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State News And Discussion - II - acharya - 08-18-2006
One of the news report suggested that MIM of Hyderabad wanted seperate Muslim state around Hyd if Telengana is created.
State News And Discussion - II - Guest - 08-19-2006
[=Husky,Aug 12 2006, 12:16 PM]
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Of couse, the pope 'allows' pagan rituals amongst Christianised peoples of Americas and Africa - after having murdered them in previous centuries for their pagan rituals, the Catholic Church has realised that the reviving Old Traditions could turn new generations of conquered peoples away from the Church for good. Especially considering the Church's historic record of treating them abysmally. Catholicism has realised it better bend or break. That's why the Church has temporarily learnt to live with it: better even a heretic flock than no flock at all.
And most of the Catholic Church's flock, whether it likes it or not, resides in S America and Africa. To lose them would mean to lose everything - Europe was only partly Catholic historically (E Europe was Orthodox), and even that was cut down to a smaller size by Protestantism. And with today's loss of Christians to freethinking and agnosticism in Europe, all the Church has is the 'developing world'. The only place where it can press upon people that it is teaching truths, when the rest of the world already knows how patently false much of the bible is, how most of Christian theology was voted upon and how the gospels were assembled. Also S America and Africa do not know that Orthodoxy is closer to the early form of Christianity and that Catholicism is a fraud (the pope is not even recognised as any authority in Greece, for instance).
[right][snapback]55531[/snapback][/right]
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No ,the aculturation of orthodox to catholics was made in 1700 by "peacefull "methods like destroing hundreds of orthodox churches whit the gun, by using discriminative laws and using the old fashion but efficient inchizition torture. At the end some people accept the Pope as a lider and some catholic dogmas. However the things has change now,The Pope smiles all day and spread only peacefull mesages.
I didnt heard that catholics use bribe conversions.I know cases may self in which poor people are convert to protestantism in order to get a free washing machine or similar ,but this practice is use in general by american sects.
State News And Discussion - II - acharya - 08-20-2006
<b>YSR offers prayers</b>
Staff Reporter
Priests receive him with traditional temple honours
TIRUMALA: Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy offered prayers at the temple of Lord Venkateswara on Saturday.
On his arrival at the Mahadwaram he was received with the traditional `Isti kapal' temple honours and was led into the sanctum sanctorum.
Dr. Reddy also visited the `Mandapam' where the six-day `Astabandana' ritual would be performed with Ankurarpanam on Sunday. The temple priests explained to him the importance of `Astabandana', performed once in 12 years.
State News And Discussion - II - ramana - 08-22-2006
Pioneer Op-Ed, 22 Aug. 2006
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Saving Tirumala </b>
The Pioneer Edit Desk
<b>Anti-evangelism law a right step</b>
The Andhra Pradesh Government's decision to bring in a law to prohibit the preaching of any religion other than Hinduism on the seven sacred hills of Tirumala, famous for the temple of Lord Venkateswara, is a welcome move to nip evangelical mischief in the bud, provided, of course, the Congress's central leadership does not instruct Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy to desist from protecting the sanctity of a shrine revered by millions of Hindus lest it be construed as "communal". <b>For many months now Hindus have been agitated over the audacity of evangelists who chose the seven hills of Tirumala, traditionally regarded as the sacred body of Sri Vishnu, to preach Christianity and seek converts.</b> Such was the affront caused by missionaries that the police had to arrest the preachers; the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam subsequently appealed to the Chief Minister to enact a law prohibiting propaganda by non-Hindu faiths on the seven hills. <b>A politician with his ears close to the ground, Mr Reddy was quick to realise that the mounting sense of outrage unleashed by evangelists for violating the sanctity of a Hindu shrine by speaking against Hinduism from its extended premises could neither be brushed under the carpet nor ignored. In all fairness, it must be noted that he visited the shrine on Saturday to discuss the issue with the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam officials. Soon thereafter, Endowments Minister JC Diwakar Reddy announced that a Bill to prohibit preaching by non-Hindus in the seven hills of Tirumala would be introduced in the State Assembly during the current session. Violators of the proposed law will face both punitive fine and rigorous imprisonment.</b>
While such a law should help restrain evangelists from trespassing into the domain - literally and metaphorically - of another faith, the larger issue of missionary activities of a dubious nature remains to be addressed. <b>Had evangelists, flush with Western funds, been more mindful about the sensitivities of those who subscribe to a non-Christian faith then disputes like the one in Tirumala would not have arisen. Freedom of religion, guaranteed by the Constitution, cannot be interpreted to mean the right to offend others or behave in an obnoxious manner. The missionaries who wilfully violated the sanctity of the Tirumala hills also violated both the letter and the spirit of the Constitution. This is unacceptable, irrespective of the religious identity of the violators. Nor can we ignore it as an isolated incident of callous disregard for Hindu sensitivities: Similar reports have been coming out of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh where evangelists have been accused of converting tribals through fraud, deceit and inducements, leaving the State Governments with no other option but to adopt laws to put a check on questionable missionary activities.</b> The Church, as a whole, cannot be held guilty for these violations; responsible sections of the clergy and the laity have time and again voiced their objection to abrasive evangelism that promotes religious and social discord. Obviously, this has not had a deterrent effect on those who knowingly transgress the definition of freedom of religion and, when hauled up, take refuge in secular mumbo-jumbo and pretend victimhood. Perhaps leaders of the Church in India would do well to step in and put a leash on undesirable evangelism of the sort witnessed in Tirumala and elsewhere.
