Ruchika’s dad meets PC; Govt to support Rathore death PIL

Updated on Wednesday, December 30, 2009, 20:25 IST Tags:Ruchika Girhotra, Chidambaram

Zeenews Bureau

New Delhi: The Girhotras got support from the highest quarter on Wednesday after they met with Union Home Minister P Chidambaram who assured them full support in the case of molestation of Ruchika Girhotra by Haryana’s former DGP SPS Rathore in 1990.

Ruchika’s father Subhash Chander Girhotra, his lawyer Pankaj Bhardwaj and Anand Prakash, their family friend met with Chidambaram at the latter’s invitation. They discussed the 19 year old case with the Minister who, they told the media, gave them a patient hearing.


"We are completely satisfied with the meeting. The Home Minister knew everything about the case," Bhardwaj said outside the Home Ministry here.

He added that the minister had discussed the possibility of slapping the charge of abetment of suicide of a minor against Rathore, amongst other options available. Bhardwaj said he had also suggested what all legal remedies were available for a stricter punishment to Rathore.

“I have been asked by him to provide all documents related to the litigation. We will be most likely called again by the minister,” he said.

Ruchika’s father also said they were satisfies at the meet’s outcome.

“The minister gave us a patient hearing. He was very sympathetic towards us,” Girhotra added.

The noose around the former Haryana top cop, who has found guilty of molesting 14-year-old Ruchika, who later committed suicide, was tightened last night with the police registering two FIRs and moves were afoot to file a fresh case of abetment to suicide.

Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily told a TV channel he would support a PIL seeking death sentence against Rathore.

“All those people who conspired or abetted in this offence will be lined up as accused--that is possible and that is how this case has to be shown as a model case for the entire world,” he added.

Haryana police has registered two FIRs on the basis of complaints by Ruchika's father Subhash Chander Girhotra and her brother Ashu regarding alleged tampering of the post-mortem report by police and harassment of Ashu including attempt to murder him.

Rathore today sough interim bail from the Panchkula sessions court but was denied the same.

The Union Home and Law Ministries are also considering appealing against the trial court's verdict in the case to seek enhanced punishment for Rathore.

It is good that the UPA government is supportive of the idea of death sentence to Rathore. The guy deserves it. But what about our infamous Afzal Guru? He organized the Parliament attack which killed cops and almost destabilized India. The Supreme Court has awarded him the noose. But UPA government does not want to go ahead because it wants to appease Muslim votes. Rathore, of course, is a Hindu.

http://www.zeenews.com/news591403.html

Kalyan to launch party on Jan 5

BJP president Nitin Gadkari may favour the return of Kalyan Singh to the party, but the former UP chief minister has said he will float a new party, and there is no question of him joining the BJP. The name of his party and its organisational set-up will be announced here on Singh’s birthday on January 5.
Singh is in Delhi, doing the groundwork for formation and registration of his new party with the Election Commission.
On Gadkari’s statement, Singh said, “It’s a good move but I am forming my own party now as my issues can be best addressed by my own party. There isn’t any chance that I will go back to the BJP. Just wait for January 5 and more details will be available.”
Asked if any BJP leader had approached him after Gadkari’s statement, Singh replied: “I have neither been approached by anyone from the BJP, nor have I spoken to anyone after I decided to form my own party.”

This is not the first time Singh will be floating his own party. He had earlier formed the Rashtriya Kranti Party, which he merged with BJP in 2004. Last month, after parting ways with SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, Singh had said that leaving the BJP was his biggest mistake.

Kalyan Singh is truly an example of a failed politician still harbouring vainglorious dreams of a comeback. He failed due to the cause of all failures - a bloated ego. He has Uma Bharthi for company. Maybe they should knock on Mayavati's doors and offer themselves as casteist candidates.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/kalyan-to-launch-party-on-jan-5/559077/

New BJP chief’s new line: need to work for last man in the queue

In his first press conference at the party headquarters, BJP president Nitin Gadkari today projected himself as an outsider in Delhi politics. And topped up his hour-long press conference with the promise to reach out to non-BJP voters — Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and the minorities.
Invoking two slogans — Deendayal Upadhyaya’s “making the lot of the man standing last in the queue better” and “nation first, party next, and self last” were painted on the banner used as a backdrop at the conference venue — Gadkari said he hoped that Upadhyaya’s portrait and message would be “the roadmap for every BJP leader”.
In a party struggling to fight growing RSS influence — Orissa and Rajasthan being the latest examples — Gadkari left none in doubt where his sympathies lay. To a question on whether he agreed with L K Advani’s 2005 Chennai speech — in which he said the impression that the RSS micromanaged day-to-day affairs of the BJP was not good for either of the two outfits — Gadkari claimed no one would say the RSS interfered in BJP functioning.
“During my stint as Maharashtra BJP president, not once was I instructed by the RSS,” he said. “The party and the philosophy are most important. Sangh ka vichar hamare jeevan ki nishtha hai (the Sangh philosophy is a question of life-long commitment),” he said.
The promise to strengthen the NDA was dismissed in a sentence although the text of his statement had one paragraph on the NDA.
Claiming he had “nothing to lose” and indicating that he would not be daunted by BJP biggies in running the party, Gadkari used his image of an outsider in Delhi politics to the hilt. “I don’t know the Delhi roads or Delhi’s weather, but I expect support from everyone.”
He vowed to check the “culture of sycophancy” in the party and added that the issue of indiscipline would be dealt with utmost seriousness. “We need to understand the spirit behind the term discipline. Indiscipline is not a subject for discussion but for execution. No indiscipline will be tolerated,” he said.
Hindutva’s pet themes found space in Gadkari’s pronouncements — he blasted “appeasement politics” and also called for “stringent measures to check terror strikes”.
Agreeing that the “crisis of credibility” in politics was a huge problem, Gadkari said that contesting an election could not be the sole objective of a political party. In consonance with the RSS, he also spoke about the “ill effects” of globalisation — a booklet that was distributed had Gadkari echoing Dattopant Thengadi’s world view on westernisation and he also said “there was a difference between modernisation and westernisation”, that he was “all for swadeshi, and against westernisation”.
Invoking Gandhi’s principle of trusteeship, Gadkari called for a paradigm shift in expanding the canvas of political parties. He said that under his leadership, the Maharashtra BJP had adopted 500 families affected by farmer suicides in the state.


Gadkari's priority should be to strengthen the organisation and transform BJP once again into a cadre based party par excellence, which has Hindutva as its ideal. For this a lot of study class modules have to be prepared. While this work is going on, Gadkari has to ensure that the party delivers where it is in power. For this he has to set up a high calibre and experienced team capable of working round the clock to set targets and oversee implementation. And last but not least, he has to appoint a key man, like Arun Jaitley, to be the political spokesperson of the party. Gadkari should not be bogged down into answering day-to-day political questions the press would raise.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/new-bjp-chiefs-new-line-need-to-work-for-last-man-in-the-queue/559069/0

Sangh does not influence BJP in its day-to-day working: Sushma

Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj on Monday said party's new chief Nitin Gadkari was the choice of the organisation and asserted that RSS did not interfere with its day-to-day affairs.
"Gadkari was the choice of BJP and Sangh merely put its stamp of approval on the decision," she told reporters here. The leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha strongly denied that Sangh influences BJP in its day-to-day working saying that her party worked on its own.
"We, however, get guidance and valuable advice from the Sangh from time to time," she said.
Replying to a question, Swaraj said that the biggest challenge before BJP today was to emerge as a better and more viable alternative to ruling Congress.
She said that adverse news reports that had been associated with the BJP were no longer there and expressed confidence that party's new leadership was working well towards its goals.
When asked how could Gadkari, who failed to get BJP in power in Maharashtra Assembly elections, do well at the national level, Swaraj said that such things do not count in politics.
"It is not necessary that Gadkari should fail at the national level also just because he did not perform well in Maharashtra," she said.


The way RSS influences its Parivar organisations is not through organisational interference, but through the influence of its pracharaks who are working in the Parivar organisations in key positions.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Sangh-does-not-influence-BJP-in-its-day-to-day-working--Sushma/560620

Gadkari defends BJP's decision to make Soren Jharkand CM

BJP president Nitin Gadkari on Monday defended the party's decision of supporting Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Shibu Soren to form the next Government in Jharkhand saying that stability and interests of the people of that state were the only concerns.
Talking to reporters in Mumbai, Gadkari said it was Congress and not Soren who was responsible for corruption in politics. "The Courts have also taken a decision in his favour," he said.
Gadkari said BJP had no option but to support Soren to provide a stable government in the interests of the people of the state.
Meanwhile, Soren who is set to take oath as Jharkhand's chief Minister for the third time, arrived in the city to meet Gadkari at the BJP state office in South Mumbai to discuss the nitty gritty of government formation.


Though my best wishes are with Nitin Gadkari, I feel he has compromised hopes that he would lead an idealistic party that the BJP and Jan Sangh once were in the tradition of an idealistic RSS.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/gadkari-defends.../560610/#postComment

Kerala questions NIA taking over terror cases in state

Updated on Sunday, December 27, 2009, 21:44 IST Tags:Kerala, questions NIA, taking over terror cases

New Delhi: Kerala Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on Sunday questioned the National Investigation Agency's (NIA) reported decision to take over two terror cases in the state.

"The state government was not consulted either by the Central government or by the NIA before the taking over of the two cases - bus burning case of 2005 and terror recruiting case," said Balakrishnan, who was in the national capital to attend the two-day politburo meeting of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).

He said the state government has information only through the media that the NIA has taken over the cases.


