the Muslim community have been alarmed by the Indian media’s
dangerous attempts to give a religious spin to the issue. The other
day NDTV hosted a lively debate on the US deal and how Muslims look at
the whole business. And everyone involved obsessed over the so-called
Muslim stance on the issue as if it was crucial to the success or
failure of nuclear arrangement with the US. No wonder the Muslims are
concerned. Given the long history of such innocuous issues turning
into explosives in the hands of militant anti-Muslim organizations
such as Shiv Sena and RSS-VHP-BJP combine, their concern is not
unjustified.

Alarmed by the dangerous direction the whole debate has taken, and
even as the Congress-led government fights for survival, Muslim
organizations and groups are trying hard to distance themselves from
the issue. Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind, a staunch Congress ally, has passed a
resolution dissociating the Muslim community from the controversy. The
organization, which played a leading role in the independence
struggle, has condemned politicians for using the issue for Muslim
vote bank.

What has a nuclear agreement between India and the US got to do with
the Muslims and their religious convictions? And why those opposed to
the deal are doing so in the name of Muslims? That said, I believe the
Muslims as well as other communities in India must oppose this unholy
nuclear alliance with the neocons. Not because this accord is against
the Muslims, as some of our politician friends in their excessive
enthusiasm seem to suggest, but because this is against India’s long-
term interests. I am no expert on nuclear energy or finer points of
strategic cooperation between the two nuclear weapons states like
India and US. I don’t know if this will help India meet its growing
energy needs, as some enthusiastic supporters of the arrangement
claim. All I know is this is a well-calibrated plot by big powers to
ensnare and use the world’s largest democracy to promote their own
agenda.

The enterprising Muslim community does not have to withdraw itself
into its defensive shell if it is being dragged into this debate.
Indian Muslim does not have to be apologetic in opposing this deal
because this country belongs to him as much as it does to the next
Indian. In fact, anyone who cares for this great country should and
would oppose this dubious deal. We must oppose this arrangement for
two reasons:

First and foremost, this deal will undermine and compromise India’s
historical independence and political sovereignty. I am not suggesting
that by inking this pact, India will become a US colony and White
House will station its viceroy in Delhi. But by offering this carrot,
the reigning superpower is seeking to enlist Gandhi’s nation as a
client state and as a junior cop to police this part of the world.

Having given up on an increasingly unpredictable Pakistan, the US
badly needs India to contain emerging China on the one hand and the
Islamists of Iran and Central Asia on the other. More importantly,
there’s now evidence to suggest that the US neocons and the Zionists
are trying to form an axis of the US, Israel and India to check the
rising force of Islam.

It’s a grand conspiracy against the Muslim world as well as India. I
call it a conspiracy because India and Muslim world have been
historically close allies and friends. These are ties that are as old
as Islam. In fact, they go way back in time — long before the advent
of Islam. And India has been a home of Islam and Muslims for more than
a millennium. This is why the inimitable Iqbal called India “saare
jahaan se achha” (best in the whole world). And the neocons and
Zionists want to sabotage this historical relationship.

Secondly, this opportunistic alliance goes against everything that
secular and democratic India has believed in and championed — ideals
like peace, nonviolence, nonalignment and always, always standing with
the disadvantaged, oppressed and the vulnerable people everywhere.
This is why the world looked to India for leadership even when it was
not a nuclear power and half of its population lived below the poverty
line. Which is why it’s a tragic irony that the party that once led
the independence struggle should now be seeking to enslave this great
land once again. It is time for the Indians to decide whether they
want to continue leading the world as a peaceful and progressive
nation of Gandhi and Nehru or want to end up as yet another Third
World colony of Pax Americana.

— Aijaz Zaka Syed is a Dubai-based commentator. Write to him at
aijaz...@aol.com
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7&section=0&article=111695&d=11&m=7&y=2008




THE GRAMMAR OF VOTE BANK POLITICS-The Muslim Community has suffered.
by R. Upadhyay

The grammar of vote bank politics in India is a political reality ever
since Independence. With the spread of regionalism, proliferation of
political parties and unprincipled alliance, elections in India are
hardly contested on the basis of political ideology. Almost all the
political parties distorted this vote bank politics according to their
political convenience. Although, its character varies from state to
state on the basis of caste, ethnicity, language and regional factors,
the Muslims as a consolidated religious group with 12% of country's
population remained a most sought after group at all India level in
election time.

Manipulation of voters for seizing power in democracy is an art. Since
the establishment of democratic and secular polity in India, the
Muslim population was bracketed in a vote bank group initially by the
congress party and subsequently by all the political parties in the
country. None of them however, offered any remedial solution to
resolve the educational and economic miseries of the Muslim masses and
allowed their communal conflict with the Hindus growing day by day.
They did not even consider it necessary to guide them properly
regarding their commitment to the fundamentals of the political
blueprint of the Indian polity as free citizens.

Ironically, the Muslim leaders in connivance with the clergies allowed
the situation to continue because of their self-seeking interest. The
reflections of the general contours of the Muslim politics
consistently remained linked with their religious identity, which
hardly faces any danger in the cultural ethos of Indian civilisation.
The efforts of the Hindu nationalists to bring the Muslims into the
socio-political mainstream of the country lost its credence in its
vote bank competition with the "secular" parties. Generation of heat
and dust over Muslim voters therefore, became the electoral strategy
of the political parties since Independence. Initiated by Congress
under the leadership of Nehru and followed by all the "secular"
parties it has become a bane of electoral politics in the country.

Historically, the Muslim leaders as a group, who were responsible for
partition of the country while playing in to the hands of the
colonial power turned their community members hostile to the national
aspiration of the Hindus. Unfortunately, the Congress created the
minority and majority syndrome and thereby widened the gap of mistrust
between the two communities.


The Bhartiya Jana Sangh (BJS)/Bhartiya Janata Party(BJP), a party of
Hindu nationalists with a view to consolidate the Hindu voters in its
favour crititiced the Congress for pursuing appeasement policies
towards the Muslims. This attitude of the party however, helped the
Congress to tighten its hold over the Muslims, who found the party as
the only saviour of their religious identity. Following the footsteps
of the Congress all the political parties made a mad rush to woo this
community by raising hue and cry for protection of their religious
identity. For the last 57 years Muslim personal law, article 370, Urdu
language and subsequently Ayodhya remained the only issues to woo the
community. Following the footsteps of the Muslim leadership that
played in the hand of the British establishment of the country, the
contemporary leaders of the community in post Independence era also
played the same divisive game under the patronage of the Congress for
over thirty years for sharing political power. Subsequently with the
political decline of the Congress they bargained with the other non-
BJP political parties for selling the votes of the community members
without showing any interest for their economic and educational
developments.

Muslims as a religion-centric society became a demoralised group after
partition as they lost their exclusive political identity and
bargaining power, which they enjoyed in British India. After
Independence the Muslim-centric political parties namely Indian Union
Muslim League and Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen with their influence
confined to Malabar region of Kerala and Old City of Hyderabad
respectively and National Conference and PDP in Kashmir valley had no
significance at national level. With new ethos of constitutional
privilege to the minority communities, the Congress party made the
Muslims more important than they were in British India. The Muslim
leaders for their self-seeking interest for sharing political power
treated their community members as market commodity and bargained with
various political parties. The minority-majority syndrome virtually
vindicated the divisive policy of the British recognising the
political distinctiveness of the Muslims, which was however contrary
to the democratic concept in a pluralistic society of India.

There are 95 Lok Sabha constituencies in India which have over 20% of
Muslim electorates (Electoral Politics and General Elections in India
1952-98 by M. L.Ahuja, 1998, Page 277). The Muslims are however, not
in a position to win these seats on their own but they are capable to
tilt the electoral balance in a number of constituencies. Therefore,
there has always been a mad rush of the parties to woo them at the
time of elections. Traditionally, the Muslims exercised their
franchise on the basis of the strength of the party or parties and
candidates, who could aggressively fight against the parties, which
they viewed anti-Muslim.

The "secular" parties had a common strategy to scare the Muslims of
the danger to their religious identity due to consolidation of Hindu
nationalists under the banner of the BJS/BJP. They consistently
allured them with a promise to their safety against this imaginary
danger. The BJS/BJP on the other hand made consistent attempt to
consolidate the Hindus also as a vote bank to counter the political
consolidation of the Muslims against them. Though, the party failed to
achieve any major success on this issue, it made the Muslims as its
permanent political enemy. This Muslim vote bank politics on over 12 0
million of country's population, therefore, caused immense harm to the
Indian society in general and Muslim community in particular.

With support from a section of vested interest Muslim elite, the
Congress exploited the Muslim voters for over thirty years to rule the
country and kept them appeased as a permanent vote bank. This
appeasement policy of the party reached to highest peak in mid 1980s,
when the Congress leadership surrendered to the dictate of Muslim
clergies in Shabano case by negating the Supreme Court verdict by a
parliamentary amendment. It in fact thoroughly exposed the self-
acclaimed secular character of the party. Sensing the reaction and
likely consolidation of Hindu votes against the party, its Prime
Minister Rajiv Gandhi played a pragmatic Hindu communal card to negate
the folly by laying the foundation of Ram temple at Ayodhya, which has
been a disputed issue between the Hindus and the Muslims. This action
of the Congress distanced the Muslims from the party and they moved
towards the parties of caste leaders, who came in prominence after
polarisation of backward castes following the implementation of Mandal
Commission report.

Despite the fact that there is no Hindu vote bank as such, the
political mobilisation of Muslims as a vote bank made disturbing
progress in the closing decades of last century. Such unprincipled
maneuvering of votes aggravated the conflictual relations between the
Hindus and the Muslims from bad to worse. It seems there is apparent
absence of capability among the political parties to wipe out
communalism from democratic and secular politics. They have in fact
promoted communalism with the slogan of secularism. The electoral
growth of the BJP during the period on the other hand particularly
after the demolition of Babri mosque and the party coming to power at
centre as a leader of coalition government created a panic among the
Muslim masses. Thus, the hate-BJP became their sole political ideology
though, they considered both the Congress and the BJP equally
responsible for demolition of Babri mosque. It was however ridiculous
that they had no inhibition to support the parties aligning with the
Congress in electoral battle.

Even though, movement on Hindutva plank paid dividend to the BJP, it
put the contentious issues like Ayodhya, Uniform Civil Code and
Article 370 of Indian Constitution away from the NDA agenda when it
came to power as head of a coalition government. But its leaders
reiterated time and again that they had not given up these issues and
would fulfill their ideological commitments once the BJP comes to
power at their own. This attitude of the BJP leaders kept the Muslim
masses always suspicious against them. Post Godhara communal riots in
Gujarat aggravated their fear.

The RJD in Bihar and SP in Uttar Pradesh, which could emerge as a
political force on the basis of caste politics took advantage of the
situation and aggressively propagated against the danger of Hindu
communalism. The Muslims found in them as the saviour of their
religious identity and accordingly went for collective but tactical
voting with a sole objective to defeat the BJP. Their tactical voting
was based on the ground assessment at constituency level about the
strength of the party or candidate to defeat the BJP. They supported
Samajwadi Party of Mulayam Singh and BSP of Ms Mayawati in Uttar
Pradesh and RJD of Laloo Yadav in Bihar. The Congress replayed its
political game of pragmatic communalism in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh,
which was however counter productive due to significant consolidation
of Hindu voters in favour of BJP.

Despite the preference of the Muslims for the non-BJP parties to whom
they had voted for, the plight of the community remained the same, as
these parties hardly did anything to rescue them from their
educational and economic backwardness. The Muslim leaders on the other
hand continued treating the community as a marketable commodity and
bargaining with different political parties in election time for their
individual benefits.

The consistent disappointing situation of the Indian Muslims perhaps
prompted the BJP leaders to think in term of gaining their confidence.
Despite the success of the party in recently concluded assembly
elections and the acclaimed "feel good" scenario, they were not sure
of increasing their electoral gains of 13th Lok Sabha poll in the
14th Lok Sabha election. They realised that the party could not afford
to ignore the Muslims that constitute second largest religious
majority. To rule over one billion population of the country on its
own without taking the Muslim voters into confidence may remain a
remote possibility against unlikely consolidation of Hindu votes in
party's favour due to the diverse character of Indian society. They
considered it necessary to win over the confidence of the Muslims in
ensuing Lok Sabha election and accordingly the tactical shift of the
party from Hindutva to development was a move also to woo the Muslim
voters. This is a major shift in the history of over half a century of
party's electoral politics.

A.B. Vajpayee while addressing a BJP-led convention for development of
minorities (New Delhi, February 25, 2004) made an appeal to the
Muslims to shed their hate BJP mindset, judge the party on the basis
of its performance during last five years of its governance, come out
of their fear psychosis, think independently and asked them to vote
with a free mind. L.K.Adwani on the other hand appealed to them (New
Delhi, March 3, 2004) to " beware of vote bank peddlers and
concentrate on education". He also said, "Many problems arise today
because Muslims have so far only been thought of in terms of votes. I
am happy that Friday holiday (earlier granted by Mulayam Singh, Chief
Minister of U.P. since withdrawn) was first criticised by
Muslims" (Pioneer dated March 5, 2004). Promod Mahajan, General
Secretary of the party made an honest admission that "the BJP too, has
realised it cannot rule one billion people without the participation
of 120 million of them (Muslims)". He added, "The BJP and the Muslims
have realised their folly in excluding each other from their scheme of
things" (Ibid.). The RSS, the parent organisation of the BJP is no
more found having any obsession to the hand of friendship extended by
the BJP to the Muslims. The Sangh Parivar is reportedly serious to
discuss and remove misconception from the mind of Muslims against
them.

