CPIM Disowns Mayawati Tag, Turnaround Once Again

CPIM Disowns Mayawati Tag, Turnaround Once Again



Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams: Chapter 33

Palash Biswas
The CPI(M) has said it does not look at in terms of projecting an individual for the prime minister's post, an indication that it was not keen on seeing BSP chief Mayawati in the top post.CPM general secretary Prakash Karat on Thursday made it clear that BSP chief Mayawati was not his party’s choice as PM candidate. He firmly ruled out any post-poll alliance with the UPA.CPM leader stood defiant. He said there is no question of a post-poll tie up with the UPA. He also said that he will support the UNPA in fighting issues like price rise, inflation and the nuclear deal, but will not consider it as a third front. Communist Party of India General Secretary Prakash Karat on Thursday refused any possibility of any party alliance with the United Progressive Alliance even after general elections due next year.

Whether or not the UPA wins the trust vote on July 22, the CPM feels the government’s collapse is only a matter of time.

What a Turnaround!With the Left failing to stop the government from going to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the government winning the trust vote, many Congress leaders had not ruled out an alliance with the Left in the upcoming general elections. And I tell you, the opportunist Marxists may repeat History anytime.

A clever leader like Amar Singh , the master of Horse Trading, landed in Kolkat just yesterday and addressed a press conference with Fire Brand Brahman Leader Ms Mamata. Amar Singh fielded Mamamta against Mayawati. Though a tough bargainer like Amara did not miss to mention that his hear only lies with Sister Mamata but the Mind still remains with the Left!

It is a clear indication of dangers ahead for the Left, a steep decay in High caste vote bank. While the Left is no more that sure about SC, OBC and Muslim Votes in Kearla and Bengal. Tripura has a different demography and the Tripura Marxists have enough causes for enthusiasm for Mayawati!


Only on 25th July, late after midnight I was talking face to face the Marxist Minister in Tripura. The Poet politician, Anil Sarkar claimed that it was a masterstroke and we must welcome the latest Party Line . I explained how I never believed that CPIM could hold this line very longer. I never expected the Marxist turnaround so soon. Anilda has been insisting that Dalit Liberation is only possible with a Marxist line on Ambedkar and Rabindra Nath Tagore. Thus, he runs all the missions on Ambedkar`s name. now, he has launched a Matribhasha Mission campaign all along the North East on a Tagore line of Nationality!

I told,` The Ruling Brahaminical Hegemony in West Bengal and Kerala would never allow Prakash Karat to sustain the tag Mayawati’. Which he disowned so soon!

I asked Anilda,`In West Bengal, fort one percent OBCs have only a single cabinet minister. SC leader Kanti Biswas has been ousted. Upen Kisku ousted. Dinesh Dakua ousted. Narayan Biswas ousted. A duffer Brahman Surya Kant Mishra holds on despite severe failure in Health sector. Kanti Biswas may not be held responsible for the failures in Education. Marxist education policy always has been faulty which always promoted discriminatory education policy with Private Investment, Now education is an affair of purchasing capacity. Marxists never demanded Common Education! Then, a competent minister like Bilasi Bala Sahis was shifted in the district.’

Anilda defended the party and said, ` Kanti Biswas was ousted as the SC society and leadership launched a sustained campaign against him!’

Then, I argued, ` How do you justify the Brahmin front? Three percent micro minority Brahmins have 64 MLAs and 16 cabinet ministers!”

Speaking on the alliances prior to the trust vote in Lok Sabha on July 22, 2008, Karat said, "Mayawati left alliance with the UPA before the Left parties withdrew support to the UPA. Now, we go by what the parties say. They have come out against the nuclear deal and said they would work against the UPA government. It is only after we withdrew support, we said we would contact all the secular parties who are opposed to the nuclear deal and who can stand in vote against the UPA government. As part of that process, I met Mayawati, Deve Gowda, Ajit Singh, leaders of TDP and the UNPA, and then came to a common understanding."


"He (CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan) was asked, do you think she can become PM. He said, Yes why not. That is his way of saying that he has no objection to any particular leader becoming PM. We don't look at in terms of projecting an individual," CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat clarified in Thiruvananthapuram.

Asked if he was saying that Mayawati would not be projected as Prime Minister, he told Malayalam channel "Kairali TV" he said he was not ready to say anything as "it is too premature".

"In this country there have been PMs who people never expected could become prime ministers. And there have been prime ministers who people could not think of as PM turned out to be good prime ministerial material. So why this debate. It is not a meaningful debate," he said.

Anil Sarkar called me every hour during his stay in New Delhi until 28th evening while he informed me that he was leaving for Delhi. Anilda tried his best to convince us, the subaltern Intelligentsia that Karat and Brinda with Sitaram Yechury are very serious on Dalit liberation and we must support this stance. We must support Mayawati as projected Prime Minister Face of the Left!

I explained how it was impossible and what have been the reactions in High caste vote Bank in west Bengal. He was not convinced. Neither he believed that CPIM would not be able to manage damage control after the ouster of the veteran most Marxist Brahmin leader Somnath Chatterjee.

Anilda is never without hope and trying his best to mobilise the subaltern camp in favour of CPIM official line in North India! he called me from Agartala daily and continued the discussion!

On 26th evening, I was debating with some Marxist Senior comrades in Mohan Singh Palace Coffee house. The Marxist comrades defended the party line and claimed that the communists in India, never deviated from Ideology!

Ideology my Foot!

They declared that Somnath was to be expelled!

Pankaj Bisht supported, ` Ideology as well as discipline demanded his ouster!”

I agreed. I never defend the Marxist Brahmins as I know their Faces realty real!

I was away in New Delhi and Kolkata TV telecasted the documentary film on Marichjhanpi on 24th evening. In january 1979, Dalit Refugees were massacred in the Sundervana Island which was never a part of the forest and the Bonafied Indian citizens rehabiliated in different parts of Dandkarany were lured to come in West Bengal to form a favourable vote bank for the Marxists still alluding! Jyoti Basu himself talked to the refugee leaders of all the five refugee camps in MP. The marxist ministers Ram Chatterjee and Kiran Moy Nanda mobilised the massive immigration. Minister Subhash Chakrabarty offered CPIM Umbrella just before the action began. Comrade Buddhadev Bhattacharya as the Police minister monitored the Gestapo action of Blockade and Massacre!

The Marichjhanpi film was to be screened in JNU by Delhi friends and was withheld. It could not be screened.

The document presents all the documents and witnesses and the missing links of the forgotten massacre. a promo was posted on nandigarmunited. blogspot.com, indiainteracts.com and You Tube! It was a online petition demanding Justice!

kolakata High Caste hatred is documented quite Human in Bangla Ntionality and literary disguise. Tara shankar and Sharat Chandra, Sunil Gango, Ateen Bando and Debesh Roy are best examples.It swallowed the Marichjhanpi episode.

Sunil Gango reported the event for Anandbazar at the time and supported the refugees as he was not a communist then. He refused to say anything for the documentary.

Mahasheta Di has to be present in Panel discussion today while the film is being telecasted once again. cable links and electricity supply were snapped in many parts of the state during first screening. Mahasheta di never wrote on refugees and Dalits.

I have a very intimate relationship with didi. She wrote an exclusive write up on my novel AMERICA SE SAVDHAN in Dainik Hindustan and taged me with Legendary Jharkhand Leader AK Roy. She is very affectionate. I was also included in Bhasha Bandhan editorial which I could not bear for the differences on Social realism related to Manusmriti!But most of us learnt everything about Nationality Movement from Mahasheweta Di. She dealt very well the History of indigenous Insurrectons in India. she described the Nandigram insurrection as Dalit Movement.

Ratan Basu Majumdar argued during the earlier private screening of the film on editorial stage that the Intelligentsia Kolkata has to be supporting the demand for Justice!I dismissed the idea as the Kolkata Intelligentsia remained quite detached all these Thirty years.

Ratan da exclaimed,`They might have not known’.


Should I believe this?

Mahashweta Di did all the documentation of Insurrections, Naxalbari and Tebhaga. Could she be so ignorant? She wrote about me in details , on my primary schooling, GIC and Nainital as well as Dhanbad. My friends would never know the details. i did not tell her. but she wrote.

How she did not write anything on refugees and dalits?


Simply because of Hegemony psyche which is inflected in Bengali Brahmin led Indian communist movement from the beginning. The communists may not bear a Dalit face for the Next prime Minister projection.

I failed to convince Anil Sarkar.


My friends in Bengal as well as in new Delhi and countrywide explain Somnath episode as historical Blunder once again.

yes, it was a blunder. I agree.

But it was never a blunder expelling the Brahmin don from the party. The party committed the Historical Blunder while it accepted the post of Speaker and remained in Hamlet Dilemma of TO BE or NOT To Be . It wasted the most vocal Parliamentarian and had to field a novice, Md salim to speak for the party during Trust vote. Adwani easily subverted the Nuclear deal with his rotten Hindutva. My Marxist friends may not digest this argument!

Then, what happened to Hyderabad agenda?

What was all about the Cow belt Escalation strategy?

Anilda and Biman bose have been always involved. i do not talk to any Marxist leaders nowadays but I have discussed all these issues with all Marxist SC, OBC and St leaders so many times and questioned the justification of CPIM launched Dalit and Refugee movement!

Now, you see the developments!

Robin Chakrabarti, a scientist and Tasham organiser informed me in phone that the audience reacted violently as they saw the Marichjhanpi film!

I told,` People do react on Visual media. Be it Devdas, Rang de Basanti, Shole or AAp Hamare Hain Kaun or Nach Le! I am interested in results. What happened next? Did anyone demand to hang Basu? Did the Kolkata Intelligentsia cried for justice after thirty long years!’

Robinda answered,` People are very repenting!’

`So what? you people escaped at that time! Now you are just expressing sentiment and doing nothing! It is a crime! At least, you may demonstrate on Rani Rasmoni Sarani, Metro Channel, before Alimuddin street or Indira Bhavan! Safemost option is a Citizens` convention at least!’

Thus,the brahminical hegemony never breaks!

And anil da expects some space for democratic subaltern movement with his Dalit Agenda!

And his Hero falls miserably!


On the issue of Third Alternative, Karat said hopefully they would be able to present some third force in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

"Be very clear. I didn't use the word Third Alternative. I have not not talked about the Third Alternative. I have not not talked about the Third Alternative....Our party's understanding of the Third Alternative is not some combination to fight elections. The Third Alternative has to be in terms of policies and programmes," he said.

To a question on supporting Congress after the elections for forming a government, Karat said "we are going to call the defeat of BJP and the Congress. And after that if we support the Congress, I don't know, I think people accuse us of opportunism. So why do you think that there can be only either a BJP-led government or a Congress-led government."

Karat said even when the Left supported the government they knew the Congress was wedded to liberalisation policies. But the Left could check privatisation in some sectors while it could not not tolerate serious deviation from the common minimum programme on an issue like the strategic alliance with the US.

To a question whether it was a mistake to have supported the Congress, he said "we made a mistake in believing the commitment of the top leadership of the country including the prime minister. We have to see whether we can put faith in the Congress leadership again."

On the charge that the CPI(M) had once dubbed the BSP as a casteist formation, Karat said all parties except the Left had played the caste card.

"But the assertion of dalit forces is a democratic and an awakening aspect which we must recognise."

Asked why he had always refrained from making critical comments against Congress President Sonia Gandhi, he said they had always criticised the Congress leadership as well as the prime minister.

"Prime Minister, of course is running the government. Leadership cannot be reduced to one individual and is collective."

Karat Thursday indicated it was a mistake to have trusted the Congress leadership and said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh does not “understand how the Communist party functions”. Apparently regretting the legislative support the CPI-M-led Left parties extended to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, Karat declared that there would not be any ties with the Congress in future.

In an interview telecast on Malayalam channel Kairali TV, Karat said both the Congress leadership and the prime minister had assured the Left that they would not go ahead with the India-US civil nuclear deal even if they were allowed to carry forward negotiations on an India specific safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“Because they said they will talk and come back… if you object we will not proceed further. Now when the prime minister, the Congress president (Sonia Gandhi) and the Congress leadership give such an assurance, we thought yes, let them go, talk and come back. They are bringing this to the (UPA-Left nuclear) committee. When we object in the committee, they will not proceed. This is the assurance they gave us in November.”

He added that the meeting in which the assurance was given was also attended by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

Asked if the CPI-M had overestimated the trustworthiness of the Congress party he said: “It seems like that.”

Reacting to Manmohan Singh’s remarks that the CPI-M general secretary has “miscalculated” the developments, Karat said: “The bourgeois party leaders look at their (party) practices in which the leader decides everything. They do not understand how the Communist party functions.”

He said emphatically that the Left would continue to combat the government in parliament.

“We are not parties like the DMK, RJD or the NCP. They are part of the UPA along with the Congress party. We cannot have any understanding or alliance with the Congress party… we are in no way bound to support the Congress-led coalition. We will work with all the non-Congress secular parties - the non Congress secular parties who are today not with the BJP or the Congress.”

The CPI-M led Left parties - that withdrew support to the Manmohan Singh government over the India-US civil nuclear deal - have not yet taken a decision on who they would support as a prime ministerial candidate of the non-BJP, non-Congress front, he added.

“We have not decided yet,” Karat said when asked if Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati was their candidate for the top post.

Karat said the Left would enter into an electoral alliance, though he did not want it to be named the ‘third front’.

“I never talked about third alternative. Our party’s understanding of the third alternative is not some combination to fight elections. The third alternative should be in terms of policies and programmes. We don’t consider the UNPA as the third alternative. We told them that this is the alternative we were thinking about.”

On joining hands with Mayawati, a move that had been widely criticised, he said: “Mayawati left the alliance with the UPA before the Left parties withdrew support to it. She had come out of the nuclear deal before we even talked to her. Now, we go by what the parties say. They have come out against the nuclear deal, and said they would work against the UPA government. It is only after we withdrew support that we said we would contact all the secular parties opposed to the nuclear deal and who can stand against the UPA government. As part of that process, I met Mayawati, Deve Gowda, Ajit Singh, leaders of TDP and the UNPA, and then came to a common understanding.”

Predicting that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, which won the July 22 trust vote in the Lok Sabha, would face “many roadblocks” in parliament, Karat said the Left would continue to combat the government in both houses.

He pointed out that the government did not have a majority in the upper house and would face troubles in the Lok Sabha - where the Left has 59 MPs - when it came to the passage of financial bills.

“We would like to use (such occasions) effectively to combat the government,” he told the channel.


Chautala's INLD rejects Mayawati as PM candidate

JAIPUR: Showing signs of differences within the UNPA on the issue of leadership of Mayawati, the INLD has ruled out the BSP chief as its prime ministerial candidate.

"No to the proposal of her as PM," INLD general secretary Ajay Chautala told reporters here yesterday on a question whether INLD could join hands with BSP and project Mayawati as the future prime minister.

Chautala, however was not adverse to forge a pre-poll alliance with BSP during elections in the states.

INLD was contemplating pre-poll alliance with any of the UNPA members and would field over 100 candidates in the polls, he said.


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If Maya can rule UP, why can't she rule the country: Gowda
Times of India, India - 3 hours ago
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"The UNPA will emerge as a 'third force' in the country and attempts were being made to evolve the alliance in the four states -- Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Delhi, going to polls later this year" Chautala said.

He also said Rajasthan should have a farmer as its next Chief Minister.

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Mayawati wants widespread probe
Hindu, India - 29 Jul 2008
LUCKNOW: Chief Minister Mayawati on Tuesday took on the Samajwadi Party for demanding a judicial inquiry into her assets and said she had no objection to ...
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Mayawati`s garden plan leads villagers to protest path
Business Standard, India - 29 Jul 2008
This is Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati’s farmhouse in her native village, where she lived till the age of seven. Two police constables are on duty on ...
Compensation to farmers in Mayawati’s village
Thaindian.com, Thailand - 23 hours ago
Greater Noida, July 31 (IANS) Farmers in Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati’s hometown Badalpur were being paid compensation for their land to be ...
CPI (M) not to support Congress
Hindu Business Line, India - 6 hours ago
It also parried questions over projecting BSP supremo Ms Mayawati as the prime ministerial candidate by non-Congress and non-BJP parties in the next Lok ...