People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief Abdul Nazir Maudany's wife Sufiya is the 10th accused in the bus burning case. The first accused in the case is south India chief of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) T. Nazeer, who is now in custody of Bangalore police.

The terror recruiting case was busted after the Indian security forces gunned down five infiltrators in Jammu and Kashmir last year while they were trying to sneak out to Pakistan through the Line of Control.

During investigation by the state police's Special Investigation Team, it was found that a terror brigade of 185 Malayalis was selected by the LeT and provided preliminary training at camps conducted in Kannur and Ernakulam districts.

"On what basis the NIA took over the cases in which chargesheets have been filed by the state investigative agency? Why it is being re-investigated," Balakrishnan asked.

Contending that such interference by the central agencies would hurt the federal system of the country, Balakrishnan said the state government would examine the legal aspect of NIA's decision.

"Don't put state government in dark," Balakrishnan said.

The NIA was formed by the Indian government in the aftermath of the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai and has the powers to investigate terror-related offences across the country.

IANS


The Marxist government in Kerala wants to bury the cases against Madani and his wife as gratitude for their support during elections. The NIA, as per terms agreed by all states upon its formation as an All-India body to fight terrorism, need to neither seek permission nor consult with the states in pursuing terrorist cases. It needs only to inform the state governments in due course. However, whether NIA itself would pursue cases against Madani to its logical conclusion has to be seen because both Congress and Marxists are hand in glove with Muslim terrorist outfits in Kerala.

http://www.zeenews.com/news590734.html

Govindacharya calls on Advani, first meeting since 1999: ‘I had biscuits’

Hindutva ideologue K N Govindacharya called on senior BJP leader L K Advani at his residence last week, the first meeting of the two former party colleagues in a decade. Govindacharya, Advani’s one-time protege in the BJP, had a bitter falling-out with his mentor, after which he accused Advani of “deviating from ideological issues”.
“Yes, I met him (last week)... it was our first meeting after 1999, the year when I last went to his residence. I had biscuits, a yogurt-based drink, and that is all,” Govindacharya told The Indian Express.
Asked if his channel of communication with Advani would remain open in the future, Govindacharya declined to give a direct answer. He also parried questions on whether it was possible that he might go back to the BJP.
New BJP president Nitin Gadkari said in Nagpur recently that the “return of leaders like K N Govindacharya, Kalyan Singh and Uma Bharti to the party was not ruled out”. Gadkari is expected to enunciate a “policy statement” on the “homecoming of leaders who were once in the party” at a press conference on Thursday.

I think what is called for is the integration of all RSS affiliated organisations into one monolith organisation called, say, Sangha Parivar, headed and led by the Sarsanghchalak. This will avoid overlapping and duplication of organisational work, all of whose aim is to strengthen Hindutva. The primary aim ought not to be to win political power but to wield the power of organisation to set the political agenda in the right direction.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/govindacharya-calls-on-advani-first-meeting-since-1999-i-had-biscuits/557983/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+indianexpress%2Filvl+%28Top+Headlines%29

Karnataka panel holds NRN responsible for Bangalore Airport woes

22/12/2009

Bangalore: A Karnataka house panel has recommended black-listing of infrastructure majors L&T, Siemens and Unique Zurich Airport for a minimum of five years for "poor quality of workmanship" at the Bangalore International Airport (BIAL).
A joint house committee of the Karnataka Assembly has also recommended "appropriate action" against those, including Infosys mentor N R Narayana Murthy, involved in the decision making process.
The report, tabled in the Assembly on Monday, cited 'poor quality' of workmanship, trading shares for profit without showing an "iota of concern" for general public, entrusting all airport works among private players in Bengaluru International Airport (BIAL) for its recommendations.
It slammed "total apathy" towards users' needs and said the project partners, L&T, Siemens and Zurich, should not be considered for any work by both the government or its agencies for at least five years.
The committee said the decisions at each stage (right from project approval to construction) were not in accordance with the expectation of a world-class airport, and the present state of affairs is an outcome of such decisions.
Giving a list of officers involved in important decisions for initiating "appropriate action", it mentioned Infosys Chief Mentor Narayana Murthy, who was BIAL Chairman till 2005 and Rajiv Chandrasekhar, Chairman and CEO, BPL Innovations Business Group as also officials of the civil aviation ministry, Airport Authority of India and state agencies.
The Committee was set up to examine the lapses and suggest measures for improving the airport, which became operational in May last year, to international standards.
The report noted that in October this year, a promoter, the Unique (Flughafen Zurich AG) Zurich Airport, Switzerland, made a huge profit by off-loading 12 per cent (Rs 46.15 crore) of its 17 per cent (Rs 65.38 crore) stake at a over Rs 484.60 crore.
"The private promoter walked away with an over 1050 per cent return in just four years. This indicated that the private players have set their eyes on huge multiplication of their investment and have cut many corners for the sake of short-term profit," the report said.
The 21-member Committee, headed by D Hemachandra Sagar, was formed in September last year after several members alleged that the infrastructure created at the airport did not match international standards. Congress MLA D K Shivakumar alleged that BIA lacked very basic facilities.
The panel recommended that the airport be named immediately as "Kempegowda International Airport" after the name of the person who built Bengaluru.
Pointing out that the closure of HAL airport here (after the opening of BIA) negated the healthy competition and created private monopoly, it said the government should take necessary action to open the HAL airport.
It said the government of India should withdraw the order permitting BIAL to impose a user development fee (UDF) of Rs 260 on passengers as BIAL has failed to provide adequate facilities of international standard to the users.
Source: PTI
1-5 of 5
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K.Venugopal
#1
21 December 2009 23:48:23
This appears to be an unlikely charge. A perfectionist that NRN has proved himself to be through the creation of Infosys, the fault may lie elsewhere.

M.V.NAHUSHARAJ
#2
21 December 2009 23:43:19
The BIAL Report which is a Congress biased report,naturally is interested in nailing it's adversaries.Those whose palms were not greased are now up against those who refused grease them ! Since it not upto International standards,the airport is being named as Kempegowda Airport otherwise it would have been named after someone in the Sonia Gandhi family ! However,it must be known that there will be confusion over Kempegowda Bus Nildhana and Kempegowda Vimana Nildhana or Pathana,since more and more aircrafts are forcelanding now-a-days.

A Krishnan
#3
21 December 2009 23:35:52
I fully endorse the views of S B Chada. The panel's report smacks of personal vendetta against established and proven industrial leaders who were not full time employees and were advising the Government for the welfare of the city. If such people are targetted, no one will come forward in future to participate in programs to develop the city and the state.

The Joint House Committee has failed in nailing the real curlpits in BIAL and the contractors who did substandard works in connivance with those in BIAL. One only hopes that the real truth comes out instead of just blaming a few. As far naming the airport, the politicians can name it after any of the greats from Karnataka as long as it is justified. Why cant the airport be named after the Father of the Nation?

S B Chadha
#4
21 December 2009 22:18:14
From the facts included in this report, it appears that the committee headed by Mr. Sagar, Congress MP, appears to be totally biased and primarily interested in renaming the airport as also to lobby for opening of the old airport for reasons best known to them. The problems faced by the general public and poor workmanship at the complex seem to have been mentioned in passing only. The committee is also using this opportunity for maligning the name of Mr. Murthy since it is common knowledge that he has rubbed some politicians the wrong way during his illustrious career on the question of development of Bangalore.

If the work is substandard then it is imperative that the companies responsible for the same be directed first and foremost to rectify and correct the problems followed by suitable action against them. Next, personnel who finally accepted any shoddy or substandard work should be brought to the book and charge sheeted. If required, role of the BIAL functionaries should also be investigated to see if they are responsible for any lapses or faulty ovearll design.
•
http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3491447&ucid=255663#uc2Lst255663

End of an era? Many BJP insiders think not.

Jury out on Advani
RADHIKA RAMASESHAN
New Delhi, Dec. 18:
They believe that as long as Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani are around, there can be no third presiding deity in the party despite the RSS’s exertions.

They cite how Murli Manohar Joshi, K. Jana Krishnamurthy and Rajnath Singh had to pay a price for ignoring or side-stepping the duo.

Today, when Advani redeemed his assurance to the Sangh of quitting as leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, his standing in the parivar ensured he was rehabilitated with a position whose mandate is not fully understood by anyone in the BJP. Those who know him emphasise he will not treat it as a “good service award”.

When Advani pushed the BJP’s electoral tally from 85 in 1989 to 120 in 1991, underlining its primacy as the polity’s second pole, he bucked the trends of Indian politics: his caste was unknown and he admitted to not being a practising Hindu.

Yet his “Ram rath” obliterated caste and gender divisions in its trail. He was probably the first politician to successfully use religion as a mass mobiliser.

When it was time to take a serious shot at power before the 1996 elections, however, the Sangh, tutored by the late Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar, figured out that the BJP would have to pick allies to reach majority. It decided Advani was not the man for the mission. The Sangh chose and packaged Vajpayee as the “moderate” face of a non-Congress alliance. Vajpayee eluded political labels with his ability to avoid taking positions on issues. Advani, seen as “a strident communalist”, gracefully accepted the decision.

Vajpayee did not reciprocate in kind: his thanksgiving speech did not mention Advani’s contribution to the BJP’s rise.

Vajpayee’s heart was never in the organisation — he was most comfortable in public shows and Parliament — but Advani straddled the space from the party apparatus to the legislative wing with ease. He had a rapport with the Sangh while Vajpayee was said to be a trifle dismissive of the men in khaki shorts except when it suited him politically.

That was not the only reason for Advani’s organisational prowess: as a head-hunter, he built a team that was the envy of other parties. He nurtured the talents of Pramod Mahajan, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, K.N. Govindacharya, Narendra Modi, Uma Bharti and others.

