Poverty in festivals!Count Puts Poverty in Rural India at Fifty Percent, Govt. Refuses as Foreigners may get direct ride to Dalal Street!

Poverty in festivals!Count Puts Poverty in Rural India at Fifty Percent, Govt. Refuses as Foreigners may get direct ride to Dalal Street!

Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams, Chapter 378

Palash Biswas

http://indianholocaustmyfatherslifeandtime.blogspot.com/

21/09/2009

Santhanam hits back at NSA; says MK barking up the wrong tree
New Delhi: Former DRDO scientist K Santhanam, who has questioned the success of 1998 Pokhran nuclear tests, on Monday hit out at NSA M K Narayanan, saying the official was "barking up the wrong tree" by contending he was not privy to test measurements and information.

Terming the remarks by the NSA as "unnecessary", he also demanded that an independent panel probe the success of the Pokhran tests.

Narayanan is "barking up the wrong tree", he said at an interaction with journalists at the Indian Women Press Corp here.

Santhanam also sought to counter claims by Narayanan and others in the establishment that he was not privy to the test measurements and information on Pokhran-II tests.

The former DRDO scientist had last month questioned the the efficacy of the thermonuclear device during the Pokhran-II tests. He had described the May 11, 1998 tests as a 'fizzle' (failure to achieve expected yield) and said India needed to conduct more tests besides not signing CTBT.

Narayanan has termed Santhanam's claims about Pokhran-II as "horrific" and asserted that India has thermonuclear capabilities which have been verified by a peer group of researchers.

PTI

21/09/2009

It's 'car'nival time: ‘Freelander 2’ to hit roads on Tuesday
Tata's Jaguar and Land Rover (JLR) will launch Freelander 2, the most-awaited sports utility vehicle, on Tuesday in the country.



Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova previews the new Land Rover Freelander 2 as she arrives at the Kensington Roof Gardens for a pre-Wimbledon tennis party, London, Thursday, June 22, 2006, a file photo.

Expected to be priced at Rs 35 lakh or less (excluding taxes) Freelander 2 is sold in the UK for half the price at 21,300 pounds (Rs 17 lakh). This is because the car attracts at least 100 per cent import duty in India.

The cheapest car from the JLR stable in India, Freelander is a compact, yet premium all-wheel drive vehicle, sold in markets such as the UK, France, Italy, Spain and China.

The other three models of JLR, the British marqueee brand, are Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Discovery 3. Of the three, Discovery 3 is the cheapest at Rs 63 lakh! Range Rover and Range Rover Sport are priced above Rs 85 lakh. All the prices, mentioned here, are ex-showroom in metros.


21/09/2009

Railways could be targeted during Durga pujas
Kolkata: Terrorists could strike during the Durga Puja, which begins later this week, and target the railways with bomb blasts and even car bombs, West Bengal government said today quoting an alert issued by the Centre.

The Union Home Ministry has alerted the Additional DGP (Railways) Dilip Mitra about bomb blasts and car bombs during the four-day festival, West Bengal Chief Secretary Asoke Mohan Chakraborty told reporters here today. "It is an alert not only to the Railways but to all."

The ADG (Railways) told PTI that all measures had been taken to ensure security and safety during the festival days.

Chakraborty said "we have to taken special measures for a peaceful puja. There will be metal detectors in large pandals with volunteers and civil defence personnel on duty."

Chakraborty said border vigil against infiltration has been stepped up.

Source: PTI

All citizens to gets national ID cards by 2010-11
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Posted: Sep 21, 2009 at 1532 hrs IST


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Chennai The proposed unique multi-purpose national identity cards would be issued to all citizens by 2010-2011, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said in Chennai on Monday.

In the first phase this year, 1.2 crore people in about 3,331 coastal villages and cities would receive the cards, he told reporters on the sidelines of a function in Chennai.

The card will be given to 110 crore people by 2010-2011.

Government has set up a Unique Identification Authority of India to implement the project aimed at obviating the need for multiple proofs of identity for citizens while availing any government service or for personal needs like opening bank accounts or seeking telephone connections.

Earlier, addressing the function to flag off the Chennai-Central-Hazrat Nizamuddin (Delhi) Duronto Express, Chidambaram said the government was keen on and committed to working for the development of the nation and the people.

"The government would also see to it that this development is shared equally among the people", he said.

Welcoming the launch of non-stop train, he announced that the frequency of the train would be increased to twice a week.

Southern Railway General Manager M S Jayanth said the train would have new design AC composite coach consisting of 24 AC 2-Tier berths and 40 AC 3-Tier berths, as an economy AC class.

He said the train will cover 2,177 km in 27 hours and 55 minutes compared to 28 hours and ten minutes by Rajdhani Express.

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/All-citizens-to-gets-national-ID-cards-by-201011/519712/



Foreigners may get direct ride to Dalal Street


21 Sep 2009, 0320 hrs IST, Deepshikha Sikarwar & Soma Banerjee, ET Bureau

NEW DELHI: A complete overhaul of the portfolio investment regime is on the cards. Capital market regulator SEBI is giving finishing touches to a


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detailed concept paper that seeks to simplify and further relax the norms governing investment by foreign institutional investors (FIIs) in Indian equities. ( Watch )

The proposed move could give individual foreign investors direct access to the Indian stock markets, a person privy to the discussions told ET.

The concept paper, which is expected to be taken up by the Sebi board shortly, will unveil a new Qualified Foreign Investor Framework (QFIF) to replace the existing FII one. At present, a foreign individual seeking to invest in Indian stocks has to be registered as a sub-account of an FII, which in turn has to apply to Sebi on the behalf of the sub-account holder. Besides, the validity of the sub-account registration is co-terminus with the registration of the FII through which he has accessed the Indian market. This is onerous and often expensive.

The person with knowledge of the development said the idea behind the concept paper was to remove unnecessary hurdles and make it simpler, and also to bring foreign investors on a par with domestic ones. It is also expected to encourage more investors to come through the front door instead of the participatory note (PN) route. PNs are overseas derivative instruments with Indian shares as the underlying asset that allow foreign investors to invest in Indian equities indirectly without revealing their identity to the Indian authorities.

If these proposals go through, individual foreign investors would be able to buy and sell securities on the Indian stock exchanges directly by opening a demat account with an Indian depository and a dedicated bank account with a mandatory cheque payment facility. This would also address ‘know-your-customer’ of banks and depositories as they would be liable to carry out all checks on the overseas investor before opening an account. Moreover, the mandatory cheque payment requirement would generate a paper trail that will help track transactions related to the account, and possibly detect moneylaundering.



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A senior government official said while it may be impossible to stop issuance of participatory notes altogether, simpler and easier investment norms will encourage foreign investors to come in directly. Foreign portfolio investors registered in India issue PNs to their overseas clients, who may not be eligible to invest in the domestic market or do not wish to have a direct presence in the country. PN holders derive all the benefits of the underlying shares, including dividends and capital appreciationhttp://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Markets/Global-Markets/Foreigners-may-get-direct-ride-to-Dalal-Street/articleshow/5035246.cms

China won’t wage war: Arunachal CM
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Samudra Gupta Kashyap
Posted: Sep 21, 2009 at 0936 hrs IS

Itanagar Even as there have been over 250 incursions by China into Indian territory in less than two years, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu does not believe that the neighbouring country would ever engage in a war with India.

“I don’t think China can afford to go for a war with us. China’s sole intention, I believe, is to weaken India on all fronts and prove itself as an economic superpower in the region,” Khandu told The Indian Express here on Sunday.

Khandu said China wanted to make India increase its defence expenditure at the cost of the economy. “The more the defence expenditure, the less the expenditure on other developmental front. They want to weaken India through this game of psychological warfare,” he added.

To take up the challenge, the Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister said “at the moment we should give topmost priority to rapid economic and infrastr-ucture development in the border areas”.

Dismissing BJP claims that the UPA government had shown a “meek response” to the Chinese challenge, Khandu lamented that development activities on the Indian side of the border were still quite poor.

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/China-wont-wage-war-Arunachal-CM/519630/
Calcutta needs divine intervention to escape a wet Puja.The dark clouds and scattered rain at the start of the festive week underlined how a late monsoon surge and an early Puja schedule are playing spoilsport.Recession does have no IMPACT on festive mood in Urban Semi Urban Bengal. Earlier, Sixteen Hundred Rs per KG Hilsa has proved it very well. Shopping Malls, Show Bizz, Gadget Bltz, Fooding and Drinking, Marxist Ramp show, Tollywood Boost, Auto Drive , realty BOOM express the metro Mind set exposing the CONSUMER Life and Psyche Marginalising the mainstream Indigenous Aboriginal Majority Enslaved Rural India under POVERTY line! IN Kolkata, half of the Population lives in Slums and struggle to survive the SLUMDOG surroundings. Eighty Lac people in Kolkata earn less than Rs One Thousand per month and Sixty lacs of them hardly Rs five Hundred Only. Scores of Local Trains Pours the Rural Women Folk into the Metro Area seeking Domestic Helpage Job daily. Lacs of helpless Women Trafficked elsewhere and the Border areas as well as Metro underclasses have been DRUG Addicted!

The Zionist Dynasty HYPE of AUSTERITY seems to be the most Oscene talk creating STROMS in Tea Cup while Starvation, Food Insecurity and Jobloss, Price Hike and Rural Agreculture based problems along with Refugee Influx do NEVER attract any ATTENSION. Aoriginal Tribes and the nature itsef with which these black Untouchables are associated, have been BRANDED Maoist or Naxal and the India Incs GOVT. opts for Military Option with Zero Tolerence! Internal security is vested into CIA and Mossad. Policies and governance do bypass Parliament and Constitution as EXTRA Constitutional elements RULE projecting the Human Political democratic faces, the MOST Antinational Immoral imposter Agents of LPG Mafia, Zionism, Fascist Global Manusmriti Hegemony and TriIblis galaxy order led by US Corporate Imperialism!

MASS Detruction and Ethnic Cleansing of the Black Untouchables do seem to be the Best Sacrifices at the ALTER of war Goddess Durga and her OFFSPRINGS Invoked so laborously. Metro and urban CIVIL Societies, Brahaminical Intelligentsia, Brahmin Policy makers, Media and the superagent Economists NEVER do CONSIDER the RURAL India and its Plight!

Meanwhile, Police top brass based in Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati and Malkangiri have been put on alert while security has been beefed up at Malkangiri border today after an anti-Maoist operation went awry in Chhattisgarh.

Malkangiri is situated 40km from the site where Green Hunt, an anti-Maoist operation being conducted by the Chattisgarh Cobra force, was being conducted.

On the other hand,Investors gain Rs 25 lakh-cr in just over five months while at the same time, the Telegraph, Kolkata reports that At least half the country’s rural population lives in poverty, a government-appointed expert panel has said, nearly doubling the Planning Commission’s estimate that 28 per cent of Indian villagers are poor.According to the report,the Centre, however, appears likely to go by the plan panel’s figures rather than the N.C. Saxena committee’s higher count which, if adopted, will enormously hike expenditure on anti-poverty schemes by adding crores to the list of beneficiaries.

The government will “wait and watch” before deciding to roll back the stimulus packages that were announced after India’s economic growth slackened on account of the global financial crisis. Investor wealth has increased by over Rs 25 lakh crore in just over five months from the beginning of the current financial year, on
improving sentiments in the domestic and global markets.

According to an analysis of the valuations for the period (April 1-September 18), the combined market capitalisation of all the firms listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange increased by Rs 25,02,749 crore or nearly 80 per cent.

Analysts believe the rise in investor wealth has been due to the upbeat market sentiments on indications of economic recovery globally.

"The markets have given a healthy return on the back of positive mood among domestic and international investors," SMC Global's Vice President Rajesh Jain said.

The total market valuation increased to Rs 56,35,835.75 crore on September 18 from Rs 31,33,086.7 crore on April 1.

While, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex has given a healthy return of nearly 70 per cent to hover around 16,700 level in September against 9,900 level in April.

The Sensex companies, which account for about 45 per cent of the total market capitalisation of all the companies, saw its combined market valuation rise by over Rs 10,00,000 crore in the reviewed period.

The combined market capitalisation of the 30 blue-chip stocks rose to Rs 25,31,831.55 crore on September 18 from Rs 15,31,252.34 crore on April 1.

However, the total turnover of the Sensex companies declined to Rs 1,597.42 crore on September 18 from 1,705.52 crore on April 1.

Jain further added that the decline in the volumes is due to less participation of retail investors in the markets, which shows the run is mainly on account of institutional money, both domestic and international.

Meanwhile, foreign investment into the Indian stock markets are likely to cross USD 10 billion-mark by the end of this month as a hefty USD 9.8 billion (Rs 47,674 crore) have already been poured into the bourses by overseas entities so far this year.

“We will have to wait and watch the situation,” finance minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters on the timing of the reversal of the stimulus package.

Mukherjee said the international view was that the stimulus package should not be reversed till full recovery in Europe and North America was “distinctly visible”.

This view was expressed at a recent G20 meeting of finance ministers, Mukherjee told reporters after an interactive session organised by the CII on the proposed direct tax code.

The government had slashed excise duty by six per cent and service tax by two per cent in various phases and increased plan expenditure. This has stretched the fiscal deficit further.

The fiscal deficit is projected to rise to 6.8 per cent of GDP in 2009-10. The finance minister had earlier said this level of fiscal deficit couldn’t be sustained and aimed to bring it down to 5.5 per cent next fiscal and to 4.4 per cent by 2011-12.


Apprehending that rebels attacked by the elite group of Cobra may sneak into Orissa to hide during the combing operation, the Orissa government issued an alert right after the Chhattisgarh operation was started.

In a high-level review meeting held to assess the state’s preparedness, chief minister Naveen Patnaik asked superintendent of polices (SPs) based in Maoist-prone districts to intensify patrolling, especially around border areas.

Director of state intelligence department Prakash Mishra said that security was tightened at the borders immediately afterwards.

“According to Union government plan, most states are jointly operating to end the Maoist problem. According to the Centre’s directive the BSF, the CRPF and the states’ police forces will take steps to jointly combat the problem,” he said.

Currently Orissa has four battalions of Central forces to tackle rebels’ activities in 17 districts.

The chief minister in a letter to the Union home minister P. Chidambaram yesterday asked for seven more battalions of paramilitary forces.

A fierce gun-battle is still going on between security forces and rebels in Dantewada of Chhattisgarh in what is being touted as the biggest confrontation between rebels and jawans so far, with nearly 800 jawans involved in the Green Hunt.

As many as 50 Maoists and 20 jawans are feared to have been killed in the fight.


Gokul Chandra Debnath, the director of the Regional Meteorological Centre at Alipore, after days of wait-and-watch, let it spill: “It looks like there’s going to be rain this Puja.”

It shouldn’t be very heavy, he added, but warned of “scattered rain and thundershowers” this week, because of “a low-pressure trough”.

Delhi meteorologists were more blunt, though a trifle apologetic, while saying it as they see it. An official of the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting, under the Union ministry of earth sciences, said: “I’m sorry, but I can’t see a dry Puja in Calcutta this year…. There could be a substantial amount of rainfall which is likely to be a damper, quite literally.”

The Telegraph reports:

Words that all those associated with Puja 2009 — idol-maker to organiser to pandal-hopper — have been dreading.

“The rain is a real curse for us,” said Babu Pal of the Kumartuli Mritshilpa Sanskriti Samity, fretting over the unfinished “paint job”.

The leaky roofs and poor drainage in the rundown abode of the clay idols have also landed artisans in troubled waters. “If only the studios being promised to us for five years were in place, we would have had pucca roofs and not been forced to keep our idols on the street covered with plastic sheets because of lack of space,” added Pal.

Rain delays push up costs under several heads in Kumartuli — for redoing idols, for additional man-hours (around Rs 500-600 for every rainy day), for extra kerosene (the government provides a fixed amount at reduced rates but additional use of the “blue lamp” to dry wet paint and fires lit to dry the idol raises consumption). “The rain is the asura for us this time,” said idol-maker Dilip Pal.

Chandernagore’s light artistes nodded in agreement. “My workplace gets flooded with every shower. I don’t know how to meet deadlines,” said Ashim Kumar Dey, who will light up the College Square puja, where too the devil lies in the dark clouds.

“The College Square tank overflows when it rains, making the place slushy. Also, work on the pandal is slow,” said Bikash Majumdar of the crowd-puller puja.

Pujas in parks are struggling to find their feet. “The rain has made the ground soft, forcing us to put a large quantity of sand to hold up the bamboos,” said Sibshankar Basu of Maddox Square, adding that special steps would be taken for the four big (and wet) days.

Puja committees are inventing monsoon-fighting measures with an eye on the sky and a prayer on their lips. “We are making space in two-three houses around the pandal, so that if it starts raining suddenly, we can direct visitors there,” said Ashok Jaiswal of Manicktala Chaltabagan.

With the monsoon not scheduled to exit the state till October 7 and the Devi set to depart on an elephant (leaving in her wake “enough water” and “good harvest” according to the scriptures), the fear of a wet Puja is now real.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090921/jsp/calcutta/story_11472346.jsp


Somdev Dev Varman won a crucial Davis Cup World Group play-off singles match in Johannesburg to take India into the final 16 after 11 years. He beat South Africa’s Rik De Voest in a high-voltage marathon five-setter. The Guwahati-born Somdev, descended from Tripura’s nobility, spent most of his first eight years in Calcutta and later took tennis coaching in the city from the age of 12 to 14.

Army holds war games to secure country's coastline

To counter terror threats in the backdrop of the Mumbai attacks, top army generals have evolved detailed plans to secure the country's coastline from Gujarat to Orissa and refine the force's amphibious warfare tactics.

The strategies were fine-tuned by top brass including Army chief General Deepak Kapoor during a two-day table-top war game in Pune last week, army sources said in New Delhi on Monday.

Plans for the Southern Command to protect the coastline from both conventional and asymmetric threats were discussed threadbare, they said.

The war game was a closed-door conceptual exercise conducted by top commanders with the help of sand models and large-scale maps, which do not involve troops on the ground.

The Pune drill follows a similar exercise by the Kolkata-based Eastern Command a fortnight back for area in the North-eastern states along the borders with China, Bangladesh and Myanmar, apart from its counter-insurgency operations.

During May this year, some formations under the Western Command had carried out annual field exercises in Punjab plains to validate operational concepts and test their equipment.

Later, in June, the Western Command's top brass conducted a war game at its headquarters in Chandimandir near Chandigarh concentrating on the Pakistani border along Jammu and Punjab, apart from counter-insurgency strategies in Jammu region. For quite some time now, the Army's emphasis has been on table-top war games rather than field exercises due to constraints of space and expenses involved.

The field exercises usually take place in Punjab plains between the harvest seasons and in the Pokhran firing ranges in Rajasthan desert.

"Earlier, villagers in Punjab were willing to give their agricultural land for the army exercises between harvest seasons. They used to do it enthusiastically. But of late the trend has changed leading to space crunch for these large scale exercises. The money spent on mobilisation and the exercise too is large," an Army officer said explaining the need for such games.

"Moreover, during the table-top war game, 10 or more war scenarios and the responses to them from troops and commanders can be worked out within a matter of hours. But during a field exercise, only a couple of scenarios can be worked out," they said.

War games are held at all Command levels every year to review existing operational plans keeping in view recent on-ground developments. It also helps expose new commanders to offensive and defensive strategies pertaining to a particular operational theatre.

Army sources said besides top commanders from respective commands and their field formations, senior representatives from Army headquarters and the Training Command usually attend the brainstorming session.

Since the turn of the century, the Army has been focusing on fighting a high-intensity, short-duration war in a built-up urban and semi-urban environment, mainly by a division-sized offensive formation.

Fundamental to this 'Cold Start' doctrine is a networked environment enabling real time flow of intelligence, data and information, as well as rapid troop mobilisation and deployment of devastating firepower across the entire spectrum of conflict, the sources added.

India Inc's staff cost grew slower in Q4

India Inc's staff cost went up by 11.2 per cent during January-March last fiscal growing at a lesser pace than the previous three quarters of 2008-09, reflecting the economic slowdown, according to an RBI study.

The staff cost of 2,549 companies taken for the RBI study had risen by around 20 per cent in each of the first three quarters of 2008-09.

However, with corporate India reducing its overall expenditure, the rise in manpower costs too was arrested.

As the impact of the global downturn became severe since September-October, the corporates were forced to cut down the pace of the total expenditure.

"Reflecting the impact of financial market turmoil, economic activity post-September weakened substantially," the study said.

The total business expenses, which grew by over 36 per cent in the first two quarters, contracted by 0.5 per cent during January-March period. The growth in October-December quarter had slowed to 12.6 per cent.

On an annual basis, manufacturing firms covered in the study posted 14.7 per cent increase on staff costs largely on account of higher pace of expenditure in the first half of 2008-09. In the services sector also IT firms registered a growth of 24.7 per cent on staff cost and non-IT companies posted an increase of 23.1 per cent.

After IT, BPO, medical tourism emerge as fastest growing sector

Despite the global economic downturn, medical tourism has emerged as the fastest growing sector of the Indian tourism industry as it
provides first world treatment to patients at an affordable rates.

Medical costs in India are only 1/3rd or 1/4th of the costs at comparable hospitals in the US, Europe or South Africa, a medical referrals agency said today.

Over 3,00,000 patients have so far come to India for medical treatments from over 30 countries this year earning the country over Rs 8,500 crore in revenue, it said.

"The Indian medical tourism industry is at a nascent stage, but has an enormous potential for future growth and development. This sector has the highest growth potential after IT and BPO and will bracket India among the world's elite healthcare providers," Aarex India, said.

Aarex India is a leading medical referrals agency which receives over 200 enquiries every month from all over the world.

Medical tourism is expected to generate revenue of Rs 10,000-crore by 2012 and over 3,50,000 patients from across the world are expected to come to India for treatment, it said.

Aarex India said countries like the US, UK, Canada, Russia, the Middle-East, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Mauritius and the Central Asian Republics are preferring India's affordable medical tourism.

World stock markets fall on US recovery concerns

World stock markets were modestly lower on Monday as investors look to this week's Federal Reserve meeting for more clues about the 10 most trade-friendly economies.

A number of markets across Asia, including Japan's, were closed for holidays. Oil prices fell, while the dollar rose against the yen and the euro.

World markets posted more gains last week as U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said recession in the world's largest economy was ``likely over.''

This week, investors will watch closely what the Fed has to say about the economy and the scale of the recovery after a two-day meeting that wraps up Wednesday. The Fed is widely expected to leave rock-bottom interest rates unchanged, though investors will be looking for clues in the central bank's statement about when hikes might start.

Christopher Wood, equity strategist for CLSA brokerage, says the easy money in the West made possible by the Fed and other central banks has helped propel Asian markets this year.

``The dollar is the new carry trade,'' Wood said in Hong Kong, referring to the practice of borrowing Japanese yen at a low cost to purchase risky and higher-yielding assets. ``People are borrowing the dollar to buy equities and debt, primarily in emerging markets.''

Early in Europe, Britain's FTSE 100 lost 0.4 percent, Germany's DAX fell 0.8 percent and France's CAC-40 dropped 0.3 percent.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng fell 150.60 points, or 0.7 percent, at 21,472.85 in back-and-forth trade, while South Korea's Kospi lost 0.3 percent to 1,695.50.

China's Shanghai benchmark was up 0.2 percent at 2,967.01 and Australia's benchmark shed 0.3 percent.

Japanese financial markets are closed Monday through Wednesday for public holidays. The markets will reopen Thursday. Financial markets in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore were also closed Monday for holidays.

Asian markets have risen far more than most Western markets this year. Indonesia's main benchmark has surged over 81 percent, while India's Sensex is up nearly 74 percent. The Dow Jones index, by comparison, has gained 11.9 percent during that time.

Wood said Asian stocks would continue their heady rise because there was ``an overwhelming probability that more and more money flows into Asia.''

``The chief beneficiary of Western monetary easing won't be Western economies. It will be Asian asset prices (such as) equities and real estate,'' he said. ``The longer-term risk is that Asia goes into a monstrous asset bubble which ultimately destabilizes'' the region's economies.

Friday in New York, the Dow rose 36.28, or 0.4 percent, to 9,820.20, its highest close since Oct. 6, when it finished at 9,956.

The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 2.81, or 0.3 percent, to 1,068.30, while the Nasdaq composite index advanced 6.11, or 0.3 percent, to 2,132.86.

Futures pointed to losses Monday on Wall Street. Dow futures were down 51, or 0.5 percent, at 9,682.

Benchmark crude for October delivery slipped 81 cents to $71.23 a barrel in Asian trade.

The dollar gained to 92.03 yen from 91.46 yen. The euro fell to $1.4641 from $1.4686.




Centre to invest Rs 9000 cr for expansion of Vizag Steel Plant
The Centre would invest Rs 9,000 crore for the expansion of Vizag Steel Plant, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah said here on
Monday.

"Government of India has decided to invest about Rs 9,000 crore for the expansion of Vizag Steel Plant," he said addressing a gathering after inaugurating new buildings of the Andhra Chamber of Commerce.

Highlighting that the state is making rapid strides in industrialisation, he said the PSU firms NTPC and BHEL would set up a power plant equipment manufacturing unit in Chittoor district with an investment of Rs 6,000 crore.

Renowned footwear manufacturing company Apache has also taken up expansion of its existing facility in Nellore district, he said.

The Colombo-based Brandix company has started its operations and their gigantic unit is slated for inauguration at Visakhapatnam, Rosaiah said.

Praising the initiatives of late Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy in putting the state on the path of rapid industrialisation, he said his government would strive to perform in all aspects of development.

Saying that his government would encourage industrialists and that the World Bank has named Hyderabad as a business- friendly city, Rosaiah urged the industrialists to make investments in the state.

High priests at low ebb
Has there been a general decline in the quality of priests who perform Durga Puja? V. Kumara Swamy finds out


MANTRA MATTERS: A priest performs aarati during Durga Puja; (below) Ramgopal Shastri
Ramgopal Shastri cringes when one of his disciples mispronounces a word while reciting the Durga Saptasati (Chandi Paath) — Sanskrit invocations in praise of Goddess Durga from the Markandeya Purana. After berating the youngster, he asks him to repeat them after him. The verses roll off Shastri’s tongue with ease, and he not only pronounces each word perfectly but also modulates his voice, moving the pitch up and down, and leaves the listener spellbound.

Shastri, who is also the secretary of the Bangiya Purohit Sabha, an organisation of about 4,000 priests, recently held a small camp for association members who will perform pujas in thousands of pandals and houses next week. “I want them to follow each and every tradition associated with the puja. If they fail in that task, they would be invoking the wrath of Durga,” he says.

Starting from invoking the Goddess on Shashthi to the visarjan on Dashami when the idols are taken for immersion, priests are involved at each step of the four-day Durga Puja celebrations. Yet many feel that the quality of the priests and their commitment to traditional practices have been on the decline for some time now.

Says Professor Dhyanesh Narayan Chakraborty, former head of the department of Sanskrit, Rabindra Bharati University, who was also one of judges to choose the ‘Best Priest’ in Calcutta a few years back, “I come across many mediocre priests. When the loudspeakers blare out the morning and evening aarati mantras, the mistakes by purohits are quite jarring to the ear,” he says.

“According to our texts, shlokas should be recited perfectly for their desired effect. When the purohits fail to do that, it doesn’t bode well for anybody,” says Shankar Shastri, son and disciple of Ramgopal Shastri.

Others point out that many present-day purohits are also ignorant about the various rituals that are associated with Durga Puja. “When we went around pandals to choose the ‘Best Priest’, we found that purohits were not aware of even the basics of the puja,” says Pandit Netai Chakraborty, head of the Vaidik Pandit Purohit Mahamilan Kendra, who organised the ‘Best Priest’ competition from 2003 to 2006.

According to Chakraborty, the priests were not wearing fresh clothes every day, the place of the yagna was not according to the rules, and they weren’t even following traditional procedures for the aarati. “The aarati has to be offered 64 times to each deity. We found that hardly any one was doing that. The chandmala should be in the right hand of male deities and in the left hand of women deities, but many weren’t even aware of this,” says Chakraborty.

Many priests who follow puja traditions faithfully blame the proliferation of pandals and rampant commercialisation for the slide in standards. “If you notice, Durga Puja is called Durgotsav these days. Clearly, the emphasis is on the utsav (festival), rather than the puja. Pandals have become social gatherings rather than religious places. When the puja organisers are more concerned about coming up with innovative pandals and fancy lighting and less about the puja itself, this is bound to happen,” says Jayanta Kushari, a prominent priest.

Kushari points out that many priests have contracts with multiple pandals and so are always in a hurry to wind up the proceedings. “Purohits cannot be absolved of blame completely. Greed has become a factor in all this,” he says.The priests are paid anywhere between Rs 500-1000 a day, with the major chunk of their earnings coming from daily donations to the Goddess.

However, major Durga Puja organisers refute allegations that tradition has been sacrificed at the altar of commercialisation. “We have had the same priest for almost two decades and there has been no deviation from tradition whatsoever. Our priests follow every tradition in letter and spirit,” says S.S. Bose, treasurer, Maddox Square puja committee.

