Jats to decide Rajasthan result
25 Nov 2008, 0245 hrs IST, ET Bureau
DELHI: In a state where caste has traditionally been an important tool of political mobilisation, Jats, who comprise 10.8% of the Rajasthan
electorate, will play a decisive role in the assembly election outcome. Based on the average presence of each caste and their spread across the 200 assembly seats in the state, RDI, a leading research organisation, has worked out a caste impact index (CII).
And Jats, with a CII of 3.26, was way ahead of the other castes in the state in terms of their capability to influence the electoral verdict. Brahmins, with a CII of 2.12, were placed next, followed by Rajputs (1.59) and the Meenas (1.1). Muslims, who constitute 8% of the voter-base in Rajasthan, have a CII of 1.61.
Not surprisingly, Jats are being wooed assiduously by the two leading political players, BJP and Congress. The community, which had traditionally rooted for the Congress, switched allegiance in the 2003, with large chunks gravitating towards BJP and smaller outfits such as the INLD, BSP and independents.
Desertion by Jats, and to some extent, Meenas, in the 2003 assembly polls hit the Congress, which saw its vote-share
dipping to 35.7%, against the BJP’s 39.2%. The percentage of votes polled by the saffron party in the previous election was only marginally higher (0.6%) than what it got in 1998, but shifting of loyalties by Jats was enough to rattle the Congress. It could only get 56 seats in the 200-member House. The BJP, on the other hand, saw its tally hitting an all-time high of 120.
Besides continuing to enjoy backing of caste groups such as Rajputs, Brahmins, Kayasthas and a section of OBCs, including Kumawats, Dhakars and Rawats, BJP and its alliance partners, according to the RDI, was seen to be getting the support of a majority of Jats in the present political scenario. The return of former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, who was seen as some sort of a bugbear by Jats, to the state Congress’ centrestage appears to be determining their political reflexes.
The Congress, which is confident of retaining the backing of its core constituency of Muslims, Gurjars, Malis and Dalits, is working overtime to lure swing castes such as Jats, Meenas and Meghwals. Perturbed over reports of rebellion by Jat satraps, the party gave more tickets to the community (26) than it did in 2003, but the BJP and its alliance partners proved smarter. They ended up offering 35 seats to Jats in an attempt to rally community members behind it.
“The return of Mr Gehlot to the state political scene has once again sent a wrong signal to Jats and, in all likelihood, they are likely to veer away from the Congress,’’ argued RDI’s Devendra Kumar. With Meenas and Gurjars sharing an adversarial relationship across the state, the embracing of the Congress by Gurjars is only send Meenas packing into the arms of BJP. ``Even without Mr Kirorilal Meena, t BJP is all set to secure at least 50% of Meena votes,’’ contended Dr Kumar.
The Meghwals, who are an influential Dalit community, have traditionally voted for the BJP in large numbers. The trend, according to RDI, was likely to persist.
1
Monday, 24 November 2008
Thursday, 20 November 2008
Advani with top industrialists
Make opportunity of adversity: BJP
21 Nov 2008, 0154 hrs IST, ET Bureau
NEW DELHI: The BJP leadership, which got into a huddle with the top business leaders of the country, felt that the present economic crisis ``should
not be wasted,’’ but translated into an opportunity for India. That the Indian economy was at serious risk and worsening rapidly did not come as a surprise to Mr L K Advani and his party colleagues.
Their worst fears were confirmed as there was a 50% decline in manufacturing, loss in livelihood and a crisis of confidence. The focus, then, was on how to save jobs, employ new entrants into the job-market and kick-start the economy.
During the nearly three-hour meeting, luminaries from Indian industry, who included Mukesh and Anil Ambani, Shashi Ruia, Sunil Mittal, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, K V Kamath, Sajjan Jindal, Rahul Bajaj, Saroj Poddar, Baba Kalyani and Rajkumar Dhoot, highlighted common concerns, specific sectoral difficulties and made specific suggestions.
The big concern, of course, was the availability of adequate and affordable credit, which was urgently required to overcome a massive credit crunch. A situation that is adverse for big companies, and disastrous for agriculture, small and medium enterprises and consumers. Concerns were expressed on the foreign exchange management. It was felt that for the present foreign exchange inflows must be encouraged to bolster the rupee as the Rs 50 to a dollar barrier had been breached.
Agriculture, which the backbone of the economy is already presenting a crisis situation. “Everyone present agreed that agricultural credit was urgently required. Credit scarcity in the current sowing season (rabi) will present problems during harvest. Farmers require to be extended credit now”, former finance minister Yashwant Sinha said.
Manufacturing, the other focus area, too is going through a situation of excessive capacity as demand has fallen. The BJP leaders were informed, that as of date there had been a 50% decline in manufacturing. Adding to this situation is the large-scale dumping by China. “We were told that the government is not taking adequate anti-dumping measures,” Mr Yaswant Sinha informed.
Large scale job losses in sectors like construction, textile, automotive ancillaries, and other export industries, was a worry point. Describing the government as one of “incremental crawling,” Mr Singh said that “participants had mixed views on new fiscal stimulus, given the government’s existing deficits. However, there was broad agreement that existing projects needed to be expedited and that approved loans should be disbursed as quickly as possible.”
Mr Sinha said “aside from the increasing fiscal deficit, slowdown in growth and decline in reserves, there is a human angle that concerns us, that is the loss in jobs.” The former finance minister reiterated the need for large-scale investment in infrastructure which would create jobs and lead to an increase in demand.
While the current situation was at the forefront of the agenda, some long-term priorities were also discussed. Former finance minister Jaswant
Singh said that the long term priorities would be carefully considered while formulating NDA’s economic agenda. Education, healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure development, energy independence were among these priorities.
Priorities included establishing an equitable growth model for all Indian citizens that will guarantee economic security and employment. Employment generation was to be the “overriding performance metric” for the economy, especially as 15 million people join the workforce each year. Agriculture needs to be a focus area.
21 Nov 2008, 0154 hrs IST, ET Bureau
NEW DELHI: The BJP leadership, which got into a huddle with the top business leaders of the country, felt that the present economic crisis ``should
not be wasted,’’ but translated into an opportunity for India. That the Indian economy was at serious risk and worsening rapidly did not come as a surprise to Mr L K Advani and his party colleagues.
Their worst fears were confirmed as there was a 50% decline in manufacturing, loss in livelihood and a crisis of confidence. The focus, then, was on how to save jobs, employ new entrants into the job-market and kick-start the economy.
During the nearly three-hour meeting, luminaries from Indian industry, who included Mukesh and Anil Ambani, Shashi Ruia, Sunil Mittal, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, K V Kamath, Sajjan Jindal, Rahul Bajaj, Saroj Poddar, Baba Kalyani and Rajkumar Dhoot, highlighted common concerns, specific sectoral difficulties and made specific suggestions.
The big concern, of course, was the availability of adequate and affordable credit, which was urgently required to overcome a massive credit crunch. A situation that is adverse for big companies, and disastrous for agriculture, small and medium enterprises and consumers. Concerns were expressed on the foreign exchange management. It was felt that for the present foreign exchange inflows must be encouraged to bolster the rupee as the Rs 50 to a dollar barrier had been breached.
Agriculture, which the backbone of the economy is already presenting a crisis situation. “Everyone present agreed that agricultural credit was urgently required. Credit scarcity in the current sowing season (rabi) will present problems during harvest. Farmers require to be extended credit now”, former finance minister Yashwant Sinha said.
Manufacturing, the other focus area, too is going through a situation of excessive capacity as demand has fallen. The BJP leaders were informed, that as of date there had been a 50% decline in manufacturing. Adding to this situation is the large-scale dumping by China. “We were told that the government is not taking adequate anti-dumping measures,” Mr Yaswant Sinha informed.
Large scale job losses in sectors like construction, textile, automotive ancillaries, and other export industries, was a worry point. Describing the government as one of “incremental crawling,” Mr Singh said that “participants had mixed views on new fiscal stimulus, given the government’s existing deficits. However, there was broad agreement that existing projects needed to be expedited and that approved loans should be disbursed as quickly as possible.”
