07-19-2008, 09:43 AM
<b>Lies, deceit and betrayal</b>
http://www.sanghparivar.org/lies-deceit-and-betrayal
*By M.D. Nalapat* (15 July 2008)
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->
Since 2004, "secularism" has been defined in Soniaspeak as a policy that in
effect discriminates against the majority community. Why should only the
places of worship of a single community be under the control of governments,
including those known to follow an exclusivist agenda?
Since he took office as the proxy of Sonia Gandhi more than four years ago,
Manmohan Singh has sought with zeal to carry out her agenda of rendering
India helpless to any economic challenge from the EU or a military one from
China. Even in her election campaigns, Sonia Gandhi conveyed the message
that the minorities were in danger of losing their lives and property. Just
as George W. Bush and Dick Cheney scared the US voter into giving them a
second term in officeâby painting rival John Kerry as an individual
incapable of protecting them against terrorismâSonia frightened the
minorities into supporting her hodgepodge of competing corporate interests
masquerading as political parties.
Manmohan Singh took four years to expose himself as simply window-dressing
for implementing the policies of Sonia Gandhi. Policies that have by now
ensured the near-emasculation of the Indian business community in its battle
against foreign competition.
An action that is seditious in the extreme is the attempted effort to bind
India to the NPT and CTBT after decades of struggle to develop domestic
alternatives. Manmohan Singh has long been against India's nuclear
expansion, including when he was Finance Minister (1991-96). Instead of
permitting the AEC to reprocess all the spent fuel at its disposal,
including at Tarapur, he has instead declined to source uranium from non-NSG
states and more vigorously develop the country's own uranium reserves. By
throwing the country at the mercy of states that for long have sought to
contain India, Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi are in fact going against the
vision of Indira Gandhi, who boldly went in for a programme of nuclear
self-reliance. What needs to be done is to increase efforts for procuring
uranium, fast-track the thorium programme, open up the nuclear and broader
defense sector to Indian corporates and reprocess spent fuel. The agreement
now sought to be entered into with the IAEA and the NSG ought to be replaced
with another one that protects the country's technology and future. Should
the US decline to agree to an equitable deal, India needs to sign a
bilateral agreement with Russia, a country that has once again demonstrated
its independence.
The country would find itself hard pressed to survive another term of the
Sonia team. They need to go. Because of their access to money power, the
Sonia-Manmohan duo is expecting to win its vote of confidence, thus giving
it a few more months to fulfill Sonia Gandhi's vision of an India helpless
before the EU and China. What the country needs is another general election,
as soon as possible. And to ensure that the country is spared a repeat of
the present, the NDA needs to go before the people and warn them that each
vote is needed to protect the country from the catastrophe to which it is
being led by the UPA. The next round could well decide the future of India.
In the UPA regime, one of the first steps was to open the floodgates for
hundreds of thousands from Pakistan and Bangladesh to come to India. Those
masterminding groups active in mayhem now no longer needed to sneak across
the border, protected by fire from Pakistan's army. They could, and did,
come in on regular visas. It is no surprise that jehadi nests have sprung up
precisely in those cities where such "tourists" collected: Jaipur,
Hyderabad, Lucknow and Mumbai. Since 2004, a powerful and largely home-grown
network of terrorist groups has been formed across the country, that is
building up its capabilities in order to strike at people and installations.
Of course, the benefit of doubt has always been given to Pakistan. Even
after the Kabul car-bomb, senior officials spoke off-the-record to
mediapersons denying the involvement of the ISI. The suggestion that this
misleading impression be put out came from a very high level within the UPA,
one that is intent on painting Pakistan as a "victim" rather than as the
epicentre of terrorism. It is only when Afghan authorities shamed these
pro-Pakistan propagandists within the UPA that they fell silent, but not
before several television outlets had run scrolls that "according to senior
government sources", the ISI was not involved in the blast.
