[url="http://news.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/jul/08/slide-show-1-jagan-on-his-odarpu-yatra.htm"]Thousands turn up for Jagan's yatra[/url]
Quote:The roads and streets in Ichapuram town of Srikakulam, where Jagan started his yatra on the occasion of his father YS Rajasekhara Reddy's birth anniversary, turned in to a sea of humanity as boisterous crowds gathered outside the railway station to receive the young leader.
They also lined up the entire route of Jagan's procession.
Three top leaders of the two biggest constituents of the Left bloc joined Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Subodh Roy Ãâ a CPI(M) central committee member and former Lok Sabha MP Ãâ and former CPI MLA Lal Babu Sahani pledged allegiance to the ruling Janata Dal-United.
The JD-U leadership is also expecting a sitting CPI MLA, Ram Vinod Paswan, to join the bandwagon. Paswan, the MLA from Bakhri, has been denied a ticket by the party for the assembly elections scheduled in October this year.
India should stop subsidising the ISIââ¬â¢s agents in Kashmir
"Kashmir Romantics" are a serious threat to India
By MD Nalapat
As Dr Rajendra Prasad was not born in Anand Bhavan, his writings have not received the attention of the state, whereas they ought to have been required reading for every high-school student. An example is India Divided, in which the first President of the Republic of India describes how the Muslim League led by MA Jinnah would immediately move on to another demand, as soon as the other one was satiated. The true father of Pakistan was not Jinnah but Winston Churchill, who worked tirelessly to divide Hindus from Muslims, and to truncate India into as much of a rump as could be managed at the time.
The ISI would be emboldened to further push ahead with its efforts at seeking to once again (as during the period 1927-47) separate Muslims from the rest of the country. Already, there are multiple (and well-funded) voices within this vibrant community that are calling on it to dress separately, live separately, study separately and think separately from other communities. A victory in Kashmir for the separatists would embolden them across the entire country, thereby provoking a backlash within the Hindu, Sikh and Christian communities, all of whom are content to be part of multireligious India.
UNLIKE the Peoples Republic of China, which incorporated Xinjiang and Tibet into itself soon after driving the KMT from the mainland in 1949, India's leaders of that period allowed (and in some cases participated) in the division of the subcontinent into Myanmar, Sri Lanka,Nepal, Bhutan,the Maldives and Pakistan. Much of the reason lies in the fact that most were in their 60s and 70s, and wanted to enjoy the fruiys of office before they passed on. After having sworn that Pakistan would be formed "over my dead body", Mahatma Gandhi subsequently not only agreed to the further breakup of India, but demanded that a large sum of money to be transferred to Karachi even while Indian troops were being killed by their Pakistani counterparts in Kashmir.
The transfer of cash to Pakistan in 1948 is perhaps the only example of a country ensuring that its enemy be given the financial sinews needed to wage war against itself. Small wonder that from then onwards,the establishment in Pakistan has been convinced that the generosity of spirit of the Indian political elite in matters of national interest would enable it to expand its winnings in a costless way,especially after the 1972 Shimla Agreement showed that it was easy for Pakistan to retrieve from the conference room what its troops had lost on the battlefield
As Dr Rajendra Prasad was not born in Anand Bhavan, his writings have not received the attention of the state, whereas they ought to have been required reading for every high-school student. An example is "India Divided", in which the first President of the Republic of India describes how the Muslim League led by M A Jinnah would immediately move on to another demand, as soon as the other one was satiated. The true father of Pakistan was not Jinnah but Winston Churchill,who worked tirelessly to divide Hindus from Muslims, and to truncate India into as much of a rump as could be managed at the time. Jinnah and Churchill carried on a clandestine correspondence with each other, and much of the formerââ¬â¢s tactics was dictated by the latter. The Congress policy effectively siding with Japan during its 1940-45 war against the British ensured the silencing of those voices in Britain that opposed Churchill's race-driven determination to keep India subjugated. Having studied the lessons of the 1857 revolt, after which the heaviest punishment fell on the Muslim community, Junnah was determined to never again get on the wrong side of London. He therefore took advantage of the serial blunders committed by the Congress Party, such as the withdrawal from provincial ministries in 1939 and the Axis-leaning "neutrality" that the party adopted when the 1939-45 war broke out, thereby alienating friends in the UK who wanted to see a united India succeed the Raj.