Mr Sinha said “aside from the increasing fiscal deficit, slowdown in growth and decline in reserves, there is a human angle that concerns us, that is the loss in jobs.” The former finance minister reiterated the need for large-scale investment in infrastructure which would create jobs and lead to an increase in demand.
While the current situation was at the forefront of the agenda, some long-term priorities were also discussed. Former finance minister Jaswant
Singh said that the long term priorities would be carefully considered while formulating NDA’s economic agenda. Education, healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure development, energy independence were among these priorities.
Priorities included establishing an equitable growth model for all Indian citizens that will guarantee economic security and employment. Employment generation was to be the “overriding performance metric” for the economy, especially as 15 million people join the workforce each year. Agriculture needs to be a focus area.
advanis meet with top corporates,industrialists.
NDA govt will restore economic confidence: Advani to India Inc
21 Nov 2008, 0156 hrs IST, ET Bureau
NEW DELHI: BJP’s prime ministerial candidate L K Advani on Thursday held an economic roundtable for sending out his party’s political message that
the present crisis was actually a crisis of confidence.
In his opening remarks at the interaction with the representatives of Indian business, Mr Advani’s attempt was on telling his guests, as well as other important constituencies, that the missteps on the other side of the political aisle was the main cause for distress.
Addressing the gathering, Mr Advani said the first priority of a future NDA dispensation would be to remove the atmosphere of insecurity and pessimism and to bring back hope and confidence. “Everyone — the farmer, the industrial worker, the unemployed youth, the middle class, the small entrepreneur, the big corporates, and, most of all, the aam admi have lost confidence in this government,” he said.
Mr Advani, who said the rural distress was more visible that ever before, made a veiled attack on the government’s priorities. “It is not only that airlines are flying less-than-full aircraft and cancelling flights, but even autowallahs and rickshaw pullers in towns and cities are getting less passengers. And their numbers runs into millions. When auto drivers earn less, they send less money to their families in rural India where many families still depend on what is called the money order economy. Therefore, even though I am concerned about the health of our airlines, I am more concerned about the economic well being of rickshaw pullers,” he said.
The BJP leader said the growing joblessness will have to be addressed immediately. “While pink slips in high profile jobs attract a lot of media attention, loss of livelihood in the unorganised sector hardly attracts attention. Nevertheless, it is a fact that lakhs of people have lost employment in the construction industry, small scale sector, transportation and informal sectors of the economy.”
Arguing for a new economic model, Mr Advani said the way “the virtual economy destroyed the real economy” should be a clearing warning for India. “A country cannot rise as a global economic power if its farmers commit suicide in thousands. This has to stop. Real and enduring prosperity can come only by developing real economy in an integrated manner,” he said.
Driving home his political point that the present dispensation cannot be trusted with the challenge, he said: “The nation’s economy is like its eco system. If there is a fire in the forest, it not only burns the trees but also endangers birds, insects and micro-organisms. Therefore, we must quickly put down this fire called the economic crisis”.
21 Nov 2008, 0156 hrs IST, ET Bureau
NEW DELHI: BJP’s prime ministerial candidate L K Advani on Thursday held an economic roundtable for sending out his party’s political message that
the present crisis was actually a crisis of confidence.
In his opening remarks at the interaction with the representatives of Indian business, Mr Advani’s attempt was on telling his guests, as well as other important constituencies, that the missteps on the other side of the political aisle was the main cause for distress.
Addressing the gathering, Mr Advani said the first priority of a future NDA dispensation would be to remove the atmosphere of insecurity and pessimism and to bring back hope and confidence. “Everyone — the farmer, the industrial worker, the unemployed youth, the middle class, the small entrepreneur, the big corporates, and, most of all, the aam admi have lost confidence in this government,” he said.
Mr Advani, who said the rural distress was more visible that ever before, made a veiled attack on the government’s priorities. “It is not only that airlines are flying less-than-full aircraft and cancelling flights, but even autowallahs and rickshaw pullers in towns and cities are getting less passengers. And their numbers runs into millions. When auto drivers earn less, they send less money to their families in rural India where many families still depend on what is called the money order economy. Therefore, even though I am concerned about the health of our airlines, I am more concerned about the economic well being of rickshaw pullers,” he said.
The BJP leader said the growing joblessness will have to be addressed immediately. “While pink slips in high profile jobs attract a lot of media attention, loss of livelihood in the unorganised sector hardly attracts attention. Nevertheless, it is a fact that lakhs of people have lost employment in the construction industry, small scale sector, transportation and informal sectors of the economy.”
Arguing for a new economic model, Mr Advani said the way “the virtual economy destroyed the real economy” should be a clearing warning for India. “A country cannot rise as a global economic power if its farmers commit suicide in thousands. This has to stop. Real and enduring prosperity can come only by developing real economy in an integrated manner,” he said.
Driving home his political point that the present dispensation cannot be trusted with the challenge, he said: “The nation’s economy is like its eco system. If there is a fire in the forest, it not only burns the trees but also endangers birds, insects and micro-organisms. Therefore, we must quickly put down this fire called the economic crisis”.
Wednesday, 19 November 2008
India and Pak must be encouraged to resolve J&K, says US think tank
As India waits for some clues on the direction US president-elect Barack Obama will take on Pakistan, a think-tank controlled by his chief advisor has suggested that the US should play an active role in pushing for a resolution of the Kashmir issue.
The Centre for American Progress, a liberal think-tank founded by John Podesta who is co chairman of the transition team, has suggested in a report on Pakistan that the US should ``promote increased dialogue on Kashmir’’ and offer ``strong support’’ to India and Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue.
Urging Mr Obama to undertake a course correction in US policy, the report makes the same argument put forward by Mr Obama in one of his campaign interviews that Pakistan’s security concerns with India should be removed so that Islamabad can help Washington in fighting the Al Qaeda and Taliban. Among the four authors of the report is Lawrence Korb, a former Pentagon official under Ronald Reagan, who has advised Mr Obama on foreign policy during the election campaign.
Making a strong case for this hyphenated India-Pakistan policy, the report said that the Obama administration should undertake a major shift in how the United States approaches Pakistan. ``For too long, the United States has pursued disconnected Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India policies, rather than create a coordinated regional strategy. Any regional approach must address Pakistan’s security concerns with India, specifically related to Kashmir and Afghanistan,’’ the report said.
The authors of the report make the point that due to the perceived India threat and an India-leaning Afghanistan, many in the Pakistan military establishment are convinced they need to maintain the Afghan Taliban and Kashmiri groups. `` Pakistan’s fear of India drives its policies internally and externally, leading it to pursue nuclear weapons and to support militant groups for activities in Kashmir and Afghanistan,’’ the report said.
The Bush administration and US military officials believe that US money was used to buy weapons to counter India and not Al Qaeda and the Taliban. But US president George W Bush has followed a hands off approach to the Kashmir issue and was responsible for dehyphenating India and Pakistan by pushing the civilian nuclear deal with India.But the authors of the report, called ‘Partnership for Progress’, see the nuclear deal as putting the US in a better position to push India towards resolution of the Kashmir issue. ``With a growing rapprochement between the United States and India — as evidenced by the signing of a major civilian nuclear trade deal — Washington is better positioned to make the case to both countries that their interests lie in coming to a peaceful resolution in the disputed region,’’ the report said. Taking note of India’s refusal to accept third party intervention on Kashmir, the report said that the nuclear deal should remove distrust about US intentions.
The authors believe that the new US administration, with the help of the Congress and the international community, should also help both countries to move forward on Kashmir. Even on resolution of smaller issues like Siachen Glacier, the Sir Creek boundary, constructions of dams by India in Kashmir on rivers flowing into Pakistan, and easing of travel restrictions are seen as being beneficial for US interests in the region.