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State News And Discussion - II - ramana - 08-22-2006
Pioneer 22 Aug., 2006
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->TRS decision to quit UPA rocks Andhra
Omer Farooq | Hyderabad
The decision of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti leaders K Chandrasekhara Rao and A Narendra to quit the UPA Cabinet on Tuesday and start an indefinite fast at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi from Wednesday marks the entry of Telangana struggle into a completely new phase.
It is likely to set the TRS and the ruling Congress party on a course of confrontation in Andhra Pradesh and mark the first departure of any party from the 27-month-old UPA in New Delhi.
TRS chief K Chandrasekhara Rao, who had already threatened that "Telangana will erupt like a volcano if Congress president Sonia Gandhi does not keep her word on the formation of the Telangana state", decided to quit the Cabinet after consulting senior party leaders and legislators who were specially summoned to Delhi.
Apparently, the latest talks of senior Congress leaders Digvijay Singh and Ahmad Patel with Chandrasekhara Rao did not succeed and Rao could not elicit any firm commitment that a Bill on Telangana will be moved in the current session of Parliament.
The party had already issued an ultimatum that if the Bill is not moved in this session, it would be forced to take a drastic decision. Rao had also said that he would return to Hyderabad either with Telangana or with a sword and shield to fight for the State.
The decision was announced on Sunday evening giving the Congress leadership time of two more days to take a decision but the Congress sources said that no major change in the party's present stand was likely.
The Congress leaders both in Hyderabad and Delhi say that a second State reorganisation commission should go into the demand for Telangana state as several other demands for smaller states were also being made in different parts of the country.
While the decision of Chandrasekhara Rao to resign from the Union Cabinet was on the expected lines, his decision to sit on an indefinite fast in New Delhi came as a surprise. It has invigorated his party's rank and file and several activists of the students and youth wings of the TRS were planning to leave for Delhi on Tuesday to participate in the indefinite fast.
But Chandrasekhara Rao continues to come under flak from the dissidents of his own party. Two dissident legislators, T Jayprakash Reddy and Mandadi Satyanarayana Reddy, have criticised Rao for an inordinate delay in quitting the Union Cabinet.
Mandadi recalled that he had advised him to launch an agitation nine months ago but at that time Rao had claimed that he had the support of the majority of MPs for the demand for Telangana.
Jayprakash, on the other hand, wondered the leader who had declared that he will bring Telangana by touching the feet of Sonia Gandhi, was now feeling the need of an agitation. The dissidents said that Rao was trying to hoodwink the people of Telangana by making false statements that he was lobbying for Telangana by remaining in the Union Cabinet.
If the TRS leaders finally keep their word and come out of the UPA Government, it can have a significant impact on the ground situation in the State.
It may pave the way for the BJP and the TRS openly tying up and actively agitating for the Telangana state. Yet another figure, the popular Telugu film star and the founder of Telangana Talli Party is also likely to join hands with the TRS after the two quit the Cabinet.
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State News And Discussion - II - Guest - 08-22-2006
Is there any connection between Reedy to bring law to protect Trimula and DMK to withdraw ordinance?
Seems, IB is reporting anger or boiling rural population, who give damn to "seculars"
State News And Discussion - II - Guest - 08-22-2006
Something you won't get from English media:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Forwarded by Dahyabhai Patel
Title: How Gujarat has gone ahead
Author: Editorial
Publication: Pudhari
Date: August 12, 2006
(Free translation from Marathi)
If there is a most censured and condemned Chief Minister during the last
four and half years, he is Narendra Modi of Gujarat. If there is a most
denounced state, it is Gujarat. If we trust intellectuals, politicians and media,Â
then Gujarat would be the most unsafe and bankrupt state. But is it the reality?