Next came the unlocking of restraints on pro-Pakistan elements within
Kashmir, headed by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the politician who as Home
Minister was directly responsible for the actions that caused the 1989-1999
jehad in Kashmir. Today, with his vicious opposition to the leasing of land
to facilitate the Amarnath Yatra (in the face of his own numerous favours to
miscellaneous organisations, mostly pro-Pakistan), Sayeed is seeking to
ignite a second jehad in Kashmir. The first caused the deaths of more than
40,0000 lives. A repeat may result in the felling of more than 200,000. It
is because of the patronage given to him by Sonia Gandhi that the PDP leader
and his flock are openly seeking to convert Kashmir into a mono-religious
land, where only a single faithâthat of the Wahabbisâwill be allowed to
exist.
Rather than bow to such a grotesque demand, secular elements within the
state need to build a massive temple in the Kashmir Valley, as well as
churches and gurudwaras, to send home the message that India is a secular
country. By such an action, it will become clear to Wahabbi elements in
Kashmir, as well as the rest of the pro-Pakistan brigade, that their efforts
to destroy Kashmiriyat will not succeed. The building of different houses of
worship in the Kashmir valley ought to have been done earlier.
Unfortunately, even during the term in office of the NDA, there was a
cosseting of religious extremism in Kashmir ,with the result that the
degeneration of the secular ethos that has been witnessed since 1989
continued during 1998-2004 as well. Both Mufti Mohammad Sayeed as well as
his secular-phobic daughter was indulged in by the PMO during 1998-2004.
However, the license given to them to pursue their toxic agenda has sharply
accelerated under the UPA, which has allowed the government in Kashmir to
function as an agent of the Wahabbis, in defiance of the Constitution of
India.
What needs to be done is to reveal a complete list of the land grants made
by the PDP-Congress combine since it took office, so that the public can see
for themselves the nakedly extremist logic behind the well-funded agitation
against the lease of a small area of land to the Amarnath Shrine Board.
Governor N.N. Vohra has distinguished himself in the past for his adherence
to transparency, hence the request that he release records of land grants
made by the now-defeated government. The people have a right to know. Of
course, as has been witnessed by the secrecy with which the nuclear
negotiations are being conducted, Sonia Gandhi's team is allergic to sharing
information with the people of India, even information already made
available to external interests. The country is waiting to see if high
constitutional functionaries such as President Patil and Governor Vohra will
ensure through their behaviour that their allegiance is to the people of
India and not to the particular politician who placed them in their current
jobs. This columnist respects both, and trusts that they will show their
mettle in the period ahead.
From a security perspective, there is a strong case for containingâbefore
reducingâthe Wahabbi influence over the Kashmir administration by creating a
separate Ladakh state and a Jammu state. These two zones have nothing in
common with Wahabbism, yet their ability to roll back the onrushing Wahabbi
tide is being constrained by the control that the Kashmir administration has
over them. The sooner Kashmir is trifurcated, the better for the people of
the entire state, as well as for the nation. Also, in view of the fact that
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is a jehad factory, there needs to be a security
cordon between it and the rest of Kashmir. This would be in contrast to the
gaps in the existing firewall that have been deliberately created since
2004.
Particular attention has to be paid to West Bengal and Assam, as there are
more than ten million illegal Bangladeshi migrants residing in these two
states, several with unlawfully-obtained voting rights.
Since 2004, "secularism" has been defined in Soniaspeak as a policy that in
effect discriminates against the majority community. Why should only the
places of worship of a single community be under the control of governments,
including those known to follow an exclusivist agenda? Why should
institutions started by the majority community not be given the same
privileges as those started by others? In a secular state, all faiths get
equal treatment, unlike in India, where a particular faith has long been
singled out for discrimination against its adherents.
Just as the Sonia team has sought to exacerbate societal tensions, whether
those of community or caste, it has systematically worked to demolish the
economy. Interest rates have doubled, and are threatening to go up further.
The tax system has once again become punitive and authoritarian, with the
remedies available to the citizen drastically reduced. Growth-boosters such
as Special Economic Zones have practically been banned, while once again,
the Nehru policy of creating private monopolies is being followed. Yes,
politicians made money. The difference is that in the past, this was because
of taking decisions that created new enterprises and wealth. These days, the
bribes are being paid to perpetuate existing monopolies or create new ones,
just as was the case during 1950-80. As for the field of education, centres
of excellence are under government attack, and the potential for India to
emerge as the education hub of the globe is being squandered.