Thaindian.com Congress to hold farmers' rally in Mayawati's hometown
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Thaindian.com Probe PM and other chief ministers’ properties: Mayawati
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The way a number of Indian opposition parties are rallying around Mayawati, a Dalit or "untouchable" icon, and touting her as a future prime minister must ...
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Activism and Dalit politics

Dr Lenin Raghuvanshi, the convener of PVCHR, raised his voice for the upliftment of Dalit community. His views were on caste based exploitation, discrimination and social change that took shape while he worked with child labourers and bonded labourers.
CJ: Bhagat , 5 hours ago Views:52 Comments:0
DR LENIN Raghuvanshi is an icon in Uttar Pradesh among the Dalit community and the victims of caste based discrimination, torture and other types of exploitations. Lenin is convener of Peoples Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR). PVCHR was founded in 1996, with the objective of making child labour free villages. Lenin learned by working from the beginning that, structure of village in India is the ring of exploitation. His views on caste based exploitation, discrimination and social change took shape while he worked with child labourers and bonded labourers. He realised that caste, not class, was at work.


By the end of 1996, Lenin was championing the rights of lower-caste people. Early experiences taught him that confrontation was dangerous and not the most effective method. Increasingly, Lenin recognised caste in all kinds of social conflict and envisioned a movement that could break the closed, feudal hierarchies of conservative slums and villages by building up local institutions and supporting them with a high profile and active human rights network.


Instead of tampering with the symptoms, caste needed to be tackled by both its horns. On the one hand, he created a democratised structure for the voiceless to enable them access to the constitutional guarantees of modern India and on the other, his innovative advocacy forced the state’to sensitise its mechanisms to deliver social justice in a manner where justice is not only done, but perceived to be done.


Ensuring implementation of policy into practice regarding this, Lenin has initiated Jan Mitra Gaon, or the people-friendly village. These villages have durable local institutions that work to promote basic human rights in the face of continuous discrimination. Lenin has adopted three villages and one slum initially, which include reactivating defunct primary schools, eliminating bonded labour, promoting girls to get education. The approach of the organisation is two-fold: To have a strong grassroots organisation to work for democratic rights of those in marginalised communities and second, to create the structure and dynamics to receive the assistance of national and international institutions.


Lenin’s work marks a shift in the Indian human rights movement, which has been reluctant to address injustices in the name of caste as a fundamental human rights issue. He is one of only a handful of activists to declare that such discrimination goes against democratic principles by promoting inequality. By working from Varanasi in UP–one of the most traditional, conservative, and segregated regions in India–Lenin demonstrates his resolve.


With meagre resources, but rich with confidence and conviction, Lenin in a short period of time has managed to amplify the voice of the marginalised in national and international forums through “Peoples SAARC”, rehabilitation and resettlement of weavers of Varanasi; Benaras Convention; UP Assembly election watch; prevention of torture; voice against hunger and many such activities. Recognition by the international community of Dr Lenin’s work is indeed the recognition for the millions whose hopes and aspirations rest on his slender shoulders.

Be ready for coalitions, Mayawati tells BSP
27 Jul, 2008, 2035 hrs IST, IANS



LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Sunday told party MPs and ministers about the importance and usefulness of coalition governments, party sources said.

Mayawati said the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) should be ready to accept a pre-poll alliance taking into account the fast changing scenario in national politics, the sources added.

The chief minister also called upon party activists to convince Muslims about the correctness of BSP's stand over the India-US nuclear deal.

"We need to inform Muslims that by opposing the nuclear deal, we supported them and protected their rights," a party leader said.

Mayawati also directed district coordinators of BSP to bring active members of their respective regions to the party's national convention to be organised here Aug 9.

The BSP played a key role in the opposition's attempts to vote out Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Congress-led government in a trust vote over the nuclear deal. The government won the motion.



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Q: The relationship between the Left and the Congress is one aspect that is intriguing tonight, the other is the relationship between the BJP and Mayawati. ...

War Zone Widens, Deal Terror Strikes India

War Zone Widens, Deal Terror Strikes India



Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams: Chapter 32

Palash Biswas



War Zone widens right into the heart of this divided bleeding Geopolitics of South Asia.With the demise of USSR, Inidan Subcontinent tagged itself with the Post Modern Hindu White Zionists Manusmriti Apartheid Galaxy Order led by Corporate US War and weapon Economy! As Barrack Obama retreated from his demand of withdrawal from Iraq and converted in Rigid Americanism of Vietnam days with War Cry against the Muslim world, in the same way the secular, nonaligned face of Indian Nation defaced immediately. India could not resist the Oil War, true, but India even did not care to condemn US aggression in Middle east. India has a bulk of Muslim population, more than the most populated Muslim Nation. But never tried to be impartial in War Against Terrorism, a CRUSADE launched once again against Islam! Rather India stood rock solid with USA War Machinery and with the introduction of neo Liberalism and LPG with a planted finance Minister in Narsimha government, India wiped its History of foreign relations surrendering Freedom and Sovereignty.

Indo US Nuclear Deal strikes India now and the People of india Bleed with flooding Swiss Bank accounts!

My old readers might remember, I have been writing on this possibility since the first day of Neo Liberalism introduced in India. I wrote the Interactive Novel AMERIKA SE SAVDHAN, Be Aware Of America daring all the debate and visualised the Future.

The Future has taken over the Present and India has become a part of Middle East witnessing serial Bomb blast and Terror attacks!The anger against US Terror is targeted to the people of India and we have no Escape Route and have to wait the fatal eventuality of being Blasted out someday or other days. We have no scope for the Memories for another day!

What Pakistan has done with alignment with United States of America. The ruling class of Sensex Shining India committed the same mistake with strategic re alliance with USA. Now, the Indo US Nuclear deal is Auto Piloted irrespective of parliamentary system and popular mandate. The ruling class has made India a party in War against Terrorism.Thus, we see India bleed! It may continue as the people of this geopolitics has become the fodder for the Animal Farm, which is the Brahminical Hegemony. Since the icons and brands are safe, we have to be put on stake so easily!

war zone
n.
An area in which military combat takes place.
An area at sea in which ships are prone to being attacked during a war.

We may not see the War so transparent. But we have been seized by war. Indian Ocean Peace zone has no peace today. The political borders are relatively clam as US Military presence in Asia works for cease power. We may not see the North eats where the masses are used for target practice by multinational armies. It has been war for the nationalities, indigenous people including dalit SC and OBC divided into more than six thousand castes, aboriginal tribal people and the minorities for full six decades. AFSA continues in the most parts of the Himalayas including Kashmir and the North East. Indiscriminate land acquisition and eviction causing displacement, starvation and annihilation continue just for the sake of Industrialisation, Urbanisation and so called development and infrastructure. MNCs and Ind Corporation rule with muscle power, builders, promoters and media. Constitution killed. Democratic institutions have been abolished mercilessly. You live with changing survival strategies and purchasing capacity decides your opportunities in every sphere already inflicted with intense discrimination.

India faces the challenges from within, not outside!
Who is responsible?

Who cares for the bleeding public?

I have been far away in New Delhi for almost a week to participate a national discourse between Media and Mass Movements organised by Nafre India People1s Movement. It was a rare experience of sharing our experience and opinion with old nad new friends nationwide. We could hear the voices of the Indigenous people and nationalities so clear. The discourse opened on 26 th July and concluded on 27th. I would be writing my experiences in detail after some time.

I travelled by Rajdhani Express from Sealdah, Kolkata. The service seemed to be better than Indian airlines. This train is meant for the privileged classes. I could not detect any security lapse in between. But in New Delhi, the capital of India I saw no arrangement of security for general public. I travelled by bus, auto and metro. I got a phone call from the Marxist minister from Tripura, Anil Sarkar, while Rajdhani Express just entered in New Delhi Railway station. I had talked him on phone on 23rd when he left for Delhi for treatment. he was staying in Tripura Bhavan, near Chankya Cinema Hall in Chanakyapuri. He informed me that a room was booked for me next day in Tripura Bhavan and I had to visit him. On 25th evening I tried to locate my old friends. Staya Sagar is indisposed and Ravindra Tripathi is lying in ICU after an accident. Rajendra Yadav and Sanjeev of HANS were out of station. I caught him in the way to Dausa in train on mobile. he requested me to overstay in Delhi just for two days. I could not.

In the evening, all of a sudden my Nafre Friends including Faisal Anurag, a journalist from Ranchi, called me to translate the Hindi Key Note in English. I was busy to complete the task with Islam in kasturba Kutir, as I heard about the Bomb Blasts in Bangalore. When I got free from the job, I left Gandhi Darshan for Tripura Bhavan. Mr Gaur Hari Sardar, an activist from WBEN, accompanied me and it was 9.30 PM , too late. I know New delhi from 1979 very well. It is very hard to get a conveyance from a place like Rajghat. I alerted NAFRE People that perhaps we had to return midnight. I was in fact afraid of high security alert in a VVIP Zone like Chanakya Puri. We were stranded in Rajghat. We could not get anything for Chankaypuri. Suddenly a bus conductor offered us to drop in Dhaula Kuana. We got the bus. Meanwhile the Minister enquired our whereabouts and asked whether we had taken dinner, We had got the dinner in Kasturba kutir. but we could not inform our location as it was so confusing in the dark so late. We luckily got an auto fro Dhaula kuana at last reached Chankay Puri.

For my awful surprise, we were not intercepted anywhere and there was no security alert in a place like chankaya Puri while the Bomb Blasts was being telecasted live. We met the minister immediately and saw him engaged in browsing the Channels!

Just Think!

We discussed all development for hours. We got up as the Minister called us on 6.30 PM. We had another sitting. then, we left for Rajghat as the discourse was to open and I had to finalise the English draft of the Key Note.

We noticed no change in the routine of New Delhi as we crossed all the High security Zones from Chanakya Puri to AIIMS, Safdarjang Hospital, India Gate to Patiyala Hose, ITO,Delhi Gate and Rajghat. We could not see any hint for a security system for the Public.

I had to address with Anand Swaroop Verma, Anil Chamaria, Vimal Kumar from UNI, P Arun from Manipur and Jaideep Hardikar from Nagpur in the opening session.Anand had just landed Delhi from Nepal. We discussed the developments in Nepal and the crisis over there. The session was followed by Open forum and convened by Dr Lenin from Banaras. I had to speak on Media Mass Movement coordination in this session ,too with representatives from media and mass movement from every part of India. Meanwhile, while I was speaking our dear most friend Pankaj Bisht and Mr Prem Singh arrived. We had another round of person to person interactions involving different parts of India.

Mr Monto from Manipur, asked a sensational question. he described the plight of Manipuri people under AFSA in detail. Then he said, ` We did every thing to communicate the mainstream India! our mother stripped themselves and challenged the army to rape them. It happened to be a great media event. But we failed to communicate mainstream people!’

`What should we the Manipuri People do next?” he asked.

We could not reply.
Could you?
Please!
\Mr Prem had his car. I had to visit my sister in Jhilmil Colony.Pnakaj da lives in Mayur Bihar. We planned to visit the Coffee house and then we may depart in Laxmi Nagar. My cousin had left New Delhi and reached Home in Nainital. from there he rang and complained why i did not inform him. Thus, I had to visit my sister lest she should not be angry.

Mohan Singh Palace has been a meeting place for New Delhi Intelligentsia. We drove the place without any trouble and Cannaugt Place including palika bazar was over crowded. It was good to see that no body was scared. There is no Fear Fobia in Delhi People. We parked our car very easily. I saw no security alert anywhere.

Meantime, it was Ahmadabad which was bleeding once again.We were right into the heart of New Delhi but we could not see any security check up anywhere!

In the coffee house, I was involved in very hot debate with Some very old Marxist intellectuals. The topic was linked to the so called Marxist ideology, party Line, discipline, Jyoti Basu, Surjeet, Telengana, Naxalbari, Tebhaga, Nandigram Insurrection, expulsion of Somanth Chatterjee, Mayawati, Trust Vote, Nuclear Deal, Indo US Nuclear Strategic relations, Hindutva and Prakash Karat.It was almost a war. I just blasted and they sticked to their Party Line.

Pankajda intervened and sent me off to get Metro for Jhilmil.

I just entered the Rajeev chowk Metro and got the ticket for Mansarovar. It was raining a bit.

I crossed the metal detector. But the police Personnel did not check my bag. I wet ahead some steps and then, returned. I put my on the table of the Police Post and asked the officer, `Please Check it!’
The message was too loud, but without any impact.

The train reached Kashmiri Gate via New Delhi Station and Chandni Chowk. I never noticed any change, In kashmiri Gate, it was a Rush unprecedented as we had to go upstairs crossing a series of escalators. Once again, there was no security check.

What I want to insist that the Government is nowhere concerned with Public security!

The General Public is the Soft Most Target for the War which is drawn into this subcontinent by the same government to defend the US interests and cater away all our resources to the Corporate Imperialism.

We have been made the scape goats for the Post modern Manusmriti Apartheid HINDU, Zionist , White realignment in the best interest of the New galaxy Order!

I reached Pratap khand in Jhilmil colony crossing the RLY line . There was no security, The most important Flyover opposite Jhilmil Industrial area was dark. The streets were full of mud and water. I landed my cousin Beena`s residence on 9 Am. Hyderabad Blast were live on TV Channels then.

Next day, I had to walk about two KM to get a bus. I was habitual to get bus from anywhere in Jhilmil or Vivek Bihar all these years. But the area is now not crossed over any bus. A posh area like Jhilmil was full of mud and water. It reminded me Kolkata!

My brother in law, Niranjan Mandal, an electrician told me that Metro has changed the conveyance in Delhi.More over, most of the people have got either cars or bikes. What a resurgence of middle class actually reflecting the virtual reality of shining india. I saw the flood of sopping malls and Retail chains across the National Capital.

My fashion designer niece Munia was there when I visited Beena. She was wearing a dull top. She said that it was in vogue. She creates for the consumers and could not say anything about her friends in Redical Students Union in Delhi. She has become an exact housewife with two daughters who declared that I was quite fair to my pleasant surprise. As all these years, I have known myself in toned Black.

Beena and her fashion designer daughter claimed that it is shining and it would be shining. While my brother in law was much worried to see his two IT specialist sons struggling for Job. One of them is married and he has a child to look after! the young men were away and I could not see them.

I reached Gandhi Darshan somewhat late. The concluding session was in progress. some of the friends had already left. We debated intense ly and everyone participated. The UNI people narrated their victory. Some internal scenes in the Media as well as mass movements were exposed. The debate was revolving around the ideas of alternative media and parallel media, reporters network and media mass movement alliance. Democratic Journalists led by Abhishek finished the debate with very positive note.

But I felt the discourse ended somewhat abruptly without any significant result.

Next Morning, on 28 th we reached by an auto at the Delhi railway Station crossing Lal Quila, Jama Masjid and Chandni Chowk. It was crowed as it remains everyday.

And what a scene!

After consecutive two days of Bomb Blasts in Banglore and Ahmedabad, it was quite peace at the station and no body seemed a little bit worried of the security of the Public in general.

Thus, Security and Sftey remain a HI FI affair for the VVIPs only. We never mattered . We never matter.

