China to deepen strategic ties with Pak: Wen!Grooms aplenty, 'bride' India should pick right match: Russia
India was an al-Qaida target: US cables!Leak: US fears theft of bioweapons from India labs!
The Red Cross told US diplomats about widespread torture of prisoners in Indian-administered Kashmir, according to cables obtained by Wikileaks.
J&K interlocutors begin third round of visit to state
India's urban population will double in 25 years: Mukherjee
Indian Holocaust My Father`s Life and Time - FIVE Hundred FORTY FIVE
Palash Biswas
http://indianholocaustmyfatherslifeandtime.blogspot.com/
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Congress today suspected a conspiracy behind the release of WikiLeaks cable which says Rahul Gandhi had told US ambassador Timothy Roemer that growth of "radicalised Hindu groups" could pose a bigger threat to India than activities of groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba.
"Let us verify the truth. May be there is some conspiracy behind the pattern with which this all is being done," party general secretary Janardan Diwedi told PTI when asked about his reaction to the WikiLeaks release.
According to a secret US diplomatic cable from New Delhi released by WikiLeaks, at a luncheon hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his residence in July 2009, the Congress General Secretary was asked by the US ambassador about LeT''s activities in the region and immediate threat to India.
"Gandhi said there was evidence of some support for the group among certain elements in India''s indigenous Muslim community," the cable notes.
"However, Gandhi warned, the bigger threat may be the growth of radicalised Hindu groups, which create religious tensions and political confrontations with the Muslim community," it says.
Saffron terror - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Category:Hindu terrorism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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About Category:Hindu terrorism and related categories This category's scope ...
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29 May 2008 ... This is a copy of the page Hindu terrorism (other versions), which Wikipedia has deleted (about deletion). Deletionpedia archives Wikipedia ...
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22 Oct 2010 ... To the jokers who say LTTE is Hindu terrorist organization… en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velupillai_Prabhakaran. Religion was not a major factor in ...
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Category: Hindu terrorism. From Wikipedia(View original Wikipedia Article) Last modified on 6 October 2010 at 15:59 ...
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In this context, negligence of Hindu terrorism by Obama displays double standards of the west. ... WIKI-MURDERS…WIKI-TERROR….WIKI-WAR by Gordon Duff ...
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West Bengal: SFI, Trinamool students clash in Howrah
NDTV Correspondent, Updated: December 17, 2010 13:02 ISTKolkata: Tension erupted in suburban Howrah after a student died in clashes on Thursday.
Members of Student Federation of India (SFI) and Trinamool clashed in Jagabandhu College in Howrah.
A team from the CPM is going to Howrah.
On Thursday, students affiliated to CPI-M and Trinamool Congress clashed in south Kolkata which left one dead and nine injured.Rediff.comTwitterNDTV SocialLive MessengerGmail BuzzPrint
The clash took place when an SFI procession reached at a place where a meeting of the Trinamool Congress Chatra Parishad was taking place and altercations followed, police said.
Both the groups clashed near the Asutosh College using sticks and brickbats.
Later SFI members marched to the Hazra crossing and tried to proceed towards Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee's Kalighat residence, but were stopped, police said.
For NDTV Updates, follow us on Twitter or join us on Facebook
Story first published:
December 17, 2010 12:57 IST
Tags: SFI, Students clash, Trinamool
- Also See
- Pranab: Trinamool will go with govt decision on JPC
- Logjam over 2G scam: Mamata joins JPC chorus
- Buddhadeb admits CPM leaders committed mistakes
- Trinamool, CPM workers clash in Kolkata, 10 injured
- Left, Trinamool clash over railway accidents in Parliament
Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/west-bengal-sfi-trinamool-students-clash-in-howrah-73148?cp
Keep away from campus violence, Narayanan urges students | |
2010-12-17 18:10:00 | |
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Rahul Gandhi warned US of Hindu extremist groups: WikiLeaks
<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PXwZTxDd1zo?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PXwZTxDd1zo?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Rahul Gandhi, widely tipped as a future Indian PM, believed Hindu radicals might be a greater threat than Islamist militants, diplomatic cables reveal.BBC reports.The Red Cross told US diplomats about widespread torture of prisoners in Indian-administered Kashmir, according to cables obtained by Wikileaks.We have been speaking about the scenerio in the Excluded aboriginal indigenous Humanscape under lPG mafia Manusmriti rule for long and opposing AFPSA and Military option with zero tolerance!Now, the cat has jumped out of the bag! No less a person than the Crown prince confirms the truth!