“We have been conducting our family’s Durga Puja the same way for the last 220 years. The descendant of the first purohit continues to perform the puja even today,” says Alok Krishna Deb of the Sovabazaar Rajbari family. “The emphasis here is on the tradition, not the pomp and glory,” he adds.

Commercialisation apart, perhaps the lack of a proper Sanskrit education has also contributed to a decline in standards, say experts. “Unlike in South India, we don’t have a single school that teaches Sanskrit in the guru shishya parampara. How can you expect to have talented people taking to priesthood out of interest,” asks Loknath Sastri, a priest and Sanskrit grammarian.

“I learnt Sanskrit in the Devnagri script. But the priests today read Sanskrit verses in the Bengali script, which has its own limitations,” rues Ramgopal Shastri.

His son blames the West Bengal education department for the decline in interest in Sanskrit because the subject was made optional in 1978. “It should be made a compulsory subject so that we have a supply line of students for higher studies,” he says. The Bangiya Purohit Sabha has even threatened to boycott the Durga Puja celebrations next year if the government doesn’t take steps to encourage learning Sanskrit.

Another reason for age old puja traditions fading from practice is that priesthood — once a hereditary profession — is not so popular with the present generation. Take Sumant Ghoshal, son of a priest in Howrah. He decided to break away from the family calling and became a software professional. “I used to accompany my father to various Puja pandals, but this was not something that I wanted to do,” he says. Even Ramgopal Shastri’s own grandson is not very keen to follow his family’s profession. So clearly, authentic puja practices that were handed down from generation to generation are simply getting lost over time.

But if men from traditional priestly families are leaving the fold, some others are showing interest in the profession. Biswajit Bhattacharya, a second-year college student, spends hours at the feet of Ramgopal Shastri, learning Sanskrit and the nuances of priesthood. His aim is to become a priest and chant the Chandi Paath like the legendary Birendra Krishna Bhadra.

Are Bengal’s priests listening?
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090920/jsp/7days/story_11518941.jsp


Count puts poverty at 50%, riles govt
CITHARA PAUL

New Delhi, Sept. 20: At least half the country’s rural population lives in poverty, a government-appointed expert panel has said, nearly doubling the Planning Commission’s estimate that 28 per cent of Indian villagers are poor.

The Centre, however, appears likely to go by the plan panel’s figures rather than the N.C. Saxena committee’s higher count which, if adopted, will enormously hike expenditure on anti-poverty schemes by adding crores to the list of beneficiaries.

The irony is that the government itself had appointed the Saxena committee to work out new criteria to decide which households lived below the poverty line.

Asked about the possibility of implementing the Saxena report, handed in last month, rural development minister C.P. Joshi said: “The Saxena committee was not asked to count the poor but to develop a methodology to identify the poor.’’

He added that the report was not binding on the government.

However, junking the panel’s figures would amount to rejecting the suggested criteria too. For, the panel’s figures are based on the new criteria it has suggested in its report, as well as data from state governments and the food ministry.

The committee has suggested five exclusion criteria for the 2009 below-poverty-line (BPL) survey: average per head spending over Rs 1,000 a month in urban areas and Rs 700 in rural areas; or ownership of a pucca house, or two-wheeler, or mechanised farm implement like a tractor, or landholding above the district average.

The Planning Commission, however, went by a different cutoff for average per head spending — Rs 356 a month in rural areas and Rs 539 a month in urban areas. One other criterion it used was daily calorie intake: 2,400 kilocalories in villages and 2,100 for urban areas.

Its figure of 28 per cent poor is the same as that obtained by using the old BPL criteria, fixed during the previous survey in 2002, which the Saxena panel was tasked to revise.

The Planning Commission has written to Saxena saying: “Fixing the BPL percentage at 50 per cent will have tremendous financial implications and once granted it cannot be reduced….’’

The Saxena committee has cited food ministry data, which mention 10.5 crore BPL cards in the country. This would already account for roughly 53 crore poor — nearly half the population — it says.

Saxena has found fault with the National Sample Survey Organisation’s data, on which the plan panel’s calculations were based. The committee factored in inflation too, but has not given the details of how this was done.

One other reason for its higher count is that it compulsorily includes in the BPL list all Primitive Tribal Groups and households headed by single women or minors, those with a disabled person as the breadwinner, destitute households, and families of bonded labourers.

Saxena, a former rural development secretary, and the plan panel differ also on the state-wise poverty count. Whereas Saxena finds two states with more than 80 per cent of their people eligible for BPL status (see chart), the plan panel finds none with above 50 per cent poor.

The Saxena committee says that though the official poverty count fell from 56 per cent in 1973-74 to 28 per cent in 2004 going by the government’s old BPL criteria, there has been no real decline in the number of the poor.

Analysing the existing and old BPL lists, it says a large number of poor families have been left out of poverty alleviation programmes “and these must be the voiceless people living in remote hamlets”.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090921/jsp/frontpage/story_11522344.jsp

Will Sensex scale new highs this festive season?

21 Sep 2009, 0703 hrs IST, TIMES NEWS NETWORK & AGENCIES
MUMBAI: As the festive season kicks off in the country, Dalal Street has become the cynosure of all eyes. The sensex has already gained nearly 1,200 Top 10 stocks attracting MF money points in just 14 trading sessions this month, closing with gains on 10 occasions.

According to analysts, FII inflow may cross the $10 billion-mark by the end of this month as a hefty $9.8 billion (Rs 47,674 crore) has been poured into the bourses by overseas entities so far this year.

Will the sensex scale new highs this festival season? Analysts are keeping their fingers crossed for now but they expect some volatile trading sessions this week, mainly because of the coming derivatives expiration on Thursday.

Moreover, Monday is a trading holiday because of Eid and hence traders will have just three sessions before the settlement of September contracts. ‘‘Due to the settlement in futures and options segment markets will be in consolidation phase, but uptrend will continue,’’ Paras Bothra, head of research, Ashika Stock Brokers, said.

However, looking beyond the settlement, market sentiment is likely to remain bullish even as investors will be cautious, analysts feel. There is a meeting of the US Federal Reserve also scheduled for this week.


Also Read
? Steadfast investors gain more with latest 16k
? Foreigners may get direct ride to Dalal Street
? FII inflows set to cross $10 bn-mark this month: Analysts
? Sensex at 16,000: Which way from here?
? Infy biggest contributor to Sensex rally from 15k to 16k


‘‘The market is expected to remain sideways ahead of the clearing date for derivatives. It may consolidate at these levels, while the movement will remain on the upside as the picture overall is very rosy,’’ Rajesh Jain, VP, SMC Global said. Last week, although the BSE sensex gained 477 points, or nearly 3%, to close at 16,741 points, the last two days it struggled to close higher than previous closes.

Although valuations are reasonable, technically some correction could set in soon. ‘‘The markets have reached an oversold zone and this week it will be choppy and will consolidate at these levels for a while,’’ Avinash Gupta, VP-Research, Bonanza Portfolio, said.

During the week, FIIs have put in over Rs 5,300 crore in Indian equities, a large chunk of it because of the Rs 3,200 crore placement of RIL treasury shares. Bothra added that FIIs are bullish on the Indian markets and they will for now keep investing in the domestic bourses.

‘‘US Fed will meet on September 22-23 to discuss the state of the US economy and to discuss the financial policies and the Indian markets will cautiously look at the situation,’’ Jain added.

‘‘FII inflows in the Indian equity market would continue in the coming days and it may cross $10 billion level by September-end,” Tarun Sisodia, director & head of research, Anand Rathi Financial Services, said.

So far this year, FIIs have net bought shares worth nearly Rs 48,000 crore, according to Sebi data. The infusion of money by overseas investors in shares is a part of their portfolio management in various emerging markets and India is part of that strategy, Sisodia, who is based in Mumbai, said. And so far this month, foreign investors have infused over Rs 7,400 crore ($1.5 billion).

Budget isn't a bad idea


21 Sep 2009, 1850 hrs IST, New York Times

Someone with $100 million has nothing to fear, not even fear itself.


But not long ago, a client with such assets called and asked Bruce Bickel, her wealth adviser at PNC Wealth Management, to put her on a budget.

"She said we've never done this before, and we think we should," said Bickel, managing director of private foundation management services at PNC. "It's all relative. Their loss has put them in a fear response."

That mindset is a direct result of the financial panic that turned one year old this week. At this time last year, Richard Fuld was center stage in the financial crisis; Ken Lewis, chief executive of Bank of America, was being hailed as Merrill Lynch's savior; and Bernard L Madoff was little known beyond the financial world.

None of that is true today. And even though a year has passed, wealthy investors remain cautious.

The Boston Consulting Group predicted this week that world wealth levels would not return to 2007 precrisis levels until 2013. It also said it found that the number of millionaires was down 18 per cent and that, across the board, clients of wealth management firms had lost trust in their advisers.

"There is a shattered confidence we haven't seen in a long time," said Bruce Holley, senior partner at the firm. "The wealth management business is a very emotional business, and people can react in kind to that."

This explains how someone with more than $100 million in assets can ask her adviser to put her on a budget. As far-fetched as it may sound to someone struggling to make a mortgage payment, such a request reflects the changes in attitudes about wealth in the last year.

SHOW ME THE MONEY

Watching where your money goes is more than just having a budget. "One of my families said, ‘If you're worried about spending, then you're not wealthy,"' Bickel said. "But across the board, there is greater discernment with use of discretionary income."

That discernment has taken many forms. One is charity. Many of the two dozen private foundations Bickel advises have become more focused in their giving. In one case, the family used to give to various cancer-related charities, but it now concentrates on cancer research. The family has not reduced what it gives, just focused it on a particular area to have greater impact.

Still, any budgeting is bound to encompass personal expenses, even for those with plenty.

"People who would get a new Mercedes S550 every couple of years aren't doing it now," said G. Moffett Cochran, chief executive of Silvercrest Asset Management, which has an average account size of $30 million. "The next car may not be an S550; it may be an Acura. There's an awareness of conspicuous consumption."

This feeling is gaining ground. Bickel said he has been helping parents talk to children about cutting back and doing so without feeling guilty. "They say, 'My teenager isn't driving a BMW; she has to drive a Ford Focus,"' he said. "I tell them not to worry about it. The need is the car. The desire is the BMW."


New formula to award oil blocks
R. SURYAMURTHY

Jitin Prasada: Ready for drill
New Delhi, Sept. 19: The government plans to adopt a new pricing formula for the open acreage licensing system, which will replace the annual auctioning of oil and gas blocks under the New Exploration Licensing Policy (Nelp).

“We plan to shift to a new method of giving out (oil and gas) blocks to bidders in an open acreage system and will be adopting a new pricing methodology,” minister of state for petroleum, Jitin Prasada, said.

The new system, which will start in early 2011, will enable the exploration and production firms to bid for blocks at any time of the year unlike Nelp, which is an annual event.

“Data for these blocks will be made available to the bidders through the national data repository,” he said. The open acreage system will allow firms to identify the blocks or areas they want to explore instead of bidding for pre-assigned blocks.

The risks involved in oil and gas discovery has prodded the government to adopt the new pricing formula. Prasada said, “The contractor will have to arrive at the pricing on an arm’s-length basis and it will have to be approved by the government.”

The empowered group of ministers (eGoM) for Reliance Industries’ KG-D6 had formulated the gas price on a cost-plus principle where a return is guaranteed on all capital expenditure. The eGoM-approved formula provides for a maximum gas price of $4.2 per million British thermal unit (mBtu) at $60 a barrel crude rate. RIL gas will cost $2.5 per mBtu, if crude falls to $25.

This formula will be valid for five years from the date of commencement of commercial production and supply.

Arvind Mahajan, executive director of KPMG, said “The existing gas price in India is significantly lower than international rates. Adequate gas price rationalisation is a must to attract investment in the development of gasfields and infrastructure. Cost-plus mechanism will only deter investment and competitiveness.”

The Planning Commission has disagreed with the price fixing methodology of the eGoM. It said, “Linking gas prices to crude price movement is misleading as gas is not as easily tradable as oil, because pipeline and liquefaction/re-gassification facilities take time to develop.”

It said comparing “local gas prices to spot LNG prices in the international market is grossly misleading as gas transportation requires significant investment in pipelines or in liquefaction, cryogenic shipping and re-gassification”.

According to the Planning Commission, long-term supply contracts such as those in Europe are more representative of gas prices.

“The government will be looking at the commercial viability and the energy needs of the country while approving the prices of energy resources,” Prasada said.

According to analysts, global players such as Chevron, ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, and Conoco Phillips are unlikely to venture into the country unless the discovery is commercially profitable and the price is determined by market forces.

At present, only 50 per cent of Indian sedimentary basins are under exploration.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090920/jsp/business/story_11519222.jsp

Will China drag global and Indian markets down?


21 Sep 2009, 1815 hrs IST, ET Now

Rakesh Jhunjhunwala and Shankar Sharma debated this and other factors impacting markets in episode II of ET Now’s Gladiators. Excerpts: More Pictures


Two people the markets and investors love to track and listen to – Rakesh Jhunjhunwal, Partner, Rare Enterprises and Shankar Sharma, Vice Chairman & Joint MD, First Global battled it hard in the second episode of Gladiators telecast on our business channel ET Now. They carry on the debate – over the future course of the market, the long term India story, the China factor and so on. Here is the transcript of the second episode of the face-off between the two market giants.

Click here for the transcript of the first episode


Last time when we met on this forum, both our gladiators had different opinions. Rakesh Jhunjhunwala was of the view that global economic recovery has started and that corporate India will surprise us. Shankar Sharma kept on insisting you cannot ignore China and that if China goes under, commodity prices will crash. This week, the focus will be different.

So far we are focussed on China but what about the US consumer? The US consumer is now saving more and is certainly spending less.


Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: I mean there is no question of replacing, it is going to be a gradual replacement. China and India, Brazil and Indonesia will replace them. Over a period of time, this is going to be Asia’s century; I have no doubt about it.


Bull vs Bear: Will this market rally end or continue further?



But Rakesh, history always repeats itself. Look at the 100-year chart of Dow. The excess of any bull market do not get cleaned up in less than one year.


Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: It is their excesses, so they are, as Chris Wood says and which I agree and which I believe that the Western world is structurally in a bear market. Asia in the emerging world is structurally in a bull market.




Trinamul on Maoist notice
- Threat over Nandigram ‘extortion’
PRONAB MONDAL AND ANSHUMAN PHADIKAR

Boys eat in a relief camp in Nandigram. (Jahangir Badsa)
Sept. 20: Maoists have warned that Trinamul Congress activists in Nandigram will “pay with their lives” if they don’t stop threatening and extorting money from CPM activists.

A senior Maoist leader has said Trinamul workers in Nandigram who were “torturing” poor villagers just because they were CPM supporters would soon have to face verdict in the “people’s court”.

Nandigram, which was once a Left bastion, had become the launch pad for Trinamul’s resurgence after the land acquisition backlash that paid the Opposition party rich dividends in the panchayat and Lok Sabha elections.

During Mamata Banerjee’s land movement in Nandigram, the government and the CPM had often alleged that her party had the active support of the Maoists. Trinamul had dismissed such suggestions.

However, once the Centre sent paramilitary forces to Lalgarh and a security operation was launched, the Maoists started publicly criticising Trinamul for failing to stop the crackdown despite being part of the Union government. Maoist leader Kishanji had then accused Mamata of failing to return the favour extended in Nandigram.

The threat issued now by another Maoist leader has injected a menacing edge to what has so far been confined to occasional criticism.

Trinamul workers in Nandigram will have to “pay for their act, maybe with their lives”, the senior rebel leader — a CPI (Maoist) central committee member — said in a recent interaction.

In Nandigram, Trinamul men are targeting poor CPM supporters. They are extorting money from them and denying them jobs under the rural job scheme, he said.

The Telegraph spoke to some CPM supporters who said they were at the receiving end of Trinamul’s “extortion”.

One of them, 30-year-old Narayan Das, was not allowed to bring his father’s body back to his Sonachura home in Nandigram and Trinamul workers would not let him perform the last rites until he coughed up Rs 2 lakh.

Narayan, a supervisor with a construction company in Cuttack, said: “When I reached Chandipur, about 40km from Sonachura, my relatives called me on my cellphone and told me I would not be allowed to perform my father’s last rites until I paid Rs 2 lakh to the local Trinamul leaders. Finally, my relatives took the body to the village for cremation and I had to return to Cuttack.”

Narayan said the local Trinamul leaders have also prevented his brothers from cultivating five bighas that his father left for them. “They allowed cultivation on one bigha after I paid Rs 10,000. But they are still demanding Rs 2 lakh.”

Another Sonachura CPM supporter and a farm labourer, Rabin Mondal, alleged that he was being denied work under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. “I am not being given work under the 100 days’ scheme. No one is giving me a job as a farm labourer as Trinamul leaders have asked villagers not to,” said 30-year-old Rabin.

A CPM supporter in Gokulnagar who works as a clerk in the irrigation department in Mahishadal fled his home a year ago after Trinamul activists demanded Rs 2 lakh from him too.

He now lives near his work place, but his wife and two children are still in Gokulnagar. “My wife and two sons live in my two-storey house in the village. I have 10 bighas to cultivate. So I gave them Rs 1 lakh. They have said they will leave me alone only after I pay the remaining amount,” he said, requesting anonymity.

The Trinamul leadership in Nandigram denied that CPM supporters were facing extortion threats. “Our workers have not extorted money or resorted to any oppression. There is no question of demanding money from CPM supporters,” said Abu Taher, Trinamul leader and chief of Nandigram panchayat samiti.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090921/jsp/bengal/story_11522420.jsp

CPM land lens on trio
OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Calcutta, Sept. 20: The CPM has decided to launch for the first time an inquiry against three district committee members following charges that they had connived with land sharks, sources said.

The district — North 24-Parganas — is the same as the one where the Vedic Village controversy broke but the sources said the particular scandal was not mentioned in relation to the probe that has been ordered.

Among the three is Kalyan Mukherjee, who used to manage finance minister Asim Dasgupta’s election in Khardah. The others are Ranjit Das from Baranagar and Arun Mahapatra from Gaighata.

The decision to probe the charges was taken by the North 24-Parganas district committee in the presence of CPM state secretary Biman Bose.

The sources said the three members were accused of “immoral activities”, including use of political clout and muscle to help realtors. The complaints against them were lodged by some party activists.

The faction-ridden district committee, however, could not finalise the names of those who will carry out the inquiry and left the matter to the district secretariat.

The sources said Bose did not mention the Vedic Village controversy in which the land and land reforms ministry reached an out-of-court settlement with the promoters and handed over vested land.

Bose has asked the units in other districts also to take action against corrupt elements, not only at the lower level, but also those in the top rungs.

Although the probe is being construed as part of the party’s renewed “rectification campaign” in the wake of a series of electoral setbacks, the silence on Vedic Village has raised eyebrows.

A section in the party had accused the district leadership of inaction despite complaints of land-grab against the resort promoters. Some district leaders of the party, including ministers, were regular visitors to the resort.

But district secretary Amitabha Bose and Rabin Mondol, Rajarhat MLA, in their report to Bose did not admit the involvement of party activists, sources said.

But another leader pointed out that the leaders’ nexus with the real estate promoters in the suburbs had begun in the late eighties. Although the ties developed under the nose of the state leadership, it hardly took any action, he said.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090921/jsp/bengal/story_11522421.jsp

Marxists & models? Mollah is outraged
BARUN GHOSH
Calcutta, Sept. 20: Land acquisition or khadi fashion, Abdur Rezzak Mollah can’t be kept gagged for long.

The land and land reforms minister today criticised the CPM’s idea of organising a fashion show, trashing it as erosion of ideals. “I must say that the fashion show shows us in poor light across the state. We, Marxists, who always stick to ideals, should not stoop to organise such shows, regardless of its marketing potential,” he said over the phone from his South 24-Parganas home.

“I can’t imagine that our Marxist leaders would sit cross-legged for hours looking at models walk on the ramp one after another.”

The minister’s criticism of yesterday’s state-organised khadi fashion show came two days after he was warned by CPM state secretary Biman Bose not to send out the “wrong message” to the masses about the party.

Mollah, who has publicly criticised the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government for its land acquisition policy and proclaimed he is “super clean”, also spoke of Hope 86, a musical soiree that Subhas Chakraborty had organised.

When Hope 86 was organised by the late transport minister Subhas Chakraborty, it sparked “sustained criticism in the party”, Mollah said. “Many of us took up cudgels against the late Chakraborty terming the show decadent. But today, we don’t mind organising fashion shows.”

Mollah has also coined a name for leaders who organise ramp shows and soirees. He calls them “hybrids”.

“I have been isolated in the party these days because of being vocal about some hybrid leaders who openly disregard Marxist ideals. But we have been paying a heavy price for the loss of ideals,” he said.

It is not known if Mollah’s “hybrid” barb and charge about eroding Marxist ideals was meant for Mohd Salim, the West Bengal Khadi and Village Industries Commission chairman and one of the organisers of the khadi fashion show. They are not known to be the best of friends.

Salim refused to react to Mollah’s statement.

But CPM state secretariat member Benoy Konar found nothing wrong with the fashion show. “We have to cope with changing times. If such a show is done in a decent manner, why criticise it?” he asked.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090921/jsp/bengal/story_11522422.jsp


Markets mirror malls in festive frenzy

The New Market area on Saturday.
Pictures by Bishwarup Dutta and Anindya Shankar Ray
It’s that time of the year again, when the mall-market
divide gets blurred in the Puja shopping frenzy. Metro goes around town to catch the buzz

Hatibagan

Serpentine queues greeted shoppers on Saturday, the second day of the extended weekend before Puja, and they waited for hours to pick out the right outfit and then to pay for it. The pavements, displaying everything from apparel to trinkets and shoes to linens, offered no space to walk. Shoppers vied for space with vehicles on Bidhan Sarani.

Madhuchanda Bose, waiting at the billing counter at KC Dass Fashion, said: “We get quality products here at reasonable rates.” The store records a footfall of over 2,000 on pre-Puja weekends.

“Sales pick up two months before Puja and peak in the last few days,” said employee Uttam Pal. Puja sales were 10 times that of the entire year put together, he added.

A personal touch and tradition help the age-old markets score over malls in the run-up to Puja. “If I don’t like a dress, I can get it changed whenever I want. At the mall, I have to go at a specified time,” said Ruma Ghosh from Baranagar.

An employee at Panjabi Museum on Bidhan Sarani said: “We are selling goods worth around Rs 20,000 daily now.”

Gariahat

There was not an inch of parking space on either side of Rashbehari Avenue. The pavements had disappeared under hawkers and their ware and a sea of shoppers. Some men tried hard to lure customers to air-conditioned shops. But with shoppers packed like sardines inside, the air-conditioning offered little comfort. Grabbing a salesman’s eye or getting your purchase billed called for greater skills.

“Even those who don’t shop throughout the year, shop for Puja. More panjabis are selling at the last moment compared with saris,” said Madhusudan Saha of Kinnor Kinnoree in Gariahat. The store usually downs shutters at 8.30pm, but on Friday the rush ensured that it remained open past 10pm, he added.

The scene was the same at Benarasi Kuthi. “People are mostly picking up saris in the Rs1,000-1,500 price range,” said N. Bhattacharya, the owner.

Shopper Sapna Kar said: “I go to malls for everyday stuff, but there is no alternative to the sari stock at Gariahat.”

New Market

Shoppers didn’t have to walk in the Esplanade area, they were pushed forward by the “invisible hand” of Calcutta’s shopping frenzy. At Shreeram Arcade, security checks were forgotten and the gates thrown open to the crowds. For trendy wear, Shreeram Arcade is the pop pick and for ethnic wear, Treasure Island, said shoppers.

Shopkeepers can’t stop smiling. “Puja sales are double of what we sell throughout the year,” said Naveen Sharma of Miss Island at Treasure Island. “Puja is the time for making money. People might indulge in window shopping at other times, but not now,” smiled Indrajeet Tiwari, the owner of Mystique at Shreeram Arcade.

Though some shopkeepers admitted that Puja sales were not as high as in previous years, the downturn seemed to have made no dent in Debarati Mukherjee’s budget, who came to Shreeram Arcade from Behala. “We get trendy stuff here. In malls, many pieces of a single variety are displayed, but here one is spoilt for choice,” she said.



City Centre

A group of youngsters chatted amid glasses of cold coffee at Goutam’s, but the shops were not crowded. It was the penultimate day of the City Centre Shopping Festival and Seuli Singh, the store manager at Color Plus, said sales had increased by 30-35 per cent in the run-up to Puja. She denied that traditional markets eat into the mall’s customer base during Puja and insisted “one’s gain is not another’s pain”.

Model Madhurima Mukherjee said malls were “way more comfortable”, but she still visits Gariahat or New Market for traditional wear.

Rusa Banerjee, an executive at the mall, said malls were designed for customers looking for “high-end” products. “We benefit because we have a lot of vanilla stores too, along with the branded ones.”



Mani Square

Special events at Mani Mahotsav and Jackie Shroff shooting for Lal Salaam were the crowd-pullers on Saturday.

Rajesh Watwani, the manager of the Turtle store, said sales had gone up by 30 per cent before Puja. Namgay Tenzing, 22, said he was a regular at Vardaan Market but now prefers malls. “Fashion is important and I like high-end branded products,” he said.

Sudeshna Hazra, the head of events and speciality leasing at Mani Square, said malls score on comfort given Calcutta’s hot and humid weather. Other facilities like parking space, food court and plexes also draw Puja customers.

South City

An album launch for Fossils ensured the mall was mobbed, but the stores were not packed. But Vishal Banga, the manager at the Woodland outlet, said: “Footfall has increased by 200 per cent and sales by 50 per cent.” Anurag Kaur, an aspiring pilot, said: “Malls are better for men since we have many more options here as opposed to street-shopping.”

Man Mohan Bagree, the vice-president (commercial and marketing) of South City Mall, said he wouldn’t pit malls against markets. “The marketing strategies and target audience of both are completely different. The new generation is more inclined towards malls because of its variety”.

Jhinuk Mazumdar and Ranjabati Das

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090921/jsp/calcutta/story_11520027.jsp

First-class line-up for economy Krishna
K.P. NAYAR

Krishna, Clinton
New York, Sept. 20: He may be arriving at New York’s John F. Kennedy airport by “cattle class”, but that will not stop S.M. Krishna from being the second most popular foreign minister — after Hillary Clinton — at the 64th UN General Assembly during the next seven days.

Of the 192 foreign ministers who will be competing for their place under the sun here at the biggest gathering of leaders, Krishna has received 54 requests for bilateral meetings with his counterparts from all over the world.

That number is exceeded only by America’s Clinton, who received 86 requests for bilateral meetings, according to a source at the US permanent mission to the UN.

No other foreign minister has received nearly as many requests for bilateral meetings, according to multiple sources at the “high-level segment” of the General Assembly which will open on Wednesday to be addressed, among others, by President Barack Obama.

The interest in Krishna has been closely matched by a keenness to engage India’s new foreign secretary, Nirupama Rao, in substantive dialogue.

Rao arrived in New York this morning for the General Assembly, but was immediately spirited away by the Americans to Washington for detailed discussions on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to the US in November.

Perhaps empathising with Krishna’s “cattle class” fatigue on the long haul from New Delhi to New York, Rao travelled to Washington from the Big Apple today by a chair car-equipped Acela train, the US version of Rahul Gandhi’s now famous rail trip by Shatabdi Express to Ludhiana last week.

The Americans usually discourage foreign leaders and officials arriving in New York for the General Assembly from visiting Washington as an incidental add-on to their trip, but in Rao’s case the reverse has happened.

Her counterpart, the US under-secretary of state for political affairs, William Burns, was very keen to follow up the outcome of Clinton’s recent trip to India in the context of Singh’s visit, away from the distractions of UN work in New York, although the bigwigs at the state department are already at the world body and will remain there for the next 10 days.

Although Krishna had asked Rao to join the Indian delegation for talks with Clinton in July as an “officer on special duty” while she was waiting to take charge as foreign secretary, this will be her first solo engagement with the career leadership of the US diplomatic corps. An American source said Burns and his boss, the deputy secretary of state, James Steinberg, were keen that as a goodwill gesture this should take place at Foggy Bottom, the seat of the state department and not at a third party venue in New York.

Although Krishna received 54 requests from other foreign ministers to meet him in the next seven days, India’s permanent mission to the UN has not been able to accommodate all the requests since the minister has a very tight schedule at the UN, which includes a climate change summit on Tuesday, attended by 124 countries, many of them at the level of heads of state, a Group of 15 (G15) summit and his own address to the General Assembly.

Ironically, however, Krishna will actually end up meeting more foreign ministers than Clinton. This is because he will meet 53 Commonwealth foreign ministers at a single meeting, which is being called in view of the Commonwealth summit to be held in Trinidad and Tobago in November that will be attended by the Prime Minister.

In addition, Krishna will represent Singh at the G15 summit, attend a Bric luncheon and interact with the foreign ministers of Brazil, Russia and China, attend a ministerial meeting of Ibsa, the group binding India, Brazil and South Africa, have a collective “political dialogue” with his Gulf Co-operation Council counterparts and attend ministerial meetings of the Group of 77 and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, to list a few programmes on his itinerary.

Of course, Krishna will have a separate meeting with Clinton.

