31122013 aseema january 2014 final to web by aseema magazine

Shame Uncle Sam! This is not the way to treat a woman diplomat

At Last, Lok Pal Bill Passed

Curbing communal violence

Vol. 15 Issue 06 Pages 52 January 2014 Pousha (Vijaya) PRICE ` 25 www.aseema.net.in

IN THIS ISSUE

Curbing communal violence

Food Security & WTO

Redrafted Bill Passed Without Much Ado

India has claimed that the Bali meet of the World Trade Organisation was a grand success for the country since it allowed the UPA Government to continue with food subsidy at least for four years.

Lok Pal Bill Passed

Patna Bomb Blasts What the expert committee found out Both Houses of Parliament have passed the Lok Pal Bill, which was kept in the limbo for 46 years. The dust has settled down on this contentious issue and now steps must be taken immediately by the government to make it work without fear or favour.

Mollah executed; What next?

Fatwas and decrees Silencing the Freedom of Speech

Daveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Phoneblok

14 18 20

Invention takes digital world by storm

A Reactive Step by the Pope War Crimes Continue to Haunt Bangladesh

Child abuse by Christian clerics has been regularly reported in world press, and the Vatican has been taking steps willy-nilly to institute inquiries to nail the culprits and in most cases the perpetrators have been going scot free. Pope Francis has set up a committee to look into these allegations and protect potential victims. This step marks the Vaticanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first public step under his leadership to tackle the sexual abuse that has tarnished the image of the Church worldwide.

IN THIS ISSUE

Transcending Boundaries Volume: 15

Issue: 06 January 2014 Pousha (Vijaya)

Published & Printed by NARAYAN SEVIRE for and on behalf of the owners JNANA BHARATHI PRAKASHANA, Mangalore. aseemamagazine@gmail.com / 0824-2497091

Bleak outlook Dismal news from all fronts

To repeal or not? Modi demands debate on an unjust provision

Targeting Tirupati Communal harmony under threat

Shame Uncle Sam! This is not the way to treat a woman diplomat

Kerala’s Murder Politics Communist goons have a free hand

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India’s Victory Claim is Far-fetched

• Narayan Ammachchi

t the recent World Trade Organisation (WTO) summit in Bali, Indonesia, the UPA Government repeatedly said that its food security programme should be kept out of the negotiation table. But the US and other developed nations were targeting solely at this issue. As the negotiation dragged on, even countries like China and Brazil refused to stand by India’s argument. Finally, the US agreed to give four-year relief to the massive food distribution programme. It was not really the success of the UPA Government, but of the WTO which would have lost its existence had there been no deal in Bali. Newspapers across the country ran banner headlines on India’s roaring success at the Bali negotiations. What was missing in those reports was how buying four-years’ time would benefit the country.

WTO is all about dismantling hurdles standing in the way of exporters and importers by persuading member countries to cut trade tariffs and subsidies. Sonia Gandhi’s favourite food security programme, which promises to distribute rice at less than two rupees per kg, will result in the government spending crores of rupees of tax-payers’ money in subsidies. To sell the food grains at such a low price, the government needs to buy it from farmers at the market price, stockpile them and then distribute them through fair price shops. This long and massive exercise has now become a drag on the country’s growth. In an exclusive interview with Aseema, Gopal Naik, Professor at the Indian Institute of Business Management, has warned that the food security programme will soon turn out to be a major source of corruption in the country. “It will benefit the poor for a few weeks or months when implemented. Later, it will be turned into a huge cor-

India has claimed that the Bali meet of the World Trade Organisation was a grand success for the country since it allowed the UPA Government to continue with food subsidy at least for four years. But keen observers believe that there is nothing much to crow about it, since the time factor –four years—is too short for the food security programme to become a success. Secondly, by then the entire system would have undergone a radical change, perhaps throwing the scheme out of gear.

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ruption racket,” he said. Instead, if we spend that money on infrastructure, we can hope to have better growth and reduction in poverty he said. According to him, for India it is neither a victory nor a defeat. It is not a victory as far as the Food Security Programme is concerned, because the deal only bought more time. “Nothing has changed on the ground. Implementation issues such as the base period for subsidy calculation have not been resolved yet.” If you single out the WTO agreement and look at its pros and cons, you might find it benefiting India as it does for other nations across the globe. A study by the Washington, D.C.-based Peterson Institute of International Economics has estimated that it would inject $960 billion into the global economy and create 21 million jobs, 18 million of them in developing coun-

Minister Anand Sharma with some of the participants at the WTO meeting in Bali tries. At one point of time, India mulled the use of its veto power to cancel the deal. “But India was under pressure to accept an eventual compromise, because failure of the Bali package would leave its food subsidy programme exposed to trade disputes that could lead to billions of dollars in trade sanctions,” reported Indonesian newspapers. Even after this deal, the US and other WTO members still retain the right to file a complaint if the subsidised goods are sold in global markets and depress prices or harm competitors. The United States and other countries fear that the surplus from India’s food programme may get dumped into world markets forcing the prices down. If food prices are forced down that way, it will harm the Indian farmers also. Agriculture is the core segment of the Indian GDP and the sector employs more than a half of the country’s workforce.

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Neither a victory nor a defeat Aseema sought the views of Gopal Naik, Professor at the Indian Institute of Business Management, on the WTO agreement. The following is the text of the interview l Minister Anand Sharma has claimed that “India won in recent WTO negotiations.” Did it really win? What would you call it -- victory or defeat? If it is a victory why; and if it is a defeat, why? It is neither a victory nor a defeat. It is not a victory as it buys more time. Nothing has changed on the ground. Implementation issues such as the base period for subsidy calculation are not resolved. It is not a defeat either, because there is still some hope. l Sharma has successfully persuaded the United States to give four-year relief to India’s massive food security programme, which requires the government to stockpile and spend a huge sum of money in subsidies. Four years after, India may have to shrink the distribution of subsidised food grains. In this country, you cannot roll back any populist policy (job reservation is an example). How can the next government deal with it? Do you believe that it is coup of the Congress Party? In some ways it is a coup. No party will be able to implement this policy properly. There will be more corruption. l Do you believe that programmes like food security will benefit the poor in this country? What’s your suggestion? Do you think such programmes can be implemented in India? It will benefit the poor for a few weeks or months when implemented. Later it will be turned into a huge corruption

racket. Instead, if we spend that money on infrastructure, we can hope to have better growth and reduction in poverty. Social safety net for the poor is necessary and it is already there. What is required is proper implementation. l How do you think India can benefit from international trade deals such as WTO? How important is the role of export for the Indian economy? Is China’s and Japan’s growth the result of their export-oriented policies? India being a signatory to WTO will have to make its international sector strong. Even though India’s trade is small compared to that of many countries smaller than India, faster growth of the economy is possible only with large international trade. International trade also helps to streamline our system and become competitive. Chinese and Japanese high growth has been possible through export-oriented policies. l How did you feel when all the Indian newspapers wrote that India emerged victorious in WTO negotiations? What is “victory” and “defeat” in your view? There is always a hype and sensationalism in our new reporting. We do not debate the subject with proper details and continuously to arrive at actionable measures. Victory would be whether we are able to create a truly level-playing field. Defeat is because we just postpone the problem.

Both Houses of Parliament have passed the Lok Pal Bill, which was kept in the limbo for 46 years. The dust has settled down on this contentious issue and now steps must be taken immediately by the government to make it work without fear or favour. Anna Hazare called off his fast and thanked the government profusely for having passed this landmark legislation, but as he has himself admitted, there is still a long way to go since a “larger framework” will be needed to deliver the results, which is a corruption-free government machinery.

At Last, Lok Pal Bill Passed But Will It Stamp Out Corruption? • Narayan Ammachchi

olitical parties finally got together to pass the historic Lok Pal Bill designed to stamp out corruption in government departments. However, the question remains as to how effective the ombudsman will be in rooting out the corrupt practice that has corroded the government machinery making it look like a disease-hit patient. Anna Hazare, the social activist who spearheaded the campaign for Lok Pal, has approved the new law but many of his former aides say the law “looks weak and cannot certainly deal with the challenge the country is facing.” But if you hold the current law in contrast with the Jan Lok Pal (the legal draft that Anna Hazare had first proposed), you won’t see anything so glaringly different. What does differ is the role of the CBI. Anna’s team had vehemently called for bringing the CBI under the preview of the Lok Pal. But this primarily investigative agency has remained in the clutches of the Union Home Ministry. The CBI is an autonomous body, but the government has systematically weakened it by retaining the power of selecting

its director. It chooses the director who willingly listens to its commands. Even in the selection of the Lok Pal, the government does have its say, but it cannot make sure that the candidate it chooses finally becomes the Lok Pal, because the selection committee consists of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and several social activists. The Lok Pal body can act against ministers and members of Parliament. But it cannot order the arrest of the prime minister or judges of the top courts. Second, it can only order the arrest and interrogate A-grade officials, including the bureaucrats. The new law allows it to launch an investigation into any one, including the state-funded NGOs, if it suspects them of defrauding the tax-payers’ money. Anna’s Jan Lok Pal had excluded NGOs from the purview of the ombudsman. The law that the government passed calls for setting up a selection committee of nine numbers, with half of them having judicial background. Under the current system, there will be two committees – one for shortlisting potential Lok Pal candidates and the other for

JANUARY 2014

finalising the list of candidates. The first committee is called the ‘search committee’, which will have 10 members (five of them retired chief justices, Chief Election Commissioner or the Comptroller and Auditor General)

Citizen Charter: A weapon to keep employees on hold C

itizen Charter is a kind of mechanism designed to make the government transparent, accountable and responsive to its citizens. The Citizen Charter Bill, still pending in Parliament, makes it mandatory for every public department to prove that they are reaching out to the common man and addressing his grievances. Failing which, the official concerned would face a fine up to Rs. 50,000 in addition to disciplinary actions such as demotion.

Key factors of Citizen Charter:

whose main job will be choosing the potential candidate from the civil society. The selection committee, which forms the second layer, consists of the Prime Minister, the leaders of Opposition in both houses of Parliament, a Supreme Court judge, a high court chief justice, an eminent jurist and an eminent person in public life. Once appointed, the Lok Pal cannot be removed easily. To remove the Lok Pal, the President needs to provide the Supreme Court with strong evidence of bias or mismanagement or anything that violates the law of the land. The Supreme Court holds the key to take the final decision. The Lok Pal will be strengthened with other supporting legislation for whistleblowers and for the Citizen Charter. What makes the Lok Pal powerful is that it will have a special wing of prosecutors, rather than government prosecutors. The Lok Pal can now launch prosecution in a special court. To do so, all it needs to do is to send a report to the competent authority without the need for prior sanction.

JANUARY 2014

Every public authority is required to publish a citizen’s charter, detailing how many public grievances it dealt with, explaining what was the grievance and how it resolved it. In addition, government will have to repeatedly inform the public what service is on offer and how people can be benefitted. A citizen may file a complaint regarding any grievance related to: (a) citizens charter; (b) functioning of a public authority; or (c) violation of a law, policy or scheme. The law requires all public authorities to appoint officers to redress grievances. Grievances are

to be redressed within 30 working days. (something similar to that of Right to Information Act) The Bill also provides for the appointment of Central and State Public Grievance Redressal Commissions. A penalty of up to Rs 50,000 may be levied upon the responsible officer or the Grievance Redressal Officer for failure to render services. Put in simple terms, Citizens’ Charters is all about helping the common man to deal with government officials and departments on his way to utilize the services government offers. The charter includes information on services available as well as the timeline for obtaining them. For an instance, you can know which department issues birth certificate and also the timeline within which the department should issue the certificate. Failure to meet the deadline may lead the citizen to seek financial compensation from the official concerned. Citizen charter was first introduced by the UK government. Today a larger number of countries including Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Jamaica, Malaysia, Portugal and Spain, have extended this service to their citizens.