Meanwhile,the latest WikiLeaks US embassy cables have revealed that India was on the hit-list of al-Qaida and a bio-terror target.
On the other hand, back to back bumper India trade trip,China wants to deepen its strategic partnership with Pakistan in view of "complex and fluid international and regional circumstances", Premier Wen Jiabao said today as he began a landmark three-day visit to the country. Whereas, Russia sees India as a bright and beautiful "bride", surrounded by manygrooms but want New Delhi to pick the "right match".
Undrestandablly, the strategic equation has not changed a little bit as expected. America as well as Russia loses NO labour to warn India against China!Furthermore,Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao left New Delhi on Friday, vowing that India will never be a rival, but his rhetoric has done little to lift Indian unease over a long-running border dispute and China-Pakistan relations.
US fears lax security at Indian laboratories could make the facilities targets for terrorists seeking biological weapons to launch attacks.
The wikileaks US embassy cables have revealed that the US argued against visas for Kashmiri separatist hardliners and counter-insurgents who worked with Indian security forces to combat terrorism in Kashmir.
"India now seemsto be a beautiful, radiant bride. There are so many bridegrooms always around,proposing their kind and.....well, India is Russia's sister, we want a very goodmatch for her. But we are very much against if that bridegroom could deceive oneday," Russian Ambassador to India Alexander Kadakin told reporters heretoday.
He was apparently referring to various world leaders visitingIndia for having partnership with New Delhi.
Asked about how he seesIndia-US ties, he said his country was not "jealous" of improving relationsbetween the two. He said Russia was also in the process of expanding itsrelations with the US.
"China and Pakistan are all-weather cooperation partners. Under the complex and fluid international and regional circumstances, it is a firm policy of the Chinese government to further cement and deepen the strategic partnership of cooperation with Pakistan," he said in his arrival statement at Chaklala airbase.
Wen, who was accorded a red carpet welcome being personaly received by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, described Pakistan as an "important country in the region" that has made "positive" contributions to peace, stability and development.
He said the visit would help to push forward "bilateral pragmatic cooperation" and lift economic and trade cooperation to a new height.
"The purpose of my visit this time is to solidify friendship, deepen cooperation, support Pakistan's efforts of post-disaster reconstruction, and ring in, together with Pakistan, the 60th anniversary of China-Pakistan diplomatic relations in 2011," Wen said.
The Chinese premier will hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart and other leaders on bilateral cooperation and issues of shared interest.
He will attend a China-Pakistan business summit and meet Pakistanis who have contributed to the friendship between the two countries.
Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Hu Zhengyue said his country's participation in Pakistan's post-flood reconstruction is one of the main issues of Wen's visit.
"We will continue to do what we can to support the Pakistani people," Hu said.
China pledged USD 250 million to Pakistan after the country was devastated by unprecedented floods in July-August.
The talks at the Prime Minister's House will be followed by the signing of about 20 agreements and Memorandums of Understandings for cooperation in areas like economy, energy and communications.
A 250-member delegation of businessmen is accompanying Wen, who travelled to Islamabad after a three-day visit to India.
Wen will meet President Asif Ali Zardari tomorrow evening.
Zardari will host a banquet for the Chinese leader that is expected to be attended by all of Pakistan's top political leaders, including those from the opposition.
The Chinese Premier will address a joint session of parliament on December 19 besides interacting with the Pakistani media and people from different walks of life.
He will leave Pakistan on Sunday afternoon.
Coming under attack after his reported statement that "radicalised Hindu groups" posed a bigger threat than outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Rahul Gandhi today diluted his comments saying that terrorism and communalism of all types are a threat to India.
"Rahul Gandhi's view is that terrorism and communalism of all types are a threat to India.We need to remain vigilant against acts of terrorism of all kinds no matter who commits them," AICC General Secretary Janardan Dwivedi said in a release issued on his behalf.