The jury is still out on whether his ambition to become Prime Minister was fanned by his confidants or whether it was self-generated. Whatever the truth, it took a toll on his politics.

The writer says Advani admitted to not being a practising Hindu. If I am not mistaken, Advani had said that he is not a ritualistic Hindu. This cannot be construed as not being a "practising Hindu". I think Advani also talked about his Sufi approach. Read in context, Advani only exclaimed that he is imbued with the Advaitic vision. This cannot be taken as not being a practising Hindu.

Advani: A BJP icon but lacking national vision

END OF AN ERA
CNN-IBN
Published on Sat, Dec 19, 2009 at 10:33, Updated on Sat, Dec 19, 2009 at 11:14 in Politics section
An era ended in Indian politics on Friday when Lal Krishna Advani, the man who was the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ideological mascot for three decades, stepped down as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. Sushma Swaraj has been named as the new Leader of Opposition.
So the change of guard and the passing of the baton has taken place. Advani stepping down as the Leader of Opposition also signalled the end of Atal Bihari Vajpayee-Lal Krishna Advani era.
Advani had held the position of Leader of Opposition since 2004. The party on Friday also amended its constitution, paving the way for Advani to be elected as the Chairman of the parliamentary party. His role is expected to be that of a mentor.
The stage is also set for BJP's Maharashtra chief Nitin Gadkari to take over as the party President from Rajnath Singh.
CNN-IBN special show tried to analyse the impact of Advani on Indian polity, his impact on the country and how history will judge him.
The panel of experts included senior journalist Vir Sanghvi, columnist Swapan Dasgupta, Outlook Editor-In-Chief Vinod Mehta and political commentator & author Jyotirmaya Sharma.
Advani and Vajpayee had been the guiding force behind the BJP since the formation of the party. The duo has also been instrumental in bringing the party to power at the Centre. With Vajpayee already retired and now Advani also abdicating a huge responsibility has Indian politics witnessed a major change?
Is this really the end of an era in Indian politics?
“Yes and No! I don’t think you are going to see the last of LK Advani. He has not abdicated but merely stepped aside. He may have become the Bhishma Pitamah but Bhishma Pitamah still fought in the battle of Kurukshetra. It does mark the transition, the end of the Atal-Advani era,” said Swapan Dasgupta.
“It is a transition and the end of a generation in the BJP. It is the end of a generation that was part of the Jan Sangh and created the BJP. It is the start of an era and now people who will run the BJP have only been a part of the BJP,” Vir Sanghvi said.
Vinod Mehta credited Advani with making BJP a truly national party but added that he had been forced to quit.
“This is definitely an end of an era because he was unquestionably the man who brought BJP to power. But is has been an undignified exit. This is not a voluntary retirement. This is a forced retirement. This is not the script that Advani wrote for himself. Just a few months back he was saying he would stay the full term. So he has been pushed out,” said Mehta.
Dasgupta, however, said that Advani has managed to become taller by resigning as Leader of Opposition.
“You can say that the era ended with the loss in Lok Sabha elections. But by this Advaniji has actually salvaged quite a lot of his authority within the BJP. Now he has established himself as an alternative moral authority,” said Dasgupta.
But on the other hand Sanghvi claimed that Advani was only playing political games.
“He said that he would retire after the Lok Sabha defeat but he withdrew his resignation. He wanted to hang on, install Sushma or perhaps Arun Jaitley or someone his own as his successor and ensure that the Advani era continued,” said Sanghvi.
“His moral authority depends on what role the RSS wants him to play post retirement. The script has been written by the RSS. Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley want to stamp their own authority on the party and they would not like any back seat driving. I think Advani era is over,” said Mehta.
Dasgupta pointed out that BJP was facing a crisis and the RSS had taken a decisive stand as the party did not know what the real BJP was.
It seems that the script of Advani quitting has been written by the RSS. Nitin Gadkari as party President, Arun Jaitley in the Rajya Sabha and Sushma Swaraj in the Lok Sabha all have RSS backing.
“Yes! It is a script written by the RSS. There is hardly any difference between the BJP and the RSS,” said Sharma joining the debate.
Sanghvi, however, disagreed saying that if the RSS had its way then Advani would have been out a long time ago.
“We must call a spade a spade. This is a triumph for the RSS and defeat for the BJP. There is RSS on one side and pragmatist and modernisers like Sushma and Jaitley on the other side. Therein lies the fault lines within the BJP as both sides will pull in different directions,” said Mehta.
Dasgupta said that politics and organisation are separate.
“While Sushma and Jaitley represent politics, RSS represents the organisation,” he said.
Sanghvi drew parallel with the Congress and said that BJP was just like the Grand Old Party of India.
“It is juts like the Congress where if the Gandhi family does like something it won’t happen. Similarly if the RSS does not like something then that will never happen in the BJP,” said Sanghvi.
Has Advani never got his due?
Atal Bihari Vajpayee became the prime minister of the country three times but Advani never got a chance to occupy the top political spot in the country.
“He has got more than his due. He never became the prime minister because the country did not want him to. He lost the election where he could have become the prime minister. He is looked upon as someone who emerged during the Rath Yatra and led BJP to power. We forget that he was in politics for a long time and he was not much more than Vajpayee’s secretary or speech writer. He was always second fiddle to Vajpayee. He became an extremist and espoused Hindutva. He made BJP a national party with his Rath Yatra. No one was going to ally with the BJP led by this man,” said Sanghvi.
Dasgupta said that Advani had his limitation which came in the way of him occupying the post of prime minister.
"He was never a mass leader with the flexibility that Atal Bihari Vajpayee showed. But where Advani is to be given his due is for changing the discourse of Indian politics. He recognised that he had raised a question and that played out. So he had to redefine himself and he recognised that,” said Dasgupta.
“I think Vajpayee got more of his due from politics than Advani. But politics is about power and Advani brought BJP to power. Advani is a flawed character,” Mehta added.
“In January 1996 Advani voluntarily said Vajpayee should be the prime minister because he realised that he had got the Hindu votes but to get to power the party needed incremental votes which Vajpayee could bring in,” claimed Dasgupta.
Mehta pointed out that it was Advani who got the BJP to a level where incremental votes could bring power.
The Ayodhya movement which the BJP would call his finest moment was perhaps also his worst moment. It branded him as a militant Hindutva leader, a hardliner for life.
“That is right. But I would say that after Ayodhya he became a shade among the shadow. Everyone is talking about him becoming the Bhishma Pitamah. But the BJP is the only Mahabharata which has two Bhishma Pitamahs and one Shakuni, which is the RSS. What Advani could have done to gain some moral status was to say boo to the RSS,” said Sharma.
“After two election defeats the mood in the BJP is different. After the loss in 2004 there was still a belief in the BJP that something had gone wrong and a bit of fine tuning was needed. But 2009 dawned on them that if they carry the RSS on their backs, they would never be fit to come to power or even a viable political force. Advani should have seized the occasion and said boo to the RSS and rid the BJP of the shadow of the RSS,” Sharma said.
Mehta said that Advani made some blunders that cost him dearly.
“He did not want to modernise the BJP as much as he wanted to modernise himself. On Ayodhya he played his cards very badly. He tried to separate the movement from the demolition. He did not even stay with his role in the Ayodhya movement,” said Mehta.
So it seems that Advani was a prisoner of his image.
“He got the image of a hardliner due to Ayodhya. It was image he never had before. He tried very hard to get rid of it. I don’t think he understood secularism and he certainly didn’t understand the Indian Muslim. He made a statement before the 2004 elections that the BJP would get Muslim votes as the party had improved relations with Pakistan. Many Muslims rose up in protest asking ‘are you suggesting that we are Pakistanis?’ He then praised Jinnah as truly secular and called Indira Gandhi, himself and others pseudo secular,” said Sanghvi.
Dasgupta, however, claimed that Advani did try to reform his image
“We forget Indian Shinning. Advani took BJP into an election on plank that was economic and inspirational,” he said.
Mehta was categorical in criticising Advani and blamed the veteran BJP leader of not having a moral centre. Sanghvi agreed with Mehta.
Is Generation Next of the BJP ready to take over?
Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Narendra Modi and Nitin Gadkari are the Generation Next leaders of the BJP and now it is upto them to energise the party.
“If you are looking at the next General Elections you are probably looking at Rahul Gandhi as Congress’ prime ministerial candidate. Who does the BJP have who can compete with Rahul Gandhi? If you bring Narendra Modi, he is going to look like sinister Neanderthal and this guy is the bright guy. Or is it Sushma Swaraj who will be projected as the spirit of Indian women against this western educated boy,” Sanghvi said warning about the future of BJP.
“One leader will have to be projected as the prime ministerial candidate. At present there is a plethora of leaders. Rahul Gandhi will also have to deal with 10 years of UPA rule,” said Dasgupta.
“BJP may have got from the frying pan into the fire. There are two hugely ambitious politicians in Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley. A better bet would be Jaitley. Then there is the question of their relation with Nitin Gadkari who is an unknown,” said Mehta.
So if the Atal-Advani era is over, what is the direction that BJP will move in?
Sharma simply said “confusion and self destruction.”
“One cannot write the BJP off and it would not be in the interest of democracy. We need a strong Opposition if there is going to be any kind of check on the Congress. In 2004 the Congress did not win the elections but the BJP lost it. Advani and BJP were hoping that Manmohan and Sonia would lose the 2009 elections, but they did not oblige,” said Sanghvi.
“Both Sushma and Jaitley are very professional, seasoned and experienced politicians. If they can team up together they are a formidable pair. They probably hate each other more than they hate the Congress. Can they work as a team? That is why the referee with the whistle is very important,” Mehta added.
“BJP is part of the NDA and all of them are together due to anti-Congressism. There are some people who would like Mohan Bhagwat to run the BJP. But I don’t think they will run the BJP,” Dasgupta said.
Sanghvi added that Hindutva had run its course. According to him the BJP has no clarity on how to deal with economic issues and foreign policy.
“On both of these there is no clarity in the BJP,” he said.
Mehta said that Advani would be remembered like PV Narasimha Rao.
“He did some good but the evil will be remembered. The good will not be remembered,” said Mehta.
“A man who could not keep pace with his ambitions and who was consumed by hubris,” said Sharma about Advani.
“He will have an iconic status within the BJP. As to how he will be viewed by rest of the country is not clear,” responded Dasgupta.
“As a mediocre man whom history thrust into the limelight and who rose to the occasion for a brief period and then his own mediocrity reasserted itself,” Sanghvi said concluding the debate.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/advani-a-bjp-icon-but-lacking-national-vision/107392-37.html?from=tn

Telangana mess: Did Sonia Gandhi blunder?