Since 1947, a country such as China that was half the size of India in economic terms developed its economy into three times India's size by the 1990s,while (then) impoverished countries such as (South) Korea grew to a stage where their per capura incomes became fifty times that of India. Despite all this, the sarkari historians whose texts are the only ones allowed to be imbibed by our young tell us that the leaders of our country were intellectual and moral giants. While Mahatma Gandhi has been largely forgotten in favour of his protege Jawaharlal Nehru, the many intellectuals hovering around 10 Janpath write tome after tome about how Motilal Nehruââ¬â¢s only son "brought democracy to India". Really? It was Jawaharlal Nehru who retained almost all the British-era laws in "free" India. Let it not be forgotten that these laws were not laws passed by the British for themselves, but to control a slave population. British laws for indian subjects were very different from British laws for the citizens of the UK, yet it is the former that continues to form the basis of the Indian judicial system,a set of constructs that grants almost unlimited powers to the state. Which is, of course, the reason why no government since 1947 has changed the legal system into a genuinely democratic one, that transfers rights to citizens and obligations to the state.
Again, it was Jawaharlal Nehru (the creator of India, in the superb prose of Sunil Khilnani and Shashi Tharoor) who set up the Permit License Raj, which almost destroyed honest enterprise in India. He (on the advice of Nicholas Kaldor) created a tex structure that speedily reduced any honest assessee to penury, thereby creating the Black Money Mountain that has overhung the economy ever since. And it was Nehru who established a state monopoly in broadcasting, as well as in numerous other sectors of the economy. These days, through measures such as the proposed laws designed to ensure a uniform (and lowest common multiple) curriculam for all the country's schools, and by investing the Income-tax Department with powers that it had only during the time of the East India Company, the Sonia Gandhi-led UPA is showing its fealty to Jawaharlal Nehru. A leader who distrusted his own people,who turned to outsiders for advice, and who put in place a regime that severely restricted the freedoms enjoyed by the common citizen. Even to set up a small shop, it was needed to get multiple licenses and permissions, as also to build a house. About the only action in Nehruââ¬â¢s "democratic" India that did not need permission from some agency of the state was to go to the morning toilet. Citizens were generously allowed this privilege anywhere they wished.
The culmination of Nehruvian "democracy" can be seen in the party system in India, the core of any genuinely free society. Almost every political party in India, bar the Communist parties, is controlled by either a family or a self-perpetuatinge clique of individuals. The voter is therefore given the choice of choosing between the servant of Family X or Family Y, or between the hangers-on of Clique Z or Family B. Those with some spine, those who refuse to act as the domestic staff of either a particular family or a clique, have zero chance of political advancement. The absence of inner-party democracy has reduced freedom of electoral choice to a travesty in India, but this will not stop those hungry for an invitation from Number Ten and the several advantages that brings to pen yet more articles on how Nehru and his family "brought democracy to the heathens of India". As almost all of them are based abroad, they are happy that -for example -financial institutions there continue to hold more than $1.3 trillion of illegal bank deposits from Indian citizens. Had Sonia Gandhi permitted the UPA to bring an amnesty scheme (on the lines of that done recently by Italy, a country that she is familiar with), more than $ 400 billion would have come into the country in the shape of 5-year Build India Bonds. This money would have given the means to raise the countryââ¬â¢s infrastructure to international standards, especially if Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is given the freedom to utilise such funds in an honest and effective way, without constant interference from the likes of those who seek to profit from each decision of the state, another legacy of the peerless "Jawaha" (the term used by Edwina Mountbatten to describe her close friend).
Corruption can weaken India,but Kashmir can break India up into multiple pieces. Should the ISI succeed in its game plan of creating a Talibanised enclave within the state, the effect on societal relations in the rest of India would be catastrophic. The ISI would be emboldened to further push ahead with its efforts at seeking to once again (as during the period 1927-47) separate Muslims from the rest of the country. Already, there are multiple (and well-funded) voices within this vibrant community that are calling on it to dress separately, live separately, study separately and think separately from other communities. A victory in Kashmir for the separatists would embolden them across the entire country,thereby provoking a backlash within the Hindu,Sikh and Christian communities,all of whom are content to be part of multireligious India.