If the news we hear, the discussions on news channels that we listen and
also the accusations and counter arguments reach our ears are true, then we
should have witnessed Gujarat as a most devastated state. Whenever a culture,Â
society, nation or locality or town starts getting wrecked, it is the tradersÂ
and industrialists who are the first to run away, because they suffer highestÂ
losses by riots, violence and destruction. Therefore, if the propaganda orÂ
information or rather disinformation were true, by this time, traders thereÂ
should have started running away. Industries and companies should have
gone for asylum to other states. But the reality is exactly opposite. A number
of traders and industrialists from other states are storming Gujarat with
their capital. The Gujarat, which was continuously denigrated, the same isÂ
now considered to be a most reliable and safe state. One and half year back, Rajeev Gandhi foundation had guaranteed it after a direct survey.
Now a study of Share Bazaar and investment is provided evidence for
it. In economic transactions, Gujarat has become so much a word of prestige
that many industrialists are running a race of joining the word Gujarat toÂ
their names. Or rather, in this race, there is highest demand to wordÂ
'Gujarat'. In comparison, Maharashtra, Tamilnadu, Andhra and Karnatak have fallen behind like anything. In Mumbai Share Bazaar, among those companies which are considered to be prestigious, the number of companies which have Gujarat in their name, is 70. Those who have Punjab in their name are 10 while those having Maharashtra are 8 only. Those, which use word Bharat, are 17 and
those, which use India, are 50 only. Comparatively, Gujarat is far ahead.
Of course, the companies with Gujarat in their name do not stand
first. The total capital of those companies using word India is Rs.90,000 crores.
According to the statistics as of 4th August 2006 that was the
situation. The capital of companies with the Bharat in their name, is Rs.82,000
crores. And then is the number of Gujarat which has Rs.30,000 crores capital. All other states are far behind. If figures are to be quoted, Punjab has 13,000
crores, Maharashtra 2,500 crores and Tamilnadu 850 crores. In short, Gujarat
has become a prestigious state and name too. Now there is a possibility of
cropping up of a question here, "Where is the connection of the so much condemned Narendra Modi in this?"
Particularly, Maharashtra must ask this question. The financial
capital of the country is the capital of Maharashtra. Four continuous decades
after independence Maharashtra has been the most industrialized and
economically advanced state. Then why the state bearing the name Maharashtra should not have such prestige and credit in the industrial and commercial world? Shri Atul Tandon, director of Mudra communications, which is engaged in
continuous study of these subjects, explains this phenomenon saying that "On some occasions, some companies adopt regional names for legal reasons. But mainly, it is because through those names, the meritorious excellence, reliability and industriousness of the people around is attributed to the company."
And it is here that Narendra Modi proves to be of importance. During the
last four years, Narendra Modi as a chief minister, has taken clear-cut
decisions and improved the economic structure of Gujarat and pulled
all Government undertakings and Corporations out of losses and made them profitable.
On one side when Government companies were being privatized because of
bankruptcy, Modi brought State undertakings/companies in profit and this has given prestige and credit in the market to the name Gujarat. But who will print
such news?
And Modi has not only given fillip to the trade, but has made Gujarat
the safest state in the entire country. Gujarat is the safest state of all:
The name of the person who ended terrorism and violence in Punjab andÂ
established peace again is K. P. S. Gill. He convinced the then PM
Rajeev Gandhi that terrorism can be finished not by discussion but by harsh measures. Rajeev Gandhi gave full powers to Gill and in 3 years he brought the Punjab train on rails again. Without taking steps like investigation, filing cases or
giving Red Alert, he met the terrorists face to face. That made terrorists
retreat. Where they surrendered, they were given chances to improve.
Where they were adamant, there terrorism was shot through encounters. The same Gill was invited by Chief Minister Modi as Security Adviser after the riots of
2002. He suggested measures and Gujarat was pacified in 2 months. Now he is
engaged as a security adviser to the Chhatisgarh Government also.
There was a great ruckus over the visit of Modi to Mumbai after the bomb
blasts. Modi's speech about ending terrorism was highly disputed. But
during the last four years there has never been any terrorist incident in
Gujarat. There, the terrorists are shot dead first and afterwards search of his
supporters starts. Mr Gill has opined that if Maharashtra Government had followed
Gujarat government, the incident of Mumbai blasts would not have taken
place.
After finding explosives from Aurangabad it should have taken the
assistance of Gujarat. Instead of running after the Dance Bars, Maharashtra
Government should have spent their power on concentrating their strength on
hunting the Jihadi terrorists. Gujarat (meaning the most denigrated NarendraÂ
Modi) does not wait for any terrorist incident to take place. Always on alert it
hunts for Jihadis, terrorists and shoots them. Hence only Gujarat has become the
safest state of all in the country. People there are not afraid to live. But
Jihadis are scared to go in Gujarat. "That is called security," says Gill.