The Centre for American Progress, a liberal think-tank founded by John Podesta who is co chairman of the transition team, has suggested in a report on Pakistan that the US should ``promote increased dialogue on Kashmir’’ and offer ``strong support’’ to India and Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue.
Urging Mr Obama to undertake a course correction in US policy, the report makes the same argument put forward by Mr Obama in one of his campaign interviews that Pakistan’s security concerns with India should be removed so that Islamabad can help Washington in fighting the Al Qaeda and Taliban. Among the four authors of the report is Lawrence Korb, a former Pentagon official under Ronald Reagan, who has advised Mr Obama on foreign policy during the election campaign.
Making a strong case for this hyphenated India-Pakistan policy, the report said that the Obama administration should undertake a major shift in how the United States approaches Pakistan. ``For too long, the United States has pursued disconnected Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India policies, rather than create a coordinated regional strategy. Any regional approach must address Pakistan’s security concerns with India, specifically related to Kashmir and Afghanistan,’’ the report said.
The authors of the report make the point that due to the perceived India threat and an India-leaning Afghanistan, many in the Pakistan military establishment are convinced they need to maintain the Afghan Taliban and Kashmiri groups. `` Pakistan’s fear of India drives its policies internally and externally, leading it to pursue nuclear weapons and to support militant groups for activities in Kashmir and Afghanistan,’’ the report said.
The Bush administration and US military officials believe that US money was used to buy weapons to counter India and not Al Qaeda and the Taliban. But US president George W Bush has followed a hands off approach to the Kashmir issue and was responsible for dehyphenating India and Pakistan by pushing the civilian nuclear deal with India.But the authors of the report, called ‘Partnership for Progress’, see the nuclear deal as putting the US in a better position to push India towards resolution of the Kashmir issue. ``With a growing rapprochement between the United States and India — as evidenced by the signing of a major civilian nuclear trade deal — Washington is better positioned to make the case to both countries that their interests lie in coming to a peaceful resolution in the disputed region,’’ the report said. Taking note of India’s refusal to accept third party intervention on Kashmir, the report said that the nuclear deal should remove distrust about US intentions.
The authors believe that the new US administration, with the help of the Congress and the international community, should also help both countries to move forward on Kashmir. Even on resolution of smaller issues like Siachen Glacier, the Sir Creek boundary, constructions of dams by India in Kashmir on rivers flowing into Pakistan, and easing of travel restrictions are seen as being beneficial for US interests in the region.
2 priests, nun held for Sister Abhaya murder
NEW DELHI: Sixteen years after Sister Abhaya was murdered and her body dumped in the well of a Kerala convent, the CBI on Wednesday arrested two Catholic priests and a nun in the case.
I was beaten day and night, my chastity was questioned. I wanted to commit suicide...’Sadhwi Pragyan Chandrapal Singh Thakur says in her Nasik court
affidavit NASIKC.R. NO. I – 130/08(RE-NUMBERED AS C.R. No. 1 – 18/08 at ATS)State of Maharashtra: ComplainantThru’ ATSV/s.Sadhwi Pragyan Singh Thakur & Ors: Accused AFFIDAVITI, Sadhwi Pragyan Chandrapal Singh Thakur, Age 38 years, Occupation — Nil, residing at 7, Ganga Sagar Apartment, Katodara Road, Surat, Gujarat State do hereby state on solemn affirmation as under:1. I say that I am a resident of Madhya Pradesh. My parents live in Surat, Gujarat where they shifted residence a couple of years ago. I say that for some years now, I found myself becoming increasingly detached from the material world and correspondingly found tremendous comfort and solace in Spiritualism. Accordingly I decided to renounce the material world and become a Sanyasin. On 30.1.2007, after performing the appropriate Hindu Religious rites and prayers I became a Sadhwi. I say that ever since then, I have been residing in a ashram at Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. My life at the Ashram almost exclusively consisted of prayers, meditation, yoga and the reading of spiritual texts. At the ashram I did not watch TV channels and had practically no access to newspapers.2. I say that apart from my activities at the ashram, I travelled chiefly around North India for the purpose of religious discourses and sermons. In connection with these latter activities, between 23.9.2008 and 4.10.2008, I was in Indore where I stayed at the residence of one Annaji who is my disciple. In the evening of 4th October, 2008, I returned to my ashram in Jabalpur. 3. I say that on 7.10.2008, when I was at Jabalpur Ashram, I received a call from a police officer from the ATS, Maharashtra, called Mr Sawant, who wanted to know about my LML Freedom vehicle. However, I told him I had sold it long back and not concerned with it. However, he insisted me to come down to Surat as he wanted to question me at length about it. I was reluctant to go to Surat by leaving the Ashram and insisted for him to come down to Jabalpur, but he refused and told me to come down to Surat as early as possible. 4. I further say that accordingly I travelled to Surat by train via Ujjain and arrived at Surat on 10.10.2008 early in the morning and my disciple Shri Bhimbhai Pasricha had to receive me at Railway Station and I went to his place at Atop Nagar. 5. I say that here at about 10 AM, I met officer Mr Sawant who had apparently travelled to Surat to trace the ownership of a LML Freedom two wheeler and I questioned him as to what had happened to my vehicle and why you are asking about it. I say that I it was at this point time, Mr Sawant told me that my vehicle had been allegedly planted with the explosives and subsequently detonated in Malegaon in the last week of September. I also say that it was here for the first time, I came to know that my old vehicle had been allegedly used in Malegaon blast, which was completely shocking to me. I confirmed to Mr Sawant that the LML Freedom 2 wheeler of the colour and number, he mentioned had once belonged to me. 6. I say that in Surat during the course of my interrogation with Mr Sawant, I mentioned to him that the LML Freedom two wheeler once owned by me was subsequently sold to one Sunil Joshi of Madhya Pradesh way back in October, 2004 and that Mr Joshi had paid me Rs 24,000/- for the same. I had also signed the necessary TT Form for RTO transfer in October, 2004 itself. I categorically asserted to Mr Sawant that since October, 2004 I had no control over the vehicle or its movements and usage.7. I further say that in spite of my answers, Mr. Sawant repeatedly asked me how the vehicle reached Malegaon and how it came to be involved in the bomb blast on 29.9.2008. I repeatedly replied that I could not answer his questions as I had no control of the vehicle since October, 2004.8. I also say that Mr Sawant however informed me that he did not believe me and that I would have to accompany him and his ATS team to Mumbai for further interrogation and he assured me that after such interrogation I would be free to go back to my ashram.