War Crimes Continue to Haunt Bangladesh

Mollah executed; • Raju Shanbhag

he political situation in Bangladesh is slipping from bad to worse. The country, already hit badly by the violence before the runup to the elections, is stung again by the violence that erupted after Abdul Quader Mollah, the leader of the largest Islamic party of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, was hanged on December 12 for war crimes. Mollah was heading the Al Badr militia, the notorious fundamentalist group that was responsible for killing a large number of civilians during the Bangladesh liberation war with Pakistan. Although Bangladesh became free in 1971, the war of those times and the atrocities committed during the liberation struggle continue to haunt this relatively young nation. Mollah’s war crimes have been well-documented. According to testimonies of eye-witnesses, he “beheaded a poet, raped an 11-year-old girl and killed

344 other civilians.” His counterparts, Sayeedi, Azad and others, also had committed similar atrocities. After the liberation many of those who had committed war crimes in Bangladesh either managed to flee the country or confessed to their crimes and were pardoned. But the ghosts of the ghastly acts still haunts the country. In 2008, Sheikh Hasina, Mujib’s daughter and Awami League chief, promised the Bangladeshi public that if her party and its partners were elected, she would start the process of bringing war criminals to justice. She kept her word once she came to power and formed an International Crimes Tribunal to look into the alleged war crimes of the accused. In 2011 and 2012, the tribunal had indicted two leaders of the main opposition—the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) leader Khaleda Zia (of which, the Jamaat is a partner) and eight leaders of the Jamaat itself. In January this year, the tribunal

convicted Azad and sentenced him to death. In February, Mollah was convicted but handed a life-sentence. Later in the month, Sayeedee was convicted and sentenced to death. In January this year, the tribunal convicted Azad and sentenced him to death. But after widespread protests, Mollah was tried again and this time, he was awarded the death sentence. The violence that sparked after the execution of Mollah has been severe. Almost 25 people have died and many other have been injured in different parts of the country during these protests. During the protests JEI activists torched homes and business establishments of government supporters, bombed railway stations and blocked roads. The party called Mollah’s execution “political murder” and warned of exacting revenge for “every drop” of his blood. Two activists from the ruling Awami League were hacked to death in Kalaroa; one other person died in clashes with the police.

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Bangladesh is on the boil. With the hanging of Abdul Quader Mollah, the leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami, there have been cases of large-scale violence, most of them directed at minority Hindus. Though the execution of Mollah has been condemned by the Muslim nations, the people of Bangladesh are rejoicing over it. They had to suffer a lot during the Bangladesh liberation war since Mollah’s party had sided with Pakistan and committed genocide on a large scale. Mollah himself is alleged to have beheaded a poet and raped an 11-year-old girl. He was also instrumental in killing a large number of people including women and children in the Dhaka suburb of Mirupur.

Atrocities on

Minority

Hindus

ecently, ‘Kalaer Kantha’, a Bengali newspaper, reported that the Hindu minorities in Khuruskul Hindu village in Coxbazar were attacked following the execution of Abdul Quader Mollah. The well-armed Jamaat activists attacked the house of some relatives of Swapan Pal in Palpara and ransacked at least 10 houses and shops in Palpara and Timebazar. They looted the shops and set a number of houses on fire. Dadul Das, the president of the Coxbazar Hindu Festival Committee (Hindu Puja Udjaapan Samiti), conveyed the insecurity of the resident minority Hindus under an Islamic threat perception increasing day by day. A journalist working with ‘Kalaer Kantha’ reported another attack on minority Hindus by the Jamaat activists in Jugipara following Mollah’s hanging. They attacked the Hindu minority citizens and set on fire four houses of Hindus. The perpetrators blocked the roads by dumping huge tree trunks on the road to prevent rescue operations by the police and the RAB (rapid action battalion).

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The turmoil in Bangladesh does not augur well for India. Even in the past, India has been the unofficial home of countless Bangladeshi refugees who fled the country fearing atrocities. If the Bangladesh government does not take immediate steps to curb violence, India would be host to more refugees. Also, India is surrounded by nations that are not happy with the very existence of Bangladesh, including Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, which, in the past has been accused of conspiring with Pakistan’s ISI to commit various atrocities in Bangladesh. The international Islamic community has already announced its displeasure at Mollah’s execution. While the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoan has condemned the execution calling it a mistake that “history will not forgive,” the National Assembly of Pakistan passed a resolution to this effect by a majority vote. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan described the execution as a “judicial murder”. The Indian Government needs to patrol its borders more vigorously than ever before. The country’s already fragile economy will not be able to sustain the influx of refugees, if it comes to that. Also, the government needs to raise its voice against the atrocities on minority Hindus who are being attacked after Mollah’s execution. The war is being fought in a neighbouring country, but its repercussions may be felt in India too, and that’s why we need to be on guard.

Curbing communal violence Redrafted Bill Passed Without Much Ado

• Raju Shanbhag

hile the Lok Pal Bill has hogged much of the limelight in recent weeks, the ruling Congress government has passed another more important bill without much of debate. It has redrafted the communal violence prevention bill it had earlier proposed to bring and passed a much diluted version of the same in Parliament. In its original version, the communal violence bill was a direct attack on the majority communities of the country. The NAC draft bill had defined a riot-hit group as a religious or linguistic minority and proposed a national authority for communal harmony with wide-ranging powers to oversee and monitor the action taken by states to prevent and control communal violence. To start with, this bill audaciously presumed that all communal violence was instigated by the majority

It is vote bank politics again for the Congress: The party has just secured the passage of a bill in Parliament that ostensibly aims at curbing communal violence. In its original version, the bill had brazenly assumed that communal violence is instigated by the majority community, though the toned down version that has just been passed by Parliament omits this controversial section. But the intriguing question is why this law now? The obvious answer is to garner support from the minority community in the coming general election. communities. While the world knows which community propagates religious violence, the Congress government looked the other way just to win minority votes. The bill also proposed to take away the law and order authority from the states in case of any communal violence. Understandably, there was much opposition to the bill when it was proposed. BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi had, in a recent letter to the Prime Minister, termed the bill as “ill-conceived, poorly

drafted and a recipe of disaster” and sought wider consultations on its provisions. His Tamil Nadu counterpart Jayalalithaa, Odisha Chief Minister Navin Patnaik and West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee echoed the same sentiments. The BJP criticised the bill as being loaded against the majority community, while parties like SP and BSP slammed it for encroaching upon the domain of the states. Understandably, the so called champions of the minority communities sought the bill to be passed.

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Modi’s letter to the Prime Minister B

JP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi wrote to the Prime Minister expressing his reservations about the communal violence prevention bill. The major points of his letter are as follows: “The timing to bring the bill is suspicious owing to political considerations and vote bank politics, rather than genuine concerns. Religious and linguistic identities would become more reinforced and even ordinary inciRecently, Jamaat Ulama-i-Hind chief Maulana Mahmood Madani warned political leaders of a befitting reply in case they delayed passing the bill. The Congress government finally saw some sense and made a few modifications in the new versions of the bill which make the definition of a group hit by communal violence as community-neutral. It also leaves the prevention and control of communal violence essentially to the states, with the Centre playing a co-coordinating role. This means at least on paper the bill seeks to protect everyone, irrespective of caste or creed, from communal violence. While one has to admit that it is a step in the right direction, the bill still leaves some glaring gaps in effectively curbing communal violence. It only looks at the aftermath of communal violence; but what about the factors

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dents of violence would be given a communal colour, thus giving the opposite result of what the bill intends to achieve.” Modi also brought out various “operational issues” in the Prevention of Communal Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill, 2013. “For example, Section 3(f) that defines ‘hostile environment’ is wide-ranging, vague and open to misuse. The move to make public servants, police and security agencies criminally liable can adversely impact the morale of our law and order enforcement agencies and

that ignite communal violence? The bill does not say anything about intolerant speeches by certain religious leaders, provocative statements by self - styled religious groups and various other such acts that abuse the fundamental rights of the citizens of this country and use them to gain devious ends. After independence, various governments in the country have done precious little to curb the intolerant attitudes of certain religious groups towards one another. As a consequence of this inertia, India has been a helpless spectator to communal violence while the country struggled to gain true economic independence. Although the new bill has not done anything to curb communal violence, one must agree that there are indeed some good points raised in the bill. It makes bureaucrats and public

it may also make them vulnerable to political victimisation.” “The introduction of compensation for ‘moral injury’ under the bill is strange and it does not take into account the implementability. As chief minister of a government that is sensitive to the issue of communal violence and a state that has been riot-free for over a decade now, I agree that there is a need to be vigilant on communal violence, but the contents and timing of the bill are suspicious.”

servants accountable for any acts of commission and omission while handling communal violence. However, bureaucrats who refuse to obey unlawful orders of their superiors during communal situations cannot be held responsible for the dereliction of duty. According to the draft bill, communal violence includes “any act or series of acts, whether spontaneous or planned, resulting in injury or harm to the person and or property, knowingly directed against any person by virtue of his or her religious or linguistic identity.” While this toned down approach to communal violence is better than its previous ghost, the bill still leaves much to be desired.

Patna Bomb Blasts What the expert committee found out O

n October 27, 2013, seven IED explosions took place at a political rally organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gandhi Maidan at Patna. After the event, eight unexploded bombs were recovered from the site. This unprecedented event presented a new genre of threat that could seriously destabilise the country. It would have been highly desirable for the Government of India and the state government to appoint a highpowered enquiry commission and enquiry committees to dwell deep into the matter and suggest corrective mea-

(i) No action on advance intelligence alert An alert pointing a threat to Shri Narendra Modiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rally in Patna was issued by the Intelligence Bureau in October 2013. Additionally, the Gujarat police had alerted them about a high threat perception to him. But the Bihar police refused to participate in Advanced Security Liaison (ASL) along with the Gujarat police citing their discretionary powers. (ii) Highly erroneous threat assessment Nearly two-thirds of Bihar (31 of the 38 districts) are affected by left wing extremism. The potential of a large crowd converging in Patna and the high threat perception against Naren-

sures, both at policy formulation and policy execution levels. But the blasts were not considered a serious enough threat for ordering an enquiry. In order to fill the gap, a three-member expert committee was formed as a nongovernmental initiative to study and provide recommendations. The committee members were: Shri Ajit Doval, KC, former Director of Intelligence Bureau, :Shri Anil Baijal, former Home Secretary, Government of India, and Shri Rohit Singh, Senior Research Associate, VIF. The following are some of the important findings of the committee:

dra Modi should have prompted the Bihar police to make a more realistic and professionally sound assessment.

(iii) Conduct of anti-sabotage checks/ sanitising the venue No anti-sabotage checks or area sanitisation drills were carried out by the police in the hours preceding the rally. Standard operation procedures (SOPs), including a thorough check of the venue for explosives and antisabotage checks of the D area, which includes the dais and the area within the radius of 300 metres from the dais, were not conducted. (iv) Force deployment at the rally venue

According to eye witnesses, no more than six policemen were present in Gandhi Maidan till the wee hours of October 27, 2013 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the day of the rally. However, the Union Home Secretary, in his report on the incident, has stated that a total of 8,500 policemen were deployed in Patna including Gandhi Maidan. These included 10 SPs, 27 DSPs, 91 Inspectors, 1,305 SIs, 700 ASIs, 4,930 Constables, 550 Armed Police personnel and 710 women constables.

(v) Access control Door frame metal detectors (DFMDs) were not placed at the eight entry gates of the ground. The Bihar police decided not to restrict the people to avoid the accusation of restricting

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No official enquiry has been ordered into the Patna blasts that were aimed at disrupting the rally addressed by Shri Narendra Modi on October 27, 2013. But an unofficial enquiry has come up with some disturbing conclusions that show the state government in bad light. For one thing, the threat perception of the Bihar police has been found to be lacking in professionalism and its whole approach to providing security has been lackadaisical. As Bihar CM himself has admitted, the Bihar police does not have a database of apprehended or active terrorists.

the assembly of people in the venue. CCTVs were also not employed to monitor the movement of people around the venue.

(vi) Traffic management The vehicular movement was permitted on some portions of the road

abutting Gandhi Maidan till as late as 1100 hrs on October 27. Measures were not taken to sanitize all the route taken by VIPs from the airport to the venue or was vehicular movement suspended during the movement of VIP cavalcades, especially that of Shri Narendra Modi.

Recommendations

Patna blasts should be seen as a threat to Indian democracy and political stability of the country. Special Protection Group covering policy should be reviewed. The objective of preventing political destabilisation should be aimed at.

The Ministry of Home Affairs should issue special instructions to the states to follow new set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) during mass rallies, movements of political protectees by road/train/ air, and make security arrangements during night halts. These instructions may, inter alia, include anti-sabotage checks, access control, vetting of people on the dais and close proximity to the protectees.