In order to accommodate requests from a wide cross-section of others, India’s permanent representative to the UN, Hardeep Puri, is hosting a reception on Thursday for the minister.

In addition to Rao and Puri, Krishna will be assisted at the General Assembly by the minister of state for environment and forests, Jairam Ramesh, and the special envoy to the Prime Minister on climate change, Shyam Saran.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090921/jsp/nation/story_11522290.jsp



ET Headline
Will China drag global and Indian mkts down?

21 Sep 2009, 1815 hrs IST, ET Now


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RBI flashes red signal at MLM companies
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ENS Economic Bureau
Mumbai The operations of shady multi-level marketing (MLM) companies — which operate what are popularly known as pyramid or ponzi schemes — have come under the regulatory scanner with shady MLM companies mushrooming across the country and duping investors. Many firms posing as MLM agencies for consumer goods and services have been actually mobilising large amounts of deposits from the public with promises of ridiculous returns of 120 per cent and repayment of prinicipal within a year.

In a circular, the Reserve Bank of India has alerted banks that in cases where accounts have already been opened in the names of the marketing agencies, retail traders and investment firms, the banks should undertake quick reviews. “Wherever large number of cheque books has been issued to such firms, the relative decision may be reviewed,” it said.

With many MLM companies recently using the banking technology to dupe investors, the RBI said, “banks should be careful in opening accounts of the marketing/trading agencies etc. Especially, strict compliance with KYC (know your customer) and AML (anti-money laundering) guidelines issued by the RBI should be ensured in the matter.”

The banking regulator also named seven MLM companies (Fine India Sales Pvt Ltd, Lakshya Levels Marketing, Eve Industries, Trident Advertising & Trade Links Pvt. Ltd, Super Life Link Distributors, Lue Brain Education Society and Manya Mantra Marketing). “These firms and their agents had reportedly promised very high returns on deposits and lured common people to part with funds in the name of certain investment/deposit schemes,” the RBI said.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ASKS BANKS TO TIGHTEN FRAUD RISK MANAGEMENT

MUMBAI: The Reserve Bank of India has asked banks to tighten the internal policy for fraud risk management and fraud investigation function as the incidence of frauds in Indian banks has been showing an increasing trend, especially in housing and mortgage loans, credit card dues and internet banking. “It is a matter of concern that instances of frauds in the traditional areas of banking such as cash credit, export finance, guarantees, letters of credit etc remain unabated,” the RBI said a year after the surfacing of the global financial crisis.

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/RBI-flashes-red-signal-at-MLM-companies/518020/

Mamata gives new name to LF govt: roadblock
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Express News Service
Posted: Sep 21, 2009 at 0251 hrs IST

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Kolkata Trinamool Congress chief and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday accused the Left Front government of acting as a roadblock to various development projects carried out by her ministry in the state.
“The CPM-led state government has failed to do any development work in Bengal and now that we want to do it, they are putting up roadblocks,” Banerjee told a crowd during the inauguration of a computerised reservation counter in Metiabruz.

“They will not work for people or allow us to work,” she added.

She cited the example of her efforts to modernise the Garden Reach state hospital.

“The railway ministry wrote to the district magistrate of South 24-Parganas that we were interested in developing the hospital. However, there was no response from the district magistrate” she said.

“Despite the state government’s callous approach we will go on with the development projects,” she added.

“We are looking for alternative land in this area. The railway ministry will set up a modern hospital on its own,” Banerjee added.

The ministry plans to develop the existing South Eastern Railway Hospital at Garden Reach into a modern medical college and hospital through public-private partnership model.

“Thousands of people will benefit from this venture, apart from the fact that it will produce doctors,” added Banerjee.

She also said the railways will construct a flyover with the help of private partners in the Metiabruz-Garden Reach area.

“A survey of lands from Taratolla to Metiabruz is on and in the next two to three years the flyover will come up,” she added.

Describing the new reservation counter at Metibruz as an “Eid gift” to the people of the area, Banerjee said she wanted the metropolis to be well-connected by railways and a survey would be taken up for laying a railway line from Majerhat station to Garden Reach.

Can’t milk your PSUs any more, babus told
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Amitav Ranjan
Posted: Sep 21, 2009 at 0958 hrs IST

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New Delhi Government officials have been told that they can no longer use Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) as milch cows for getting expensive mobile phones, chauffeur-driven cars, air conditioners, laptops or paying for their air travel or hotel stay.
On instructions from the Prime Minister’s Office, the Cabinet Secretary has directed that “ministries/departments which have CPSEs under their control should not permit their officers to use facilities belonging to or at the cost of the CPSEs”.

And if there is “a felt need” to modernise the functioning of babus through these perks, the ministries should pay out of their budgets for these facilities, “instead of depending on the CPSEs”.

The directive comes after The Indian Express reported that the Petroleum Ministry was forcing state-run ONGC to provide cars and mobiles, and pay for mobile bills, air fares and hotel stay for officers.

A Core Group of Officers, comprising the Secretaries of Expenditure, Personnel and Public Enterprises, then recommended that facilities from CPSEs for “personal use” should be “strictly prohibited”, and officers could avail of them for official purposes only after approval by the concerned Secretary.

The PMO, however, did not buy this argument. On May 27, it wrote to the Cabinet Secretary that allowing use of manpower, laptops, mobiles and vehicles in “exigencies of work” would suggest a fallacy that ministries with CPSEs have more work than those without CPSEs, but are underprovided.

“Permitting some ministries to obtain such facilities from CPSEs is problematic. They tend to become perks that other ministries do not have. This also creates a perverse incentive for officers to prefer ministries with CPSEs. Apart from this being unfair and inefficient, it has the potential to compromise the independence of the government direction,” it wrote.

It said that a fair and efficient system would be to assess the needs of each Ministry and give them the facilities directly instead of sourcing them from CPSEs. “If ministries/officers are not entitled to them or those are considered unnecessary, then there is no case for permitting them through CPSEs,” it argued.

Last Thursday, a Committee of Secretaries approved the PMO line.

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Cant-milk-your-PSUs-any-more-babus-told/519665/


Obama wants G20 to rethink global economy
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Reuters
Posted: Sep 21, 2009 at 0938 hrs IST

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Washington US President Barack Obama said on Sunday he would push world leaders this week for a reshaping of the global economy in response to the deepest financial crisis in decades.
In Europe, officials kept up pressure for a deal to curb bankers' pay and bonuses at a two-day summit of leaders from the Group of 20 countries which begins on Thursday.

The summit will be held in the former steelmaking center of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, marking the third time in less than a year that leaders of countries accounting for about 85 per cent of the world economy will have met to coordinate their responses to the crisis.

Obama said the US economy was recovering, even if unemployment remained high, and now was the time to rebalance the global economy after decades of US over-consumption.

"We can't go back to the era where the Chinese or the Germans or other countries just are selling everything to us, we're taking out a bunch of credit card debt or home equity loans, but we're not selling anything to them," Obama said in an interview with ‘CNN’.

For years before the financial crisis erupted in 2007, economists had warned of the dangers of imbalances in the global economy -- namely huge trade surpluses and currency reserves built up by exporters like China, and similarly big deficits in the United States and other economies.

With US consumers now holding back on spending after house prices plunged and as unemployment climbs, Washington wants other countries to become engines of growth.

"That's part of what the G20 meeting in Pittsburgh is going to be about, making sure that there's a more balanced economy," Obama told ‘CNN’.

China has long been the target of calls from the West to get its massive population to spend more. It may be reluctant to offer a significant change in economic policy when Chinese President Hu Jintao meets Obama this week.

The Wall Street Journal reported that a US proposal to the rest of the G20 group foresaw a new global economic framework under which the United States would save more and cut its budget deficit, China would rely less on exports and Europe would make structural changes, possibly in areas such as labor law, to make itself more attractive to investment.

China was reluctant about the plan but Washington was bringing Beijing along by supporting its call for more say for developing countries at the International Monetary Fund, the newspaper said on its website.

G20 countries have not decided how detailed to make their pledges to change their economies and there would be no specific sanctions for those falling short, the report said.

Some economists have worried that a trade dispute over new US import duties on Chinese tires could make it hard for leaders to renew their pledges to avoid protectionism, let alone discuss a major rethink of the world economy.

Nonetheless, calls for a new equilibrium are growing.

"We need to have rebalancing of growth and increase in consumption in the emerging markets to have enough growth in the short term," International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn told the Financial Times.

In Pittsburgh, the first of several expected anti-G20 protest marches took place with hundreds of demonstrators demanding governments create more jobs by spending more money on public works.

"(This) is a jobless recovery and there is the prospect of a permanent high unemployment economy." said Larry Holmes, of protest organizers Bail Out the People Movement.

Bigger protests are expected on Thursday and Friday.

EUROPE PRESSES ON BONUSES

European officials renewed calls on the summit to curb bonuses paid to bankers. Massive payouts linked to risky investments are widely seen as a factor in the credit crisis.

German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck said he supported a Dutch proposal to limit banking executives' bonuses to the level of their fixed annual salary, the kind of idea that US officials, mindful of Wall Street's concerns, oppose.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is seeking re-election next weekend, said on Saturday she was "thoroughly optimistic" that a deal could be done on reforming financial markets.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has tempered his calls for bonus caps, possibly paving the way for a G20 deal tying payouts to bankers' long-term performance, not quick bets.

Steinbrueck, a member of the center-left Social Democrats, said he would press G20 countries to examine the idea of a global tax on financial transactions to curb excesses.

A US draft of the summit communique did not mention this plan, German magazine Der Spiegel said. But G20 sources said the idea would be discussed by leaders.

The European Union should impose limits on bankers' bonuses even if the United States does not, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said on Sunday.

The United States is keen to show Europe that it is taking steps to rein in excesses in financial markets.

But the pace of US regulatory reform has been slow, hindered by opposition from a powerful banking lobby and the Obama administration's focus on healthcare reform.

Those delays could get longer still because the Senate's top legislator on financial regulation favors a more radical streamlining of bank supervisory agencies than the changes proposed by Obama.

The G20 leaders are due to discuss other issues in Pittsburgh, including climate change ahead of important United Nations negotiations on emissions levels in December.

The EU's Barroso will warn on Monday that the talks "are dangerously close to deadlock at the moment ... and the world cannot afford such a disastrous outcome," according to excerpts of a speech he will make in New York.

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Austerity Drive and Tharoor in CATTLE Class out of SOLIDARITY with HOLY COWS!

Austerity Drive and Tharoor in CATTLE Class out of SOLIDARITY with HOLY COWS!

Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams, Chapter 372

Palash Biswas

Tharoor says 'no comments' on twitter remark
17 Sep 2009, 1835 hrs IST
Shashi Tharoor, Minister of State for External Affairs keeps away from the Twitter trouble. He refused to comment on his 'cattle class' remark that he had made on the social networking site 'Twitter' yesterday (September 17) on the recent austerity drive.

While the minister is abroad on an official visit, sources in his office have said that no clarification has been sought and hence the Minister hasn't made any comment yet.

Shashi Tharoor had yesterday made comments that "he will travel cattle class out of solidarity with all our holy cows." BJP had sought Tharoor's expulsion from the post of Union Minister calling his remarks "a cruel joke and insult" to crores of people travelling in general class.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shiv Raj Singh Chauhan had said that having made such insensitive and insulting comments, he did not deserve to be a Union Minister. However, Congress also disapproved Tharoor's remark on economy class travel.

We totally condemn it (Tharoor's comments). The statement is not in sync with our political culture. His remarks are not acceptable given the sensitivity of all Indians," said AICC Spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan.

"Certainly the party does not endorse it. It is absolutely insensitive. We find it unacceptable and totally insensitive," she said when asked to comment on Tharoor's remarks on Twitter, a social networking website.
http://www.timesnow.tv/Tharoor-says-no-comments-on-twitter-remark/articleshow/4327550.cms





Shh(ashi)! Laugh at your peril
OUR BUREAU

New Delhi, Sept. 16: In this season of the austerity epidemic, the Congress cannot be accused of profligacy on one count: humour.

A tweet by junior minister Shashi Tharoor has got the Congress all twitched up, bringing forth abomination worthy of a dour old party.

Tharoor had tweeted in reply to a question that he would travel by “cattle class out of solidarity with all our holy cows”.

Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the author’s profile page and delivered to receivers known as followers (in Tharoor’s case, the particular follower happened to be a journalist).

The reference to “cattle class” did hurt the Congress that stands for the aam aadmi but what seems to have really got the party’s goat is the crack at “holy cows”.

The Congress is now trying to figure out the identity of the “holy cows” Tharoor had in mind. Given the number of “holy cows” the oldest party in the land has, it should take some time to arrive at a consensus.

Was Tharoor taking a potshot at Sonia Gandhi, the spearhead of the current austerity mania, for setting the stage for his ouster from a five-star hotel where he was staying paying from his pocket?

Or was he throwing the tweet at Rahul Gandhi, who unfurled his brand of belt-tightening by travelling in a train’s chair car — a ride that was unfortunately spoilt by stones hurled by mysterious miscreants? (Not read in Twitter: a joke doing the rounds is that police themselves might have thrown the stones to ensure that the young Gandhi sticks to his security routine and spares them the headache of guarding trains.)

The Congress would not answer such questions. But Tharoor, who tweeted and took a flight to Liberia en route to Ghana, is in trouble back home.

“We totally condemn it (Tharoor’s tweet). It is completely unacceptable and can come from somebody who is unaware of our political culture and social realities,” Congress spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan said. “Certainly, the party does not endorse it. It is absolutely insensitive. We find it unacceptable.”

The Congress has rarely condemned a minister in a similar manner at an official media conference. Sources said the issue was discussed by senior leaders and a conscious decision was made to send out a tough message to those who seek to ridicule the austerity measures.

More than what Natarajan said, what she left unsaid should alarm Tharoor more, if the political rookie can figure out the importance of silence in the party.

Asked if Tharoor should be dropped from the cabinet, she said it was for the high command to decide. On another question if making such “an elitist person” a minister was a mistake in the first place, the spokesperson said it was the prerogative of the Prime Minister.

Tharoor is scheduled to return on September 21, unless the tweet-quake brings him scurrying back.

Tharoor’s tweet came in response to a question by the follower who himself had referred to “cattle class”.

Cattle class is widely used to frown on the way some airlines herd passengers into the low-fare section, not a direct reference to the passengers themselves. Besides, Twitter is not meant for official discourse but chit chat — a tool millions use to celebrate the spontaneity of communication and the urge to get across their

140-character opinion on everything under and above the sun.

But Natarajan had done her own research. “Cattle class is a jargon, a slang. A politician should not use it. In India, where millions of people travel by ordinary class, we don’t show such insensitivity.”

Those who know Tharoor, an author who has a way with words, said he could also have been referring to the general hysteria over belt-tightening by using a harmless pun (“holy cow”) that goes with “cattle”.

Not that the Congress does not have leaders whose razor-sharp wit can squeeze a smile out of even the most poker-faced colleagues and rivals. But the usually garrulous withdrew into a shell this evening, refusing comment even off the record — perhaps a reflection of a reluctance to be gored by those protecting the holy cows.

In a nation of such gravitas, Tharoor is unlikely to find many willing to bell the holy cows or enjoy a good laugh.


http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090917/jsp/frontpage/story_11506963.jsp


Forget petty differences to fight & finish our common Brahminical enemy
SIDDARTH BARVE, C/O ANUPAM BOOK CENTRE, 9,10&11 PARK VIEW, STATION ROAD, NALLASOPARA (W), THANE DT. - 401 203

I wish to pen down this piece with malice towards none.

There was an international exhibition of crabs. There were many containers of crabs but only few with peculiar characteristics are described here.

In one glass container there were strong white and black crabs. All these crabs were looking artificially strong but were bullying all the time, wanting to force themselves out of the glass container. But as the container had a lid they could not get out. When inquired the exhibition guide said these were American crabs.

AMAZING INDIAN CRABS
In another container we could see a majority of the crabs quietly lying at the bottom. The few of the cunning lot were trying to bully and force their way out. The guide said they were from Israel. Those that were lying and those bullying and suppressing the others were from the same country but the latter ones forcing themselves to come out are the zionist Israeli crabs.

Another container had crabs pretending to fight among each other. But actually each one was trying to help the other to get out of the container. They all had one objective to get out of the container en mass. The guide said “these were Aryan Eurasian crabs”. They are originally from the Arctic Pole which later migrated to Asia. “They are very cunning and always want to establish supremacy over other crabs by any unethical means”.

There was a huge gathering to see these peculiar crabs from different parts of the world. The most astonishing thing about the container was that it had no lid. Most of the crabs in each container were fast asleep. Many crabs were actually pretending to sleep which we could make out.

Some crabs were trying to climb up but the other “awakened” crabs pulled them down and never allowed a single crab to get out.

NEED FOR ENEMY
The exhibition guide said:

Ladies and gentlemen, the most astonishing and fascinating crabs on earth are exhibited here in the container without any lid. These are the aboriginal Indian crabs. Majority of them are always sleeping and many of them are pretending to sleep. Even if you try to harm, they will not react but try to run away. Very few of the awakened crabs try to come out of the container but immediately other crabs pull them down so much so even when the container was open not a single crab could get out”.

Every one clapped at this amazing piece of information.

I read an article in DV (June 16, 2009 by our Brother Dr. V.D. Chandanshive) titled: “Which BAMCEF should DV support”.

I thank Dr. Chandanshive because he is among the very few awakened ones who is not sleeping or pretending to sleep as the aboriginal Indian crabs. But I sincerely fail to understand whether there is any need for us to have an enemy — the Aryan Brahmins — since we seem to be capable enough to fill this gap.

I am at a loss to understand if our intellectuals are working to uproot the cruel Brahmanvadi establishment or trying their level best to save the enemy.

LAST 100 DAYS
To the best of my knowledge Kanshi Ram along with D.K. Khaparde, Dina Bhanaji etc. launched a social mission to uproot the centuries-old Brahmanvadi establishment. None ever claimed that he started it or claimed its ownership.

Together they invented a weapon to unite over 6,000 castes and subcastes of SC/ST/OBC and minorities through social and geographical networking. These missionaries were confident that if they carry on the mission successfully they could throw away the Brahmanvadi establishment which was the one and only cause of all sufferings. All the above great leaders created history after Babasaheb Ambedkar.

My sincere request is keep aside all your differences, unite, equip yourselves and face the deadly enemy.

As soon as the Congress, the original Brahminical party, won on May 16, 2009 a very special deadly programme, “Eventful 100 days of the new Govt.” took the highest priority. The most surprising part of this programme was that neither the Congress, which drafted the blue-print of the programme, nor parliament had anything to do with it. The blue-print was prepared by a blood-sucker industrialist, and handed over to Manmohan Singh through Harsh Patti Singhania, president of FICCI and all the major industrialists. Read the very first page of the Economic Times (May 20, 2009): “100 Days reforms blueprint readied”. That means govt. policies are made not in parliament.

The Brahminical Congress and Brahmana Jati Party (BJP) and the “Leftists” have converted our parliament into a farce. The PM appointed a committee, “Prime Minister’s Council on Trade and Commerce” before privatisation started. This committee consisted of three blood-sucker industrialists: G.P. Goenka, Rajeev Chandrashekar, then FICCI president, and Nusli Wadia. These three jokers submitted a report: “How to get disinvestment going, building India’s future”.

ARUN SHOURIE ROLE
You will not believe that World Bank agent Manmohan Singh did his best to strictly implement the above private report. BJP on coming to power formed a new ministry called Disinvestment Ministry and the notorious Arun Shourie as the minister in charge.

This Punjabi Brahmin was honoured for writing a book, False God, against our great leader, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.

The moment he became the minister, he started attacking his prey. He sold off the govt.-owned Centaur Hotel in Bombay worth Rs. 500 crores (on the day of its sale) for just Rs. 83 crores to a fictitious company floated by a BJP supporter, Batra Consultancy. Within 3 months Batra Consultancy sold the same hotel for Rs. 116 crores to another blood-sucker BJP supporter, Sahara India. The rest of the booty was equally shared by all the street chores.

SALE OF AIRPORTS
This is daylight robbery by the Brahmanvadi party supported by the Congress. The saddest thing was after purchasing Centaur Hotel from this Batras, Sahara India handed over a letter to all the employees of Centaur Hotel terminating their services.

No news was published in the Bania papers. A 32-year-old young employee of the hotel, my neighbour, went into depression and died.

Centaur Hotel under the Hotel Corporation of India was sold exactly in the manner as mentioned in the conspiratorial private report, “How to get Disinvestment Going: Building India’s Future”.

The most sensitive sector, our airports, are also being sold to private capitalists. The latest being the Bombay Airport to GVK and the Delhi Airport to GMR as mentioned in the above report. No media reported it. In the Bombay airport, the fate of 2,010 permanent AAI employees, mostly from the SC/ST and OBCs, is sealed and they will be thrown out on the road any time.

SHARE MARKET BOOM
All the Brahmin-Bania suckers have joined to eat the fruits of the struggle made by our great leaders and we like the aboriginal inhabitant, Indian crabs, are either sleeping, pretending to sleep or busy pulling each others legs.

The Economic Times (May19, 2009) reports that the share market sensex shot up by 2110.97 points in just 60 seconds. Never did such a thing happen in the Indian stock market history. Why the hungry monsters were so happy? They were happy not because of the Congress victory but their agenda of unlimited privatisation of profit-making public sector undertakings to loot the country is coming up.

AIR INDIA TAMASHA
Only the share of profit-making PSUs have gone up in this 60 seconds. SAIL up by 21%, SBI 20%, BHEL 18%, Powergrid 17%, Indian Oil 17%, ONGC 16%, Bharat Petroleum 15%, GAIL 13%, NTPC 11%.

Many more profit-making PSUs will be sold to the butchers at throw- away prices. These PSUs have contributed Rs. 1,65,993 crore to the govt. exchequer during 2007-08. This information was suppressed. Economic Times (March 4, 2009) published this as a 2x4 inch item on page 4. This contribution is more than 25% of the annual budget for the year but no recognition by the govt.

What a conspiracy. But we are all fast asleep.

A big drama is going on about Air India. The govt. wants to show that it is trying to save it from a big loss. The media will create a horrible picture and make matters more worse for not paying the salaries to its employees for a month or two. They have further taken a decision to save Rs. 500 crore in the wage bill of its employees.

When Air India is “making a huge loss” how can it afford to buy 111 new aircraft to add to its existing 150 aircraft? Can there be bigger tamasha than this? A decision to sell Air India after merging it with Indian Airlines, will be soon taken. The Economic Times came out with the true picture. On May 20, 2009 it published a report headlined: “Let foreign airlines pick up stakes in Indian carriers”.

That means Air India is going to be privatized after a partial disinvestment along with a initial public offer (IPO) and sold along with the new aircraft to foreign airlines with an Indian partner within 100 days.

The Aviation Ministry headed by Praful Patel, the main culprit and the villain of this tamasha, has taken pains for the last 3 to 4 years by steering Air India Corporation in such a way that it goes into loss and, therefore, a strong case for sell-out is made. Praful Patel and the Congress in close consultation with the BJP and leftists will share the booty as was done in the case of selling two precious airports of our country.

OVER 35 LAKH JOB LOSS
This big Navtanki of selling PSUs worth millions of crores only for few thousand crores to the Indian corrupt capitalists under the pretext of collecting money for removal of poverty, empowering women and other popular tamashas only for a budget period of less than one year.

Over 7 lakh jobs in organised sector and over 28 lakhs in un-organised sector will perish once for all by the end of the year.

All the job loss will affect our people — aboriginal Indians.

ZIONIST ENTRY
The Economic Times (June 3, 2009) published a dangerous report: “Rothschild is invited by the govt. to draw up disinvestment (privatisation roadmap”.

This zionist group had enslaved the British economy in the 18th century, artificially created the depression of 1929, and now enslaving the American economy and funding wars and creating artificial economic crisis throughout the world.

The present world-wide “slow down” is a deliberate creation of these Rothchilds. Such a merciless butcher has been invited by their Brahmanvadi blood brothers.

UNCOMFORTABLE QUESTIONS
You could stop a shark in the ocean from killing you but stopping the Rothchilds from killing you and the many generations to come is unthinkable. The only victims will be the original inhabitants of India.

We have still some time left to save ourselves. So instead of asking uncomfortable questions to Dalit Voice — “Whom shall DV support?” and making a case out of nothing/non-issues by throwing ball to other courts, let the wretched unite.

We request each and every awakened son and daughter of Mahatma Phule, Periyar Ramaswami, Shahu Mahraj, Babasaheb, Birsa Munda and all my minority converted Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Budhists to come together, leave aside all such differences and strengthen the mission of true liberation — true freedom for all of us and put an end to the dreaded disease, a disaster and cancerous appendage — Brahmanvad, and throw it out of our country once for all.

I sincerely thank Brother Dr. V.D. Chandanshive for giving me an opportunity and inspiration to write this small piece.

http://www.dalitvoice.org/Templates/sep_a2009/editorial.htm

Tharoor travelled economy much before austerity drive, Aides claim! Hypocricy has no limit in Indian Brahaminical Politics. Prabhsh Joshi, the Hindutva Zionist Icon of Sangh Gandhian Core Ideology Non Negotiable believes that the Brahmins are born to Rule and others should do all the LABOUR including Sports and entertainment! Manusmriti Rule is Holy thing in India. Joshi says all the competent Leader in different spheres of life in India, are only Brahamins. Being a posed Gandhian himself, he does not mention Gandhi, a gujrati bani as EFFICIENT leader but Pin Points on only Gandhi Nehru Dynasty as well as SANGH Brahmins as the IDEAL Icons of Indian Society.

Japanese two wheeler major Yahama launched its super-bike 'VMAX' in the country priced at Rs 20 lakh (ex-showroom-Delhi).

The company also launched limited edition of its 'FZ' series in three variants.

"I am hopeful that these bikes will get the same kind of enthusiastic response as our recently-launched other products got. The company has registered a year-on-year growth of 80 per cent during the month of January to August and we expect the coming months to be also fruitful," India Yamaha Motor Managing Director and CEO Yuki Mine Tsuji said.

The new VMAX comes with a 1,679 cc engine.

Tell me who would use the car? Minister of Foreign affairs spends Rs twenty Five lacs per day for a SUIT in a five Star Hotel then Flies in ECONOMY Class out of SOIDARITY with the Holy cows! The Cattle Flight is in No Means has to do anything with Indian Economy as all natioanl revenues and Resources are DIVERTED to the Killer Money Machine and for the CAPTURE the Mass Destruction agenda is being acomplished with merciless Surgical Precision under US Israel survellience! Newspapers and Media dare not to write anything against ECONMIC Reforms and genocide culture rather they JUSTIFY the Hegemony cuture of Ethnic Cleansing! Internal Censorship is so strong and MIND control Infinite, NO RESISTANCE is Possible. Even the Resistance like nandigram, singur, lalagrh and Gorkhaland are HIJACKED by the Manusmriti hegemony! Austerity Game is not OFFLINE, Not DERAILED! Mind You!



As far as Austerity is concerned, it is always related to Holy cows. In Holy Scripts, all Brahamins are HONEST and POOR and a living a life of AUSTERITY which justifies their role as Supreme Leader in Indian Society of caste system based on Discrimination, Injustice and Inequality. The Manusmriti makes the Eighty percent Indigenous aboriginal Minority communities the Bonded Labour of the Brahamins. Brahmins had all the MAJOR Four Rights in Indian society: one: Right to EDUCATION, Right to TEACH and Preach, Right to ARMS and Right to Property. Enslaved Majority Black Untouchables had no RIGHTS at all. They had to SURRENDER Property, Life and Land to the Brahamins. The Phenomenon repeats in So Called Free India, a Colonial Peripherry of zionist corporate US Imperialism , ruled by the Zionist Foreigner Brahamins who are Genetically Proved Original JEWS! Corporate Democracy may be PERSONIFIED as the Holy COW , the Ancient Poor and Honest Brahamins, to whom we have to SURRENDER Everything to get MOKSHA as all RITUALS have to be performed by only the Brahamins!

Monopolistic Aggression against BLACK Untouchable rural BHARAT varsh by the NRI shining India is ICONISED with Diffrent Brands in Diffrent Spheres. parliamentary representation and constitutional Job Reservation and quota make no DIFFERNCE as the Brahmins empowered with PONA Pact ENSURED to chose themselves who would represent the Untouchables, Minritis, Scheduled tribes and OBC. Economy and Policy making , Public utilities, Civil society, Intelligentsia and MEDIA are the FIELDS prohibited for the majority SC, ST, OBC communities! Hence the MIND Control is COMPLETE and the Brahaminical Hegemony continue to Perform the ASHWAMEDHA Yagay, now defined as Industrialisation, development, Infrastructure, Modernisation, IT, National Integrity and Security, war against Terrorism, Indo US Nuclear Deal, LPG, Open Market, Retail chain, URBANISATION, ECONOMIC Reforms and Miltary OPTION of Repression with Zero Intolerability! All these things ROOT into manusmriti Core ideology , MOTHER of all Indian and foreign Idelogies! So the BRAHMIN Returns with all the VENOM and VENGEANCE! And it is AUSTERITY!