Once Union Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram moved to exclude Kashmir from the Unique Identification Scheme of the Government of India, he sent a clear signal that the Home Ministry did not regard Kashmiris as Indians. This misstep, followed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's pandering to the separatists and kicking at those who have fought them all these years, gave the oxygen needed for the separatists to ramp up their movement. Governor NN Vohra is known to be a follower of the Wajahat Habibullah school of thought, which sees no harm in allowing Kashmir to "go its own way". Unlike his father, who was as devoted to India as Lala Lajpat Rai, the younger Habibullah has ingested a lot of sophisticated concepts from his frequent stints abroad, all of which have fused in the apparent belief that a Muslim-majority state can throw secularism out of the window. Today in Kashmir, those who are not Wahabbi are discriminated against, even if they be Shia or Sufi. Only the fanatics get attention and largesse,including from the state. Indeed, the more trouble they create, the more the cash that they get from a panicky Centre.
It is time for the romance between State and Separatists to end. The Kashmir virus is in danger of spreading across the whole country, unless it be dealt with firmly. The more concessions that are given, the quicker will be its descent into chaos. What is needed is to show that those destroying the tenor of life in the state will have to pay the financial price for doing so. The rest of India should not any more subsidise the ISIââ¬â¢s agents in Kashmir.
(The writer is former editor of Matrubhumi and Times of India)
Sometimes I do think as to where our democracy stands if we can't hold election even on 1 day as most of the developed democracies do. And mind you this is just 1 state. Rumor mongers have field days in such an arrangement of staggered polls.
posted 5 hrs ago - by sulekha news | 12 Views | View Source: Indo Asian News Service
New Delhi, Sep 6 (IANS) Bihar will elect a new 243-member assembly during staggered month-long polling that begins Oct 21 and ends Nov 20, the Election Commission announced Monday.
[url="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/Karunanidhi-lavishing-funds-on-temple-renovation-in-TN/articleshow/6520298.cms"]Karunanidhi lavishing funds on temple renovation in TN[/url]
Quote:CHENNAI: Tamil Naduââ¬â¢s Dravidian movement, built on the foundations of atheism and rationalism, is beginning to shake at its roots with founding member and chief minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi lavishing funds on temple renovation in a way not seen in at least a century.
The movement ââ¬â reformist for the untouchables and ruinous for the Brahmins ââ¬â has come a full circle from the days of breaking idols of Hindu deities, especially the ubiquitous Ganapathy, to spending hundreds of crores renovating temples and encouraging its members to participate in them.
Karunanidhi, 87, is the last of the atheist politicians left of the Dravidian crop who have ruled the state for 33 out of the last 43 years. His predecessors, friend-turned-rival late M G Ramachandran, and J Jayalalithaa, discarded the ââ¬Ërationalistââ¬â¢ plank decades ago.
This Friday will mark the Kumbhabhishekam, or the consecration of the centuries-old Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple in Sholinghur, about 100 km north-west of Chennai. Mr Karunanidhi has deputed colleagues to supervise the work.
ââ¬ÅTill date, we have spent [color="#FF0000"]420 crore on temple renovation[/color] and this is a clear evidence to show the amount of interest that Kalaignar has shown in promoting temples in the state,ââ¬Â says K R Periakaruppan, minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments.
Spending on temple renovation, praying or even cozying up to religious leaders is hardly surprising for anyone in a country where prime ministers and presidents often disturb the silent prayers of the common man with their presence in prominent temples. But when Mr Karunanidhi, a selfproclaimed atheist who has been living next door to a Krishna temple for decades, attends to temple renovation, it is an irony.
This change of heart can be attributed to several things: A strategy to get votes as people throng temples and religious gurus to seek solace in a fast-paced material life. Or, a genuine desire on the part of someone in the evening of his life and worried about his legacy to connect with God.
ââ¬ÅSpending money on temple renovation would not help the DMK government fetch any votes,ââ¬Â says Cho Ramaswamy, political commentator and editor of the Tamil magazine, Thuglaq.