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IPCS Issue Brief 39
October 2006
INDO-US STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
ARE WE THERE YET?
Lalit Mansingh
http://ipcs.org/39IB-IndoUS-Mansingh2.pdf

“Americans always do the right
thing,” said Winston Churchill, “after
they have tried everything else”. In the
contest of India, it took the Americans
five decades to do the right thing.
These were the five decades of the
Cold War, described by the late
Senator Moynihan, a former American
Ambassador to India, as a “half
century of misunderstandings,
miscues, and mishaps. “Former
External Affairs Minister Jaswant
Singh called them “the fifty wasted
years”.
INDIA’S STRATEGIC1
IRRELEVANCE TO THE UNITED
STATES
Ambassador Mansingh is currently an
Executive Committee Member, IPCS. He
was earlier India’s Foreign Secretary and
Indian Ambassador to the US.
This paper was originally delivered as a
keynote address at the Army War College,
Mhow on 25 September 2006.
1 Defining ‘strategic’: The loose and
indiscriminate usage of this term has made it
difficult to define. “Strategy” originated as a
military expression describing the science and
art of planning victory in a war. Hence
strategic planning was differentiated from
tactical or day-to-day deployment. Currently,
the term is used in international affairs as a
global, long term and comprehensive
relationship between two countries. In a
slightly narrower sense it also refers to a
security relationship, including military
cooperation. I have used both concepts in this
paper.
Even though they shared common
values, India and the United States
had divergent views on their
respective roles in the world. The US
saw itself as the leader of the Free
World, fighting a crusade against the
evil forces of international
communism. India had no such
phobia against communism and
preferred to remain non-Aligned. An
enduring image of the Cold War, in
Indian minds, is that of John Foster
Dulles, Eisenhower’s Secretary of
State. Issuing a fatwa against non-
Alignment, Dulles pronounced it
immoral and declared it incompatible
with friendship with the United States.
Dulles was reflecting what the US
Joint Chief of Staff had concluded-that
India was strategically irrelevant for
the United States. Their ally of choice
in the region was Pakistan. As Dulles
pursued his ‘Pactomania’ and got
Pakistan admitted to CENTO and
SEATO, the political distance between
Delhi and Washington continued to
grow.
The Indo-US relationship, according to
Strobe Talbott was “a victim of
incompatible obsessions-India’s with
Pakistan and America’s with the
Soviet Union.” Both were Guilty of
being on best terms with “each other’s
principal enemy”. 2
2 Strobe Talbott, Engaging India: Diplomacy,
Democracy and the Bomb (New Delhi: Viking,
2004) p.7
IPCS Issue Brief 39
October 2006
2
EFFORTS AT IMPROVING
RELATIONS DURING THE COLD
WAR
There were nevertheless brief periods
of warmth and understanding, even
attempts at forging strategic ties. At
least three of these are worth nothing.
In 1962, following the Chinese
aggression on India, there was a clear
convergence of strategic interests
between India and the US. Setting
non-Alignment aside, Pandit Nehru
sought urgent military support from
the United States, including two dozen
squadrons of B-47 bombers, a dozen
squadrons of fighter aircraft and air
defence radars. The US responded
with sympathy, but the military
assistance offered was symbolic rather
than substantive. The US
administration was divided on India,
with the Pentagon warning against a
dilution of its strong ties with
Pakistan. India continued to be
strategically irrelevant to the US.
There were two other short periods of
political cooperation-in the mid-80s
and the early 90s, when Indian and the
US set aside their frictions to discuss
technology transfer and military
cooperation. The MOU on transfer of
Technology of 1985and the Kicklighter
proposals of 1991, which outlined “a
common strategic vision”, paved the
way for the Agreed minute of defence
cooperation signed during US Defence
Secretary, William Perry’s visit to
India in 1995. The failure of such
sporadic attempts to take bilateral
relations to the higher plane suggests
that they were still ahead of their time.
THE CLINTON YEARS
A BREAKTHROUGH
Former Deputy Secretary of State,
Strobe Talbott’s book, “engaging
India”, provides a fascination account
of the process by which the US
approach towards India evolved from
estrangement to engagement. Talbott
writes that India was cropping up
frequently in Clinton’s conversations
in the very first year of his presidency
and the Clinton regarded India a
potentially important power for the
US. It indeed Clinton felt that way,
Delhi did not see much evidence of it.
India felt the heat of Clinton’s zeal in
pursuing nuclear non-proliferation.
The move to indefinitely extend the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
(NPT) was the last straw for India. In
Talbott’s words, the NPT represented
for Indians “the three Ds of US nuclear
policies: dominance, discrimination
and double standards”.
On the Kashmir issue, Washington
continued to tilt towards Pakistan
Clinton’s newly appointed Assistant
Secretary of State for South Asia,
Robin Raphel, even questioned the
legality of Jammu and Kashmir’s
accession to India. Charges of human
rights abuses against India were
getting more strident. There was
skepticism in India when Under
Secretary of State, Tom Pickering
offered a strategic dialogue with India,
which he said, would cover the
“whole gamut of relations”.
And then, India’s nuclear tests in May
1998, made such a dialogue irrelevant.
Washington reacted by slapping
punitive sanctions and took the lead in
condemning India from the forums of
the UN Security Council and the G-8.
From India’s nuclear defiance,
ironically, emerged the most intense,
the most serious and the most
extended set of exchanges between the
two counties. I am referring to the
Jaswant Singh-Strobe Talbott dialogue,
which took place over two years in
fourteen sessions in seven countries.
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The dialogue helped to clear much of
the debris of past misunderstandings
and made Washington aware of
India’s national and global aspirations
and its rationale for the nuclear tests.
In Talbott’s words, “India had put on
notice that it was now unambiguously,
unapologetically and irrevocably, a
nuclear armed power.”3 It was this
realization which forced the Clinton
administration to abandon its declared
goal to “Cap, Rollback and Eliminate”
India’s nuclear programme.
The US offered India a grand bargain
under which it would withdraw its
nuclear and technology sanctions
provided India met four benchmarks:
• Sign the CTBT
• Negotiate a Fissile Material Cut-off
Treaty (FMCT)
• Enforce world class export controls
on nuclear and missile and
technology and
• Observe a non-threatening defence
posture.
Although India had no serious
problems with any of these
requirements, the dialogue remained
stuck on the benchmarks like a broken
record and eventually ended in
deadlock. Talbott conceded with some
disappointment the Jaswant Singh
managed to achieve his objectives
whereas his own targets remained
unfulfilled.
FAILURE FOR CLINTON;
SUCCESS FOR BUSH
It is important to understand why the
Clinton Administration’s bold
departure on India ended in selfconfessed
failure, and how George W.
3 ibid, p.51.
Bush, starting from where Clinton had
left, converted the same policy into a
spectacular success.
There are three major reasons that
explain why Clinton did not
eventually succeed with India. Firstly,
in Clinton economics-driven global
vision, China was a much bigger prize
to be pursued than India. Clinton even
sought to bring China into the South
Asian equation, by suggesting that
China could join the US to enforce
peace in the region. India found this
insensitive and deeply offensive.
Secondly, the insistence on
benchmarks made India resentful that
the US Continued to treat it as a global
delinquent. The benchmarks were
seen as a penalty India had to pay in
order to free itself from US sanctions.
India felt no moral or legal obligation
to pay such a price. And finally, what
Clinton was offering to India was
America’s friendship, not a
partnership on equal terms- and that
too with a price tag. India was
prepared to wait and see what his
successor had to offer.
On the face of it, there was a seamless
continuity of US policy towards India
under George W. Bush in 2001. In fact,
it appeared to be the only segment of
Clinton’s foreign policy that Bush did
not repudiate and demolish. Beneath
the surface however, there was an
important change of approach.
Firstly, Bush did not perceive India as
a lesser prize than China. Influenced
no doubt by the Neo-Cons, Bush and
his team considered India a counterweight
and not a lightweight, against
China.
Secondly, India was no longer
regarded to be in the dock and there
was no penalty to be paid for alleged
IPCS Issue Brief 39
October 2006
4
misdeeds. India was seen as entitled to
its rightful place in the world order.
Condoleeza Rice proclaimed that the
United States would facilitate India’s
quest for global status. Finally, Bush
was offering more than a hand of
friendship: he was keen to make India
a strategic partner of the United States.
This was truly a new beginning.
Defining the contours of the strategic
partnership, the US National Security
Strategy, 2002, declared that “the
United States had undertaken a
transformation of its bilateral
relationship with India based on a
conviction that US interests require a
strong relationship with India.” The
document stressed the shared values
of the two countries and their common
global interests, which included (i) the
free flow of commerce, especially in
the “vital sea lanes of the Indian
Ocean,” (ii) fighting terrorism and (iii)
creating “a strategically stable Asia”.
While the US strategic vision was
fixed on the long range and defined in
global terms, the Indian outlook was
focused on immediate priorities and
tangibles. The negotiations were long
and difficult, often abrasive. In the
end, an agreement was reached in
January 2004 in the form of the “Next
Steps in the Strategic Partnership”
(NSSP). To the satisfaction of the
Indian side, it covered the trinity of
issues of priority to India: Space,
Nuclear Power and High Technology.
With the conclusion of the NSSP, the
bulk of the technology sanctions on
India were removed by the Bush
administration.
THE BUSH-MANMOHAN SINGH
STRATEGIC DIALOGUE
The 2004 elections in both countries
produced a new government in India
under Dr. Manmohan Singh and a
second term for George W. Bush in the
US. The common message emerging
from both capitals after the elections
was continuity of foreign policy. In
fact, both countries decided to take
their strategic dialogue to the next
level.
There have been three notable bilateral
exchanges in the past eighteen months
during the visits of Condoleeza Rice to
Delhi in March 2005; of Manmohan
Singh to Washington in July 2005 and
of George W. Bush to Delhi in March
2006.
Condoleeza Rice brought with her an
outline of the second Bush
administration’s Grand Strategy for
India. The US, she told the Indian
Prime Minister, was willing to help
India became a major power in the
21st century. And as a first step, the
US would reverse three decades of its
oppositions to India’s nuclear
programme and make civilian nuclear
cooperation the centerpiece of the new
relationship. While India responded
favourably, it took time for the full
impact of the American offer to sink
in. No one understood better than Dr.
Manmohan Singh that this was a
historic opportunity for India to shed
the burdens of the past and strike a
new path to the future.
India formally accepted the American
offer during the Prime Minister’s visit
to Washington in July 2005. The
agreement announced on 18th July
that year was more or less on India’s
terms. India was recognized as a
“responsible state with advanced
nuclear technology” i.e. a de facto
nuclear weapon power. Both sides
would take reciprocal steps to make
their nuclear cooperation operational.
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The US undertook to amend its
domestic laws and persuade the
Members of the Nuclear Suppliers
Group (NSG) to resume nuclear
cooperation and commerce with India.
The joint statement issued during the
visit of President Bush to India in
March 2006 was a follow up of the July
2005 agreement. It was a
demonstration of India’s seriousness
in pursuing the strategic dialogue with
the US.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE JULY
2005 AGREEMENT
The July 2005 joint statement has been
analysed threadbare by Think Tanks,
political leaders and media
commentators in both countries. I
have been openly partisan in
supporting the deal and will therefore
spare you a catalogue of the pros and
cons of the debate. Let me therefore
offer a few observations on the
political, economic and strategic
implications of this historic agreement.
Politically, the July 2005 agreement is
by far the most significant and far
reaching understanding that India has
reached with any major power, not
excluding the Indo-Soviet Treaty of
Peace, Friendship an Cooperation of
1971. It recognize India as a de facto
nuclear power, clears the way for it to
become a global power and
strengthens India’s claims for
permanent membership of the
Security Council.
From the economic point of view, it
removed three decades of
technological sanctions on India and
offered multi layered cooperation with
the world’s most powerful economy.
Most importantly, it widened the
energy options for India and projected
nuclear energy as a viable source of
power for its expanding economy.
Finally, in strategic terms, the
agreement of July 2005 gave India
enormous global leverage as a partner
of the United States, especially in
ensuring India’s security in a turbulent
neighbourhood.
LOSS OF AUTONOMY?
There is persistent criticism that the
July 2005 agreement has turned India
into a satellite or a junior partner of
the United States thus compelling
India to subordinate its foreign policy
to the global interests of the US.
India’s track record since
Independence makes it an unlikely
candidate for being the satellite or
subaltern of any power of the world.
Despite the generous assistance given
by the Soviet Union to India in almost
all fields, Mrs. Indira Gandhi had the
courage to say “no” to Breznev when
he urged India to join the Asian
Security Union. In 1994 and 1998,
India defined the big powers
collectively to conduct nuclear tests.
More recently, India turned down and
American request to send its troops to
Iraq. As Ashley Tellis told a committee
of the US Congress on 16 November
2005, “India’s large size, its proud
history, and its great ambitions, ensure
that it will likely march to the beat of
its own drummer.”
THE CHINA FACTOR
There is speculation on whether or not
China has been a factor in the
emerging strategic relationship
between India and the United States.
Official denials notwithstanding, both
IPCS Issue Brief 39
October 2006
6
countries have reasons to be
concerned about the future role of
China on the global scene. India’s
national psyche still bears the scars of
1962, despite the efforts to normalize
China-Indian relations since 1988.
China has proliferated missile and
nuclear technology to Pakistan, and
continues to be a major source of
weaponry for that country. Further,
India is deeply troubled by China’s
“string of pearts” policy of setting up
military and naval facilities in India’s
vicinity, especially in Myanmar and
Pakistan.
The Americans are equally concerned
about China’s unpredictable
behaviour. The Quadrennial Defence
Review (QDR) published recently by
the Pentagon identifies China as the
only potential long-term military
threat to the US.
While nobody is suggesting that India
and the US should join in militarily
“containing” China, there is obvious
convergence of interests in both
countries exchanging notes and in
keeping a wary eye on China’s policies
and actions. Hence, the significance of
the reference in the US National
Security Strategy 2002 to the common
interests of both countries in “a
strategically stable Asia.”
GROWING MILITARY
RELATIONS
An account of the Indo-US strategic
relationship will be incomplete
without a reference to the remarkable
growth of military cooperation
between the two sides. This is indeed
the most visible manifestation of the
new partnership. In a complete
reversal of their Cold War attitudes
the two countries have conducted in
joint military exercises covering
maritime interdiction, search and
rescue operations, anti-submarine
warfare, air combat, airlift operations,
mountain warfare, jungle warfare,
disaster management and peacekeeping
operations.
The US has, in contrast with the past,
opened its doors to India to procure
state-of-the-art military weapons and
technology. This includes fire-finding
radars, GE 404 engines for the Light
Combat Aircraft and electronic ground
sensors for use on the LOC in Jammu
and Kashmir and counter-terrorism
equipment for our Special Forces. On
offer as well are advanced jet fighters
for the Air Force, the US-Israeli
Phalcon early warning system, the
Patriot PAC-3 missile defence system
and many others.
The conclusion of a 10-year framework
agreement on defence cooperation
during Defence Minister Pranab
Mukherjee’s visit to Washington in
June 2005 is further evidence of the
expanding scope of military
cooperation with the US.
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP: ARE
WE THERE YET?
The question at this critical phase in
the strategic partnership with the
United States is, are we there yet?
Not quite. The partnership will be
effective only when it is more visible
on the ground in both courtiers. There
is still a wide gap between the
declarations and their implementation.
Action in many of the declared areas
seems to be faltering. For example, the
Indo-US Global Democracy Initiative,
announced with great fanfare in July
2005 remains a dead letter. Similarly,
the US Proliferation Security Initiative
(PSI), which seeks to Monitor and
interdict clandestine movement of
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WMD material, is yet to find a
response from India. Terrorism,
another core area of cooperation,
remains in limbo.
It would be more accurate therefore to
describe the current period of our
bilateral relations as a phase of
transition towards a strategic
partnership. There are still
outstanding issues, which, if not
addressed, will not only prolong the
transition, but may even threaten the
very concept of partnership. Two of
these issues are general in nature;
others are single issues on which
difference persist.
OUTSTANDING DIFFERENCES
The first is the historical legacy of
suspicion and mistrust in both
countries, which remains amongst
influential pockets of political leaders,
civil servants and commentators. It is a
residual mindset of the cold war years
that surfaces from the time to time
with fierce intensity, as during the
debates on the 2005 agreement. In
India, antipathy to the US has brought
together mutually opposed political
groups like the Communists, the BJP
and Islamic Groups. In the absence of
a national consensus, there will be stiff
political opposition at every step of the
road towards the strategic partnership
with the US.
The second general issue relates to the
divergent visions of the two countries
and the way they view their respective
global roles. The American scholar,
Arthur Rubinoff has commented:
“Ironically, now that the United States
recognizes a regional imperative in a
nuclearised South Asia, India
considers itself a global rather than
regional power. The United States
remains a “status-quo” nation while
India, which has never been
comfortable with a world dominated
by Washington, is in many ways a
revisionist state.”4 This is echoed by
Professor Varun Sahni, who says that
“the interests of an emerging power
and that of a hegemonic power are
likely to be incompatible in the
medium-to long term.” Thus there will
be, “natural limits” to the security
cooperation between “natural allies.”5
For three specific issues that remain
outstanding are Pakistan, Terrorism
and India’s aspiration for permanent
membership of the UN Security
Council.
For over five decades Washington’s
policy towards South Asia was a zero
sum game, which hyphenated India
with Pakistan. The Bush
administration has declared an end of
both the hyphenation and the zero
sum game. It claims that US relations
have improved dramatically with both
India and Pakistan, neither of them
resenting its close ties with the others.
This is somewhat exaggerated.
Throughout the Cold War, the United
States was accused by India of
practicing double standards. While the
US condemned India for practicing
human rights abuses, of hostility
towards Israel and engaging in
nuclear proliferation, none of the same
issues seemed to matter in America’s
4 Rubinoff, Arthur “Incompatible Objectives
and Shortsighted Policies: US Strategies
Towards India”in “US-Indian Strategic
Ccooperation into the 21st Century” Ed. Sumit
Ganguly et al. (Routledge, 2006) p.54
5 Varun Sahni “Limited Cooperation between
Limited Allies: India’s Strategic Programs and
India-US Strategic Trade”, in “US-Indian
Strategic Cooperation into the 21st century,
Ibid. p. 188
IPCS Issue Brief 39
October 2006
8
approach towards Pakistan.
Washington turned a blind eye as
Pakistan developed a nuclear weapon
program and proceeded to export its
technology to North Korea, Libya and
Iran.
Washington current policy of equidistance
and equi-friendship with
Pakistan still smacks of double
standards for India. Proclaiming India
a strategic partner and Pakistan a
major non-NATO ally may be clever
diplomacy, but that does not inspire
trust in India.
Related again to Pakistan are
fundamental difference on the issue of
terrorism. In November 2001,
President Bush, addressing American
troops in Kentucky, declared,
“America has a message for the
nations of the world. If you harbour
terrorists…train or arm a
terrorist…feed and fund a
terrorist…you are a terrorist and will
be held accountable by the United
States.” Pakistan continues to do all
the above and is nevertheless
rewarded with military and economic
largesse by the United States.
Washington’s refusal to treat “jehadi”
terrorism in India at par with global
terrorism reinforces the charges of
double standards.
Finally, India finds it hard to
appreciate the reluctance of the US to
support India’s bid for permanent
membership of the Security Council.
In September 2005, the US announced
at the UN General Assembly that the
US would join in reconstituting a
Security Council that “looks like the
world of 2005.” It then listed the seven
criteria by which the US to would
judge potential members: (i)
commitment to democracy and human
rights (ii) size of economy (iii) size of
population (iv) military capacity (v)
financial contributions to the UN (vi)
contribution to UN peace keeping and
(vii) record on non-proliferation and
counter terrorism.
I recall commenting at that time that
the criteria seemed to be drafted in
south Block, New Delhi, considering
how closely they fitted India. Why
then does the US not endorse. India
when Britain, France and Russia have
publicly extended their support? The
standard US response has been that
the hence the time for endorsing
potential members has not arisen as
yet. In that case, why is Washington
projecting Japan as a potential
member of the Council?
CONCLUSION
Though they appear formidable, none
of these problems are insurmountable.
In the last six years, India and the
United States have learnt to deal with
their differences with sensitivity,
patience and understanding. More of
the same will be required by the
leadership of both countries in the
years to come. Coalition politics will
continue to generate pressure on the
government in India and slow down
the decision making process. The
prospects of a presidential election in
the US after two years is bound to
raise concerns about the continuity of
the current administration’s policy on
India. I nevertheless remain convinced
that closer bilateral cooperation will be
insulated from partisan politicies in
both countries. The destinies of our
two great countries are interlinked
and the strategic partnership between
them will be one of the defining
features of the 21st century.
An Inquiry into Suicide Terrorism: Psychological Perspectives