19/12/2009

For someone who has rarely taken a false step since scripting the Congress' success story over the last five years, Sonia Gandhi's slip-up on Telangana was an uncharacteristic blunder.
The sudden decision to announce the government's approval for dividing Andhra Pradesh was all the more surprising since the Congress president is known to err on the side of caution. Her trademark style of functioning is to listen to everyone before taking a major decision.
It is unlikely, however, that such wide-ranging consultations took place before the fateful step was taken. Whatever the explanation - that the government was spooked by the fear of Maoists in an area noted for violent agitations - fact remains that the hasty step was unwarranted if only because a negative fallout from such a decision was all too obvious.
There is little doubt that if more people had been involved for longer hours to consider all the implications of bifurcating Andhra Pradesh, the downside of the proposed split would have become too stark to be ignored. The subsequent statement against smaller states by Pranab Mukherjee showed that this aspect of the decision was not emphasised as much as it should have been.
Even if P. Chidambaram, who made the announcement, was concerned mainly with the Maoist threat, the destabilising impact of the decision was immediately obvious to Mukherjee because of the longstanding demand for Gorkhaland in his home state of West Bengal. Similarly, Sharad Pawar would have warned against the resuscitation of the Vidarbha demand in Maharashtra.
Arguably, a basic reason for Sonia Gandhi's faux pas is the decentralisation that has taken place under her. Unlike her mother-in-law and late prime minister Indira Gandhi, who emasculated all her ministers into ciphers to take all power into her own hands, Sonia Gandhi seems to believe in delegating authority.
The positive side of such an attitude cannot be denied. It has been evident from the clear division of the spheres of influence between the government and the party. As a result, Manmohan Singh has been able to pursue his policies without any let-up or hindrance, as was evident from the signing of the nuclear deal although Sonia Gandhi was not too enthusiastic about it.
At one stage, her remark that the communists had a point when they opposed the deal made Manmohan Singh say, almost in despair, that not clinching the agreement with the US would not be the end of the world.
Because of her lenience, the prime minister too has tripped up occasionally, as in Sharm-al-Sheikh where Pakistan wheedled a meaningful reference about the Baloch insurgency out of the Indian delegation. Just as New Delhi backtracked a few days later on the question, a similar retreat is apparently in the offing on the Telangana issue as well.
But it will not be easy to repair the damage to Sonia Gandhi's reputation for circumspection and political acumen - the latter exemplified by her refusal to accept the prime minister's post which had flummoxed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The false step will haunt her all the more if the demands for smaller states refuse to die down. The Telangana issue may prove to be some kind of benchmark not only because it has been pending for a long time but also because it had the approval of the states reorganisation commission of 1955. A second commission, if it is set up, will be hard put to negate the demand.
Like Telangana, the claim for separating the Darjeeling hills from West Bengal has been around for a long time - a hundred years, according to its supporters. The problem with Sonia Gandhi's blooper is that in both the cases, it is the Congress which will suffer.
While the party's base will be undermined in Andhra Pradesh, where it is in power, its hope of ousting the Left from West Bengal in the company of its alliance partner, the Trinamool Congress, will be dashed if the Gorkhaland agitation gains momentum.
Any such development will be worrisome for the Congress because it has to be remembered that its success in the last two general elections was not as substantial as it may have wished. The party still has to depend on its allies to survive. Its stumbling will not only weaken it but also embolden the allies. The confidence, therefore, with which the government is trying to push through its agenda, as on disinvestment, will be lacking in future.
The Telangana issue will not only lead to a messy situation with the divisive elements rearing their heads in almost every state but also affect the government's and the party's resolve on economic reforms as well as internal security. Even where foreign relations are concerned, India's unfriendly neighbours will be delighted at the prospect of balkanization, which a Chinese analyst wanted his country to encourage.
What is unfortunate, however, is that the entire situation could have been avoided if Sonia Gandhi had followed her customary cautious instincts.
Source: IANS
K.Venugopal
#1
19 December 2009 01:03:21
We should go in for smaller states for the sake of administrative benefits while all the time stressing on Indian nationalism for the sake of political and cultural unity.

http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3489171&page=0

Was 'double agent' Headley reporting to FBI as well?

17/12/2009
Washington: The extensive use of terrorist tradecraft by Pakistani American terror suspect David Headley makes it evident that he "was not merely a low-level cannon fodder-type operative", according to US strategic think tank Stratfor.
Referring to Headley's alleged work as a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and FBI informant, Stratfor said: "Given the demonstrated - and considerable - nexus between heroin trafficking and terrorism funding for the jihadist groups operating in Pakistan and Afghanistan, such a crossover of an informant from narcotics to terrorism is no surprise."
If Headley were reporting to the FBI, it could also explain the very specific warnings that the US government gave to the government of India about plans to attack hotels in Mumbai in Sep 2008.
Following the warning, the government of India initially increased security measures at these sites, but the measures were dropped before the attacks were launched in Nov 2008.
Stratfor said at present, it is very difficult to ascertain if Headley was a double agent who was really reporting to LeT and HUJI the entire time he was ostensibly working for the US government, or if he was merely a rogue informant who was playing both ends against the middle for his own personal benefit.
The Dec 7 indictment of Headley, charged with scouting targets for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, shows that he reportedly attended Lashkar-e-Taeba (LeT) training camps in Pakistan in February and August of 2002 and in April, August and December of 2003.
"This indicates that Headley progressed far beyond basic militant training, and it is likely that he was taught during his later training sessions the tradecraft required to conduct preoperational surveillance for terrorist attacks and to participate in the operational planning for such attacks," Stratfor said.
"One element of terrorist tradecraft that was evident in the indictment and the Oct 11 criminal complaint is Headley's careful use of language and of multiple methods of communications, including the use of cell phones and using long-distance calling cards, e-mail communication (using a variety of accounts) and face-to-face briefings," the global intelligence company said.
According to the Dec 7 indictment to conduct surveillance for the Mumbai attacks, Headley made five extended trips to Mumbai: one in September 2006, two in February and September of 2007 and two in April and July of 2008.
Noting that such rogue sources have been seen in jihadist cases before, Stratfor said: "If Headley was either a double agent or a rogue source, there may be some significant blowback for the US government as further revelations are made about the case."
Rahul Bhatt quizzed twice
Meanwhile, the National Investigative Agency (NIA) has quizzed Rahul Bhatt, the son of Bollywood filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, during the ongoing probe into Pakistani-American terror suspect David Coleman Headley's links to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
Mahesh Bhatt told IANS Wednesday in Mumbai: "They quizzed him twice over the past one week at a secret location in Mumbai. They wanted to know the circumstances in which Rahul met him (Headley), why he aroused Rahul's suspicion, etc."
Bhatt emphasised that the NIA team was very cordial and appreciative of Rahul's bold step of bringing the matter to their notice.
Rahul had earlier said he helped the American rent a three-bedroom flat near Breach Candy Hospital in the city.
Headley, charged with scouting targets for Mumbai terror attacks, is currently in FBI custody in the US.
Source: IANS

K.Venugopal
#1
16 December 2009 23:16:19
I think we should revisit the case of the American national Kenneth Heywood whose wireless internet connection was used by Indian Mujahideen. The chap may not be as innocent as it seemed then.

Australian town 'under siege' from camels

Associated Press, Friday November 27, 2009, Docker River

State authorities in Australia plan to corral about 6,000 wild camels with helicopters and gun them down after they overran a small town in Australia's Outback in search of water, trampling fences, smashing tanks and contaminating supplies.

The Northern Territory government announced its plan on Wednesday for Docker River, a town of 350 residents where thirsty camels have been arriving daily for weeks because of drought conditions in the region.

"Docker River is under siege by 6000 marauding, wild camels," local government minister Rob Knight said in Alice Springs, 310 miles (500 kilometres) northeast of Docker.

The camels, which are not native to Australia but were introduced in the 1840s, have smashed water tanks, approached houses to try to take water from air conditioning units, and knocked down fencing at the small airport runway, Knight said.

The carcasses of camels killed in stampedes at water storage areas are contaminating the water supply, he added.

The government plans to use helicopters to herd the camels about nine miles (15 kilometres) outside of town next week, where they will be shot and their carcasses left to decay in the desert.
The state government will give a 49-thousand Australian dollar (45-thousand US dollars) grant for the cull and for damaged infrastructure to the town.

It is common to see some camels in the remote community, but a continuing drought and an early heat wave have dried up other water sources and forced great numbers of them into town.

Much of Australia is gripped by some of the worst drought conditions on record.

In August, the federal government set aside 19 million Australian dollars for a programme to slash the wild camel population, including a possible mass slaughter.