Thus, the BRAHMIN marxist gestapo Led, the West Bengal government Thursday invited IT major Wipro and infosys to start new centres at Rajarhat in the northeastern fringes of the city and promised to give 45 acres of land to each of the companies.

"I'm proposing today (Thursday) through the media that we are ready to give 45 acres of land each to Wipro and Infosys. They can come and immediately take possession of the land and start new centres," Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said at a press conference here Thursday.

"These companies can create 16,000 jobs in two years. I had a talk with my colleagues. We will start talking to the companies. The price of the land will be negotiated with theses companies," Bhattacharjee said.

Wipro, Infosys rejected Buddha's offer

Days after scrapping the proposed IT township project at Rajarhat, the West Bengal government said it had suggested alternative land to Infosys and Wipro, a proposal rejected by the IT majors.

At a meeting of the ruling Left Front in Kolkata, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee informed that Housing Minister Gautam Deb had offered alternative 10 acre each to the two IT firms at New Town, Rajarhat, but they spurned the proposal, an LF leader said.

The two companies said they needed more land to set up their shop and the government was trying to accommodate them, Bhattacharjee told the meeting.

"The government wants to see that the two companies did business in the state," the chief minister was quoted as having told the meeting.

Earlier in the day, LF chairman Biman Bose told reporters that the state government had not rejected the proposals of Wipro and Infosys for setting up units near the metropolis.

Bhattacharjee told the meeting that the government had only scrapped the IT park which was to come up near the controversial Vedic Village resort, Bose said.

In April 2008, the state government had inked two MoUs -- one each with Infosys and Wipro -- for setting up IT facilities, for which they had sought 90 acre each. While for Infosys it would had been the first project, Wipro was planning a second one. A company had been floated for setting up an IT park near Vedic Village which now stood scrapped.



Hypocricy Unbound. Almost Three lac Corore for Nuclear ARMAMENT, Another Three lacs for BAILOUT for False Recession, Two lac corore for sixth pay commission. NGOs to Implemet Flagship Progrrames! Utilities Privatised. Disinvestment, Deportation, displacement and EXODUS Infinite! And the bastardised Politics perform the VEDIC Ritula of AUSTERITY as DEATH silently takes away LIFE !

So, Determined to imbibe austerity in its policies, the government has asked various departments to scrap or downsize expenses on insignificant activities by up to 10 per cent when they submit proposals for Budget 2010-11.

The Finance Ministry in the Budget Circular for 2010-11 said, "The estimates (RE 2009-10) must confirm to... instructions, which stipulate a 10 per cent and five per cent cut in non-plan, non-salary expenditure and other economy measures."

For the next fiscal, the circular added, "It is necessary to review the existing expenditure budget... to priorities the activities and schemes, both on the plan and non-plan side and identify those activities and schemes, which can be eliminated or reduced in size or merged with any other scheme."

As part of its economic drive, the Finance Ministry, earlier in the month, advised ministries and departments to cut by 10 per cent expenditure on travel, seminars, exhibitions and other office expenses. In case of other non- plan expenditure, the they were asked to reduce expenses by five per cent.

Following the government instructions on austerity, several ministers, including Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, have started flying economy class.

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday indicated that her ministry may refer allegations of irregularities in recruitment during the tenure of her predecessor Lalu Prasad to CBI.

"If necessary, allegations of irregularities in Railway Recruitment Boards (RRB) and Railway Recruitment Committees would be referred to an outside agency," she told reporters in reply to media reports that she has ordered a CBI inquiry into the allegations of irregularities in recruitment during Lalu's tenure.

MPs belonging to Lalu's rival JD-U had alleged that people sold their land to the former Railway minister's relatives in exchange for railway jobs and contracts.

The Union Minister said irregularities in recruitment have also come in from North Eastern and South Eastern Railways and from states like Orissa.

"There are also reports from the vigilance commission and the High Court has also given a verdict," she said, adding "several MPs have also complained about such irregularities."

However, she clarified that the inquiry was "not against Lalu. I have respect for him. This is against corruption in a particular department".

On the other hand, Business confidence in India is on the rise, defying the global downturn, says the country's apex business chamber as India pitches here strongly to attract more foreign investment in the core sectors of industry.

"Certainly there is a movement in foreign institutional investment and foreign direct investment has also begun to pick up," said Amit Mitra, secretary general of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).

"While rest of the world is shrinking, core sectors of steel, cement and auto industry in India are beginning to grow," Mitra told IANS on phone ahead of an institutional investors conference in New York starting Thursday.

Noting that the FICCI business confidence survey index for India which had plunged to 44 in the third quarter of 2008-09 had risen to 64 in the first quarter and 67 in the second quarter, Mitra said: "We are here to further kindle these forces."

Besides supporting the institutional investors conference, FICCI has also organised a round table for US businessmen Thursday with TKA Nair, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Ajay Shankar, Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy Promotion, and Meera Shankar, India's ambassador to US.

It's also hosting a dinner Thursday with India's Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde for major power companies including General Electric and Price Whitney.

These meetings are being organised ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's state visit here in November.

Meanwhile, Kamal Nath, India's Minister for Road Transport and Highways held a roundtable in America's financial capital focusing US investment attention on India's roads and highways. India's road network of 3.32 million km is second only to the United States and is in need of major upgrades.

Speaking to premier US engineering, construction and investment firms, Nath said: "This is one of the most important projects the Government of India has ever undertaken. Roads and Highways cross the country and touch every facet of life, as well as provide vital connectivity for trade and commerce."

India is set to launch the world's biggest Public Private Partnership programme that will result in the development of 15,000 km of roads and highways over the next three years at a cost of $70 billion. The current five year plan calls for $500 billion in upgrades to India's infrastructure sector-with about one-third of the investment coming from the private sector.

The roundtable was hosted by the US-India Business Council, in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor, who has come under fire for his stay in a luxury hotel, had been travelling economy class much before the austerity measures were announced by the government.Sources close to Tharoor said the minister had taken almost 5 flights from Aug 9, travelling to Bangalore, Chennai and Kochi, and on all occasions he had booked himself in economy class. Tharoor ran in a spot of trouble for a message he posted on the social networking site Twitter, in which he said he would travel "cattle class out of solidarity with all our holy cows!"

The Congress on Wednesday said minister of state for external affairs Shashi Tharoor's remarks that he would travel in "cattle class out Shashi Tharoor of solidarity with all our holy cows" were not acceptable and the party high command may also decide if any disciplinary action is to be taken against him.

"The party strongly disapproves the statement of the minister. It is unacceptable, not respecting political or any other sensibilities," said Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan.

On his page on the micro-blogging site Twitter, Tharoor was asked, "Tell us minister, next time you travel to Kerala, will it be cattle class?" His reply: "Absolutely, in cattle class out of solidarity with all our holy cows."

Asked whether any disciplinary action would be taken against the former UN diplomat, the spokesperson said: "This is something that the high command will decide."

The Congress and the government it leads have launched an austerity drive against the backdrop of drought in some parts of the country and rising prices of essential commodities.

Tharoor as well as external affairs minister S M Krishna were asked earlier this month to move out of five-star hotels where they had been staying for over three months - though at their own expense.

Tharoor, who was staying at the Hotel Taj Mahal on Man Singh Road, is now staying at an Indian Navy guesthouse.

"The austerity measures were announced mid-August during the party's working committee meeting but it came into effect later. However, Tharoor has been on these economy flights earlier. He began taking a Kingfisher flight from Mumbai to Kochi on Aug 9," said a close aide. The sources also pointed out that Tharoor was unlikely to respond to Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan who disapproved of the expression "cattle class" the minister used in his latest tweet.


Natarajan took strong exception to the term and, while refusing to be drawn into commenting whether any kind of disciplinary action was being initiated, said Tharoor was perhaps not conscious of the sensitivities since he was new to Indian politics.

"He is out for a week travelling to Ghana and Liberia where he has important engagements. I don't think he has time to respond to this (charge)," added the aide.

Ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi led the push to trim official spending in the backdrop of the country struggling with the worst drought in two decades and food prices on the rise.

Sonia Gandhi asked all Congress MPs to accept a 20 percent pay cut for a year and also set a personal example by forgoing her normal chartered plane and flew economy class to Mumbai early this week.

Her son and party general secretary Rahul Gandhi went one step ahead and travelled by train to Ludhiana in Punjab instead of chartering a helicopter.


Times of India reports:

The comic figure of "Tweety bird" lived dangerously, avoiding the machinations of the neighbourhood cat. As minister of twitter, UN
diplomat-turned-Congressman Shashi Tharoor might well be tempting fate with his unplugged comments on his party's austerity drive.

Having shown little taste for the rules of politics that often require a discreet silence, Tharoor has been an unrepentant twitterer. He has tweeted boldly about how boring he finds meetings as MoS for foreign affairs and having been peremptorily asked to move out of his five-star digs recently, he has shown no inclination for more "austere" ways.

In keeping with his view that he was hardly in the wrong as he was paying his bills, he tweeted that he would definitely travel "in cattle class out of solidarity with all our holy cows!" The suggestion that the austerity drive was a put on and the dig at economy travellers did not go down well with the party. Spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan told reporters that the party "strongly disapproves of the statement and finds it unacceptable". She said Tharoor's comments hurt sensitivty of people as thousands of Indians travelled economy class every day.

Natarajan deplored the minister's remarks and said, "This is not respecting the political sensitivity; we don't approve of such statement."

What seemed to have incensed the leadership was the minister's flippant remarks poking fun of the current austerity drive as a gesture to the drought-affected people.

While party chief Sonia Gandhi flew economy, general secretary Rahul Gandhi travelled in the chair car of Shatabdi Express to Ludhiana. With elections in Maharashtra and Haryana only weeks away, Tharoor's comments should be music to the Opposition camp.

Asked if any disciplinary action was being contemplated against the minister, Natarajan said it was for the party high command to take a decision about it. She termed Tharoor's views "insensitive" and not in tune with the party's culture.

Natarajan also averted a direct response when asked if "our holy cows" in Tharoor's twit had an allusion to Rahul.

However, unmindful of the storm his posting had raised, Tharoor went on twittering or "twitting" as some chose to describe it, about the traffic jam at Dhaula Kuan he faced on his way to the airport. He wondered if he was going to miss his flight.

Another posting was about the sartorial change his first foreign trip had brought about. "Am wearing a tie for the first time in six months and hating it," he wrote. Tharoor discovered the benefit of being in `mundu' as an MP from Kerala. "Politicians' garb at least freed my neck from this noose!"
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/india/Cong-slams-Tharoors-twits-on-cattle-class/articleshow/5020004.cms



Doctors to get extra money to work in rural areas: Azad
Doctors who opt to work in rural areas will be duly compensated with extra money and weightage points that will help them while going for
higher studies, health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad announced on Thursday.

"The only way to attract the attention of doctors to work in difficult, most difficult and inaccessible areas is through incentives. We have requested the states to give us the list under the above categories. We can provide extra money as extra incentive," Azad told reporters.

"Assam has already done it. To encourage rural postings, additional weightage will be given in the post graduate examination at the rate of 10 percent for each year of rural service. It will be subject to a maximum of 30 percent extra weightage for three years of rural service," he said while giving details of his ministry's achievements in the last 100 days.

Azad said this service will have to be rendered after the internship period only. This service will not only help the National Rural Health Mission, but also help the MBBS doctors in accumulating extra weightage points for further studies," he added.

The Assam government had Wednesday appointed nearly 800 doctors in a recruitment drive that is expected to revolutionise the region's rural healthcare sector.

The recruitment campaign has a catch though, as the appointments were made for a one-year period as part of the government legislation that makes it mandatory for all MBBS graduates to serve for a minimum of one year in rural health centres.

"Assam has become the first state in the country to have carried out such a historic recruitment drive by appointing 768 doctors for rural postings in one single day," state Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said after handing over appointment letters to the doctors in Guwahati.

The young doctors would be getting a monthly fixed salary of Rs.25,000, besides free accommodation in their area of posting.

Ishrat's family moves SC against stay on Tamang report
Family members of Ishrat Jahan, who was killed allegedly in an encounter by Gujarat police on Thursday moved the Supreme Court
challenging High Court's order staying a magistrate inquiry report which had described the incident as fake encounter.

The Gujarat High Court on September 9 had stayed metropolitan magistrate S P Tamang's report on the plea of state government which had contended that the observations made in the report were beyond the jurisdiction of the judicial magistrate.

A single judge bench of Justice Kalpesh Javheri, while staying the report, had also ordered the appropriate authority of the high court to look into the actions of magistrate Tamang and take necessary action.

Magistrate Tamang's report had said the encounter in which 19-year-old Ishrat Jahan and three others were gunned down in 2004 while allegedly plotting to kill the Gujarat chief minister was fake and executed in cold blood by police officers for selfish motives.

The report of the investigation conducted by the magistrate had held senior police officers responsible for "staging" the encounter.

The four persons, claimed to have been killed by the police in an encounter on the outskirts of the city on June 15, 2004 were Ishrat, Javed Ghulam Sheikh alias Pranesh Kumar Pillai, Amjad Ali alias Rajkumar Akbar Ali Rana and Jisan Johar Abdul Gani.



Buddha govt offers 45 acres each to Wipro and Infosys


West Bengal government on Thursday offered 45 acres each to Wipro and Infosys for setting up units at Rajarhat, said Chief Minister
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee

"I'm proposing today (Thursday), through the media, that we are ready to give 45 acres of land each to Wipro and Infosys. If they agree to the proposal, they can come and immediately take possession of the land and start new centres," Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee told a press conference at the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) state headquarters. ( Watch Video )

"These companies can create 16,000 jobs in two years. I already had a talk with my cabinet colleagues, IT Minister Debesh Das, Housing Development Minister Gautam Deb and others about the proposal. We will start talking to the companies. The price of the land will be negotiated with them," Bhattacharjee said, adding that the land will be given on lease to both the IT giants.

On the infrastructure, he said that Rajarhat area already had housing, market complexes and road facilities.

"Now the state government will talk to these companies with the proposal. We can immediately hand over the proposed land to them (Wipro and Infosys).

"A few months back we'd identified land near Vedic Village area to set up an IT township there. But we didn't have any idea that they were acquiring land with muscle power and also with the help of some anti-social elements. Some unfortunate things also happened there... I was little upset with that," the chief minister said.

He said that the state government immediately dropped the project and decided not to go ahead with it as it was not morally correct, following the trouble that erupted over Vedic Reality - a joint venture between the private party and state's key IT agency Webel.

The proposed IT township at Rajarhat near Salt Lake had become controversial following allegations that land sharks - allegedly backed by promoters of Vedic Realty - had been involved in land acquisitions.

The state government depended on Vedic Realty to get land for the 1,600-acre IT project.

Both Infosys and Wipro had sought 90 acres from the state government for their ventures. ITC Infotech was also eyeing space in the IT hub.

Bhattacharjee said the land was already with the state government and they would just have to change the land map at Rajarhat slightly to accommodate the IT players.

300 terrorists waiting to sneak into J&K
Around 300 terrorists are waiting across the Line of Control in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) for an opportunity to infiltrate into
India, prompting the Army to strengthen its anti-insurgency security grid.

The terrorists have been spotted moving in batches from place to place along the LoC, apparently in search of vulnerable spots from where they could infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir, Defence Ministry sources said on Thursday.

The attempt was to push in as many terrorists as possible before the onset of winter when snowfall will make the mountainous terrains impregnable, the sources said.

"The next two months are crucial," they said, expecting a jump in the infiltration attempts.

In the recent times, there have been a number of attempts at infiltration, many times accompanied by firing from across the LoC to provide cover to such bids.

Security forces have killed at least 25 terrorists while foiling these infiltration attempts last month and these encounters took place at points along the LoC.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in an address to a conference of state police chiefs on Tuesday, had termed as worrisome secessionists and militant groups in Kashmir making common cause with "outside elements" and noted that infiltration across the LoC was going up.
46% Indian kids suffer from malnutrition: Study





Despite India's recent economic boom, at least 46% of its children up to the age of 3 still suffer from malnutrition making the country home

to a third of the world's malnourished children, a study said today.

Noting that the country is an "economic powerhouse but a nutritional weakling", the report by the British-based Institute of Development Studies (IDS), which incorporated papers by more than 20 India analysts, said "at least 46% of children upto the age of 3 in India still suffer from malnutrition."

"It's the contrast between India's fantastic economic growth and its persistent malnutrition which is so shocking," Lawrence Haddad, director of the IDS told The Times.

The UN defines malnutrition as a state in which an individual can no longer maintain natural bodily capacities such as growth, pregnancy, lactation, learning abilities, physical work and resisting and recovering from disease.

The report said India will not meet the UN Millennium Development Goal of halving its number of hungry till 2043 though it had committed in 2001 to reach it by 2015.

The report also highlighted the Government's failure to improve basic living standards for most Indians despite its unprecedented economic growth since 2004.

Sonia, ICICI's Kochhar among top 20 powerful women

Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo, Congress party president Sonia Gandhi, Chanda Kochhar, CEO of ICICI Bank India and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw Chairman, Biocon India are the only Indians in Forbes annual list of the 100 most powerful women. (See full List)

The list, which was released last night, includes fiery chief executives, brilliant politicians and beloved queens, but the model for all women who seek influence, is the cautious and uncharismatic German Chancellor, Angela Merkel.

Nooyi is listed as the third most powerful woman in the world, while Sonia Gandhi Kochhar and Shaw are ranked 13, 20 and 91 respectively. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed is the only other South Asian in the list and is ranked 78.

Americans make up 63 of the 100, while only four women from Britain make the grade

In assembling the list, Forbes looked for women who run countries, big companies or influential nonprofits. Their rankings are a combination of two scores: visibility - by press mentions - and the size of the organization or country these women lead.

Besides Gandhi and Kochhar, Biocon's chairman Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw also featured in the list at number 91.

Gandhi improved her ranking from 21 last year to 13 this year, while Mazumdar-Shaw moved to 91 from last year's 99th place.

Nooyi retained her third position in the list.

Bahujan Samajwadi Party leader and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, who was ranked 59th in last year's list, did not figure in the latest list put up on Forbes.com.

Regarding Gandhi, Forbes said, she is "still the country's dominant force since she reluctantly entered politics in the 1990s." The landslide victory in the recent general election further strengthened her position as the leader of "India's most powerful political party" – Indian National Congress.

Kochhar was named as the first woman boss of India's second largest lender ICICI Bank and took charge in May this year. "She now oversees a bank with assets of USD 100 billion," Forbes said. She was instrumental in transforming the retail business of ICICI Bank and turning it into a retail banking powerhouse.

Besides, Anglo American Chief Cynthia Carroll, Temasek CEO Ho Ching, Kraft Foods Chief Irene Rosenfeld, DuPont head Ellen Kullman, WellPoint CEO Angela Braly, Areva Chief Anne Lauvergeon and Sunoco head Lynn Elsenhans are among the top 10 powerful women.

Interestingly, speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (35) was ranked ahead of Hillary Clinton (36), the US Secretary of State, Michelle Obama (40), the first lady of the US, and Queen Elizabeth II (42).

Other dignitaries in list are Melinda Gates (34), the Co-chairman Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Oprah Winfrey (41), Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed (78) and Chile President Michelle Bachelet (22) among others.

Forbes' Powerful Women list is based largely in terms of influence rather than celebrity status or popularity.

In assembling the list, Forbes looked for women who run countries, big companies or influential nonprofits.

"Their rankings are a combination of two scores: visibility -- by press mentions -- and the size of the organisation or country these women lead," the US-based magazine said.

Yamaha launches 'VMAX' priced at Rs 20 lakh


Govt takes no stand on gay sex, leaves it to Supreme Court

Shying away from taking any stand on gay sex, the government on Thursday virtually left it for the Supreme Court to decide on the "correctness" of the Delhi High Court order decriminalising homosexuality.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, considered the report of the three-member Group of Ministers formed on the issue and decided that Attorney General G Vahanvati will "assist" the Supreme Court on it.

"The Cabinet decided to ask the Attorney General to assist the Supreme Court in every way desired by it in arriving at an opinion on the correctness of the judgement of the High Court," Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told reporters.

To a volley of questions, she repeated the same formulation of her statement and said the Supreme Court can decide if the High Court was "right or not" in decriminalizing gay sex.

She refused to say anything more on the issue, maintaining that she was not authorised to "explain" further as the matter related to Cabinet proceedings. The Cabinet decided against taking any stand on the issue to avoid getting caught in any controversy, a minister said, explaining why it was left for the Apex court to take a view.

The Delhi High Court had passed an order about two months back legalising sex between consenting gay partners, earlier considered a criminal act under Section 377 of the IPC. Some religious bodies opposed it. A Christian organisation, a disciple of Yoga guru Ramdev and Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) have approached the Supreme Court which sought the government's response by October one.

The Supreme Court had earlier refused to stay the High Court order, saying it would await the response of the government. In view of the sensitive nature of the issue, the government set up a Group of Ministers comprising Home Minister P Chidambaram, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Law Minister Veerappa Moily to formulate a view on it.

The GoM was understood to have suggested that the government should not take a stand but leave it to the Supreme Court to decide. Indicating the GoM's view earlier this week, Moily had said the Cabinet should not be expected to take any stand as the government would only assist the Supreme Court in arriving at the "right" decision.

"The decision has been already given by the Delhi High Court (decriminalising gay sex). The only question is certain appeals have been filed before the Supreme Court in which we (government) are not the party...the parties are petitioners and respondents. Our law officers will deal with the question," he had said.



Meeting on Chinese incursions postponed

The China Study Group meeting to discuss the fallout of Chinese incursions into Indian territory, which was to be held on Thursday, has been postponed. No reason was given for the postponement of the meeting.

National Security Advisor M K Narayanan was to hold the meeting with top officials including Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar and Secretaries of Defence, Home and Foreign Ministries. The meeting was expected to take stock of the situation along the Sino-India border and to chart the future course of action, official sources said.

Besides Chandrasekhar, the meeting was to be attended by Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar, Home Secretary G K Pillai and Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao. Top officials of the three armed forces and the Intelligence Bureau will also attend the meeting.

The meeting was to be called to take stock of recent reports of incursions by the Chinese army in Ladakh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, involving the air dropping of expired food canes, painting of rocks red among others.

Another media report said that two Chinese Sukhoi fighters had transgressed into Indian air space last month. The Indian Air Force, however, says no unscheduled flight inside Indian air space had taken place last month.

DALAI LAMA'S VISIT | INDIA-CHINA TUG OF WAR

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India snubs China, clears Dalai Lama's Arunachal trip

Surya Gangadharan / CNN-

New Delhi: Snubbing Beijing's diktat, New Delhi has cleared the visit of the Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh. The Tibetan leader is also expected to visit Tawang which China covets.


China's dismissal of Indian concerns on border intrusions have left South Block troubled and dissatisfied. But now it's China's turn to face a clear snub from a neighbouring nation.


External Affairs Minister, SM Krishna said, "Arunachal Pradesh is a part of India and Dalai Lama is free to go anywhere in India. The only point is that he is not expected to comment on political developments."


Adding insult to the Dragon's injury, the Tibetans said Arunachal is a part of India, warning that China's border violations were provocative.


"The encroachment and insertion in the border area and not only in the northeast but also in the western borders is seen. It is seen particularly in Ladakh as lot of Ladakhi nomads have been disturbed (and it has been noticed) quite at length inside India, they have entered and they have painted even the rocks," said Tibetan leader Samdong Rinpoche.


Although reports of China firing at Indian border guards in Sikkim have been denied, tensions on the border have left some people in Sikkim uneasy about the future.


A local journalist, Arjun Rai said, "In 1962 there was some friction between India and China. So from then onwards we are feeling insecure. Anytime China can attack India."


Of late, China appears to have woken up to the damage to its image. Indian journalists In Beijing, Indian journalists were given a rare briefing where peaceful intentions were reiterated. But the gap between Beijing's words and ground reality remains unresolved.

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http://ibnlive.in.com/news/india-snubs-china-clears-dalai-lamas-arunachal-trip/101546-2.html





17/09/2009

Bharti Retail to become $1 bn firm by 2015: Mittal
New Delhi: Bharti Retail exuded confidence that it is "on course" to become a billion dollar company by 2015, and will open 40 more stores in the next three months notwithstanding the economic slowdown.

"We have now 28 Easyday (small stores), including two medium stores, running in the North and we shall be adding another 40 or so to make them 70 by December 2009," Rajan Mittal, vice chairman and managing director, Bharti Enterprises, told PTI.

The company will also open its second cash-and-carry store under the 50:50 JV with US-based Wal-Mart, the world's largest retail chain, by December this year.

"We are going as per our plan. Our plan is very clear. We want to be a Rs 1,000 crore (company) in the next three years by 2010-2011," Mittal said.

On whether the retail business of Bharti Enterprises -- which owns India's largest telecom company under Airtel brand -- be another billion dollar (about Rs 4,800 crore) company by 2015, Mittal said, "So if it is Rs 1,000 crore in three years. Surely...It should be earlier than that."

He, however, said it would require stabilisation in the real estate and the retail market. "My personal ambition is that it should be more quicker than telecom... This is not about my company. It is about ecosystem."

Mittal said only about five per cent of the industry constitutes organised retail, which is projected to grow to 25-30 per cent, opening growth opportunities for all.

Bharti plans to invest up to $2.5 billion by 2015 in retail business, covering 10 million square feet. Mittal said the slowdown has had only a marginal impact, mainly on account of "yo-yo" in real estate, but there was no change in the company's eight-year plan.

Talking about the 40 new stores that are coming up in the National Capital Region, he said, "We now have 28-29 Easydays and two stores which are medium stores...By the end of the year, we plan to have about 70 stores."

Mittal said majority of the new stores will be in the small format -- about 3,000 square feet each. Of these, five stores will be in the medium format (up to 50,000 sq ft), called 'Easyday Market', and most of the new ones will be in and around Delhi.

About the back-end, wholesale business, he said "We had targeted to open two cash and carry... One we have already opened and one we hope to open in December."

The existing store is in Amritsar and the other one will also come up in Punjab, he said.

Asked whether Bharti has been moving slow in the retail business, compared to other players, Mittal said, "First three years are very clear, it is our learning. We want to do it the correct way. Just opening stores makes no meaning. There is lot of other stuff that needs to be handled. We are actually on course."

Source: Business Standard

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RBI for info pool to fix frauds
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Mumbai In a bid to tackle rising frauds in the banking system, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked banks to build up a data or information pool of large-value frauds and analyse them periodically. This may act as a knowledge repository for policy responses.
The central bank has also said that in the matter of fraud investigation, banks may take immediate steps to identify staff with proper aptitude and provide necessary training to them in forensic audit so that only such skilled staff is deployed for investigation of large-value frauds.

It has been observed that the trend is more disquieting in retail segment, especially in housing and mortgage loans, credit card dues and internet banking.

Moreover, it is a matter of concern that instances of frauds in the traditional areas of banking such as cash credit, export finance, guarantees, and letters of credit remain unabated, the RBI said.

Banks are also advised to initiate necessary action at their end at the earliest.

“Banks may, with the approval of their respective boards, frame internal policy for fraud risk management and fraud investigation functions, based on the governance standard relating to the ownership of the function and accountability for malfunctioning of the fraud risk management process in their banks,” the RBI said.

Given the thin line of difference between serious wrongdoings and frauds, the bank should immediately put in place an adequately enabled and efficient ‘internal oversight framework’ that can prevent the wrongdoings and take punitive measures against the wrongdoers, the RBI said.

The Board for Financial Supervision (BFS) has felt the chief executive officers (CEOs) of the banks must provide singular focus on the “Fraud Prevention & Management Function” to enable effective investigation and prompt accurate reporting to appropriate regulatory and law enforcement authorities, including the Reserve Bank.

The board has also observed that in terms of higher governance standards, the fraud risk management and fraud investigation function must be owned by the bank’s CEO, its audit committee of the board and the special committee of the board, at least in respect of high value frauds.

Accordingly, they should own responsibility for systemic failure of controls or absence of key controls or severe weaknesses in existing controls which facilitate exceptionally large-value frauds and sharp rises in frauds in specific business segments leading to large losses for the bank.

The banks’ special committee of the board, which will be chaired by the CEO, should own the Fraud Investigation & Monitoring Function and discharge the relative oversight responsibility in a pro-active manner, the RBI said.

At present, the special committees are apprised by the banks’ senior management. It has been observed that the said committees give routine instructions on follow-up actions. The banks may have to review the roles and responsibilities of the vigilance function, internal audit function and risk management function.

“On the basis of the review, it may be decided as to what realignments and modifications are needed to ensure that ‘monitoring and investigation of large-value frauds’ are recognised as a distinct ‘function’ and the dedicated unit which is adequately enabled and free from potential conflict of interest is assigned the responsibility to undertake the function,” the RBI said.


fe Bureaus

OPERATION Lalgargh and Our Marxist Friends Entrapped to INVOKE President Rule in Bengal playing on Opposition and Centralised Manusmriti Hegemony Tune, NOT Learning Anything from NANDIGRAM Lesion! And the PROVOCATIVE Flirting of Media as well as Inte

OPERATION Lalgargh and Our Marxist Friends Entrapped to INVOKE President Rule in Bengal playing on Opposition and Centralised Manusmriti Hegemony Tune, NOT Learning Anything from NANDIGRAM Lesion! And the PROVOCATIVE Flirting of Media as well as Intelligentsia!

Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams: Chapter 261

Palash Biswas

Bengal leaders on Lalgarh violence

 

Video: Bengal leaders on Lalgarh violence NDTV.com

 

Lalgarh: Trinamul competes with CPI-m in brutality

By Shiba Nanda Bose
Now it is proved that Trinamul congress is no less capable than the CPI-M in savagery. There seems to be a shift in power in 2011 assembly election.

Trinamul instead of acting responsibly after the Lok Sabha mandate becomes more aggressive. The reminiscent of the coin transfer analogy is not only evident in Khejuri but also in various parts of Kolkata. The recent violence in Behala is a latest example.

If parties, bereft of their political lineage, cultivate the culture of 'takeover' and 'capture' with barbarity, the greatest sufferer would be none other that the state.

Trinamul success lies in that it successfully stirred the red bastions to end oppression and bring peace. But it should be careful that its expression of euphoria is not violence. The dire consequence of eye for an eye is known to us.

If Trinamul has to assume central power in the state then it needs to shun matching reprisal because with great power comes great responsibility.

Courtesy: YouTheJounalist

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http://www.duniyalive.com/?p=36403

Security forces begin ops to free Lalgarh from Maoists

18 Jun 2009, 1930 hrs IST, PTI

PIRAKATA: Security forces on Monday cracked down on Maoists to end the four-day siege of Lalgarh facing little resistance as they moved in to

Central Force jawans flag march at Piraghata Chawk outpost for the final operation against Maoists at Lalgarh in West Midnapore. (PTI Photo)

reclaim areas taken over by the armed tribals.

A 600-strong mob of tribals armed with batons, axes, spears, bows and arrows blocked the road when the forces arrived and shouted at the police to "apologize" for "atrocities" committed.

A police officer warned Maoists, who formed a human shield, to disperse within two minutes. Armed police, CRPF and riot police then fired teargas shells and baton charged as the mob cleared the road within 10 minutes.

Police said it was one of nearly 100 blockades that the securitymen would have to face en route to the Lalgarh police station area. The tribals belonging to the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities started regrouping further down the road. A tribal injured in the police action was arrested and taken to a police camp.

The crackdown was announced by West Bengal Director General of Police Sujit Kumar Sarkar.

With the police crackdown on armed tribals at Pirakata near troubled Lalgarh, the West Bengal government appealed to the people of the trouble-hit area to stay away from Maoists who were preparing to use them as human shields.

The appeal, issued by chief minister's secretariat said Maoists, after infiltrating the area, had started using villagers, men, women and children as human shields for their criminal activities.

"Keeping common people in front, the Maoists have been indulging in indiscriminate killings and violence."

The state government appealed to the people to discuss their problems with the administration.

The copies of the statement, published in both Bengali and Olchiki (santhali) scripts, would be airdropped from helicopters in the areas under Lalgarh block on Friday. Officials said that the policemen, entering the areas would also distribute copies of the appeal.

Earlier, security forces moved into the restive Lalgarh region to end the three-day siege of Maoists, who have gone on a rampage targeting CPM cadres and leaders, destroying their homes and party offices and setting up barricades to block police entry. ( Watch )

"Operation at Lalgrah has started this morning. The operation will be mainly done by the state police but we will be adequately assisted by the Central forces," West Bengal Director General of Police Sujit Kumar Sarkar said.

Asked about the number of forces deployed, Sarkar said the details cannot be divulged 'right now'.

"But there are adequate (state) forces to restore peace and normalcy in the area. The CRPF will give adequate back up and if needed they will actively participate," he said over phone from Kolkata.

Agitating tribals of West Midnapore and adjoining areas have been protesting police "atrocities" on them in the wake of the landmine blast at Salboni which was believed to target the chief minister.

The tribals, numbering 2000 under the banner of People's Committee Against Police Atrocities, dug up roads amid reports that they were laying landmines to stop the security forces.

"We will try to shed minimum blood," Sarkar said adding I cannot tell you the exact timeframe (of the operation)."

Five hundred CRPF personnel, including 200 personnel of the elite COBRA trained in anti-Maoist operations, have been deployed to deal with the situation.

Meanwhile, Maoist leader Kishanji said, in order to avoid bloodshed in Lalgarh, the Centre and the West Bengal government should apologize to tribals.

Accusing the state and the Central governments of waging a "psychological warfare" against tribals by sending police and Central forces to Lalgarh, Kishanji, a member of CPI(Maoist) politburo, told a news channel that unless they apologised, there could not be any negotiation.

The administration would have to withdraw the police and security forces if they did not want bloodshed, he said. "Then we will try to convince the people to refrain from violence."

He described as "false propaganda" by the state government that Maoists were planning to use women and children as human shields to combat the security forces.

The Maoist leader also denied that they had any link with Trinamool Congress in Lalgarh. "It is wrong to say that. There were some Trinamool activists at Nandigram where we led the agitation," he said.

He, however, admitted that the Maoists had tried to ambush chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee "for his role in Nandigram".

Tribals on warpath in Lalgarh; say can work better than govt

LALGARH (WB): Hinting at a state within a state, tribal leader Chhatradhar Mahato said his organisation could build infrastructure in just eight months in restive Lalgarh, which the state government could not do in 32 years.

"If the state government had done 10 per cent of the work we did, the situation would have been different," Mahato, Convenor of the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) said.

"We have laid at least 50 km of gravel path, dug tanks and tube wells and revived irrigation canals with the help of villagers," he said.

Mahato claimed the PCAPA built a 60-feet-deep reservoir at Barapelia, where its headquarters is situated, and planned to revive a canal for irrigation.

A health centre with a doctor was also functioning at Kantapahari, he said.

Though the government built the road to Midnapore town, all link roads were constructed by the PCAPA, he said, claiming that this saved villagers from walking for miles through forests.

Maoists are on the rampage in Lalgarh, in Midnapore district of West Bengal bordering Orissa, targetting CPM cadres and party offices protesting against police "atrocities".

18 Jun 2009, 1246 hrs IST,PTI

Nandigram has just begun amidst the live COVERAGE of Provocative Media, Pressure from UPA Centre Government engaged in Implementing and Executing Mass Destruction Agenda with Ethnic Cleansing of Nature Associate People. A thunderstorm lashed the city on Wednesday evening, offering rare respite from the swelter.If rain brought temporary relief on Wednesday, the government gave students an extended respite by declaring all primary, secondary and higher secondary institutions in the state closed for three days from Thursday.The THUNDERSTORM and the HEATWAVE altogether pounds the Tribal base JUNGLE Mahal lalgarh irrespective of Weather Change or Climate change!

Though, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhatacharjee on Thursday said the state government was ready to hold talks with tribals on their grievances, and appealed to the Lalgarh villagers not to get provoked by Maoist rebels and not let themselves be used as human shields by the Left radicals.



But the West Bengal government ruled out negotiations with Maoists saying "so long there is violence and obstruction, there cannot be any discussion".

"We have started police action at Lalgarh. Police and CRPF have left Pirakata," West Bengal Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen said.

He ruled out discussion with the tribals "so long there is violence and obstruction. "There cannot be any discussion as the Maoists will not allow it to take place."

Police did not have to fire at Pirakata as teargas shells and baton charges could remove the obstruction put up by the tribals, he said.

"Fortunately, they did not have to open fire," he said adding, "the operation will get tougher and we have to be prepared to face attacks and ambushes."

He said there might have been some injuries due to the baton charges but did not specify the number of people arrested in the operation.

Sen declined to state how long the operations would take. "It is extremely tough. So far there has been no major confrontation but that does not mean it will not occur in future.

"We estimate about 100 armed Maoist cadres are at Lalgarh. Their leader Kishanji is possibly there," Sen said.

The Government has launched an offensive in the restive Lalgarh region to end the three-day siege of Maoists. Security forces including CRPF and the state police this afternoon marched in to the restive Lalgarh region. The movement was initially stalled by a human blockade set up by the Maoists at Pirkata. But police used tear gas to disperse the blockaders. After overcoming the resistance at Pirkata, police had to face another blockade at Bhimpur, where a clash with the PCPA members broke out.While, Trinamool Congress said the violence in Lalgarh in West Midnapore district was an "internal fight of Marxists" and that was why the Left Front Government had not banned Maoists in the state.

The Bengal government looked to the Centre for help, only to be told by Union home minister P Chidambaram that it should use its own police rather than depend on paramilitary forces to tackle the 'law and order problem'.

Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee ordered a crackdown after a meeting of the Left Front but left it to police to decide the date. Home secretary Ardhendu Sen said state police would lead the assault, with central forces providing the "crucial back-up". A unit of Cobra — the elite anti-Naxalite force in Jharkhand — arrived at Kalaikunda late Wednesday night. Twelve more companies of central forces are coming in phases to Midnapore town, Sen said.

"The Maoists are using innocent villagers, women and children as human shields. Don't let yourself be used like shields. Don't fall prey to their provocations," the chief minister said in a statement as the state and central forces launched an operation to flush out Maoists from Lalgarh in West Midnapore district.

"The government is prepared to hold discussions with the people of the area about their problems," Bhattacharjee said.

"Go back home," he told the villagers, who were seen putting up a human shield in the vicinity of Lalgarh to stop the advancing security forces.

State Chief Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborty claimed police have not faced any resistance from armed people.

"The police have gone there to restore peace and rule of law and to protect lives of innocent people," he said.

Four people including a CPM leader and three workers were found dead in the Bablamoni jungle in the Gowaltor region this morning.

Dubraj Soren, Dashrath Soren, Chaitanya Soren and Badal Hait had gone missing since last Tuesday. Hait was the CPM local committee member who, party workers say had been kidnapped along with the three others by the PCPA members and Maoists in the region.

Singur to Nandigram, it rolls FULL CIRCLE to showcase how Democracy works within. It magnifies the GENOCIDE Culture and expose Naked the Majority Population UNARMED and Struggling for just Sustenance as INHUMAN and VICTIMISED by Power Politics. Those who supported Lalgarh Insurrection and Inspired Chhatradhar Mahato from Kolkata, witness the FLUSH Out with Detached Opportunism as the STATE Power with full strike power and AIR Force Aided COBRA Commandos, opts for MILITARY Option with Zero Tolerance.

Although not specific to Lalgarh, the Prime Minister held out a stern warning to Naxalite activists at large on his flight back from the BRIC summit in Yekaterinburg, saying: "It's a great threat to our policy, its seriousness is fully recognised and appreciated by our government. The home minister has some good ideas…. we have plans, we will take effective action."

The CPM central leadership held the Trinamul-Congress combine responsible for the Maoist attacks. It also said the state government was ready to talk to any tribal group that did not believe in violence to end the Lalgarh impasse.

The Prime Minister did not elaborate on what those plans entailed, but left little doubt that a comprehensive anti-Naxalite offensive directed at their bases in many states was on the anvil.

On his part, Chidambaram exhorted chief minister Bhattacharjee to act swiftly.

In a loaded shot at the Left government, Chidambaram said: "The impression is that one side of the government is willing to take action, the other side of the government is worried about the consequences. Now it is the judgement the chief minister must make."

The unequivocal statement came on a day the Left government, unable to take a decision on its own after dithering for over eight months, was looking towards the Centre to share some of the burden of unpalatable decisions an operation will require.

The Centre today sent four units (about 120 personnel in all) of its elite Cobra Force to Lalgarh but the Union home minister again underscored the need for the state government to scramble forces.

It has been always the History. No Insurrection whatever may be grass rooted or strengthened may not match the Striking Power and Killing license privileged. Khalistan Movement failure supported by Global Insurgency and the Kashmir and North east insurgencies prove that. Bengal has witnessed the Naxal Period full of REPRESSION.

But our people, the tribals and OBCs and the dalits residing in the Forest belt known as JUNGLE Mahal in the Chuar Vidroh zone have been IMPOSED an UNWANTED War meaning Total destruction and promised HELP missing. Helpless people have to face the heat and dust of the Fire Power they have never seen. Indigenous armament may Never match the Post Modern weaponry of the Security Forces.

This is an OPEN game to create Chaos in the state leaving no Option but President Rule. Thus, Mamata Bannerjee, the Rly Minister withdrew Police Boycott in Khejury abruptly. NO Intelligentsia or Civil society team rushed to the spot as they reached in Singur and Nandigram! Media is live casting the Operation holding the Marxists and state government totally Responsible. It would further SEGREGATE the Tribals as SIKHS had been once upon a time!

Buddhadeb Bhattachary is the DECLARED Target understandably for Nandigram genocide. Maoists, facing media, announced DEATH Sentence for him. Neither Mamata Bannerjee nor the Opposition or Intelligentsia or the CIVIL Society even condemned it. Rather the Resistance hegemony brahminical stood united with Lalgarh but betrayed the tribal as the War began.

Buddha is in contact with the Centre and trying his best to involve the CENTRE.

 I am afraid that it would not help the Marxists as the  media blacks out the Centres MAGIC Economics, Flagship Programme, Hundred Days` agenda realities and the segregation of Aboriginal, Indigenous a minorities, the Black Untouchables.

What Lalgarh receives it exposes the failure of the INDIAN Periphery Polity as well as Economy. But inactive Marxists deviating from Ideology could not highlight the most relevant points so far and the Mass Resistance in HIJACKED.

 The regimented Cadres could not be physically connected to the people so the Maoists CAPTURED and ESCALATED the Tribal areas. Any Repression would mean further ISOLATION  of the Marxists from the Grass Root masses.

It would rather help Ms Mamta Bannerjee to achieve her goal, untimely President rule and Untimely ELECTION to defeat and oust Marxists.

I am afraid , my Marxist friends OBLIGE the Fire Brand Brahmin maid!

Just see the Game Plan chalked out with Surgical Precision and assess the Magnetic Trap Scope to entrap the DUPED Marxists unarmed with whatsoever Ideology. The Police and administration, always faithful for last thirty two years and working as Party wings , DESERTED the Marxist Hegemony smelling the CHANGE Fragrance in the Bengal Environment of Heat and Humidity, AILA continues as the CALAMITIES for our Comrades never end!

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, an advocate of stern action against Naxalism, is learnt to have taken a grim view of the violent Maoist takeover of Lalgarh and of the Left Front government's inability to restore law and order in the area.

Home minister P. Chidambaram put the ball in the court of Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee ahead of the chief minister's meeting with the Prime Minister on Friday. "Now it is the judgement the chief minister must make," Chidambaram said, driving home the need to reclaim Lalgarh from the Maoists.

The primary responsibility, sources in Delhi underlined, lay with the state government which "must act before it is too late".

Amid the spiralling violence in Lalgarh in Midnapore (West) and other areas of West Bengal, the Centre  sent a blunt message to the Marxist government there, asserting that it must make all attempts to bring the alarming situation under control and give a "clear mandate" to its own police forces to reclaim the affected areas.

Home minister Mr P Chidambaram told reporters here that he had spoken to chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and told him that the state must move its forces to the troubled areas with clear instructions to tackle the situation.

While, Rattled by the spate of killings and attacks on CPI-M leaders and activists, and vandalism at its party offices in the districts, especially in Lalgarh, Khejuri and other areas, the Left Front asked the state government to take immediate steps to contain the ongoing violence. It is GREEN SIGNAL for the Marxist Government to be ENTRAPPED right into the EPICENTRE of the Turbulence!

In order to maintain synergy in its operation against Naxals at Lalgarh, central paramilitary forces dispatched to the trouble-torn area have been given"functional autonomy"and were working in coordination with the Centre. The functional autonomy has been given in consultation with the state government as the situation in Lalgarh area continued to be tense, a Home Ministry official said. The decision was taken as some parts of Jharkhand and Orissa need to be covered as the Naxals may flee to these areas after security forces mounted pressure on them. Taking a serious view of Maoists controlling the places in West Midnapore district and its adjoining areas, the Home Ministry directed the forces to deal with any situation arising there in close coordination with the state authorities, the official said." Since we consider the situation as serious, the forces are being given functional autonomy,"the official said. However, the special anti-naxal force CoBRA is yet to be deployed for the operations against the naxals and have been kept on stand by.

The PWD minister and RSP leader, Mr Kshiti Goswami, in particular, expressed strong disapproval of the way the administration was handling the situation. At a Left Front meeting today, complained the police were now listening more to the Opposition leaders than to the state government.

Chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee told the meeting that he had received information from the Jharkhand government that about 100 Maoists, armed with sophisticated weapons and trained at Chaibasa in Jharkhand, had crossed over to West Bengal to unleash terror. The state government, he said, had already sought Central forces to flush the Maoists out.

Mr Goswami, however, asked the chief minister how the Maoists could be effectively tackled without sealing their border.

Soon after Mr Chidambaram made his comments, the state government said it would launch operations against the Maoists, and that the state police would be in the forefront. Mr Bhattacharjee is also to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Mr Chidambaram on 19 June on the issue.
 
Mr Chidambaram said there was an impression that while one part of the state government was willing to take action against the Maoists, another was worried about the fallout. "Now, it is the judgement the chief minister must make. They must move the forces to the affected areas and must reclaim the area now dominated by the Maoists," he said.

"We (the Central forces) are there to assist the state police. The state police must commit its own forces. I don't know how many men they have committed in the area and what instructions they have been given. But in my talks with the CM, I told him that in our view the state police must be given clear mandate and clear instructions," Mr Chidambaram said. "We have given them an adequate number of paramilitary forces," he added, pointing out that five more companies have been sent following the state's request on 15 June.

The Centre also dispatched the specialised Cobra anti-Naxalite force to deal with the Bengal situation. The commandos have been airlifted from Orissa where they are currently based.

After a visit to Midnapore to review the situation, the state home secretary, Mr Ardhendu Sen, said the government is ready for operations at Lalgarh and areas adjoining Jhargram in West Midnapore district. He, however, evaded a question on when the operations would begin. He added that the state police would lead the operations.

The chief secretary, Mr AM Chakrabarti, said the Maoists were planning to use the women and children of Lalgarh as human shields. Urging the villagers not to succumb to the "pressure being exerted by the Maoists", he said the move was "dangerous, inhuman and illegal". "The people in the area are faced with severe problems in their daily life and those who are trying to use them as shields are playing a dangerous game," Mr Chakrabarti said.

My friends, I have calls from South as well North, from Kerala to New Delhi including Mumbai. Professional Journalists, Editors and even the President of Mulnivasi Bamcef, Waman Mesram do try to understand the STAND OFF and the Fall out.

 I told Mr Meshram that the CM has to go to New Delhi to interact with the PM and the HOME Minister. Media says that the OPERATION would begin after 22 but I am afraid that the FLUSH OUT may begin anytime. However, officials in Delhi said reports from the ground indicated that the state government was shying away from action and not sending state police forces to the so-called "liberated zone". "We were told that the police have been instructed to 'only resort to mild lathi-charge'," said a central officer.The officer said the reports he received suggested that state police might not venture into Lalgarh for another two days. Delhi sent five companies of the CRPF to Lalgarh from Sindri in Jharkhand yesterday. But paramilitary forces are mandated to act solely under the command of state police, and not using them was nullifying the whole idea of sending them, sources said.

 I warned him that INNOCENT Masses have to lose LIFE and property. Apart from Politics, the Non Political and Social organisations should take the initiative to resolve the crisis.

Professor Vijoy Kumar from Trichur woke me up in the morning and OPINED that it is a TOTAL BETRAYAL on the Part of Ms Mamta Bannerjee and her TMC.

 I replied that it is a JOINT Front of all Brahaminical forces to kill and displace our people. We discussed long.

While young professional journalist Bhuvendra Tyagi from Mumbai was worried of the the chaos and anarchy heralding unilateral Genocide.

 We discussed the chronology of genocide History as well as the traced the RESISTANCE legacy in Bengal.

Pankaj Bisht, the editor of SAMAYANTAR was worried of the CIVIL Society and Intelligentsia role and opined that invoking President Rule in Bengal may help Mamata , but it will kill Bengal as a Progressive state!

However,Reacting to the Union home minister's comment that the state government was divided on the question of taking action against the Maoists in Lalgarh, Mr Chakraborty said the government was taking steps to establish the rule of law there and that the observation was unfounded.

The Left Front chairman, Mr Biman Bose, said it was unacceptable that the Trinamul Congress and its allies ~ among which he included the Maoists ~ should go on killing CPI-M leaders and activists because the Opposition had won 27 Lok Sabha seats.

"When we came to power in 1977 with a thumping majority our top leaders immediately issued a statement urging our party men not to resort to political vendetta. The Trinamul is threatening that there would be no one to carry the CPI-M's flag. We can correct our shortcomings, but we'll never bow down to terror," he said.


On the other hand,the Trinamul Congress has distanced itself from the attacks on the CPM in Lalgarh but plans to use the violence to buttress its claim that the state government lacks control over law and order.

In the coming days, the party will argue that while it does not support violence, the attacks in Lalgarh are a result of the CPM's policies.

The strategy was outlined by Trinamul leaders here a day after party chief Mamata Banerjee broke her silence on Lalgarh in Calcutta. "I don't support that (the Lalgarh violence). It is our collective duty to maintain law and order," Mamata said yesterday.

Trinamul sources conceded they were worried that the brutal attacks on CPM workers in Lalgarh could win the party some sympathy elsewhere in the state. "But the anger against the CPM is such that unless we make a blunder, the Lalgarh violence will also work against the CPM."

Mamata, sources said, was keen to portray a "statesman-like" attitude, and was unlikely to immediately demand the state government's dismissal.

"We are aware that such a demand now will mean playing into the hands of the CPM. Our strategy will be to focus on the CPM's crimes and police's failures to weaken the state government further," another Trinamul leader said.

Advancing security forces lobbed tear gas shells and made a baton charge to break a 'human wall' put up by Maoist cadres, armed with bows and arrows and pickaxes, in this troubled zone as West Bengal's Communist government launched a massive operation Thursday to free the region of left extremists.

Two rebels as well as a lensman accompanying the security forces were injured, eyewitnesses said. There was no police confirmation of the news.

A day after being prodded by the centre to reclaim this headquarters of Binpur 1 community development block in West Midnapore district, 200 km form state capital Kolkata, from the Maoists, the state police personnel, backed by the central forces, moved in from their base camp at nearby Pirakata for 'Operation Lalgarh'.

However, soon after, the forces came up against a 'human wall' at Malida, as hundreds of tribals carrying traditional weapons like bows and arrows, shovels, pickaxes and canes blocked the way by felling big trees on the road as they shouted slogans like "Inqilab Zindabad" and "Maoism zindabad".

Using megaphones, the police warned the protesters to move away and clear the roads, but getting no response from the other side, the security forces started removing the tree trunk when they suddenly saw two Maoists standing in the nearby field with assault rifles. Immediately, the well-armed central forces came to the frontlines and the Maoists beat a hasty retreat.

The police started baton charging and lobbing tear gas shells, and succeeded in dispersing the protestors at that spot. "We will see how far we can go today (Thursday). Our target is to reach Lalgarh police station," a police officer told accompanying journalists. Two of the protesters were injured in the baton charge, while a lensman also sustained injuries.

The police raided some houses in the vicinity and detained a few people before resuming their 'Operation Lalgarh'.

Five companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and two companies of the Cobra Force, specially trained to combat Maoists, reached the district headquarters Midnapore town Wednesday. A large quantity of tear gas shells and protective shields have been provided to the security personnel.

Earlier in the day, the personnel from the central and state security forces were briefed at the Pirakata base camp to conduct a joint operation to flush out Maoist guerrillas who have been active in organising a tribal movement alongside a group called the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA).

"We have moved forces in the morning," Inspector General of Police Raj Kanojia told IANS.

On Wednesday, the state government had declared that it was ready to launch an operation to free Lalgarh from the control of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) even as the guerrillas shot dead three workers of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist(CPI-M).

In response, a top rebel leader said the central and state governments had started psychological warfare against the people in Lalgarh with its show of force.

"The prime minister (Manmohan Singh) and home minister (P. Chidambaram) have started a psychological warfare by amassing huge forces. If they start the operations, we will resist with the help of the people who are with us," CPI-Maoist politburo member Kishanjee told a television channel over phone.

Kishanjee alias K. Koteshwar Rao hails from Andhra Pradesh but has been camping in Lalgarh. He said the rebel group has decided to call for a two-day shutdown beginning Monday in West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Jharkhand and Bihar.

He also demanded that the centre and state government should apologise to the tribal people of Lalgarh if they wanted a peaceful and amicable resolution to the stand-off.

Lalgarh has been on the boil since last November when a landmine exploded on the route of the convoy of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and then central ministers Ram Vilas Paswan and Jitin Prasada.

Police arrested some school students and allegedly harassed tribal women following the landmine blast. In protest, angry tribals virtually cut off the area from the rest of the district.

During the last few days, the agitators have torched CPI-M offices, driven away the party's supporters and forced police to wind up several camps, thereby establishing a virtual free zone.

Maoists have been active in the three western districts of the state - West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia. They also backed the Trinamool-sponsored movement against the state government's bid to establish a chemical hub at Nandigram in East Midnapore district.

The battle for recapturing Lalgarh from Maoists began in right earnest on Thursday as the police and central forces today stormed the area smashing a human shield of tribal agitators with a barrage of teargas shells and lathi-charges.

A 600-strong mob of tribals armed with lathis, axes, spears, bows and arrows blocked the road when the security forces arrived and shouted at the police asking them to apologise for alleged atrocities, a PTI correspondent on the spot saw.

A police officer warned the tribals over microphone to disperse within two minutes, following which the armed police, the CRPF and the riot police lobbed a volley of teargas shells and made a lathi-charge dispersing the tribals under the banner of People's Committee Against Police Atrocities in 10 minutes.

The police then proceeded cautiously up the road to Pirrakula, eight km from Lalgarh, making house-to-house searches while people caught on the road were allowed to pass with their hands raised in the air.

The operation was then halted for the night, IGP (Law and Order) Raj Kanojia told PTI from Kolkata.

The police and central forces did not want to cross the Jhitka jungle beyond Pirrakula at night as it was a Maoist-dominated area.

Maoists put up human shields against forces in West Bengal's Lalgarh

With paramilitary forces planning a crackdown on Maoists who have laid siege to two police station areas in West Midnapore

district, tribals backing them have put up a three-tier human shield.

"The Maoists have formed a three-tier human shield with women and children in the vanguard, men behind them and armed naxals forming the rearguard," a senior police official involved in the drawing up strategies against the agitators said.

The police have withdrawn from camps fearing looting of arms with the tribals under the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities demolishing and torching empty camps in the past few days, he said.

Maoist action squad leader, known as Bikash, and his men were patrolling roads between Lalgarh and Belpahari armed with AK47s, he said.

Last night the tribals set ablaze CPM party offices in Lalgarh and Belatikri and dug up roads leading to Lalgarh from Dharampur, Goaltore and Pirakata to prevent entry of central forces.

The digging up of roads and felling of trees was a tactic deployed since November last year by the tribals when they went on the warpath after police raids on their homes.

The police made the raids following a landmine blast at Salboni on November 2 in which West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and two then union ministers Ramvilas Paswan and Jitendra Prasad narrowly escaped.

Five CPM men have already been killed and four were missing after clashes with tribals in the past few days, while three more, including a Marxist local leader were shot dead this morning at Bankasole.

On Tuesday, chief secretary Asok Mohan Chakraborty said that 500 central paramilitary personnel have been sought from the Centre, with 100 men arriving in Lalgarh and 200-300 more personnel expected shortly.

Another officer said that for the last eight months Lalgarh has been out of bounds for the police, where they were being 'boycotted' by the tribals, who have demanded an apology for the police raids on their homes following the Salboni landmine blast.

"We had to withdraw our camps from Ramgar and Dharampur," said the officer.

The officer said Marxist leaders were being killed after being carefully targeted.

"They plan the operations in meticulous detail in forests, where it is impossible for the police to search for them," the officer said.

Our aim is to break CPM shackles' 18 Jun 2009, 0307 hrs IST, Sukumar Mahato, TNN

He is leading the Lalgarh offensive in West Midnapore district of West Bengal. Around 24 years old, he is a veteran in Maoist ranks, serving as zonal committee secretary of Communist Party of India (Maoist) for West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia districts. Sukumar Mahato speaks to firebrand Maoist Bikash about his party's plans:

What are your immediate plans?

Our aim is to break the shackles that the ruling CPM has put on the people of this area. For nearly two decades, the people have not reaped the so-called benefits of parliamentary democracy. Gradually, everything began to be controlled by CPM. Its leaders even had a say in marriages and other social and personal matters.

There are many leaders against whom FIRs are pending. The police have taken no action against them. We will punish them. Those who have spent money or used political connections to avoid justice will be tried by people's courts.

The government is preparing to strike in a major way. How will you counter this?

We have seen media reports in which government officials have spoken about bringing in Central forces, COBRA or Greyhound personnel. We are prepared for any strike. PCPA is with us. In Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore districts, we have set up gram committees in over 250 villages. We shall ultimately liberate Keshpur and Garbeta. The state cannot stop us by using force.

Why have you resorted to violence?

We were forced into taking up arms by the administration. When we had guns pointing at us, one can't expect us to respond with flower petals. Violence was started by CPM. We took up arms to counter this. Many of them are educated unemployed youths. Family members of CPM leaders have got jobs that were meant for them.