Part of the change can be attributed to the stateââ¬â¢s political landscape, which has transformed beyond recognition. The Congress is no longer the dominant party,[color="#FF0000"] many of the Dravidian movementââ¬â¢s cherished goals, such as higher reservation for backward castes, have been met, and the beneficiaries have not only become prosperous, but have also started courting God and religion in a big way.[/color]
Also, to be fair, the Dravidian movement never tried to project itself as a comprehensive atheist party. While the anti-Brahmin rhetoric was strong, it took care to ensure that it did not hurt the religious beliefs and traditions of many of the stateââ¬â¢s people, including their myriad gods and goddesses. So, while Karunanidhi would take time out and attack the Ramayana, he never spoke ill of Murugan, who was recognised and promoted as a ââ¬ËTamil Godââ¬â¢ .
Since Karunanidhiââ¬â¢s Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam returned to power in May 2006, it has spent around 420 crore on temple renovations. This is a near three-fold jump over 147 crore spent in the five-year rule of rival All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, or AIADMK, led by believer J Jayalalithaa. There are 38,481 temples, mutts and trusts under state control. Karunanidhi, Jayalalithaa and Ramachandran have their roots in the Dravidian Movement.
Seeds of Dravidian Movement sown in 1925
THE seeds of the movement were sown in 1925 when E V Ramasamy Naicker, known as Periyar or the elder, walked out of the Indian National Congress convention after the then Brahmin-dominated party refused to consider a resolution seeking proportional representation. Periyarââ¬â¢s reasons for seeking change were strong. In 1914, of the 650 graduates in the then Madras Province, 452 were from the Brahmin community. Of the 15 elected for the All India Congress Committee, 14 were Brahmins.
Periyar led the Self-Respect and the Anti-Hindi movements at the aristocrats-led Justice Party formed to further the non-Brahmin interests in the now four southern states.
PATNA: With just two weeks to go for the Bihar assembly polls, an open rivalry has broken out in the ruling alliance between Janata Dal-United's (JD-U) Mohammad Taslimuddin and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Syed Shahnawaz Hussain in the Seemanchal region, comprising Purnea, Kishanganj and Araria districts.
[url="http://www.ptinews.com/news/1009041_Yeddyurappa-faces-fresh-bout-of-dissidence"]Yeddyurappa faces fresh bout of dissidence[/url]
Quote:Bangalore, Oct 5 (PTI) A group of about 20 MLAs and ministers today raised a banner of revolt against the B S Yeddyurappa-led BJP government in Karnataka in a fresh bout of dissidence.
Led by Excise Minister M P Renukacharya, the dissident group comprises disgruntled legislators who either failed to get ministerial berths or are unhappy with the recent Cabinet recast or those eyeing key posts in boards and corporations.
Yeddyurappa was closeted with BJP's state unit president K S Eshwarappa, ministers loyal to him and also met senior RSS functionaries and discussed steps to deal with the situation.
Quote:Yeddy sacks dissident ministers, asked to prove majority
October 06, 2010 11:13:23 PM
PTI | Bangalore
Faced with a serious rebellion threatening the stability of the first-ever BJP government in the south, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa today sacked four dissident ministers and accused the opposition Congress and JDS of attempting to topple his government.
On a day of swift developments, Yeddyurappa recommended to Governor H R Bhardwaj to drop from the Cabinet -- Shivaraj Thangadagi, Venkataramanappa, P M Narendraswamy and D Sudhakar.
The sacked ministers were independents who had lent crucial support to Yeddyurappa when the BJP failed to get majority in the May 2008 Assembly polls.
Yeddyurappa said two-three senior ministers would be asked to quit to pave way for induction of five or six new faces into his Cabinet shortly
Governor/Congress never let non-Congress to work in any state. They are biggest scum.
[url="http://www.hindustantimes.com/K-taka-crisis-Yeddyurappa-sacks-2-more-ministers/H1-Article1-609420.aspx"]K'taka fiasco: Yeddyurappa sacks 2 more ministers[/url]
Quote:The chief Minister, who left for a visit to a temple in Kerala, plans to move a confidence motion in the Assembly to prove majority on October 11, a day before the deadline set by Governor H R Bharadwaj.