An executive director of national advocacy group Animals Australia, said the plan to kill camels by helicopter was barbaric, and that the community could instead focus on setting up barriers to keep out the camels.

Camels were first brought to Australia to help explorers travel through the desert, and now an estimated one million roam wild across the country.

They compete with sheep and cattle for food, trample vegetation and invade remote settlements in search of water, scaring residents as they tear apart bathrooms and rip up water pipes.

Docker River residents were not especially concerned when about 30 camels came into the town looking for water a few weeks ago, said Graham Taylor, head of the local council.

But their fears grew as more animals arrived day by day.

He said many people were too frightened to leave their homes because of the big, strong animals, which can grow up to 7 feet (2.1 meters) tall and weigh two-thousand pounds (900 kilograms).

In April, Taylor had said water supplies had been broken and damaged.

He said sewers were getting trampled and crushed and that the airport was virtually unusable.

It is shocking that the Australian authorities plan to kill 6,000 camels. Can't something be done to save them?

http://www.ndtv.com/news/world/australian_town_under_siege_from_camels.php?page=1#postcommentarea

Vinay Katiyar: It was the proudest day of my life

NDTV Correspondent, Monday November 23, 2009, Ayodhya

Vinay Katiyar is among the BJP leaders indicted by the Liberhan Report, which says, "there is no doubt that the second rung of the leadership was involved with bringing down the mosque...this includes Kalyan Singh, Uma Bharti, Vinay Katiyar..."

Speaking to NDTV, Katiyar said that the day the mosque fell was the proudest day of his life, but denied that his party planned the demolition.

The BJP's LK Advani has repeatedly asserted that December 6, 1992 "was the saddest day" of his life.

BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad tells NDTV that if Justice Liberhan does indeed indict the BJP's top leadership, as reported by NDTV, then the BJP holds that, " this is not a report...but a political indictment."

Prasad also criticized the report for its "conscious effort to exonerate Narasimha Rao." The former prime minister is described as "daydreaming" while accepting the BJP's assurances that the Babri Masjid would not be demolished. Other than that, though, Rao and the central government are given a clean chit by Justice Liberhan.

I think Vinay Katiyar should be made the next BJP President.

http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/demolition_day_was_happiest_day_of_my_life.php?page=1#postcommentarea

Liberhan slams media, says he did not leak Babri report

Updated on Monday, November 23, 2009, 16:32 IST Tags:Liberhan, Liberhan REPORT

Chandigarh: Upset over the "leakage" of his report on Babri Masjid demolition, Justice (retd) Manmohan Singh Liberhan today said he was not a "characterless" person who will hand it over to the media.

"I will not speak on the report. If the report is with the media, then go and find out from where the media got it and who provided the report," a visibly angry Liberhan told reporters at his residence in sector nine here.

When it was pointed out that the opposition had been alleging that the report was "selectively leaked" and asked whether it was leaked from "his side", Liberhan said, "let the opposition say anything, but what do you mean by this?


"Don't challenge my character...get lost," a perturbed Liberhan, who lost his cool, said.

"I am not a person who is accessible to you (media)...I don't want to talk about it," he said.

"I am not that characterless a person that I will hand over the report to the media before being placed in Parliament," Liberhan said.

A newspaper report claimed that the one-man Liberhan Commission, which probed the December 6, 1992 demolition, had indicted former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Leader of Opposition L K Advani and BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi among others for the incident.

PTI

The Liberhan Report would no doubt be one of merit due to the long labour that went into it. While the report has not yet been tabled in the Parliament and we have only a leaked portion in the press, the supposed comment by the commission that the Ram Janmabhoomi movement was not supported by the Hindus at large appears to be a conclusion that does not seem borne out by facts. They very fact that BJP swept to power in UP from a position of negligible presence is proof enough that the movement and its success had widespread Hindu participation. Anyway, I hope the Report would contain the criteria by which the eminent Justice formed the opinion that Ram Janmabhoomi movement was not a mass movement.

http://www.zeenews.com/news581472.html

Backless Kareena: What real purpose does it serve?

- by satyaswarup mohanty 21 Nov 2009
This story has been read 1105 times.
Category: Entertainment
Some activities, although seems like an intelligemt move by the person or the organization in the pursuit of their self or business promotion mutate into embarassing and self defeating acts. One such incident is the attempt to publicise the film "Kurban". Eventhough we assume that the film has a good story line and an engaging rendition and has all the elements to to be accepted by the viewers, we wonder why the promoters have choosen the easiest path of appealing to the lower instincts of the viewers to draw their attention The common man who comes to see backless Kareena and the roving eyes of Saif groping over her bosom in the promotional poster will tend to forget all the finer aspects of the film when he finally decides to watch it in the theatres as he will have the promo picture in the back of his mind and would be eager to see it on the screen as early as possible. This pre-conditioned mind will deprive him of the aesthetic and artistic appraisal of the film and formulation of any critical response. The promoters of the film might succeed in their attempt to tax his time and wallet, but the objective of eliciting applaud on the artistic count will definitely be lost. If box office suceess is the only parameter and hijacking attention is the only objective, then that could be achieved through many spurious means. Kareena kapoor could well have been repalced by any artiste who oozes more oomph than her ,the role of Saif remaininfg constant. Kareena has done a great disservice to her image and the promoters to the film as they have given more emphasis to the gimmicks than their talent and worth. There are ample examples where films have succeeded on the strength of their script and strong portrayals of characters rather than on glitz and sleaze. Had the promoters of the film prioritized critical acclaim over instant gain, they didn't have to take recourse to such obnoxious means and the outcome could well have been very different.

SEE THE LATEST COMMENTS (12)
K.Venugopal - Mumbai on 11/22/2009 12:37:39 PM
The producers of the film may not have been sure of the box-office fate of their film and wanting to take no chances, also threw in a backless Kareena for good measure. This is inevitable when a producer's first priority is to make money.

Indroop - Phagwara on 11/22/2009 12:23:58 PM
Maybe some 5-10 years I would have agreed with your criticism but now i believe its a part of society and you need to be more broadminded

Zara - Maldives on 11/22/2009 11:38:05 AM
Fantastically criticized!!!

Julian George - Trivandrum on 11/22/2009 9:52:12 AM
All industry today is purely money oriented and I am sad to say the orientation and richness of pure art is literally lost. Today most women around me look the same. I don't know why. They are either too plump or the too thin. nothing is beautiful anymore. Where is a simple poetry in today? I smile because I have not seen a nice simple movie in many languages that has good song and the blend of good acting in a long time. We are loosing out.

http://content.msn.co.in/MSNContribute/Story.aspx?PageID=e6241fbc-29e8-4a7f-8d62-562d82b7b8e9

Row over jehad: Jethmalani questions God's credentials

21/11/2009
New Delhi: Former union law minister Ram Jethmalani Saturday kicked up a row at an international conference on terrorism, asking if Islam's jehadi doctrine does not virtually render "god a brothel keeper", prompting a Saudi Arabian envoy to walk out of the conference.
Addressing the seminar, Jethmalani wondered if the jehadi doctrine, propagating the belief allegedly held by Islam's Wahab sect that Muslims attaining martyrdom while fighting non-Muslims "get a place in heaven and the company of the opposite sex there", does not amount to saying that "god is a brothel keeper".

The self-confessed maverick legal hawk also went on to equate god as someone "suffering with Alzheimer's disease", while advising the Indian government and the international community against trusting god in fighting terrorism.
"He will not help as he is suffering with Alzheimer's disease," said Jethmalani, while advising the government to junk its obsession with "an irrelevant non-aligned movement" and "join the forces of good to fight forces of evil".

Jethmalani made "the non-mincing" remarks at an international conference of jurists on terrorism, inaugurated by President Pratibha Patil and attended among others by Singapore Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong and Justice Awn S Al-Khasawneh of the International Court of Justice and envoys of several countries.

Jethmalani's remarks caused Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to India Faisal-al-Trad to walk out, while an embarrassed union Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily swiftly sought to distance himself and the government from the controversial remarks.
Justice Khasawneh contradicted Jethmalani on some facts referred to by him on the jehadi doctrine.
Jethmalani made the remark while dwelling upon the need to fight terrorism also at its ideological level.
"I am a student of all religions, including Islam and I have read the Koran several times. I find that the Prophet is a man of peace," said Jethmalani, adding that it nowhere preaches hate and violence.
"But the decline of Islam started in the 17th century when a person named Wahab propagated hate and violence against all non-Muslims by mis-interpreting one shora (verse) of the Koran," said Jethmalani.
"I have read that shora thousands of times, but I have not found anything wrong in it. But, according to Wahab, all other people, including Christians, Jews and Hindus, and even Shias have forfeited their rights to live," said Jethmalani.
Following Jethmalani's speech, Saudi Arabia's Ambassador Faisal-al-Trad was seen walking out of the conference, apparently taking offence at the remarks.

Organiser of the event Adesh Aggarwala said the ambassador had walked out but returned after Moily's statement that the views expressed by Jethmalani were not that of the government.
Moily, in his address, said that terrorism cannot be attributed to any particular religion.
It was unfortunate that the entire Islam as a religion was being blamed for terrorism, Jethmalani said, adding that "there are also Hindu terrorists and Buddhist terrorists".
Terming the Non-Aligned Movement and Panchsheel as evil, Jethmalani said "India should align with forces of good to combat the forces of evil. India and its foreign ministers must learn to reassess the doctrines of past."
He said India's foreign policy establishment should be courageous to shun any relationship with the country's "enemies".