It is difficult to predict whether the Muslims would respond to the
appeal of Vajpayee in the coming Lok Sabha election or not. Some of
the critics of Vajpayee including from within the Sangh Parivar have
criticised the move also as an appeasement. "With the best of
intention, both Gandhi and Nehru failed to win over Muslims. It would
be a miracle if Mr. Vajpayee succeeds where icons of India
failed" (Pioneer dated March 3, 2004). They are of the view that
despite his best efforts Mahatma Gandhi failed to win over the
confidence of Muslims to prevent partition.

There may be some logic in the criticism of Vajpayee for his new
gesture towards the Muslims but the open admission of the party
leaders that they cannot ignore the second largest religious group of
population is a reality of contemporary politics. It has at least
prompted the Muslims to lend their ears to the emotional appeal of
Vajpayee that " the time has come to talk to the BJP". Though, only a
limited section in the community has at least viewed the new gesture
of Vajpayee in positive manner, the well meaning people are found it
as an encouraging signal for improving the Hindu-Muslim relation. His
appeal has seemingly hit the mental nerve of the community members.

Encouraged with the new gesture of Sangh Parivar some sections of
Muslims are found responding positively. They are learnt to have even
offered suggestions for "inclusion in the BJP's political agenda free
education to girls up to graduation level and modernisation of
Madrasas". Some of the Muslim leaders are either found joining the
BJP or hobnobbing with the party to come closer to it. They have
perhaps realised that the "secular" parties had only exploited the
community for vote but were hardly serious for their educational and
economic developments.

Arif Mohammad Khan, former Minister in Rajiv Gandi government of
Congress (I) and a defeated hero of famous Shahbano case and Anwarul
Haq, RJD M.P. from Bihar have joined the BJP. Similarly, a senior
Congress leader Ms Najma Heptullah, Deputy Chairperson of Rajya Sabha
has praised Vajpayee for which she has faced the wrath of her party
leadership. Arif Mohammad said, "It was my mistake that for decades I
ignored Atalji's (Vajpayee) hand of friendship. I failed to sense the
sincerity of his approach. Why should I blame others. It was my grave
error too, that I rejected his hand" (Organiser dated March 7, 2004).
Ms Heptullah remarked, " Vajpayee, a good man, who thinks of the
nation". She added, "Vajpayee is a leader, you can trust. The
Congress leadership has lost that respect" (Ibid.).

The BJP is contesting the 14th Lok Sabha election on an "India
Shining" plank. How far the folly of the party as realised by the top
leaders of a party that is commonly viewed as anti-Muslims and the
soft gesture of some of the Muslim leaders would attract their
community voters in favour of the BJP - only time will say. But the
way these Muslim leaders have either joined the party or are found in
the process of soul searching exercise seems to be an encouraging
development towards communal harmony in the country. Besides, the
slogan of the BJP has at least blunted the sharpness of the aggressive
assault of the "secular" parties against Hindutva to some extent. If
the new initiative of the BJP leaders works to change the Muslim
opinion about their tactical voting against them, the party may get
direct or indirect benefit out of it.

Historically, the conflictual relation between the Hindus and the
Muslims is an inescapable fact in the political developments in the
Indian subcontinent. However, the political leadership in Independent
India never took serious note to resolve the consistent bitter
relation between the two major religious communities. In one hand the
political parties continuously scared the community against the
imaginary danger to their religious identity at the hands of the Hindu
nationalists, on the other hand the leaders of the community never
allowed them to integrate in Indian society. The reason behind their
economic, educational and social backwardness was never an issue of
concern for either the political or community leadership.

With his long political experience Vajpayee realised the diversity of
Hindutva and perhaps ruled out the possibility of the political
consolidation of Hindus as a vote bank to counter Muslim vote bank. If
his appeal could break the strong locker of Muslim vote bank being
operated by the "secular" parties for last 57 years and free the
community to exercise their franchise conscientiously, it will be a
great service to the Indian society and help in bringing harmonious
relation between the Hindus and the Muslims.

The medieval mindset of the Muslims as a distinct political community
was a communal interpretation of history. Isolating themselves from
the social and political mainstream national current, the Muslims
failed to develop their national identity due to their economic and
educational backwardness. Social identity is closely linked with
educational and economic identity for which religion hardly has any
role to play. There are sizeable members in the community, who have
full faith in democracy but their voice is so feeble and weak that
they are unable to bring out their community from their religion-
centric identity. In a wider context of Indian society, modernisation
of Muslims is possible only with their educational and economic
development. But assertive institutionalisation of the communal
distinctiveness of the Muslims by their leaders obstructed them to
think independently about their overall development as a part of
Indian society as a whole. They in fact created a myth about the fear
of the cultural absorption of the Muslims by Hindu majority.

The sum and substance of the discussion is confined to the socio-
political triangle of the BJP, the non-BJP and the Muslims. Of them
the BJP has "realised its folly". The party also claims the same
realisation by the Muslims but the Muslim masses in general and larger
section of their leaders is yet to endorse this claim. No other party
is so far ready to accept that there has been any folly on its part.
The message in Vajpayee's appeal to the Muslims is certainly thought
provoking and it is time that all the three hands of the triangle come
out in one platform and admit their follies and resolve the conlictual
problem between the Hindus and the Muslims. If all the political
parties rake up the issues related to the social, economic and
educational identity of the Muslims for their integration with
national identity, it will have a far reaching impact in bringing the
communal harmony between the Hindus and the Muslims.

(E-mail :ramas...@rediffmail.com)
http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/%5Cpapers10%5Cpaper950.html

The divisive vote-bank politics
by Deepak Kamat ~ February 29th, 2008. Filed under: Uncategorized.
Why anti-Brahminism is as bad as anti-Dalitism?
Belgian historian Koenraad Elst described anti-Brahminism as the
Indian equivalent of anti-semitism.
“Pope Gregory XV (1621-23) decreed that the missionaries could
tolerate caste distinction among Christian converts; but by and large,
caste remained an effective hurdle to the destruction of Hinduism
through conversion. That is why the missionaries started attacking the
institution of caste and in particular the brahmin caste. This
propaganda has bloomed into a full-fledged anti-brahminism, the Indian
equivalent of anti-Semitism.”
To understand the dynamics of anti-Brahminism, we will have to take a
look at caste arithmetic, history and the social nature of Hindu
society.
Census based on caste is banned in India since castes are not
encouraged in public. The last census on caste was taken in the year
1931. At that time, brahmins comprised 4 percent of the population.
Many estimate that it may have shrunk given the hostile atmosphere in
which Brahmins live. However, the percentage of SCs and STs and OBCs
have been made available following the reservation scheme. The SCs,
STs and OBCs together form 75 percent of Indian population as per data
from Mandal Commission records.
Caste wise demographics:
Scheduled Caste 16 percent
Scheduled Tribe 7percent
Other Backward Caste 2 percent
Muslims 13 percent
Sikhs 2 percent
Chrisians 2 percent
Jains & Buddhists 1 percent
Brahmins 4 percent (as per 1931 census)
Others 3 or 4 percent
From this is obvious that KHAM (Kshatriya, Harijan, Adivasi and
Muslim) combination would work out to more than 90 percent. So it is
natural for the Congress and the secular parties to woo this combine
by demonizing the Brahmins on the charges that lower castes have been
exploited by Brahmins for centuries. This forms the central crux of
the anti-brahmin argument. Besides it is very safe to be an anti-
Brahmin since the Brahmins are docile and don’t hit back. Just imagine
what would happen if other castes and other religions were targeted.
While there is no denying the Brahmin atrocities and the need for
uplifting the Dalits, the other side of the coin has to be factored
too. The effects of anti-Brahminism has been disastrous for the
Bharathiya psyche. It is a gross distortion of history and it
undermines Brahmin sacrifices in ensuring the nation’s continuity.
Remember, the Brahmins have played a stellar role in preserving
India’s heritage which have been fully acknowledged by Swami
Vivekananda and Gandhi. However, this contribution has not just been
ignored but negated by our eminent left historians.
To understand the reason why Hindus survived the Islamic conquests we
have to study the fall of Buddhism too. This is what B R Ambedkar
wrote on the fall of Buddhism in India following Islamic invasion:
“The Musalman invaders sacked the Buddhist Universities of Nalanda,
Vikramshila, Jagaddala, Odantapuri to name only a few. They raised to
the ground Buddhist monasteries with which the country was studded.
The monks fled away in thousands to Nepal, Tibet and other places
outside India. A very large number were killed outright by the Muslim
commanders. How the Buddhist priesthood perished by the sword of the
Muslim invaders has been recorded by the Muslim historians themselves.
Summarizing the evidence relating to the slaughter of the Buddhist
Monks perpetrated by the Musalman General in the course of his
invasion of Bihar in 1197 AD, Mr. Vincent Smith says, “….Great
quantities of plunder were obtained, and the slaughter of the ’shaven
headed Brahmans’, that is to say the Buddhist monks, was so thoroughly
completed, that when the victor sought for someone capable of
explaining the contents of the books in the libraries of the
monasteries, not a living man could be found who was able to read
them. ‘It was discovered,’ we are told, ‘that the whole of that
fortress and city was a college, and in the Hindi tongue they call a
college Bihar.’ “Such was the slaughter of the Buddhist priesthood
perpetrated by the Islamic invaders. The axe was struck at the very
root. For by killing the Buddhist priesthood, Islam killed Buddhism.
This was the greatest disaster that befell the religion of the Buddha
in India….”
According to Arun Shourie, Hinduism survived largely because of
Brahminism: He says: “For the Hindus, every Brahmin was a potential
priest. No ordination was mandated. Neither anything else. Every
household carried on rituals — oblations, recitation of particular
mantras, pilgrimages, each Brahmin family made memorizing some Veda
its very purpose…. By contrast, Buddhism had instituted ordination,
particular training etc. for its priestly class. Thus, when the
invaders massacred Brahmins, Hinduism continued. But when they
massacred the Buddhist monks, the religion itself was killed.”
The priestly Brahmin class managed to preserve India’s spiritual
traditions despite ethnic cleansing and genocides. This is not to
undermine the contribution of other castes who had played their role
by refusing to convert despite their low stature. It is high time that
the Brahmin is seen for what he is rather than being demonized.
Social dimensions of Brahmin today: French journalist Francois Gautier
says: Rampant anti-Brahmanism, first used by the Muslim invaders, then
by the British colonialists and missionaries, is still in vogue at the
hands of Nehruvians, Marxists, Indian Christians and politicians in
search of the votes of Dalits and Muslims, which combined together
make and unmake prime ministers.
Gautier had published an article in Rediff.com – Brahmins as Dalits of
Today — stating that several young Brahmins were working in Sulab
Toilets as toilet cleaners, sweepers et al (a job that is usually
arrogated to the lower caste Dalits.)
Though Gautier had given this information to the Indian media, they
started avoiding him, refused to publish it and some even criticized
him as a “RSS stooge”. Certainly when editors, intellectuals and
intelligentsia of the day bear anti-brahmin bias and refuse to look at
reality, it is a tragedy of the society besides a slur on journalistic
tradition which preaches objectivity. Remember, Brahmins are always
projected as a fat, rich arrogant community. The selective amnesia of
the media when it comes to Brahmin poverty is breathtaking. Is it not?
Sri Aurobindo wrote: ‘A Brahmin was a Brahmin only if he cultivated
the spiritual temperament and acquired the spiritual training which
alone would qualify him for the task.’
Says Gautier, “Thanks to the lingering influence of Nehruvianism,
‘Brahmins’ remain today a dirty word, even in the face of reality:
that Dalits have considerably come up since 1947 in Indian society,
that no nation in the world has done so much for its underprivileged
(India had a Dalit President — did the US ever have a Black
President?). But the intellectual elite of India, which never mentions
these facts, continues to hide its face in the sand like an ostrich,
refusing to see the reality.”
Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, the founder of the Sulabh Shauchalaya Movement
remarks: ‘Society sustained the Brahmins and other upper castes
earlier, who upheld the Hindu scriptures and Hindu culture. Today
Hinduism is on the decline day-by-day. There is a lack of ancient
knowledge. No political party has objected to reservation thanks to
vote-bank politics. People have a very short memory. They have
forgotten the contribution made by Brahmins to our society.’
And who says that Brahmins and other upper castes are anti-Dalits.
Some of India’s top avatars, saints and gurus were of low caste and
are still worshipped today by all upper castes. Valmiki, the composer
of the Ramayana, was a fisherman; Ved Vyasa, the epic poet of the
Mahabharata, which also contains the Bhagavad Gita, the Bible of
Future Humanity, was the son of a fisherwoman; Krishna was from the
shepherd’s caste. And are not today’s Amritanandamayi or Satya Sai
Baba of low caste birth? Don’t they have millions of Indians, many of
them from upper castes, bowing down to them?
Anti-Brahmanism has to be stopped! This inter-caste war, triggered by
the politicians’ greed for votes, has to be defused.
Brahmins and Manu Smrithies: Manu Smrithies are the most effective
tool used for Brahmin bashing. However, what is not pointed out is
that Manu Smrithi has no validity in Hindu soceity. Manu Smriti is
part of Samaja Dharma (which is like a constitution which was valid
only during a certain period of time). Hindus have more faith in
Sanatana Dharma (texts like Bhagavad Gita). According to several other
scholars, the Manu Smrithies suffer from interpolation and cannot be
relied upon. Most of the Hindus are ignorant about Manu Smrithies and
tend to rely more upon classical texts like the Bhagavad Gita.
It is these alien intellectuals who have selected obscure passages
from Manu Smrithies and are demonising a largely peaceful community.
They do not point out other scriptures like the Gita where the Brahmin
is described as a person in whom you find “truthfulness, generosity,
absence of hatred, modesty, goodness and self-restraint.” Appreciating
Brahmins is taboo in India.
What these intellectual worthies do not realise is that most of the
Dalit reformers were Brahmins too. This only proves that brahmins are
open to reforms and committed to justice.
A smritis, or code of conduct composed by sage Atri defines
brahminhood very clearly.”By birth, every man is a Shudra (an ignorant
person). Through various types of disciplines (samskaras), he becomes
a dwija (twice born). Through the studies of scriptures, he becomes a
vipra (or a scholar). Through realization of supreme spirit
(brahmajnana), he becomes a brahmin.”
http://greathindu.com/2008/02/the-divisive-vote-bank-politics/