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State News And Discussion - II - Guest - 08-23-2006
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>TRS pulls out of UPA Govt </b>
Pioneer News Service | New Delhi
Ending their uneasy stay in the UPA coalition Government, Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) Ministers K Chandrashekhara Rao and A Narendra on Tuesday resigned in protest against non-fulfilment of their demand for a separate state of Telangana.
<b>After resigning from the Government, TRS said it is also withdrawing support to the UPA coalition. "We will withdraw support to UPA. Definitely, once you are out of the Government, you are out of the UPA," TRS chief K Chandrashekhara Rao told mediapersons. </b>
To spotlight the regional outfit's disillusionment with the Congress-led UPA, Rao will begin an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar here on Wednesday.
The withdrawal of support to the Government may not have any impact on the <b>Manmohan Singh Ministry as it enjoys the support of about 330 MPs in a House of 545.</b>
But it is a major political setback to the Congress-led coalition as it is the first time that a constituent and an ally was pulling out of the Government on a political issue, observers said.
The break came after last-minute efforts by Congress leaders to pacify the regional party failed.
Earlier, Parliamentary Affairs Minister PR Dasmunshi had claimed that the Congress had managed to mollify its truculent Andhra ally that had enabled it to trounce Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam in 2004 elections.Â
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State News And Discussion - II - Bharatvarsh - 08-24-2006
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->BJP for Hyderabad Liberation Day on Sept. 17
Â
Hyderabad, Aug. 23: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday appealed to Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy to issue orders to officially celebrate the Hyderabad Liberation Day on September 17.
A delegation of BJP leaders including senior leaders N. Indrasena Reddy, Bandaru Dattatreya and K. Laxman met the Chief Minister in his office and submitted a memorandum asking the government to celebrate the liberation day. Later, Mr Indrasena Reddy told mediapersons that the Chief Minister had assured to look into the matter. The Chief Minister told the delegation that Muslims, particularly the Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen, have been opposing the proposal.
âWe explained to the Chief Minister the importance of the liberation day and that it is as equal as Independence Day,â Mr Reddy said. He pointed out that there was no rationale in anyone opposing the Independence Day of Telangana. The BJP president also criticised Congress and TRS for betraying people on separate Statehood for the region. He said that the BJP had repeatedly warned TRS against Congress letting down the party.
http://www.deccan.com/City/CityNews.asp?#4...stone%20pelting<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
A very good suggestion from the BJP, while there should be no holiday or anything, but every Sep 17th should be recognised in Hyderabad as the day when we were liberated from the Muslim tyranny of the Nizam and his Razakar goons.
State News And Discussion - II - Bharatvarsh - 08-25-2006
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Muslims oppose separate Telangana state
Hyderabad, Aug 24 (IANS) With the demand for statehood to the Telangana region back at the centrestage of Andhra Pradesh - and national - politics, Muslim groups here have come forward to say they are opposed to the bifurcation of the state.
The Muslim United Forum (MUF), an amalgamation of about a dozen political, religious and social groups, has made it clear that it was for a united Andhra Pradesh.
Fearing sharp communal polarisation in the event of the Telangana region getting statehood, the leaders of the forum said the state should not be bifurcated.
A delegation of the forum led by prominent religious scholar Moulana Hameeduddin Auqil Hussami met Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy to convey that the Muslim viewpoint on the issue could not be ignored.
As the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) is dominated by leaders with the background of rightwing Hindu groups like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the forum fears that Muslims could feel insecure in a separate state.
Narendra, who holds number two position in TRS and who resigned as union minister along with party chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao Tuesday, had quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to join the sub-regional party.
He, however, still continues his association with RSS and some Muslim groups blame him for communal riots in Hyderabad in the past.
State capital Hyderabad is the most prominent city of the backward Telangana region and the TRS has already made it clear that there could be no Telangana state without the city.
The Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), which is a part of MUF and has five legislators and one MP from Hyderabad, is for union territory status to the city if a separate Telangana state becomes inevitable.
"Give us our Hyderabad back," MIM President Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi remarked during the meeting with the chief minister. Owaisi, who represented Hyderabad in Lok Sabha for two decades, was obviously referring to Muslim rule on this 400-year city.
Muslims constitute about 40 percent of the four million population of Hyderabad. Their population in nine other districts of the region range between eight to 15 percent.
According to the 2001 census, Muslims constitute 9.2 percent of Andhra Pradesh's total population of 76 million.
A large number of people from coastal Andhra and Rayalseema regions are settled in Hyderabad and they are also against separate Telangana.
http://www.indianmuslims.info/news/2006/au...gana_state.html<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
hehe I am reminded of a saying of G.Sub "whatever Muslims oppose must be good for Hindus" or something along the lines.