Kanica Rakhra
Research Intern, IPCS
e-mail: kanica@ipcs.org

In 2007, there were more than 280 suicide attacks all over the world. Used typically as a weapon of psychological warfare to affect a larger public audience, most of these attacks have taken place in countries with a heavy presence of US and allied forces, countries that were also predominantly Muslim countries. The number of countries that have seen suicide attacks has also increased. Why are Muslim youth willing to become bombers?
The three basic reasons for individuals getting influenced into executing suicide attacks could be classified as personal reasons, societal reasons and the influence of militant leaders.
Suicide often occurs when a person's identity becomes more important than his or her life. During adolescence, changes in one's conception of the self and self-esteem take place. The opportunities for development provided by the schools and the communities, the family traditions, and the larger cultural context and historical time period all affect identity development. The organizations leading the insurgencies talk to young people about how their identities are being suppressed, and sway them into believing that by making the ultimate sacrifice, they would be martyrs. This invites a kind of identity confusion that can make them vulnerable. By becoming a part of an organization, the person gets an identity and is given a purpose in life.
Studies suggest that young males experiencing some kind of frustration about the political situation are particularly susceptible to an ideology that requires them to aggress against others and/or themselves. Also, the usual age of suicide attackers falls at the transition phase from childhood to adulthood during which uncertainty about one's life course and the proper ways of conducting one's affairs is likely to reign. The organizations involved use various methods of propaganda to influence individuals. People are constantly reminded of the atrocities committed by the stronger parties, inciting them to retaliate in any way they can. The media is used as an important tool; the organizations celebrate the deaths of the suicide attackers, and the attackers make videos before committing suicide attacks showing the world that they have no remorse about what they are doing.
If an individual belongs to a society that has a history of suicide bombers, who are glorified all the time, the children end up trying to emulate their relatives, and wanting to follow the tradition. Also, if society is largely accepting of the concept, the youth can get drawn towards it. The behavior becomes pro-social instead of anti-social. For example, radical organizations in Palestine not only encourage but also shower admiration on suicide bombers. Becoming a martyr is one of the highest personal attainments and also a way of regaining the pride lost by the entire community under humiliating occupation, whether it is in Iraq, Afghanistan or Palestine.
The attackers come from a community values-based society rather than an individualist society as Western societies usually are. Thus, the idea of the honor or the prestige of the family is given a lot of priority. The bomber-in-waiting feels that he would bring glory to the family by making such a huge sacrifice, glory that he could not bring as a living person. The family would be well respected and their status in society would go up. Many times when the individuals are not able to help out in the day-to-day work of the house, and are considered worthless by the family members, they feel the need to prove themselves and the organizations provide them with this opportunity.
Suicide bombings have, until now, been associated with three main factors - religion, nationality, and ethnicity. However the trend is clearly towards a rise in religion-based attacks throughout the world. The concept of pan-Islamism, as promoted by organizations such as al Qaeda, is growing. From Africa to Europe to South Asia, the rise of the local parties who have sworn allegiance to al Qaeda is a hard reality at this point. Psychologists have different theories on why religion as a tool of influence works well. One of them is the behaviourist school of psychology which believes that religion can be used as a powerful source for conditioning individuals as the origin of religious behavior can be traced to the source of reinforcing stimuli.
Leadership, too, plays an important role in influencing people one way or the other. Powerful leaders win the hearts and mind of their public and bring them under their sway. They talk about the oppression of their people and the humiliation faced by them, which inspires the youth to take things into their hands. Yale University psychologist, Stanley Milgram, found that people all across the world would engage in life-threatening violence simply out of obligation to an 'authority figure' no matter how superficial. In short, people can be manipulated and this tactic is employed by the insurgent groups to their benefit.
There are thus various psychological factors that lead a small section of the youth to accept suicide attacks as a part of the war in protecting their ways of living. These factors range from personal reasons such as identity confusion, retaliation, reward satisfaction, to social reasons such as family prestige, societal glory and leadership skills.
http://www.ipcs.org/Terrorism_kashmirLevel2.jsp?action=showView&kValue=2612&subCatID=1022&status=article&mod=g







Now, Kolkata on high alert after terror e-mail
NDTV Correspondent
Wednesday, July 30, 2008, (Kolkata)
After Surat, it's now Kolkata's turn to be on edge after an e-mail threatening bomb blasts on prominent streets and landmarks in the city.

Thorough searches late on Tuesday night did not lead to the recovery of any explosives. But police are not taking any chances.

Police have now detained a young man Kaushik Bose, the son of a cyber cafe owner in Kolkata's upmarket Salt Lake area.

Kaushik Bose was grilled through the night and the police have detained him for further questioning.

Police claims that that Kaushik has said he would help in identifying the people, who sent the threat e-mail from the cyber cafe.

The computer from which the e-mail was sent is in Kaushik's name. Police also said that the cyber cafe was operating illegally.
Pak troops fire mortar shells at Indian post
New Delhi-Jammu (PTI): Pakistani forces on Wednesday lobbed heavy 82 mm mortar shells at Indian positions across the Line of Control in Northern Kashmir, marking a major esclation just a day after India conveyed its strong concerns over mounting ceasefire violations.

Six mortar shells were fired at BSF positions in two bursts in a span of one hour from 1130 on wednesday morning in Nowgam sector of Baramulla district, just miles away from the border post which had wittnessed heavy exchange of fire on Tuesday.

The mortar shells fell just short of the Nerian post being manned by BSF personnel.

"There were no casualties on the Indian side", army sources said adding Indian troops did not retaliate to the shelling.

Local army commanders got in touch with their Pakistani counterparts to point the trangression and to get the troops to cease fire, sources said.

The firing comes even as India on Tuesday conveyed its concerns over several instances of cross-border firing by Pakistani troops along the 742 km. LOC.

Arms control experts group opposes nuclear deal
Washington (PTI): Ahead of the crucial IAEA meeting on Friday, a group of arms control experts on Wednesday said both the atomic watchdog and Nuclear Suppliers Group should look at the Indo-US nuclear deal "very carefully and remove all ambiguities."

Sharon Squassoni of the Carnegie Endowment of International Peace cautioned that the "end game" does not stop with the agreement coming before the US Congress for approval but it lies with the 45-member NSG.

"The reality is that the end game is the NSG. India will be able to trade with other states once the 45-member group gives a clean exemption for New Delhi," Squassoni told a press briefing on the subject at the National Press Club.

Ambassador Robert Gray, former US Representative at the Conference on Disarmament, said that the United States was walking away from a treaty signed by 178 nations and termed the agreement as an "unmitigated disaster".

"If any exemption has to come about, it perhaps would have to be addressed by those who initialled the Non Proliferation Treaty," he said.

"The United States has given India a blank cheque... Now we are assisting them (India) to cash the cheque in another Bank, the NSG," he said.

Daryl Kimball, Executive Director of the Arms Control Association and a long time critic of the civil nuclear cooperation between India and US, maintained that the exemption from the NSG is not going to be a "quick one".

Pranab Mukherjee arrives in Colombo
Colombo (PTI): External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee arrived here on Wednesday night to participate in SAARC Council of Ministers meeting tomorrow.

Mukherjee was received at the airport by Sri Lanka's Deputy Foreign Minister M K Hussain Bahila and Indian High Commissioner Alok Prasad.

The SAARC Council of Ministers' meeting will finalise the agenda for the August 2-3 summit.

Mukherjee arrived in Colombo from Tehran where he attended the 15th Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

This year's SAARC summit is being held under the theme of 'Partnership for our people' and will also focus on launch of the SAARC Development Fund, establishing a South Asian Regional Standards Organisation, and increasing cooperation among SAARC nations with regard to criminal offences.

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit, is also likely to be discussed the expansion of the regional grouping.

The Sri Lankan government has stepped up security across the capital for the SAARC meeting.

Anti-national documents seized from LeT activists
Kolkata (PTI): A large number of documents showing anti-national activities have been recovered from two Laskar-e-Toiba activists, who were arrested from Murshidabad, officials of the state CID said on Wednesday.

"We have found a video footage where the arrested duo are seen with a rocket launcher in Pakistan. We have also recovered a pen drive where we traced a huge amount of anti-national documents," DIG (Special Operations Group) Siddhinath Gupta said.

"We have just taken them into custody and we need to interrogate them. The Jammu and Kashmir Police will further interrogate them," Gupta said.

Police had arrested Md Mustaq and Hasan-ud-Zaman from Murshidabad on Tuesday.

Md Mustaq, who runs a garment shop 'Bastramahal' in the local market, is a graduate with Bengali honours while Hasan-ud-Zaman, popularly known as Hasan Master, is pursuing his graduation.

"Zaman was working as a para-teacher in the local Chotkalia High School and was a part of the teachers organisation. Though Mustaq had a clean image, we will see how this man got the trade license," Chairman of Jangipur Municipality Mriganka Bhattacharya told PTI.

A district court on Wednesday remanded the duo in police custody for 14 days.

"They will be brought to Kolkata tonight," Gupta said.

Mustaq and Hasan were working together for about a year as local agents of LeT. They were responsible for giving shelter to terrorists and liased between LeT modules of Bangladesh and India.

The two were also responsible for helping people to migrate to India and smuggle arms and ammunition to facilitate cross-border terrorism, Gupta said.

Police would probe if they had any link with the back to back blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad.

The CID recovered a laptop and gelatine sticks from the possession of Mustaq which, the officials said, could become a vital lead for the investigation.

Economy scare & sting
Bomb chain in diamond hub
NISHIT DHOLABHAI

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080730/jsp/frontpage/story_9621370.jsp


Ahmedabad, July 29: Eighteen bombs were detected and defused in India’s diamond hub today, with the terrorists apparently choosing to mock the nation’s vulnerability without killing.

Alerted by ordinary people in the diamond hub of Surat, police found one bomb after another in crowded spots from morning through afternoon. Many hung from trees and hoardings 20 feet above the ground, or had been left near schools, power transformers and diamond-polishing or textile units, often with little effort to hide them.

An email sent to media offices around 11am by Indian Mujahideen — which has claimed responsibility for the weekend Bangalore and Ahmedabad blasts — said the militants had meant not to kill this time but merely to flex their muscle.

“We have full killing weapons to destroy the whole... India,” the email added.

The aim of creating panic succeeded, with schools and colleges closing by themselves or being ordered shut by the administration. The town, where three bombs had been detected in the past two days, is expected to shut down tomorrow, and even schools in four “sensitive” localities of Ahmedabad have been ordered to stay closed.

About a dozen bombs were found in and around bustling Varachha Road, the town’s diamond street and a storehouse of wealth that few areas of the country can match. Surat, 250km from Ahmedabad, is the world’s largest diamond-polishing centre with 6,000 units and nearly 10 lakh workers, and an annual business of Rs 70,000 crore.

Most of the bombs were noticed by alert passers-by who called up the police control room. Many of them were members of the Friends of Police, a citizens’ organisation that has turned into an effective news gathering agency.

Over the past two days, the police had explained through the media what a bomb might look like. Those found today were three-sided, wooden-frame structures tightly wrapped in green polythene.

Investigators said that instead of the digital-watch timers used in Ahmedabad, these bombs were fitted with “some kind of a chip” that functioned as an “integrated timer circuit”.