Why do you target the police? Many of the constables belong to poor families.

We have appealed to the police a number of times, not to blindly follow the diktats of CPM. We have asked the police not to torture poor villagers. There are some who heeded our appeal. Those who we targeted worked at the behest of CPM and paid a price.

What is your ultimate goal?

We want public funds to be used by the people's committee. They will be accountable for all development work done. We have already done a lot of development work in the villages. CPM talks a lot about land reforms. Anuj Pandey and his two brothers owned 40 bighas of land. We shall distribute such land among the poor.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Our-aim-is-to-break-CPM-shackles/articleshow/4669155.cms

Three CPM men shot in Jhargram

;Statesman News Service
MIDNAPORE, 17 JUNE: Three CPI-M activists, including a SFI and a DYFI leader were gunned down by a group of unidentified goons on National Highway 6 at Banksole in Jhargram area of Midnapore West district this morning, adding a new dimension to the ongoing violence in Lalgarh.
The anti-establishment movement spearheaded by the Police Santras Birodhi Public Committee (PSBPC) in Lalgarh spread to Bankura as the public boycotted police at Sarenga and the cops had to confine themselves to the Sarenga police station.
In Midnapore West, district CPI-M leaders alleged that the Maoist cadres who have had a free run in and around Lalgarh for some time now were involved in the killings today.
Anil Mahato (35), a member of Siuli CPI-M branch committee, Abhijit Mahato (24), SFI leader and a second year student of Manikpara College and Niladri Mahato (25), DYFI leader, were having their morning tea in a shop when six gunmen riding two two-wheelers appeared and fired from point blank range killing the three on the spot. The SFI have called a bandh in all the colleges in the district today and a statewide bandh tomorrow to protest against the killings.
Meanwhile, the CPI-M continues to be targeted in Lalgarh. Several thousand tribals, including women, under the banner of the PSBPC demolished and torched the homes of Mr Dalim Pande, and Mr Amal Pande, the CPI-M's Dharampur local committee secretary and member respectively at Harina today. The families of both men had fled their homes on Sunday.
The former is the brother of Mr Sujan Pande, Lalgarh zonal committee secretary, whose house was earlier razed to the ground.
The mob also set fire to the party's Harina branch committee office after demolishing it.
The CPI-M took out a procession in the district condemning the violence let loose by the PSBPC in Lalgarh. The party has also called a 12-hour bandh in the district tomorrow in protest.
The PSBPC has put up barricades on several stretches of the roads to Lalgarh by dumping tree trunks and digging up the road surface today to prevent the entry of Central forces sent to flush out the Maoists from the area. Around 200 Maoist cadres armed with sophisticated weapons, who had spearheaded the operation to make Lalgarh a "CPI-M-free zone" over the past few days, are believed to be hiding in the area. A senior police officer also said the Maoists have formed a three-tier human shield to prevent entry of forces into the area with women and children at the forefront. A top Maoist leader meanwhile described the ruling CPI-M and the Trinamul Congress as "two sides of the same coin", and said his organisation only indulged in counter-violence against "atrocities of the ruling classes".
All examinations of Vidyasagar University scheduled to be held tomorrow have been cancelled in view of the CPI-M bandh.

 

Crackdown on Maoists begins in Lalgarh

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June 18, 2009 11:37 IST

Security forces on Thursday,moved into the restive Lalgarh region to end the three-day siege of Maoists, who have gone on a rampage targeting Communist Party of India-Marxist cadres and leaders, destroying their homes and party offices and setting up barricades to block police entry. "The Operation at Lalgrah has started on Thursday morning. The operation will be mainly done by the state police but we will be adequately assisted by the Central forces," West Bengal [Images] Director General of Police Sujit Kumar Sarkar [Images] told PTI.

Asked about the number of forces deployed, Sarkar said the details cannot be divulged 'right now'. "But there are adequate (state) forces to restore peace and normalcy in the area. The Central Reserve Police Force will give adequate back up and if needed they will actively participate," he said over the phone from Kolkata [Images]. Agitating tribals of West Midnapore and adjoining areas have been protesting police "atrocities" on them in the wake of the landmine blast at Salboni which was believed to target the CM. The tribals, numbering 2000 under the banner of People's Committee Against Police Atrocities, dug up roads amid reports that they were laying landmines to stop the security forces. "We will try to shed minimum blood," Sarkar said adding I cannot tell you the exact timeframe (of the operation)." Five hundred CRPF personnel, including 200 personnel of the elite COBRA trained in anti-Maoist operations, have been deployed to deal with the situation.

A visiting PTI correspondent saw four trucks of central and state police force personnel entering Lalgrah through Pirakata, which links the place to Midnapore, in the morning hours. The other three entry points to Lalgrah through Binpur, Dohijhuri and Bherua have been blocked by felling trees and digging up roads. The area presented a deserted look, with most shops and business establishments closed. Only a few people were seen out of their homes.

The Maoists had taken over the area, a former Marxist bastion, after driving away the police on Monday. Eight CPI-M [Images] personnel have been killed in the area in the last one week and four others are missing. High-level police officials, including Director General (Coordination) Bhupinder Singh and Deputy Inspector General (Special Operations Group) Siddhinath Gupta were in Lalgarh to supervise the action.

The operation was launched a day after Home Minister P Chidamabaram sent a blunt message to West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee [Images] that a clear mandate should be given to the security forces to reclaim areas dominated by Maoists in violence-hit West Midnapore and its adjoining areas and deal with the "deteriorating" law and order situation. "The impression is that one side of the government is willing to take action, the other side of the government is worried about the consequences. Now, it is the judgement the CM must make. They must move the (security) forces to the affected areas and must reclaim that area which is now dominated by the Maoists," he said.

Meanwhile, the Maoists in Lalgarh have called for a two-day Bandh in Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh on June 22-23, to protest against police atrocities.

http://news.rediff.com/report/2009/jun/18/cops-begin-crackdown-on-maoists-in-lalgarh.htm

Maoists turned tribal resentment into anti-CPM weapon 18 Jun 2009, 0258 hrs IST, Caesar Mandal, TNN

LALGARH: A well-planned strategy and a perfectly executed warplan, using tribal grievance against an inactive administration and a corrupt CPM to

garner local support. That, in a nutshell, sums up how the Maoist movement gathered momentum in West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura with Lalgarh as the base.

The insurgent outfit has been steadily spreading its tentacles and extending its strongholds almost every day at a furious pace over the last seven months. It has reached areas like Jhalda, Bagmundi and Ayodhya in Purulia and Ranibandh and Jhilimili in Bankura. If Salboni which is believed to be the next target falls, then almost the entire western part of the state would be lost.

The Maoists did not win the area overnight. In fact, they found it difficult to make headway initially. Till the merger of People's War Group (PWG) and Maoist Communist Centre (MCC), the Left radicals were active only in pockets of Binpur block II and in the area from Belpahari to Banshpahari and were never a force to reckon with. Then the merger took place in 2004 and the Maoist movement took a leap ahead. The two groups galvanized perfectly with the armed wing of PWG the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) providing a militant edge to the theoretical and political campaign of MCC.

It helped Maoists spread their base in the Jharkhand-Orissa border areas that served as a transit point. Things took another turn with the arrest of Somen, the CPI(Maoist) state secretary in 2008. It intensified the PLGA's militant campaign. The landmine attack on the chief minister's convoy in Salboni on November 2 served as a flashpoint. It shook the police into action and a combing operation was launched at Salboni, barely 9 km from Midnapore town.

Three PLG squads were active in the area by then the Belpahari squad under Madan Mahato, the Lalgarh squad under Shashadhar Mahato and the Dolma squad in Purulia. Police charged Shashadhar and raided Chhotobelia, his village. The combing operation which had led to excesses alienated the locals. It fuelled a movement and led to the formation of People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) which became the frontal organization helping to shield the Maoists who worked from behind the scenes.

The tribals united on an anti-police and anti-government plank joined PCPA spontaneously and it helped Maoists form a network over a larger area. The movement spread like wildfire across Jangalkhand. Using the PCPA local committees, Maoists gained access to information and logistical support from every corner of the region.

From November 12 when PCPA was formed at a rally at Kantapahari the 14 km road connecting Lalgarh police station with the Ramgarh outpost remained blocked for a month. Maoists used the time to strengthen their network, taking advantage of the fact that neither the administration nor police could enter. Soon, all three roads leading to Lalgarh through Pirakata forest, from Midnapore town through Dharampur and from Goaltore were cut off. With PCPA in the forefront, senior Maoist leaders and armed outfits started infiltrating. Leaders like Chandrasekhar and Akash camped there, helping strengthen the base. It was in this period that the PCPA influence spread to Binpur I and II, Jamboni, parts of Jhargram block and Salboni. Now, all areas in a 30-km radius of Lalgarh have been captured'.

Strengthened by the local support base, they now went on uniting all the anti-CPM forces. Between January and June, several CPM leaders were killed. The Maoists finally came out in the open with a procession at Madhupur village, which led to an attack on several CPM leaders' houses.

Ever since, a new area has been added to the Maoist territory every other day. Babuibasha, Shaluka, Ramgarh, Belatikri and its adjacent areas fell soon. And finally, the entire stretch from Lalgarh to Dherua, including Dharampur, has been captured last Sunday.

It could be mission Salboni next. For that's just about the only area where CPM still exists. If that happens, Maoists could shift their base to Garbeta and Keshpur.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Maoists-turned-tribal-resentment-into-anti-CPM-weapon/articleshow/4669148.cms

At work for war Maoists, state begin drill

PRONAB MONDAL IN LALGARH AND OUR BUREAU

June 17: Late last night, at a small camp in Lalgarh's Kantapahari, six Maoists held a meeting when word reached that central forces had started arriving in Midnapore. The meeting, headed by Bikash who runs the Maoists' Lalgarh operations and guided over the phone apparently by Kishanji who heads their armed wing in the country, decided to set up the first line of defence by this morning. The task was completed by the time home secretary Ardhendu Sen arrived in Midnapore to review the situation in Lalgarh. By 9am, the only two arterial roads leading to Lalgarh from Midnapore town, capable of carrying heavy vehicles, had been dug up at 11 points. Each trench across the road was 4ft deep and 3ft wide, making it impossible for any vehicle to cross over. The Maoists bragged of a more diabolical plan, too. If the police smash through the defences and reach Lalgarh, the rebels said, they would have a four-tier barricade in place. In the first layer, there will be children, followed by women. Tribals armed with bows and arrows will bring up the third layer. Armed Maoists will position themselves in the fourth layer, they said, seemingly oblivious to the macabre irony in the "people's war". Aware of the plan, chief secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti appealed to the people of Lalgarh not to allow themselves to be used as "human shields". Police sources later said they would try to disperse the shields using rubber bullets and tear gas. By the end of the day, the state government, too, announced that it would act. But the time of the launch is being kept confidential, not for tactical reasons alone — the state government has yet to overcome its indecisiveness. After returning to Calcutta, Sen announced: "An operation against the Maoists will take place. It will be led by state police with the central forces providing the back-up. Our main aim will be to ensure minimum bloodshed. But I cannot reveal when it will take place." Sources said 18 companies would be involved in the operation, of which 13 will be central forces and five from the state police. Each company has about 100 policemen who can go into action — which means around 1,800 personnel will be pitted against the Maoists. The rebels' number is put at 250 but more guerrillas are said to be moving towards Lalgarh from Orissa and Jharkhand. Kishanji has apparently reached Belpahari, 20km from Lalgarh. Besides, the Maoists are counting on some of the villagers they have trained since November last year. The police sources said it would not be a "swift and short" operation. "We know the area is mined and dug up, so we have to move forward carefully," an officer said. "We will have a minesweeper at the head of the convoy and a truck carrying sandbags along with us. After the minesweeper has cleared the way, we will bridge the dug-up roads with the sandbags and then move on." The officer said the objective would be to "reoccupy" an area, consolidate their position there and then push forward. The plan is largely in tune with the tactics being focused upon since P. Chidambaram took over as home minister at the Centre. In the police's arsenal will be AK-47 and AK-56 rifles, grenade launchers and rocket launchers. Senior police officers from Calcutta, like IG (co-ordination), have moved to Midnapore. The rebels acknowledge the police's superiority in firepower and supply of ammunition but said they were banking on familiarity with the terrain and local support. It was not possible to verify the claims by the Maoists. At every dug-up point, the Maoists said, they would be setting up "checkposts" which will be guarded by "50 to 60" armed supporters. "They will all have cellphones and at the first sign of any activity, they will warn other checkposts along the way," a Maoist leader said. Knowing that the policemen will be wearing bulletproof jackets, the Maoist cadres have been trained to shoot at the face, arms and legs, another leader said. If the police decide to skip the arterial roads and use forest trails, they may have to abandon armoured vehicles while ferrying themselves across the Kangshabati river in the absence of bridges. The five CRPF companies stayed put at the Midnapore police lines today, drawing up maps to chalk out operational routes.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090618/jsp/frontpage/story_11127693.jsp

Brigadier advises 'creeping' recapture

SUJAN DUTTA

A man hoicks his bicycle over a road dug up by Maoists in Lalgarh on Wednesday. (Sanat Kumar Sinha) New Delhi, June 17: Bengal can adopt tactics for a "creeping re-occupation of territory" in Lalgarh despite its administration's late response and its police's poor training, says the army's counter-Naxalite expert who trains security forces from states where Left-wing militancy is intense. "Sending the CRPF into places like Lalgarh will be of no consequence unless you have trained troops," Brigadier Basant Kumar Ponwar told The Telegraph. The specialised Cobra force is also being sent to Bengal but the units are still under training. He said Bengal would have to evolve unconventional policing tactics in Lalgarh to take on the Maoists. Ponwar said "grid deployment" and "constant dynamic deployment" by security forces in and around Lalgarh after they have built up an asymmetry — sufficient strength — should drive the operations in West Midnapore. "These are things that the army can do but that is a different issue," he said, meaning that there is no call from the government to deploy the army in counter-Naxalite operations. The army monitors and studies the Maoist movement and even gives advice — to which the brigadier contributes in a big way. But the defence establishment has not yet viewed the Maoist insurgency as a big enough threat to deploy the army in the interiors in addition to the border regions in Jammu and Kashmir and in the Northeast. Ponwar is the director of the Counter Terrorism and Jungle Warfare College (CTJWC) in Kanker, Chhattisgarh, the only institution that runs courses on counter-Naxalite operations for police forces. The college is supported by the army that has deputed instructors to it. Ponwar set up the college after retiring as the commandant of the army's Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School in Vairangte, Mizoram. Three teams from Bengal police were to have been sent to the college last year, Brigadier Ponwar said. But they were not. There is no team from Bengal even for the six-week course that begins on June 22. "They (the Maoists) have beaten us to the draw and now we are faced with such a situation. So we will have to do what we can to retrieve it with capable leadership," said Ponwar as he spelt out tactics of "constant dynamic deployment". The retired brigadier said the withdrawal of the Bengal police from their positions around Lalgarh "indicated that the Maoists are trying to convert their territory into a liberated zone though they are not there yet". He said the Maoists have been successful in creating a "liberated zone" in Abujmarh in Chhattisgarh spread over about 10,000sqkm. The security forces should operate in a way to prevent the Maoists from creating more "liberated zones". To contain the Maoists, the administration in Bengal and the security forces should make an effort to have five companies (of 100 to 120 troops each) for every 400sqkm "in highly-intense Naxalite areas". The troops should be instructed to set up "counter-Naxalite bases" in dominating heights. Each company should be assigned to a base with an area of responsibility of about 15km around it. The bases should be between 10 and 15km apart, said Ponwar. He called this "grid deployment". The security forces should be tasked with multi-directional patrolling. The counter-Naxalite bases should be the launching pads for small targeted operations against the Maoists, he added. The logistical back-up for the forces should be ensured by the administration. Small teams from the bases should be able to operate independently for three or four days. Ponwar's college teaches police forces "to fight the guerrilla like a guerrilla". What he is prescribing is a combination of conventional and unconventional tactics. A ring of security forces — state police and the CRPF — around and, wherever possible, inside Lalgarh, and bases from which small outfits such as the Cobra force will launch attacks.

Brigadier advises 'creeping' recapture

SUJAN DUTTA

A man hoicks his bicycle over a road dug up by Maoists in Lalgarh on Wednesday. (Sanat Kumar Sinha) New Delhi, June 17: Bengal can adopt tactics for a "creeping re-occupation of territory" in Lalgarh despite its administration's late response and its police's poor training, says the army's counter-Naxalite expert who trains security forces from states where Left-wing militancy is intense. "Sending the CRPF into places like Lalgarh will be of no consequence unless you have trained troops," Brigadier Basant Kumar Ponwar told The Telegraph. The specialised Cobra force is also being sent to Bengal but the units are still under training. He said Bengal would have to evolve unconventional policing tactics in Lalgarh to take on the Maoists. Ponwar said "grid deployment" and "constant dynamic deployment" by security forces in and around Lalgarh after they have built up an asymmetry — sufficient strength — should drive the operations in West Midnapore. "These are things that the army can do but that is a different issue," he said, meaning that there is no call from the government to deploy the army in counter-Naxalite operations. The army monitors and studies the Maoist movement and even gives advice — to which the brigadier contributes in a big way. But the defence establishment has not yet viewed the Maoist insurgency as a big enough threat to deploy the army in the interiors in addition to the border regions in Jammu and Kashmir and in the Northeast. Ponwar is the director of the Counter Terrorism and Jungle Warfare College (CTJWC) in Kanker, Chhattisgarh, the only institution that runs courses on counter-Naxalite operations for police forces. The college is supported by the army that has deputed instructors to it. Ponwar set up the college after retiring as the commandant of the army's Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School in Vairangte, Mizoram. Three teams from Bengal police were to have been sent to the college last year, Brigadier Ponwar said. But they were not. There is no team from Bengal even for the six-week course that begins on June 22. "They (the Maoists) have beaten us to the draw and now we are faced with such a situation. So we will have to do what we can to retrieve it with capable leadership," said Ponwar as he spelt out tactics of "constant dynamic deployment". The retired brigadier said the withdrawal of the Bengal police from their positions around Lalgarh "indicated that the Maoists are trying to convert their territory into a liberated zone though they are not there yet". He said the Maoists have been successful in creating a "liberated zone" in Abujmarh in Chhattisgarh spread over about 10,000sqkm. The security forces should operate in a way to prevent the Maoists from creating more "liberated zones". To contain the Maoists, the administration in Bengal and the security forces should make an effort to have five companies (of 100 to 120 troops each) for every 400sqkm "in highly-intense Naxalite areas". The troops should be instructed to set up "counter-Naxalite bases" in dominating heights. Each company should be assigned to a base with an area of responsibility of about 15km around it. The bases should be between 10 and 15km apart, said Ponwar. He called this "grid deployment". The security forces should be tasked with multi-directional patrolling. The counter-Naxalite bases should be the launching pads for small targeted operations against the Maoists, he added. The logistical back-up for the forces should be ensured by the administration. Small teams from the bases should be able to operate independently for three or four days. Ponwar's college teaches police forces "to fight the guerrilla like a guerrilla". What he is prescribing is a combination of conventional and unconventional tactics. A ring of security forces — state police and the CRPF — around and, wherever possible, inside Lalgarh, and bases from which small outfits such as the Cobra force will launch attacks.

Brigadier advises 'creeping' recapture

SUJAN DUTTA

A man hoicks his bicycle over a road dug up by Maoists in Lalgarh on Wednesday. (Sanat Kumar Sinha) New Delhi, June 17: Bengal can adopt tactics for a "creeping re-occupation of territory" in Lalgarh despite its administration's late response and its police's poor training, says the army's counter-Naxalite expert who trains security forces from states where Left-wing militancy is intense. "Sending the CRPF into places like Lalgarh will be of no consequence unless you have trained troops," Brigadier Basant Kumar Ponwar told The Telegraph. The specialised Cobra force is also being sent to Bengal but the units are still under training. He said Bengal would have to evolve unconventional policing tactics in Lalgarh to take on the Maoists. Ponwar said "grid deployment" and "constant dynamic deployment" by security forces in and around Lalgarh after they have built up an asymmetry — sufficient strength — should drive the operations in West Midnapore. "These are things that the army can do but that is a different issue," he said, meaning that there is no call from the government to deploy the army in counter-Naxalite operations. The army monitors and studies the Maoist movement and even gives advice — to which the brigadier contributes in a big way. But the defence establishment has not yet viewed the Maoist insurgency as a big enough threat to deploy the army in the interiors in addition to the border regions in Jammu and Kashmir and in the Northeast. Ponwar is the director of the Counter Terrorism and Jungle Warfare College (CTJWC) in Kanker, Chhattisgarh, the only institution that runs courses on counter-Naxalite operations for police forces. The college is supported by the army that has deputed instructors to it. Ponwar set up the college after retiring as the commandant of the army's Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School in Vairangte, Mizoram. Three teams from Bengal police were to have been sent to the college last year, Brigadier Ponwar said. But they were not. There is no team from Bengal even for the six-week course that begins on June 22. "They (the Maoists) have beaten us to the draw and now we are faced with such a situation. So we will have to do what we can to retrieve it with capable leadership," said Ponwar as he spelt out tactics of "constant dynamic deployment". The retired brigadier said the withdrawal of the Bengal police from their positions around Lalgarh "indicated that the Maoists are trying to convert their territory into a liberated zone though they are not there yet". He said the Maoists have been successful in creating a "liberated zone" in Abujmarh in Chhattisgarh spread over about 10,000sqkm. The security forces should operate in a way to prevent the Maoists from creating more "liberated zones". To contain the Maoists, the administration in Bengal and the security forces should make an effort to have five companies (of 100 to 120 troops each) for every 400sqkm "in highly-intense Naxalite areas". The troops should be instructed to set up "counter-Naxalite bases" in dominating heights. Each company should be assigned to a base with an area of responsibility of about 15km around it. The bases should be between 10 and 15km apart, said Ponwar. He called this "grid deployment". The security forces should be tasked with multi-directional patrolling. The counter-Naxalite bases should be the launching pads for small targeted operations against the Maoists, he added. The logistical back-up for the forces should be ensured by the administration. Small teams from the bases should be able to operate independently for three or four days. Ponwar's college teaches police forces "to fight the guerrilla like a guerrilla". What he is prescribing is a combination of conventional and unconventional tactics. A ring of security forces — state police and the CRPF — around and, wherever possible, inside Lalgarh, and bases from which small outfits such as the Cobra force will launch attacks.

Caution' on Buddha lips

BISWAJIT ROY

Calcutta, June 17: The chief minister told his Left Front allies today that central forces would be used first to confine Maoists to the Lalgarh-Dharampur area and foil their bid to expand the "liberated zone". "Operation flushout", however, could take time as the government is worried about civilian casualties in the gun battle that is certain in case of a crackdown. "The Lalgarh situation is quite bad and the Maoists are planning to march towards Salboni and Goaltore. Our first target is to confine them where they are,'' a front leader quoted Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee as telling an "emergency" meeting this morning to take stock of the post-poll offensive for turf launched by the Maoists and Mamata Banerjee. "We can't go for a crackdown right away as the Maoists will use tribal women and children as human shields. We want to minimise casualties and we have to move cautiously," Bhattacharjee added. He admitted that the Maoists had spread their wings to 12 police station areas in Bengal's tribal heartland, comprising the districts of West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura. Front sources said the rebels' firepower had also forced the chief minister's "caution". At the meeting, Bhattacharjee said five squads of 300 heavily armed Maoists from Jharkhand had joined those camping in Lalgarh. He also said he was in touch with Delhi while his officials were working with their Jharkhand counterparts on intelligence sharing and "co-ordinated" action. However, Jharkhand police chief D.G. Ram denied passing on any intelligence regarding the movement of Maoists. He also rejected the claim that Maoists from his state were infiltrating West Midnapore. "Jharkhand has no liberated zone, but Lalgarh has become one," Ram said, suggesting that the extremists had struck deeper roots in Bengal. Jharkhand home secretary J.B. Tubid said they had not received any communique from Bengal on a "joint operation", though Ram said they were always ready for one against the Maoists. Caught between the fear of repeating Nandigram and the pressure from the ranks, now at the receiving end of the wrath of the Maoists and Trinamul, the front apparently endorsed Bhattacharjee's caution. Since he will try to make the Centre share the political cost of an eventual bloodshed, front sources said the showdown with the Maoists was unlikely before he returned from Delhi this weekend. The government is also likely to hold back the action till the polls to 16 municipalities on June 28. A front resolution today said the state should make "administrative moves to restore law and order and democratic rights", but didn't mention Lalgarh. Front chairman and CPM state secretary Biman Bose skirted questions on the troubled zone. "Our people have left the area. Now it is up to the government to do what is to be done there." He also ruled out banning the Maoists, stressing on a "political battle". The CPM's allies appeared to be sitting on the fence. They criticised the "police inaction" to stop the persecution of front workers but took pains to distance themselves from the crackdown. The Bloc's Ashok Ghosh said: "Maoists are not our class enemies."

Go-slow on steel plant

SAMBIT SAHA

Calcutta, June 17: The Jindals have decided to push back their Salboni project as Maoist rage singes the region slated to house Bengal's biggest industrial project in terms of investment. A JSW Steel official said the beginning of construction for the first phase of the steel plant in 2011 — when it was supposed to start production — could be the "best-case scenario". The official cited low profitability from the steel business and the company's high debt burden for the pushback, but it is difficult to miss the political coincidence. Bengal will go to the Assembly polls in 2011 and many industrialists are believed to be waiting for the political haze to lift in the next two years before putting money on the ground. For the Jindals, the Maoist threat to the project enjoying special economic zone (SEZ) status has further complicated matters. The Lalgarh unrest began last year after a landmine targeting Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee went off in front of Sajjan Jindal's car as they were returning after laying the foundation stone for the project. Jindal, vice-chairman and managing director of JSW Steel, did not reply to repeated calls. But Biswadip Gupta, CEO of JSW Bengal, the company executing the Salboni project, denied the role of politics or Maoists behind the go-slow decision. "The market is yet to rebound despite talks of a revival. As I see it, the best- case scenario for work on the plant to start is 2011," he said. He sought to allay apprehensions that Jindal might abandon the project. "He hasn't spent Rs 200 crore for nothing," Gupta said. The Jindal's decision to put the project on hold for so long raised eyebrows within the state government. A senior bureaucrat said it was a matter of concern. "The company had told us it was facing difficulty achieving financial closure, but it is now a matter of concern." JSW Bengal's Rs 35,000-crore steel and power project had the unique distinction of meeting all the conditions — political consensus, unencumbered trouble-free land, coal block allocations — to take off. It has also received the final nod for the SEZ status. Gupta said the project had walked into a global downturn beyond the company's control. "While we wait for the market to revive, JSW Bengal plans to carry on some of the preliminary work like coal block development and putting up the boundary wall." Industry observers believe JSW's focus is on expanding the Bellary plant in Karnataka to 10 million tonnes by 2010-11 and reduce its debt, which has ballooned to over Rs 11,000 crore, 49 per cent more than the last fiscal. In Bengal, JSW plans to put up a 3-million tonne plant in the first phase and ramp it up to 10 million tonnes by 2020.