The statement came hours after Congress grappled with the issue of the WikiLeaks cable which claimed that Rahul Gandhi had told US Ambassador Timothy Roemer that growth of "radicalised Hindu groups" which create religious tensions in India could pose a bigger threat to the country than activities of groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba.
This in a way is the first acknowledgement from the Congress that Gandhi had indeed talked to Roemer on the issue.
The initial reaction of the Congress on the issue was one of dilemma with party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi saying, "We will respond to it after verifying the facts. There is no reason to react in an excited manner. The issue should first be looked into and verified".
Dwivedi, who is also AICC media department chairman, had first suspected a conspiracy behind the release of WikiLeaks cable saying, " Let us verify the truth. May be there is some conspiracy behind the pattern with which this all is being done."
However, a clarification came quickly with the media department in-charge confining his remarks to "let us verify the truth".
Asked what is there to doubt in the issue, the Singhvi remarked, "I am not questioning anything and I am questioning everything".
To a query on whether what he says indicates that the party is distancing itself from Rahul Gandhi's remarks, Singhvi said, "The question does not arise.It is your interpretation."
According to a secret US diplomatic cable from New Delhi released by WikiLeaks, at a luncheon hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his residence in July 2009, the Congress General Secretary was asked by the US ambassador about LeT's activities in the region and immediate threat to India.
"Gandhi said there was evidence of some support for the group among certain elements in India's indigenous Muslim community," the cable notes.
"However, Gandhi warned, the bigger threat may be the growth of radicalised Hindu groups, which create religious tensions and political confrontations with the Muslim community," it says.
Read more: Terrorism of all types threat to India: Rahul - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Terrorism-of-all-types-threat-to-India-Rahul/articleshow/7117090.cms#ixzz18NTKD2Nr
U.S. officials fear lax security at Indian laboratories could make the facilities targets for terrorists seeking biological weapons to launch attacks across the globe, according to comments in a leaked U.S. diplomatic cable made public Friday.
The cable was part of a trove of documents sent from the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi that was obtained by the website WikiLeaks and published Friday by the British newspaper The Guardian.
The cables also dealt with accusations of Indian torture in Kashmir, India's complaints about Pakistan's handling of the Mumbai terror attacks, and the concerns of Rahul Gandhi — seen as India's prime-minister-in-waiting — that Hindu extremists posed a greater danger to India than Islamist militants.
One of the cables from June 2006 raised concerns that terrorist groups could take advantage of weak security at Indian laboratories to steal "bacteria, parasites, viruses or toxins."
"Terrorists planning attacks anywhere in the world could use India's advanced biotechnology industry and large biomedical research community as potential sources of biological agents," read the cable, marked "confidential." ''Given the strong air connections Delhi shares with the rest of the world and the vulnerabilities that might be exploited at airports, a witting or unwitting person could easily take hazardous materials into or out of the country."
"Getting into a facility to obtain lethal bio-agents is not very difficult here," one expert, whose name was redacted from the cable, told U.S. diplomats.
A second expert said that academic research facilities maintain only very loose security procedures. "The harsh reality is that you can bribe a guard with a pack of cigarettes to get inside," the expert was quoted as saying.
One source told the diplomats that India's thousands of biological scientists also might be recruited, either out of ideological sympathies or for money.
An Indian government official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly address the issue, dismissed the concerns as "far-fetched and fanciful."
However, Suman Sahai, a biotechnology expert, told The Associated Press that security remains very poor at biotech firms four years after the cable was written.
The regulatory system is porous, employees are easily influenced and those leaving public laboratories to work for private companies often steal seeds, genetic material and other sensitive property before they head out the door, she said.
While India has not been the target of a biological attack, it has suffered devastating conventional terror strikes, including a 2001 attack on its parliament and the 2008 attack by 10 Pakistan-based militants who laid siege to the city of Mumbai for 60 hours.
Indian officials made it clear that they were focusing more on a possible nuclear or chemical attack — presumably from longtime rival Pakistan — than a biological one, which they considered unlikely to happen, the cable read.