Antulay and Karkare: playing the Muslim Vote bank politics
Desh's blog 91 reads [STUMBLE]
Posted on December 20th, 2008

At a Cabinet meeting in mid-July of 2006, two ministers, Arjun Singh
and Abdul Rehman Antulay suggested that terror attacks in Mumbai then
were the handiwork of Hindus and not Muslims (and therefore had no
links to Pakistan). At that time Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Indian PM had
asked them to "refrain from raising “divisive issues” in the Cabinet
before bringing them to his attention."[1]

AR Antulay, as he is popularly known, did an encore this week. He
raised the issue of Hemant Karkare's death to suggest that he may have
been killed because of some kind of "behind the scenes" work of Hindu
groups.

Now, the Indian Government has - based on the Constable Arun Jadhav's
statement, who was shot but alive and on interrogations from Kasab -
said that Karkare, Kamte and Salaskar were killed when the terrorists
opened fired on their vehicle. For Antulay to now come out and say
stuff contradictory to what his own Government has been saying betrays
mischief on part of either the Government or Antulay.[3]

Karkare, Kamte and Salaskar were all stationed outside the CST after
news came in of indiscriminate firing at the busy railway station,
said the constable. Soon, there was another report of two terrorists
having fled from the station and barging into Madam Cama hospital
behind the BMC headquarters.

All three officers decided to rush to Cama hospital. They piled into a
Toyota Qualis, belonging to ACP Bhalerao, and made a dash for the
hospital. Just as the vehicle reached the rear premises of the
hospital, the two terrorists came running out. Seeing the approaching
Qualis, they fired on it with their AK47 rifles. The officers did not
have any time to react and were instantly felled by multiple bullet
hits.

Interestingly, Pakistan's game of obfuscation and confusion rests on
MERELY (and ONLY) the so-called "circumstantial evidence" - the timing
issue, as if the threat to Hemant Karkare was only ONE dimensional.

It is somehow being projected that Hemant Karkare was some kind of an
unknown guy whiling away his time in the force and suddenly hit upon
this Malegaon investigation and so that was the ONLY threat he faced
in life! If he was in Anti-terrorism Squad, then the chances are that
he may have made enough enemies.

- So why single out ONE of the many?
- Or are we suggesting that is the ONLY worthwhile thing he did in his
entire life?
- Or that the other enemies were somewhat benevolent and no matter
what Karkare may have tried to do against them, they would have no
grudge?

Just as a matter of record - Hemant Karkare was ALSO involved in
probes related to Naxalite-infested Chandrapur district of Maharashtra
and had worked in RAW in Austria for 7 years in a secret mission.[2]

Also, and VERY significantly, in an email dated August 23, Indian
Mujahideen had singled out Hemant Karkare as a guy on their hit list.
The email said - "Let us notify you, especially the top officials of
the ATS like Hemant Karkare and allies that our line of attack has
already been masterminded for you."[4]

Now, Pakistani media and "analysts" are backing Antulay up and in
Indian polity that is euphemism for Muslim support.. as if what is
good for Pakistanis is also good of Indian Muslims.[5] That AR Antulay
is a Muslim is bad enough! But probably that is what Antulay is
playing with.. he is in no mood to retract his statement and has been
getting secret support of other parties who play Muslim vote bank
politics regularly. This will put Congress in a bind - as it is angry
at him but may not be able to throw him out as well![6]

Antulay is no stranger to playing the Muslims card and being a
"Minister of Minorities Affairs", I would be VERY interested in
knowing how much of funds were used for Muslims versus OTHER
Minorities?! If my experience of UP Minorities board is any
indication, then in India minority usually simply equals Muslims. It
may be good for some but I think it is very retrograde and communal
thinking!

1. Pak hand, says NSA; Arjun, Antulay have a different take
2. Hemant Karkare - Wikipedia
3. 3 rode to death in same car
4. Indian Mujahideen had warned Karkare, ATS in emails
5. Support for Antulay building in Pakistan
6. Antulay's conspiracy theory enrages Congress
http://drishtikone.com/?q=blog/antulay-and-karkare-playing-muslim-vote-bank-politics

India's foreign policy and Muslim vote bank

By Ghulam Muhammed <Ghulam_m...@yahoo.co.in>

The Milli Gazette

Mumbai: A debate is on, targeting Mulayam Singh Yadav, in the wake of
coming UP assembly elections, as to how Samajwadi party is playing
with the security of the nation while courting the Muslim vote bank,
when it declares its intention not to break ties with Iran in the
manner our newly acquired 'strategic partner' - the USA demands of us,
under threat of consequences.

In fact, this poser of alternative - vote bank politics and national
security - is merely a red herring. The word - vote-bank as used
especially for Muslim voters' mass commitment to a single political
party, is traditionally used by the Congress opposition as a
pejorative. In fact, forming a vote bank is just like forming a
political party or forum or front. It is the very essence of democracy
in action, however otherwise the fascists may take it.

On the other hand, the current debate on foreign policy has very grave
consequences for India, both in internal and external dimensions. As
is clear from vigorous opposition to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's
personal initiative to completely lock up India's foreign policy with
that of the United State, the subject concerns all and not just the
Brahmanical minority that rides roughshod over rest of the Indians.
Manmohan Singh's single-handed negotiation with the US over civilian
nuclear cooperation with India, resulting in a virtual veto for the US
over India's foreign policies and its sovereign right of freedom to
decide its own strategies on war and peace, depending on changing
times in the future, is too obvious to be missed as a greatest blunder
India could make.

The US has a longer term plan for a NEW WORLD ORDER, which is a public
document giving out America's hegemonist agenda in the rest of the
world. To commit India to a distinct and unchangeable role in the US /
ISRAELI NEW WORLD ORDER, with serious impediments and consequences for
any possible change of course if so desired or necessitated in the
future, is something that concerns each and every citizen of this
democratic nation of India.

The whole process of India's negotiation with the US, without any
prior reference to Parliament or the people of the nation, is sheer
negation of all norms of democracy. How can a cabal at the top decide
such important changes in India's long-term security commitments
without taking the people into full confidence and without exhaustive
debate and even special referendum? The US audacity and arrogance and
glimpse of the future level of give and take was quite visible when
ordinary individual Congressmen, could demand India, on pain of
consequences, to abide by US interest in boycott of Iran, during a
vote in IAEA. There is no prior understanding between the two nations
on this subject. Just a phone call and Indian government was forced to
change its declared policy and vote against Iran. And this even before
any agreement on the nuclear deal was even put to vote in US Congress,
US was openly blackmailing India. This was an ample proof that as is
its wont, US is not willing to give any quarter to its partners, when
it comes to its own national interest and even if clashes with the
obvious and clear interest of its partners. India and Iran have long
relationship and India depends on Iran for its fuel needs. It has
future plans to develop further sources of gas supplies from Iran to
India. All had been summarily thrown out of window and US gets its way
on Iran vote. Naturally, the people of India are aghast at this turn
of events. The Muslim factor was brought in, later to confuse the
issue. Though India's special relationship is still sticking out as a
sore thumb and India public, except for the Hindutva political lobby,
is not willing to see India being humiliated into turning Iran into a
foe. Tomorrow, the US may ask its 'strategic partners' to join its
forces attacking Iran. Why should India toe the line and abide by the
US list of friends and foes and why not it keep its freedom to deal
with its neighbors and rest the world, in the best interest of its
own. The more ironical part is that America has all the freedom to
change its relationship with Iran and make peace in an instant, while
India will be left out to deal with a jilted Iran in any such future
happenstance. As is the norms in the East, this India and Iran enmity
could last for ages.

Why India should enter into any such binding and suffocating
relationship without the other side being made aware of our
sensitivities and the limits of our commitments.
The question of Muslim vote bank impacting India's foreign policy is
relevant in another equally important dimension. There happens to be a
distinct contrast between inclinations of a 4% Brahmin minority and
another 15% Muslim minority. In the caste war erupting all over the
political arena, Brahmins are getting more and more isolated, while
the quantum of Muslim population has started to be viewed as free from
its earlier bondage to Congress and easily accessible to lower caste
political groupings. Muslims, even though without any meaningful
participation in political, administrative and foreign affairs of the
nation till now, being completely sidelined and ostracized by the
Congress Brahmins, have their natural sense of brotherhood with a
sizable mass of Muslim nations in India's immediate neighborhood. If
instead of the 4% Brahmins, the 15% Muslims could line up rest of the
country behind them, even on merit, India will have much closer
relationship with its Muslim neighbors and the whole of Middle East
and Africa. The Brahmin foreign policy binds India to Israel and
results in a different set of isolationist and confrontationist policy
that is counter to India's ethos and its freedom of choice.

The kind of foreign investments flooding India from the US and its
cronies from all around the world is peanuts if compared to the
investible funds available with the gulf countries. However, India's
Brahmins with their pathological apathy against Islam and Muslims
could hardly be prepared to let Arabs invest in India, even though
Arab investment would never have come with such onerous terms as the
US imposes.

It would not be a far fetched conjecture to imagine that the haste
with which Indian Brahmins have concluded such a one-sided strategic
partnership agreement with the US and bringing in Israel in a big way
into the India's national and internal security set-up, is the direct
threat of Muslim vote bank slipping from the Brahmanical political
parties to the coalition parties from the lower caste grouping.

It is time, Muslim leadership figure out the wider implications of its
voting Brahmins into power once again.

«

Latest Indian Muslim Islamic News

Latest Indian Muslim Organisation Press Releases / Statements

http://www.milligazette.com/dailyupdate/2006/200612233_India_foreign_policy_Muslim_vote_bank.htm

Politics over Economics — putting reforms in backseat
We may praise them, we may criticize them...but it's a fact that
India's eco-politics has had its share of successes and blunders on
its way to where we stand now. Time to time political stands attracted
bitter criticism on whether protection of the economy was in fact
truly based on long-run comparative advantage, or whether it was
determined by other, more political motives.

India's political system has, on many occasions, been unable to grab
the given opportunities either due to lack of knowledge or because of
political motivation. In the early 1990s when firms like Motorola
approached us for facilities to set up manufacturing operations in
India, we declined. China welcomed them and the fruits of this
association is evident today.

The need of the hour is reforms, the need of the hour is innovation.
There is a difference between keeping an elephant and carrying an
elephant on the shoulders.

I strongly believe that instead of subsidies and free wares we need to
engage them in sectors like biofuels, bamboo cultivation and products,
and medicinal plants. Each of these can engage millions. These are
policies that will not hurt the economy and all the same provide them
the much-needed regular flow of income. Similarly, projects that
entail huge earthworks including gram sadak projects, the linking of
rivers will be able to absorb millions who may be dislocated and at
the same time unleash the country’s productive potential. They are the
real social security that will take the nation's economy to unscaled
heights.

Political parties need to rise above political equations and vote-
banks. We can't defer reforms for the forthcoming elections.

Having said that however, politics is also not without economics. The
government-run railways are running in profit, the navaratnas are
running in profit, many other sectors too are. Why? I would say they
have brought in place reforms and innovative ways to become
profitable.

Recently when I was in Gujarat, I saw a new trend emerging there. With
a view to attracting several overseas companies to set up base in the
state and to provide job opportunities to locals, the State government
has taken up an ambitious project called SCOPE (Society for Creation
of Opportunity through Proficiency in English) to empower the masses
to acquire basic communication skills. The government has understood
and recognized the fact that manpower is its strongest area and for
that they need to possess good communication skills. This is
innovation!