State News And Discussion - II - Guest - 08-25-2006
<!--emo&:thumbsup--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbup.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbup.gif' /><!--endemo--> Haryana decides to 'wipe out' Jat slur
Shruti Setia Chhabra
[ 25 Aug, 2006 0326hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
RSS Feeds| SMS NEWS to 8888 for latest updates
CHANDIGARH: Kneeling under pressure from its sizeable Jat population, angry at what it sees as the NCERTâs derogatory remarks against the community, the Haryana government in a surprising move has decided to wipe out the offending parts.
Jats had recently revolted after they got to know that in the NCERTâs social science texts meant for Class VIII and XII students the Jats were called "looters" and "marauders".
Reacting swiftly to what looked like a spiralling protest, education minister Phool Chand Mullana on Thursday said that the objectionable parts will be deleted from the books under fire, namely 'Social Science (Part-I) Adhunik Bharat ' â for Class VIII â and Modern India, for Class XII.
This, it was let out, has been done on the directions of CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who had appealed to the Union human resource development ministry to sort the issue out.
Mullana said a letter asking deletion of the objectionable portions has already been sent to the Haryana School Education Board and subsequently to all schools in the state.
Asked if the state government can unilaterally take "corrective" action against NCERT and its books, the minister said, "We have adopted NCERTâs curriculum and can always delete anything which we want to. We have taken a decision not to teach this controversial text in Haryana schools. We get a CD from NCERT which we use to print books. Weâll delete the offending parts and print the books afresh."
When pointed out that the remedy the state government had envisaged would take time and that the books were already in schools, the minister had a startling solution. "We will apply whitener across the problematic portions or tape out the text," he said.
Hooda had some time back written to HRD boss Arjun Singh and asked him to "thoroughly screen all publications of NCERT and expunge all derogatory remarks aimed at any community, creed or region of the country."
State News And Discussion - II - Guest - 09-06-2006
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Sex predator Joseph resigns</b>
9/5/2006 2:21:24 AMÂ HK Correspondent
link
<b>Kerala Christian Congress Minister P.J. Joseph was forced to resign from Kerala Ministry due to sex abuse charges</b>. Lekshmi Gopakumar, former Surya TV News Reader complained that Minister Joseph sexually abused her during a flight from Chennai to Kochi few weeks ago. Her sex abuse complaint has resulted in kerala Police IG Sandhya making a thorough investigation on the sex abuse charges. The Police IG's report substantiated Mrs. Gopakumar's sex abuse allegation and the police report forced Minister Joseph to resign from the post. Instead of leaving the scene with dignity, admitting his responsibility for his sex offence, showing empathy for the victim, he made wild accusations against political opponents and the media. Minister Joseph has resorted to the criminal game of blaming the victim for his crime.
 <b>Joseph is the fourth Kerala State Minister to resign due to sex abuse incidents. P.T. Chacko, former Home Minster was forced to resign from R. Sankar Ministry due to his car trip with his paramour that resulted in a car accident in Trichur. Neela Lohita Dasan Nadar was forced to resign from the Nayannar Ministery. He was caught in his attempt to sexually molest a female IAS officer. He was later sentenced to imprisonment by the Judge. he is still on bail while his appeal for criminal conviction is pending in higher courts. Kunjali Kutty, the veteran Muslim League leader was forced to resign from the Ministry due to his involvement with a prostitute. Joseph was the forth in line.</b>
Sex abuse of political leaders, and flesh trade in Kerala has become a common phenomenon. Several Middle aged, Middle Class men, political leaders and bureaucrats and community leaders were accused of indulging in sex scandals and involvement with flesh trade. These increasing sex abuse and dealing with pornography may be social and pathological, warranting criminal investigation and psychological analysis to find its etiology.
When cabinet ministers are involved in sex offences, the state needs to ascertain what is causing it, and try to do something about it. Sex offences are serious and it should not be dismissed it out of hand. It may not be due simply to bad manners. Human beings, whether a political leader or businessman may be tempted and sexually aroused at the sight of a beautiful woman. But unlike animals, human beings have mediating processes such as judgment and choice that interrupt sexual urges and responses.
Be that that as it may, a lot of things make sex appeal and sex arousal. But sane, civilized people, as a practical matter will not reach out touch the body parts of a travelling woman and inflict psychological damage. The sex offence, whether it is benign or serious, the offence damages the self- of the victim. The sex offender wilfully reaches the victim and inflicts immediate psychical and social damage. The sex offender, whether he is a minister or political leader has criminal needs and risky behavior traits. Unless arrested and sentenced and forced to undergo lengthy sex offender therapy, the offender may commit other sex offences.