A three-member bomb disposal unit had its hands full, defusing one bomb (a process that takes around 15-20 minutes) and immediately rushing elsewhere to defuse another.

Amid the relief over the successful public vigilance, one question worried a senior police officer: “Only one bomb was found yesterday; how come so many mushroomed overnight?”

The email said the next targets included “(Narendra) Modi, Asharam, schools and colleges”, and named several Gujarat universities and technology institutes. “Asharam” could be a reference to chief minister Modi’s spiritual guru Asaram Bapu.






--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
More stories in Front Page


• Economy scare and sting
• Dalmiya makes a clean sweep
• Voice of India winner dies
• Reform ignition with Reliance role in PF
• Bullet marks on ceasefire sanctity
• US lawmakers agree to ban toxins in toys
• RBI stunner to tell on home loans
• City in a tizzy
• Hope for Subernarekha, relief for Bengal





Surat is an example for the country: Modi

Indo-Asian News Service
Surat, July 30, 2008
First Published: 11:30 IST(30/7/2008)
Last Updated: 18:36 IST(30/7/2008)


Print



A live bomb was found in Varacha locality in Surat on Wednesday shortly after a visit to the area by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who said the country needed to firmly fight the "proxy war" being waged by the terrorists.

The bomb was detected at Baroda Prestige Market, about 500 metres from Labeshwar Chowk, where Modi had gone as part of his visit to some of the areas in the city from where explosive devices were found on Tuesday, police said.

The bomb disposal squad, which rushed to the spot, defused the bomb, police said. This is the 21st live bomb found in the city in the last three days.

The bomb detected on Wednesday was similar to the 18 found on Tuesday from in and around Varacha, where several diamond processing units are located, they said.

Modi, who arrived in Surat this morning, announced a reward of Rs 51 lakh for information leading to the terrorists involved in the Ahmedabad serial blasts and the planting of bombs in Surat.

He said with the terrorists targeting cities like Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Mumbai and Hyderabad, it seemed that their intention was to cripple financial activities in the country.

The Chief Minister said as many as 12 big terror strikes had taken place in the country in the last two years and India needed to firmly fight this "proxy war" being waged by the terrorists.

Besides the bombs, two explosive-laden cars were found in this diamond hub on Sunday. The cars had been stolen from Mumbai. Police has released the sketch of a suspect who had parked one of the cars in Heerabaugh area in Surat.

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Hindutva Stopped Mayawati, Hindutva May Stop Barrack Obama Also!

Hindutva Stopped Mayawati, Hindutva May Stop Barrack Obama Also!



Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams: Chapter 31

Palash Biswas
http://troubledgalaxydetroyeddreams.blogspot.com/


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Preface: I never support clubbing of castes and communities for so called sharing of Power. I never believe in Individual Personal Achievement as a way of Dalit or Indigenous Liberation! I tag the problem of nationalities, those of aboriginal people with my concept of Liberation of my enslaved Indigenous communities including SC, ST, OBC and Minorities. I am against Brahminical hegemony but never support any caste or community or religious hegemony to rule of other majority Indigenous People! I won`t support this or that caste to subordinate the SC, OBC indigenous people divided in more than six hundred castes in accordance with the principles of Manu Smriti.


INdo US Atomic deal has never been an issue. Neither imperialism has been any issue in Power Politics of India. Super Nuke Opre enacted by different political identities in Indian Parliament did never focus on Nuke deal or Imperialism. The Marxists who once upon a time pulled down comrade Jyoti Basu to be the first Marxist Prime Minister of India and now, sacrificed its most veteran Parliamentarian Statesman, the controversial Speaker on namesake of Ideology, fielded a Young Muslim Urdu speaking Loaksabha member to speak for the party and he failed miserably. Marxists allowed the debate to be subverted in Hindutva Cry, as RSS planned well. The Opposition leader projected RSS Prime Minister waiting, Lal Krishna Adwani, did not utter a single word against US Imperialism or Interests. He did not hide his favour for strategic realliance with Zionist White corporate US Imperialism. Ironically, the antifascist Communists sided with RSS.Everyone in the House was aware of the cruel fact that the Deal is Auto Piloted and may not be stopped to be operationalised.


Lalu Yadav, the most Entertaining Orator did utter the Truth Ultimate in his rustic style:

NO LALU YADAV, NO MULAYAM SINGH YADAV, NO MAYAWATI, NO SC ST OBC OR MINORITY LEADER MAY BECOME THE PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA IN A SYSTEM RUN BY ARISTOCRACY! THE CASE OF DR MANMOHAN SINGH IS QUITE DIFFERENT.

Yes, here you are!

The Sikh Prime Minister was implanted from Washington!

Barrack Obama urged Israel to take whatever steps it needs to stop rocket fire from Gaza.

"I don't think any country would find it acceptable to have missiles raining down on its citizens," Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate, said during a stop Wednesday at the police station in Sderot, the southern Israeli city that has been plagued by rockets fired from Hamas-controlled Gaza.

The Global Hindutva does not have any sympathy with Iran or the Muslim world. NDA government in India headed by Atal Bihari Bajpayee simply rejected every appeal to condemn US aggression in Middle East. Hindutva forces never seem to be influenced by Obamas clear cut appeasement of Zionist lobby so powerful in United States of America!Both Sen. Barrack Obama and Sen. John McCain are treading some unfamiliar campaign-year terrain this summer as key blocs of ethnic voters shift the electoral landscape and put previously uncontested states, big and small, up for grabs.McCain's effort to reach out to minority voters faces another hurdle: Despite a high-profile outreach by former Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman, there are no minority Republican candidates with a strong chance of success in any congressional or gubernatorial race. Bobby Jindal, Louisiana's 37-year-old Indian-American governor, is reportedly high on McCain's vice presidential list, but there are no black Republicans in Congress or in the nation's governor's mansions.



Simply it is because Obama is a Black and holds a middle Muslim name, it despises the democrate presidential candidate and want to stop him as NDA UPA combination of Hindutva has been successful so far to stop the Black untouchable Woman in India the rare opportunity to lead India. The Apple Cart of Opposition is upset by the latest version of King Magnus and Singh is the King after Trust Vote won in Indian parliament full of Horse Power!

Hindu god has saved the Sikh Prime Minister as well as the most controversial Indo US Nuke Deal!The government narrowly survived the vote which had been initially delayed by allegations of vote buying.

“All of India’s political parties were the same. Their only aim is to come to power and stay there,” said Salim Sherwani, an MP from the Bahujan Samaj Party, which represents India’s dalits, or low castes.

Political ideology in India has ceased to exist. It has been replaced by political expediency, opportunism and thuggery in which only money matters,” Kuldip Nayar, a former independent MP and national affairs commentator, said.

Every party, he said, was seeking power and little else.


The most radical of these parties has been the BSP, led by Mayawati Kumari, a Dalit. The party has been on the ascent since it burst onto the political scene last year by securing the mandate in northern Uttar Pradesh state, the country’s most populous province.

Ms Kumari, who prefers to be known as Mayawati, pulled off an unexpected landslide victory by stringing together an all-caste “rainbow coalition”, making her the leader of the first majority government in 14 years in the province of more than 180 million people. If independent, Uttar Pradesh state would be the world’s seventh largest country.

In 2005, she described herself as a “living goddess”, declaring that she had never married so as “to improve the lot” of dalits.

Last week her supporters declared that she could become prime minister, an ambition analysts said was not beyond reach considering projections that her party could secure at least 50 of the state’s 80 parliamentary seats.

Over decades any political party that has dominated Uttar Pradesh – like the Congress and the BJP in the past – has invariably formed the federal government.

Mayawati’s support base comes mostly from the low-caste dalits, for whom she has become a symbol of their dignity and political aspirations after centuries of oppression by the Hindu upper castes.

Indian politicians publicly condemn the caste system as “regressive”, but since independence six decades ago, have perpetuated it by contesting elections like Mayawati did, with an eye on their voter’s caste affiliations.

“Caste equations eventually determine electoral outcomes in India and the forthcoming elections would be little different,” Seema Mustafa, a political analyst, said. The biggest drawback is that it results in uncertainty and disruptive politics, he said.

Clearly, the opening of the debate by Adwani proved to be correct in spirit that RSS was never interested to destabilise UPA Government. RSS rather used this opportunity to expose the hypocrisy of the Communists. Communists were equally thrashed by NDA and UPA. The nexus in between was clear enough. NDA and UPA the bulk of the Parliamentary strength is committed to the Nuclear Deal and US led Hindu Zionist White Strategic realliance.

We know how the India Origin US lobbies rallied behind Hillary Clinton just because Hindutva is dead against a Black President with a middle name Hessian! Now the US based Indian support has been shifted in favour of the Republican, Vietnam war Veteran, Mc Cain!

NDA and UPA stopped Mayawati to be the next Prime minister just because she is a black untouchable woman! Intense Dalit hatred united the Ruling class rock solid. The RSS may wait thousands years ! But it may not allow a Dalit OBC ST Minority third face as prime Minister candidate other than Dr Manmohan Singh and Lal Krishna Adwani!

This nexus of caste Hindu interests saved the day for the US Supreme Slave. Horse Trading drama was only the envelop of the well drawn strategy! RSS preempted the Casteology of MS Mayawati to overlap All India Politics and at the same time the slave broke the sickles of Marxist Ideological Support. Now, Dr Manmohan Singh , well supported by RSS, may run on fast track with all his bloody refoms. Poor communists lost every opportunity of Resistance as they could not look beyond the interests on stake for Left Ruled brahminical hegemony in three states. The first Himalayan Blunder involving Jyoti Basu was related to this dilemma and they repeated once again sacrificing Somnath Chaterjee!

Congress lost nothing. Nuke Deal runs on first Track. Mayawati is stopped by RSS. Stopping Maywati, UPA and NDA aligned alienating the Left. The left has no scope for any resistance as all Pro American forces of Polity, Market, Society, Media, Corporates, Mafia have aligned under the strong most ever umbrella of RSS to defend US interests as well as Brahminical hegemony stopping reincarnation of Mayawati. THe Left launched Prime Minister Mayawati campaign to re mobilise Dalit and Muslim Vote Bank. Bu sacrificing a most strong Brahmin Stalwart would not appease the Brahmin Caste hindu Vote Bank of the left.

In my city, Sodepur, I have seen the Bengali brahmins from Congress as well as Communists Bastion, swinging in favour of a Brahmin RSS Prime Minister, Atal Bihar vajpayee! Only during last municipal elections , Left fielded maximum Brahmincandidates in Sodepur after the infamous Shopping Mall fire. What happened I was shocked to see that the Brahmins and caste Hindu voters whom I know for almost two decades voting continuously against CPIM, voted for the communist Brahmin candidates. CPIM holds the Municipality with maximum realty property.

Only today, I saw the burnt Shopping Mall is opened once again. While it was established that the land was not transferred. It was an illegal construction on a Pond. It has no security and does not have all the required documents for trade. Because the CPIM has returned with Caste Hindu Vote Bank, the sub judice shopping mall is opened without any protest!

We may witness a sever reverse if the Left Continues to project Mayawati as Prime Minister candidate of the third Front. West Bengal ruling Hegemony or the civil society which never allow any space for indigenous communities would never tolerate and would defect in favour of Brahmincal Trinamool congress headed by MS Mamta Bannerjee.

The Chess play of the Marxist Power politics already lost the Wajeer!

What a grand Humiliation of a communist general secretary in Indian history in a Revenge PlaY!

What has been the gain for the Left? While the communists opposed the pact on the argument that it would make India a pawn of Washington, for other critics it gives India, a nuclear outlaw for decades after it developed nuclear weapons, too many rewards for little in return. The deal will enable around 400 Indian companies to tie up with major global nuclear firms such as GE, Westinghouse and Areva to develop India's civilian nuclear power, while requiring it to accept international monitors for its facilities. Although that would probably be a deal stopper for India, American pressure will probably prevail in the NSG. The deal could run out of time to be passed by the U.S. Congress under the Bush administration. But many analysts believe Washington will fast track the pact, fearful other countries may soon fill the gap.


McCain yesterday launched one of his toughest attacks yet on Senator Barack Obama, saying his Democratic rival ‘would rather lose a war in order to win a campaign.’”

Obama supporters are busy wooing Americans at home and those living abroad and one such campaign is underway in India as well.


Carolyn Sauvage Mar, a hard-core Obama fan is one of the delegates who is going to the Democrat National Convention in Denver on August 28, an honour, which she says, only 22 delegates from Democrats overseas are given.


Carolyn says her most important job comes in November - making sure all Americans living abroad register for the presidential poll.


“We are making a big push. We know there are tens and thousands of citizens living in India and it is a good guess that most of them haven't registered yet,” says Chairperson, Democrats-Abroad, Carolyn.


Obama’s army of volunteers want to convince young Americans and Indian Americans living in India to support Obama.


They say that absentee ballots are a big worry. In the 2000 US Presidential elections, the absentee votes of the Democrats camp were not properly organized, one of the factors in Bush's victory over Al-Gore.


Sporting the Obama T-shirts and colourful headgears, Obama supporters want to make sure that not a single vote of the Obama camp goes waste in the November elections.


However, volunteers at the Obama camp in Delhi say that their efforts are paying off.


“The best thing about Obama is that he has energized people to think about politics,” says a volunteer.


Meanwhile, to make sure that enthusiasm for Obama converts to solid votes, the Democrats-Abroad will be making a huge push on August 2 in all the major cities in India, holding camps at various places and helping the Americans to register their absentee votes online.


The Washington Post: “Obama said he had hoped to avoid political warfare with his rival while overseas, but the attention the candidate's trip is receiving in the United States and potential implications for the November election makes that all but impossible. Minutes after the news conference, McCain's campaign issued a statement blasting the Democratic candidate. ‘By continuing his opposition to the surge strategy long after it has proven successful and by admitting that his plan for withdrawal places him at odds with General David Petraeus, Barack Obama has made clear that his goal remains unconditional withdrawal rather than securing the victory our troops have earned and the surge has made possible,’ spokesman Tucker Bounds said.”

Barack Obama today reiterated his hawkish stance towards Iran by saying he would "take no options off the table".

The Democratic presidential candidate, echoing George Bush's stance on Iran, warned that a nuclear Iran "would be a game-changing situation", not just in the Middle East but in the rest of the world.

"A nuclear Iran would pose a grave threat and the world must prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon," Obama told reporters on a visit to Israel.

Obama, who sounded less than self-assured on the complexities of the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, was forthright about Iran in comments that will reassure the Israeli leadership.

Last month, Israel carried out a major military exercise in a less-than-subtle hint to Iran that it was prepared to bombard Tehran's nuclear facilities, no matter the diplomatic repercussions.


The National Urban League announced today that Senators John McCain and Barack Obama are confirmed to speak at its 98th annual conference, taking place in Orlando, Florida, July 30 through August 2. Both presumptive presidential nominees have accepted the invitation to share their individual plans for an urban agenda, and to comment on the National Urban League's Opportunity Compact, the organization's plan to increase opportunities for underrepresented populations.



Railway Minister Lalu Yadav addressed the Lok Sabha on day two of trust vote debate on Tuesday, he said that only infrastructure development can ensure prosperity of the country.

Praising Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he said, ''It's a very courageous step to take a trust vote on one's own accord.''

Slamming the Left parties, he said the Left parties are very good at ''creating confusion''.Lalu who was heard with attention in the Lok Sabha during the discussion over the trust vote, lauded Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and said: ''It's a very courageous step to take a trust vote on one's own accord.''

Punctuating his speech with sarcastic remarks on the Left decision to partner BJP to vote against the government, Mr Prasad, quoting a Bhojpuri saying, said: “Just as the cows are herded back to their sheds at the fall of dusk, the enemies of the government will also have to go.” The minister’s remark left the treasury benches in splits and even the Speaker was seen smiling.
Mr Prasad also targeted those opposing the deal, saying: “While you wear ‘Made in America’ wrist watches and send children to the USA for studies in the same breath you harbour US-phobia”.