Referring to Jethmalani's comments, Justice Awn S Al-Khasawneh, a judge of the International Court of Justice, asked him not "to make sweeping statements". He also said that the Wahab movement had started in the 18th century and not in 17th century as Jethmalani had remarked.
Source: Agencies


Bravo, Shri Ram about your insight about God being a brothel keeper. That's what Islam has reduced religion to. However, Shri Ram's insight that Mohammad is a man of peace is only partially correct. He was a man of peace in his early days and a man of war in his later days. This accounts for contradictory verses in the Quran that say "killing even one person is killing all humanity" and "ambush and kill them".

http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3435369&page=0&ucid=243114#uc2Lst243114

Defiant Sena blames IBN for anti-Thackeray stance

21/11/2009

New Delhi/ Mumbai: While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has strongly condemned Friday's attack by Shiv Sena activists on the offices of IBN-Lokmat network channel in Mumbai and Pune, defiant Shiv Sena has come out in the open defending attacks on IBN offices, blaming anti-Thackeray bias of the channel.
IBN-Lokmat TV channel journalists and other employees were beaten up and the channel's office property was vandalised by Shiv Sainiks to protest the alleged misquoting by the channel of party chief Bal Thackeray's remarks on cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.
BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told IANS that the incident was "unfortunate and strongly condemnable".
Without naming the Shiv Sena, Naqvi said that law is equal for all citizens of the country and action should be taken against those responsible for the incident.
The attack has drawn condemnation from all quarters.
Sena vandalised IBN offices; four injured
Shiv Sena activists Friday vandalised the offices of the IBN-Lokmat television channel in north-east Mumbai and in Pune and assaulted journalists, to protest the alleged misquoting of party chief Bal Thackeray's remarks on cricketer Sachin Tendulkar. The attack has drawn condemnation from all quarters.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan assured strong action against attackers.
Armed with sticks and bats, a mob of 25 attacked the IBN-Lokmat office in Vikhroli here, damaging the furniture and fittings, glass partitions, OB vans and electronic equipment.
According to a channel staffer, the Sena activists barged into the channel office around 4 p.m., shouting slogans in favour of the Shiv Sena and Bal Thackeray.
Besides editor Nikhil Wagle, who was slapped, pushed around and had a chair flung at him, three other staffers sustained injuries in the Shiv Sena activists' attack.
A shaken Wagle said that some of the activists launched a brutal attack on the journalists and other staffers in the office, they caused extensive damage to the office, furniture and fittings there."The attack was preplanned, they had come armed with sticks and iron rods for creating the mayhem in our offices. They hurled a chair at me," Wagle told media persons.
The Shiv Sena owned up responsibility for the attack later Friday evening, while the vandalism drew condemnation from other political parties.
No one will be spared: Chavan
"The government shall not go soft on the Shiv Sena and the media should boycott the Shiv Sena," a grim Ashok Chavan told media persons Friday evening. The city police nabbed seven and Pune police arrested eight Shiv Sainiks for the attacks.
Home Minister R.R. Patil also condemned the attacks and assured newsmen that stern action would be taken against those involved.
Shiv Sena spokesman Sanjay Raut accused the channel of misquoting Thackeray's observations on cricket maestro Sachin Tendulkar in a signed article in the Sena mouthpiece "Saamana" last week.
"This is not an attack on the entire media. The (IBN-Lokmat) channel has been constantly misreporting about Bal Thackeray and targeting the Shiv Sena. We shall not tolerate any criticism of our party chief," Raut, a Sena Rajya Sabha MP, said.
"They also manhandled a few staffers, including women, and editor Nikhil Wagle and others," said Vijay Darda, chairman of the Lokmat group of newspapers that part-owns the channel.
Terming it as "an attack on the freedom of speech and media", Darda said he did not expect this from Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray.
"I have always considered him as a refined, cultured and family person and what has happened has pained us," Darda told IANS.
He said the channel had been running several reports on the debacle of the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance in last month's elections to the Mahastrata state assembly. "They have vented their frustration at the defeat on the journalists and the TV channel, which is highly condemnable," said Darda, a Congress member in the Rajya Sabha.
Darda, whose younger brother Rajendra is a Congress cabinet minister in Maharasthra, said it is "disturbing that the Sainiks have become so bold as to launch attacks on the media without any fear". South Mumbai Lok Sabha member Milind Deora, condemning the attacks, said the police must probe the top Sena leaders who had planned or instigated the attacks on the media house in Mumbai and Pune. D.K. Raikar, group editor of Lokmat Group of Newspapers, said the immediate provocation behind the attacks was not clear.He said that some of the activists who went on rampage were nabbed by some of the channel staffers and handed over to the police.
"They have broken the furniture and fittings, broken glass panels and partitions, several television sets, computers, communication lines, OB vans, uprooted carpets, etc.," Raikar told IANS after surveying the damages wreaked by the Sena men Friday evening.
Attacks carried out simultaneously in Pune
A similar attack was carried out simultaneously at the Pune office of the channel, and there too staffers were attacked. The Pune police have arrested at least eight people in this connection.
CNN-IBN chief Rajdeep Sardesai termed the attacks as "a shame" and condemned the Sena for the attaks. In Lucknow, the Samajwadi Party also condemned the attack, terming the attackers as anti-social elements.
"Be it the Shiv Sena or the Maharashtra Navnirmaan Sena (MNS), all are anti-social elements. They are spreading a feeling of regional difference amongst the states of the country. We appeal to the Election Commission to cancel the registration of such parties which do not follow the Indian constitution," Rajendra Chaudhary, spokesperson of the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, told IANS.
Source: Agencies
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K.Venugopal
#1
21 November 2009 00:04:26
Some things are a dictum - freedom of the press; no one has the right to take law into their hands; violence is never the answer etc. But what is the remedy for irresponsible journalism? The press went to town over Bal Thackeray's open letter to imply that Bal Thackeray took an anti-Indian line vis-a-vis Sachin Tendulkar’s statement that he is an Indian first and Mumbai is for all Indians. The fact is that nowhere in the letter did Bal Thackeray condemn Sachin for being a patriotic Indian. In fact, Bal Thackeray himself said in the letter that he is proud to be an Indian and signed off his letter with Jai Hind. Shiv Sena’s so-called parochial pro-Marathi stand is actually a stand against the ghettoisation of urban centers because of unbridled influx of people from rural areas , which is a world-wide phenomenon. This problem can be resolved only by a national development policy that balances development so that mass movement to urban centres for employment is regulated. But the so-called secular press has consistently sought to portray Shiv Sena’s stand as anti-national when it is not.

Therefore while rightly condemning the vandalism by Shiv Sainiks, the press should also be asked to report in a balanced way so that reporting is not converted to propaganda.

pOokiD
#2
21 November 2009 00:03:21
akash... wut do mean by 'Christian' media?
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pOokiD
#3
21 November 2009 00:01:00
Yes anil, the ibn netwroks are biased, and cant forgive mr. sardesai for being adement and proud of telecasting the 26/11 attacks live helping the terrorists in the process....
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Brijesh Kanaujia
#4
20 November 2009 23:54:00
Shiv Sena Must ban completely in Maharashra. Those who are involved must booked and punish. Centre must intervence and handle this task state will not able to do any correct action. If centre not intervene then no use being central government such activities will be increase. Government of India not capable to run country then sell it to someone lot of buyer are there.
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prask
#5
20 November 2009 23:53:28
This is how our country runs...people will remember for 1 week and then go..eat and sleep. Politicians are like god in india nothing will hppn to them. Feel pity for the party workers who do all this kind of **** without realising how much money & effort is being invested to create something and for damaging just a matter of few minutes.
·
Akash Deep Sharma
#6
20 November 2009 23:44:59
Any Christian media against Hinduism should be dealt with same blow.
·
Anil Mumbai
#7
20 November 2009 23:43:03
This is not to condone the violence. This violence cannot be justified in democratic India.

There is also the flip side of this coin. CNNIBN has been extremly baised in its reporting of events that concern the parties in opposition.

On 28th March 2009 IBNlive made 7 references to BJP govt in Gujarat all very negative.Mr Sardesai has vilified the CM of Gujarat for 7 long years.

Does this channel not have a duty to report in an unbiased and fair manner.

Yes this channel is not watched by me since I have the remote which permitted me to remove it from my television set.It was nauseating to listen to the unrelenting diatribe against an individual on a daily basis.

I stopped writing on the site of the channel for the same reasons.

Shiv Sena instead of indulging in violence should have ignored this channel completely, which would have been a mature and acceptable form of protest.

Let us hope the culprits are punished and CNNIBN resorts to introspection and performs its duties in fair manner.
·
vibb
#8
20 November 2009 23:35:54
I feel that the act shown by this vandalism should not be extended , but we should wait and see what Mr. R,R,Patil (H.M.) does and whether he fulfills the commitment he made yesterday . Hats off to Mr. Rajdeep Sardesai for bringing in the news to us. Rajdeep relax , we reuire people like u and do not get excited too much.......
·
INTENSIVEKS
#9
20 November 2009 23:30:46
This VANDALISM and goondagardi IN THE name of CHATTRAPATI SHIVAJI is an act of COWARDICE which even the GR8 MARATHA WARRIOR would have SPAT upon if he were alive today.

If this kind of assaulting were to be permitted it won't be long before ALL Politicians go in for this kind of "vote catching" tactics

Why don't this SHAV SENA and their sibling the MNS hunt for terrorists and hit them in their addas if they have the guts???

They just cannot tolerate criticism though they consider it their "janmasiddha hak" to instigate and provoke people in cosmopolitan Mumbai.

Let them attack the powers that control the Mafias in Mumbai if they have any guts.