Economic strength is itself power. We need added thrust to reforms and
that too without delay. The more we delay the process, the greater the
lead that others will get over us.

So will our policy-makers play their old game in keeping a part of the
society handicapped and play vote-bank politics or will they bring in
reforms, all the same including the larger section of the society? The
answers we will have to seek within ourselves!

Bikky Khosla
CEO
Tradeindia.com
http://www.tradeindia.com/newsletters/archive/newsletter_4_sep_2007_505.html

Get rid of vote bank politics
Author: Prafull Goradia
Publication: The Hindustan Times
Date: February 21, 2003
It's time for the BJP to present its preparatory campaign for the
assembly elections that are to be held this year. However, it must be
understood that Gujarat cannot be re-enacted in any of these states.
The ghastly provocation provided at Godhra on February 27, 2002, made
the people furious, but did not win the Gujarat polls for the Hindutva
party. The VHP's activities helped mobilise sections of the people,
but the BJP did not win 126 seats riding on anyone's shoulders. The
BJP's trump card in Gujarat was Narendra Modi, the like of whom no
other state has produced. By the time the campaigning officially
began, the contest had ceased to be between political parties. The
issue had become Modi versus terrorism, in every way exclusively a
Gujarat phenomenon.

Nevertheless, the BJP can have decisive victories in Himachal Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan provided it
charts out a winning strategy and pursues it with boldness. It needs
to be far-sighted and simultaneously aim for the 2004 Lok Sabha
election. It's too premature to decide which version of Hindutva the
BJP should adopt. After all, the BJP also has to consider the opinion
of its NDA partners. The emphasis should be on governance rather than
on ideology.

Illegal migrants or infiltrators, especially from Bangla-desh, are a
case of the poorer undercutting the poor. In West Bengal, in
particular, one comes across any number of such complaints -
incidentally, many more from Muslims than Hindus. Take a tailor - who
in Bengal is most often a Muslim - who would normally earn Rs 100 per
day. But a tailor migrating from Bangladesh is prepared to work for Rs
75.

Another example is of one Mehboob Ali in Burdwan, who belongs to a
family of masons, each of whom earned Rs 60 per day in 1995.
Thereafter came several families of masons from Mymensingh who were
prepared to work for Rs 40 per day. Communist parties welcome such
infiltrators - first giving them ration cards, then listing them in
the electoral rolls - as they later become loyal voters.

In this endeavour to expand their electorate, the Marxist hearts cease
to beat for the poor and it twists the demand for halting illegal
migration into a communal bias. This is not true, as a Muslim
landowner is as worried of Bangladeshi squatters as is a Hindu. Fear
abounds in the border areas of 24-Parganas and Murshidabad, right up
to West Dinajpur and Jalpaiguri. This partly explains why the Lok
Sabha MP from Nadia on the Bangladesh border was elected on a BJP
ticket.

The Congress plays along with the communists in the mistaken belief
that any opposition to these migrants would hurt Muslim sentiments. To
what extent the grand old party can go to placate these sentiments is
illustrated by Illegal Migrants Determination by Tribunals Act (IMDT),
1983, a legislation authored by the Congress for Bangladeshi
infiltrators. Amazingly, this act applies only to the state of Assam
and the rest of India works under the Foreigners Act, 1946.

The IMDT was made into law by the Indira Gandhi government in 1983,
soon after the election to the Assam assembly. It was so framed as to
make it almost impossible to deport any foreigner from Assam. Its most
outstanding feature was that the burden of proving that a person was a
foreigner was on the complainant who claimed that the particular
person was an illegal migrant. The Foreigners Act, 1946, puts the
burden of proof rightly on the suspect. Also, Section 8 of the IMDT
provides that any person may complain. But it is conditional that the
alleged illegal migrant must reside within three kilometres from the
residence of the complainant. And, the procedure prescribed for
detection of an illegal migrant is elaborate and time-consuming. The
BJP should promise a repeal of this discriminatory law.

Another promise that would be useful to the electoral campaign is
nationalisation of the wakf. However pious its origin, over the
centuries, it has deteriorated into an instrument of exploitation.
Asaf A.A. Fyzee, in Outlines of Muhammadan Law (OUP, 1999), has
written: "Wakf is a permanent foundation for a religious or pious
object; the corpus belongs to God and cannot be consumed." A religious
motive is the origin of the legal fiction that wakf property belongs
to Almighty God. The most common objective initially was to pay the
staff at mosques and to endow schools and hospitals with funds.
Unfortunately, in India now, most wakfs are in favour of the wakif's
(founder of a wakf) family, children and descendants.

Little wonder that the Caliph, way back in 1917, thought it necessary
to abolish the institution of the wakf in the entire Ottoman empire.
Many Muslim countries, including Egypt, Algeria and Morocco, have no
wakfs. In India, the institution enjoys a unique advantage in that it
is above all other laws. For example, the Urban Land Ceiling Act
cannot apply to wakf properties.
During the raj, an appeal went up to the Privy Council which then
served as the apex court for the British empire. In delivering its
judgment, Lords Watson, Hobhouse and Shand and Sir Richard Couch
described "the wakf as a perpetuity of the worst and the most
pernicious kind and would be invalid".

A large number of madrasas have been established in India, especially
on its borders with Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. Regrettably, the
madrasas focus on teaching of religious subjects and overlook the
secular education that is so essential for earning one's livelihood.
Lately, the madrasas have gained notoriety for being breeding grounds
for jehadis and terrorists. The Pakistan government has clamped down
on the proliferation of madrasas in that country by insisting on their
registration. There is no reason why the BJP should not insist on the
same for the existing madrasas here and the necessity of prior
permission for opening new ones.

All in all, for the present, the BJP should deport at least a thousand
proven illegal migrants every month across the Bangladesh border. The
party should declare its intentions to repeal the IMDT. It should
promise to nationalise the wakfs, apart from monitoring madrasas.

http://www.hvk.org/articles/0203/254.html

PRESS RELEASES
December 23, 2006
PDF Format

BHARATIYA JANATA PARTY
National Council Meeting
23 & 24 December 2006

Sri Sundar Singh Bhandari Parisar
Lucknow

Resolution on
The UPA Government's vote-bank politics

The National Council of the Bharatiya Janata Party records the
country's growing condemnation of the Congress-led UPA Government's
vote-bank politics, particularly its practice of communal appeasement.
In attempting to make political gains, the Congress and its allies are
pursuing policies that are turning Indian against Indian, kindling
divisive identities, jeopardising the country's social cohesion and
compromising national security. The BJP is concerned that the
Government's short-sighted approach will have a bearing on the
integrity of India. In courting popular support, the Congress has
destroyed all the norms governing political mobilisation and turned a
blind eye to national interests.

Competitive appeasement

The recklessness of the Congress and its allies is born of expediency.
The UPA Government lacks coherence in economic and foreign policy; its
approach to India's larger strategic goals, including nuclear policy,
is beset with contradictions. The squabbling fractions of the UPA are
joined together by a competitive commitment to narrow sectarian
politics, particularly aimed at the Muslim community.

The past year has witnessed the Congress President, the Prime
Minister, senior Union ministers and key political figures in the
states trying to outdo each other in offering sops to Muslims—
regardless of its damaging consequences.

Communalisation of development

Earlier, the wooing of the Muslim community was couched in the
language of minority welfare. Today, the UPA Government has shed its
camouflage and is explicitly courting the Muslim community alone. The
Rajinder Sachar Committee was appointed by the Prime Minister to
inquire into the conditions of the Muslim community. At the National
Development Council meeting, the Prime Minister declared that the
Muslim community has "first claim" on India's development resources.

The BJP condemns this communalisation of the Government's development
programme and the use of religious identity to apportion taxpayers'
money. The Congress has initiated an unhealthy, divisive and
potentially dangerous political trend.

A shameful record

The slide towards Muslim appeasement began with the installation of
the UPA Government in May 2004. The notable examples include:

• The dismissal of four Governors appointed by the erstwhile NDA
Government on the ground that they had links with the RSS.

• The inclusion, for the first time since Independence, of a Muslim
League representative in the Union Council of Ministers.

• The attempt to shield the perpetrators of the 2002 arson attack in
Godhra by the illegal appointment of the Bannerjee Committee by the
Railway Ministry, despite the existence of a Commission of inquiry.
Predictably, the Bannerjee committee declared that the death of the
pilgrims inside a railway compartment was an accident and not the
result of a pre-meditated attack.

• The illegal immigration of Bangladeshis into eastern India has been
sanctioned and condoned by successive Congress Governments on the
grounds that the foreigners happen to be Muslims. Census figures were
sought to be doctored when they suggested a religious demographic
transformation of large parts of eastern India. The IMDT Act which was
struck down by the Supreme Court was re-introduced by the backdoor.
The Supreme Court has struck down the latest notification too.

• Vande Mataram , India's national song which inspired the freedom
movement, was dragged into controversy by the Congress following
motivated objections by narrow-minded Muslim leaders to its singing.

• The introduction of religion-based reservations. The Congress
Government of Andhra Pradesh introduced 5 per cent reservation for
Muslims in higher education; and the Centre declared that 50 per cent
of all seats in Aligarh Muslim University would be reserved for
Muslims.

• Minority educational institutions have been excluded from the
purview of the new reservations policy for Backward classes. As a
result, the existing reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes stand removed from minority institutions which are now outside
the purview of legislation. The Government has fallen back on
expediency to justify this. Whereas in the matter of education it
claims that caste is alien to Islam and Christianity, it is
simultaneously campaigning to enlarge the Scheduled Castes category to
include Muslims and Christians in employment. One of the new terms of
reference of the Ranganath Mishra Commission on linguistic minorities
was to find ways of incorporating Muslims and Christians into the
category of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The BJP believes
that such a move will encourage religious conversions. It is
significant that Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi wrote to the
President of India Protesting against the anti-conversion legislation
passed by BJP-run state governments.

• The Sachar Committee has recommended the use of nominations to
enhance representation of Muslims in government.
Soft on jihadi terror

The policy of Muslim appeasement has been taken to such dangerous
heights that the Congress-led Government has chosen to go soft on
terrorism. The Government has yielded space to jihadi elements that
are out to destroy India. The pattern of the Government's capitulation
is evident from the following:

• POTA was repealed by suggesting it was anti-Muslim. This has
adversely affected the fight against terrorism.

• The Congress and Left-dominated Kerala Assembly passed a unanimous
resolution to release the prime accused in the Coimbatore bomb blast
case.

• The Uttar Pradesh Government headed by the Samajwadi Party has not
implemented the Centre's ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India
(SIMI). Cases against prominent SIMI functionaries have been
withdrawn,

• An attempt was made by the Sachar Committee, to examine the
religious composition of the armed forces. The move was dropped after
a public outcry and protests by the army chief. In its report, the
Sachar committee has, however, justified this attempt to view the
armed forces through a religious prism.

• The death sentence awarded to Afzal Guru for his role in the attack
on Parliament on December 13, 2001, has been put on hold. The
punishment of a terrorist conspirator has been needlessly converted
into an issue of Muslim sentiment. Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad, the Chief
Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, went public with his opposition to a
judicial verdict.

• The Government has been deliberately underplaying the involvement of
both Pakistan and Pakistan-aided jihadis in terrorist incidents all
over the country. By agreeing to a joint Indo-Pakistan mechanism to
monitor terror, the UPA Government has diluted the Islamabad
declaration of January 2004 and allowed Pakistan to extricate cross-
border terrorism from the so-called peace process. It was shameful for
the Government to suggest that both India and Pakistan are victims of
terrorism.

• The UPA Government has rubbished the investigations of the Mumbai
Police Commissioner pointing to a Pakistani-role in the Mumbai blasts
of July 11. The role of Pakistan in the blasts was not even mentioned
in the Foreign Secretary-level talks in October.
The BJP perspective

The BJP believes that Muslims are an inseparable part of India. They
share with the rest of the people a common ancestry and a common
culture. Their struggle for economic prosperity, social dignity,
women's empowerment and education make them one with the rest of
India. By separating Muslim issues from the rest, the Government is
creating an artificial divide, breeding resentment and nurturing
divisive forces. In linking the fate of terrorist conspirators with
Muslim interests, the Congress and its allies are implicitly
suggesting that Muslims have a stake in terrorism aimed against the
ordinary people of India. This does nationalist Muslims a grave
injustice.

The BJP believes that all Indian citizens, regardless of language,
class and creed are equal. The party condemns the Congress Party's
assertion that some citizens are more equal than others and have first
claim on resources on the basis of their faith. The BJP believes that
equity demands special treatment and, where necessary, affirmative
action for the poor and the disadvantaged. The party, however,
repudiates the suggestion that this can be done on the basis of
religion.

The BJP notes that the Congress and many other parties flaunting their
"secular" credentials have developed a vested interest in keeping
Muslims poor, ghettoised and in a state of permanent nervousness. They
have perceived Muslims as voting fodder and not worked for their
betterment. The social disabilities of Muslim women have, for example,
never been addressed. Shah Bano and Imrana stand testimony to this
injustice to Muslim women.