The probability of committing another sex offence increases with each time the perpetrator escapes from his crime through political influence or power play. Given the influence of the Church lobby and the increasing number of Christian priests involved in sex crime were successful in evading arrest and prosecution, Christian Congress leader P.J. Joseph may escape punishment for his sex offense leaving his victim in permant psychological damage.
To prevent such sex offences, P.J. Joseph should be arrested, prosecuted and punished for his sex offense to prevent further recurring of his offence. He should be forced to under go effective sex offender treatment for his severe, uncontrolled sexual urges and behaviour problems.
Previous Christian/Muslim dominated Omman Chandy government was reluctant to even to admit that sexual abuse is a widespread occurrence. It is hoped that the Acuthandan government should not be content with "knee-jerk" reactions to the emotionally charged sex abuse charges levelled against P.J. Joseph. The victim and the citizens will not be satisfied with quick fixes for this serious social problem.
This serious sex allegation against Christian Congress Minister should result in legislation to identify and restrict known sexual offenders. Whether one is a political leader or cabinet minister, sex offenders should be arrested, prosecuted and punished to the extent of law. If the law is non existent or lenient, the government has an obligation and responsibility to issue new statutes to allow the government for civil and criminal commitment of sex offenders. New era demands it.
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This is sick.
State News And Discussion - II - Guest - 09-07-2006
<!--emo&:argue--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/argue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='argue.gif' /><!--endemo--> Enos Ekka and the Swing Vote
Varghese K GeorgePosted online: Thursday, September 07, 2006 at 0000 hrs Print Email15 months after his prime-time plea for a conscience vote, Enos Ekka returns to the limelight, deciding the fate of the Jharkhand government
Varghese K George
The splendidly named Enos Ekka was, along with Hari Narayan Rai, on the list of MLAs presented by both the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in March 2005 in support of their competing claims of majority in the first ever election to the Jharkhand assembly. After bargaining hard with both sides, they became part of the five independent MLAs â the G5 â who proved crucial to the formation of the BJP-led NDA government of chief minister Arjun Munda. All five became ministers, with Ekka making an impassioned plea on national TV against the âpressuresâ from the UPA.
Today, Ekka is enjoying his second shot at fame, as the G5 holds the existence of the NDA government in its hands.
Who is Enos Ekka? A first-time MLA from Kolibira in Simdiga district, he gained his clout through government contracts and allying with the Sahus, the powerful business-moneylender community. Sahus cannot take part in direct politics so the tribals usually act as fronts for their business and political activities. Tileshwar Sahu, possessed of a long history-sheet, became Ekkaâs brain and backer and, in 2005, Ekka was put up as candidate of the Jharkhand Party, the pioneers of the movement for a separate state.
When the post-poll negotiations began, in the wake of the hung assembly, Jharkhand Party leader N E Horo pledged his MLAâs support to the UPA. But the BJP were a step ahead: Arjun Munda dispatched a helicopter to pick up Ekka from his village. The chopper seated five; 15 excited villagers, including his mother, clambered on, and it took all of Ekkaâs persuasive skills to get them out so the chopper could take off.
Once in Ranchi, Ekka was treated like a hero, though it took him some time to come to terms with it. He was greeted at the airport by a top-of-the-line SUV â and promptly sat in the luggage section, till he was ushered to the front seat.
Soon, though, he was hitting his stride. Having struck a deal with Sahu, he was firmly in the NDA camp and the government was firmly (for the moment) in place. Next stop for Ekka was New Delhi, where he made an impassioned plea on national TV to be allowed to vote in the assembly according to his conscience, hinting that the UPA was throwing inducements his way. It was then deemed to be a shining moment in Indian politics, morality being put above mammon.
After being ministers for 15 months, however, three of the G-5 feel the UPA should form the government. The BJP, they believe, gave them a raw deal; they wanted more. Sudesh Mehta, who emerged as the leader of the G-5, got the maximum out of the BJP â home, prison and building departments â while Ekka was given rural development and transport, both minus key sections. Ekka fell back on the time-honoured tactic of transfer and postings. Soon, however, Chief Minister Munda got wise to this and began vetoing Ekkaâs proposals. The rift widened between the independents and the BJP and, around a month ago, Ekka and two others paid a âsecretâ visit to Congress leader Oscar Fernandes and Ahmad Patel in Delhi. What followed is for all to see.