India's surveillance system and its public health system were ill-prepared for the possibility of such an attack, the cable said.
While many countries are poorly prepared for a bioterror attack, the cable said, "few live in the kind of dangerous neighborhood that India does, where terrorism, lax security, petty corruption, high population density, weak public health and agricultural infrastructures, and a booming and sophisticated biotech industry coexist."
Another cable released Friday revealed the extent of India's frustration with rival Pakistan, where it says the Mumbai plot was hatched and received army support.
Earlier this year, India's Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram told visiting FBI Director Robert Mueller that Pakistan had "done damn near nothing" to prosecute the Mumbai suspects, according a cable. While Pakistan has arrested seven people in connection with the attacks, those trials have not yet properly begun.
Instead of pursuing militants, Pakistan's military is "hypnotically obsessed" with India's military, Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao was quoted as saying. She added that peace talks would remain on hold until Pakistan did more to dismantle terrorist networks that target India.
The cables also discussed a confidential 2005 briefing by the International Committee of the Red Cross that accused India of the widespread use of torture in Kashmir, where the Indian government confronts a raging separatist insurgency.
The Red Cross said it had interviewed 1,491 detainees in Kashmir between 2002 and 2004 and found that many had been beaten, hung from the ceiling, put in stress positions, sexually abused or tortured with electricity, water or a round metal object called "the roller" used to crush a person's thighs, the cable said
The agency had raised the issues with India for a decade and the continuation of the practice led the agency to believe the government condoned the torture, it said.
On Friday, ICRC spokesman Christian Cardon said in Geneva that the briefing referred to in the cable did take place, but declined comment on what was said during it.
In response to the accusation, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash said Friday: "India is an open and democratic nation which adheres to the rule of law. If and when an aberration occurs, it is promptly and firmly dealt with."
The cables also revealed that Rahul Gandhi, a top official in the ruling Congress Party, warned in 2009 that homegrown Hindu extremist groups could pose a greater threat than established Islamist militant groups, such as Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, which has been blamed for the Mumbai attacks.
Gandhi appeared to be referring to the danger of a flare up in Hindu-Muslim communal violence caused by some of the more extreme leaders of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, according to the cable, which was written by Ambassador Timothy Roemer.
17/12/2010
Under fire, Rahul amends remarks
Washington: Coming under attack after his reported statement that "radicalised Hindu groups" posed a bigger threat than outfits like the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Rahul Gandhi Friday diluted his comments saying terrorism and communalism of all types are a threat to India."Rahul Gandhi's view is that terrorism and communalism of all types are a threat to India. We need to remain vigilant against acts of terrorism of all kinds no matter who commits them," AICC General Secretary Janardan Dwivedi said in a release issued on his behalf.
The statement came hours after Congress grappled with the issue of the WikiLeaks cable which claimed that Rahul Gandhi had told US Ambassador Timothy Roemer that growth of "radicalised Hindu groups" which create religious tensions in India could pose a bigger threat to the country than activities of groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba.
This in a way is the first acknowledgement from the Congress that Gandhi had indeed talked to Roemer on the issue.
The initial reaction of the Congress on the issue was one of dilemma with party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi saying, "We will respond to it after verifying the facts. There is no reason to react in an excited manner. The issue should first be looked into and verified."
Dwivedi, who is also AICC media department chairman, had first suspected a conspiracy behind the release of WikiLeaks cable saying, "Let us verify the truth. Maybe there is some conspiracy behind the pattern with which this all is being done."
However, a clarification came quickly with the media department in-charge confining his remarks to "let us verify the truth".
Asked what is there to doubt on the issue, Singhvi remarked, "I am not questioning anything and I am questioning everything."
To a query on whether what he says indicates that the party is distancing itself from Rahul Gandhi's remarks, Singhvi said, "The question does not arise. It is your interpretation."
According to a secret US diplomatic cable from New Delhi released by WikiLeaks, at a luncheon hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his residence in July 2009, the Congress General Secretary was asked by the US ambassador about LeT's activities in the region and immediate threat to India.
"Gandhi said there was evidence of some support for the group among certain elements in India's indigenous Muslim community," the cable notes.