The Congress, which has ruled India for 47 of the 59 years since
Independence, cannot escape responsibility for the dismal plight of
many Muslims in large parts of India. It is revealing that Muslims are
most backward in states such as Bihar and West Bengal where the most
vocal of the "secular" parties were and are in power for long.

By attempting to re-inject religion-based quotas and reservations into
India, the Congress is re-opening old wounds. The BJP would like to
remind the Indian people that it the creation of separate electorates
and the categorisation of society along religious lines which produced
a separatist mindset and led to the Partition of India in 1947. It is
precisely for this reason that the founding fathers of the Republic
kept religion out of decision-making by the state.
The Congress has been practising vote-bank politics and minorityism
for long. What began as an instrument of electoral mobilisation has
now been taken a step forward. A competitive statement war has been
unleashed among Congress ministers and their supporters to prove that
each can outdo the other in accommodating so-called Muslim interests.
If unchecked the attempt to create a special citizenship for Muslims
will pave the way for a second Partition. The BJP will resist this
dangerous drift with all the might at its command.

The Congress is playing havoc with Indian identity and nationalism.
The UPA has made Muslim appeasement and vote bank politics the
hallmark of its governance. The BJP National Council resolves to
mobilise all nationalist Indians and defeat this assault on our
nationhood.



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India’s Christians: politics of violence in Orissa
Jacob Ignatius

A wave of Hindu nationalist attacks on Christians in eastern India is
rooted in local issues of caste and conversion but also part of a
larger political strategy, says Jacob Ignatius. 1 - 09 - 2008


A catastrophic flood across the northeast Indian state of Bihar has
displaced tens of thousands of people and caused untold damage to the
meagre property and livelihoods of some of India's poorest citizens.
The challenges of delivering aid and protecting the health of those
affected by this emergency - which is spreading to the state of Assam
and across the border to Bangladesh - are immense. But alongside this
natural and humanitarian disaster, another less visible crisis has
been unfolding: attacks on India's Christians in parts of the
impoverished eastern state of Orissa.

Jacob Ignatius is an Indian who works in Britain as a software
engineer.
On 29 August 2008, 45,000 Christian schools were closed across India
to protest against the anti-Christian violence that had affected
(mainly) the Kandhamal district of Orissa in the previous week. This
was unprecedented in the history of independent India, for never
before have Christians felt so compelled to stand publicly and
unitedly against the forces of communalism in India. Moreover, the
impact of this response is heightened by the fact that Christian
schools - which provide education to both Christian and non-Christian
children - form a significant part of India's education system.

The unrest in the state of Orissa started on 23 August 2008 after the
murder of a 90-year-old rightwing Hindu nationalist leader called
Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati; four of his associates were also killed
in the attack. Although the police suspected Maoist guerrillas for the
murder, members of the radical Hindu group Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)
blamed Christians and went on the rampage - killing several people,
and destroying a Christian missionary-school, house-churches and other
buildings. The Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) estimates that
fifty people (most of them Christians) have been killed. Thousands of
Christians have fled their homes to seek shelter in the forests or
government camps. The murder of the Hindu leader is clearly
reprehensible, but this is a matter for the judicial authorities and -
even were the culprit found to be a Christian - would not justify what
effectively became an assault against an entire local Christian
community.

Among openDemocracy's articles on Indian politics and democracy:

Rajeev Bhargava, "Words save lives: India, the BJP and the
constitution" (2 October 2002)

Rajeev Bhargava, "The political psychology of Hindu nationalism" (5
November 2003)

Antara Dev Sen, "India's benign earthquake" (20 May 2004)

Rajeev Bhargava, "India's model: faith, secularism and democracy" (3
November 2004)

Meenakshi Ganguly, "India's Dalits: between atrocity and protest" (9
January 2007)

Ajai Sahni, "India and its Maoists: failure and success" (20 March
2007)

Sumantra Bose, "Uttar Pradesh: India's democratic landslip" (29 May
2007)

John Elkington, "India's third liberation" (21 August 2007)

Kanchan Lakshman, "India in Afghanistan: a presence under
pressure" (11 July 2008)

Ajai Sahni, "India after Ahmedabad's bombs" (29 July 2008)

Paul Rogers, "China and India: heartlands of global protest" (7 August
2008)

Antara Dev Sen, " India at 61: here's looking at you, kid!" (19 August
2008)
An area of tension

The latest trauma is part of a history of Hindu-Christian clashes in
Orissa over the last decade. In January 1999, the Australian
missionary Graham Staines and his two sons were burned alive while
sleeping in their jeep. Around Christmas 2007 there were Hindu-
Christian clashes that have some parallels with the latest events. The
main conflict then was between two communities: Kandh tribals (who are
mainly, though not exclusively, Hindus) and Dalit Panas (many of whom
have converted to Christianity over the years). Christian missionaries
have been active in the area for many years; with the entrance of
radical Hindu groups, vehemently opposed to the conversion of Hindus
to Christianity and cow slaughter, the potential for communal tension
has deepened.

Muslims have traditionally borne the brunt of attacks by Hindu
extremist groups but since the late 1990s there has been a marked
increase in the number of attacks on Christians. Between 1950 and
1998, only fifty anti-Christian attacks were recorded. In 2000, the
figure shot up to 100, and then rose further to at least 200 incidents
annually in 2001-05; perhaps it was no coincidence that this came
after after the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to
power at the federal level (until their defeat by the Congress-led
coalition in May 2004). In 2007, the number of attacks on Christians
exceeded 1,000 for the first time.

Hindu radicals often make the allegation - in part-excuse for the
actions of extremists - that Christians are forcibly or fraudulently
converting Hindus to Christianity. There probably are some erring
missionaries who are attracting converts by false inducements, but to
imply that all do so is inaccurate and unfair (see Subhasis Mohanty,
"Fire in Kalinga", The Pioneer, 2 September 2008). Many missionaries
do great charitable work, often providing a helping hand in areas
deeply affected by poverty.

In several Indian states governed by the BJP, anti-conversion laws are
now in place. These laws are largely intended to prevent the flow of
people from Hinduism to other faiths. Many low-caste Hindus have
converted to Christianity willingly to escape the rigid and repressive
caste system; the Dalit Panas of Orissa are an example. In this
context the anti-conversion laws - which sanction interference in a
person's right freely to choose a faith - have become a weapon used by
radical Hindus to beat Christians. In areas like Orissa, the tensions
that result are intermingled with disputes over land, legal status and
local power (see Ravik Bhattacharya, "Down the Dark Road", Indian
Express, 31 August 2008).

Christians officially constitute only 2.3% of the Indian population.
Christianity is believed to have been brought to India by St Thomas,
Christ's own apostle, to the shores of Kerala in 52 CE (common era).
Much later, colonial powers such as the British, Portuguese, Dutch and
French made strenuous efforts to convert the population. These were
usually without success; Christianity has never grown to be a dominant
religion in India and it is unlikely it ever will. Yet Hindu extremist
groups like the VHP are fixated on the issue of conversions to
Christianity - in part from dogmatic opposition to people leaving
their religious fold, in part from insecurity about members of the
lower castes trying to break free from the caste system. Hence, the
majority of attacks on Christians are directed against the formerly
low-caste converts such as the Dalit Panas of Orissa (see Biswamoy
Pati, "In a crucified state", Hindustan Times, 2 September 2008).

A strategy of fear

India is a deeply religious place where the boundaries of religion and
politics are somewhat porous. The country is not today blessed with
philanthropic politicians of the stature of Mahatma Gandhi and
Jawaharlal Nehru who always strove for communal harmony. There is a
disturbing tendency among some of their successors to exaggerate the
religious divide between communities in order to polarise voters along
religious lines and win the votes of the majority community. This can
both encourage and justify attacks on members of minority faiths, many
of which are orchestrated in advance and carried out with the
connivance of the authorities. In their aftermath, very few people are
prosecuted (see Rajeev Bhargava, "The political psychology of Hindu
nationalism", 5 November 2003).

The next Indian general election is looming - it must be held by May
2009, and could even be sooner. The BJP seems to have returned to its
policy of hard-line Hindutva (Hindu nationalism) to capture votes. The
ruling Congress Party professes commitment to India's famed
secularism, but it often fails to match action with rhetoric (see
Rajeev Bhargava, "Words save lives: India, the BJP and the
constitution", 2 October 2002). This is disappointing because to break
the cycle of communal violence more needs to be done than just issuing
statements and pointing the finger of blame at the BJP. A good start
would be consistently to bring the perpetrators of communal violence
to justice.

Hindus are in their vast majority tolerant and peaceful - as are
members of other faiths in India. It is political manipulation and
fear-mongering that turns peaceful coexistence into terrible violence,
as in Orissa. The political instigation of of anti-Christian sentiment
by the Hindu rightwing for electoral gain is another danger to Indian
democracy. In the interests of a peaceful, progressive and just India,
it must be opposed.

http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/india-s-christians-politics-of-violence-in-orissa
Bane of vote bank politics
Mon, 2008-10-13 01:08
By Allabaksh - Syndicate Features

Vote bank politics is the ugly side of Indian democracy. It surfaces
with more prominence around election time, which means practically
round the year since polls are becoming an almost annual feature in
India. That has made most people accept, perhaps grudgingly, vote bank
politics as a necessary evil.

Recently, the issue erupted with some force when the Samajwadi Party
leader, Amar Singh, tried to do an almost impossible balancing act. He
rushed to express sympathy for a slain and a much acclaimed police
inspector, M.C. Sharma, who was killed when the police raided a
‘hideout’ of terrorists in Jamia Nagar in south Delhi while
investigating the case of September 13 serial blasts in the capital.
Two suspected terrorists were also killed in the encounter. Amar Singh
presented a cheque of Rs 10 lakh to the family of late Sharma. That
gesture could not be construed as anything other than a mark of honour
for the slain police officer and recognition of his devotion to duty.

Curiously, the cheque had a discrepancy—the amount written in figures
and words did not match. According to Amar Singh’s aides, it was not a
serious matter and was just an oversight. But with the benefit of
hindsight many would question if the portly leader was really serious
in honouring the police officer.

Because in the past few days, Amar Singh has turned his attention to
the reaction among the Muslim community in Jamia Nagar which had
debunked the entire ‘encounter’ story and alleged that Sharma was not
‘martyred’ but was shot from close range by one of his colleagues. If
their version is to be believed the Delhi Police had—once again—gone
after ‘innocent’ people, made tall claims about ‘busting’ a terror
network and tried to find an undeserving ‘martyr’ from among its rank.

Amar Singh gauged the extent of ‘anger’ in the Muslim community and
realised that he must speak in support of their stand on the
‘encounter’. With its fortunes in apparent decline in its home state
(UP), the Samajwadi Party leader was desperate to do something to
please its supposedly large Muslim ‘vote bank’. In doing so he perhaps
overstepped by questioning the ‘martyrdom’ of Sharma and by raising
suspicions about the ‘encounter’.

The Sharma family is furious and decided not to accept Amar Singh’s
cheque even if he is prepared to correct the discrepancy on it. The
BJP jumped into the fray and denounced Amar Singh for touching a new
low in ‘vote bank politics’. Amar Singh’s initial gesture towards the
Sharma family got him enemies, not friends.

Since the Samajwadi Party has always claimed to watch and protect the
interests of Muslims it is hardly surprising to find Amar Singh
echoing the views of Jamia Nagar, a predominantly Muslim cluster near
Okhla. But he would have escaped some wrath of his political opponents
if he had refrained from raising a controversy about the manner of
inspector Sharma’s death. The political class with its own problem of
credibility still has a lot to do to catch up with the new trend of
scoffing at every police claim in solving a terror.

While it may be impossible to eliminate ‘vote bank politics’ public
figures like Amar Singh will be doing a great favour to our democracy
if they realise that extending this kind of politics beyond a point
harms the very community they are trying to support. Muslims in the
country are very upset because of what they perceive as a ‘campaign’
to malign the entire community in the name of fighting terrorism.
True, the community needs to purge itself of elements who have brought
a bad name to them, more since unquestionably the majority Muslims
abhor terrorism and whatever it stands for.

Acts of terrorism need investigation, which in turn means questioning
a lot of people, often a whole group. If these people live in a
community enclave it will be wrong to presume that the investigators
are after all of them. Questioning neighbours is one of the first
things the police do when investigating any crime. Of course, our
police force is still stuck in the colonial mindset and its methods of
questioning people remain as antiquated as they are offensive, even
dehumanised. It is a pity that nothing much has been done to ‘reform’
the police despite a plethora of sensible suggestions made in numerous
reports that are gathering dust in the Home Ministry’s North Block
basement.

The inadequacies in running the police force are compounded by rampant
partisan and communal politics in the country. No debate on enacting
or repealing laws to curb terrorism can begin and end without the
charge that the aim is to either ‘appease’ a section or ‘target’
another with the idea of seeing the voters polarised.