9. It is significant to mention that I was not formally arrested on 10.10.2008. Even though no formal summons to attend as a Witness was served upon me to make my self available for interrogation in Mumbai, and even though I was within my rights to insist that I be interrogated at the place where I reside ie Jabalpur, trusting Mr Sawant and having nothing to hide, I agreed to accompany the ATS team to Mumbai. I say Mr Sawant told me take my father along with me. However, due to his old age, I told him it was not proper take down him to Mumbai and suggested that my disciple, one Mr Bhimbhai Pasricha, in whose very residence my questioning was being done by the ATS. I further say that at 5.15 PM myself, Mr Pasricha and the ATS officer left Surat and reached Bombay on the very night of 10.10.2008. In Bombay I was taken straight away to the ATS office at Kalachowkie.10. Thereafter for two days I was detained and interrogated by the ATS team in Mumbai. The questions were repetitive and directed at somehow involving me in the bomb blast in Malegaon on 29.9.2008. My answers remained constant throughout.11. I further say that on 12.10.2008 the ATS changed the mode of interrogation and became extremely aggressive with me. At first they asked my said disciple Mr Bhimbhai Pasricha to beat me with sticks, belts etc, on my palms, forehands, soles, etc. When Mr Pasricha refused to do so, he was severely beaten by the ATS. Ultimately with the greatest reluctance, he complied with the ATS orders but obviously being my disciple, he exerted the very minimum of force on me. He was then pushed aside by a member of the ATS squad knows as Khanwilkar, who then himself commenced beating me severely with a belt on my hands, forearms, palms, feet, soles, causing me bruises, swelling and contusions in these areas.12. I say that from the 13th onwards, I say that I was beaten during the day, night and midnight. On two occasions I was even woken up in the early hours of the morning at 4 am and questioned about my knowledge of the blasts. On these occasions, I was beaten by a senior officer having a moustache, whom I can identify. In addition I was subject to vulgar abuse and obscene language by members of the ATS team interrogating me. My Guru was abused and my chastity was questioned. I was physically and verbally traumatised to the extent that I wanted to commit suicide. 13. I further say that on 14th taken out for the examination at a far away place from ATS and was brought back in the afternoon and that I day I had no meeting or even knowledge about Mr Pasricha.14. I say that on 15th October, after noon, both myself and Mr Pasricha were taken by ATS vehicles to Hotel Rajdoot in Nagpada locality of Mumbai and were kept in Room Nos. 315 and 314 respectively and we were made to sign the Hotel Entry register, however, we did not pay or deposit any money with the hotel manager, which was done by the ATS. 15. I say that after putting into this hotel I was asked to make phone calls from mobile No. 94066 00004 and from one more mobile instrument not belonging to me to speak couple of persons including one of my female disciple and I was asked to say that I was in a hotel in Mumbai and hale & hearty and was doing fine. I say that at that time, I did not know why I was made to say so. I would reveal the name of my female disciple at an appropriate time. 16. I say that as a result of the custodial violence/torture, mental stress, anxiety that were developed in the process, I was subjected to, I developed acute abdominal and kidney pains. I lost my appetite, became nauseous and giddy and prone to having bouts of unconsciousness. In view of this, within few hours after putting in Rajdoot Hospital, I was removed from the ATS office and was taken a hospital which learnt it to be Shusrusha Hospital wherein I was kept in ICU. I say that within half an hour Mr Bhimbhai Pasricha came down to Shushrusha Hospital with some ATS men and my Hospital admission forms, and other medical examination forms, etc were signed by him. I say that Mr Khanwilkar deposited money to the hospital management for me, which I learnt from Mr Bhimbhai. I say that after some time Mr Pasricha left the Hospital along with the ATS men and thereafter I have no contact with of any nature. 17. I say that I underwent a treatment over here for 3 to 4 days. I say that as my condition did not improve, I was taken to another hospital whose name I cannot recall. This hospital consisted of a high rise building where I was treated for 2 to 3 days. I say that no female police constable was by my side either in Hotel Rajdoot or in either of the two hospitals.18. I say that both at the hotel and the hospitals, I was carried on a stretcher and my face was always covered with a black hood to avoid my face from being seen. From the second hospital, I was brought back to the ATS office at Kalachowkie.
19. I say that I was finally arrested on 23.10.2008 and produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Nasik on 24.1.2008. I was remanded to police custody on that date till 3.11.2008. Up to the 24.10.2008 and even sometime thereafter, I was denied access to a Lawyer or any member of my family. A polygraph test was conducted on me while I was in illegal detention prior to 23.10.2008. Thereafter a second polygraph test was conducted on 01.11.2008. On 04.11.2008, after I was remanded to Judicial custody on being presented before Nasik court on 03.11.2008, I also say that a Narco analysis test was also conducted on me.20. I say that both the lie detector test as well as the Narco analysis test were conducted with out my consent. Never the less all these investigative tests have only established my innocence in the Malegaon bomb blast that took place on 29.9.2008. I finally was allowed to meet my sister Mrs Parthibha Bhagwan Jha on the evening of 02.11.2008, who had brought vakalatnamas of Advocate Ganesh Sovani who was engaged by my sister and her husband Mr Bhagwan Jha and had met him couple times in that week. This meeting was not conducted in private since members of the ATS stood within hearing distance of my sister and myself. I met my Advocate Ganesh Sovani for the first time in the court room of this Hon’ble Court very briefly for 4 to 5 minutes prior to the arguments commencing on my remand application on 03.11.2008. 21. I say that this period of 4 to 5 minutes was too short for me to give complete instructions as to what had transpired from 10th October onwards, about my vehicle, my stay at Kalachowkie, my illegal detention, the ill-treatment mitigated to me by ATS men, the beating job that was forced on my disciple to beat me, but which he carried out reluctantly, without any force, etc. I say that for this reasons, all the details had not reflected in the hand written application that was placed on record by my advocate Mr Sovani, for paucity of time to give all these instructions. 22. I say that on the evening of Wednesday 12.11.2008, I was allowed to meet my Advocate Ganesh Sovani for about 5-6 minutes again in the presence of female staff of Byculla jail. I say that again on 13.11.2008 I was allowed to talk to my said lawyer for 8-10 minutes to give him some more details. Thereafter, on Friday 14.11.2008 evening at about 04.30 PM, I was given nearly 20 minutes to talk to my said lawyer at length, and it was during this period I could narrate my entire ordeal with the ATS which is reproduced hereinabove.23. I unambiguously state that I am totally innocent of any offence whatsoever. In particular I have no connection with the Malegaon bomb blast of 29.9.2008. While my former ownership of LML Freedom 2 wheeler, which was allegedly used in the Malegaon bomb blast entitled the ATS to interrogate me, that agency was not entitled to subject me to the treatment mentioned hereinabove. Their conduct discloses a blatant violation of statutory provisions of law, custodial abuse and violence, mental and physical torture and prolonged illegal detention. The ATS are fully aware that I am innocent. It appears however that they have a mandate from their political superiors to necessarily implicate me with Malegaon blasts with a view to suggest that Hindu Religious extremists were resorting to terrorism. The prolonged illegal detention, custodial abuse and physical torture were designed to compel me to confess to crimes I had not committed. This attempt of false implication persisted for the entire period between 10.10.2008 and 02.11.2008 . During this entire period I was deliberately isolated from my family and denied access to Lawyers. I say that no arrest panchanama was done after my arrest on 23.10.2008 and I was never asked about the names, addresses and telephone / mobile Nos. details to whom I would like to convey my arrest. I say that attention from my illegal detention was sought to be diverted by the ATS by daily leaking information regarding my involvement which was manifestly false and only indicated the malafide nature of the investigation..24. I say that While I was thus painted as a sinister mastermind of the Malegaon blasts, a role which has now been subtly reassigned by the ATS to Lt Col Purohit — crippled and vulnerable as I was by the detention, abuse and torture, I could not protest my innocence. Nor was I allowed access to family, friends and Lawyers who could have done so.25. I say that it is necessary that a detailed enquiry of my illegal detention, custodial torture, etc needs to be done and for which I am ready and willing to get subjected to any such medical test or tests and I also want the ATS officers, who interrogated me, tortured me, etc should also be put to the same tests. 26. I say that the ATS has caused blatant violations of my human rights and I should get a justice and they need to be adequately dealt with as per the provisions of law. 27. In the circumstances I now pray for the following relief:a) that the ATS be directed to submit an explanation for my detention without authority of law between 10.10.2008 and 23.10.2008;b). that enquiry/investigation be conducted into my accusation made hereinabove on oath, regarding custodial torture/violence and mental and psychological abuse;c). that such investigation as referred to in (b) above, include a polygraph test, as well as Narco analysis on me to determine the veracity of my accusations;d). that such investigation to include a polygraph test and narco analysis on officers of the ATS named by me, and also of those officers whose names, I do not know, but I can identify, for they subjecting me to mental and physical abuse during custody as well as others to be identified by me;e) that a report be called for from the ATS for the reasons of my admission in two hospitals ( Shusrusha an another) and the medical treatment undergone by me at the said two hospitals;f) The ATS be directed to disclose the reasons for my stay at Hotel Rajdoot at Mumbai.;g) For such further and other reliefs as may be fit and proper in the facts and circumstances of the case.Filed in court on 17.11.2008Contents Explained to the Deponent in Hindi & Confirmed with Deponent. (Deponent)Identified by me:ADVOCATE
upa ministers fighting with each other
WAR CABINET (UPA) (India today, 3rd Nov. 2008)
Friendly Fire – Minister indulge in a blame game, adding to manmohan singh's trouble.