"However, Gandhi warned, the bigger threat may be the growth of radicalised Hindu groups, which create religious tensions and political confrontations with the Muslim community," it says.
Source: The Indian Express
Also Read
Hindu militants worse than LeT: Rahul
Wikileaks: Sonia 'Ms Opportunity', Karat 'extortionist'
Rahul's remarks will help Pak terror groups: BJP
US embassy cables of May, 2006 said, "India is now an al-Qaida target." Referring to the then ministry of external affairs (MEA) additional secretary KC Singh's remarks, the cable said, "Singh opened by noting that India is becoming more prominent on al-Qaida's radar," pointing to Ayman al-Zawahiri's April 29 video message praising popular jihadist movements against Indians in Kashmir and calling India 'the best candidate for carrying out the Zionist-Crusader scheme to humiliate, weaken, and dismember Pakistan'.
The cables also referred to the then joint secretary Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) Sharad Kumar as observing that "al-Qaida franchises, if not al-Qaida proper, are and have been very active in India. He defined 'al-Qaida franchises' as groups that espouse the same extremist ideology and share some logistical and funding infrastructure even while remaining discrete organizations, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad."
Besides, the cable shows that the Indian jihadi groups were 'interested in bio-terrorism'. The then MEA additional secretary (international organizations) KC Singh reported that Indian intelligence was picking up chatter indicating jihadi groups were interested in bio-terrorism, for example seeking out like-minded PhD's in biology and bio-technology. He compared the prospects for nuclear terrorism ("still in the realm of the imaginary") to bio-terrorism ("an ideal weapon for terrorism anthrax could pose a serious problem").
Read more: India was an al-Qaida target: US cables - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-was-an-al-Qaida-target-US-cables/articleshow/7117628.cms#ixzz18NT47cIU
17/12/2010
Now go after Maran, Jaya tells CBI
Chennai: Charging CBI with showing "monumental lethargy" in its probe of the 2G spectrum scam, AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa on Friday said she welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to monitor the probe but the Centre should not use it to duck the Opposition's demand for a JPC.By expanding the CBI probe ambit to 2001, the tenure of former Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran would also come under scrutiny, she said, hinting that the CBI should now put Maran too under the scanner.
"I welcome the Supreme Court's announcement that it would monitor the CBI probe into the 2G spectrum allocations scam. I also welcome the Supreme Court's insistence that the investigation should cover actions of the Telecom Department right from 2001," she said in a statement here.
The apex court had on Thursday widened the investigation in the case by bringing in its ambit the Telecom policy from 2001 to 2008, covering both the NDA and the UPA regimes Charging the investigating agency with showing "monumental lethargy" in its probe, Jayalalithaa said the recent "spurt of activities" of CBI had come only after the Supreme Court asked why it was "dithering" on the issue and why former Telecom Minister A Raja had not been questioned.
However, Jayalalithaa said the Centre should not use the Supreme Court-monitored investigation to "duck" the combined opposition's demand for a JPC probe.
"The scope of the CBI investigation is limited to certain parameters. It cannot and will not include the conspirators and accessories to the scam, many of whom are in positions of considerable political power, both in the State and at the Centre. The whole truth has to come out. And for this, a JPC probe is the only solution," she said.
She said her party would continue to insist on a JPC probe into the matter and join hands with all like-minded parties in pressing for this "very justified demand".
Source: Agencies
Rahul's remarks will help Pak terror groups: BJP
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday condemned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's remarks that radicalised Hindu groups could pose a "bigger threat" to India than Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and said "in one stroke", he has given a "big leverage" to the propaganda of all terror groups in Pakistan.Strongly objecting to the remarks made to US ambassador Timothy Roemer, as claimed by a WikiLeaks cable, BJP spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad said, "It is irresponsible. It is in the public domain and the US government has neither denied nor confirmed it. Therefore, it has sanctity."
"In one stroke, Rahul Gandhi has sought to give a big leverage to the propaganda of all terror groups operating from Pakistan and certain segments of the Pakistan establishment," he told reporters here.
Prasad said such remarks impinge upon India's strategic security and fight against terrorism.