Maoists kill resistance trio near Jhargram 'Revenge' for help to police

PRONAB MONDAL

A mob torches CPM leader Chandi Karan's house in Binpur, adjoining Lalgarh. Picture by Sanat Kumar Sinha Lalgarh, June 17: Three CPM activists who were part of a "resistance group" formed by police for night patrol to keep Maoists at bay were gunned down today near Jhargram, almost 60km from the guerrillas' Lalgarh stronghold. Police said the trio had played an "active role" in helping them remove a roadblock put up by the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities on the way to Jhargram town. "The Maoists backing the committee killed them for revenge," West Midnapore superintendent of police Manoj Verma said today. Abhijit Mahato, 20, a first-year college student, and Anil Mahato and Niladri Mahato, in their early 40s, were sitting at a tea stall near the crossing of Bombay Road and the path leading to Jhargram when five men armed with AK-47 rifles turned up on two motorcycles. Abhijit was shot first. Anil and Niladri, who had begun to run, were chased down and shot point blank. The bikes disappeared with the men shouting "Maobad, zindabad". For 15 minutes, no one came near the bodies, afraid that the Maoists would appear again. They trooped to the pools of blood later and took the bodies to the subdivisional hospital. "It is an audacious strike since it took place far from Lalgarh and at 7am, in broad daylight," said a police officer. "It shows how far the reach of the Maoists has extended." The police had no doubt that the five were Maoists who came all the way from Lalgarh for the kill. "Villagers told us they went back towards Lal-garh through the dirt tracks in the jungles," an officer said. In Lalgarh, People's Committee members and their Maoist bosses went on the rampage, ransacking homes of CPM leaders and torching them. About a thousand people raided the house of Dharampur local committee secretary Dalim Pandey. The broke the furniture, put them in a pile outside the house and made a bonfire of it. Dalim and his family had fled their home last Friday. They are untraceable. The palatial house of Dalim's cousin Anuj, the party's Lalgarh zonal secretary, was plundered two days ago. Another group, this time accompanied by AK-47-wielding men, went to Belatikri local committee secretary Chandi Karan's house in Binpur, adjoining Lalgarh, and carried out a similar exercise. The Karans are also in hiding. A committee supporter, Subhas Mahato, said: "Chandi used to extort money from people and force them to support the CPM." A grocery run by Karan's "right-hand man" Alok Rakshit was not spared either. In Goaltore, 35km away, the rebels allegedly dragged away four CPM supporters, including a father, son and nephew. They are missing. In Calcutta, chief secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti appealed to the Lalgarh villagers to resist being used as "human shields" by the Maoists. "The Maoists are using innocent women and children as human shields in their war," Chakrabarti said. "This is inhuman and dangerous. These villagers are not involved in the reign of terror unleashed (by the Maoists) there. They are not associated with it." Home secretary Ardhendu Sen and state police chief Sujit Sarkar, who met district offi-cials, returned to Calcutta in the evening to brief the chief minister.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090618/jsp/bengal/story_11127191.jsp

US, India consult with stakeholders on how to bring down trade barriers 2009-06-18 [11:35:54 hrs] India and US will consult with public and private stakeholders on how to bring down trade barriers and open markets for exporters as they discuss multilateral issues like the Doha round of world trade talks even as Washington expects New Delhi to take 'bold steps' on trade liberalisation and economic reforms.   Visiting Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma and US Trade Representative (USTR) Ronald Kirk agreed on such consultations during a meeting Wednesday to discuss strengthening the bilateral US-India trade relationship. 'They committed to continuing high-level interactions on bilateral and multilateral issues - such as the Doha round of world trade talks - on multiple fronts, particularly the US-India Trade Policy Forum,' USTR's office said. 'Both trade leaders will consult with public and private stakeholders on how to bring down trade barriers and open markets for exporters.' Sharma and Kirk first met earlier this month at the 33rd Cairns Group Ministerial meeting in Bali, Indonesia, where they began work on strategies to enhance trade and investment flows between the US and India, and to facilitate greater commercial interaction between US and Indian companies. Earlier, participating in a roundtable at the US-India Business Council's 'Synergies Summit' Kirk said the results of recent elections 'give India's leaders an opportunity to take bold steps and move forward with trade liberalization and economic reforms that will benefit both India and the United States.' 'The 420 million acts of democracy that took place when each of those Indians made their voice heard are as much a cause for celebration as the result.' Referring to his meeting with Sharma at Cairns, Kirk said they had talked about 'how the current economic crisis is affecting businesses in both our countries, our shared commitment to revitalizing the global economy, and our shared goal of opening up new opportunities for trade between India and America.' Seeing an upside to the global economic downturn, Kirk said the recession offers 'a unique opportunity' to show the benefits of free trade to sceptics. Tough economic times mean free-trade advocates need to lend 'a much more compassionate ear' to critics of free trade while continuing to extol its benefits, Kirk said. He called for the US to work 'thoughtfully' to remove trade barriers and pointed out that 95 percent of the world's population lives outside the US, underscoring the futility of a go-it-alone approach.

Mahindra Holidays' IPO to hit market June 23 18 Jun, 2009 [05:59 PM] Leisure hospitality provider Mahindra Holidays and Resorts, part of the Mahindra Group, Thursday said its initial public offering (IPO) will hit the capital market June 23.....Read More   Inflation turns negative though food costlier than last year 18 Jun, 2009 [01:53 PM] Inflation turned negative 1.61 for the first time in thirty years but the prices of food items like fruit and vegetables, cereals and oil were still....Read More   US fast-tracks hi-tech trade with India; GE India first beneficiary 18 Jun, 2009 [11:32 AM] The United States has announced a new programme to fast-track high-technology trade with India from which General Electric's India division will be the first Indian company....Read More

http://www.taratv.com/business.php?task=full&newsid=5050

CCTV footage of CST station shown at Mumbai attack trial 18 Jun, 2009 [06:07 PM] Mohammad Ajmal Kasab, on trial for the Mumbai attacks on Thursday watched intently as CCTV footage was shown of his alleged part in the massacre at Mumbai's main railway station. Read More

MiG crashes in Upper Assam, pilot safe 18 Jun, 2009 [06:05 PM] A Mig-21 fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force on Thursday crashed near Chabua in Upper Assam sending the IAF, which is already reeling under series....Read More   Three more swine flu cases confirmed in Bangalore, total 38 18 Jun, 2009 [05:55 PM] Three more persons including a 12-year-old boy have been confirmed with swine flu infection on Thursday in Bangalore, taking the total number of people who have....Read More   Court orders registration of FIR against Ramvilas Paswan 18 Jun, 2009 [05:46 PM] A Hajipur court has ordered registration of an FIR against LJP chief Ramvilas Paswan for allegedly making 'provocative' comments against JD(U) rival Ramsunder Das, who defeated....Read More   Dreaded dacoit shot dead in encounter 18 Jun, 2009 [05:33 PM] Dreaded dacoit Ghanshyam Kewat, who had held a strong posse of 400 Uttar Pradesh policemen on tenterhooks for over 52 hours, was on Thursday shot dead....Read More   Amarnath yatra again suspended for the third day 18 Jun, 2009 [02:02 PM] Amarnath yatra was suspended from Jammu for the third consecutive day today due to rain and fresh snowfall in South Kashmir Himalayas. ....Read More   Centre to set up new AIIMS branches 18 Jun, 2009 [01:58 PM] The Centre was for early setting up of new branches of All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said on....Read More

http://www.taratv.com/national.php

Problem at Lalgarh spreading: official Special Correspondent

Rush paramilitary forces as requested by government: CPI(M)

— Photos: Arunangsu Roy Chowdhury, Special Arrangement

Unabated violence: Tribals take out a rally at Lalgarh in West Bengal on Tuesday in support of the People's Committee against Police Atrocities.

KOLKATA: Even as violence continued to rage at Lalgarh in Paschim Medinipur district, the West Bengal government on Tuesday expressed concern at attempts by the Police Santrosh Birodhi Janashadharaner Committee (PSBJC) [People's Committee against Police Atrocities], the Maoist-backed local resistance group, to extend its influence to new areas in the region.

One company of Central paramilitary forces arrived at Lalgarh to help the police restore normality. The government had sought five additional companies and is expecting another two or three companies, Chief Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborty said here.

"The problem is spreading," District Magistrate N.S. Nigam told The Hindu on the phone from Medinipur, referring to the developments at Lalgarh, where the PSBJC, with the support of the Maoists, is gaining ground and making forays into the adjoining Salboni thana. Local authorities apprehend that "the situation is going beyond the scope of establishing the rule of law."

The police in the Lalgarh area "are under pressure but not demoralised," Mr. Chakraborty said. "That Maoist activity has affected normal life in the area is a reality…It is up to you to [to conclude whether or not the area is liberated," he said to a question whether the government believed that the Maoists were extending their "liberated zone."

 

Tribals damage CPI(M) office at Lalgarh. "Tribals being used as human shields"

In a statement, the Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said: "…The Maoists are using poor tribals as human shields to further their goals. Shockingly these depredations have the indirect and direct support of important sections of the Opposition political parties in West Bengal."

Though the PSBJC leadership has claimed that it has no link with the Maoists, a leader of the outfit recently admitted to journalists at Lalgarh that it had been in the thick of developments ever since an agitation was launched in the area by the PSBJC against alleged police excesses in November last.

The CPI(M) district leadership has been insisting that the PSBJC is another "front" of the Maoists, who are trying to establish a corridor through Lalgarh to other parts of the State.

The Maoists out to create terror in the State have been sneaking in from the adjoining Jharkhand. "We have repeatedly been telling the Jharkhand government that the terror is emanating from that State, and there is need for cooperation between the two governments [to counter Maoist activity in the region]….They [the Jharkhand government] have to do more to jointly combat terrorism," Mr. Chakraborty said.

The Polit Bureau called upon the Centre to "immediately rush the required number of paramilitary forces to the [Lalgarh] area as requested by the West Bengal government."

"The Polit Bureau strongly condemns the killings and attacks by armed Maoist gangs on CPI(M) cadre and the reign of terror unleashed in the Lalgarh area…. Nine CPI(M) members have been abducted. The bodies of three have been found, but the others have not been traced," the statement said. The party's State Secretariat met in the evening to discuss ways of stopping the continuing attacks on CPI(M) leaders and workers at Lalgarh.

http://www.hindu.com/2009/06/17/stories/2009061759701100.htm
"PSBJC will accept democratic forces' support" Staff Reporter

Lalgarh: Convener of the Police Santrosh Birodhi Janashadharaner Committee (PSBJC) [People's Committee against Police Atrocities] Chhatradhar Mahato told journalists here on Tuesday that the outfit would accept only the support of democratic forces.

He was answering a question on a prominent Maoist leader admitting to the media on Monday that Maoists were supporting the PSBJC movement.

Mr. Mahato said: "Without taking any name, the outfit will accept the support of only those who believe in democracy."

While supporters of the PSBJC celebrated their 'victory' in the turf war over the CPI(M), the offices and house ransacked and gutted by them stood as grim reminders of the violence. Most of the CPI(M) followers have fled the place. For those who could not flee, surrendering themselves to the wish of the PSBJC seemed to be the only option left.

"I, Kartik Mahato, resident of Kuldiha village, am leaving the CPI(M) and joining the PSBJC" — posters like this have become quite common in the villages in the region.

Fear and tension was palpable at Dharampur where supporters of the PSBJC ransacked and demolished the house of a local CPI(M) leader named Anuj Pandey. Mr. Pandey had fled the place with his family before the mob attacked his house.

"We are living in utmost misery, fearing for our lives all the time. Residents of the entire village used to be CPI(M) supporters earlier, but with the PSBJC gaining strength and threatening us with dire consequences unless we support it, we have decided to switch loyalty," said 70-year-old Prasanna Pandey, who is also a relative of Anuj Pandey.

The body of a CPI(M) supporter, Salku Soren, has been lying outside the Dharampur CPI(M) office since last Friday. He was killed by the PSBJC supporters.

http://www.hindu.com/2009/06/17/stories/2009061759711100.htm

Tribals hold rally in Lalgarh Raktima Bose

Lalgarh: The Police Santrosh Birodhi Janashadharaner Committee (PSBJC) [People's Committee against Police Atrocities] held a 'victory' rally here on Tuesday, a day after its supporters ransacked several police outposts, offices of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the house of a local CPI(M) leader.

Hundreds of tribal men and women, carrying traditional weapons, raised slogans against the CPI(M) and police and danced to the beat of drums. A section of the crowd set on fire an office of the CPI(M), located near the rally venue, even as the PSBJC convener Chhatradhar Mahato told mediapersons that the objective of the rally was to "peacefully" protest against the State government's rule that the tribal people cannot hold armed rallies in Kolkata. Personnel at the Lalgarh police station, just a stone's throw away, watched helplessly as the mob torched the party office.

http://www.hindu.com/2009/06/17/stories/2009061750130100.htm

Trinamool convoy stopped due to security reasons

Burdwan (PTI) A Trinamool Congress convoy headed for Mangalkot in the district, where a senior district leader of the CPI(M) was killed recently, was on Thursday stopped by the police which cited security reasons.

The convoy of TC Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha Sudip Bandyopadhyay was stopped at Kaichar bus stand, about 15 km. from Mangalkot, by Katwa Sub Divisional Police Officer Amlan Ghosh.

After being stopped, the convoy left for Khudroni near Mangalkote, which had also witnessed violence, the SDPO said.

Houses of Trinamool Congress supporters were torched, paddy looted and a tractor set ablaze allegedly by CPI(M) supporters at Mangalkot on June 16 during a 12-hour bandh called by the marxists to protest against the killing of Zilla Parishad member Falguni Mukherjee a day earlier.

Mukherjee was shot dead by unidentified gunmen near Kheromajhigram while he was riding to the parishad office in town on a motorbike from his Mangalkot residence.

The CPI(M) state committee had blamed TC union ministers of 'giving leadership' to the violence.

Reds vs Reds: Bengal in state of uncivil war 18 Jun 2009, 0933 hrs IST, Caesar Mondal & Sukumar Mahato, TNN

LOSHASHULI(Jhargram): Sporadic gun battles and killings for control of villages in rural Bengal that began after CPM's electoral debacle threaten to erupt into a full-fledged war. ( Watch )

Maoist gunmen on Wednesday emerged from their stronghold in jungles along the Bengal-Jharkhand border for an audacious strike near Jhargram town, killing a local CPM leader and two activists in full public glare. As Trinamool Congress activists and Maoists have battled to capture turf from weakened CPM cadres, nearly 25 people have been killed, mostly CPM workers and supporters. At many places, the anti-CPM forces have been supported by locals who see the CPM as a receding force in the face of Mamata Banerjee's electoral surge.

The Naxalites want to create a "liberated zone" in the area and sensing a weakened state, seem to have moved in for the kill. A demoralized police force has vacated posts in many places and the fury of the attacks have stunned CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's administration.

Wednesday's sensational triple murder in a marketplace has left the entire area edgy and extended the Maoist threat to the doorstep of Jhargram town, one of the few bastions still held by CPM after its woeful show in the Lok Sabha polls.

Soon after the attack, members of the Maoist-led People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCPA) attacked houses of local CPM leaders in a repeat of Tuesday. Around 1.30pm, a mob ransacked the house of CPM's Nachipur local committee secretary Chandi Karan and set it on fire. The mob did not stop here. It attacked the house of CPM leader Anuj Pandey's brother and Harina gram panchayat member Dalim Pandey with shovels. The house of the CPM's local peasant leader Alok Rakshit, too, didn't escape mob fury.

The killings and the arson sent an already nervous administration groping for response. The state government pleaded for more Central forces over and above the 1,100 CRPF men deployed in Lalgarh, the site of pitched battles earlier this week.

Security analysts view the strikes as a strategic move by Maoists to expand their territory before central forces dig in. "It's an attempt to secure a bigger territory to keep securitymen engaged across a huge area. This will also give the guerrillas more escape routes in case they have to beat a retreat," an analyst said.

Eyewitnesses who saw the brutal murders said that six men in their mid-20s rode up in motorcycles to Bankshole and pumped bullets into Abhijit Mahato at point-blank range. Bankshole, a hamlet along the busy Kolkata-Jamshedpur highway, is 80km from Jamshedpur and 195km from Kolkata.

Abhijit, a 23-year-old student of Manikpara college and a key member of the Maoist Resistance Force, was sipping tea with friends Niladri Sekhar Mahato and Dibakar Mahato when he was shot dead. The resistance force locally referred to as RG party has been formed by CPM to counter Naxalites.

His friend Niladri, secretary of the resistance force and a known CPM supporter who is locally known as Tinku, tried to run away but the two gunmen chased and shot him, said owner of Tapas tea stall.

Anil Mahato, the 45-year-old CPM Banksole branch secretary, was buying fish when the first shots fired at Abhijit alerted him. Sensing danger, Anil took to his heels. The Maoists spotted him, chased and shot him from behind.

"Anil, Tinku and Abhijit didn't stand a chance. The gunmen took them completely by surprise. They could not anticipate anything like this since the area is a CPM stronghold," said Panchanan Mahato, an eyewitness who was close to Tapas tea stall.

Locals said the role of the CPM men in the arrest of a PCPA leader could have been the immediate provocation, but also hinted at a wider game plan to cleanse the zone of any opposition before Central forces arrive.

Disbanding the 200-member force that guards the stretch of highway from dusk to dawn against bandits will make it easier for the Maoists to move between the jungles on either side.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Reds-vs-Reds-Bengal-in-state-of-uncivil-war/articleshow/4668336.cms

Bengal rewinds to bloody '60s 18 Jun 2009, 0302 hrs IST, Saugata Roy, TNN

KOLKATA: The bodies of three CPM activists have been rotting in the sun for the last four days in Dharampur, a village in West Midnapore around 250km from Kolkata, with no one to perform their last rites. Vengeance has been ruthless in these parts of the Maoist badlands. Today's Bengal is a throwback to the Naxalbari uprising of the 1960s after tribals killed a police sub-inspector. The year was 1967, and the Left-led United Front was in power in the state. The Maoist violence has also ignited memories of the Sainbari killings in Burdwan in 1969 where CPM laid a siege. Forty years later, the state seems set for another round of bloodletting with the main opposition, Trinamool Congress, adopting the same tactic as the Left in the '60s: upstaging the ruling party on people's insecurity. Ballot and bullets have ruled these parts since 1999 with rival groups in far flung pockets in West Midnapore, Bankura, Purulia, Birbhum and Hooghly fighting protracted gun battles. Violence and counter-violence are a major tactic of political parties to command support in the villages. The CPM maintained its sway with its organisational machinery, winning the battle of ballot from the Writers Building down to the panchayats. Maoists were outsiders in West Bengal until the late 1990s when CPM minister Sushanta Ghosh shook hands with them to stop the Trinamool-BJP onslaught in 2000. In fact, Maoist strategist Koteswar Rao (Kishanji) told TOI in a recent interview that he himself collected bullets from the CPM party office. Sensing trouble in his backyard, Ghosh then turned the gun on the Maoists who had already spread their network in some pockets of West Midnapore. But their might was inconsequential to the power battle until the Nandigram carnage in 2007 when large sections of CPM supporters broke ranks and sided with Trinamool. The defiance in Nandigram over the land stir kickstarted a change at the grassroots leading to cracks in the red fort. The armed capture of Nandigram — that sent a sense of cold horror all over Bengal as Governor Gandhi put it — led to clamour for change that the ruling CPM couldn't stall. Maoists also had a role in masterminding the opposition's resistance in Nandigram. But learning from Naxalbari uprising, Maoists did not advance towards towns and cities. Instead, they chose the terrain of Jangalmahal as their mainstay and began expanding their base with support from a section of tribals disillusioned with the official Left. The laid-back administration and corrupt partymen were instrumental in the Maoists getting toehold. Today, the CPM activists are unable to match the Maoists trained in guerrilla warfare. Maoist-led mobs are pulling down houses, blowing up property and forcing CPM cadres to leave the party — acts that go against their constitutional rights.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Bengal-rewinds-to-bloody-60s/articleshow/4669150.cms

Lalgarh (Midnapore)

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Lalgarh
Lalgarh Location of Lalgarh in West Bengal and India
Country	India
State	West Bengal
District(s)	Medinipur
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)

Coordinates: 22°35′N 87°03′E / 22.58°N 87.05°E / 22.58; 87.05 Lalgarh (Bengali: লালগড়) is a village in Binpur–I community development block under Jhargram subdivision of West Midnapore district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Lalgarh is the headquarters of Binpur–I CD block.^[1] Midnapore Railway station is the nearest important station about 45 km from the village. It became the center of media attention since beginning of November 2008. The adivasi (tribal) population launched a massive movement against police atrocities.

Contents [hide] 1 Demography 2 Economy 3 Shalboni incident 4 Trigger at Lalgarh 5 The movement 5.1 The beginning 5.2 The blockade 5.3 Solidarity 5.4 Grass root democracy 5.4.1 Village committees 5.4.2 Participation of women 5.4.3 The demands 5.5 Traditional leadership 6 Maoist connection 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Demography

Lalgarh is a sparsely populated place with majority of population being adivasis, who are the tribal people.

[edit] Economy

The main occupation of the people here is cultivation, share cropping and selling disposable plates made of leaves. Most people do not own land but work on others fields. The region is dry and there are but a single harvest each year. At other times people work as daily labor, collect and sell leaves and wood from forest etc. Over all the economic condition of the people is poor, most people lie below the poverty line, under BPL category^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] Shalboni incident

On the way back from laying the foundation stone of Jindal steel plant at Shalboni the convoy of chief minister of West Bengal Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and central minister Ram Vilas Paswan came under attack. A landmine exploded minuted after Buddhadeb Bhattacharya had passed and seconds before Rambilas Paswan arrived at the location.^[2] It hit a police jeep in the convoy and 6 policemen were grievously injured. The CPI(Maoist) in a press release accepted the responsibility of the explosion and stated clearly that they were opposed to the steel plant on tribal land and that the target of the explosion was Buddhadeb Bhattacharya. Although no arrest could be made immediately, police activity increased many folds in the West Midnapore District as a whole, resulting in alleged torture, illegal detention, arbitrary arrests of the local tribal people^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] Trigger at Lalgarh

The locals allege that Lalgarh police station has long been torturing and detaining adivasis at the smallest pretext on basis of speculation^{[citation needed]}. On 4 November 2008 evening, four boys all studying in high school between standards 8 and 10, were going to their homes in Bashber Village on foot. They were returning from Katapahari, where a program of Baul Song was going on. On the way they were picked up by Lalgarh police for being suspected Maoists^{[3][citation needed]}. At the police station as their name address and other details were being note down, one of them mentioned that his father was in the armed forces. He was immediately released, and thus the news of this detention reached the village. The next morning, 4:30 am at dawn the police raided the village of Choto Pelia. There they detained several and even beat up the people mercilessly. Even the women who protested the police excess were not spared and hit with rifle butts. One woman even lost her sight as a result of beating^{[citation needed]}. Many more were beaten up, detained from the nearby villages. This incident triggered massive protests across Lalgarh. The adivasis surrounded the Police station in demand of unconditional and immediate release of everyone arrested illegally.

[edit] The movement

[edit] The beginning

The police quickly understood the extent of mobilization that the adivasis have made and started making false promises about the imminent release of those arrested including the 3 school students. The police thought of buying some time with these lies, hoping that the mass will disperse with time^{[citation needed]}. But the adivasi crowd around the Police Station only got thicker. Support and solidarity from surrounding and far off adivasi villages started pouring in. The otherwise omnipresent leaders of political parties were not allowed to negotiate. The adivais were rather happy about this as in the past the interference of these leaders in any mass protests have always resulted in confusion and withdrawing of the protests with unknown negotiations behind closed door meetings^{[citation needed]}. This time the adivasis chose their representatives from amongst themselves who were communicators rather than leaders and took no decision on behalf of the mass but only communicated them. Soon the police understood that the adivasis were in no mood to return without a result and they disclosed that nothing was in their hands because the ones arrested had already been transferred to Midnapore jail the previous day.

[edit] The blockade

The road to Largarh from Medinipur and Jhargram had been blocked at several places with large felled trees^[4].

The repeated lies by the Lalgarh police infuriated the mass who decided not to depend on the police for any results and to build up a movement to force the release of those illegally detained. They decided to prevent the deployment of reinforcement of police and paramilitary as previously many adivasi movements have been brutally crushed using paramilitary force. Thus roads were dug up^[5] and blocked at several places by felled trees. This has uncanny resemblance to the Nandigram movement remained at the headlines throughout 2007 March to December. The Lalgarh village is connected with Jhargram and Medinipur towns by roads which are bordered on both sides by sparse to moderate forests. the roads have been dug up or blocked by trees at least in 25 places.

[edit] Solidarity

The road blockade was not just in and around Lalgarh but villages all around took initiative to do the same as they joined in the movement. Adivasi people all around West Bengal felt oneness with the movement as most have faced torture at the hands of police for suspected of being Maoists or their sympathizers. People from villages across West and East Midnapore, Bankura, Birbhum, Puruliya quickly joined in the movement^[6].

[edit] Grass root democracy

The movement had no conventional leadership and often entire village population sat together and discussed for hours as to the steps to be taken in the movement^{[citation needed]}. Men, women, youth, students all took part in these grand meetings. The traditional leaders were not stripped of the respect that they usually received but were given no more weight than anyone else at the meetings^{[citation needed]}. A forum was thus launched which had no conventional political color and which united the entire adivasi society for a common cause after a long time. It gained immense popularity and most mainstream parties and their mass bases vanished altogether.

[edit] Village committees

Each Village formed a committee of 10 representatives who would with committees of other villages to communicate the decision of the masses of one village to another. Each committee further had two persons who had to be available at all times in case of urgent meetings at short notices^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] Participation of women

The adivasi women of Lalgarh attending a meeting.

Adivasi women have come forward in a big way to carry forth this movement. Each 10 persons committee has 5 women members. This involvement of women came naturally to the adivasis who have a more equal society when it comes to gender. The participation of women in meetings and rallies are also remarkable. The atrocities over the women of Lalgarh have been excessive, and the women since then never attend rallies unarmed. They bring along whatever is at hand. Bows, arrows, knives, swords, scythes, axes, sticks, brooms and so on. The attack on the dawn of 5 November has been most brutal on the women^[7] with one of them loosing her sight, as the but of a police rifle landed on it. Another woman of Lalghar was manhandled and left unconscious in broad daylight as she tried preventing the police who dragged away her husband who happens to be a local Jharkhand Party leader while they were buying medicines. All this adding to the severe torture and repression of women have led to the present consolidation of the adivasi women, or so they claim.

[edit] The demands

The leaflet printed and put up by The People's Committee Against Police Atrocities, West Midnapore, West Bengal.

The adivasis of Lalgarh sat together to decide upon eleven demands to be met by the government in order that the blockades be removed and police activity normalized. Press statement were given, leaflets distributed and posters in Bengali put up all around, stating the demands.
The English translation of the demands would be:
1) The SP has to hold his ears and ask for forgiveness. He has to say 'Form now onwards I will stop illegally arresting the people and especially women.'
2) The police who were involved in the 5/11/2008 incident where women were beaten up have to rub their noses on the ground as punishment, from Dalailpur Chawk to Choto Pelia. 3) The women of Choto Pelia who were injured by the police torture have to be compensated with 2 lakh rupees each.
4) All suspects arrested or detained in relation to the Shalboni incident have to be released unconditionally.
5) All people arrested or accused in suspicion of being Maoist in West Midnapore since 1998 have to be cleared of all charges and should not be compelled to attend court sessions or police station enquiries regularly.
6) Arresting locals from anywhere, anytime without warrant have to be ended. 7) All paramilitary camps like those in Dharampur, Kalaimudi, Ramgarhhave to be removed immediately.
8) That Sasadhar Mahato planned the Shalboni explosion sitting in Bashber village - this allegation has to be withdrawn.
9) The practice of harassing clubs and organizations of independent people all over Bengal must be put to an end.
10) Police patrolling in villages from 5 in the evening to 6 in the dawn have to be stopped.
11) Schools, hospitals, panchayet offices cannot be used as police camps, the existing ones have to be removed.
Later two more demands were added in face of violent attacks by CPI(M) cadres on the adivasi people involved with the movement.

[edit] Traditional leadership

The traditional tribal leaders have been mostly disowned by the tribals of Lalgarh. The Majhi Baba or village elders had since November 10, 2008 proactively engaged in negotiations with the government authority. On the 13th November 2008 they declared that most of their demands have been agreed upon and thus they were withdrawing the blockade. Some blockades were removed as well, but the adivasis sat together to decide otherwise and decided to boycott the Bharat Jakat Majhi Marwa group. Their youth wing leader was even beaten up and made to apologise for removing a blockade^[8].

[edit] Maoist connection

The government and the ruling party CPI(M) have throughout maintained that the movement of Lalgarh was instigated and somewhat led by Maoist agents, many of whom have come from Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh. The police from the beginning blamed the Maoists for the Shalboni blast and raided the villages and detained people for having suspected Maoist Links. The police alleged that Sasadhar Mahato and other Maoist action squad members planned the Shalboni blast while in Bashber village,Lalgarh. The Maoists soon accepted responsibility of the blast and congratulated the people of Lalgarh for their protest, but stopped short if claiming the movement to be under their control^[9]. The people of Lalgarh however continually maintained that their movement was peaceful and for demand of basic democratic rights.

[edit] References

1. ^ "Contact details of Block Development Officers". Paschim Medinipur district. Panchayats and Rural Development Department, Government of West Bengal. http://wbdemo5.nic.in/html/asp/bdo_contact.asp?cd=ED. Retrieved on 2008-12-27. 
2. ^ NDTV, 2 November 2008
3. ^ The Telegraph, 7 November 2008
4. ^ The Telegraph, 19 November 2008
5. ^ The Telegraph, 16 November 2008,Police clean chit to Lalgarh 7-Tribals step up demands
6. ^ The Telegraph, 13 November 2008,Rage spreads to Bankura Terms set for Lalgarh talks
7. ^ The Telegraph, 13 November 2008
8. ^ The Telegraph, 13 November 2008,Tribals also beat up a member of the Bharat Jakat Majhi Marwa, a group of elders that was negotiating with district officials..
9. ^ The Telegraph, 13 November 2008,CPI (Maoist) state secretary Kanchan said: "We are with the people of Lalgarh."

[edit] External links

• Chronological documentation of the movement of Lalgarh as it began and spread, posted at Sanhati by Partho Sarathi Ray

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lalgarh_(Midnapore)"

Categories: Villages in West Bengal | Paschim Medinipur district | Conflicts in 2008 | 2008 in India | History of West Bengal | Political repressions in India | West Bengal

 

'Op Lalgarh' was waiting to happen

17 Jun 2009, 0542 hrs IST, Ajanta Chakraborty, TNN

KOLKATA: Operation Lalgarh, as the Maoists want it to be known, was staring the government in the face, but it chose to wait and watch. Maoists went on a bloody rampage, bodies piled up, CPM leaders were massacred in their homes, and even Kolkata was held hostage for a day by armed Maoist-backed tribals. The government did nothing — not even ban the insurgent outfit in Bengal.