The politicians and members of the civil society have the right to
question the methods applied by the police in carrying out
investigations. At the same time, it might also be necessary for them
not to induce a section of the people to believe that they are
deliberate targets of the police. People may question the manner in
which the police investigate the Delhi blast case, but to lend support
to the charge that the police or the administration is biased against
a particular community is doing a disservice to the nation.

Shoddy police investigation methods may enrage a community; that
cannot be sufficient reason for abandoning the probe or bringing in
absurd charges like policemen killing their own colleagues to give a
band name to a community.

Muslims not only in India but also all over the world are unhappy and
worried about the bad name their community has received after 9/11.
But questioning investigations and describing every suspect arrested
after an act of terrorism as innocent cannot correct this unfortunate
situation. Terrorism is largely an ‘invisible’ enemy; looking for
‘invisible’ people may sometimes entail, unfortunate though it is,
reaching the wrong address.

- Asian Tribune -

http://www.asiantribune.com/?q=node/13676

Fettered by fear, Muslims fritter away their vote
14 Dec 2008, 0015 hrs IST, M J Akbar

Indian Muslims will get development the day they vote for development.
For sixty years they have voted out of fear, so that is what they have
got
from those they elected: the politics of fear. Fear is the menu,
recipe and diet: and the Muslim voter laps it up with the appetite of
the traumatized.

Fact and fiction are employed seamlessly in the advertising of fear. A
history of riot, and the threat from organizations like the Bajrang
Dal are sewn into wild conspiracy theories by ‘leaders’ of the
community to shape minds on the eve of an election. I could not
believe some of what I heard after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
One was utterly aghast to hear, during a public gathering of some very
worthy persons, the suggestion that we could not be sure that the
terrorists had come from Pakistan. It was an appalling exercise in
denial by mindsets that had either been unhinged or had turned utterly
manipulative.

For secular politicians, the Muslim vote comes at an easy exchange
rate. Other communities demand rice and roads. The Muslim needs
nothing more than the old ploy used to help children go to sleep:
stories of ghosts and monsters at the door.

When the community wakes up after sleepwalking to the polling booth,
and demands legitimate needs like jobs for the young and health
clinics for women, the politicians offer a large shoulder on which
they can weep. No other segment of the Indian electorate can be
appeased by a sob story.

Politicians will always maximize the spread of assets at their
disposal in the search for an extra vote; why should they waste
economic benefits on a voter who will sway to the whine of emotions
rather than take a cold count of schools and sanitation? There is now
a disconnect between Muslims and the benefits of democracy, a break
engineered by community opinion-makers who get rewarded for such
services with little dollops that wind up into their personal assets.

Fear used to be a factor with some other communities as well,
particularly Dalits and tribals. Humiliation and exploitation were a
constant of their experience. But they have moved on, either by
asserting themselves through their own political formations or by
maximizing the price of their support where parties like the BSP or
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha do not exist. The sharpest player of this
intelligent game is Mayawati. The results are evident. There is a good
study waiting to be done comparing the employment levels, educational
services and municipal services in Dalit residential areas and Muslim
areas between 1947 and 2007.

Even without empirical data I can assert that there is a sharp
improvement in the former and stagnation if not decline in the latter.
The Dalit has punished neglect. The tribal has learnt to vote on the
sensible planks of development and security: he knows that he cannot
eat rice, at whatever price it is offered, unless he is alive. The
Muslim has crawled repeatedly back into the sterile womb of fear. That
womb will deliver nothing. The midwives of this vote fatten on fees
collected by periodic declarations of false pregnancy.

Only one state is an exception: Kerala. Untroubled by the guilt of
Partition, the Malayali Muslim can rally around the banner of an All-
India Muslim League, which is a bit of a misnomer. It is not an all-
Indian organization; it is a local Muslim party. The Kerala Muslim,
with sufficient self-assurance to meet political and economic
challenges, has always behaved like an equal, which is why he is
treated like one. He has prised out the benefits of progress through
the pressure points of a democratic polity.
There could have been a similar story in Bengal, because the Marxists
are committed to both secularism and progress for the underprivileged.
They were the first to empower Bengali Muslims, through land reforms
inspired by three authentic Marxist heroes, Promode Dasgupta,
Harekrishna Konar and Jyoti Basu. That won them the loyalty of the
rural vote. But two fallow decades are forcing a shift in Muslim
sentiment; it is not ready to be taken for granted any longer.

The Bengal CPM is in a bit of a bind, perhaps because it is not
cynical enough to exploit the politics of fear with the dexterity
displayed by other parties anxious for the Muslim vote. One senses the
first stir of change in Bihar, where Nitish Kumar has begun to include
Muslims within his development-based governance. The pace may not
overly perturb a snail, but at least a process has started. But if the
voter does not honour this start with support, then it will be back to
fulmination and hot air.

Fear locks and freezes the mind. A closed mind can never liberate a
community from poverty.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Sunday_Specials/Muslims_fritter_away_their_vote/articleshow/3833792.cms

The Post Secular Age
Dr. Frank Morales, Ph.D.

(Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya)

The last two centuries have been a conspicuously unique era in the
history of the human race. For, unlike any other epoch in our
history, the last 200 years have witnessed the systematic and
seemingly unstoppable deconstruction of religion as an important
element of Western society and human culture. So seemingly successful
has the exorcism of religion from public life been since the modern
Enlightenment era, that many 20th century American scholars even went
so far as to prematurely pronounce the imminent death of religion in
our age. As events and trends in recent world history have shown us,
however, this was an exceedingly mistaken pronouncement to say the
least.



As is becoming increasingly apparent in the early years of the 21st
century, religion’s obituary may have been written somewhat
prematurely. Our current era is witnessing one of the greatest world
wide religious resurgences ever recorded in the annals of human
history. In America alone, for example, we have seen the importance
of religiously based human values ushered center stage in the
elections of 2004. And the rest of the world has not been immune to
this trend. The centrality of religion in human life and culture has
been aggressively reasserted in India, Israel, throughout the Islamic
world, and throughout the Third World especially. Only the modern
secular states of Western Europe seem, so far, to have remained
relatively untouched by the global revival of spirituality. Rather
than ushering in a new secular age, an age free from the influence of
religion, spirituality and contemplation, the evidence seems to
indicate that we are actually entering a Post Secular Age: an age
wherein religion will necessarily fill up the vacuum created by the
ruinous failure of 20th century secular materialism.



The notion that religion would meet its eventual demise (and,
according to some of the more rabidly atheistic thinkers, that it
should meet its demise) had been espoused by a large number of Western
intellectuals in the last two centuries. Perhaps the most famous of
these individuals were, what Christian theologian Martin Marty termed,
“The Bearded God-Killers” (National Public Radio, 1996). These
primarily 19th century figures included: Karl Marx, Charles Darwin,
Friedrich Nietzsche and Sigmund Freud. Mistakenly equating all human
religious expression with an enslaving opiate designed to keep the
proletariat bound by psychic chains, Karl Marx predicted both the
inevitable death of religion and the subsequent emergence of a new
atheistic world order: the Dictatorship of the Proletariat; leading to
a state of Communism. He was woefully wrong on both counts.
Similarly, Freud saw in religion the greatest threat to humanity’s
social and psychic development. Indeed, to Freud religion and
philosophy represented no more than a “...black tide of mud...”
designed solely to keep humanity enslaved in the chains of
superstition (Ernest Becker, “Denial of Death”, p. 94). Overt
atheists were not the only individuals to pronounce the imminent end
of religion.



Surrendering to the en vogue secularism of their day, even quite a few
Judeo-Christian theologians also felt that secularism would ultimately
triumph over the human religious impulse. Among these religious
leaders were several who felt that the inevitable secularization of
the world merely represented a coming of age for homo religiosus
(religious man). Included among these were theologian Harvey Cox
(author of “The Secular City”) of Harvard, and Anglican Bishop John
Robinson (who wrote “Honest to God”). Succumbing wholesale to the
seemingly unstoppable secular tide seen in 20th century history, some
shortsighted Christian theologians went so far as to declare the death
of God in the early 1960’s. If God Himself were indeed “dead”,
however, such ongoing phenomena as the belief in the importance of the
spiritual dimension of human life, religiously inspired values and
ethics, and the active search for God on the part of multiple millions
today seem to be very far from it.



As we enter the beginning years of the 21st Century, it appears that
religion has made an undeniably powerful comeback onto the world
stage. Throughout the Third-World, nation upon nation is rejecting
the current Western materialistic paradigm. Nations that were
traditionally Hindu (Sanatana Dharma), Islamic, Buddhist and Jewish
are rediscovering their ancient religious heritage and turning to
these time-tested spiritual world-views for meaningful and practical
answers to many of today’s social, political, economic and ethical
dilemmas - dilemmas, many of which were themselves created directly as
a result of the failures of secular materialism. The world’s many
Indigenous peoples and tribes - peoples ranging from the Aborigines of
Australia to the many hundreds of Native American tribes in North and
South America – are also reconnecting with their own, long oppressed,
spiritually-based cultures: cultures that have proven themselves to
be gentler, saner, and more Earth-centered paradigms than anything
secular materialism ever had to offer. Moreover, with the dramatic
failure and consequent collapse of Marxist regimes in Eastern Europe,
the former Soviet Union, and the Third World, the peoples of these
former Communist regimes have expressed an unprecedented resurgence of
interest in more religious ways of life. Indeed, in today’s Russia,
and throughout much of Eastern Europe, two of the fastest growing
religions are Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma) and Buddhism.



This world-wide rediscovery of the importance of religion has also had
a dramatic impact on the American scene. There are several recent
trends in American culture that readily reveal this fact. One of
these trends has been the explosive popularity of the trendy New Age
movement in recent years. As a movement deeply grounded in the belief
that personal spiritual development is essential to any real social
and political change, New Age thought has had a deeply penetrating
influence on the American public. With an emphasis in such beliefs as
karma, reincarnation, meditation, natural foods, chakras, and Yoga,
much of New Age thought is directly derived from much older and more
orthodox forms of Hindu philosophy; though this clear dependence on
Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma) is sadly often not acknowledged by many New
Age thinkers and leaders. As a result of this disconnect from its
religious roots, the actual understanding of many of these New Age
leaders tends to be rather shallow and faddish. The rebirth of
interest in religion is also seen on the popular stage by the amazing
number of books with spiritual themes that have become run-away best
sellers. These include the works of such popular writers as Deepak
Chopra, Bernie Siegal, Thomas Moore and Marianne Williamson. While
the New Age movement is not deeply rooted in the philosophical
profundity and guiding discipline of traditional religious thought,
the popular impact of this movement is still a clear testament to the
resurgence of interest in spirituality in modern America.



Coupled with the more recent success of New Age spirituality has been
the growing popularity of Asian religions on the previously solely
Judeo-Christian American religious landscape - specifically Hinduism
(Sanatana Dharma) and Buddhism. Over the past three decades, hundreds
of thousands of Americans have joined various Asian religious
traditions. Legions of famous celebrities, such as the actors Richard
Gere, and musical performers like Madonna and Sting, among many
others, now consider themselves to be practicing Hindus, Buddhists or
Taoists. In addition, to throngs of college students and youth across
America, nothing is considered “cooler” today than studying and
practicing Hindu and Buddhist philosophy and spirituality. Every
major American city has at least several dozen Hindu temples and
Buddhist meditation centers. Yoga, Tai Chi and meditation are
spiritual techniques that are now practiced by millions of average,
middle class Americans. The estimate is that there are currently 15 –
18 million Americans practicing Yoga regularly, with an even greater
number enjoying the benefits of meditation. In Gallup polls conducted
on the basic religious beliefs of everyday Americans for the last
twenty years, a consistent 23% - 25% of Americans say they believe
that the principle of reincarnation offers the best possible
explanation for the afterlife. The number of Hindus in America today
is roughly 3 million. Half of these are non-Indian Americans who have
adopted Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma) as their religious practice. In
many ways, it has become easily arguable that 20th century Americans
are witnessing nothing less than the slow but steady “Hinduization” of
North-American culture and society.



The recent religious resurgence in America is affecting society not
only on a more popular level, but within the realm of academia as
well. The latter phenomenon is evidenced by the recent successes of
overtly religious scholars in philosophy departments across the land.
For much of the last 40 years, philosophy departments at almost every
major university were uninviting intellectual vacuums, in which only
materialist and empiricist philosophy was allowed to flourish.
Religious philosophers were made to feel like outsiders. This is
beginning to change quite significantly today as more and more
departments open their doors to theistic thinkers. Such philosophers
of religion as Alvin Plantinga (famous for his bold defense of the
Ontological Argument for God’s existence) and Keith Yandell (author of
“The Epistemology of Religious Experience”) have begun to make
tremendous inroads into an area that, until recently, was almost the
exclusive domain of atheistic Humean skeptics.



On a more ominous note, the new religious resurgence in America has
also included a marked rise in Evangelical Christian fundamentalism.
This new evangelical revival has taken on increasingly political tones
in recent years. Beginning with such individuals as Pat Robertson and
Jerry Falwell in the late 1970’s, fundamentalist Christian activists
began to take their theological opinions into the partisan political
realm. Through supporting politicians and ballot initiatives viewed
as being pro-family values, and pro-Christian, Evangelicals have made
their views forcefully known and implemented throughout the nation.
The success and acceptability of Pat Robertson’s Christian Coalition
in the Republican Party in the late 1990s, and the more recent overt
confessions of Christian faith on the part of President Bush, reveals
to us that this is a movement that is both immensely powerful and that
is here to stay.