The state intelligence units may create a special VIP security cell that works in close cooperation with the Special Task Force (STF) units and anti-terrorist cells of the state. The intelligence units may also collect ground

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level intelligence, develop the leads provided by the central intelligence agencies and create special interrogation teams.

Multi Agency Centre (MAC) of the Intelligence Bureau may provide the state intelligence units with all relevant data concerning their states regarding terrorists operating in their area, their photographs and physical descriptions, about ground contacts and supporters, their modus operandi, communication channels, collaborative linkages with organised criminal groups, etc.

Physical security measures should be strengthened by the state government in the context of VIP security and management of political rallies/ meetings.

The district authorities should maintain close liaison with the organisers of events and they may be persuaded to strictly abide by the laid

down security protocols.

Laid-down security guidelines by the police authorities regarding construction of the dais, special enclosures for media, parking arrangements, signs indicating entry and exit routes etc. should be strictly adhered to by the organisers.

During major political rallies, in addition to the rally venue, adequate deployment of police/reserve forces should be made at entry points to the city, transit hubs like railway stations, bus stands and important landmarks including market places.

Disruptive forces may find it easier to plan and carry out attacks during the election process. The emphasis of police and other security forces all over the country should be to conduct pro-active operations to blunt the designs of terrorist groups and deny them time, space and resources to execute attacks.

(vii) Structural shortcomings The Bihar police does not have a dedicated anti-terrorist cell. The Chief Minister of Bihar is on record as having stated that the Bihar police does not have a database of apprehended or active terrorists and, therefore, he requested the Centre to hand over investigations of the Patna blasts to the NIA. (viii) Security consciousness The state administration has adopted a lackadaisical attitude when it came to comprehending security related threats in Bihar. A significant point to be noted is the fact that the Bihar police has seldom apprehended terror suspects in the state independently. Almost all the apprehensions have been either carried out by the Central intelligence agencies or by specialised anti-terror police units of other states.

IM Poses Serious Security Threat I

n Bihar, consistent efforts are being made to radicalise the Muslim youth by feeding into their sensitivities on communal lines, especially in the last decade. Anti-national elements are increasingly utilising the network of new mosques and madrasas that have come up along the Indo-Nepal border belt. The Indian Mujahedeen (IM) is sustaining the recruitment of the jihadis in India. It has displayed a unique ability to bounce back after every major crackdown. Many members of these modules were first-timers and had not even visited terror camps in Pakistan. The recruitment of first-timers with no known criminal record also makes it easier for them to evade detection by security agencies for some time. The outfit constantly evolves its tactics, especially the modes of communicating and passing on instructions to avoid interception by security agencies. Though the IM leadership based in Karachi continues to relay directions to local cells in India, independent cells are free

to select targets and acquire resources for executing blasts on their own. IM managed to carry out a series of lowintensity blasts at Gaya on July 7, 2013, and in Patna on October 27, 2013. The pattern of planning and execution of the blasts in Bodh Gaya and Patna also reveals that the IM is increasingly relying on outsourcing the final act of bomb planting to non-IM individuals on monetary basis. The IM mirrors the ideological aspirations of the global jihadist terror groups like the Al Qaida and LeT to establish an Islamic Caliphate and Introduce Sharia law in the Muslim world and beyond. Though demoralizes due to arrests and concerted police action in some states, the IM base in Bihar has largely remained intact and is instrumental in raising new recruits and logistically supporting activities of other terror modules across the country. The group is believed to have the capability of high-impact strikes in the future.

JANUARY 2014

We are a democracy; in fact we boast we are the world’s largest democracy. But some of the recent happenings are quite contrary to the democratic principles of freedom of thought and free speech. The fatwas being issued off and on by the Muslim clerics that go against the fundamental rights of the citizens are clear examples of violation of these principles. One such incident is an FIR filed recently by a cleric against the Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen who had tweeted against the unreasonable and perverted edicts being issued by the Muslim clergy.

• Raju Shanbhag

ree speech is a fundamental right guaranteed to citizens by the Indian Constitution. In fact, democracy can function effectively only if there is an interplay of free thought and free speech. But the Muslim clerics and the UPA Government, who are ever eager to please the Muslim vote bank, do not seem to think so. A case in point is an FIR filed with the police recently by a Muslim cleric in Bareilly accusing Bangladeshi author and columnist Taslima Nasreen of “hurting the religious sentiments” of the minority community in one of her tweets that appeared in a section of the media. Hasan Raza Khan Noori Miyan is son of ‘Sajjadanasheen’ of Dargah Ala Hazrat Maulana Subhan Raza Khan Subhani Miyan who in turn happens to be a mufti from the Barelvi sect of the Muslim (Sunni) community himself. Earlier, Maulana Subhan Raza

Fatwas and decrees Khan had hit the headlines for supporting a reference issued by Dar ul Uloom ( D u D ) Deoband ag ainst compulsor y singing of ‘Vande Mataram’ by the school children. Tasleema had posted in her tweet, “In India, criminals who issue fatwas (edicts) against women don’t get punished.” This incensed Hasan Raza Khan, the cleric. In his complaint, he claimed that a mufti (qualified Islamic scholar) issues fatwas in the light of the teachings of the ‘Hadith’ (references to Islam that were penned by noted religious leaders of the Prophet’s era). By describing the muftis as criminals, Tasleema Nasreen has hurt the religious sentiments of Muslims, he alleged. It would be interesting to note that Tasleema hardly uttered a word

against Islam or Muslims in general in her tweet. She was referring to the clerics who issue fatwas as criminals, which has angered them. And the government, which could go to any length to appease its vote bank, was swift to act and an FIR was lodged against Tasleema. The government is also taking strong objection to Tasleema’s tweets about Arvind Kejriwal and Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan when Arvind Kejriwal sought support for his Aam Aadmi Party from controversial UP cleric Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan. In 2007, the Maulana had announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh on the author’s head if New Delhi did not prevent her entry into the country. Following violent protests over the renewal of her visa later on, she was bundled out of Kolkata by the authorities to Delhi. The Tasleema Nasreen incident has time and again shown that the government cares little for free speech

JANUARY 2014

Silencing the Freedom of Speech

when it comes to protecting its minority vote bank. Here is a government that would not move a muscle against a cleric who openly issues an edict to kill someone who calls a spade a spade and files an FIR against her. It is understandable if there were protests against Tasleema if she had spoken anything against Islam. But she was only referring to some fanatical clerics and their unjustifiable and unconstitutional means of issuing the fatwa, and our democratic government has readily obliged them. The Indian Constitution and the government would like us to believe that these fatwas are the diktats issued by some Muslim religious heads and have no legal standing. But the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) does not think so. According to AIMPLB general secretary Maulana Syed Nizamuddin, the Shariat Application Act, 1937, which is still in force, made a provision for personal laws to deal with cases relating to ‘nikaah’, divorce, maintenance and inheritance. According to AIMPLB, the Act also made reference to ‘fiqah’, which is applicable on Hanfi, the school of thought 95% Muslims adhere to and

JANUARY 2014

Bizarre Fatwas F

atwas have been issued by Muslim clerics on various issues. Here are some strange fatwas issued recently. One of the most influential Islamic seminaries caused a flutter by issuing a fatwa forbidding photography stating that it is “sinful”. A Muslim engineering graduate had asked the scholars at Darul Uloom if he could pursue his passion for photography. It was in response to this that the clerics issued the fatwa which stated that Muslims are not allowed to photograph themselves unless it is for an identity card or passport. “Photography is unlawful and is a sin in Islam.

‘fiqah jafri’ that is applicable to the Shia sect. Fatwas are entertained by courts of law whether they agree with it or not, states AIMPLB. In effect, this means that all the fat-

The Hadith (recorded Islamic tradition) warns sternly against it. Do not follow this course,” the fatwa said. But later the rector of Darul Uloom of Deoband, Abul Qasim Nomani, denied that a fatwa “banning” photography by Muslims as un-Islamic had been issued by the institution. In August this year, Darul Uloom seminary issued a fatwa against cartoons, saying the animated shows make a mockery of what they say are Allah’s creations. Strict Islamic law says nothing that Allah created should be mocked — and that cartoons actually mimic what Allah created.

was issued by any cleric, whether it is an absurd ban on photography or a call for murder, have a legal bearing. It goes without saying that all these will have far-reaching implications.

Invention takes digital world by storm

P H ON E B L O K • Beluru Sudarshana He tries to make the world better by making things. To achieve this, whether it is an inspirational video, machines to recycle plastic or a phone concept, he does not really care. He uses instagram to shoot pictures and uses twitter for everything. He lives in Helmond in the Netherlands. Read again. His phone concept has now taken the digital world by storm. On September 10, 2013, he published a video on `Phonebloks’. It now has 10 lakh supporters, nearly 40 crore social reach, six lakh social followers and 18 lakh Youtube viewers. Phonebloks is now the most trending phrase in mobile world, forcing the mobile giant Motorola (now owned by Google) to invite him. Welcome Dave Hakkens, the

He had a dream and that has come true: Why throw away, for example, your faulty mobile if you can at least rework its components and make something new out of it? Yes, that is what 29-year-old graduate in Industrial Design Dave Hakkens did and now his device called ‘Phoneblok’, a modular mobile phone, is the rage all around the globe. It has 10 lakh supporters, nearly 40 crore social reach, six lakh social followers and 18 lakh Youtube viewers. 29-year-old graduate in Industrial Design. His innovative and unique designs practically entice people to believe there is more to invent than thought of. What Dave has designed is simple by any means: He has designed a modular mobile phone. All the parts like camera, battery, RAM, memory, ports, screen and chip can be de-

tached and replaced on the fly. Just unlock the mobile, slide them out, take a new one and slide it in; lock again and voila: you have an upgraded spare part, without changing the mobile itself. It is like blocks of Lego. It all started when Dave’s old Canon compact camera’s lens-motor broke and he could not be fixed. All the other working parts like display, flash,

JANUARY 2014

battery, little gears, etc., could be retained. He thought a moment: `When you have a flat tire, you don’t throw away your bike, you fix it. This method creates a lot of e-waste, I wish to see if I could bring any help in fixing it.’ Being a designer himself, Dave had no issues with burning midnight oil to invent this. Motorola aims to do something for the mobile hardware what the Android platform has done for the computer software. It has decided to create a vibrant third party developer ecosystem and lower the barriers of entry, promote innovation and squeeze the development schedule. Named as Project Ara, this scheme is aimed at developing a free, open hardware platform for creating highly modular smartphones. In fact, it was also heard that Motorola too came up with an idea similar to Dave’s. But when Dave launched his crowd movement to pressurise mobile companies to develop a universally acceptable format, it invited Dave himself to lead the project. The social media’s viral movement had its desired effect! It A graduate from Design Academy

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Eindhoven, Dave Hakkens is a design freak. He has invented a book-looking extension plug, wind oil extraction unit, recycled rubble floors, c u s t o mis e d

memo blocks, eatable pens, break soaps, and what not. His website is full of path-breaking unique designs. In an email conversation with `Aseema’, Dave shared his views: `People throw away a lot of good components by throwing the phone itself. The real reason would be the

irreparable one single item. But in my phone, designed on the lines of Phoneblok concept, you can only throw away components that are actually broken, or need repairing or upgrading. Some Disadvantages Sceptics worry that this idea of Phonebloks, instead of reducing the e-waste, may actually expand the exponentially growing e-waste. But supporters vouch for Dave’s innovative approach and say he will come back with solutions for such issues too. The other important issue is about data transfer within the Phoneblok, as the unit is an assortation of different tools, reducing the data transmission by several microseconds. Dave Hakkens’ idea may have its own lapses. Like in the first generation PC game DAVE, he too may face demons on all the corners waiting to eat him. But considering his success elsewhere and his commitment to design, the best will take him to new heights; that is what analysts say. To know more on Dave Hakkens visit: www.davehakkens.nl

Dave’s designs RUBBLE FLOOR

sually when a building/bathroom/shed, etc. is being demolished, a completely new one takes its place. This is done without leaving any trace of what has been there before, perhaps a little picture on the wall and that’s it. Dave was inspired by the terrazzo floors. He did several tests with different materials and made a selection of which materials are possible. He used crushed bricks and roof tiles as a pigment. Between 20 and 30% of new cement is added to bind everything to one solid floor which can last 100th of years. In the end he made three different examples of what it could look like, but basically any combination is possible.

ave has made an oil pressing machine which works only on wind energy. The machine is made to press nuts and seeds such as walnuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, linseeds, hazelnuts. The wind power is transformed with a worm drive to make the movement slow but very powerful. Dave gathers some nuts and puts them in the machine. When the machine starts pressing, he just sits back and relaxes. The leftover pulp is full of protein, great for cooking or feed animals and plants with. The machine doesn’t use heat, which means good pure cold pressed oil is produced. The oil is put into old (soy sauce and dressing) bottles, labelled and sealed with a cork.

his little block can collect these things on one central place. Write it on with a whiteboard marker and wipe it off when it’s done. It’s designed in a way that you can make one yourself, using materials around your house. Old cardboard is used for building the shape.