ON AVIATION CRISIS – Patel wanted Chidambaram and Deora to reduce ATF prices. They accused him of lobbying for rich private players.
ON JAMIA NAGAR - Patil is under attack from some UPA allies seeking a judicial prove into the Batla House encounter but has refused.
ON HOMOSEXUALITY - Ramadoss wants to decriminalise homosexuality but Patil says this will only legalise sexual abuse and 'unnatural acts'.
ON NREGA – Aiyar wants to decentralize the NREGA funds at the panchayat level whereas Yadav thinks the current system is just fine.
ON RAJ THACKERAY – Pawar is playing to his Maratha votebank and is not in favour of banning Thackeray's party while Lalu wants justice for Biharis.
ON SCHOOL MEALS – Some of her male colleagues did not approve of Chowdhury's plans to centralize the ready-to-eat meals for school kids.
Friendly Fire – Minister indulge in a blame game, adding to manmohan singh's trouble.
ON AVIATION CRISIS – Patel wanted Chidambaram and Deora to reduce ATF prices. They accused him of lobbying for rich private players.
ON JAMIA NAGAR - Patil is under attack from some UPA allies seeking a judicial prove into the Batla House encounter but has refused.
ON HOMOSEXUALITY - Ramadoss wants to decriminalise homosexuality but Patil says this will only legalise sexual abuse and 'unnatural acts'.
ON NREGA – Aiyar wants to decentralize the NREGA funds at the panchayat level whereas Yadav thinks the current system is just fine.
ON RAJ THACKERAY – Pawar is playing to his Maratha votebank and is not in favour of banning Thackeray's party while Lalu wants justice for Biharis.
ON SCHOOL MEALS – Some of her male colleagues did not approve of Chowdhury's plans to centralize the ready-to-eat meals for school kids.
Tuesday, 18 November 2008
Text of Democrat Barack Obama's speech in Chicago after winning the presidential election, as transcribed by CQ Transcriptions. Source: Associated Press OBAMA: Hello, Chicago.
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.
It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.
We are, and always will be, the United States of America.
It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.
It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.
A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Senator McCain.
Senator McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.
I congratulate him; I congratulate Governor Palin for all that they've achieved. And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.
I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton ... and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.
And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years ... the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady ... Michelle Obama.
Sasha and Malia ... I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us ...to the new White House.
And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother's watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure.
To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you've given me. I am grateful to them.
And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe ... the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best _ the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.
To my chief strategist David Axelrod ... who's been a partner with me every step of the way.
To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics ... you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you.
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause.
It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy ... who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.
It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth.
This is your victory.
And I know you didn't do this just to win an election. And I know you didn't do it for me.
You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime _ two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.
Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.
There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctors' bills or save enough for their child's college education.
There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.
I promise you, we as a people will get there.
AUDIENCE: Yes we can! Yes we can! Yes we can!
OBAMA: There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can't solve every problem.
But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America for 221 years _ block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.
What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night.
This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.
It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.
Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.
In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.
Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity.
Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.
As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.
And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.
And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.
To those _ to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.
That's the true genius of America: that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons _ because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America _ the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.
At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
AUDIENCE: Yes we can.
OBAMA: When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
AUDIENCE: Yes we can.
OBAMA: She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that We Shall Overcome. Yes we can.
AUDIENCE: Yes we can.
OBAMA: A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.
And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.
Yes we can.
AUDIENCE: Yes we can.
OBAMA: America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves _ if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment.
This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.
Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.
It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.
We are, and always will be, the United States of America.
It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.
It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.
A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Senator McCain.
Senator McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.
I congratulate him; I congratulate Governor Palin for all that they've achieved. And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.
I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton ... and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.
And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years ... the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady ... Michelle Obama.
Sasha and Malia ... I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us ...to the new White House.
And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother's watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure.
To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you've given me. I am grateful to them.
And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe ... the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best _ the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.
To my chief strategist David Axelrod ... who's been a partner with me every step of the way.
To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics ... you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you.
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause.
It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy ... who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.
It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth.
This is your victory.
And I know you didn't do this just to win an election. And I know you didn't do it for me.
You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime _ two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.
Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.
There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctors' bills or save enough for their child's college education.
There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.
I promise you, we as a people will get there.
AUDIENCE: Yes we can! Yes we can! Yes we can!
OBAMA: There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can't solve every problem.
But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America for 221 years _ block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.
What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night.
This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.
It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.
Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.
In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.
Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity.
Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.
As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.
And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.
And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.
To those _ to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.
That's the true genius of America: that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons _ because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America _ the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.
At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
AUDIENCE: Yes we can.
OBAMA: When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
AUDIENCE: Yes we can.
OBAMA: She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that We Shall Overcome. Yes we can.
AUDIENCE: Yes we can.
OBAMA: A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.
And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.
Yes we can.
AUDIENCE: Yes we can.
OBAMA: America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves _ if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment.
This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.
Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.
Thursday, 6 November 2008
The road will be very long,...but we will get there.
Yes we can: Obama's victory speech
Barack Obama gives his victory speech to supporters.
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where any things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive ... who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answerLatest related coverage
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Advertisement
Nadia Jamal
November 5, 2008 - 4:08PM
Barack Obama, the first black president of the United States, has declared: "Change has come to America".
In a historic victory over Republican candidate Senator John McCain, the President-elect told a sea of supporters in a Chicago park.
"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where any things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive ... who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer," he said.
Senator Obama told the crowd that his victory belongs "to you", and the voters who turned out did so because they believed this time "must be different and their voices could be that difference".
He said America was not a collection of individuals, but "we are and always will be the United States of America".
He said it was "a long time coming" but "because of what we did on this day" during this election, "change has come to America".
Listing the challenges ahead, including two wars and a financial crisis, Senator Obama said that he was hopeful for America.
"There will be set backs and false starts," he said.
"I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face ... "
Senator Obama congratulated Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin for all they had achieved and looked forward to working with them.
He said Senator McCain had "endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine".
He thanked his wife, Michelle - "the love of my life and the nation's next first lady", for the journey they had endured and said he loved his two young daughters "more than you imagine, and you have earned the new puppy that is coming with us to the White House".
Senator Obama said he knew that his recently deceased grandmother was watching, along with the rest of his family.
He also spoke of the United State's democratic ideals and how his country would respond to challenges with the spirit of its people - ``Yes we can''.
This election had "many firsts", Senator Obama said.
Barack Obama gives his victory speech to supporters.
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where any things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive ... who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answerLatest related coverage
Obama wins US presidency
Video: Obama wins, becoming the first black president of the United States of America.
Experience not enough
Multimedia: John McCain's fight for the presidency comes to an end in Phoenix.
Why Obama won: Wolpe
Video: Fairfax US analyst Bruce Wolpe explains why Barack Obama won the US presidential election.
McCain concedes defeat
Video: John McCain concedes defeate and congratulates Barack Obama.
Sydney parties as US decides
Video: US Election parties are being held across Australia to celebrate the results.
Lasting images of US campaign
Video: In the final days of the US presidential campaign, look back at memorable sights and sounds.
Kenya tests Obama's popularity
Video: A Kenyan comedy duo have staged a mock US election in support of Barack Obama, whose father was Kenyan.
The legacy of George W Bush
Video: After two full terms US President George Bush leaves his successor a staggering array of problems.
View Kenya celebrates
Photos: Family members of Barack Obama celebrated his US election win in the tiny village of Kogelo, Kenya.
View Obama supporters fill Grant Park
Photos: Supporters of Barack Obama gather in Chicago's Grant Park as the votes are counted in the US Presidential election.
View The world follows US vote
Photos: Celebrations and commiserations in the US and across the world.