In addition to the rise of Christian fundamentalism, the world has
also witnessed the violent specter of Islamic fundamentalism and
Islamist inspired terrorism in recent years. The most prominent
example of the destructive force of fundamentalist terror was, without
question, the terrorist attacks on innocent American civilians
perpetrated on 9/11. In an attempt to enforce their highly
reactionary version of Islam upon the world, Islamic terrorists have
declared open war against both modernity, as well as the followers of
all non-Islamic religions. From the southern Philippines, Indonesia,
Southern Thailand and Northwest China, to the Chechen Republic in
Russia, Afghanistan, Kashmir, Sudan and Israel, the ravages of Islamic
fundamentalism have led to untold deaths, destruction and suffering on
the part of many hundreds of thousands of innocent people globally.
Thus, the current global resurgence in religious consciousness also
has its extremely ominous side, as well as its decidedly positive
value.



The fact that religion, both in America and throughout the world, is
again becoming an increasingly important factor in human culture is
well-established knowledge. Let us now explore some of the possible
reasons for why this is the case. One reason for the ascension of
religion is certainly the dramatic failure of the most powerful anti-
religious ideology in human history: Marxism. First presented to the
public as a rational, scientific and humanistic alternative to
religion, the fall of Communism in Europe in 1989 revealed Marxism to
be a more repressive, inhumane and destructive system than any
religion had ever been. As only one of a large multitude of examples
showing the failure of Marxism, we have the vivid example of
Cambodia. Cambodia was a peaceful and beautiful Buddhist nation
previous to the Marxist Khmer Rouge shooting their way to power in
1975. Marxist rule led to the systematic genocide of at least 1.5
million of Cambodia’s inhabitants - over an eighth of the population!
- over a three year period. This was an instance, not of a foreign
nation invading and committing acts genocide, but of Communist
Cambodians committing acts of mass genocide against their very own
Cambodian people! And all was done in the name of a humane and
rational ideal of Marxist atheism. Interestingly, Marxists and
secularists throughout the last hundred years had repeatedly attempted
to accuse religion of being responsible for all of humanity’s many
historic sufferings and injustices. As we now know, however, more
human beings have been persecuted, murdered, tortured and dehumanized
as a direct result of atheistic Marxism in the 20th century alone than
have been harmed in all of the world’s religious wars combined since
the very beginning of human history.



Indeed, it could be argued that the complete and unmitigated failure
of secularism, as a whole, is directly responsible for the new
religious renaissance now being experienced globally. The omnipresent
human need for meaning simply could not be adequately addressed by the
cold, impersonal institutions and ideologies of secular materialism.
The human heart desires love, meaning, beauty and compassion. Secular
materialism could only offer conflict, meaninglessness, mediocrity and
fear instead. Consequently, we are now witnessing an increasing
worldwide reaction against all forms of Western materialism - both
Marxist and capitalist. America, as we have seen, has been far from
immune from this rather dramatic global shift.

Some might argue that it is still somewhat premature to proclaim the
advent of a new religious era for humanity. However, the data reveals
that there is currently a definite and dramatic global shift away from
institutions and philosophies that have urged the abandonment of the
human spirit and the Transcendent. Additionally, the currently
ongoing rediscovery of humankind’s many unique spiritual traditions
reveal to all impartial observers that we are at present experiencing
nothing less than the beginning of a Post Secular Age. It is quite
apparent that those scholars who earlier in the 19th and 20th century
had predicted - and in some cases, even looked forward to - the death
of religion were exceedingly mistaken. Rather than being on the verge
of extinction, as we begin the second Millennium, the natural,
positive and healthy phenomenon of human religious expression seems to
have been rekindled anew.





About the Author
Dr. Frank Gaetano Morales, Ph.D. (Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya)
earned both a doctorate and a Masters degree in Languages and Cultures
of Asia from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Previously, Dr.
Morales earned a B.A. in Philosophy and Theology from Loyola
University Chicago. His fields of expertise include Philosophy of
Religion, Hindu Studies, Sanskrit, History of Religion, Comparative
Theology, Contemporary South Asian Politics, and the interface between
Hinduism and modernity. Dr. Morales is currently recognized as one of
the nation’s leading authorities on Hindu philosophy and religion, as
well as South Asian studies. In addition to directing his own
institute (The Center for the Study of Religion and Civilization), Dr.
Morales works in conjunction with several educational institutes and
think tanks globally. Dr. Morales maintains a very demanding schedule
consisting of lecturing, consulting and writing. Dr. Morales has been
a guest lecturer at over two dozen major universities throughout the
USA, including Cornell, Northwestern, Illinois Institute of
Technology, and University of Virginia. In addition, Dr. Morales has
served as a South Asian affairs consultant for such corporations as
Ford Motor Company, Lucent Technologies, Goodwin Procter Law Firm, and
the Global Health Corporation. His first book, “Experiencing Truth:
The Vedic Way of Knowing God”, is scheduled for publication in 2006.
In addition to his academic duties, Dr. Morales has been a practicing
orthodox Hindu for 30 years, and is an ordained Hindu priest. The
practice of Yoga and meditation are of central importance in his
life. His website is www.dharmacentral.com.



"Dr. Frank Morales represents the Sankalpa [the will] of the Hindu
people and the cause of Sanatana Dharma. I urge all Hindus everywhere
to give him your full support, assistance, and encouragement in his
crucial work. He needs and deserves our help."

- Dr. David Frawley (Oct. 14, 2007)









--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2007, Frank Morales. You may print, duplicate or copy this
article only if you credit the author and not alter or add to the
author's work in any way.



Have Dr. Frank Morales Speak to Your Organization
Dr. Morales is currently recognized as one of the nation's leading
authorities on Hindu philosophy and religion, as well as South Asian
studies. In addition to directing his own institute, Dr. Morales
works in conjunction with several educational institutes and think
tanks globally. Dr. Morales maintains a very demanding schedule
consisting of lecturing, consulting and writing. Dr. Morales has been
a guest lecturer at over two dozen major universities throughout the
USA, including Cornell, Northwestern, Illinois Institute of
Technology, and University of Virginia. In addition, Dr. Morales has
served as a South Asian affairs consultant for such corporations as
Ford Motor Company, Lucent Technologies, Goodwin Procter Law Firm, and
the Global Health Corporation. Topics that Dr. Morales has spoken on
include:
Meditation Philosophy Religion Hindu Studies South
Asian Affairs Ethics Asian Culture Contemporary South
Asian Politics History of Religion Foreign Affairs
Comparative Theology Principles of Effective Leadership
Yoga

as well as many other subjects. He has spoken throughout North America
before diverse audiences ranging from 50 to 5000 people. If you would
like to arrange for Dr. Morales to give a presentation to your
university, company, conference or organization, please contact us to
schedule an event.


Created by Dharmodaya Communications
http://www.dharmacentral.com/articles/postsec.htm

A Heresy Undergirds Secular Liberalism, Neo-Marxism, & Today's
Democratic Party
By Quelleon October 14, 2008 10:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |
TrackBacks (0)
Much of today's political, religious, and cultural issues have their
genesis in the gnostic faith of abbot Joachim of Fiore (ca.
1135-1202). A Western Roman Catholic monk, Joachim's outlook on the
history of man was and still is the source of schismatic movements
within the Christian faith and a major influence on today's societal
thought.

Because the church's 12th century leadership did not effectively
counter Joachim's personal theology, Joachim's beliefs took root in
the realm of ideas and have flourished to this day.

A Franciscan monk, Joachim of Fiore's theology challenged the
prevailing Augustinian outlook on history. St. Augustine's analysis of
history as being transitory was deeply rooted in scripture and the
Fathers of the Church. Augustine wrote that the present day is a
transitory time of fallibility and trial. And the church, with its
belief in God and the Incarnate Son, are man's guiding light through
the turmoil with a promise of eternal life at the end. Only God is
forever. Therefore, only with an eye on God as our ultimate objective
can we endure and begin to comprehend this world. The foregoing
remains today's orthodox and Orthodox Christian view.

In contrast, Joachim of Fiore's outlook was dramatically different.
Abbott Joachim's theology held that there are three great periods of
history. The first encompassed the time addressed by the Old
Testament. This period was eclipsed by the birth of God's Son, Jesus.
The second period, therefore, is that time addressing the formation of
the church in the New Testament. With the descent of the Holy Spirit
at Pentecost, man entered into a third epoch.

It was during this latter and present epoch that Joachim's
communicated theology caused profound changes that still affect us to
this day. This last period was intended to be one in which mankind,
with the Holy Spirit's counsel, was to evolve into a society of
complete equality. All of society's problems would be overcome if man
would pursue unselfish means. Essentially, Joachim believed that it
was man's duty to pursue the establishment of heaven on earth and all
of man's actions were to be directed toward this goal.

Joachim's private theology shared within the monastic order and
society at large caused a fracture within the Franciscan community. It
was St. Bonaventure, the Franciscan General Secretary, who had to
combat Joachim's heresy. Although St. Bonaventure prevailed, his
efforts were not forceful enough to uproot and counter Joachim's
already disseminated beliefs - this according to then Reverend
Professor Joseph Ratzinger, today Pope Benedict XVI.

As a consequence, Joachim's theology of history misinformed countless
numbers of clergy and lay people through the decades and centuries
that followed, flourished during the Enlightenment, and resulted in a
vast array of ideologies from Marxism to socialism to liberation
theology. Indeed, Joachim's beliefs are at the heart of present-day
political and religious liberalism.

Tell the communists, socialists, and secularists, all in today's
liberalism and other false ideologies, that their faith is undergirded
by a discredited gnostic theology.
http://www.redcounty.com/cityofman/2008/10/a-heresy-undergirds-secular-li.html

SECULARISM AND THE WEST





In this commentary we will discuss the topic of Secularism. We will
attempt to define what it is; what it is believed to be; where it came
from; who is responsible and where it intends to take Western society
which seems to have been held captive by it.

Let us begin with what it is. Secularism is defined in the dictionary
as "...an ethical or moral code, which advocates a moral code
independent of all religious considerations and practices..." Even by
that definition alone we can see that our society is not ‘Secular’
because the very basis of our laws are as a direct result of Christian
values, principles and moral standards of our European forebears.

Even though this explicit definition alone should be enough to put
down any ‘Secularist’ argument, we must also be mindful of the fact
that the leftist also likes playing with words to achieve his
objective and suit their worldview. Operating from the post-
modernistic style of thought of the Frankfurt school where everything
can become a ‘construct’, even truth, we have a brand new, highly
flexible definition of secularism - that is elimination of references,
celebration or even religion itself, anywhere as per the atheist dogma
of Marxism.

Evidence of this deliberate misinterpretation can be seen in the
United States where the First Amendment of the Constitution reads
"...Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of
religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the
freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of
grievances..." this is actually interpreted by the Cultural Marxists
to read ‘freedom FROM religion’.

Necessary reading for full understanding of the Marxist-Secularist
argument is first the fact that it explicitly mentions "Congress" as
writings by Thomas Jefferson testify, he fully intended that religious
direction be taken up by the States, not the Federal government. Which
is in line with the next part, that the Government could not establish
a national religion. The founding fathers also made it extremely clear
that free exercise of religion should not be curtailed. This makes
moves to remove Christmas decorations from public spaces in actual
fact, illegal!

Of course, lawyers belonging to such groups as the Alliance Defence
Fund and Thomas More Law Centre have tried to argue the folly of these
misinterpretations in court, however their cause has been stymied by
the fact that they must appear before leftist judges who sympathise
with the ‘separation of church and state’ argument.

Moreover, survey after survey has shown that people in that country
overwhelmingly regard themselves as religious, upwards of 80% in fact,
therefore the idea that the population needs to have ‘freedom’ from
something they believe in, is an absolute absurdity.

Across the Atlantic in Britain, the Archbishop of York, Dr David Hope
recently said that he would be "hard-pushed" to label Britain a
Christian country. We tend to agree with this summation considering
the fact that multiculturalism is implemented to water-down the
Christian values and principles of the host culture with interests
foreign to our own. Yet let us never forget that the Queen remains the
Head of State and the Head of the Church of England.

In Australia and other Commonwealth nations who retain British
traditions and institutions, and even in countries which don’t, things
aren’t much different. This perverted idea of Marxist-Secularism is
pushed by a wafer thin percentage of the population with agendas to
‘save’ society from itself and replace it with their own imposed
ideology.

So why is Marxist-Secularism being pushed so hard by so few, and why
is it particularly anti-Christian in its outlook? Primarily because
Christianity remains the last great moral hurdle, the politicians
having sold themselves to the lowest bidder, in achieving the stated
Marxist goals of imposed ‘equality’ for everyone. It remains the
strongest voice against homosexual marriage and abortion ‘rights’ -
although the white-ants are doing their best to subvert the church
from within. Without the strong moral compass of Christianity to fall
back on, society generally could collapse into a free-for-all, again
in line with the dubious post-modernistic thinking.