Joining issue with the BJP veteran, Mr LK Advani, he ridiculed the Opposition leader for not saying a word against the USA or the Indo-US deal itself. He again elicited laughter in the entire House when taking a dig at Mr Advani, he said: “Everyone wants to be prime minister; Mulayam Yadav, Mayawati and even I want to.” But he went on to add, “hum harbari mein nahin haen (I am not in a hurry to become PM)”.

Mr Prasad said he fought communalism, stopped the Rath Yatra and got Mr Advani arrested in 1990. He also said he had nothing personally against BSP supremo Ms Mayawati. Reading out a popular Hindi verse, Mr Prasad sought to caution the Left for aligning with the BJP. He also said that the Left parties’ political compulsions forced them to oppose the Congress in West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura.

Taking a dig at veteran BJP leader L K Advani, he said everyone wants to be the prime minister; Mulayam Yadav, Mayawati and even he wants to be one. But he said he was in no hurry to become the prime minister.

Between peals of laughter, Lalu Yadav said, ''I stopped the Rath Yatra and arrested L K Advani; I brought down Morarji government.''

In his inimitable style, Lalu criticised the Opposition for their stand against the Indo-US nuclear deal, saying, ''You wear Made-in-USA watch, your children study in US, but you have US phobia On behalf of NDA, Advani never said one word against America or nuclear deal.

Describing the UPA victory in the trust vote as an outcome of "money power of industrialists," the Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray has lambasted the Left for propping up BSP leader Mayawati for the prime minister post.

"In its desperation to topple the Manmohan Singh government, the Left saddled Mayawati on the prime ministerial horse as their candidate without realising that this 'horse' is more dangerous than the horse-traders", Thackeray commented in the editorial published in the party mouthpiece, "Saamana" on wednesday.

The editorial said, "by raising a dream vision of prime ministership before Mayawati, the Left was making a historical blunder.

Congress needs to be vanquished but using the BSP chief towards that end amounts to administering a medicine that is more damaging than the disease".

The Left parties would not mind India becoming a "slave of China" but would not tolerate the country becoming friendly with America, he accused.

"But what they have done in Nandigram needs to be condemned more than what President Bush did in Iraq," Thackeray said.

"The events witnessed in Parliament during the passage of trust vote also showed that those who talk of principles and morality are the ones who are purchased first. The UPA survival is the result of unlimited power and the money bags loosened by industrialists. This may have saved the government but ruined the prestige of India's parliamentary democracy," he remarked.
Thackeray said "Manmohan Singh was a gentleman who is surrounded by 'Duryodhanas' of Mahabharata."
Most number of Cross Voting inflicted the most disciplined folk of RSS. Most number of MPs absent, belonged to RSS.
What Next?
The morning after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government won the trust vote in parliament, opposition parties, including the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the Left and other political formations, Wednesday got together and vowed to launch a national campaign on key issues.
"The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government may have won the trust vote but the way it was saved showed the vote was a murder and defeat of democracy," said agitated BSP leader Mayawati.
Her new-found ally, the Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Prakash Karat, reiterated that the government had "lost the trust of the nation" by the "immoral manner in which they engineered the win".
"We have formed a national level committee to campaign against pressing issues. This includes relentless price rise and inflation, farmers' suicides, the India-US nuclear deal, communal forces and the politicisation of the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation)," said Karat.
Also present in the breakfast meeting were Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N. Chandrababu Naidu, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Ajit Singh, Janata Dal-Secular chief and former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda, leaders from the Indian National Lok Dal and other Left parties including the Forward Bloc, CPI and the Revolutionary Socialist Party.
Naidu said the opposition would have won Tuesday's trust vote if the UPA had not "engineered abstentions, cross-voting and manipulating the vote". One of his MPs voted for the UPA while another abstained.
"Technically it is bad for the nation. When elections are due, they (UPA) have to face the public," said Naidu.
In the high-voltage political drama leading up to the trust vote, Mayawati has been the rallying point for the opposition parties including the smaller political formations who vowed to bring down the UPA government.
Ajit Singh said the coming together of political parties would provide an alternative to the UPA and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
"This will create a real (alternate) force in the country to the UPA and expose the so-called opposition that cooperated in the trust vote," he said.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati has decided to take bull by the horns and want that she will activate a Third Front attack on the Congress-led UPA Government in the days to come.

In a hard-hitting speech, Mayawati said, “The BJP got together with its allies and formed a strategy to save the UPA Government. In the scenario of fall of the UPA Government, instead of suggesting the formation of an alternate government, pushed ahead for the general elections. It is clear from today’’s happenings that both these alliances do not want the ”daughter of a dalit” to become the Prime Minister of the country.”
BSP chief Mayawati also asked Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to immediately resign from the post after BJP alleged that Samajwadi Party tried to bribe three of their MPs for abstaining from voting during the trust vote.
“Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should resign on moral grounds. This is a black day in the history of democracy,” she said.
Condemning the incident, she said the method adopted by the Congress to save its government was a “setback for democracy”.
She also blamed the BJP for the UPA’’s victory. “It is not a victory of the UPA, but the result of the politics played by the UPA and the NDA,” she said.
The UPA on Tuesday won the trust vote by a margin of 19 votes after a two-day debate. The ruling coalition secured 275 votes as against 256 by the Opposition. As many as 10 members were absent or abstained from voting.
And see the follow up! What an ideological stance of Hindutva!
Cracking the whip on MPs, who defied the party in Parliament, the BJP on Wednesday expelled eight Lok Sabha members, who bailed out the UPA government either by cross-voting or remaining absent during voting in the confidence motion.
''We have expelled eight MPs who either cross-voted or abstained during the trust vote,'' BJP president Rajnath Singh told reporters in New Delhi after a meeting of senior party leaders at the residence of Leader of Opposition L K Advani.
While four MPs were expelled for voting in favour of the government in the trust vote in Lok Sabha last night, four others faced the action for remaining absent.
The expelled Lok Sabha members are Brijbhushan Sharan Singh (Balrampur), Manjunath (Dharwad), Chandrabhan Singh (Damoh), H T Sangliana (Bangalore North), Manorama (Udipi), Haribhau Rathore (Yeotmal), Babubhai Katara (Dohad) and Somabhai Patel (Surendranagar).
''But for cross-voting and abstentions, the UPA would not have won. This government was formed with the help of tainted people who were included in the ministry. This is a tainted victory,'' Advani said.

The Kerala and West Bengal CPIM units may feel relieved as The likelihood of early general elections appear to have receded after the Government won the trust vote. Sources in the Congress said on wednesday elections may not be advanced and are likely to be held on schedule around March-April next year.
But the impact has to stay around and decaying mass base continues. The Left has to face elections someday! today or tomorow!
Ever since the Left parties, with about 60 MPs, upped their ante and moved towards withdrawal of support to the UPA coalition after four years, speculation was rife that the country may be headed for early elections, sometime towards the end of the year.
The victory of the Congress-led UPA coalition in the confidence motion has apparently changed the poll roadmap.
Entry of the Samajwadi Party into the ruling combine changed the entire political complexion and the government had even got the backing from unexpected quarter including at least eight from the main opposition BJP.

Talk of a cabinet reshuffle has also gained ground with JMM supremo Shibu Soren already making it known that he has been promised a ministerial berth. Soren even said he would get the coal ministry.
Having won the trust vote, the Government hopes to quickly move forward in wrapping up the Indo-US nuclear deal.
Experts believe that the processes with the IAEA and the NSG could be completed in a period of two months after which the 123 agreement could move to the US Congress for its final ratification.

Analysts say the landmark agreement, worth at least $40 billion for the energy business in a drive to double India's share of nuclear power to around 5-7 per cent by 2030, should pass international muster thanks to staunch U.S. support. The pact, which would make India a de facto nuclear power despite not signing the Non-Proliferation Treaty and conducting nuclear tests in 1974 and 1998, ran into trouble after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government faced a revolt by its former communist allies, culminating in Tuesday's vote.
With that battle won, analysts say India and the United States look well placed to muster support from the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), the next steps needed before it goes to U.S. Congress for approval.
NDTV reports:A defiant Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee was on Wednesday expelled by CPM in the wake of his refusal to quit the post in line with the directive of the party with which he was associated for four decades.
''The Politburo of the CPM has unanimously decided to expel Somnath Chatterjee from the membership of the party with immediate effect,'' a Politburo statement said after its meeting chaired by General Secretary Prakash Karat, that discussed his defiance ever since the party withdrew support to the UPA government.
The party invoked Article 19 (13) of its constitution to expel him under summary procedures without any notice on the charge of ''seriously compromising'' the party position.
The 79-year old barrister and ten-time MP, Chatterjee rejected both subtle and explicit hints from the party leadership, which asked him to quit the post to which he was
elected unanimously after the 2004 elections, saying he was above party politics given the post he held.
In the last fortnight he had been maintaining that he would take an appropriate decision, but it became increasingly clear that he was not going to oblige the party diktat. Even
on Wednesday he maintained he may be going to Kuala Lumpur for a Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference early next month.
The party hoped that Chatterjee, who was leader of its Parliamentary Party in the Lok Sabha for some time, would quit before the confidence vote on Monday, but he went ahead and presided over the proceedings of the two-day Special Session that ended on Tuesday.
After persuasion by CPM patriarch Jyoti Basu and others failed, the party is understood to have deputed one of its senior leaders Biman Bose to tell him that he give up the post in the light of the changed situation.

India's atomic energy deal with the United States, now back on track after the government won a confidence vote, next faces objections from some countries over selling uranium fuel and technology to the nuclear power.
A day after winning the mandate for going ahead with the Indo-US nuclear deal, the government on Wednesday pinned hopes on the August 1 meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors, saying the next steps would be taken after the Boards's approval of the India-specific safeguards agreement.
''There is no question of fast-tracking or slow-tracking (the nuclear deal). It is a process which is on,'' External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters in New Delhi when asked whether the confidence vote would now propel the government to steam ahead with implementation of the nuclear deal.
Asked about the progress being made on the deal, he said, ''I understand that the IAEA Board (of Governors) is meeting on August 1.''
The IAEA Board is meeting to consider approval of the India-specific safeguards agreement which has been handed over to it recently.
On being questioned as to what steps the government was taking to get NSG clearance for the deal, Mukherjee said that further steps would be taken after the IAEA board approval.
After the IAEA clearance, India will have to get exemption from the NSG before the US Congress could be approached for final vote.

Trinamul supporters block road to Nandigram
NANDIGRAM, July 21: Trinamul Congress supporters did not allow police officers to enter Nandigram today, fearing they would be tortured.
They blocked most of the road approaching Nandigram police station with iron pipes and tree trunks. They also staged a demonstration at Nandigram and Khejuri to protest against police highhandedness.
The police did not apply any force nor did they try to enter the village. The police released Trinamul Congress worker who were detained last night from Bhangaberia area. The Trinamul Congress workers returned four police vehicles, which were seized following yesterday’s incident, to police.
Meanwhile, the situation in Nandigram and Khejuri remained calm today. While holding protest rallies at Bhangaberia, Maheshpur in Nandigram and Mansinghberia and Bartala in Khejuri, Trinamul Congress leaders demanded immediate transfer of the Nandigram OC, Mr Debasis Chakraborty. They accused him of unnecessarily resorting to a lathicharge and firing rubber-bullets on the agitating party workers. They also claimed that one of their party workers ~ Mr Tapan Ghoroi ~ sustained rubber-bullet injuries.
At least 17 people were injured when the police resorted to a lathicharge on a rally organised by the Trinamul Congress to protest against the attack by the CPI-M cadres at Bhangaberia. They also damaged a police vehicle at Tekhali bridge and injured three police officers last night. The injured police officers have been admitted to the Kamardaha hospital.
The Khejuri block Trinamul Congress leader Mr Indrajit Karan alleged: “The OC, Nandigram has a partisan role and because of his support, the CPI-M cadres dared to carry out an attack on our party workers. To protest against the partisan role of the police, we have decided to gherao the Khejuri police station tomorrow”.
The CPI-M district secretariat member, Mr Ashok Guria said: “The situation in Nandigram and Khejuri remained peaceful today though no farmers dared to go in their agricultural field for cultivation”. n SNS
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=6&theme=&usrsess=1&id=214851

Meanwhile,Cracking the whip, the BJP today summarily expelled eight of its MPs who cross-voted or abstained during the trust vote as shocked opposition parties got down to fix errant MPs whose actions helped the UPA government survive.

Biju Janata Dal(BJD), a constituent in BJP-led NDA, expelled Harihar Swain dubbing him as a "betrayer" while Telugu Desam Party(TDP) MP M Jagannatham also faced similar action for defying party whip.
MDMK sources said in Chennai that the party will be seeking the disqualification of two of its MPS--L Ganesan and Gingee Ramachandran--for voting for the government.
Stung by his fellow MPs switching loyalties, BJP's prime ministerial candidate L K Advani said it sparked so much outrage in the party that it did not take more than five minutes to proceed against the MPs.
The eight members were among 24 opposition MPs who either voted for the government or abstained or remained absent.
"If there was no cross-voting, Government would have lost the trust vote," Advani told reporters a day after the Congress-led UPA government sailed through the confidence vote.
Wasting no time, Advani said that action was also being taken to seek the disqualification of the eight MPs from the Lok Sabha for violation of party whip.

The MPs expelled are Brijbhushan Sharan Singh (Balrampur), Manjunath (Dharwad), Chandrabhan Singh (Damoh), H T Sangliana (Bangalore north), Manorama Madhwaraj(Udipi), Haribhav Madhav (Jalgaon), Babubhai Katara(Dohad) and SomabhaiPatel (Surendranagar). The names of eight MPs half of whom who abstained were announced by BJP president Rajnath Singh at a news conference.

Hoping that the UPA government's victory in the trust vote would pave the way for India having "full access" to civilian nuclear fuel and technology, a top British daily today said the Indo-US nuclear deal is expected to unlock a whopping £20 billion investment in the power sector.
"The landmark nuclear deal, which is now assured, will allow India full access to civilian nuclear fuel and technology," 'The Daily Telegraph' commented today, a day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government won the crucial trust vote in Parliament.

"It will keep its arsenal of nuclear weapons and stay out of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, but will adopt safeguards designed to prevent the global-spread of military nuclear technology," it said.

The agreement will also unlock about £20 billion of investment in civilian nuclear power generation over the next 10 years, it said.

The paper said this massive expansion will be necessary if India is to sustain its economic growth rate of nine per cent per annum, the world's second-highest after China's.
Another daily 'The Guardian' said the Indian government survived a knife-edge parliamentary vote which came after weeks of political "horse-trading".

'The Times' said the outcome of the confidence vote was a "blow" to BJP, which had hoped to "capitalise" on the nuclear controversy and rising prices at the next election.
Having won the trust vote comprehensively, the government today sounded an upbeat note on the economy, saying it would move forward on implementing pending economic reforms including legislation aimed at increasing the foreign direct investment limit in insurance to 49 per cent, allowing foreign investors in banks higher voting rights and reforming the pension system.