Peter Hartcher: US votes to reject Bush nightmare
'End of a long journey' for McCain
Bruce Wolpe: Obama is President-elect of the US
Bush congratulates Obama on 'awesome night'
Obama realised a dream, says Rudd
Slide Bar all Blue as expats celebrate
World leaders hail Obama's triumph
Obama realises the dream of generations
Obama victory a blowout
Barack Obama's speech
McCain's concession speech
Future bright for Republican star Sarah Palin
Obama's Kenyan relatives cheer win
Biden wins 7th Senate term but may not serve
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Nadia Jamal
November 5, 2008 - 4:08PM
Barack Obama, the first black president of the United States, has declared: "Change has come to America".
In a historic victory over Republican candidate Senator John McCain, the President-elect told a sea of supporters in a Chicago park.
"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where any things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive ... who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer," he said.
Senator Obama told the crowd that his victory belongs "to you", and the voters who turned out did so because they believed this time "must be different and their voices could be that difference".
He said America was not a collection of individuals, but "we are and always will be the United States of America".
He said it was "a long time coming" but "because of what we did on this day" during this election, "change has come to America".
Listing the challenges ahead, including two wars and a financial crisis, Senator Obama said that he was hopeful for America.
"There will be set backs and false starts," he said.
"I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face ... "
Senator Obama congratulated Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin for all they had achieved and looked forward to working with them.
He said Senator McCain had "endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine".
He thanked his wife, Michelle - "the love of my life and the nation's next first lady", for the journey they had endured and said he loved his two young daughters "more than you imagine, and you have earned the new puppy that is coming with us to the White House".
Senator Obama said he knew that his recently deceased grandmother was watching, along with the rest of his family.
He also spoke of the United State's democratic ideals and how his country would respond to challenges with the spirit of its people - ``Yes we can''.
This election had "many firsts", Senator Obama said.
Karunanidhy and hindu practice
Karunanidhi writes off Hindu practices in latest poem
6 Nov, 2008, 0339 hrs IST, ET Bureau
NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi’s multiculturalism has tempted him to once again criticise the Hindu practice of smearing ash or s
affron or sporting a ‘tilak’ on the forehead as ‘regressive practices.’ He questioned the need for “such things in a country which preached equality of all religions.”
In a poem penned by him, the chief minister also questioned the rationale behind Brahmins wearing a sacred thread. “What is the need for these things in a country that has accepted all religions and preached equality of the same.”
This is not the fist time that Mr Karunanidhi has criticised Hindu traditions and beliefs. The DMK chief had made similar remarks on other Hindu customs earlier and described Hindus as ‘robbers’. But later he clarified that he meant Hindus were robbers “who stole hearts.”
In the height of the Sethusamudram controversy, Mr Karunanidhi had described Lord Ram as a ‘drunkard’ and wondered whether he was a qualified engineer to have built the Ram Sethu. In a TV interview, the chief minister had also said that “Ram is as big a lie as Himalayas and Ganges.”
This prompted Congress leaders to come out against statements saying that no one should say anything that would hurt the sentiments of any section of society. But Mr Karunanidhi appears determined to revive his old atheist position. In the poem, Mr Karunanidhi described truth as God, adding that all people were equal before God.
He also described as useless the face-off between believers and non-believers on the concept of God and said there was no point fighting over which faith was supreme.
...economic times,6 th nov 2008
6 Nov, 2008, 0339 hrs IST, ET Bureau
NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi’s multiculturalism has tempted him to once again criticise the Hindu practice of smearing ash or s
affron or sporting a ‘tilak’ on the forehead as ‘regressive practices.’ He questioned the need for “such things in a country which preached equality of all religions.”
In a poem penned by him, the chief minister also questioned the rationale behind Brahmins wearing a sacred thread. “What is the need for these things in a country that has accepted all religions and preached equality of the same.”
This is not the fist time that Mr Karunanidhi has criticised Hindu traditions and beliefs. The DMK chief had made similar remarks on other Hindu customs earlier and described Hindus as ‘robbers’. But later he clarified that he meant Hindus were robbers “who stole hearts.”
In the height of the Sethusamudram controversy, Mr Karunanidhi had described Lord Ram as a ‘drunkard’ and wondered whether he was a qualified engineer to have built the Ram Sethu. In a TV interview, the chief minister had also said that “Ram is as big a lie as Himalayas and Ganges.”
This prompted Congress leaders to come out against statements saying that no one should say anything that would hurt the sentiments of any section of society. But Mr Karunanidhi appears determined to revive his old atheist position. In the poem, Mr Karunanidhi described truth as God, adding that all people were equal before God.
He also described as useless the face-off between believers and non-believers on the concept of God and said there was no point fighting over which faith was supreme.
...economic times,6 th nov 2008
Obama and India
Pertinent to us , in india is that , with this unprecedented democratic sweep in the U.S. congress and senete as well , the pressures for resurrecting the comprehencive test ban treaty will mount.With the indo u.s. nuclear deal's attendant pressures on India, this has serious implications.
Further , Obama has already displayed keen interest in resolving the kashmir dispute,when India has consistantly maintained that there is no scope for any third party intervention in this indo-pak bilateral issue.Obama has declared this as a priority inorder to have Pakisthan's undistracted attention in helping the US military to combat the taliban.
Obama inherits a past:US strategic doctrine of preemptive strike against any sovereign independent country in the world,the US 's self declared right to militarily attack and occupy any countryin the name of global war against terrorism.
By Sitaram Yechury.
Further , Obama has already displayed keen interest in resolving the kashmir dispute,when India has consistantly maintained that there is no scope for any third party intervention in this indo-pak bilateral issue.Obama has declared this as a priority inorder to have Pakisthan's undistracted attention in helping the US military to combat the taliban.
Obama inherits a past:US strategic doctrine of preemptive strike against any sovereign independent country in the world,the US 's self declared right to militarily attack and occupy any countryin the name of global war against terrorism.
By Sitaram Yechury.
upa govt. is unable to unable to fight terrorism, and so unable to save the lives of its citizens.
terrorists have been attacking city after city and our rulers issue only inane statements.The root cause of militancy and jehadi violence in assam has been illegal migration from bangladesh.For the sake of votes , the ruling party has not only been turning a Nelson's eye to the problem and has been encouraging it.
By lt.gl. sinha.former governor of assam , j&k.
By lt.gl. sinha.former governor of assam , j&k.
Monday, 3 November 2008
Terrorism:unending battle of India
Home > News > Columnists > Lieutenant General (retd) Eric A VasHow India can counter terror March 28, 2003
The massacre of 24 Hindu Pandits, including 11 women and two children, in Kashmir has outraged the nation. This follows the terrorist attack in Udampur, which killed 11 policemen and wounded 30.
These attacks have given rise to a flood of protests. Many ask: India is spending millions of rupees on security, can we not put a stop to these attacks? What is wrong with our security forces?
Presently our conventional and nuclear forces are overwhelmingly superior to Pakistani forces. They deter Pakistan from provoking a war. Pakistani military experts know this. That is why they have shifted to a strategy of cross-border terrorism. This enables them to avoid a direct military confrontation with India and yet maintain pressure on us from militant bases in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Some urge the best way to deter Pakistan's strategy is to attack and destroy militant bases in PoK. India has the capability to do this, but there is nothing to prevent such bases being reactivated.
Hawks say India should therefore permanently occupy PoK. Even if India had the will and resources to do this, commonsense should warn us the militants would shift into Pakistan and terrorist attacks would continue from there.
To that, the hawks say, 'So what? We have the power and should be prepared to occupy areas in Pakistan that threaten us till that country comes to its senses.'
The United States after World War II had the power to occupy both Germany and Japan, and reshape them according to their liking. The US is attempting to do the same in Afghanistan and presumably in Iraq. India lacks the military and sustained economic power to occupy parts of Pakistan for any length of time. Moreover, it is unlikely the international community would permit this to happen.
So what must India do to counter Pakistan's terrorist tactics?
We must first admit and appreciate the limits of conventional and nuclear deterrence. We should understand a terrorist attack is designed for psychological effect: to demoralise rather than gain any military advantage.