It is at this point, very important for some historical perspective on
the whole argument. The origins of Secularism can be found in the 18th
and 19th centuries, when philosophers attempted to explain the origins
and destiny of man without reference to God and religion, which had
helped shape society. This period is also known as the ‘Age of
Enlightenment’. Leading figures like Compte, Descartes, Pascal, Bayle,
Montesquieu, Voltaire, Diderot, and Rousseau saw themselves as a
courageous, elite body of intellectuals who were leading the world
toward progress...sound familiar?

This new Humanist way of thinking was taken up by the Bolsheviks
during their revolution in the 20th century as they attempted to put
their atheistic theory into practice and build a state without God.
The French during their own revolution years earlier, might have been
inspiration for the Bolsheviks as they attempted to do exactly the
same thing with their ‘Rights of Man’ declaration in 1789.

History itself failed to avoid a reworking by these ‘enlightened’ as
popular anti-Christian tales were formulated. As one website attempted
to explain pre-Enlightenment days "...It was an age of reason based on
faith, not an age of faith based on reason...."

One such historical inaccuracy which expands on this premise, is the
idea that the Medieval Christians believed the earth to be flat - cue
science to prove the superstitious, paranoid, and unadventurous
Churchmen wrong. In actual fact this was a story created by Compte
(1798-1857) who developed Positivism, that is the idea of a positive
progress from Superstition to Science, further reinforcing the idea
that Church and Science have been in mortal combat since time began.
Not to mention of course that it was the Ancient Greeks, namely
Eratosthenes, who proved the Earth was round when he measured the
'Stades' of the world and Ptolemy who contributed a great deal
supporting this view. The Medieval Churchmen had absolutely no cause
to deviate from this established principle.

Another tale involves Galileo proving the earth not to be the centre
of the universe, much to the chagrin of the Christian church who had
him persecuted for defiance. In actuality, it was the Secular
scientists who complained the loudest because Galileo’s version of the
structure of the universe went against the selfish humanist science of
Aristotle. Moreover the Church would probably have supported Galileo
considering his theory contradicted the idea that humans were the
centre of the universe, it was when he reworked scriptures and
publicly ridiculed the Pope - then he was in trouble.

This Marxist-Secularist re-wording of history also goes a long way in
explaining why the theory of evolution, today skewed even from
original Darwinian proposals, was created and is supported with such
vehemence by those on the left - particularly ‘intellectuals’. The
need for ‘another way’ other than God’s is so important to them that
it almost hurts. The very fact that evolution lacks a grain of
evidence is of no consequence as they seek to pursue this new
‘humanist’ way.

One very important point needs to be made in conclusion to this
section. Scientific endeavour would not have been possible without the
backing of the Church who had the wealth and political power to make
things progress. As with the Renaissance, the Popes and influential
Church leaders of the day played Patron to a great many works of
wonder. Thus making a lie out of the idea that the Church and State
need be separate in the way the Marxist-Secularists advocate.

Surely then, what you are advocating is a theocracy? No. An example of
a theocracy is Iran or Saudi Arabia where Faith is society,
indistinguishable from each other. As we have learned ‘Secularism’ is
complete atheism where a society cannot ask for religious foundation
in the formulation of its laws. Once more, it is not a matter of being
‘one-or-the-other’; it is simply a matter of recognising that our
society is based on Christian values and principles without needing to
force worship on anybody.

Doesn’t ‘Secularism’ provide protection for people from tyrannical
religious fanatics? No again. Fanaticism comes in all stripes and
shades and colours, replacing it with atheistic fanaticism imposed on
the vast majority by the 5% of the population who could be ‘offended’,
is as irrational as an Iranian style theocracy.

In conclusion, we must also remember that ‘Marxist-Secularism’ is
inconsistent, allowing ‘Stars and Crescents’ and ‘Menorahs’ to be
displayed but not Nativity scenes, Christmas trees or Crosses. This
should be enough to demonstrate that the Cultural Marxists pushing
this rubbish, aren’t serious about ‘Secularism’. It is merely a front
for a wider agenda of breaking down society.

This we must resist at all costs.
http://www.geocities.com/anti_multiculture/SECULARISM.html


India loses Rs.1.5 trillion due to logistical loopholes
22 Dec 2008, 2303 hrs IST, IANS

MUMBAI: India loses around 3 percent of its total gross domestic
product (GDP) or Rs.1.5 trillion because of supply chain
inefficiencies, according
to a survey done by a business consulting firm.

India's spending of 13 percent of the GDP is higher than that in the
developed world; in the US, the spending is 10 percent of its GDP,
Europe is at 11 percent, and Japan 10 percent, the report released
Monday said.

The survey titled 'Technology Survey for the Indian Logistics Industry
- 2008', conducted by Kale Consultants, said inefficient use of
technology in the logistics business costs the economy billions of
rupees.

The report further goes to state that significant strides in IT
implementation could lead to bridging the gap in the supply chain,
resulting in higher efficiency at lower costs.

While IT spends in Indian logistics industry currently stand at Rs.4
billion, it is slated to grow by approximately 22 percent CAGR
(compounded annual growth rate) to over Rs.10 billion in the next five
years.

"There is a lot of activity happening in this highly fragmented
market. Family-owned businesses are growing in stature while global
majors have committed huge investments for their Indian operations.
The sector has already attracted investments of over Rs.20,000 crore
(Rs.200 billion) in the first half of 2008," said Sumeet Nadkar, head
of Kale Consultants' logistics strategic business unit.

The report also said the demand is expected from the western part of
India, followed by the northern and southern regions. About 46 percent
of IT investments are currently made towards capital expenditures, and
the remaining 54 percent as operational costs.

Govt moves to hike insurance investment cap
22 Dec 2008, 2038 hrs IST, PTI

NEW DELHI: Government on Monday sought parliament's approval to raise
foreign investment limits in domestic insurance firms by up to 49
percent,
despite noisy protests in the national legislature.

The move sparked protests, resulting in adjournments in the assembly's
two houses and verbal attacks on the government, which had kept the
proposal in cold storage for nearly four years over fears it would
meet political resistance.

Junior finance minister P. K. Bansal was interrupted by leftist MPs
who tried to snatch papers as he revealed plans to almost double the
cap on overseas capital from the existing 26 percent, a move he said
would attract foreign capital.

Private insurance companies are delighted by the plans but the measure
may not be passed in the current session of parliament because of
insufficient time.

India must hold general elections by May 2009, meaning the measure
could have to wait for a new government.

Foreign insurers have said increasing the limit is important as it
will allow them to expand their array of products and improve
distribution channels.

Four-fifths of India's 1.1 billion population has no insurance cover
and around 90 percent have no pension scheme, forcing them to rely on
savings and relatives in old age.

Marxists opposed to the move accuse the government of taking the step
to help out cash-strapped companies in the United States.

"The government is trying to bail out bankrupt insurance industries in
the US by inviting them to come to India," Marxist MP Brinda Karat
argued in parliament.

Sensex ends below 10K; ICICI Bank, RIL fall

22 Dec 2008, 1539 hrs IST, ECONOMICTIMES.COM

MUMBAI: Benchmarks ended the choppy session lower as selling pressure
resumed in index heavy-weights like ICICI Bank and Reliance
Industries. Second
rungs stocks ended flat with a negative bias.

Bombay Stock Exchange’s Sensex ended at 9940.08, down 159.83 points or
1.58 per cent. The index touched an intra-day low of 9894.01 and an
intra-day high of 10,173.34.

National Stock Exchange’s Nifty closed at 3045.65, down 1.03 per cent
or 31.85 points. The broader index hit a low of 3027.80 and a high of
3110.45 during the day.

BSE Midcap Index was 0.03 per cent down and BSE Smallcap Index closed
0.10 per cent lower.

Amongst the sectoral indices, BSE Oil&gas index was down 3.13 per
cent, BSE Bankex fell 2.21 per cent and BSE Auto Index declined 1.56
per cent. BSE FMCG Index closed 0.70 per cent and BSE Realty Index
moved 0.45 per cent higher.

Among frontline stocks, ICICI Bank (-5.29%), Reliance Industries
(-5.06%), Mahindra & Mahindra (-4.55%), Maruti Suzuki (-4.27%) and
Reliance Infrastructure (-3.05%) were badly hit.

Tata Motors (4.55%), DLF (3.27%), Ranbaxy Laboratories (2.28%), ITC
(1.96%) and Grasim Industries (0.75%) managed to end with gains.

Market breadth on BSE showed 1295 advances against 1242 declines.

'Indian economy to revive faster from global slowdown'

22 Dec 2008, 2245 hrs IST, PTI

MUMBAI: Giving a positive outlook amid the global downturn, global
management consultancy firm Deloitte has said the Indian economy will
recover
faster than other nations from the economic crisis and bounce back on
high growth trajectory.

"It is very difficult to forecast when the last of the current global
downturn will be seen.

"However, going by internal consumption trends in India, it is certain
that India will be amongst those countries that will recover faster
than others from the current slump and will bounce back with high
growth rates soon, once the situation comes back to normal," Deloitte
global managing partner-tax Alberto Terol said.

Deloitte said that flooding the system with liquidity is alone not
sufficient to resolve the crisis.

"There is a need to bolster confidence among the people about the
positive aspects of the economy and encourage higher spending. This
alone can act as a balm to revive economies across the world," Terol
added.

Meanwhile, Deloitte does not foresee the crisis situation globally to
improve in the first half of 2009 and predicts a tough time ahead for
the US.

Public expenditure to enhance labour output is definitely the need of
the hour, Terol said while addressing a media round table on how world
economies can create liquidity in the system in uncertain times.

Besides, countries like China are already reworking their strategies
for inducing higher domestic consumption as exports have been showing
a steep slump, it added.

Petrol, diesel, LPG prices may be cut before General Elections

22 Dec 2008, 1600 hrs IST, PTI

NEW DELHI: The government may further reduce petrol, diesel and
domestic LPG prices just before the General Elections are announced in
February, a
senior official said.

"To my mind, the government will wait till February before making
another round of price cuts," a senior Petroleum Ministry official
said.

Earlier this month, the government reduced petrol price by Rs 5 a
litre and diesel by Rs 2 per litre as international crude oil prices
dipped from an all-time high of USD 147 a barrel in July to under USD
45 a barrel.
"This period (till February) will be used to monitor the movements in
international prices. There is no point in cutting fuel prices just
now and then having to raise it again if oil makes a retreat," the
official said.

Even after this months price cut, public sector oil firms were making
a profit of Rs 9.98 on sale of every litre of petrol and Rs 1.03 per
litre on diesel. The further softening in global oil prices has seen
these profits widen to Rs 11.48 per litre on petrol and Rs 2.92 a
litre on diesel, he said.

The oil companies, however, continue to lose Rs 17.26 per litre on PDS
kerosene and Rs 148.38 per domestic LPG cylinder.

Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum are together
projected to lose Rs 1,10,381 crore in revenues this fiscal on fuel
sales, the official said, adding the oil firms can use the period till
the next price cut to make up part of the losses they have incurred on
fuel sales this fiscal.

The three firms had posted a combined net losses of Rs 14,431 crore
during the first six months of 2008-09.


Crisis-hit cos restructure group health policies

22 Dec 2008, 0111 hrs IST, Sarah Jacob & Arun Iyer, ET Bureau
BANGALORE: As India Inc prepares for the economic slowdown, companies
are rationalising incentives, such as medical insurance cover for
their
employees and their dependents, and are now reworking on health
insurance covers through different models including co-payment, where
a part of the premium is paid by an employee.

Industry experts, who did not wish to be identified, told ET that
while this shift was being considered for a long time by corporates,
the recession has made many companies reconsider medical insurance
cover immediately.

“Initially, insurance companies chose to honour most claims but with
insurance costs rising, things have changed. Today, companies are
citing age and higher medical costs to make employees go in for co-
payment of premium to retain the extent of cover for dependents. Faced
with such options, employees are becoming extremely watchful,” said an
insurance expert.

“Corporate houses will definitely look at restructuring healthcare
insurance, which is a larger payout than rolling back on preventive
care or healthcare engagement initiatives,” said G Krishnamurthy,
chief executive of health management and consulting company People
Health Services.

“Health insurance has not been a robust portfolio for many players,
who have to face the prospects of underwriting losses. Medical costs
have also been rising at a higher rate than normal levels of
inflation, which is putting additional pressure on costs and claims
management,” said Srinivas Raju, president of Dr Insurance, a boutique
business consulting firm.

Meanwhile, insurance companies are also considering alternatives to
ensure business growth by tweaking their product offering.

State-run Oriental Insurance, for instance, is now betting big on the
floater policy to gain traction among employees in the health
insurance market. Unlike conventional group, health insurance products
where the insurance cover per person is fixed, the floater is a more
dynamic product which enables sharing of cover depending on need.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/Economy/Indicators/Crisis-hit_cos_restructure_group_health_policies_/articleshow/3871684.cms