Including Ekka, there were 12 âOthersâ (Independents and those belonging to registered but unrecognised parties) in the list of winners in the Jharkhand assembly. Ekka and his like represent purely individual interests devoid of even a façade of a political philosophy. The UP elections could throw up more of them.
varghese.george@expressindia.com
State News And Discussion - II - Guest - 09-07-2006
<!--emo&:thumbsup--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbup.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbup.gif' /><!--endemo--> <span style='color:blue'><span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Speaker Speaks Up</span></span>
Jharkhand Speaker to serve notices to MLAs
[ 7 Sep, 2006 1326hrs ISTPTI ]
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RANCHI: Notices will be served to dissident MLAs Kamlesh Singh, Enos Ekka and Stephen Marandi by Speaker Inder Singh Namdhari on separate petitions appealing for their disqualification under the tenth schedule.
"I have decided to serve notices on these three MLAs through courier and though newspaper advertisements," Namdhari told reporters.
"While a petition is already pending against Ekka for the last one and a half years, I have received two separate petitions against Singh and Marandi," he said adding he had asked the three MLAs to be present along with their lawyers on September 11 at his court.
<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'><span style='font-family:Optima'>Asked what he would do if the trio did not appear before his court, Namdhari said "I can take ex-parte decision. </span></span>
State News And Discussion - II - Guest - 09-11-2006
<!--emo&:bcow--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/b_cowboy.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='b_cowboy.gif' /><!--endemo--> Three Jharkhand MLAs suffer jolt
[ 11 Sep, 2006 2049hrs ISTPTI ]
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NEW DELHI: Ahead of trial of strength for BJP-led government in Jharkhand, the three MLAs, who faced disqualification threat, on Monday suffered a jolt as the Supreme Court did not pass any order on their petition challenging the notices issued to them by Speaker Inder Singh Namdhari and adjourned the matter for September 14.
The state assembly has been convened on September 14 to take up the trust motion to be moved by Chief Minister Arjun Munda following a directive from Governor Syed Sibte Razi after four MLAs withdrew their support to the government reducing it to a minority.
Enos Ekka and Kamlesh Kumar Singh, who are among the four MLAs to have withdrawn support to the government, moved the apex court challenging the Speaker's disqualifcation notice to them. Stephen Marandi is another legislator who also challenged a similar disqualification notice.
A Bench of Justice KG Balakrishnan and Justice DK Jain, did not pass any order after hearing hour-long arguments on the petitions filed by Ekka, Singh and Marandi challenging the Speaker's notice.
The counsels of Ekka, Singh and Marandi alleged before the apex court on Monday that the Speaker has acted in a malafide and biased manner by issuing them notices prior to Arjun Munda Government going for the floor test.
"Bias is written large," Senior advocate KK Venugopal, appearing for Marandi, said referring to the notices issued by the Speaker.
Opposing the contentions of the three MLAs, senior lawyer Soli Sorabjee rejected the charge that the Speaker was acting in a biased manner and said that by filing the writ petitions against Namdhari's notice, the MLAs are trying to convert the court into an election tribunal.
State News And Discussion - II - Guest - 09-14-2006
<b>Madhu Koda to be next Jharkhand Chief Minister</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda resigned on Thursday to avoid a defeat in the assembly, paving the way for a United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to be led by his former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) colleague Madhu Koda.
While Munda submitted his resignation to Governor Syed Sibte Razi, ending the 18-month National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, a triumphant UPA met to choose the new chief minister.
<b>The consensus candidate was independent legislator Koda, who was mines and parliamentary affairs minister in Munda's government and the man who took the initiative in toppling it.</b>
<b>Congress chief Sonia Gandhi gave her nod to the decision from New Delhi</b>
All the legislators of the NDA and UPA were in place when Munda began speaking in Hindi. The lines in the 82-member house were clearly divided between 43 MLAs of UPA and 38 of NDA (excluding the speaker).
...............<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Now how long UPA will last in Jharkhand? New CM is ex BJP.
State News And Discussion - II - Guest - 09-15-2006
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1988817.cms
<b>Anti-conversion law Modi-fied</b>
[ 14 Sep, 2006 0105hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
GANDHINAGAR: Shackled for nearly three years on a subject close to the heart of Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the state government on Wednesday moved a step ahead in its quest to check religious conversions by attempting to clear some of the legal hurdles coming in the way of the controversial law.
The Cabinet on Wednesday cleared the proposal for an amendment to the Freedom of Religion Act, 2003, which made forced conversion from one religion to another illegal.
The amendment Bill will be placed in the two-day Assembly session, to take place on September 18 and 19. Under fire from human rights groups ever since the Act was passed in the Assembly in March 2003, the government failed to implement the law because of objections raised by the legal department.
Talking to TOI, minister of state for home Amit Shah said, "We now have clarity on what forced conversion means and to whom should it apply."
Under the new provisions, <b>a person need not seek permission to convert in case of conversion from one sect to another of the same religion.</b>
For example,<b> there would be no government intervention in case of conversion from Shia to Sunni or Protestant to Catholic.