Let us know one People's movement they have organised to prevent the CONGESTION of Mumbai,let us know one thing they have done to make commute of people easier like helping out the Traffic Havildars and beating up the Trucks and Tempos who park haphazardly everywhere. Let us know what they have done to make RAIL SAFAR less SUFFER

COWARDS.
·
Vikas Kumar
#10
20 November 2009 23:30:01
My dear Marathis, wake up . Don't use Goondas like Raj Thackeray and Bal Thackerey for your selfish needs. RAJ THACKERAY of the MNS and Bal Thackeray of the Shiv Sena are like the Talibans, who were once used by Americans and have now become their biggest enemies. In the same way, if Marathis support MNS and Shiv Sena, one day they will mean trouble for all Marathi families because they are goondas and taking help from goondas like Taliban by USA against Russia is that everybody knows. I want to ask one question. Why do we Indians go to foreign countries like USA and Australia? They should also treat us the same way we treat people from Bihar and UP. Suppose if something bad happens to Mumbai and Delhi like the Pakistanis dropping bombs there, will you not come to Bihar for shelter, if it’s a safer place. We should condemn the Central government and the state governments for not developing all the states of India equally.

http://sn110w.snt110.mail.live.com/default.aspx?rru=hotmail%3ffti%3dyes&reason=nocookies&wa=wsignin1.0

Suicide bombing kills 16 in Peshawar

19/11/2009
Peshawar: Yet another terror attack took place here Thursday when a suicide bomber struck at a court complex, killing at least 16 people and injuring 25. This was the ninth terror strike in the capital of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province since early October.
District Coordination Officer Sahibzada Anis said that a suicide bomber wanted to enter the complex of courts on the city's busy Khyber Road, but the police stopped him.
The bomber resisted and later detonated his bomb, he said.
The official said that three policemen and two lawyers were among those killed in the attack.
The huge explosion took place in an area which houses the offices of a spy agency, Governor House and chief minister's residence, Xinhua news agency said.
Saab Gul, medical superintendent at Lady Reading Hospital, told Geo News that 16 people had been killed and five among the injured were in a critical condition.
All schools in Peshawar were closed after the blast.
Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani strongly condemned the bomb blast in Peshawar. He deplored the loss of innocent lives.
Pakistan has been struck by a series of terror attacks since Oct 5, when the latest wave of violence was unleashed by the Taliban which is battling the army in the rugged terrain of South Waziristan.
This was the ninth terror attack in Peshawar since early October. Over 225 people have been killed and more than 400 injured in the eight earlier attacks.
The city witnessed this year's worst terror attack Oct 28 when a massive explosion in a crowded market killed 117 people and injured over 200.
On Oct 9, 50 people were killed in a bomb explosion. Less than a week later Oct 15, one person died in a blast while the very next day 15 people were killed in a major explosion. While the Oct 23 blast left 15 people injured, five days later saw the horrific bombing in bustling Meena Bazar where 117 people died.
This month Nov 8, the Taliban struck again with a bombing that left 18 people dead and 39 wounded. On Nov 14, 10 people were killed and 20 injured in a suicide car bombing. Two days later Nov 16, four people were killed and 30 injured when a suicide bomber detonated his car packed with explosives near a police station in the outskirts of this city.
Source: IANS
1-1 of 1
K.Venugopal
#1
19 November 2009 03:45:28
These suicide bombers are motivated in the name of Islam and are fighting to set up an Islamic state. This means the Pakistan that Jinnah created has failed to function as an Islamic state. Which is not surprising because such a state would have been an anachronism in the modern world, as Taliban ruled Afghanistan proved itself to be. Saudi Arabia may seem to be a successful modern day Islamic state but in actuality it is an American client state, with its leaders pretending to be strict Muslims at home and living debauched lives when abroad. UAE may be another candidate as example of a modern and even futuristic Islamic state but its success is due to its being a commercial hub run by foreigners and foreign culture. Islam is ornamental in these oil rich states. Therefore it is plain that Islam is incapable of being a paradigm to create an ideal modern state. Islam needs to discover its Sufi connections and transform itself from being a state oriented religion to one which leads individual Muslims to discover divinity. Till then Muslims would be at war with the world at large and fellow Muslims in seeking operation of an outdated feudalistic socio-political order.

http://news.in.msn.com/international/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3428992&ucid=241852#uc2Lst241852

Sena slams Sachin’s "Mumbai for all" comment

Updated on Monday, November 16, 2009, 16:01 IST

Zeecric Bureau

Mumbai: Legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who on Sunday completed 20 glorious years in international cricket, has become the latest target of the pro-Marathi Manoos brigade.

Sachin, who had few days back stated that Mumbai was a part of India and that every Indian has an equal right on the city, has been criticised by none other than Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray.

In a letter addressed to the cricketing legend and published in Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamna, Thackeray said that the Sachin comments have hurt the Marathi Manoos.


While appreciating Sachin’s remarks that he was equally a Marathi and an Indian, Thackeray made it clear in the published letter that he did not like Sachin calling Mumbai a city on which every Indian had an equal right.

Thackeray even advised Sachin to concentrate on his game and not get involved in politics.

Speaking at a media conference a few days ago, Sachin had said that his 20 successful years in the game of cricket have mainly been possible because of the love he has for his country.


The most famous Mumbaikar had also opined; though he was a proud Maharashtrian, it was important to acknowledge the fact that the state is a part of India, and more than anything else, he is an Indian first.

An irate Thackeray described Sachin’s remarks as absolutely unnecessary and asked him to instead focus on the pitch. He further advised Sachin not to treat the Marathi Manoos issue as a pitch and hit fours and sixes on it. Shiv Sena won’t tolerate this, Thackeray wrote, adding Sachin should not lose the respect that he has earned over the years, on the political pitch.

"There was no need for him to take a cheeky single by making such remarks," Thackeray said

"By making these remarks, you have got run-out on the pitch of Marathi psyche. You were not even born when the 'Marathi Manoos' got Mumbai and 105 Marathi people sacrificed their lives to get Mumbai," he added.

To this, BCCI Spokesperson Rajiv Shukla said in New Delhi, "This is the same language that Mohammed Ali Jinnah spoke. The whole of India and all Maharashtrians excluding a few Shiv Sena leaders and leaders of Raj Thackeray's party are with Tendulkar".

"These kind of comments are completely uncalled for. Shiv Sena people have no business to talk like this. Tendulkar is a nationalist. He is for Maharashtra, he is for India. If somebody calls himself an Indian, is it a crime?" he retorted.

"No Marathi will support Shiv Sena if they talk in these terms. Tendulkar has spoken like an Indian, like a nationalist. They don't understand this. In order to get some votes, they are trying to provoke feelings. These people should be brought to book," Shukla added.

"Maharashtrians don't like such utterances. Only a handful of people will support this. Majority of them won't like this. They want to be called Indians first.

"Whole of India and all Maharashtrians, excluding a few Shiv Sena leaders and leaders of Raj Thackeray's party, are with Tendulkar," he added.


It was widely insinuated in the press that Bal Thackeray had taken an anti-Indian stand in criticizing Sachin Tendulkar's position that he is an Indian first and a Maharashtrian later and that Mumbai belongs to all Indians. Fact is, upon reading Bal Thackeray's open letter which first appeared in Samna and which was translated and printed in the English media today, it becomes clear that nowhere has Bal Thackeray criticized Sachin's love for India. Bal Thackeray himself said in the letter that he is a proud Indian and signed off his letter with Jai Hind. So what Bal Thackeray had in mind was the unbridled influx of people into Mumbai. While this is a problem affecting all metros not only in India but all over the word and a national development policy has to be initiated to prevent urban centers from turning into ghettos, what, obviously, Bal Thackeray saw was the political fall-out of Sachin’s declaration. He wanted to forestall Sachin from being exploited by Congress in its anti-Sena campaign. While the secular press may not have seen it, Sachin has great respect for Bal Thackeray and now that Thackeray has forewarned him (not a warning of threat, but a warning to take precaution lest he falls into any political trap in the name of patriotism) he would definately be cautious.

http://www.zeenews.com/news579335.html

Bhagwat now calls BJP ‘a divided house’

Submitted by Sarthak Gupta on Sat, 11/14/2009 - 11:54.
Pune, Nov. 14 : Continuing his sharp critique of the current stasis in the BJP, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has described the party “as a divided house.”
“BJP is a divided house and a divided house can''t function properly. The party should not forget its roots,” Bhagwat told reporters in Pune.
He added that he had told the BJP leadership to look for a "young" candidate who can "restore its organisational set-up".
"We have told them (BJP) to restore and tighten the party''s organisational system and structure and choose a young president having leadership mindset,” he said.
Answering whether the RSS favoured Nitin Gadkari from Maharashtra as the new BJP President, Bhagwat only revealed that there were three to four names that were being discussed.
"We have conveyed our expectations of the new leader and if they (BJP leaders) approach us after taking a decision we will okay it," he added.
Answering a question, Bhagwat said RSS had never set a deadline for leader of the opposition L K Advani to step down by February. (ANI)

The roots of the entire Sangh Parivar lie in the daily shakha of the RSS. "Attend shakha" should be the one and only clarion call to all Sangh Parivar members and Sangha itself should attend to the art of putting in place model shakhas all over the nation, in every single ward. This will ensure the supreme integrity of Sangh parivar. There is no other short-cut.

http://connect.in.com/nitin-gadkari/article-bhagwat-now-calls-bjp-a-divided-house-209557-3df12c8e6abbd4cd70e78fea74a0c678484c244c.html

A song for all communities

Who is forcing the Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Hind to sing Vande Mataram? They don’t want to sing it but want to make an issue of it! I don’t understand the business of passing a resolution against singing the national song.