MEMO BLOCKS

ave’s goal was to create a little extension cord for the small in-house jobs. Like charging your laptop, drilling a hole, connecting a lamp, etc. The plugbook is made in the shape of a book which hides itself between your other books. When you need it, just take it out and pull the cord. Inside the book is a 10 feet/3 metre cable. When you don’t need it anymore, you press the button and the cord automatically rewinds.

WIND OIL

PLUGBOOK

JANUARY 2014

A Reactive Step by the

Pope

Vatican Struggles to Stop Child Abuse • Raju Shanbhag

ope Francis, the Bishop of Rome and absolute Sovereign of the Vatican City, is known for his humility. The Christian world has often looked uponhis guidance even on matters the previous Popes didn’t dare take up. But even his acumen and commitment to justice were put to the test during the recent allegations of child sex abuse at the holy city of the Vatican. Cases of child abuse are not new in the Vatican. But the church has dealt with these allegations mostly by sweeping the matter under the carpet. It has mostly conducted its own internal inquiries with the perpetrators of this crime going scot free or with far less severe punishment. The victims are often too young and too poor to protest. The way the child abuse was dealt with once again became the focal point of world media as the Vatican, under the leadership of Pope Francis, set up a committee to look into these allegations and protect potential victims. According to many analysts, this step marks the Vatican’s first public

JANUARY 2014

Child abuse by Christian clerics has been regularly reported in world press, and the Vatican has been taking steps willy-nilly to institute inquiries to nail the culprits and in most cases the perpetrators have been going scot free. Pope Francis has set up a committee to look into these allegations and protect potential victims. This step marks the Vatican’s first public step under his leadership to tackle the sexual abuse that has tarnished the image of the Church worldwide. But, the Catholic Church is seen as slow and reactive on this important issue.

step under Francis’ leadership to tackle the sexual abuse scandals that have tarnished the church’s image worldwide. According to the Vatican, this task force will “advise Pope Francis on the Holy See’s commitment to the protection of children and the pastoral care of victims of abuse.” The committee will conduct investigations, foster co-operation with civil authorities and counsel the pope, Italian media reports. While the supporters of the church see this as a welcome step in setting things right in the Vatican, many others, including scores of victims, believe it’s too little, too late. One must also remember that the Vatican has set up this committee after it refused to give a United Nations panel information it requested on clerical sex abuse. Sometimes back, the UN committee on the rights of the child had requested the Holy See to provide details of abuse cases and specific information concerning their subsequent investigation and handling.

But, in its response, the Holy See said that although it had answered the questions in a general way, it was not its practice to disclose information on specific cases unless requested to do so by another country as part of legal proceedings. Therefore, many observers believe that the Vatican’s move to set up a committee is aimed at evading answers to the outside authorities and maintaining its supremacy over the affairs of the Vatican. But in the process it has once again traded the interests of the victims of sex abuse. In fact, the National Survivor Advocates Coalition (NSAC), which advocates for victims of sexual abuse in the Catholic church, has even issued a statement saying this could all be a whitewash of sorts. No one knows who will be in the committee to be formed by the Church, how the trials will be conducted and what type

of punishments it will hand over, if ever the allegations are proven. NSAC believes that the committee should consist of the victims themselves, the whistleblowers and professionals in law enforcement, psychology, sociology, mental health and finance. The Catholic sex abuse cases are almost as old as the church where numerous allegations, investigations, trials and convictions of child sexual abuse crimes committed by Catholic priests, nuns and members of Roman Catholic orders against children as young as three years old with the majority between the ages of 11 and 14 were brought to light.Some of these cases have resulted in criminal prosecutions of the abusers and civil lawsuits against the church’s dioceses and parishes. There have been cases that have been brought forward years after the abuse occurred. Cases have also

been brought against members of the Catholic hierarchy who did not report sex abuse allegations to the legal authorities. It has been alleged that they deliberately moved sexually abusive priests to other parishes where the abuse sometimes continued. This has led to a number of fraud cases where the Church has been accused of misleading victims by deliberately relocating priests accused of abuse instead of removing them from their positions. It appears as if the Vatican has taken a small step in the right direction. Obviously, the jury is still out on how effective this step will be. Also, this may not be enough for the victims who have suffered abuse and long, arduous court cases for no fault of their own. The Vatican needs to take firm actions and execute them fast.

Pope Francis – his rise to the top T

he present Pope Francis – formerly Bergoglio, is hailed as a humble and reformist in recent history of the Church. Pope Francis has admitted openly that clerics can be tempted and corrupted by power. Francis thinks that some clerics “become wolves and not shepherds”. He has used a term “spiritual worldliness” meaning deceitfully trying to appear holy, to characterise careerism and the search for a promotion to the hierarchy by the clergy. Pope Francis advocates celibacy of priests for tactical reasons. According to him celibacy “is a matter of discipline, not of faith. It can change.” He uses conditional language regarding the rule of celibacy “For the moment, I am in favor of maintaining celibacy, with all its pros and cons, because

we have ten centuries of good experiences rather than failures.” He views the discussion on Celibacy within the Church as based on pragmatic and cultural factors. Nevertheless, Francis rejects any

connection between celibacy and pedophilia: “The idea that celibacy produces paedophiles can be forgotten,” he says without getting into a discussion.

JANUARY 2014

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Tr a n s c e n d i n g B o u n d a r i e s

BJP does a hat-trick

Three states in party’s ‘kitty’

• Narayan Ammachchi

fter a successful electoral battle in four major heartlands of North India, the BJP is now looking at the horizon wondering if it would be able to regain New Delhi, which it lost to Congress-led UPA about 10 years ago. Interestingly, most of the political commentators are of the view that BJP-led NDA (National Democratic Alliance) would gain simple majority in the general elections scheduled to be held in May 2014. In fact, these Assembly elections were the kind of pre-test for the major political parties to assess the people’s opinion about them. In the past, strong state results have not always translated into success in national elections. But what is true is that assembly election results had reflected in the Lok Sabha elections. The worry for the BJP is that it may not be able to form a government with Narendra Modi as prime minister if it wins less than 180 of the 543 seats in the lower House of Parliament. If

it falls short of that number, it might have to sideline Modi and find another candidate, because some coalition partners are dependent on Muslim votes to get elected. It is, of course, a reason for Modi’s supports to put in maximum efforts to see that he becomes the prime minister. Though the general elections are still a few months away, foreign investment firms like JP Morgan are predicting the return of the BJP government in Delhi. To rule, a party needs the support of 272 members. Opinion polls so far have forecast that the BJP will win around 160 seats, which means it may need to join hands with a cluster of smaller parties to reach the halfway mark. The BJP is currently trying to align itself with regional parties in those states where it does not have a strong base such as Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Haryana. In Karnataka, senior leaders are said to be persuading former chief minister Yedyurappa to merge his newlyformed party (KJP) with the BJP. Similarly, it is in talks with Jagan Mohan

Reddy for an electoral alliance in Andhra Pradesh. JDU, which snapped ties with the BJP after Modi was elevated to the national role, is most likely to join hands with the Congress in Bihar. Analysts say the BJP requires to gain

JANUARY 2014

The BJP is justifiably in a mood of euphoria because of its stunning performance in the just-concluded elections to the State Assemblies in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. And credit for this must go largely to its organizational skill, not to speak of the disillusionment of the voters with a corruption-ridden government at the Centre. Now the party is setting its sights on capturing power at the Centre which many observers believe will be a reality, though it may have to seek support from some of the regional parties. more than 20 seats each in both UP and Bihar if it wants to form the government. The Assembly election results add to the momentum Modi has built in recent months, but observers say the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fragmented political landscape makes it difficult to predict the outcome of national elections.

Anti- Congress Wave The Assembly elections have made it clear that a vast majority of people in the country have become dissatisfied with the Congress because of corruption scandals and mismanagement of the economy. The strong antCongress wave was clearly visible in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, where the BJP won more seats than the analysts had pre-

JANUARY 2014

Will AAP live up to its promise? dicted. In Chhattisgarh, the Congress was expected to ride on the sympathy wave created after the massacre of its top leadership by Maoists. But it did not happen. Even the anti-incumbency factor failed to favour the age-old party. The only state where the Congress won is Mizoram in the north-east. In Rajasthan, the BJP won 162 Assembly seats, leaving the Congress, which had been in power in the state, with just 21 seats. In Madhya Pradesh, the BJP won 165 against the 58 for Congress. The belated decision of the Congress to pass the Lok Pal Bill proved that it has started to realise that things are no longer the same as they were 50 years ago. Sonia Gandhi told reporters that the Congress would “introspect seriously” following its defeats, and - standing beside his mother - Rahul promised a transformation of the party to reverse its fortunes. Barely a week after this statement, the Congress spearheaded the move to pass the anti-corruption law (Lok Pal). An independent investigative authority is a threat to the party, which has many prominent leaders accused of corruption. But supporting the Lok Pal Bill was the result of what Rahul called “introspection.”

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am Admi Party (AAP), which all of us know was born out of a strong anti-corruption movement sweeping the country, has formed the government in Delhi state, with Arvind Kejriwal as chief minister. The BJP sprung a surprise, saying that although it had emerged as the single largest party, it did not have the mandate to form the government. It is hard to say how long this government will last, but what is certain is that AAP will transform the political

landscape of the country, because transparency and anti-corruption are the two corner stones on which it contested the Delhi election and won mandate from a large number of voters belonging to the educated middle class who were disillusioned with corrupt politicians. This section has thrown its weight behind the AAP. The party, which is hardly a few months old, operates from a modest, ramshackle building in the heart of New Delhi, publishes every penny it

received from people and has vowed to implement the Jan Lok Pal within 100 days. This was the first election it had contested. Nevertheless, it won as much as 40 percent of the seats compared to around 45 percent by the BJP. Its transparency and concern about corruption have never been questioned. But the questions will now begin to be raised as it begins to govern the Delhi state government.

Chouhan Rises to National Stage T

he recent assembly elections have catapulted Shivraj Singh Chouhan onto the national stage. He has transformed Madhya Pradesh from a poverty-blighted backwater into a fast-growing state, spurring an average annual growth of 10 percent over the past five years on the back of an unprecedented agriculture boom. The agricultural growth in the state was 18 percent last year, the country’s highest. His developmental programmes – such as interest-free loans to farmers, construction of a strong irrigation

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infrastructure and round-the-clock electricity supplies –have started paying high dividends. “Economic growth is widely visible in rural areas if you drive through the modern four-lane highway between Bhopal and Indore,” says Balachandra, a Bangalore-based software engineer, who recently visited Madhya Pradesh. “Easy access to water and the state’s wide roads give the impression that Madhya Pradesh is no longer a backward state. On the road between Bhopal and Indore, fields

upon fields of soybeans, mustard and wheat stretch out, broken only by factories starting to come up on cleared land,” he adds. Chouhan gave away bicycles to all school-going children and offered every support to the girl child in particular. He has also introduced tax- friendly policies to attract industry to his state. As Madhya Pradesh is competing with Gujarat in terms of economic growth, Modi and Chouhan may find each other competing for national limelight in the years ahead.