Efforts to pacify the dissident leaders intensified with state Ministers Janardhan Reddy and B Sriramulu holding parleys with various factions.
BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu is expected to reach Bangalore later during the day to act as peace broker and formulate strategies to resolve the crisis.
Around 12 dissident legislators had left for Kochi on Wednesday night. They moved on to Mumbai on Thursday and have announced plans to go to Shirdi Sai Baba temple to offer prayers later during the day.
10-08-2010, 02:07 AM (This post was last modified: 10-08-2010, 02:21 AM by ramana.)
Pioneer reports the crisis is over.
Quote:Crisis blows over for BJP in Kââ¬â¢taka
October 08, 2010 2:19:35 AM
Kumar Uttam/Kestur Vasuki/ PTI | New Delhi/Bangalore
Rebelsââ¬â¢ leader proclaims BSY as their CM
The ruling BJPââ¬â¢s carrot-and-stick policy seems to have won over the 19 MLAs whose revolt had reduced the BS Yeddyurappa Government in Karnataka to a minority. The Minister spearheading the dissident campaign late on Thursday proclaimed Yeddyurappa as the rebelsââ¬â¢ leader.
Amid efforts to reach out to rebels by offering them some ministerial berths and the BJP central leadership threatening them with notice under the anti-defection law, dissident Excise Minister MP Renukacharya said the Government was stable ahead of next weekââ¬â¢s trust vote.
ââ¬ÅYeddyurappa is our leader. The Government is stable. There is no threat to it. We are going back to Bangalore on Friday,ââ¬Â Renukacharya told Kannada TV channels from a posh Goa resort, where he and around 14 dissidents are camping. 8)
Shortly after Renukacharyaââ¬â¢s comments, Yeddyurappa told newspersons in Bangalore, ââ¬ÅI hope by Friday evening, all the MLAs (who are outside now) will return and join our fold. I am very confident of winning the vote of confidence. I am 100 per cent sure that my MLAs will support me.ââ¬Â
Earlier, the BJPââ¬â¢s leadership went all out to save its Government in Karnataka, with its top guns holding talks with the rebels and the party threatening to disqualify the dissident legislators. While at least four rebel MLAs have already reconciled during the last two days, Yeddyurappa dropped two more Ministers on Thursday.
The BJPââ¬â¢s central leaders were keeping a close watch on the Karnataka developments. They felt that getting the rebels disqualified before the trust vote could be the only option left to them for saving the Yeddyurappa Government if rebels continued to be defiant. ââ¬ÅThe rebel MLAs should remember that they have won the election on the party symbol and can invite disqualification. We are hopeful that the State Government will survive the crisis,ââ¬Â BJP spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain said.
In neighbouring Goa, the situation took an ugly turn when former CM Manohar Parrikar, along with dozens of supporters, barged into the resort and spoke to the rebels. Though he was initially not allowed in by the security, he finally had his way. Janardhan Reddy, who leads the anti-Yeddyurappa brigade but is now playing the saviour, also met the rebels in Goa.
Senior BJP leaders M Venkaiah Naidu and HN Ananth Kumar were also engaged in the negotiations. The exercise has shown initial results with the return of two more rebel MLAs ââ¬â Raju Gowda and SK Bellubi. Bellubi was likely to be made a Minister along with dissident MLAs Beluru Gopalakrishna and HS Shankaralinge Gowda.
Ministers S Suresh Kumar, VS Acharya and B Sriramulu offered to quit, if required, to make room for them.
Sources said IT and Housing Minister Katta Subramanya Naidu, facing allegations of corruption, was likely to be dropped. Sugar and Horticulture Minister SA Ravindranatha and Mass Education Minister Revu Naik were also likely to be asked to quit.