We must therefore guard against panic reactions. The mobilisation of troops on the border is no solution to the problem. Their subsequent move back to the barracks, consumption of fuel, wear and tear on vehicles, compensation for crop damage, dislocation of over a million people and other details would perhaps work out to a cost of nearly Rs 100 billion.
Large tracts of the border have been mined. De-mining could lead to more casualties and most of the mines would be unsafe for future handling; these will need to be destroyed and replaced. Expensive and sensitive equipment exposed to the elements would have suffered deterioration. Some secret troop dispositions have been revealed. And all this was for no real gain. Today we can only reach out to Kabul by a circuitous route.
It is evident the US and many others are fed up with Pakistani militants. They are alarmed about Pakistan's relationship with North Korea in the nuclear and missile fields. There is also the fear that nuclear material may have been transferred to Al Qaeda terrorists.
There have been open clashes between Pakistani and US forces on the Afghanistan border while the latter were pursuing Taliban terrorists. Our diplomatic offensive against Pakistani-inspired terrorism must take these factors into consideration so that maximum international pressure is maintained on that country.
Whilst continuing to maintain our conventional and nuclear deterrent policies, we must accept the battle against Pakistani terrorism is going to be a long and arduous one and this battle cannot be deterred by conventional or nuclear weapons. We have to remain vigilant on the Line of Control, be methodical in our surveillance of internal trouble spots, improve our intelligence, and win the hearts and minds of the people so that stray militants have no place to hide.
At the same time, we should make it clear to the world that India retains the right to cross the LoC in order to destroy militant bases in PoK, should circumstances demand such action.
There are signs our current strategy is having good results. Cross-border infiltration has decreased and gangs operating within J&K are being steadily rounded up. After the election in J&K, the people are keen on peace and dissidents appear to have accepted that in today's world there is little sympathy for separatism or terrorism. So good governance accompanied by military pressure must continue in J&K along with international diplomatic pressure.
But we should be warned that even if cross-border infiltration is stopped, terrorism will not stop. On the contrary we should be prepared for this to escalate. Apart from what has happened in J&K, March saw a marked increase in terrorist activities elsewhere in India. One attack took place in Assam, which killed six, wounded 52 and burnt a petrol storage facility. Then there were a series of train blasts in Mumbai, which killed 17 and wounded over 70. Let there be no doubt that these are inspired by Pakistan agents who use local criminals to carry out their tasks.
Attacks in J&K are designed to disrupt the peace process. Blasts in Mumbai are carried out to provoke communal violence between Hindus and Muslims. Attacks in Assam are designed to prevent peace negotiations between militants and the government.
It does not require sophisticated technology to make a simple improvised explosive device. Ammonium nitrate, which is widely used to make fertilisers, was the chief ingredient of the Mumbai blasts. Ammonia nitrate bombs are commonly used by terrorists all over the world. The bombs that flattened the federal building in Oklahoma in 1995, the US embassy in Nairobi in 1998, and the Bali nightclub in 2002 were all ammonium nitrate bombs. Forensic experts have suggested that India should place restriction on the sale of ammonium nitrate.
Apart from this threat, we should be warned there could be an escalation in the type of explosion in the near future. It is unlikely that local criminals would have access to a suitcase nuclear bomb or have the technical ability to manufacture one. However, we cannot overrule the likelihood that unauthorised persons might lay their hands on cobalt-60, which is readily available in hospitals for use in radiation therapy and food processing. Or it could be cesium-137, commonly used in medical gauges and radiotherapy machines. A coffee cup of these items if introduced into an ammonia nitrate bomb and set off at a major railway terminus would spread a plume of radiation and contaminate the area around the station as happened at Chernobyl. A large number of people living in the area would have one-in-100 chance of dying of cancer.
What can India do to guard against this two-fold threat of proliferation? One has to deal with this as with any other criminal threat. We must all, both citizens and police, be more vigilant, and deal ruthlessly with such criminals.
Methodical intelligence surveillance and citizen support will leave no scope for criminals to procure the ingredients they need, nor find a place to manufacture their lethal weapons of destruction.
Guest Column
The massacre of 24 Hindu Pandits, including 11 women and two children, in Kashmir has outraged the nation. This follows the terrorist attack in Udampur, which killed 11 policemen and wounded 30.
These attacks have given rise to a flood of protests. Many ask: India is spending millions of rupees on security, can we not put a stop to these attacks? What is wrong with our security forces?
Presently our conventional and nuclear forces are overwhelmingly superior to Pakistani forces. They deter Pakistan from provoking a war. Pakistani military experts know this. That is why they have shifted to a strategy of cross-border terrorism. This enables them to avoid a direct military confrontation with India and yet maintain pressure on us from militant bases in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Some urge the best way to deter Pakistan's strategy is to attack and destroy militant bases in PoK. India has the capability to do this, but there is nothing to prevent such bases being reactivated.
Hawks say India should therefore permanently occupy PoK. Even if India had the will and resources to do this, commonsense should warn us the militants would shift into Pakistan and terrorist attacks would continue from there.
To that, the hawks say, 'So what? We have the power and should be prepared to occupy areas in Pakistan that threaten us till that country comes to its senses.'
The United States after World War II had the power to occupy both Germany and Japan, and reshape them according to their liking. The US is attempting to do the same in Afghanistan and presumably in Iraq. India lacks the military and sustained economic power to occupy parts of Pakistan for any length of time. Moreover, it is unlikely the international community would permit this to happen.
So what must India do to counter Pakistan's terrorist tactics?
We must first admit and appreciate the limits of conventional and nuclear deterrence. We should understand a terrorist attack is designed for psychological effect: to demoralise rather than gain any military advantage.
We must therefore guard against panic reactions. The mobilisation of troops on the border is no solution to the problem. Their subsequent move back to the barracks, consumption of fuel, wear and tear on vehicles, compensation for crop damage, dislocation of over a million people and other details would perhaps work out to a cost of nearly Rs 100 billion.
Large tracts of the border have been mined. De-mining could lead to more casualties and most of the mines would be unsafe for future handling; these will need to be destroyed and replaced. Expensive and sensitive equipment exposed to the elements would have suffered deterioration. Some secret troop dispositions have been revealed. And all this was for no real gain. Today we can only reach out to Kabul by a circuitous route.
It is evident the US and many others are fed up with Pakistani militants. They are alarmed about Pakistan's relationship with North Korea in the nuclear and missile fields. There is also the fear that nuclear material may have been transferred to Al Qaeda terrorists.
There have been open clashes between Pakistani and US forces on the Afghanistan border while the latter were pursuing Taliban terrorists. Our diplomatic offensive against Pakistani-inspired terrorism must take these factors into consideration so that maximum international pressure is maintained on that country.
Whilst continuing to maintain our conventional and nuclear deterrent policies, we must accept the battle against Pakistani terrorism is going to be a long and arduous one and this battle cannot be deterred by conventional or nuclear weapons. We have to remain vigilant on the Line of Control, be methodical in our surveillance of internal trouble spots, improve our intelligence, and win the hearts and minds of the people so that stray militants have no place to hide.
At the same time, we should make it clear to the world that India retains the right to cross the LoC in order to destroy militant bases in PoK, should circumstances demand such action.
There are signs our current strategy is having good results. Cross-border infiltration has decreased and gangs operating within J&K are being steadily rounded up. After the election in J&K, the people are keen on peace and dissidents appear to have accepted that in today's world there is little sympathy for separatism or terrorism. So good governance accompanied by military pressure must continue in J&K along with international diplomatic pressure.
But we should be warned that even if cross-border infiltration is stopped, terrorism will not stop. On the contrary we should be prepared for this to escalate. Apart from what has happened in J&K, March saw a marked increase in terrorist activities elsewhere in India. One attack took place in Assam, which killed six, wounded 52 and burnt a petrol storage facility. Then there were a series of train blasts in Mumbai, which killed 17 and wounded over 70. Let there be no doubt that these are inspired by Pakistan agents who use local criminals to carry out their tasks.