<i>*(The writer is Vice-Chair, Manipal Advanced Research Group, UNESCO Peace
Chair & Professor of Geopolitics, Manipal University.)*</i><!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
http://www.sanghparivar.org/lies-deceit-and-betrayal
*By M.D. Nalapat* (15 July 2008)
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->
Since 2004, "secularism" has been defined in Soniaspeak as a policy that in
effect discriminates against the majority community. Why should only the
places of worship of a single community be under the control of governments,
including those known to follow an exclusivist agenda?
Since he took office as the proxy of Sonia Gandhi more than four years ago,
Manmohan Singh has sought with zeal to carry out her agenda of rendering
India helpless to any economic challenge from the EU or a military one from
China. Even in her election campaigns, Sonia Gandhi conveyed the message
that the minorities were in danger of losing their lives and property. Just
as George W. Bush and Dick Cheney scared the US voter into giving them a
second term in officeâby painting rival John Kerry as an individual
incapable of protecting them against terrorismâSonia frightened the
minorities into supporting her hodgepodge of competing corporate interests
masquerading as political parties.
Manmohan Singh took four years to expose himself as simply window-dressing
for implementing the policies of Sonia Gandhi. Policies that have by now
ensured the near-emasculation of the Indian business community in its battle
against foreign competition.
An action that is seditious in the extreme is the attempted effort to bind
India to the NPT and CTBT after decades of struggle to develop domestic
alternatives. Manmohan Singh has long been against India's nuclear
expansion, including when he was Finance Minister (1991-96). Instead of
permitting the AEC to reprocess all the spent fuel at its disposal,
including at Tarapur, he has instead declined to source uranium from non-NSG
states and more vigorously develop the country's own uranium reserves. By
throwing the country at the mercy of states that for long have sought to
contain India, Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi are in fact going against the
vision of Indira Gandhi, who boldly went in for a programme of nuclear
self-reliance. What needs to be done is to increase efforts for procuring
uranium, fast-track the thorium programme, open up the nuclear and broader
defense sector to Indian corporates and reprocess spent fuel. The agreement
now sought to be entered into with the IAEA and the NSG ought to be replaced
with another one that protects the country's technology and future. Should
the US decline to agree to an equitable deal, India needs to sign a
bilateral agreement with Russia, a country that has once again demonstrated
its independence.
The country would find itself hard pressed to survive another term of the
Sonia team. They need to go. Because of their access to money power, the
Sonia-Manmohan duo is expecting to win its vote of confidence, thus giving
it a few more months to fulfill Sonia Gandhi's vision of an India helpless
before the EU and China. What the country needs is another general election,
as soon as possible. And to ensure that the country is spared a repeat of
the present, the NDA needs to go before the people and warn them that each
vote is needed to protect the country from the catastrophe to which it is
being led by the UPA. The next round could well decide the future of India.
In the UPA regime, one of the first steps was to open the floodgates for
hundreds of thousands from Pakistan and Bangladesh to come to India. Those
masterminding groups active in mayhem now no longer needed to sneak across
the border, protected by fire from Pakistan's army. They could, and did,
come in on regular visas. It is no surprise that jehadi nests have sprung up
precisely in those cities where such "tourists" collected: Jaipur,
Hyderabad, Lucknow and Mumbai. Since 2004, a powerful and largely home-grown
network of terrorist groups has been formed across the country, that is
building up its capabilities in order to strike at people and installations.
Of course, the benefit of doubt has always been given to Pakistan. Even
after the Kabul car-bomb, senior officials spoke off-the-record to
mediapersons denying the involvement of the ISI. The suggestion that this
misleading impression be put out came from a very high level within the UPA,
one that is intent on painting Pakistan as a "victim" rather than as the
epicentre of terrorism. It is only when Afghan authorities shamed these
pro-Pakistan propagandists within the UPA that they fell silent, but not
before several television outlets had run scrolls that "according to senior
government sources", the ISI was not involved in the blast.
Next came the unlocking of restraints on pro-Pakistan elements within
Kashmir, headed by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the politician who as Home
Minister was directly responsible for the actions that caused the 1989-1999
jehad in Kashmir. Today, with his vicious opposition to the leasing of land
to facilitate the Amarnath Yatra (in the face of his own numerous favours to
miscellaneous organisations, mostly pro-Pakistan), Sayeed is seeking to
ignite a second jehad in Kashmir. The first caused the deaths of more than
40,0000 lives. A repeat may result in the felling of more than 200,000. It
is because of the patronage given to him by Sonia Gandhi that the PDP leader
and his flock are openly seeking to convert Kashmir into a mono-religious
land, where only a single faithâthat of the Wahabbisâwill be allowed to
exist.