The Bills are likely to be taken up in the monsoon session of Parliament, dates for which are yet to be decided. All these had been held up following strong objections from the four Left parties, which had supported the government until last month.
Speaking to a television channel after the trust vote, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said the government's first priority was to combat inflation and then ensure the growth momentum continued.
Chidambaram was reiterating Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's reply to the trust vote. Singh put tackling "imported inflation caused by a steep increase in oil prices" at the top of the list.
"Our effort is to control inflation without hurting the rate of growth and employment," he said.
Singh's speech outlined nine priority areas of national concern that included bolstering various national welfare schemes such as rural employment, education, midday meals, drinking water, sanitation and irrigation, among others.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi party has decided to give notice for breach of privilege against the three BJP MPs who alleged they were given money to vote in favour of the Government in the trust motion, party leader Mohan Singh said.
During the trust vote debate in Parliament on Tuesday, the MPs for the first time witnessed an unprecedented drama when BJP members flashed wads of currency notes, which they claimed were given by a Samajwadi Party leader as bribe for absenting himself from the trust vote.
Ashok Argal, BJP MP from Morena in Madhya Pradesh surrounded by his party colleagues, displayed bundles of currency notes saying Rs one crore was given to him by an SP leader as ''advance'' for abstaining from Tuesday's trust vote.
People's Democracy
(Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vol. XXXII
No. 28

July 20 , 2008



LEFT LAUNCHES NATIONWIDE CAMPAIGN
'Congress Ka Haath America Ke Saath'
THE Left parties began a nationwide political campaign to explain to the people the reasons for withdrawal of support to the Congress-led UPA government at the centre with an impressive meeting in New Delhi. At the time of going to press, big public meetings, rallies were also held in Chennai, Kolkata and many other places as part of this campaign.
The meeting in New Delhi on July 14, 2008 was addressed by the general secretaries of the four Left parties - CPI(M), CPI, Forward Bloc and RSP. The venue reverberated with thunderous slogans against Manmohan Singh government's servility to US imperialism, its callousness in dealing with rampant inflation and price rise etc. “Bush ki nahin, logon ki suno” (listen to the people, not Bush) was one slogan which was striking.
Speaking first in the meeting CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat made a blistering attack against the Manmohan Singh government and Congress leadership for giving more priority to keeping their promise to US president George Bush than providing relief to the people from the back-breaking inflation and price rise arising primarily out of the government's anti-people economic policies. The two main reasons for the withdrawal of support by the Left parties to the Manmohan Singh government are proceeding with the nuclear deal and inaction in tackling inflation and price rise. He criticised the prime minister for ignoring the suggestions made by the Left parties to curb inflation and price rise.
Karat asserted that the Left will make every effort to bring down this government in the confidence vote in parliament and dared the PM and the Congress to go among the people for a renewed mandate. “In the last elections, Congress party went into the battle with the slogan Congress ka haath, Aam Aadmi ke saath. But now it is Congress ka haath, America ke saath”, he taunted. He also said a minority prime minister Manmohan Singh and a minority president George Bush are binding our nation for 40 years through the India-US nuclear deal.
Referring to the allegation being made against the Left that it is combining with communal forces in voting against the government, Karat questioned whether Congress party ha any right to make such charge. He reminded how Congress voted along with BJP to bring down secular governments of V P Singh in 1990 and the Deve Gowda and I K Gujral governments in 1997-1998 period. The record of the Left in the fight against communalism is before the people. The BJP does not have a single seat in assembly or parliament in the Left-ruled states of Bengal, Kerala and Tripura. On the contrary, the Congress lost all its governments in the recent elections to state assemblies in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Karnataka etc to the BJP. The BJP could win these states because the Congress governments pursued anti-people policies engendering discontent among people which was cashed by the BJP. Karat also charged the Congress of adopting soft-Hindutva approach on communalism and this was apparent in what they did or did not do during the Gujarat riots. The Left would continue its struggle against communalism, he asserted.
Explaining how Manmohan Singh government's pro-American obsession and Congress leadership's complicity were responsible for the present crisis, Karat reminded that the Left parties supported the UPA government from outside to keep the communal forces at bay. But this support was based on the Common Minimum Programme which had clearly stated about following independent foreign policy. However the government violated this commitment by going ahead and signing the military, economic and nuclear agreements with the United States during prime minister's visit to Washington three years back. The Left has been saying since then that it can't be part of a government which made India a junior partner to US imperialism. In fact, the Left tried its best to prevent the fall of this government by making efforts through the UPA-Left committee on nuclear deal. However with the government proceeding to operationalise the deal, the Left had to withdraw support, he said.
Karat demanded an answer from the Congress party as to what led to the violation of senior-most minister Pranab Mukherjee's assurance to the nation about not going to IAEA until the trust vote was done. “We cannot doubt the integrity of Pranab Mukherjee. As he himself stated, he made that assurance only after talking to the prime minister. So what transpired in the meeting with president Bush that this assurance was betrayed? The prime minister must answer. The majority in parliament had clearly expressed their opposition to the deal. But violating this the government went ahead to IAEA. Can such a thing happen in a democracy? ”, questioned Karat.

Karat traced all the anti-people economic policies being pursued by the Manmohan Singh government to the pressure brought upon it by the United States. He cited how the Manmohan Singh government wanted to allow foreign direct investment in retail, agriculture and education sectors under the pressure of US government and its big companies like Walmart.
Referring to those who till the other day were giving speeches against the nuclear deal but now joined hands with the Congress to facilitate the passage of the deal, Karat said they would repent this somersault. He concluded by calling for taking the dangers of the deal among the people. “The deal is difficult to understand. But one must make an effort to do so because it is linked to our livelihoods also. The small shopkeepers, workers, kisans etc have to be told that their livelihoods are linked to defeating this deal”, he said. Karat expressed confidence that in the coming period more parties would join the struggle against the nuclear deal.
CPI general secretary A B Bardhan in his speech pooh poohed government's campaign about the deal meeting the energy demands of the country. The fact is that as of now the share of nuclear power in the total energy production is a mere 2 - 3 per cent and post deal it may at best go up to 7 - 9 per cent. So the remaining 90 per cent of our energy needs can be met only through thermal or hydro power. Moreover there is the threat of dealing with nuclear waste. He charged the government of neglecting the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline because of fear that it may anger US president George Bush. Referring to Congress party fielding 11 additional spokespersons to campaign on this issue, Bardhan said the Left accepts this challenge.
Bardhan alleged that the government was trying to cover up the issue of price rise by bringing to the forefront the nuclear deal issue. The common man is reeling under the rising prices much more than the high inflation figure of nearly 12 per cent suggested because that figure is based on wholesale price index. He criticised the prime minister for ignoring the concrete suggestions of the Left parties for curbing the price rise.
Terming the present government a minority government, he said it had no right to move the IAEA for finalising the Safeguards Agreement. He charged the ruling dispensation of indulging in horse trading in order to win the trust vote and said reports of astronomical figures of Rs 25 crore being offered to each MP were doing the rounds. Bardhan concluded by saying that the August 20 general strike was part of the ongoing struggle and it must be made a huge success.
RSP general secretary T J Chandrachoodan said that the Left was compelled to withdraw support to the UPA government because it was systematically violating the understanding with the Left parties on the basis of which they were extending support in the first place. He charged the Congress party of violating the coalition dharma. The government and Congress cheated not only the Left but the entire people of the country on this issue, he said.
Forward Bloc general secretary Debabrata Biswas in his speech criticised the media for trying to depict the ongoing struggle as a fight between personalities rather than policies. He asserted that the Left will not allow the nation becoming enslaved once again, both in terms of foreign policy or economic policy.
CPI(M) Polit Bureau members Sitaram Yechury and Brinda Karat, CPI deputy general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy and secretaries D Raja and Amarjeet Kaur, RSP secretary Abani Roy were also present on the dais. CPI(M) Delhi state secretary P M S Grewal along with Delhi state secretaries of CPI, Forward Bloc and RSP acted as the presidium for the meeting.
(N S Arjun)


US will convince Pak not to vote against India at IAEA: Mulford
23 Jul, 2008, 2026 hrs IST, AGENCIES
NEW DELHI/WASHINGTON: The United States will convince Pakistan into not voting against the India-specific safeguards agreement when the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meets in Vienna, Austria, later this month or early next month to give its approval to it, said US Ambassador to India, David C Mulford.
Conveying this message through a phono with select media at the American Centre here from Washington, Ambassador Mulford said he was well aware of Islamabad's reservations on the pact and on the US-India civil nuclear cooperation agreement, and expressed conviction about the Bush Administration's ability to "persuade" Pakistan to cooperate on the matter.
"We will address Pakistan's role at the IAEA," he said.
Welcoming the support in the Indian Parliament for the US-India civil nuclear cooperation initiative, Ambassador Mulford said a day after the UPA Government had won the trust vote by 275 to 256 that: "We will work closely with Government of India in days ahead for rapid completion of the ratification process through IAEA, Nuclear Suppliers Group and US Congress."
"The United States has been ready, is geared up for the next steps (in realising the US-India civil nuclear cooperation agreement). We had a meeting here with the coordinating committee on Monday, and now, we will work across a broad front, India will also work across a broad front to see the next steps in the deal through," Mulford added.
He said that the US is keen to present the bilateral legislation before the US Congress in the early part of September, following a meeting of the IAEA and two meetings of the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (IAEA)
When asked how he saw the deal panning out and whether New Delhi would be granted an unconditional waiver from the IAEA and the NSG vis-à-vis NPT-related strictures, Ambassador Mulford said, "I don't think you should use the term `unconditional waiver'. We are working on a clean exemption draft that will go ahead and support the various theses that have been determined by both countries. We will be working for a consensus for a movement forward. There is the 123 agreement, the IAEA India-specific safeguards, the two meetings of the NSG, and a determination to be made by the President (Bush) before we go before the US Congress with this piece of legislation."
He said that following the meeting of the IAEA, he expected the NSG members to meet after a week to ten days. Thereafter, there would be an assessment made on whatever more was needed so that the matter comes up in the US Congress in early September.
Mulford refused to comment on the stances that each country would adopt on the proposed agreement at the IAEA and the NSG, adding that India and the United States would address the concerns of each country individually, and he expected from the United States point of view, the focus would be in telling each country to see the larger picture, of effecting a growing relationship with India, one of the most progressive economies in the world.
On what China's role would be at the NSG deliberations, Ambassador Mulford admitted that Washington has had talks with the leadership in Beijing, and the latter has "agreed to review the documentation (related to the US-India civil nuclear deal)."
"I cannot speak on behalf of China, but I can say that China will look at the agreement and review its stance on it," Mulford said.
He also confirmed that there had been a telephonic conversation between Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice over the deal. He described it as a "friendly conversation" that focussed on all aspects of the proposed deal, and the next steps to be taken by both countries.
He said that Rice had told Mukherjee that she would be speaking to the leaderships of New Zealand and Australia, where she is visiting, and convince these two key NSG members to vote in favour of India.
He said that he expected India to send its ministers and officials to all IAEA and NSG countries to convince them about the deal and remove whatever concerns or reservations they had.
"Both countries would be actively pursuing the next steps. It would be a fully coordinated effort. The U.S. Congress is a sovereign body, capable of moving quickly. None can determine what it will do," Mulford said.
Replying to a question on whether the Bush Administration expected internal resistance to the deal, Mulford replied in the affirmative, but added, "We do expect a bipartisan majority to hold up in Congress."
The US Congress will have to meet before September when it breaks for session to meet only after the Presidential election process is completed in January next year.

he US has pledged to move forward on the civilian nuclear deal with India after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh won a vote of confidence in the Parliament. "We think that we can move forward with this," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said about the nuclear deal at the daily briefing on Tuesday.
"If their legislature lets it move forward, then we can do the same here, and then we'll be able to get this wrapped up," she elaborated.

BJP hints at Bofors-like protest
New Delhi (PTI): Mounting pressure on the government, BJP prime ministerial candidate L K Advani on wednesday hinted at en masse resignation of the entire Opposition in Parliament to register its protest over the "tainted" victory in the trust vote, a move it said could be similar to the one at the height of Bofors' controversy.
"When I had referred to Bofors, I had that particular incident in mind. It is a suggestion for action...Only if the entire opposition decides or only if the entire party decides," Advani said addressing a joint press conference along with party chief Rajnath Singh.
The entire opposition had resigned in 1989 over the Bofors issue, a few months before the Lok Sabha elections.
The press meet, held a day after the alleged "cash-for-votes scandal" broke out in the Lok Sabha shortly before the confidence motion, saw Advani describing the "scam" as "even more shocking" than Bofors.
To another question whether the party would move a no-confidence motion against the government in view of its 'fragile' mandate, Advani avoided a direct reply but made it clear that "it will not be easy for the government to continue smoothly...". Besides, he said, elections are not far away.
Advani announced that the party would be launching a nation-wide campaign to make people aware of the "illegitimacy" of the UPA government and its "unsuitability" to continue in office after exposure of the "cash-for-votes scandal".
The Leader of the Opposition said he was "saddened" by the fact that so many party MPs had violated discipline and there is a sense of outrage in the party. It was "prima facie only because of the lure of money", he added.
'N-deal will liberate India from technology denial regime'
Kalpakkam (PTI): The Indo-US nuclear deal would liberate India from a technology denial regime since 1974 enforced after the country first tested its nuclear device and pave the way for "two-way traffic of exchange of inventions and discoveries," a top nuclear scientist said on wednesday.
M R Srinivasan, former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), said the deal would help India import Light Water Reactors (LWR) and ensure continued supply of enriched uranium.
Talking to reporters here after participating in the silver jubilee celebrations of the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS), Srinivasan said the nuclear isolation period from 1974 helped India build its own ability in the field.
"Developed nations have realised India is on the path of building a robust nuclear technology in strategic and civilian fields and therefore it makes no sense for us to be kept out", he said.
Srinivasan said operationalisaton of the deal would make India a global nuclear player, enabling it to invest in nuclear technology in other countries as well as help setting up such facilities in "friendly countries." "We can build and maintain nuclear reactors which will net us a lot of revenue. In that regard, the deal is an important step," he said adding the 70,000-strong workforce of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) was prepared for this task.
With India having a mismatch of supply and demand of uranium, it was imperative that the country clinched the deal, he said adding it would also relieve the burden of too much dependence on petroleum products "whose reserves are dwindling," leading to skyrocketing prices of the same.

Draft Safeguards Agreement with IAEA - Full Text
Agreeing to permanent IAEA safeguards is on the basis of permanent fuel supplies: Kakodkar
Signing 123 Agreement amounts to accepting American hegemony opinion

More anti-people steps by Congress in coming days: CPI(M)
Kolkata (PTI): The CPI(M) on wednesday expressed fear that after winning the trust vote in the Lok Sabha the Congress-led UPA government would now take anti-people steps one after another to please the US.
"The UPA government may have crossed the hurdle of trust vote, but the situation it created to win will lead to 'unrest' in the country, putting more burden on the common man and communal forces getting the opportunity to raise their heads," the party mouthpiece 'Ganashakti' said in an editorial here.
The CPI(M), in close coordination with other Left parties, would continue its struggle against 'sinister designs' of the Congress to sell the nation to US imperialism, it said.
Emphasizing that the Left parties were committed to safeguard the interests of the nation and the people, the daily said the Indo-US nuke deal would cause 'immense' harm to India's sovereign foreign policy' and claimed that the Leftists had brought the issues to the centrestage of national politics.
Charging the UPA with violating the Common Minimum Programme, it said the Left parties had aptly taken the decision to withdraw support from the government considering the issues affecting the interests of the country.
"Congress resorted to horse-trading, got the blessings of the corporate lobby, put in all efforts to keep opposition MPs absent on the day of trust vote and finally tainted itself with the charge of bribe offers to BJP members inside the Lok Sabha."
The daily alleged that the Congress-led UPA government largely depended on money power to ensure its survival.
'PM freed from Communists; can move in other areas of reforms'
Washington (PTI): As the UPA government won the crucial trust vote on the Indo-US nuclear deal, a top American scholar has said it will strengthen the hands of Indian prime minister in other areas of reforms pertaining to economic and social development which were "held up by the Communists".
"Now that the Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) has put something together without the Communists, he actually has some positive impact on moving in other reform areas which were held up," Walter Andersen, Associate Director of the South Asia programme at the School of Advanced International Studies of the Johns Hopkins University, told PTI.
Singh, in his reply to the debate on Motion of Confidence in Parliament yesterday, said: "They (Left leaders) wanted a veto over every single step of negotiations which is not acceptable, They wanted me to behave as their bonded slave."
Andersen, also a former senior State Department official, said: "The nuclear agreement will now go to the IAEA and the United States is going to press to push the Nuclear Suppliers Group to meet as soon as possible and get positive response there."
He noted that both Democratic presumptive presidential candidate Barack Obama and his Republican rivals John McCain support the deal so it will not be a problem for the Congress to approve it.