Bouyed by the success, the Maoists plan to replicate Operation Lalgarh in neighbouring Jharkhand, say intelligence findings communicated to the state home department. Now, with violence spiralling out of control, central forces are being rushed in. Five companies of CRPF, ie about 600 troops, will be on the ground in Lalgarh Wednesday morning to help contain the bloodshed.

Even as home secretary Ardhendu Sen insisted the administration ''took action as and when the situation demanded'', former police officers familiar with the area wondered how things slid to this pass. ''How? Everything was happening right there and happening for a long time. Let's face it, the administration preferred not to take timely action,'' said director-general of police Amiya Samanta wondered:

Said former IG Asim Chatterjee, ''Everything was taking place openly over a long period of time.'' According to the intelligence report, Operation Lalgarh went through five stages - like any other Maoist-backed uprising. The first stage was a survey, where the Naxalites would conduct a thorough study of the area, taking months before moving to the next stage. At this juncture, they would identify with the plight of the people. Subsequently, they would take locals' help in launching guerrilla warfare against the establishment. After such repeated attacks, they would step on to the climactic "liberation" phase — declaring the chosen zone as "muktanchal." But events took a drastic turn after the November 2 landmine explosion targeting chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's convoy.

The attack was followed by a flurry arrests, including three teenage students Aben Murmu, Gautam Patra and Buddhadeb Patra, who were charged with waging war against the state, conspiracy, attempt to murder, using weapons and obstructing justice. More arrests followed till the night of November 6. Tribals started alleging police torture. Finally, a huge mob gheraoed Lalgarh police station.

What began as rumblings of protest eventually ended up in a mass uprising, with roads being dug up and tree cut down to obstruct entry of police vehicles. The People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) was formed. Police were boycotted. They could not even buy provisions from villages. And that was unique strategic point.

The Maoist upsurge (with PCPA in the forefront) spread like wildfire in a matter of months (November to June). Police were barred from even election duty. The administration was brought to its knees and the government agreed to a compromise with PCPA that policemen would not enter villages. Another victory for the Maoists. The guerrillas terror hung like a cloud over election as well. The story was retold in a meeting organized by Maoists on June 7. Operation Lalgarh became the high point of discussions among the organization's senior leaders. That's when they decided that replicating the movement elsewhere in the country, starting with Jharkhand, would be a good idea.

According to officials at Writers' Buildings, it made good sense to work out the strategy in Jharkhand where a near-liberated zone already exists - especially in areas like Latehar and Palamau districts. In fact, this part of the country, covering Orissa, Jharkhand and West Bengal, would soon emerge as the circuit for Maoists who are as active in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Op-Lalgarh-was-waiting-to-happen/articleshow/4664991.cms

Maoist Violence in Lalgarh, West Bengal, Must be Condemned

The inevitable has happened. As soon as the election results came out and the wall of fear collapsed and mass anger against the ruling CPM became evident, the Maoists waiting in the wings have come out into the open. However, what is happening today in Lalgarh and other parts of West Bengal cannot be justified by pointing at the CPM's totalitarian terror in the Bengal countryside.

According to reports, the violence, killings of CPM activists and members, especially in Lalgarh, has now acquired unprecedented proportions. CPM members are being driven out of their homes or killed. The offices of the party have been targeted on a large scale, not just in Lalgarh but elsewhere in West Bengal.

At Kafila, we had earlier, on 22 April, reported on what is going on in Lalgarh. That Maoists have been active in Lalgarh is well known. In this report filed after a visit to Lalgarh, Monobina Gupta had drawn attention towards the disjunction between the Maoist leadership's designs and the local Maoist activists who were having to work along with the popular sentiment. Monobina's report went further:

In fact, curiously enough, the situation on ground zero is not going exactly in accordance with the plans of Maoist central leaders who favour stepping up violence. Insiders talk about a growing discordance between the central leadership and the 'Maoist villager', active in the movement. With the agitation forging ahead, Maoist central leaders want to have a firmer grip; they want landmines, killings, terror, systematic targeting of informers. But the grassroots 'Maoist' worker is unwilling. "They realize any such violent action will lead to their isolation and the death of the movement. But Maoist central leaders believe they made the movement and should have the right to control it," said an insider. "One of the reasons villagers are sympathetic to Maoists is because they know them intimately, not as some distant commander, but the youth next door, who works for and with the poor. But violence would find little endorsement," he said.

http://kafila.org/2009/06/17/maoist-violence-in-lalgarh-west-bengal-must-be-condemned/

 

Today, in the aftermath of the elections, the design of the Maoist central leadership seems to have won the day. Maoist cadre are out in the open. Activists associated with the movement and with the Lalgarh Sanhati Mancha, confess to a feeling of helplessness as the armed Maoist cadre threaten to take over and derail the movement that has so far afforded little space to its politics of violence.

In some of our earlier posts, we had condemned Maoist violence in Chattisgarh, especially its threats against the human shields programme of the Vanvasi Chetna Ashram and the wanton killings by them in Nayagarh in Orissa (22 February 2008). The latter was a statement issued by eleven intellectuals and activists who had also been raising their voice against the Nandigram violence. This statement expressed its "complete opposition to this cult of violence" and had warned that

The Maoist atrocity in Nayagarh is particularly unfortunate as it is detrimental to the various democratic mass movements all over Orissa that are resisting the policies of land grab and diversion of natural resources to global and domestic corporations. The Orissa government is bound to use this incident as yet another excuse to crack down on the militant but non-violent struggles of the people against unjust development policies in the state.

Today, once again, in West Bengal this is the threat that the democratic mass movement faces. Maoist violence is once again set to eliminate every intermediate space of democratic protest and struggle, leaving the villagers with only two options: either line up with the state or follow the Maoists. This is the picture everywhere, wherever the Maoists are in command, from Chattisgarh to parts of Andhra and Orissa. That is the challenge before democratic struggles and public opinion today.

CRPF arrives in Lalgarh, govt seeks more force | The Economic Times

June 17, 2009, 10:50 pm
Filed under: Indian Subcontinent | Tags: CPI (M), India, Lalgarh, Maoist, West Bengal

* * * * *

16 June 2009

Source: Sanhati

Finally, the fatigues are moving in to control the flare-up in trouble-torn Lalgarh in West Bengal's west-Midnapore district. The Centre has just despatched two companies of specialist CRPF jawans trained in anti-Maoist combat to take up positions in Lalgarh by Tuesday night, while three more companies are on the way.

With 500 specialised commandos of the CRPF moving in, one expects the lawlessness at Lalgarh to subside to an extent over the next few days. One wonders, however, whether that will eliminate the problem of Lalgarh completely since the ultras have over the past several months been given so much of leeway by an extremely slack administration that they have had ample time to go from strength to strength.

Incidentally on Monday, Maoists went to the extent of holding a press conference at Lalgarh with the spokesman having his back to camera and claiming proudly that they had indeed planned to kill West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on November 2, 2008 in a landmine explosion.

Nevertheless, senior state police officials including the director general of police and inspector general of police (law and order) held a crucial meeting on Tuesday to chalk out the strategy for the crack CRPF teams to follow up. No state police official, no matter how senior or well armed, has had the guts to visit Lalgarh and take on the Maoists of late. However, since they know the terrain well, their advice will be of use to the paramilitary forces to some extent.

Incidentally, Lalgarh is an issue that has made both CPIM and Trinamool Congress demand Central help. The CPIM politburo issued a statement on Monday's incidents at Lalgarh and urged the Centre to immediately rush the required number of para-military forces to Lalgarh. Within just a few hours, one company of para-military forces reached West Bengal and was rushed to Lalgarh.

Trinamool Congress chief and railway minister Mamata Banerjee also condemned the Maoist activities in Lalgarh and said that she did not support the politics of violence and killings. Mamata also said that "I want Central agencies to come to West Bengal and carry out a combing operations in the Maoist-infested areas."

Mamata on Monday night sent one of her leaders and Union minister of state for shipping, Mukul Roy to Delhi to brief the finance minister Pranab Mukherjee the Lalgarh situation and post-poll violence in the state. Terming the continuous violence in different parts of the state like Lalgarh, and Khejuri as "frightful" Mamata told reporters that "if arms are not seized immediately, the situation will worsen in our state and internal security will be at a stake."

The Trinamool supremo also came down heavily on the West Bengal home secretary Ardhendu Sen and urged him to take action against those CPIM activists from whose possession the arms were found. "I urge the home secretary to withdraw the cases against our men who were implicated falsely by the police and start cases under arms act against those CPIM activists who had stored arms and ammunition at their homes," Mamata said.

Mamata also said that attacks were organised against the minority and Dalits in several pockets of West Bengal after the poll results were out. Political observers read a message in Mamata's claim. As per the constitution of India, the Centre can intervene into affairs of any state government if the minorities and dalits face any atrocity and seek Centre's support for themselves.

Even though Mamata is not openly claiming imposition of article 356 in West Bengal, she has already given enough indication that her party would not hesitate to demand for the same. The opposition leader in the state Assembly and Trinamool Congress MLA, Partha Chatterjee has already demanded imposition of article 356 during his recent meeting with the West Bengal governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi.

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Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)

• Background of the Lalgarh Movement (West Bengal) – Partho Sarathi Ray
• Lalgarh, an Icon of Adivasi Defiance – Koustav De
• Adivasis take control of Lalgarh | Rediff News
• Lalgarh Comes Calling

http://racismandnationalconsciousnessnews.wordpress.com/2009/06/17/crpf-arrives-in-lalgarh-govt-seeks-more-force-the-economic-times/

Take administrative steps at Lalgarh: Left Front Special Correspondent

Opposition engaged in politics of vendetta, says Biman Bose

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Number of CPI(M) workers killed in violence rises to 51

Attacks reminiscent of period before Left Front came to power: Biman Bose

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KOLKATA: The Left Front has demanded that the West Bengal government take administrative steps to restore peace at Lalgarh and protect Left workers from the terror let loose on them there and in other parts of the State.

"We have no party men in Lalgarh at present … It is for the administration to act. Fascist terror has been unleashed in Lalgarh and other parts of the State by the Maoists, the Trinamool Congress and, in some places, the Congress, all of whom have been engaged in the politics of vendetta ever since the results of the recent Lok Sabha elections were announced," Left Front Committee chairman Biman Bose said on Wednesday.

He was speaking to journalists after Left leaders met here to discuss the post-poll violence.

Cautions people

While stressing the need to tackle the terror "politically," the Left Front said it was imperative that the government handle the situation at Lalgarh "administratively." It also appealed to the people to be alert against the forces of anarchy.

Mr. Bose, who is also CPI(M) State secretary, said that in some of the troubled areas, party workers were prevented from even carrying the red flag.

Meanwhile, with three more persons murdered at Jhargram earlier in the day, the number of CPI(M) activists killed in the State since the announcement of the poll dates has risen to 51. Two All India Forward Bloc workers were also killed.

To meet Governor

Left legislators would meet Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi and Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to apprise them of the situation.

"The Left parties have accepted the reverses in the Lok Sabha elections with dignity. We will continue to correct the mistakes made, but, at the same time, will not bow our heads before the forces of terror," Mr. Bose said.

The attacks were reminiscent of the incidents which occurred between 1970 and 1977, prior to the Left Front coming to power in the State, he said.

"After the historic elections in 1977, when the people rejected the forces of terror, leaders [of the CPI-M] like Jyoti Basu and Promode Dasgupta appealed to the people not to engage in political vendetta. The very opposite is happening now [after the Lok Sabha elections] with the Trinamool leaders openly inciting the people into violence and fascist-like activities," Mr. Bose said.

http://www.hindu.com/2009/06/18/stories/2009061855411100.htm

Congress asks Buddha to act or quit office 18 Jun 2009, 0412 hrs IST, ET Bureau

NEW DELHI: Home minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday charged the West Bengal government of not taking adequate action in Lalgarh.

Reminding the West Bengal government that law and order was the responsibility of the state, Mr Chidambaram said there was an impression that while one part of the state government was willing to take action, another was worried about the fallout. The home minister's charge was reiterated by Congress, which said the Left Front government should resign if it was unable to run the affairs of the state in accordance with the Constitution.

The home minister has asked chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to move forces to Lalgarh with clear instructions to tackle the situation. "The impression is that one side of the government is willing to take action while the other is worried about the consequences. Now, it is the judgement the chief minister must make. They must move the forces to the affected areas and must reclaim the area dominated by the Maoists," Mr Chidambaram said.

Demanding that the Left Front government act or step down, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said: "If the Left Front government is unable to run the affairs of West Bengal in accordance with the constitutional mandate and duties, it should seriously consider stepping down."

Congress, however, clarified that it was not demanding invocation of Article 355 or 356 in the state. "I have made no suggestion for Article 355 or 356 or any other constitutional measure." The party rejected CPM allegations that Trinamool Congress and Congress were behind the tribal violence in Lalgarh. "I reject it with the contempt it deserves," Mr Tewari said. He said Congress was a non-violent party which cannot support any kind of violence.

Congress, which is alliance with the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, has been consistently drawing attention to the "misrule" in the state. Congress charged the Left Front of perpetrating 32 years of "cadre rule" in the name of democracy. "When you sow the wind, you reap the whirlwind.

Lalgarh did not develop overnight. It is the outcome of the continuing subversion of democracy over three decades by the CPM-led front," Mr Tewari said. Congress also said that what Maoists were doing in Lalgarh, was "absolutely wrong and reprehensible".
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/Congress-asks-Buddha-to-act-or-quit-office/articleshow/4669253.cms

Left on rampage in Bengal, Mamata tells Governor...

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Kolkata Along with her team of Union ministers, MPs and MLAs, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee met Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi at Raj Bhavan on Monday afternoon to inform him about the CPM-sponsored terrorism that has claimed lives of 23 of her party members since the LS elections.

After the meeting, Banerjee said: "Internal security in West Bengal is at stake due to the CPM-sponsored terrorism. We informed the Governor about the situation and have also asked the Centre to take steps to stop killings of our men." Interestingly, she did not raise her usual demand of the imposition of Article 356 in Bengal.

"The CPM is using all sorts of weapons — from pen guns to machine guns. The Left government has divided the state in several zones and unleashing the terror," the Trinamool chief added. "We have also given the Governor a list of our supporters who were killed by the CPM members after the poll results were declared," she said.

"CPM cadres are using firearms stored in the armoury of police barracks. Huge cache of arms and ammunition has also been smuggled in the state that is being used by miscreants," the railway minister said.

"Even after our victory in the elections, we have not observed any rally because we wanted peace. We will only organise a gathering in Kolkata on July 21, the day we observe as the martyrs' day," she added.

Claiming that her party denounced violence, she said: "I asked my leaders to call off the Khejuri blockade because common people were suffering. We are showing restraint."

About Sunday's incident at Lalgarh in which three CPM activists were killed, Banerjee said: "None of our allies is involved in the incident. The deaths are unfortunate. But the CPM has won the LS seat under which Lalgarh falls. How it won the seat if it is really a Maoist-controlled area?"

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/left-on-rampage-in-bengal-mamata-tells-governor.../477202/

Re: [Impeach Bush] Swine-flu outbreak could be linked to Smithfield factory farms fr Grist

 

palashcbiswas,

 gostokanan, sodepur, kolkata-700110 phone:033-25659551

---

From: Robert Fox <No2Torture@hotmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, 29 April, 2009 0:49:29
Subject: [Impeach Bush] Swine-flu outbreak could be linked to Smithfield factory farms fr Grist

Swine-flu outbreak could be linked to Smithfield factory farms

Posted 11:06 AM on 25 Apr 2009
by Tom Philpott        GristVisit article original @ Grist

The outbreak of a new flu strain—a nasty mash-up of swine, avian, and human viruses—has infected 1,000 people in Mexico and the U.S., killing 68. The World Health Organization warned Saturday that the outbreak could reach global pandemic levels.
Is Smithfield Foods, the world's largest pork packer and hog producer, linked to the outbreak? Smithfield operates massive hog-raising operations Perote, Mexico, in the state of Vera Cruz, where the outbreak originated. The operations, grouped under a Smithfield subsidiary called Granjas Carroll, raise 950,000 hogs per year, according to the company Web site.
On Friday, the U.S. disease-tracking blog Biosurveillance published a timeline of the outbreak containing this nugget, dated April 6 (major tip of the hat to Paula Hay, who alerted me to the Smithfield link on the Comfood listserv and has written about it on her blog, Peak Oil Entrepreneur):

Residents [of Perote] believed the outbreak had been caused by contamination from pig breeding farms located in the area. They believed that the farms, operated by Granjas Carroll, polluted the atmosphere and local water bodies, which in turn led to the disease outbreak. According to residents, the company denied responsibility for the outbreak and attributed the cases to "flu." However, a municipal health official stated that preliminary investigations indicated that the disease vector was a type of fly that reproduces in pig waste and that the outbreak was linked to the pig farms. It was unclear whether health officials had identified a suspected pathogen responsible for this outbreak.

From what I can tell, the possible link to Smithfield has not been reported in the U.S. press. Searches of Google News and the websites of the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal all came up empty. The link is being made in the Mexican media, however. "Granjas Carroll, causa de epidemia en La Gloria," declared a headline in the Vera Cruz-based paper La Marcha. No need to translate that, except to point out that La Gloria is the village where the outbreak seems to have started. Judging from the article, Mexican authorities treat hog CAFOs with just as much if not more indulgence than their peers north of the border, to the detriment of surrounding communities and the general public health. Get this:

De acuerdo con uno de los habitantes de la comunidad, Eli Ferrer Cortés, los desechos fecales y orgánicos que produce Granjas Carroll no son tratados adecuadamente, lo que genera contaminación del agua y del viento en la region.

My rough translation: According to one community resident, the organic and fecal waste produced by Granjas Carrol isn't adequately treated, creating water and air pollution in the region. I witnessed—and smelled—the same thing in Hardin County, Iowa, a couple of years ago, another area marked by intensive industrial hog production. The article goes on to say that area residents have long complained of "fetid odors" in the air and water, and swarms of flies hovering around waste lagoons. Like their counterparts who live in CAFO-heavy U.S. areas, they also complain of respiratory ailments. Now, with 30 percent of the area's residents now infected with the virulent flu bug, people are demanding that state and federal authorities inspect hog operations there. So far, reports La Marcha, the response has been: nada.
The Mexico City daily La Jornada has also made the link. According to the newspaper, the Mexican health agency IMSS has acknowledged that the orginal carrier for the flu could be the "clouds of flies" that multiply in the Smithfield subsidiary's manure lagoons.
I'll be in touch with contacts in Mexico as this story develops —and I'll be curious to see whether the U.S. media explores the link with Smithfield's Mexico operation.
Note: In the original version of this post, I had called production at Granjas Carroll "nearly equal to Smithfield's total U.S. production." I had been confusing total production at Granjas Carroll—950,000 hogs produced in fiscal 2008—with the number of sows, or breeding pigs, kept by Smithfield in the United States. According to my source—"Concentration of Ag Markets, 2007" (PDF) by Hendrickson and Heffernan—Smithfield keeps 1.2 million sows. Actual hog production is much larger—thus Smithfield's total U.S. hog production is much larger than Granjas Carroll's. I regret the error.

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Re: [bangla-vision] On The Death of My Mother - Dr.M.K.Sherwani

On Tue, Apr 28, 2009 at 1:19 PM, Sherwani Mustafa <sherwanimk@yahoo.com> wrote:

April,28,2009   ON THE  DEATH  OF MY  MOTHER ********************************* She was a shield against  the Divine Chastisement, When my sinful life invoked the Almighty's wrath; Her prayers for Mercy  always  placated  His Fury, Under her feet I used to see the glimpse of Paradise. She was an oasis  in this stormy desert of life, When the  blasts of   winds left me bewildered; Her face always gave me the  hope  and zest of life, Under her  guidance I  found  the meaning of 'love'. Alas!   She left me alone in this forlorn world , In the dawn of  Friday , April , 24  this year; Reciting the eternal words,with her  finger raised,   She returned from this transit to her Guardian Lord. But the day  brought for me the most lethal blow, With none to protect , now I am fearful of my sins; My childhood has been snatched in a ruthless way, As I will never hear the sweet words ' My dear son'!. ***************************************** Dr. Mustafa Kamal Sherwani Lucknow, U.P. India E:mail –sherwanimk@yahoo.com       Phones: +91-9919777909                     +91-522-2733715

---

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Get the Email name you've always wanted on the new @ymail and @rocketmail.
Hurry before someone else does!

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Re: [bangla-vision] Fw: Tuesday's Daily Brief -- SWINE FLU

On Tue, Apr 28, 2009 at 11:52 PM, liz allen <spktruthtopower@yahoo.com> wrote:

Read information about swine flu below...

 

----- Forwarded Message --Sent: Tuesday, April 28, 2009 1:21:02 PM
Subject: Tuesday's Daily Brief -- Obama's Big 100 Days Accomplishment: Arlen Specter's Defection

2009-04-28

The Daily Brief

Jacob Heilbrunn: Obama's Big 100 Days Accomplishment: Arlen Specter's Defection

AP

Jacob Heilbrunn: Pundits have been feverishly speculating about what Barack Obama's most important accomplishment is in the past 100 days. I say it came today. Senator Arlen Specter is switching from the Republican to the Democratic party. The specter of Specter as a Democrat will enrage Republicans and should come as big relief to Democrats. Specter's move isn't opportunism but a concession to reality. For now, Obama has won a major battle without firing a shot. This will be remembered as a turning point in the historic Obama presidency. Click here to read more.

Dr. Jon LaPook: Swine Flu: Trying to Think Correctly

Nobody wants to overreact, but nobody wants to be caught unprepared. Responsible members of the media are faced with the difficult task of properly informing without needlessly alarming the public.

Ed Miliband: The Route to Economic Recovery Lies in Climate Recovery

If governments and our businesses and citizens want it enough, a global deal to prevent climate change further damaging our environment, and our economies, is within reach.

Richard H. Neiman: Message Delivered: Timothy Geithner Answers Questions from Huffington Post Readers

On measuring progress, your questions made it even clearer to me that Treasury has to do a better job communicating the success, or failure, of its efforts.

Bernard-Henri Lévy: After Durban II, the Question of the United Nations

For me, an anti-racism conference that was organized by Libya, kicked off by Iran, and concluded with an attack on women, Jews, religious and sexual minorities, and indigenous people, is a total failure.

Ralph Gardner Jr.: Inside the Astor Trial: The People vs. Anthony Marshall and Francis Morrissey

There's something almost quaint about the government taking the time and resources to prosecute a case that hearkens back to a more genteel era of fine silver, fresh flowers, and Hudson River views.

HuffPost News

• Arlen Specter Switching Parties From Republican To Democrat
• Swine Flu Could Have Started In US: Mexican Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova
• John Kerry: Uptick In Iraq Violence Was Expected, Could Get Worse
• Obama: Plane Flyover In New York A "Mistake"
• Philip Markoff, Megan McAllister Wedding Off According To The Band

©2008 HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. All rights reserved. 560 Broadway, Suite 308, NY, NY 10012 Add dailybrief@huffingtonpost.com to your address book to ensure that you receive emails from us. User Agreement Privacy Policy Unsubscribe

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SWINE FLU FDI Inflicts Indian ECONOMY with DRUG BOOST for Manusmriti Apartheid Zionist Tri IBLIS ILLUMINATI SOVEREIGNTY,Quattrocchi, SRILANKAN CEASE FIRE DRAMA INTERNATIONAL, Foreign Take Over of IT Sector, the Story of HAJU Sana, an ORPHAN Partition victim in Basantipur consumed by Wine symbolising WINE CONSUMPTION to TREBLE!

SWINE FLU FDI Inflicts Indian ECONOMY with DRUG BOOST for Manusmriti Apartheid Zionist  Tri IBLIS ILLUMINATI SOVEREIGNTY,Quattrocchi, SRILANKAN CEASE FIRE DRAMA INTERNATIONAL, Foreign Take Over of IT Sector, the Story of HAJU Sana, an ORPHAN Partition victim in Basantipur consumed by Wine symbolising WINE CONSUMPTION to TREBLE!

 

Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams: Chapter 216

 

Palash Biswas

Fresh News

Govt to review FDI norms in banking sector?

Moneycontrol.com - ‎Apr 27, 2009‎

Stung by criticism of its new foreign direct investment (FDI) rules, the government may order a review of FDI norms in the banking sector. ...

New FDI norms may be revised for banking sector Business Standard

ICICI awaiting clarification on new FDI norms: Chanda Kochhar MyNews.in

FDI regime punctures insurance limits: RBI Hindustan Times

Economic Times

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NSE:ICICIBANK.BL – BOM:532174 – NSE:ICICIBANK

 

India likely to see return of FIIs in 2009-10

Reuters India - ‎8 hours ago‎

In the year 2008-09 there was a net disinvestment of Rs.73000 crores and FIIs' share in market capitalization dropped to 12 per cent from 15 per cent at the ...

Indian Express

Stable government will facilitate India investment

The National - ‎21 hours ago‎

The BJP-led NDA government in the 2004 elections was credited with the "India Shining" slogan. It undertook a disinvestment drive and spearheaded big ...

Perfidy, Thy Name Is BJP People's Democracy

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हिंदी में

Bofors storm rages again, Congress under fire

Economic Times - ‎2 hours ago‎

NEW DELHI: The Bofors gun payoff scandal flared up again Tuesday with the election-wrapped Congress coming under all round attack over the CBI decision to remove Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, the lone surviving suspect in the case, ...

CBI not pressurised on Quattrocchi issue: Priyanka Zee News

Quattrocchi taken off from wanted list of Interpol Press Trust of India

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हिंदी में

Indian Express

 

Cabinet Secy reviews impact of stimulus packages on economy Press Trust of India - ‎7 hours ago‎ New Delhi, April 28 (PTI) Cabinet Secretary KM Chandrasekhar today reviewed the state of the Indian economy and progress of the stimulus measures announced ... Indian Express Modi has all qualities of a PM: Yashwant Sinha Times of India - ‎Apr 27, 2009‎ Referring to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's comment that if the Congress government is voted back to office it would bring the Indian economy out of ... Cong treating election as soap opera: BJP Deccan Herald all 330 news articles » हिंदी में Hazy politics, upbeat economy Business Standard - ‎Apr 25, 2009‎ The significant fall in international prices of oil and other commodities has enabled the Indian economy — which is heavily dependant on imports for crude ... Business Standard India likely to grow at 6 per cent, says Montek Press Trust of India - ‎Apr 27, 2009‎ Noting that the global economy is passing through a very severe phase, Ahluwalia said, "We are weathering it better than most countries." The India economy ... India willing to contribute to IMF $10bn: Ahluwalia Times of India India seeks increase in quota share in IMF Newstrack India India ready to buy $10 bn IMF bonds: Montek Livemint International Business Times all 77 news articles » Economists sight 'green shoots' Daily News & Analysis - ‎18 hours ago‎ "The largely domestically driven Indian economy will begin to recover palpably from mid-year," says Macquarie Securities economist Rajeev Malik. ... India's industrial prod may rise 10% in March: Macquarie Business Standard all 18 news articles » Indian Express Metals lead Sensex decline NDTV.com - ‎9 hours ago‎ Banking stocks fell on fears of rising defaults in a weakening economy. India's second largest private sector bank by operating income HDFC Bank fell 1.27%. ... Sensex ends 370 pts down as weak global markets trigger massive ... Sify Nifty ends flat braving weak global cues Economic Times Shift in balance? Business Standard India Infoline.com all 238 news articles » India's economic revival will be fast: Chanda Kochhar Sakaal Times - ‎10 minutes ago‎ NEW DELHI: The Indian economy will recover "quick and fast", though sectors such as realty and auto will take some to revive, according to ICICI Bank joint ... NSE:ICICIBANK.BL – BOM:532174 – NSE:ICICIBANK Indian Express Singh May Gain Advantage in India Election With Rural Jobs Plan Bloomberg - ‎21 hours ago‎ "India's rural economy is buoyant," said Prem Shankar Jha, a political commentator and former aide to Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh, who governed ... Political doppelganger haunts public policy IBNLive.com CPI says no to supporting Congress, BJP governments (Lead) Thaindian.com all 185 news articles » हिंदी में Economy may recover by Sept: ICICI Prudential Business Standard - ‎Apr 26, 2009‎ According to Shah, if the next few months witness a good monsoon, capital flows from abroad and further rate cuts by RBI, Indian economy may come out of the ... 'Economy to grow by 5.5-7.5 per cent, depending on US recovery' Hindu - ‎Apr 21, 2009‎ New Delhi (PTI): As the RBI projects Indian economy to grow by six per cent this fiscal, Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Virmani on Tuesday said the growth ... Stay up to date on these results: Create an email alert for Indian Economy Add a custom section for Indian Economy to Google News Add a news gadget for Indian Economy to your Google homepage

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Man who found pebbles in Anil Ambani's chopper found dead

Times of India - ‎1 hour ago‎

28 Apr 2009, 2024 hrs IST, PTI MUMBAI: Bharat Borge, the man who found pebbles in the fuel tank of industrialist Anil Ambani's helicopter, was on Tuesday found dead on railway tracks between Vile Parle and Andheri suburban stations, Railway Police said ...

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guardian.co.uk

World health chiefs' pandemic fear as Britons flood out of Mexico

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Developing stories

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Net interest income boosts profit of three banks

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