Not that I agree with these people for a moment, but I must accept that I am aware of the historical background of this controversy. This song was a part of the novel written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay called Anand Math, published in 1882. In that novel, all villains were Muslims and in the end the writer thanks God that Britishers have come to save them from malech Muslims.
This song had four stanzas; the first two glorifying the motherland and the third and fourth were in praise of a religious deity. Obviously this was not acceptable to the conservative Muslim groups. While the song was zestfully taken up by the Hindu Mahasabha and then by RSS etc.; to sort out the issue, the religious stanzas were dropped by the Congress much before independence. That should have been the logical end to the controversy whatsoever.

Today the opposition to Vande Mataram, because singing praises to a deity is against the monotheistic concept of Islam, is thus redundant and irrelevant, and that is why I fail to understand why these objections were raised in the first instance. Is the Jamiat short on issues?

In any case, I honestly believe that with time, this song has outgrown Anand Math, Mahasabha and RSS. Today this song has its own identity. It has come far ahead and has become a national song in the real sense.

National symbols and songs like Vande Mataram unite a country like nothing else does. It evokes strong emotions in me. I myself have used Vande Mataram in three of my songs- in Priyadarshan's Saza-e-Kala Pani, in Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani and for an anthem that's taken up by the military academy at Dehradun.

I think this issue is being raised by those who want to get noticed. These people seem to feel marginalized and want to tell the society that they also exist. I wish they would indulge in something positive to get noticed.

At the same time, there is no doubt that there can’t be any one decided way of expressing love for the motherland. While no one should have any problem in singing Vande Mataram, those who want to enforce it are not being fair either. In the US, there is a sect called Jehovah's Witnesses and they believe that singing the national song is against their faith. The American society lets them be.

I really feel surprised that in a society where there are huge problems like poverty, education, health, infrastructure, whether a song should be sung or not becomes a matter of national debate!

I am happy to note that the common man is getting tired of fundamentalists, political leaders as well as the media who rake up such non-issues all the time. We need fresh blood and a rational approach to make India a superpower.

To that I would say- Vande Mataram!

When we should be attempting to enhance patriotic frevour any which way when the nation is faced which challenges to its nationhood from Islamic terrorists, Naxalites and crass politicians like Raj Thackeray, Vande Mataram is sought to be reduced to just a communal song by the Mullahs of Deoband. Call to see reason will not work upon those who are unable to see sanctity in the idea of our nationhood. The only solution is for the nationalists to go ahead and build up patriotism by popularising Vande Mataram regardless of opposition to it. Otherwise the coming generation will not be left with even the first 4 lines which Congress reduced it for the sake of Mullah appeasement.

http://www.zeenews.com/blog/43/blog245.html

When BJP's Things Fall Apart

Monday , November 09, 2009 at 14 : 09

TURNING and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS, THE SECOND COMING

The BJP's 'former future prime minister of India' L K Advani is not a poet like that party's only real prime minister A B Vajpayee.
Advani's 'weighty' biography My Country, My Life doesn't talk about poetry or literature. If he had studied poetry, Advani might have recited the above lines after watching the Reddy brothers of Bellary holding his 'national' party to ransom.
Soon after B S Yeddyurappa led the BJP to victory in the Karnataka Assembly polls in May 2008, Advani had boasted that the party of the Hindi belt had finally conquered the Deccan. Advani believed that the party's southern conquest would make him the Prime Minister a year on. His plans went horribly wrong, as we all know.
Ironically, the BJP, which always lives in the past, doesn't seem to have learnt any lessons from history. Some hours before a broken and bitter Yeddyurappa wept in front of a TV camera in Delhi, I was sitting across the table having breakfast with him. I was shocked by his sudden emotional outbursts and felt bad for him.
I told Yeddyurappa that his party was looking like the Mughal Empire on its last legs. No offence intended, Advaniji. Nobody is calling you Bahadur Shah Zafar... The once mighty Mughal empire's reach was restricted to Hindustan (today's Hindi-speaking areas) till the time of Aurangazeb. The decline of the empire began with its southern conquests. The Mughals were steadily losing ground in the North when their army was marching southwards. The BJP's plight is no different.
Like the Mughals, a desperate BJP started its southern foray in the company of treacherous people. It is paying a heavy price. I was covering the Karnataka elections and had sensed the danger from the Reddy brothers. My worst fears came true as I watched the Reddys storming to the Vidhana Soudha on a scorching May afternoon.
Three weeks later (14 June 2008) I posted on my blog a post titled ' BJP, Bellary and Reddyurappa's Story'
I wrote:
Sushma Swaraj campaigned for the party in TV spots in what can only be called Marwadi-style Kannada. She believes she brought the BJP to power. For those who didn't know, she has also become the Reddys' godmother.
In fact, the brothers publicly call her their mother, and she acknowledges the honour with an expansive grin. She posed for pictures hugging these much-despised moneybags of Karnataka politics. What explains this strange bonding? God knows, but this much I can say: it has the power to break the party one day. Beware Advaniji and Yeddyurappaji!
Arun Jaitleyji, do you see what's happening? Please take a close look. The BJP is already being called Bellary Janardhana Reddy Party in Karnataka!
In fact, many in Karnataka believe that the state is being governed not by the rule of law, but on the whims and conveniences of the Bellary brothers.
I can claim credit for predicting the future of the BJP's first-ever government in the South! But I was not the only one who saw it coming. Many other journalists and millions of ordinary voters had guessed as much.
Only the BJP was not ready to heed their words. Power was everything. For Yeddyurappa, only the end mattered, not the means. The Reddy tiger he rode to power is now thirsty for his blood.
Whenever I ask him to give a sound bite in English to our English TV news channel, he tells me I always want him to speak in a language he doesn't know! Not knowing English is perfectly all right. But not knowing the language of politics could lead to disasters. Yeddyurappa is now learning it the hard way.
The peace deal brokered by the BJP ' high command ' (they may be high, but do they really command?) may not last long. It is also the most dishonourable peace deal. The BJP's so-called stalwarts in New Delhi crawled before the BJP's orehouse kings of Bellary!
When Yeddyurappa came to power, the Reddys believed he would reign and they would rule. But the temperamental and insecure Chief Minister proved them wrong. If the Reddy brothers don't get what they want, it won't be long before a bigger, bloodier battle breaks out.
As one of my favourite journalists from Mysore says, "Those who live by the Reddys die by them!"


These are the last days of a BJP that chose to covertly loosen themselves from RSS discipline. The RSS shall soon re-take the BJP and mould it once more into a cadre-based formidable political machine rooted in ideology and discipline.

http://ibnlive.in.com/blogs/dpsatish/237/53942/when-bjps-things-fall-apart.html

HIndi and Hate politics

Submitted by kumarkaushal on Mon, 11/09/2009 - 20:04.
•
During the oath-taking ceremony today on the first day of the state Assembly’s inaugural session post the election of the new government, MNS MLA Ramesh Banjle snatched the mike as SP legislator Abu Azmi began reading the oath in Hindi. The tussle did not end there with other MNS legislators joining in and shouting slogans against Azmi. Ram Kadam and Shishir Kunde even exchanged blows with Azmi, with Kadam seen live on television slapping and hitting him on the chest and shoulders. Was he doing any crime against India? Yes definitely - he was favouring the most common language of India "Hindi", irrespective of the threat given by the MNS chief Raj Thakrey to take the oath in Marathi. Are we living in a banana republic? Who is he to give the instruction to the people to choose their language? Hindi is the Universal language of India which connects its citizen. Doesn't they (MNS hooligans ) listen the Hindi music, don't they like Hindi actors? As per the constitutional right provided to us, we can live any where for our livelihood and we can speak any language as per the choice and if any body is restricting anyone from their fundamental right, he should be punished as per the law of the land. Raj Thakrey is not above the law, as whole nation knows Thakrey family has done enormous damage to the national integrity by the name of south-north,Hindi- Marathi, Hindu-Muslim etc. Now, Raj Thakrey is spitting venom against North Indians and Hindi language.
Native speakers of Hindi dialects between them account for 41% of the Indian population (2001 Indian census). As defined in theConstitution of India, Hindi is one of the two official languages of communication (English being the other) for India's federal government and is one of the 22 scheduled languages specified in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution.Hindi is the most widely spoken of India's official languages. It is spoken mainly in northern states of Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar-Pradesh
, Madhya Pradesh , Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar. It is second major language in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and it is also spoken alongside with regional languages like Punjabi, Gujarati, Marathi or Bengali throughout north and central India. Hindi is also understood in other parts of India as well as in the neighbouring countries of Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Native speakers of Hindi dialects account for 48% of the Fiji population. This includes all people of Indian ancestry including those whose forefathers emigrated from regions in India where Hindi was not generally spoken. As defined in the Constitution of Fiji (Constitution Amendment Act 1997 (Act No. 13 of 1997), Section 4(1), Hindi is one of the three official languages of communication (English and Fijian being the others). Section 4(4)(a)(b)(c)(d) also states that 4) Every person who transacts business with: (a) a department; (b) an office in a state service; or (c) a local authority; has the right to do so in English, Fijian, or Hindustani, either directly or through a competent interpreter.

We respect the other languages of India either they are Marathi or Malyalam. We live in a diversified country so we should respect each others language,religion, costume and festivals irrespective of caste, gender and state. Whatever is happening in the name of Marathi Manoos is not good for the nation as this will weaken the pillar of India. Although language is means of communication so don't play with the language just think about the well being of people, so that nation get developed. MNS is an untouchable community of India.



http://www.sanghparivar.org/blog/kumarkaushal/hindi-and-hate-politics#comment-7082