Bleak outlook Dismal news from all fronts W

ill the economy grow by 5% in the current financial year? The Finance Minister thinks so, but most economists are sckeptical. For one thing, the latest data released by the Central Statistics Organisation, leave little room for optimism. True, the abundant rains this year have helped to push the growth to 4.8% during the July-September quarter, but the growth remained below 5% for the fourth quarter in a row. The only sliver lining is the good performance of the farm sector, clocking a 4.6% rise against 1.7% a year ago, according to the data released by the Central Statistics Office. The growth for the first quarter in the current year was at a four-year low. The growth rate last year was the decadeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lowest. The economy, which had grown at 8% and above for a number of years is now static, which is posing a big challenge to the policymakers as they are trying their level best to reverse the trend. The trend was better in the second quarter than in the first quarter, and yet the average growth rate during the first half was only 4.6%. For the economy to grow by at lest 5% for the whole of current fiscal, the rate of growth should be at least 5.5 per cent during the remaining two quarters.

Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growth is lagging partly due to global slowdown but largely due to certain inherent problems in its economy. Inflation touched the double digit of 11% and factory output came down by 1.8% in November. Export growth also slowed in November to a five-month low of 5.86%. All this bodes ill for the economy, with public anger smoldering and corporates unable to get funds because of high interest rates. Much to the disappointment of industry, RBI is quite unlikely to cut interest rates under the present somber economic scenario.

JANUARY 2014

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Meanwhile, there is bad news on the price front. Official data showed retail inflation in November rose by 11.2%, higher than the previous month’s 10.1% and above expectations of around 10%. This was due to the food and vegetable price spiral. On an annual basis food prices rose by 14.7% in November, while vegetable prices soared by 61.7% year-onyear. Industrial production fell by 1.8 percent for the first time in four months in October. This is another cause for worry. There is already public resentment, as household budgets are stretched. The squeeze in industrial activity will mean fewer jobs. The jump in retail inflation has dashed any hope of a cut in interest rates by the Reserve Bank of India. Inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for October was revised upwards to 10.17 per cent from the preliminary estimate of 10.09 per cent. Export growth also slowed down in November to five-month low of 5.86% due to a fall in shipments of petroleum goods and rough diamonds, although the trade deficit narrowed as gold import declined. According to Commerce Secretary S R Rao, “Three product categories (petroleum goods, gems and jewllery and pharmaceuticals) have pulled own our experts.” These sectors have major contribution to the country’s export basket. November exports were placed at $24.6 billion against $23.25 billion in the same month last year. However, a 16.3% decline in imports, especially gold and silver during the month, helped in narrowing the trade deficit to $9.21 billion in November, which is second lowest level during the current fiscal year. Rao said that in September, the trade gap fell to $6.76 billion. Imports in November stood at $33.83 billion, which is the lowest figure since March 2011. Trade deficit in November 2012 was at $17.2 billon. Gold and silver imports in November dipped by 80.49 % to $1.05 billion from $5.4 billion in

the same period last year. Oil imports too declined by 1.1% to $12.96 billion during the month. Gems and jewllery exports declined due to increase in the prices of rough diamonds, Rao added. The rupee continues to be weak and this has made exports more competitive and, in the process, pushed up production at factories. Higher

export demand is part of the reason for manufacturing output rising by a modest 1against a 0.1% growth during July-September 2012. Observers do not expect any marked jump but they are predicting that a bumper harvest and the resulting impact on the rural economy will stimulate economic activity. Meanwhile, owing to curbs in gold imports and smart recovery in exports following the depreciation of the rupee, the country’s current account deficit, which reflects the

shortfall of export earning over import income, shrank to $52 billion (1.2% of gross domestic product) for the quarter ended September 2013, which is nearly 76% less than the deficit of $218 billion for the quarter ended June 2013. Merchandise exports have risen by nearly 10% over the first quarter of the current financial year even as exports contracted by 8%, according to the advanced data released by the Reserve Bank of India. RBI advanced its release of trade data, to reassure mar3ekts as it withdrew most of the support measures introduced in the previous quarter to bolster the rupee. RBI said that it raised $34 billion by exchanging dollars mobilized by banks – through NRI deposits and ECBs – for rupees through a swap facility. To encourage banks raise dollars through NRI deposits and foreign borrowings, RBI had subsidized the cost of converting these deposits into dollars and hedging current risk. The RBI announcement came on a day when Morgan Stanley raised its 2013 and 2014 GDP growth estimates to 4.7% and 5.1% respectively from 4.4% and 4.6% based on improving macro numbers and reduced changes of the US Fed withdrawing its stimulus package. As for the infrastructure sectors, they showed signs of weakness in October dragged down b a decline in coal, crude oil, natural gas and refinery products output. Official data released on Monday (December 2) showed growth in the eight key infrastructure sectors fell by 0.6% in October compared to 7.8% expansion in the year earlier period and 8% growth in the previous month. The September growth was the fastest expansion in the sector in nearly year and prompted policymakers to predict a rebound in the industrial sector. The share of industrial production in this sector is 37.9% and could impact the data for the sector due later in December.

JANUARY 2014

Narendra Modi has shown great moral courage by calling for a debate on Article 370 which grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir. It shows his intrepidity and far-sightedness, though he knew full well that what he said would invite sharp criticism from other parties that thrive on political opportunism. He was justifiably concerned about the plight of Kashmiri Pundits who had to flee their home and hearth under the exigencies of this glaringly unjust provision as well as due to communal violence.

Modi demands debate on an unjust provision

To repeal or not? • Raju Shanbhag

hroughout his electoral campaign as the Prime Ministerial candidate of the BJP, Narendra Modi has managed to highlight various issues of national importance, the latest being the demand for a meaningful discussion on Article 370 that gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Like many of his other statements, this too by the charismatic leader has stirred up a hornet’s nest. In his tweet, Modi had stated, “We need a rational and focused debate not only on Article 370 but also on other issues relating to J&K, including the sufferings of sections of J&K society. The wounds of suffering caused to various communities in J&K are still fresh in our minds. We need to talk about uniting instead of dividing. No one can ignore the sufferings of the Kashmiri Pundits for so many years. We remain committed to working towards justice for the community. It is said about J&K, ‘If there is a heaven on earth, it is here.’ We all need to work to make J&K a heaven of peace, integration & diversity.”

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Interestingly, the Congress and other political outfits have managed to find a whiff of controversy in this, where there should have been none. The reaction to Modi’s call was pre-

dictable, but not necessarily praiseworthy. PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said, “Article 370 is not Babri Masjid that BJP leaders can bring down and our leaders will just stay silent

and watch the madness. There is no need to rake up the issue. It is a permanent part of the accession of J&K and a permanent part of the Constitution, so no power can bring it down. If any power does try to bring it down, it will force us to re-evaluate the terms of J&K accession.” Indeed, there is much ado about a draconian law that should have been repealed long ago. Article 370 was worked out in late 1947 along with Sheikh Abdullah, who had by then been appointed the Prime Minister of J&K by the Maharaja and Nehru, who kept the Kashmir portfolio with himself and kept Sardar Patel, the home minister, away from his legitimate function. In fact since then, Article 370 has played a major role in preventing J&K from becoming an integral part of

the Indian Union. Thankfully, at least some people can understand Modi’s concerns about it and actually speak in his support. Sunanda Puskar, a Kashimiri by birth and wife of Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor, has supported Modi’s call and said the country needs to rethink its position about Article 370. For long, the BJP has demanded the withdrawal of special status granted to Kashmir under Article 370. By calling for a debate on this issue, Narendra Modi is trying to initiate a much needed debate on an issue of national importance. While the opposition parties claim that BJP has softened its issue by calling for a debate; they also assert that there is no debate possible on Article 370. L Modi’s call is also a clear sign of his emergence as an unquestioned leader within the party’s ranks. By demanding a debate on the controversial Article 370, he has shown his will to approach long-standing issues from new angles. While various political parties have opposed revoking Article 370 for electoral gains, BJP has been firm in its demand that this law should be abolished. The reasons for this are the way Article 370 was framed. To start with,

Erosion of the

special law While various political parties cry foul at the very mention of repealing Article 370, many governments in the past have realised how this law can harm the integrity of the nation. While the 1950 Presidential Order and the Delhi Agreement of 1952 defined the scope and substance of the relationship between the Centre and the state of Jammu and Kashmir, the subsequent series of presidential orders have made most of the Union laws applicable to the state. In fact, today the autonomy enjoyed by J&K is a shadow of its former self, and there is virtually no institution of the Republic of India that does not include J&K within its scope and jurisdiction. The only substantial differences from many other states relate to permanent residents and their rights; non-applicability of the emergency provisions on the grounds of “internal disturbance” without the concurrence of the state; and the name and boundaries of the state, which cannot be altered without the consent of its legislature.

the Central Government can make laws only if the state government agrees. In other words, the state government has a veto power against any law that the Centre might choose to frame. Articles 352 and 360 for the declaration of national and financial emergency respectively cannot be applied to Kashmir. While a citizen of India has only Indian citizenship, J&K citizens have two citizenships. Antidefection law is not applicable to J&K. And no outsider can buy property in Jammu and Kashmir. The other laws such as Wealth Tax, Gift Tax, Urban Land Ceiling Act and intermarriage with other Indian nationals do not operate in J&K. Even Article 356 under which the President of India can impose his rule in any state cannot be enforced in J&K without the consent of the Governor who himself is an appointee of the President. The State of J&K can refuse building of any cantonment on any site or refuse to allot land for defence purposes. Without doubt, Article 370 allows the vested interests in Kashmir to protect their hidden agenda. So, whenever someone like Modi raises their voice against this law, there is a hue and cry and those opposing this unjust Constitutional provision are made to look anti-national while the opposite is true.

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Targeting Tirupati Communal harmony under threat

irupati is a scared religious place for scores of Hindus all over the world. Every year, the temple draws millions of pilgrims and it is one of the busiest religious places on the earth. Various religious communities have lived in harmony in Tirupati for centuries. But recently, the proposed construction of an Islamic University in the vicinity of the temple is threatening to disrupt that harmony. And the government, as always, is doing precious little about it. In the second week of September 2013, newspapers were abuzz with a report that a mysterious woman named Nowhera Shaikh, a self-proclaimed businesswoman, was constructing a seven-storey building to house what is termed as an Islamic University at a site near Thondavada village, about 11 km. from Tirupati. At first, she didn’t reveal why this mysterious construction was all about. But after eight months, a board was put up in front of the building with the name ‘International Islamic University for Women and College and School for Muslim Women’.

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Although Nowhera Shaikh claims that she is only helping poor Muslim women by opening this university, there are various factors that raise suspicions about its true intentions. The local authorities at Tirumala have made it clear that no permission has been granted for this institution. According to reports, the university aims at propagating Islamic culture,

A university today; a terrorists’ hub tomorrow. This is the way hardened militants start their module work. Though the proposed “Islamic University” near Tirupati temple doesn’t say so much, indications are that it might one day turn out to be a terrorists’ den if action is not taken early enough by the government to discourage such constructions in a place that is holy and very dear to millions of Hindus. Alas, the question is, will a government going after vote bank ever initiate any such step? but also adds that it cannot function as it has not received official permission. The website of this university gives no concrete information about the institution. Although Shaikh, at a recent press conference, claimed that she had the permission to run a college, there was nothing concrete shown to this effect. While the above mentioned facts give enough proof for the dubious intentions of this university, there are other facts about it which leaves no doubt as to what type of activities it intends to carry out. A 12 feet-high compound wall has been constructed contrary to condition of 5 feet mentioned as a condition in the order dated 08.03.2010 of TUDA which limits the height of the compound wall to 2.5 metres. Nowhera Shaikh has also put up surveillance cameras on public movement along the road to Thondavada by the side of the compound wall of the building in question. The lands surrounding the building complex are part of the Swarnamukhi River and its various Nallas. The building in question will effectively

obstruct the flow of water into the river and revival of the Swarnamukhi River under the Swarnamukhi River Rejuvenation Project will not be possible in the future. The Rejuvenation Project provides for construction of sub-surface dams with a mission of rejuvenating the river. Some NGOs of Chittoor district formed a consortium under the leadership of Rashtriya Seva Samithi to take up the project which received support from CAPART, Ministry of Rural Development of Government of India, and TTD. The facts clearly show that the intention of building this university is anything but ‘educating poor Muslim women’ as it claims. In fact, it seems to be another desperate effort by

vested interests to disrupt the communal harmony in this area by trespassing upon the holy Hindu lands. The government needs to take strict action against this unlawful, dubious university before it starts posing grave dangers to the fabric of communal harmony in this region. Efforts have been made by various religious groups before to disrupt the peace at Tirumala. Some years ago, newspapers had reported that some Christian missionaries were pursuing conversion of pilgrims to Christianity in Tirumala itself. Also, there was a government order declaring Tirumala as confined to area covering only two hills and not all the seven hills. It was strongly

rumoured that the balance area and the hills were to be given for tourism development and also to build a very big church. Fortunately, the order was withdrawn after a huge public outcry by the Tirumala Tirupati Samrakshana Samithi, led by Sri T.S. Rao (former DGP of AP) and several other eminent persons. While the government still did not propose to do anything in line with its policy of minority appeasement tactics, the Tirumala Tirupati Samrakshana Samithi has constituted a fact-finding committee consisting of retired judges and eminent retired officers of the government. The committee, in no uncertain terms, has found the whole construction work to be dubious and asked the Union government to intervene and stop this university from functioning. The committee has called upon the government investigating agencies to probe the source of income for Nowhera Shaikh. It has also recommended that Padmavathi Mahila University may be requested to take over the building for running an educational institution in the area in accordance with their mandate. India is a democratic country and every citizen has equal rights here. It’s sad that the government turns a blind eye to the misadventures of certain communities just to safeguard its vote bank. It’s for Hindus now to wake up before it’s too late and safeguard their motherland.