Rather than bow to such a grotesque demand, secular elements within the
state need to build a massive temple in the Kashmir Valley, as well as
churches and gurudwaras, to send home the message that India is a secular
country. By such an action, it will become clear to Wahabbi elements in
Kashmir, as well as the rest of the pro-Pakistan brigade, that their efforts
to destroy Kashmiriyat will not succeed. The building of different houses of
worship in the Kashmir valley ought to have been done earlier.
Unfortunately, even during the term in office of the NDA, there was a
cosseting of religious extremism in Kashmir ,with the result that the
degeneration of the secular ethos that has been witnessed since 1989
continued during 1998-2004 as well. Both Mufti Mohammad Sayeed as well as
his secular-phobic daughter was indulged in by the PMO during 1998-2004.
However, the license given to them to pursue their toxic agenda has sharply
accelerated under the UPA, which has allowed the government in Kashmir to
function as an agent of the Wahabbis, in defiance of the Constitution of
India.
What needs to be done is to reveal a complete list of the land grants made
by the PDP-Congress combine since it took office, so that the public can see
for themselves the nakedly extremist logic behind the well-funded agitation
against the lease of a small area of land to the Amarnath Shrine Board.
Governor N.N. Vohra has distinguished himself in the past for his adherence
to transparency, hence the request that he release records of land grants
made by the now-defeated government. The people have a right to know. Of
course, as has been witnessed by the secrecy with which the nuclear
negotiations are being conducted, Sonia Gandhi's team is allergic to sharing
information with the people of India, even information already made
available to external interests. The country is waiting to see if high
constitutional functionaries such as President Patil and Governor Vohra will
ensure through their behaviour that their allegiance is to the people of
India and not to the particular politician who placed them in their current
jobs. This columnist respects both, and trusts that they will show their
mettle in the period ahead.
From a security perspective, there is a strong case for containingâbefore
reducingâthe Wahabbi influence over the Kashmir administration by creating a
separate Ladakh state and a Jammu state. These two zones have nothing in
common with Wahabbism, yet their ability to roll back the onrushing Wahabbi
tide is being constrained by the control that the Kashmir administration has
over them. The sooner Kashmir is trifurcated, the better for the people of
the entire state, as well as for the nation. Also, in view of the fact that
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is a jehad factory, there needs to be a security
cordon between it and the rest of Kashmir. This would be in contrast to the
gaps in the existing firewall that have been deliberately created since
2004.
Particular attention has to be paid to West Bengal and Assam, as there are
more than ten million illegal Bangladeshi migrants residing in these two
states, several with unlawfully-obtained voting rights.
Since 2004, "secularism" has been defined in Soniaspeak as a policy that in
effect discriminates against the majority community. Why should only the
places of worship of a single community be under the control of governments,
including those known to follow an exclusivist agenda? Why should
institutions started by the majority community not be given the same
privileges as those started by others? In a secular state, all faiths get
equal treatment, unlike in India, where a particular faith has long been
singled out for discrimination against its adherents.
Just as the Sonia team has sought to exacerbate societal tensions, whether
those of community or caste, it has systematically worked to demolish the
economy. Interest rates have doubled, and are threatening to go up further.
The tax system has once again become punitive and authoritarian, with the
remedies available to the citizen drastically reduced. Growth-boosters such
as Special Economic Zones have practically been banned, while once again,
the Nehru policy of creating private monopolies is being followed. Yes,
politicians made money. The difference is that in the past, this was because
of taking decisions that created new enterprises and wealth. These days, the
bribes are being paid to perpetuate existing monopolies or create new ones,
just as was the case during 1950-80. As for the field of education, centres
of excellence are under government attack, and the potential for India to
emerge as the education hub of the globe is being squandered.
<i>*(The writer is Vice-Chair, Manipal Advanced Research Group, UNESCO Peace
Chair & Professor of Geopolitics, Manipal University.)*</i><!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->