Attacks in J&K are designed to disrupt the peace process. Blasts in Mumbai are carried out to provoke communal violence between Hindus and Muslims. Attacks in Assam are designed to prevent peace negotiations between militants and the government.
It does not require sophisticated technology to make a simple improvised explosive device. Ammonium nitrate, which is widely used to make fertilisers, was the chief ingredient of the Mumbai blasts. Ammonia nitrate bombs are commonly used by terrorists all over the world. The bombs that flattened the federal building in Oklahoma in 1995, the US embassy in Nairobi in 1998, and the Bali nightclub in 2002 were all ammonium nitrate bombs. Forensic experts have suggested that India should place restriction on the sale of ammonium nitrate.
Apart from this threat, we should be warned there could be an escalation in the type of explosion in the near future. It is unlikely that local criminals would have access to a suitcase nuclear bomb or have the technical ability to manufacture one. However, we cannot overrule the likelihood that unauthorised persons might lay their hands on cobalt-60, which is readily available in hospitals for use in radiation therapy and food processing. Or it could be cesium-137, commonly used in medical gauges and radiotherapy machines. A coffee cup of these items if introduced into an ammonia nitrate bomb and set off at a major railway terminus would spread a plume of radiation and contaminate the area around the station as happened at Chernobyl. A large number of people living in the area would have one-in-100 chance of dying of cancer.
What can India do to guard against this two-fold threat of proliferation? One has to deal with this as with any other criminal threat. We must all, both citizens and police, be more vigilant, and deal ruthlessly with such criminals.
Methodical intelligence surveillance and citizen support will leave no scope for criminals to procure the ingredients they need, nor find a place to manufacture their lethal weapons of destruction.
Guest Column
muslims and congress
SP leader Amarsingh said. "muslims are less secure under congress rule than under bjp rule" The economic times, 3 rd nov 2008
Terror and the weak state
Tavleen Singh (2nd November 2008) Indian Express
: The least our political leaders can do is not make unfeeling, tasteless remarks after a terrorist attack. Would they like it if their children or grandchildren were blown to bits while buying Diwali sweets and we made the sort of remarks they make every time bombs go off in some city? After the bombs that killed more than 70 people in Guwahati last week this is what our leaders said. The President: “There is no place for violence in our society.”
So, why is there so much of it? The Prime Minister: “I strongly condemn the serial blasts.” Does he know anyone who does not condemn them? His Home Minister: “These are cowardly acts perpetrated by the elements which do not want peace.”
How perceptive. The stupidest, most apolitical Indians have worked out that the men who plant bombs in the bazaars of our cities do not want peace. What they cannot understand is why we have a Government that is powerless in the face of what it itself acknowledges is a proxy war. In the past six months bombs have gone off in Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Delhi and Guwahati. In the past four years there have been more people killed in terrorist attacks in India than in any country other than Iraq. Would the Prime Minister like to tell us why his government has been unable to defend us against terrorists who announce on every jihad website that their objective is to Islamise India?
Let me make it clear here that I do not think that our opposition parties have shown themselves to be any better at understanding or dealing with the problem. From the likes of Messrs L.K. Advani and Prakash Karat we hear nothing that indicates that they have national interest rather than their own petty political interests at heart. If this is a war against the idea of India, then it is time for our political leaders to put the country above politics. This has not happened. Nor was Advani’s record as Home Minister anything to be proud of This does not diminish the gravity of the Prime Minister’s failure to understand the threat to India’s security. Instead of condemning terrorism, what we want to know is what steps he has taken to prevent another Indian city being bombed? Do we have a national counter-terrorism unit yet? What steps have been taken to modernise police weapons and training? Do... we have evidence that Pakistan or Bangladesh are involved in funding the terrorist groups that operate in India? If we do, what are we doing about this? Can we have details of terrorism cases that have been conclusively solved? The questions are too many to list here and in any case the Prime Minister never deigns to answer them. He just smiles and waits for public anger to die down.
There are signs that it is not going to die as easily as in the past. In Guwahati, enraged people attacked a police station last week. How long will it be before others start taking the law into their hands? As you read this on the anniversary of the Sikh massacres that followed the assassination of Indira Gandhi, it is important to remember that this was the first instance in which an Indian Government encouraged the police to desist from performing its fundamental duty of protecting innocent people. There are reports in which eyewitnesses have testified to this. As someone who wandered the streets of Delhi on those three terrible days in which ordinary people turned into killers knowing that nobody would stop them, may I say that never before or since have I seen the police more derelict or the state more complicit in violence.
We are paying for it today. Once the police are corrupted by politicians, it is very hard to stop the slide. In all our states we are fighting terrorism with policemen who not only lack the weapons or intelligence systems to deal with modern terrorism but who also lack the will. They are confused by the mixed signals they get from our political leaders. We must not target a community, they say, without realising that they do this by these very words. Why do they not say this when Hindu terrorists are caught? Only fools and fanatics would suggest that all Muslims are terrorists. But, equally we must acknowledge that nearly every act of terrorism on Indian soil in recent years has been by Muslims who are fighting a jihad against India. The police must target them but will do it only when they are backed by unwavering political will....
So, why is there so much of it? The Prime Minister: “I strongly condemn the serial blasts.” Does he know anyone who does not condemn them? His Home Minister: “These are cowardly acts perpetrated by the elements which do not want peace.”
How perceptive. The stupidest, most apolitical Indians have worked out that the men who plant bombs in the bazaars of our cities do not want peace. What they cannot understand is why we have a Government that is powerless in the face of what it itself acknowledges is a proxy war. In the past six months bombs have gone off in Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Delhi and Guwahati. In the past four years there have been more people killed in terrorist attacks in India than in any country other than Iraq. Would the Prime Minister like to tell us why his government has been unable to defend us against terrorists who announce on every jihad website that their objective is to Islamise India?
Let me make it clear here that I do not think that our opposition parties have shown themselves to be any better at understanding or dealing with the problem. From the likes of Messrs L.K. Advani and Prakash Karat we hear nothing that indicates that they have national interest rather than their own petty political interests at heart. If this is a war against the idea of India, then it is time for our political leaders to put the country above politics. This has not happened. Nor was Advani’s record as Home Minister anything to be proud of This does not diminish the gravity of the Prime Minister’s failure to understand the threat to India’s security. Instead of condemning terrorism, what we want to know is what steps he has taken to prevent another Indian city being bombed? Do we have a national counter-terrorism unit yet? What steps have been taken to modernise police weapons and training? Do... we have evidence that Pakistan or Bangladesh are involved in funding the terrorist groups that operate in India? If we do, what are we doing about this? Can we have details of terrorism cases that have been conclusively solved? The questions are too many to list here and in any case the Prime Minister never deigns to answer them. He just smiles and waits for public anger to die down.
There are signs that it is not going to die as easily as in the past. In Guwahati, enraged people attacked a police station last week. How long will it be before others start taking the law into their hands? As you read this on the anniversary of the Sikh massacres that followed the assassination of Indira Gandhi, it is important to remember that this was the first instance in which an Indian Government encouraged the police to desist from performing its fundamental duty of protecting innocent people. There are reports in which eyewitnesses have testified to this. As someone who wandered the streets of Delhi on those three terrible days in which ordinary people turned into killers knowing that nobody would stop them, may I say that never before or since have I seen the police more derelict or the state more complicit in violence.
We are paying for it today. Once the police are corrupted by politicians, it is very hard to stop the slide. In all our states we are fighting terrorism with policemen who not only lack the weapons or intelligence systems to deal with modern terrorism but who also lack the will. They are confused by the mixed signals they get from our political leaders. We must not target a community, they say, without realising that they do this by these very words. Why do they not say this when Hindu terrorists are caught? Only fools and fanatics would suggest that all Muslims are terrorists. But, equally we must acknowledge that nearly every act of terrorism on Indian soil in recent years has been by Muslims who are fighting a jihad against India. The police must target them but will do it only when they are backed by unwavering political will....
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