Muslims too Oppose the University W

hile Hindus are up in arms against the proposed Islamic University at Tirumala, even Muslims do now want this uninvited troublemaker in their region. It may be recounted that scores of Muslims too worship Lord Venkateshwara just like Hindus. Various Hindu organisations protesting against the construction of this university have been receiv-

ing a lot of support from the local Muslims who are not happy with the construction of this building. The Muslims who pray at the Tirupati temple feel that the town was peaceful and now with this university there is a good chance of the peace being disrupted. They feel that this is the doing of the ‘West’ who are trying to “worsen the relationships between Hindus and

Muslims”. Nowhera Shaikh had met a couple of Muslims before the project commenced and had claimed to be a resident of Tirupati, but no one remembers to have seen her before. Several Muslim organisations in Tirupati have decided to fight against the university now. They say that they want no trouble whatsoever and are happy that at least 400 Muslims worship at Lord Balaji’s shrine everyday.

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Shame Uncle Sam!

This is not the way to treat a woman diplomat

• Raju Shanbhag

he Big Brother has done it again. The American government and the media, which lose no time in preaching human rights and implementation of law and order, have conveniently forgotten to follow the same law in their own land. The attitude shown by the law enforcing authorities in the US over the arrest and subsequent treatment of Devyani Khobragade, an IFS officer functioning as Deputy Consul General in the Consulate General of India in New York, has soured the diplomatic relationship between the two countries. And many fear this is just the beginning. On December 11, 2013, Devyani Khobragade was charged with committing visa fraud and providing false statements in order to gain entry to the United States for a woman of Indian nationality, for the potential employment as domestic staff for

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Khobragade in New York. She was arrested the next day by US. Department of State Police and the United States Marshal Service. But more than the charges against her, it was the manner in which she was arrested -- handcuffed and cavity searched (a search in every cavity of body to check if the accused is carrying any harmful substances) and kept in a lock-up along with other hardened criminals. Obviously, this has infuriated not only the Indian government but also the people of India as a whole. The charges against Devyani are not of the nature that required her to be handcuffed and strip-searched. She was accused of false representation of facts in visa documents to enable her maid to come to the US. She has also been accused of underpaying the maid. The US laws stipulate that a maid servant should be paid $4,500 per month. Ironically,

Strange are the ways of Uncle Sam. He doesn’t trust even his friends, let alone his sworn enemies like Al Qaida and the Taliban. Snooping and eavesdropping have become part and parcel of his nature. Otherwise, how can one justify the way in which large number of his “allies” were spied upon and their emails diverted in the name of security? And he doesn’t seem to care much for diplomatic protocol either. Devyani Khobragade, an IFS officer functioning as Deputy Consul General in the Consulate General of India in New York, was handcuffed and strip-searched what they called “visa fraud” obviously to humiliate not only her but the Country she represents.

Devyani Khobragade herself was receiving a salary of $4,200 a month! But that does not mean that she was right in underpaying her maid. If she could not afford a maid, she should not have employed a maid in the first place. India’s grouse against the US in this entire episode is that Devyani was not offered the diplomatic immunity she was entitled to and was treated like a hardened criminal. Of course, the law is the same for everyone, but when it comes to high-ranking government

officials, there are certain protocols which need to be followed and which the US authorities missed out. To start with, the US Government officials claim that Devyani Khobragade was handcuffed and strip-searched as the charges against her were grave. If that was the case, why was she let off within hours of her arrest? Also, no one in the Indian Consulate was informed about her arrest, which is a standard protocol when arresting a high-ranking government official of a foreign country. The US Government claims that the strip-search was carried for everybody’s safety, including that of Devyani Khobragade. If the US Government was so concerned about her safety, why was she put up in a cell with hardened criminals like drug dealers? What if she was attacked in the prison? These are the questions the US needs to answer. Interestingly, this episode has helped to reveal a rare but much hoped for face of the Indian Government which has reacted sternly and indicated that it is not going to take this humiliation lying down. India’s Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh has lodged a strong protest with the US Ambassador Nancy Jo Powell. And various senior politicians and officials from the Indian Government have refused to meet the US Congressional delegation that was visiting India at that time. Former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha has called for the arrest of same-sex companions of US diplomats, citing the Supreme Court’s recent upholding of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. The Indian government is showing that it means business. The Delhi police have removed security barricades on the road outside the US Embassy in New Delhi. The government has demanded an unconditional apology from the US and sought details of the salaries of all domestic help, gardeners and other staff employed by the US consulates in India to check for inconsistency or frauds. Even the softspoken Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has termed the actions of the

The Story of a Maid W

hile Devyani Khobragade continues to battle for her dignity, her maid Sangeeta Richard is conspicuous by her absence. It has been reported that Devyani had filed a case of cheating, extortion and criminal conspiracy against Sangeeta and her husband with the Delhi Police in October 2013. FIR was registered at South Delhi’s Fatehpur Beri police station following a complaint through email in the first week of July by Devyani to her father and the Ministry of External Affairs. In the FIR, Devyani alleged that Sangeeta Richard and her husband Philip Richard approached her for a job as they needed money for their children’s education. As per their agreement, it was decided Sangeeta would go to New York with Devyani to take care of her household work on a monthly salary of Rs.30,000. Sangeeta went to New York in November 2012 and began working for Devyani. In March 2013, problems started between Devyani and Sangeeta when the latter started pressuring her employer to allow her to work outside on her off days. Devyani turned down Sangeeta’s requests citing the fact that it was illegal according to her visa status and also since she had an official passport. On June 21, Devyani went to New Jersey and when she returned two days later, Sangeeta was found missing.

US authorities as “deplorable.” Taken aback by the Indian government’s rare but strong reaction, the US is engaged in something that it hardly does; the blame game. While the higher government officials in the US reiterated that they didn’t have anything to do with this arrest, US marshals, the department that arrested Devyani Khobragade, have said that they only followed the procedure. Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and a man of Indian origin, is rumoured to be behind this arrest, though he insists that he is not. While the blame game is on, India has shifted Devyani Khobragade to the UN mission, pending the approval of this new visa by the US govern-

ment. But the Indian Government, which often goes out of its way to please its European friends by according special privileges, must rethink its strategy. The policy should be strictly reciprocal. Only then will other governments start taking India seriously and treat its nationals as we treat theirs. Until then, even dignitaries from our country will continue to be treated like ordinary citizens from a banana republic.

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French Consul Demands Equal Treatment quotes Devayani incident

rench consulate employee Pascal Mazurier has seen a lot in life. One year ago, his wife took off with his two sons and daughter. The Bangalore-based consul, who was charged with sexually abusing his daughter by his wife Suja Jones Mazurier last year, is trying to get the attention of the Indian government. He claims that he too is covered under UN’s Vienna Convention. Unlike the way the government sprang into action on the Devyani Khobragade case and brought up the Vienna Convention, he was shown no such mercy and the case against him in family court has been dragging on without any conclusive direction. Pascal’s story is exactly something the Indian government is trying to avoid for its consulates in foreign country. According to him, he was arrested, beaten up, jailed for four months, strip-searched and paraded naked in front of doctors at a hospital. But neither his own country (France) nor the host country (India) took measures to see that his human rights were not violated. He said, “When the US government was found to be violating Devyani’s human rights, even though she was covered under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, the Indian government made a swift move to shift her to the UN mission where she could enjoy full diplomatic immunity in spite of being a consul. One and a half years ago, when I was being subjected to the

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I never claimed to have diplomatic immunity, but like Devyani, my human rights also have been violated. So while the Indian government could remove her to a UN mission after she filed a complaint of being physically harassed, no one is taking any notice of my situation.

same treatment here in India, no one brought these rights up. Is that fair?” Unlike a diplomat who is covered under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, a consul is only covered under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations which states that the consul can be tried for local cases in a court of the host country. Like Devyani, Mazurier when he was arrested in June last year, was holding the post of deputy consul general. After his wife filed a divorce case, Mazurier was arrested on charges of raping his daughter.

40-year-old Mazurier has found some hope after the High Court issued a notice of contempt to his wife on December 6 for not allowing him to meet his children on July 24. He says, “I never claimed to have diplomatic immunity, but like Devyani, my human rights also have been violated. So while the Indian government could remove her to a UN mission after she filed a complaint of being physically harassed, no one is taking any notice of my situation. The US government was quick to apologise about the arrest and treatment that Devyani was subjected to but there is not a word about that in my case. I know the people in Delhi are smart so I want to gently remind them that the same rules apply to me as well. This would be my second Christmas without my children and I don’t even know where they are.”

“Power flows from the barrel of the gun,” so wrote Mao Tse-tung, and for the communists in Kerala power flows from the dagger. They have been indulging in murderous politics ever since their inception, but in recent years, their belligerence and violence have become intolerable for the common man. The CPM’s iron law of discipline and the regimentation of the party cadre set it apart from all the other political parties in India. Though they are paying lip-service to parliamentary democracy which allows freedom of opinion, they do not allow it in practice. And the result? Brutal killing of their political opponents -- as it happened recently in Kannur where their writ runs large in large swathe of the district.

Kerala’s Murder Politics Communist goons have a free hand • Narayan Ammachchi

ommunist goons have claimed one more BJP activist in Kerala’s politically volatile Kannur district. This is just the latest in a long list of murders carried out by the red brigade in the state, where a large many number of communist leaders are facing murder charges. Vinod was on his way to attend the death anniversary of RSS leader Jayakrishnan Master, whom the communists had hacked to death right in front of his students and later marched freely on the streets flaunting their blood-soaked weapons. Vinod’s death underlines the fact that the communists continue to use murderous tactics to gain political

supremacy in Kannur, where until a few years ago they literally ruled the streets at knife point. The Communists not only kill their political opponents, but they even

kill their own comrades if they fall out with them. CPM rebel TP Chandrasekharan, who had formed his own political outfit, paid the price with his life for leaving the party. A band of criminals stabbed him more than 50 times on a public road. Following this deadly killing, MM Mani, a former district secretary of the CPM, admitted in a public speech that his party had systematically planned and killed several political opponents. Mani said that in the past, his party activists in one case shot dead one of their political adversaries; in another one person was stabbed to death; and yet in another case, a person was beaten to death. This admission angered his party

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colleagues and they dismissed him in retaliation. Currently, Mani is facing three murder charges. Three murder charges are not too much for a politician in Kerala, where a former home minister was a known street thug. Mani’s admission told the tale of how everyone who crossed the party line is killed mercilessly. Chandrasekharan, the CPI-M leader in Kozhikode district who founded the Revolutionary Marxist Party in an act of rebellion, was hacked to death in May 2012. His killing was meant to hammer out the message that those who rebel against the party would also face a similar fate. The criminal politics of the communists gushed out into the open in 2012 when the Kerala police arrested a communist leader TK Rajeesh somewhere on Goa-Maharashtra border. During the interrogation, he confessed to killing almost half-a-dozen political rivals in his native district Kannur. Interestingly, his name had never figured in any murder cases until then. Rajeesh admitted that he was part of the gang that arrived in two jeeps to kill the BJP worker Jayakrishnan Master in front of his pupils. Police later said Rajeesh was used as a mafia hit man, who met his political masters at their invitation and, on several occasions, flew on special flights to the place where he had to carry out the killing (supari). Soon after the killing, CPIM would give false names of the suspects so as to make sure that the charges fail to stick in the court of law. Thus, Rajeesh escaped from the law for more than two decades. Recently, police officers have reportedly stopped asking the party bosses about the names and other details of the suspects; instead they have started using their own brain to catch the real killers. The result was the arrest of Rajeesh. The detention of Rajeesh opened a Pandora’s Box in Kerala, with leader after leader of the Communist Party standing in the dock in connection with a wide range of criminal charges. Today CPM is reportedly striving hard to disapprove that it is not a gang of