Focus now on seeing through economic reforms: Chidambaram
Jaipur (PTI): With the UPA government surviving a trust vote without the support of reforms-weary Left parties, Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday said focus would now be on greater economic liberalisation, including relaxing FDI limit in sectors like insurance.
"On Tuesday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wanted to make a point (on it) in his reply after the debate on trust vote, but he had to table it due to uproar in Lok Sabha," he told reporters here after inaugurating the Sriram General Insurance scheme in Rajasthan.
"We will make all out efforts to take economic reform process forward by passing a number of bills pending in Parliament for the development of the nation," he asserted.
The bills that are due for passage relate to Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Labour, Women and Child Development, and Social Sector, he added.
Chidambaram said the Centre would now reach out to other political parties, including those that voted against the UPA government on the Indo-US nuclear agreement, for faster economic reforms and passing of the bills, including the one on insurance sector.
The bill would enable the government to raise FDI in insurance sector from 26 per cent to 49 per cent, he said.
When asked about the measures for containing inflation, he said, "It is not a new question...we have answered inflation every week...nothing new to add...it is driven by crude oil and commodities prices...it is imported inflation...we have taken monetary measures to curb it".
Market cheers UPA win: Sensex settles 5.94 % up
23 Jul, 2008, 1717 hrs IST,Surya R Kannoth, ECONOMICTIMES.COM
MUMBAI: The government emerging victorious in the confidence motion gave bulls the much needed trigger to trample bears on Wednesday. Buoyant global cues following crude oil's further fall added to the upbeat mood.
The confidence vote win in parliament meant that the government could revive stalled economic reforms. It also meant that the country could now go ahead and sign the civilian nuclear deal with the US which has the potential to significantly boost India's nuclear energy production.
The euphoria was witnessed across the board. Power and capital goods cashed on to the prospects of the Indo-US nuclear deal while investors fancied banking stocks on expectations of more mergers and restructuring in the sector. Crucial legislations in insurance and banking sectors and bills for setting up of a pension regulatory body and one for unorganised sector had been pending following opposition from the Left parties that had the government's hands tied down.
But the sustainability of the current rally remains a question for many. Analysts cautioned that macro-economic issues, such as soaring inflation and growth slowdown, are likely to peg back sentiment.
"It is too early to call it a secular bottom yet. Bear market rallies of such nature are typical. But that does not mean the rally will die in a day or two. In any case, the market was in an oversold territory which is why over the last few it has seen sustained buying. So this can take it to north of 15,500 quite comfortably. However, gains are likely to be limited as economic worries still persist," said an analyst with a local brokerage.
Further, the Reserve Bank of India's monetary policy review is due on July 29. After two surprise rate increases in June, many expect the central bank could either raise its key lending rate again. This could again dampen sentiment.
Bombay Stock Exchange's Sensex settled 5.94 per cent or 838.08 points higher at 14,942.28, just 58 points away from the 15000 mark. It soared to a high of 14,979.90 from a low of 14,568.22.
National Stock Exchange's Nifty ended at 4476.80, up 5.58 per cent or 236 points higher. The broader index touched a high of 4491.55 and low of 4246.70 during the day.
Secondline stocks also gathered momentum. BSE Midcap Index gained 5.05 per cent to close at 5,615.94 and BSE Smallcap Index ended 4.23 per cent up at 6,812.64.
Reliance Communications (12.12%), ICICI Bank (12.04%), HDFC (11.29%), State Bank of India (11.17%) and BHEL (10.86%) fronted the Sensex rally.
Financial stocks were the star performers in Wednesday's trade with index heavyweights ICICI Bank (11.64%), HDFC (10.92%), State Bank of India (10.45%) and HDFC Bank (9.57%) stealing the show. Other gainers in the 30-share index comprised Reliance Communications (12.2%), BHEL (10.92%), Reliance Infrastructure (10.36%) and DLF (9.12%).
Cipla (-2.21%) and Hindustan Unilever (-0.65%) were the only frontline stocks that disappointed.
Market breadth was impressive with 2270 advances outnumbering 436 declines on BSE, while on NSE, there were 1176 gainers and 111 losers.
Meanwhile, oil continued its retreat on Wednesday, with US crude oil futures down $2.51 at $125.94 a barrel as fears that Hurricane Dolly would hit Gulf of Mexico crude supply faded. The drop in oil prices, which is now down more than $20 after hitting a record above $147, eased recent concerns over inflation and rising costs for companies.
Statesman News Service
NEW DELHI, July 22: On one of the murkiest and most disgraceful days of the Indian Parliament’s history, when wads of crisp notes hogged the limelight amid claims of an alleged cash-for-votes scandal on the floor of the Lok Sabha, the Manmohan Singh government sailed through its vote of confidence this evening.
Barely a few hours after three BJP MPs convulsed the national conscience by storming into the well of the House to display the “one crore rupees” cash contents of two bags, which they alleged was given as bribe in advance by the SP in lieu of their abstention in order to help keep the Congress-led UPA government afloat, the Speaker, Mr Somnath Chatterjee, announced the outcome of the trust vote in favour of the government that garnered the support of 275 MPs ~ four more than the required majority ~ as against the Opposition camp’s 256.
The government’s emphatic victory would defuse the protracted national political crisis, at least for now, besides enabling it to press ahead with the Indo-US nuclear deal towards operationalisation, which was the core issue that necessitated its trial of strength following the Left parties’ withdrawal of support.
Although a slew of Opposition parties of varying sizes and shades ~ including the BJP-led NDA, the CPM-led Left, the BSP-led UNPA and others ~ ranged themselves against the government on their common anti-nuclear-deal plank, with the BSP chief Miss Mayawati proving to be a major fulcrum in the topple-government operation, the confidence vote motion was adopted marking significant cross-voting and abstentions from the Opposition ranks.
Facing its first confidence vote since its inception in May 2004, the Manmohan Singh government’s convincing victory following a two-day debate in the Lok Sabha’s special session was marred by shocking scenes inside the House, centred around an alleged cash-for-votes scam that set off an uproar leading to storming of the well by both Treasury and Opposition members, who exchanged allegations and barbs, leading to repeated adjournments.
Crying foul over the bribery scandal, the agitated Opposition members demanded the PM’s resignation and forced him to table his speech without winding up his customary response to the debate on the motion.
In his hard-hitting speech, the PM mounted a blistering onslaught on both the CPI-M general secretary Mr Prakash Karat and the Opposition leader Mr LK Advani. Slamming the Left, Dr Singh said “they wanted me to behave as their bonded slave,” adding “they wanted a veto over every single step of (nuclear deal) negotiations which is not acceptable.”
The PM asked “our friends” in the CPM-led Left Front to ponder over the company of parties like the “communal” BJP they were forced to keep because of the “miscalculations” by “their general secretary.”
Slamming the BJP’s PM candidate Mr Advani, Dr Singh accused him of “sleeping” during the Gujarat carnage, terrorists’ attack on Parliament, the Kandahar hijack episode besides charging him with “single-handedly inspiring” the destruction of Babri Masjid.
Unleashing a frontal attack on Mr Advani for using “all manner of abusive adjectives to describe my performance”, the PM alleged that the former had made at least three attempts to topple his government in order to “fulfil his ambitions,” asking him to do “introspection” over his role “before levelling charges of incompetence at others.”
Making a strong pitch for the nuclear deal, Dr Singh said it will end India’s nuclear apartheid, asserting that the agreements negotiated with the USA, Russia, France and other countries would enable India to enter into international trade for civilian use without any interference with the nation’s strategic nuclear programme.
In the face of strong domestic objections over the adverse implications of the American Hyde Act on the 123 Indo-US nuclear agreement, Dr Singh also declared that his government is willing to look at “possible amendments” to India’s Atomic Energy Act to ensure that the country’s strategic autonomy will never be compromised.
What, however, cast a huge shadow on the government’s triumph was the stunning spectacle of three BJP MPs displaying cash on the floor of the House this afternoon, which appeared to be a sequel to the charges of horse-trading, bargaining and concession-peddling, flying thick and fast over the last couple of weeks, involving virtually the entire political spectrum in connection with their respective camps’ alleged bids to muster numbers of MPs’ votes by all means, including inducing poaching, defection and abstentions.
The three BJP MPs ~ Mr Ashok Argal (Madhya Pradesh), Mr Fagan Singh Kulaste (Madhya Pradesh) and Mr Mahavir Bhagora (Rajasthan) ~ alleged that they were offered a bribe of Rs 3 crore each by the SP leader Mr Amar Singh and Mrs Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Mr Ahmed Patel for abstaining from tonight’s vote. Both Mr Singh and Mr Patel dismissed the allegation as “conspiracy”, even as the entire Opposition sought to put the government in the dock on the issue.
Mr Karat said the cash episode was a “shameful day” in the country’s democracy. “The members belonging to the Opposition in the Lok Sabha have been approached with money and inducements. They have spared the members of Left parties because they know they can’t buy our MPs,” said Mr Karat. “We have the time, date, records.”
Mr Advani demanded a detailed investigation by the Lok Sabha Speaker into the “very serious” cash-for-votes scandal.
“This is the most unfortunate and a very sad day in the history of Parliament,” said the Speaker who assured the House that he will take all steps to deal with the scandal. Mr Chatterjee said no guilty will be spared.
Holding that he was very sad over the episode, the PM said the Speaker was seized of the matter, asking to “wait for his findings”. “We will cooperate and whatever is in accordance with law will be done in this case.”
With the Prime Minister comfortably winning the trust vote tonight, the possibility of an early Cabinet reshuffle is being talked about in political circles.

JMM supremo Mr Shibu Soren has already said he would get the Coal portfolio, the ministry which he had held when he resigned from the Cabinet in the wake of a murder case.
It is still unclear whether the new ally of the Congress ~ the Samajwadi Party ~ would join the government, but a section in the UPA believes that the Mulayam Singh Yadav led party would be willing to do so despite protestations. The run-up to the trust vote also saw some Congress leaders playing truant for some time so that the leadership assures them to address their grievances.
While several ministries have already been allocated to the Congress allies, a major exercise by the Prime Minister would be a difficult affair.
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=1&theme=&usrsess=1&id=214986

How the bridge was crossed
- Both sides got ‘outside support’, but govt gained more
CHARU SUDAN KASTURI
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080723/jsp/frontpage/story_9588765.jsp
New Delhi, July 22: The UPA and its allies may have weaned away more cross-voters from the Opposition than the MPs they lost to Mayavati and the BJP, winning a side-battle crucial in the war called the trust vote.
Initial estimates suggest at least 14 MPs from parties officially opposed to the Prime Minister’s trust motion voted for the government, taking it past the number required for survival.
In all, 275 MPs voted for the motion out of a possible effective strength of 541. The number of ‘ayes’ for the motion appears still more significant, considering 10 members who abstained from or skipped voting, reducing the effective voting strength to 531 and the minimum votes required to 266.
But remove the 14 MPs who cross-voted from the government’s tally, and its score comes shooting down to 261, five below the number it required.
The BJP, the chief Opposition party in the Lok Sabha, appears to have been the biggest target. At least seven MPs from the party voted for the motion.
MPs from the BJP’s NDA allies — the Janata Dal (United) (2), the Biju Janata Dal (1) and the Akali Dal (1) — cross-voted.
One MP from former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda’s Janata Dal (Secular) also voted for the government.
Gowda, with three MPs, had announced his opposition to the government two days ago after keeping both the government and the Opposition on tenterhooks since the announcement of the trust vote.
Telugu Desam chief N. Chandrababu Naidu may have joined hands with the Left and the BSP to topple the government, but at least two of his five MPs didn’t agree with him, and voted for the motion. Unconfirmed reports put the number at three, including a liquor baron.
But the government wasn’t the only beneficiary of cross-voting. Amid allegations from the Samajwadi Party that the BSP was attempting to steal its flock, the motion’s opponents did manage to ensure that at least 10 MPs expected to vote for the government did not.
The combined strength of parties and MPs who had publicly declared their support to the motion at the start of the day stood at 271. The corresponding figure for those opposed to the motion stood at 265, with five MPs either undecided or, in the case of Mamata Banerjee indicating plans to be absent.
But if the government bagged 275 votes with the help of 14 cross-voters, it would have managed only 261 without those who broke with their party line.
Given that the government was expected to get at least 271 votes at the start of the day, this means 10 MPs had deserted Manmohan Singh’s ranks, reducing the support for the motion without the cross-voters to 261.
The numbers against the motion, on deducting the cross-voters from the expected figure at the start of the day (265-14) come to 251, five below the number the Opposition eventually managed.
So, at least five of the 10 MPs expected to vote for the motion by their parties at the start of day voted against the government.
PTI quoted BJP leaders as saying Sombhai Patel, Babubhai Katara, Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, Chandrabhan Singh, Haribhau Rathod, Manjunath and Sangliana voted for the motion. The MP from Udupi, Manorama Madhwaraj, absented herself during voting after being present earlier in the day.
The Biju Janata Dal has decided to expel Harihar Swain from the party, accusing him of voting for the motion. Swain said he voted according to his “inner voice”, borrowing a phrase popularised by Sonia Gandhi in 2004.
The Akali Dal has served a notice on Sukhdev Singh Libra who “disappeared” from the Lok Sabha in the afternoon.

Defiant Speaker wins first round against party
Uday Basu
KOLKATA, July 22: Though the Manmohan Singh-government won the trust vote today, the Lok Sabha Speaker Mr Somnath Chatterjee won a different battle against his own party hands down.
The way he conducted the proceedings of the House, tongue-lashing his own “Comrades” who were trying to disrupt the debate, showed his no-nonsense and almost brutal neutrality, while making it clear that he was determined to give his party leadership a piece of his mind.
It was the CPI-M MP, Mohammed Salim, who incurred the wrath of the Speaker when he repeatedly interrupted the finance minister, Mr P Chidambaram's speech. The minister was explaining the legal intricacies involving the Hyde Act and the 123 Agreement ~ the lynchpin of the Left's opposition to the nuke deal - and China's plan for the next two decades to step up its nuclear energy from the present 2 per cent. He tried to dissuade Mr Salim from interrupting him with the plea that he had “patiently heard him when he spoke yesterday” and expected the same “courtesy” be extended to him as well.
The Speaker immediately intervened, pulled up Mr Salim and told him that the House was “not a meeting place”.
Then it was the turn of a couple of Left MPs who joined Mr Salim in disrupting the proceedings. “I won't allow such indiscipline in the House. The whole nation is watching. Don't you belong to a disciplined party ? You are glorifying neither your party nor yourself,” he chastised them. The worst that the CPI-M MPs could expect from the Speaker was still in store for them. When the House was resumed after the unprecedented and “shameful” episode involving three BJP MPs displaying wads of money inside the House, the Speaker allowed representatives of some small parties to take part in the debate before the Prime Minister wrapped it up. He was determined not to let anyone else disrupt the proceedings any longer.
Mr Salim suddenly rose to his feet and tried to raise the alleged pay-off.
Immediately, the Speaker was at his acerbic best and asked Mr Salim whether he had personal knowledge about the alleged deal. “If so, why don't you come to this side (meaning the Chair)...” he taunted him. The Speaker had been at the centre of an unprecedented intra-party feud within the CPI-M as its general secretary, Mr Prakash Karat, was adamant that he step down before the trust-vote, while he was equally determined to defy him. His conduct in the House was another defeat of Mr Karat.
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=1&theme=&usrsess=1&id=214985

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