Yeddyurappa, back in Bangalore after visiting the famous Rajarajeswara temple at Taliparamba in Kerala, was confident that his Government would comfortably sail through the acid test on October 11. He said, ââ¬ÅI have God with meââ¬Â¦all my MLAs and party leaders are with me. I am 100 per cent sure I will sail through.ââ¬Â
While he continued wooing a section of the rebels, he also forwarded to Governor HR Bhardwaj the resignations of two more Ministers, Balachandra Jarkiholi and Anand Asnotikar, which were immediately accepted. Jarkiholi was Minister for Municipalities and Local Bodies and Asnotikar Minister for Fisheries and Science & Technology. Both were in the forefront of the rebel camp.
Yeddyurappa had on Wednesday dropped four Ministers ââ¬â Shivaraja Thangadagi, Venkataramanappa, PM Narendraswamy and D Sudhakar ââ¬â after they revolted. Eighteen MLAs, including these six Ministers, had announced withdrawal of support to the Government. At least five rebels were staying in a posh Goa hotel, arranged for by a Congress Minister. The BJP has dispatched Janardhan Reddy to Goa to talk to these MLAs.
Reddy blamed JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy and Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah for the crisis. ââ¬ÅWe have clear majority,ââ¬Â Reddy said, adding that the Opposition leaders would have to ââ¬Åhang their heads in shameââ¬Â after the trust vote.
State BJP president KS Eshwarappa said in Bangalore, ââ¬ÅThere is no dissident activity. Some MLAs are dissatisfied; they nurse hopes of getting posts and positions.ââ¬Â He added, ââ¬ÅAs a family, the BJP will resolve the issues amicably.ââ¬Â
The Congress blamed the Chief Minister for the crisis. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president RV Deshpande said the Congress had no intention of bringing down the BJP Government and that the Congress high command would take appropriate steps in case of any eventuality.
And Politicsparty confirms that INC and JD have self destructed in Karnataka with their failed coup/regime change plan. And gives the background of how the above report came about.
Quote:Speaker of the Karnataka legislative assembly K G Bopaiah has hit back at Governor H R Bharadway stating that he is shocked with the letter that was written to him.
The speaker K G Bopaiah in his reply to the governor stated that he was shocked that the governor was interfering in the affairs of the speaker.
The Supreme Court in the Rameshwar Dayal case has clearly stated that the governor cannot interfere with matters pertaining to disqualification, and in such matters, the speaker is supreme.
Governor Bharadwaj had written a letter to the speaker telling him to conduct the trust vote on Monday as per the numbers each party had on October 6. This was seen as a move to prevent any disqualification or suspension of the rebel MLAs.
Meanwhile, the speaker concluded hearing the matter pertaining to the plea of disqualification. After hearing arguments, the speaker reserved orders on the matter. Sources told rediff.com that the verdict may come out by late Sunday evening.
That tells everything about what's going on in Karnataka. The governer is looking at the following options:
(1) Either he ensures the government falls
(2) Ensure that some constitutional crisis to put president rule so that INC and JDS have some more time to trigger defections
KA government seems to more important in calculations afte Ayodhya verdict.
Karnataka Speaker K G Bopaiah has disqualified 16 MLAs (11 BJP and 5 Independents) just ahead of the crucial trust vote against the BJP government on Monday.
Bopaiah, who heard the disqualification plea on Sunday, passed the disqualification order at 0230 hours on Monday.
This means that the 16 MLAs who had been plotting the fall of the government cannot vote in the trust motion today.
With the disqualification, the strength of the Karnataka assembly has come down to 208, which means that the BJP will have to get at least 105 votes to get through the trust vote.
The BJP currently has 105 members following this disqualification. In addition, the Speaker will also have the right to cast his vote.
The congress on the other hand has 73 MLAs while the JD-S has 28 and there is one Independent candidate.
The rebels who have been barred from voting have decided to approach the Karnataka high court chief justice directly. They feel that the order is unjust and would seek an early hearing since the trust vote commences at 1000 hours and court proceedings normally start only by 1030 hours.
The rebels say that in case they cannot get relief from the high court, they will approach the state governor
The 16 MLAs, disqualified by the Speaker, landed up at the residence of Karnataka high court Chief Justice G S Kehar.
While their legal team has already filed the petition before the registrar of the high court, the rebels decided to request the chief justice to intervene in the matter.
Shameless greedy idiots.
They should not be elected again. Debarred forever.