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murderers but a political party. The biggest victim of this murderous political tactics is the BJP, which has reportedly lost nearly 50 workers to CPM goons. Their fear tactics seems similar to that of Maoists and Naxalites. After killing Jayakrishnan Master in front of his own students, the assailants wrote on the blackboard that any-

CPM defends the killing of BJP leaders saying that it wants to protect the Muslims. But its victims include Muslims too. A band of communist activists hacked to death a Muslim League worker Abdul Shukoor in Kannur last year in retaliation for an attack he had carried out on a CPM leader on the same day. CPM legislator T.V. Rajesh and former legislator P.Jayarajan are

A victim of “red rage”. one who tried to give evidence in the court would also be killed. It was a brazen demonstration of their cruelty, because those present in the classroom, other than the assailants, were 11-year-old students, who had already been shivering with fear having seen their teacher being killed. In the state where the reigns of power often shift between the Congress and communists, the BJP is increasingly feeling helpless. Following Rajeesh’s claims, the BJP and Jayakrishnan’s mother demanded a CBI probe into the murder. However, the Chandy government ordered the crime branch to investigate. The probe was, however, handed over to the CBI on a recommendation by the director general of prosecution. Before CBI took over, a trial court and the High Court of Kerala had handed down death sentence to five persons accused of involving in Jayakrishnan’s murder. But the Supreme Court acquitted four of the accused and commuted the death sentence of Pradeepan to life imprisonment.

the chief accused in this case. Today, both are out on bail having spent a few days behind bars. “Violent days in Kannur helped the CPM to establish communism as a religion in Kerala,” wrote Tehelka in a one of its articles. “For party workers here, faith is blind and they defend their religion with blood,” reported the magazine quoting Anil Kurudath, a local journalist. The rapid growth of Muslim League is going to transform the political landscape here. In Kerala Muslims are in large number and they account for a larger chunk of an estimated Rs.60,000 crore in remittances Kerala receives from Malayalees working in the Gulf, writes “The Economic Times”. The paper goes on to say that Muslims here are relatively wealthy and politically active compared with their counterparts in other states. “Muslims have positive population growth -- something that has prompted the Church to discreetly encourage more than two children per family,” the paper wrote.

Pak nuke threat Western policy Exposes Double Standards • Arundhati Ghose

t certainly cannot be the cooler days in Delhi that has attracted, in recent weeks, so many concerned Western ‘experts’ to the capital, to discuss the abstruse subject of “strategic stability” in Asia and the subcontinent. Ahmed Rashid, the celebrity commentator on the Af-Pak region, has recently written in the “Financial Times” that they, the West, should “beware Pakistan’s small nuclear weapons” and this kind of reporting is causing some excitement. Add to this the fact that apart from an unflurried response from a semi-official source, there has been no other official reaction from India, which should have been the most worried neighbor of Pakistan. It is public knowledge that since April 2011, Pakistan has conducted three tests of its Hatf-IX (NASR) missile, the latest being in February this year. The Pakistani Army has, after each launch, stated in press statements, that the “missile has been developed to add deterrence value to Pakistan’s Strategic Weapons Devel-

opment Programme at shorter ranges” and that the 60-km NASR “carries a nuclear warhead of appropriate yield with high accuracy, shoot and scoot attributes.” The introduction of battlefield nuclear weapons for use as a deterrent to conventional landbased troops has been seen and reported as a reaction to the Indian Army’s doctrine of “cold start” which in turn was drawn up as a possible response to another Mumbai-like terrorist attack. Apart from this widely reported conclusion, it appears clear that the effort behind this development is to signal to both India and to the international community Pakistan’s willingness to escalate any move by the Indian Army against it to a nuclear level. Indeed, the Indian strategic community has been discussing the implications of Pakistan’s move for some time. A comprehensive analysis available in the public domain is the one by the International Strategic and Security Studies Programme (ISSSP) of the National Institute of Advanced Studies. At the semi-official level, Ambassador Shyam Saran, Chair-

man of the National Security Advisory Board, pointed out that India’s nuclear doctrine made no difference in the categorisation of nuclear weapons. Any nuclear attack on India or on her troops anywhere would be responded to by the inflicting of ‘unacceptable damage’. Lest the signal be lost on the international community, Rashid’s article refers, almost with relish, to Pakistan’s growing nuclear arsenal and that “Pakistan has one of the fastest growing battlefield or tactical weapons programmes in the world “and claims that Pakistan has developed the capacity to miniaturise nuclear weapons “very successfully”. Pointing to the dangers of another terrorist attack like the one on Mumbai in 2008, he appeals to the West (the US?) to translate its concern about Pakistan’s tactical nuclear weapons “into a larger deal that pushes both Islamabad and New Delhi to contain what is now a runaway bomb.” The logic is truly bizarre: Pakistan makes these terrorists and these weapons and India should be restrained? This logic, however, seems to be

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finding some support among the ‘Western experts’. At a recent meeting in Delhi, George Perkovich presented what he felt were five options before India in the event of a Mumbai-like attack by terrorists from Pakistan. Perkovich works on the basis of assumptions and presumptions which reveal that in spite of having written reams about India and her nuclear programme, his understanding of Indian decision making seems to be based on current media reports. He remains deeply doubtful of Indian capabilities –not just military but intelligence in both senses, and resources. (He apparently presumes that Pakistan would have the capability and resources even though they have never won a war and are making a very good try at ruining their economy). He assumes, for example, that the Cold Start doctrine would include occupying some Pakistani territory by the Indian Army and on that ground alone he finds this option flawed, quite apart from provoking Pakistan to use its tactical nuclear weapons. Air strikes are ruled out as Indian capabilities coupled with possible collateral damage and adverse media coverage should dissuade India (presuming, of course, that ‘Mumbai-II’ would not have had either collateral damage or negative press coverage) not to mention the likelihood of Pakistani reaction with its tactical nuclear weapons, and pulling China into the equation. Fomenting insurgency is immoral and illegal and should be eschewed; developing tactical nuclear weapons by India would require further testing and would cost. He is silent on whether this would apply to Pakistan or not. The ISSSP study referred to above makes the point that Pakistan would need to test the miniaturization of its weapons to be usable by NASR on technical grounds. The most egregious argument is Perkovich’s quotation of Shyam Saran’s speech, so partially, that the sense of that sentence has been changed to meet his needs rather than Saran’s clear intention. There has been discussion at

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Pakistan has tactical nuclear weapons in its arsenal. And it is off and on giving veiled threat of using them in case of escalation of conflicts with India. Our response to it has been very lukewarm and there does not seem to be a clear perception of the magnitude of destruction that a nuclear confrontation with Pakistan could bring about, drawing in the process countries like China on the side of Pakistan. As the author says, “what is needed is an indication of policy changes to meet the current challenges.” home about the issue of ‘credibility’ of a ‘massive response’; while more precision might have been helpful, ‘massive’ surely includes ‘punitive’, and the effects could be ‘massive’ not just the attack. What is clear is that the response would inflict ‘unacceptable damage’. The option preferred by Perkovich, and no doubt others of the so-called ‘non proliferation brotherhood’, is

that India should use “competitive restraint or non-violent leverage”, “hold fire and mobilise Pakistani society and international organisations”! In fact, he admits that a ‘normal’ country would meet violence with violence; but in his view India should not behave normally. There are several other organisations which are due to hold meetings in Delhi and elsewhere on the need for ‘stability’ in the region. While this is a perfectly legitimate activity, their concerns should surely be addressed to Pakistan, which has nurtured terrorists and is signalling the use of nuclear weapons. Efforts should concentrate on finding ways to persuade Pakistan to desist from what are obviously suicidal attempts. On the other hand, there is a need for our own government to let the country and the world know how it reacts to recent developments affecting our nuclear posture. I am not referring only to the issue of the introduction of tactical nuclear weapons in Pakistan’s arsenal. Few of these could have been foreseen in 2003 when the doctrine was adopted by the cabinet. This does not or need not entail any change in the doctrine: what is needed is an indication of policy changes to meet the current challenges. (The author is a former Indian diplomat. She headed the Indian delegation that participated in the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) negotiations at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva in 1996)

Grapes Fight Cancer Cells

team of researchers of Indian origin has discovered that the synthesis of the most active component of grape seed extract, B2G2, promotes the cell death known as “apoptosis” in prostate cancer cells. The team has also discovered that it leaves healthy cells unharmed. The researchers showed similar anti-cancer activity in the past with grape seed extract (GSE). This time around they claim that B2G2 is its most biologically active ingredient and it can be synthesised in quantities that will allow them to study the detailed death mechanism in cancer cells. Scientists already knew that grapes (and lots of other fruits and vegetables) are rich in antioxidant compounds called flavonoids. They’re among the plant chemicals that have also shown potential against heart disease. In previous studies, GSE effectiveness has been demonstrated against cancer cells and shown its mechanism of action. But until recently, they didn’t know which constituent of GSE created this effect. This naturally occurring compound, GSE, is a complex mixture of polyphenols and also so far it has been unclear about the biologically active constituents of GSE against cancer cells. According to the researchers, B2G2 is the most active compound, but it is expensive and it takes a long time to isolate B2G2 from grape seed extract. The current study reported

the success of this effort, including the ability to synthesize gram-quantity of B2G2 reasonably quickly and inexpensively. The study also showed anti-cancer activity of synthesized B2G2 similar in mechanism and degree to overall GSE effectiveness. The study was published in the journal “Nutrition and Cancer”. The group has spent more than a decade demonstrating the anticancer activity of GSE in controlled, laboratory conditions. Just how many grapes does it take? The scientists aren’t sure yet. But so far, they say grapes may have protective potential against cancer that is independent of its antioxidant properties. Plus, reams of other research encourage eating plenty of fruits -- at least five fruits and vegetables a day for maximum benefits, say health experts.

Judge Keeps Daughter in House Arrest

ajasthan High Court Judge Justice Raghvendra Singh Rathore has reportedly put his 30-yearold daughter under house arrest. The reason: He wants to stop her from marrying her lover Siddharath Mukherjee who is not of her caste. Understandably, Mukherjee has moved the court against the father of his fiancé. He has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking the top court’s intervention to free the girl from illegal detention by her father. According to the petition, Justice Rathore

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is opposed to the marriage between Mukherjee and his daughter. Mukherjee alleges that Rathore wants his daughter to get married in her own caste, the Rajputs. The incident came to light when the girl sent mails to the Supreme Court and the Rajathan High Court judges seeking help last month. But help came only when the apex court admitted Mukherjee’s petition and directed the Jaipur police to produce the girl in court. A few years back, the Rajasthan High Court had faced severe criticism for calling love marriages as examples of lust and greed. With allegations against Justice Rathore, the higher judiciary has yet again come in the line of fire for fresh attacks. On December 16, the Supreme Court freed the daughter and allowed her to marry her fiancé. “Keeping in view her welfare and the fact that she has already attained majority, we say that she is at liberty to take her own future decisions,” a bench comprising Justices H L Dattu and C Nagappan said after recording the statement of the girl who said she wanted to marry Siddharth Mukherjee. The bench directed the authorities at Gandhinagar police station in Jaipur to hand over the girl to Mukherjee and gave them the liberty to approach the apex court in case any “inconvenience” is caused to them.