"If he sees a fringe radical Hindu group as the biggest threat in spite of so many terrorist attacks including 26/11 in which involvement of Pakistani groups is confirmed, then it only underscores how ignorant he is about India and its problems," the BJP leader said.
The party also attacked him for making such remarks to a foreign diplomat and not before the Indian Parliament and said the opposition would take up the issue in next Parliament session and also before the people.
Prasad said the statement "underscores how little Rahul Gandhi knows about India. The PM has publicly acknowledged that Maoism and terrorist threat from across the border are the biggest challenges before India and Rahul Gandhi says certain lunatic, marginalised Hindu radical groups are the biggest threat?"
Senior Opposition leader Prakash Javadekar said the statement shows "crass communalism and jaundiced world view".
According to a secret US diplomatic cable from New Delhi released by WikiLeaks, at a luncheon hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his residence in July 2009, the Congress General Secretary was asked by the US ambassador about LeT's activities in the region and immediate threat to India.
"Gandhi said there was evidence of some support for the group among certain elements in India's indigenous Muslim community," the cable notes.
"However, Gandhi warned, the bigger threat may be the growth of radicalised Hindu groups, which create religious tensions and political confrontations with the Muslim community," it says.
Source: The Indian Express
7/12/2010
Wikileaks: Sonia 'Ms Opportunity', Karat 'extortionist'
New Delhi: In the latest WikiLeaks cables, US diplomats were heard heavily criticising the failure of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to stave off the Left's opposition to the nuclear deal."With the future of Indian foreign credibility hanging in balance, Sonia Gandhi has been unable to show principled leadership even when it might benefit her party at the polls. Mrs Gandhi never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity," one cable, sent in November 2007, said.
Veteran former Congress minister Arjun Singh is described as being from the party's "Jurassic" wing.
A cable sent in December 2008 talk about the public anger after the terrorist attacks on Mumbai in November 2008 which had "served as a catharsis for people to vent other long simmering grievances against government - its corruption, its pompous use of symbols of authority like security guards and vehicle sirens, its indifference to providing health and education services, and its paralysis on building infrastructure," 'The Guardian' reported.
The US view of Indian politicians is wide-ranging. Much scorn is shown towards the Left, who tried to block the nuclear power agreement which expanded the market for US in India.
Prakash Karat, the Communist party of India (Marxist) general secretary, is described as an "extortionist".
Four thousand cables from the US embassy in New Delhi reveal that the relationship between the two countries had progressed from difficult to 'increasingly warm', 'The Guardian' reported. The paper reports India is perceived as an "emerging power anxious about its security despite its size and increasing wealth and a superpower that is keen to be friends but very much on its own terms".
"US diplomats still appear impressed by India's 'vibrant and diverse' democracy, seeing the country as a natural ally in the region and viewing Manmohan Singh, the 77-year-old economist and prime minister, as a natural friend," the paper reported.
The relationship between India and the US is best reflected in an August 3 2006 meeting between Maria Shriver, the wife of Arnold Schwarzenegger, the governor of California, and Sonia Gandhi, the paper reported.
US diplomats said the one-hour meeting went "exceptionally well".
"Usually withdrawn and reserved in public, Gandhi spoke at great length and radiated confidence on women's issues and some aspects of her private life," one official wrote to Washington. "This was a more relaxed Sonia, possibly because she felt a personal rapport with Maria Shriver."
Gandhi also said reports of the mass sterilisation campaigns under the government of her mother-in-law Indira Gandhi in the 1970s was "highly exaggerated" and "politically motivated". "But this, cables said, escaped her interlocutors, who were impressed by her 'broad knowledge of Indian culture and traditions' and lack of defensiveness about the country's social problems."
Cables also reveal when Shriver congratulated Gandhi for her resoluteness over the years and described her as "courageous", she was "clearly embarrassed by this adulation" and "made no response", 'The Guardian' reports.