More significantly, the same yardstick would apply to conversions between the faiths of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism.</b>
"We consider these religions as one whole,"Shah said. Well-placed Sachivalaya sources added that other amendments include defining certain vague terms like allurement. One of the main planks in the original Act, allurement was found to be untenable by the legal department.
"The amendment Bill tries to redefine the term in order to make it legally sound and enforceable, so that it cannot be challenged in higher courts,"informed an official.
Said a senior bureaucrat,<b> "We have also decided to fix the date from which forced conversions will become illegal in Gujarat." </b>
Though passed in 2003, the government could not frame rules required for its implementation. The rules should have been published in the official gazette.
However, this never happened because the state government was unsure of whether or not the Act would withstand legal scrutiny. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
State News And Discussion - II - Guest - 09-18-2006
<!--emo&:angry:--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='mad.gif' /><!--endemo--> 'Ghost' students cost Maha Rs 725 crore
Hemali Chhapia
[ 18 Sep, 2006 0017hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
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MUMBAI: Ever wondered where the 2% education cess you pay goes? In Maharashtra, a large chunk of it goes into educating 'ghost' children, who exist only in the records of the education department office.
Following a check conducted by education inspectors, it has been found that almost 12 lakh children listed in the records are missing from the classroom. Some of them don't exist at all and others have already passed out.
But the state government, having failed to update its records, has wasted over Rs 725 crore in 2005-06 alone on apparently educating these 'ghost children'. No one's sure how deep-rooted this scam of bogus student enrolment is.
Minister for elementary and secondary education Vasant Purke acknowledged that his officials have been aware of this malpractice for years together, but they, too, were shocked at the extent of the children missing and the money that's been swindled in one year alone.
The state education department requires every district to send their final enrolment figures for the academic year on September 30.
Funds for textbooks, uniforms and mid-day meals are allocated on the basis of these enrolment numbers. Even teachers and staff postings and number of divisions in each class are based on the enrolment figures.
But in December 2005, when the state conducted baseline test and education inspectors visited thousands of government schools across the state, they detected a huge gap between the enrolment figures sent by the schools and the actual number of students.
"Schools had sent names of some people who had died, some others were married and had children themselves," said an inspector.
For instance, in Pune, the official figures from the district in September 2005 indicated that there were 5,05,575 children enrolled. But checks carried out by inspectors in December 2005 showed that the actual number was 3,11,840.
State News And Discussion - II - Guest - 09-18-2006
<b>First TVs, then land, now LPG stoves</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Chennai: Fulfilling yet another poll promise, DMK government in<b> Tamil Nadu will launch free distribution of LPG stoves to 10 lakh poor families </b>in the state on January 14, coinciding with the 'Pongal' harvest festival.
<b>"For this scheme, Rs 150 crore has been allocated. The committee set up to identify beneficiaries of free colour TV scheme will identify beneficiaries of this scheme too," </b>Chief Minister M Karunanidhi said inaugurating a District Collectors meet on Monday.
The government has also earmarked<b> Rs 10 crore for providing toilets to one lakh urban families and each family would be given Rs 1000 financial assistance for this purpose,</b> he said.
It has also been decided to set up Village Resources and Service Centres in each district to "reduce the digital divide", he said.
In the next two-years, the government proposed to give a one-time subsistence allowance of Rs 10,000 each to families living in coastal areas having an annual income below Rs 50,000 and having severly disbled persons.
He said in the 12 coastal districts, fish landing centres, auction centres and ice plants would be developed through cooperatives and self help groups.
Karunanidhi said Rs 500 crore had been earmarked for local bodies for village development schemes.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I don't understand why they have to give color TV. First provide them drinking water, sanitation, education and basic health service.
They should have spent this amount to improve government hospitals.
Land makes sense but is who knows whether it can be used for agriculture.
Recently, Govt gave land to so-called poor in Harayana and very next week they sold piece of land to somebody else, and spent every single paisa on latest luxury material they can find. I can tell you they will be back in poor quota by end of this year. As they are SC, they will get goodies again.
State News And Discussion - II - Guest - 09-19-2006
<b>Karunanidhi doles out prime land </b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The distributed land includes over 6,000 acres of government-owned wasteland and <b>though the farmer community is happy with the move, it will still take them a long time to reap the benefits </b>
"The government has already planted mango saplings around the place. Once they start bearing fruit, we'll plant more or start cultivating," says a farmer Vimala.
Vimalaâs plight is echoed by many.<b> "We could grow peanuts or tubers. But we cannot grow vegetables or paddy as the area doesn't see much rains,â </b>says another farmer Kiruba.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
They should have open factories, train these people and provide them job.