Iran Asks Indian Delegation to Undergo HIV Tests

ran has recently ordered a high-level business delegation from India to test for HIV before issuing them visas. Interestingly, this has angered New Delhi and it considers this demand as discriminatory and politically incorrect. Most countries have done away with this requirement and India too ended mandatory HIV testing for visa applicants more than a decade ago. The tests do not stop there. Members of the delegation have also been asked to test for Hepatitis C and tuberculosis, all for the first time. This has forced New Delhi to raise the issue through diplomatic channels with Iranian authorities. While no specific reason has been given for this

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move by Iran, India sees this as barriers being erected and considers it a worrying sign. New Delhi feels that hurdles such as these are indicative of why business ties don’t seem to take off despite the best of intentions. The 97-member delegation has been put together by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), and has 68 executive directorrank officials from firms such as Oswal, Metro Tyres, Luminous Power, Kohinoor Foods, and RP Goenka. The group was scheduled to visit Tehran from December 15 to 17 to showcase Indian products and for a buyer-seller meet in Isfahan on December 19 at the invitation of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce and Iran Chamber of Commerce. The Indian Government, through a November 22, 2002 order, had announced a change in policy, ending all mandatory HIV testing for foreign-born residents and visa applicants, including foreign students. The main objective of the delegation is to increase India’s exports to Iran, which registered a fall of 3.77 per cent during 2011-12, mainly due to problems with banking channels. Although the latest figures are not available, they are expected to have dipped further.

India Set to Launch Longest Range Ballistic Missile

ndia is all set for the maiden test firing of its submarine launch of the longest range and nuclear capable ballistic missile, code-named K-4, from an

underwater platform off the Vizag coast by the end of next month. The missile flies at hypersonic speed and is the world’s best weapon in this class. The K-4 is one of the most ambitious projects of the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO). Plans are also underway to induct the B-05 missile, which has a strike range of nearly 700 km, in the armed forces next year. This missile will also be test fired from the indigenously built India’s first submarine INS Arihant after it completes sea trials in 2014.

The missile is the longer version of K-15, dubbed the B-05 missile which has been test fired at least 10 times. Though it has been designed to cover a distance of 3,500 km, this time the test would be conducted for a range of about 1,500 km. Earlier, the test was postponed due to technological problems. The indigenously developed 3,500-km range missile is planned to be tested from a pontoon (replica of a submarine) positioned nearly 50 feet under the sea surface. The next missile in this series is K-5 which will have a strike range of nearly 5,000 km. Once inducted, the missile will not only complete India’s third leg of the nuclear deterrent, but also be the second strike weapon system in its much touted nuclear doctrine. It can target major Chinese cities even remaining away from the Chinese water. It could better be characterised as a hypersonic cruise missile, since it remains within the earth’s at-

mosphere. Making the K-4 even more survivable is its ability to manoeuvre, following a twisting path to the target which makes it very difficult to shoot it down.

Death Penalty for Italian Marines Recommended

he National Investigation Agency (NIA), probing the case against two Italian marines for killing two Kerala fishermen, has recommended that they be charged under an Act that mandates death penalty. Two Italian marines, serving as security guards on an Italian-flagged oil tanker “Enrica Lexie” had shot dead two Indian fishermen, about 20 nautical miles off Kerala in February last year. The lawyers of the marines say their clients mistook the fishermen for pirates and fired warning shots. The two marines have not admitted killing anyone or aiming directly at the fishing boat. The NIA has submitted a report seeking sanction for prosecution to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). It might be noted that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had repeatedly sought a lesser charge for this crime. Earlier, Salman Khurshid, the Minister for External Affairs, had assured the Italian Government that the two marines would not be charged with death penalty. Khurshid made this commitment after the marines went home on bail and then refused to return. At the heart of the furious debate between the two ministries is a specific law that was passed in 2002.

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The ‘Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against Safety of Maritime Navigation and Fixed Platforms on Continental Shelf’ Act (SUA) is clear that if anyone causes death, then they will be awarded with a death penalty. This is stated in clause 3 (g) (i) of the Act which states: “Causes death to any person shall be punished with death.” The MEA is keen to resolve the issue and ensure that the marines are not prosecuted under the Act because the courts may award them death penalty. This would be a violation of the commitment made by Khurshid, which they state, is as good as a sovereign guarantee. But the NIA and the MHA differ and in the files that have gone back and forth, they state that the prerogative to decide the marines’ fate is left to the Indian courts.

Rashtrapati Bhavan Nurtures Art

he Rashtrapati Bhavan has opened the doors for writers, artists and innovation scholars. It has invited them to stay and seek inspiration and institutional support for creating their best works yet. President Pranab Mukherjee, on the occasion of his birthday, announced a 30-day ‘in-residence’ programme for artists, writers and innovation scholars. This is the first of its kind programme in Rashtrapati Bhavan and artists and writers who have an “established track record in the field of art and literature” will stay for a month and be part of the life of the Estate. They will stay in the recently refurbished Guest House in the Estate.

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The Rashtrapati Bhavan hopes that the programme will contribute to aesthetic as well as social benefit through the art and literature that is created while in residence at Rashtrapati Bhavan. It would also help provide innovators with necessary linkages to institutions so as to nurture and support their innovative ideas, he said. The programme offers an environment that inspires creative thinking and rejuvenates artistic impulses. Various activities like reading sessions, exhibitions of works of art and interaction with the residents of Rashtrapati Bhavan, etc. are also to be organised in consultation with the selected writers and artists under the scheme. The programme for ‘Innovation Scholars’ in residence aims to provide further impetus to grassroots innovation. The Rashtrapati Bhavan organises an exhibition of grassroots innovation every year during the time of opening of the Mughal Gardens. The President gives awards for grassroots innovations biennially. He has also been asking Central Universities and IITs/NITs to set up Innovation Clubs. Under this new scheme, four ‘Innovation Scholars would be invited to stay in Rashtrapati Bhavan for a month. They would be provided an environment to work on projects in hand or take innovative ideas forward. They will also be assisted in establishing linkages with relevant institutions and provided mentoring and support.’ The President also launched smart ID cards for the residents of the Estate. These cards with biometric information will enable easy identification of residents without compromising on security.

Court Rejects – Families Accept

n 2011 Beena and Savita, a same sex partners, became the first couple in the country to be married legally after the Gurgaon High Court ruled in their favour. Since then, they have been living together in a small village, Do Ghat, which is about 70 km from the Supreme Court The couple has been living in this village for two years now. Although there has been opposition from their families before, it has worn off now. From childhood, Beena dressed like a boy and sported a boyish hairstyle. She rode a bike, never wore a salwaar

The Difference between Wife and Mistress

or applied makeup. She didn’t even get her ears pierced. Both Beena and Savita fell in love. Understandably, it was not easy. Savita was forcibly married off to a man, who divorced her after five months. It was only in July 2011 that she married Beena. That spelt a fresh round of trouble as her brother’s engagement was called off and relatives ostracized her family. But after their relentless fight, things are finally looking up. Her brother has found a family accepting Savita and will tie the knot in February. It wasn’t love at first sight as the girls, who were neighbours, grew up together. The families were on excellent terms but disquiet over the girls’ closeness drew them apart. The couple now survives on their income from a small beauty parlour opened by Savita, while Beena has recently started her own business of selling bike oil. Their parents have to lend them financial support. Beena’s parents are not worried about the two starting a family. Beena’s elder brother and sister-in law died in a car accident and are survived by two kids. Their aunts have taken them under their wing. However, after the Supreme Court verdict, their marriage is no longer valid. On top of it the promised protection and monetary help from the government never came. The couple was hounded by the Khap and media.

he Supreme Court has urged Parliament to frame a law to protect woman who is regarded only as a ‘mistress’ not as wife. The existing law, according to the court, does not mandate the male partner to pay maintenance cost to his mistress in the event of separation. The apex court issued the call while handing down its verdict over a Bangalore-based mistress who demanded that her male partner pay her living cost and an independent residence. Only the wife of the person can invoke the right to demand compensation or maintenance cost, the court said, drawing a clear line between ‘live-in-relationship’ and marriage. Once a male marries a woman taking the oath of marriage, he owes her a lot. But the live-in-relationship, a kind of relationship under which the female partner is only called a mistress, cannot be treated as marriage, the court said. If the man was made to pay maintenance, that would be an injustice to his wife and children, the lawyers argued. The Supreme Court ruled, however, that “live-in or marriage-like relationship is neither a crime nor a sin though socially unacceptable in this country.” The current law offers protection against domestic violence, as well as maintenance and other benefits to women in a live-in relationship. But here ‘live-inrelationship’ means woman living with her husband after her marriage with him. But the same law offers no protection to a mistress. The judges made the appeal to Parliament after they rejected a claim from the Bangalore woman against her live-in partner on the grounds that she was only a “mistress.” The court, however, appears to have left the ball in Parliament’s court when it urged the legislators to frame a law to this effect. Some analysts have called it an adulterous relationship so the female partner cannot claim maintenance. “Polygamy…or a bigamous marriage…and/or maintaining an adulterous relationship… cannot be said to be a relationship in the nature of marriage,” the court said.

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Economic suffering rises in India: Gallup

“Yet, because of its relatively small population, the increase in suffering had a negligible effect on the regional average. Since Nepal abolished the monarchy five years ago, the country has been mired in a political crisis that has paralysed the economy,” it said

SC tells Who Can Use Vehicles with Red Beacons

hanks to poor economic performance, the number of people suffering from financial handicaps has more than doubled in India in recent years, according to a study conducted by the international research firm Gallup. “Average suffering in India more than doubled between 2006 -2008 and 2010 -2012. In 2012, a full quarter of Indians were suffering,” it said. “The significant deterioration in Indians’ well-being is likely to be rooted in the country’s disappointing economic performance. India’s growth rate has now sunk from 9.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2010 to 4.4 per cent in the second quarter of 2013, the worst quarterly rate since 2002,” it said. The government’s failure to curb corruption and cut bureaucratic red tape, as well as to liberalise its markets have held up the economy from growing. That’s the very reason why India’s ranking on the World Bank’s Doing Business report is not rising. Suffering, on an average, has increased worldwide in the past several years, and nowhere more than in South Asia, the report noted. One in seven adults worldwide rated their lives poorly enough to be considered suffering in 2012. Gallup said the massive increase in suffering among South Asians is largely attributable to negative developments in India, the region’s giant. India’s northern neighbour Nepal has fared no better, it said, adding that average suffering there increased by 17 percentage points between 20062008 and 2010-2012.

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he Supreme Court has issued an order that limits the use of red beacons on vehicles to those holding constitutional offices. That means, henceforth not every high-ranking government official can move around on a car fitted with a red beacon. Given the order, only the president, vice-president, the prime minister, senior judges and some top officials are entitled to the red beacons. In several states across North India, red beacons are a symbol of power and officials of stripes and color love to have it on their cars. Some analysts say the culture of red beacon should be brought to an end as it symbolises colonial rule and advocates alienating practices. Other experts argue that only emergency services, such as ambulances, should be allowed to use beacons. “The court is right to observe that the red beacon is a vestige of the British Raj (rule). While it may have made sense for an imperial power to announce its lofty distance from the people, a democracy has no business carrying on these alienating practices,” stated ‘The Indian Express’. The order is an example of how the judiciary has taken on the role of righting the wrongs of the Executive. The legislature should have long corrected

these issues, say some analysts. But what is still unclear is whether the police can keep an eye on all these vehicles with red beacons. Can they stop vehicles with red beacon just to be clear if the passenger in the vehicle has the right to use it? If such a crime can be condoned following slapping of a small fine, nobody would be frightened about using the red beacon on their vehicles.

Treasure Hunt Halted in UP Village

he Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has announced that it had halted its treasure hunt in Daundiya Kheda village of Uttar Pradesh after it was convinced that the site contained no gold. Labourers from the department started digging in an abandoned fort on October 18 after a local seer Shobhan Sarkar stated that a treasure trove was buried there. The site was once the fort of Raja Rao Ram Bux Singh.

The excavation, however, dug out some interesting information about the royals who lived there. There was hardly any more information about the Kushan dynasty in Indian history books, which ruled the region in the first century AD. “The work has been completed. The site holds several clues about the kingdom,” said the department. The ‘evidence’ in its terms is the broken potteries found during the excavation. Interestingly, the department has now made it clear that it never dug the site for gold but for more information about the royal dynasty. It will soon refill all the trenches that it dug up in the village. Earlier it was reported a Hindu seer dreamt 1,000 tonnes of gold was buried under the ruins of a 19th Century fort. Archaeology officials say the dig is not linked to the dream, but a routine attempt to look for cultural artifacts. Predictions about such treasure troves are taken seriously after the government found a huge trove of gold in Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala a few years ago.

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