Source: The Indian Express
7/12/2010
Wen's visit, the inside story
New Delhi: Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao flew to 'all-weather friend' Pakistan from here this afternoon without neither giving anything away to India nor taking anything away from it except the message that the entire Indian political leadership across party lines was united when it comes to bilateral ties with Beijing.Top government sources said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh led the Indian side from the front and decided to play hardball till Beijing paid heed to Indian concerns on Pakistan, Kashmir, bilateral trade and building a dam on River Brahmputra in Tibet. This resulted in the following:
a. Despite repeated requests, New Delhi made it clear that it would have no reference of the regional trade agreement (RTA) with Beijing in the joint statement and will not enter into any negotiation till such time the bilateral trade balance is corrected.
When India decided to go for RTA with China in 2005 under pressure from the South Block, the total bilateral trade was $19 billion. Today, the trade deficit on Indian side is $19 billion alone as the bilateral trade will touch $60 billion at the end of this fiscal.
b. New Delhi decided to ditch any references to defence exchanges in the joint statement as it made it clear that it was Chinese unilateral action of giving a stapled visa to the Indian Northern Army Commander Lt General B S Jaswal which triggered off the deep freeze in bilateral relationship.
It was made clear that till such time the policy of stapled visa to Jammu and Kashmir residents including Army officers posted in the state was not reversed, the defence relationship would be in the cold.
c. As Wen Jiabao refused to commit himself to addressing any Indian concern over stapled visas, Chinese projects in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Toiba targetting India, New Delhi for the first time did not reiterate the One China policy. In fact, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna had sounded off his Chinese counterpart in Wuhan on November 15, 2010 that Kashmir was to India just as Tibet was to China
.So behind the optics of a bilateral relationship with a great future, both sides held their ground with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh uncharacteristically doing some plainspeak to Wen Jiabao during the official arrangements.
It was Manmohan Singh - who was briefed by Indian Ambassador to China S Jaishanker last Sunday on the visit -- who raised the issues of Chinese projects in PoK, the Chinese dam on River Brahmaputra and stapled visa both in front of the official delegations and in private conversations.
Wen, according to sources, gave elliptical answers to both questions by saying that China was neutral to India and Pakistan's issue on Kashmir and that Beijing was conscious to its international commitments on building an upstream project on the river.
The Indian reply to Chinese position of neutrality was that if Beijing has nothing to do with Kashmir then why was it giving stapled visa to citizens from the state. The fact is that China started issuing stapled visas in 2008 but it was only in 2009 that New Delhi decided to take up the issue.
The other issue on which Wen Jiabao expected bilateral movement was an announcement on the beginning of negotiations on RTA between the two countries.
However, the Indian Commerce Ministry stood its ground and said that no headway in negotiations was possible till the trade imbalance was rectified. It was only towards the end of his visit that the Chinese Premier realised that the bilateral relationship between the two Asian giants was a long haul and this time Beijing would have to blink first.
Source: The Indian Express
17/12/2010
Karnataka Governor hits out at Yeddyurappa govt
Bangalore: Renewing his attack on the BJP government in Karnataka, Governor H R Bhardwaj charged that it has 'failed' to check illegal mining and demanded that Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa reply to his recent letters on illegal mining and alleged land scams."Illegal mining is still continuing. No action is taken by the government here," Bhardwaj, who wrote to Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa two days ago seeking a report on the issue, told reporters. Bhardwaj expressed happiness over the Andhra Pradesh High Court vacating stay on CBI probe into allegations of illegal mining in that state and described it as a 'good development'.
Tourism Minister and mining magnate G Janardhana Reddy had earlier secured a stay on CBI investigations after Andhra government ordered probe into illegal mining by firms, including Obulapuram Mining Corporation, owned by Reddy.
However, Bhardwaj said no action had been taken in Karnataka to check illegal mining, apparently targetting Bellary ministers, Janardhana Reddy and his brother Karunakara Reddy and their close associate Sriramalu.
The Governor said he had sought reports on the illegal mining issue on earlier occasions too, but the government did not respond. "It is my duty to protect the state's interest. I have written several letters to the state government on various issues. I am also sending reports every month to the Centre on the happenings, which I continue to do," Bhardwaj said.
"As a Governor I have to check whether what is appearing in the media is correct and if it is correct, I must get a report. I have a right under the constitution," he asserted, justifying his latest letters to Yeddyurappa.
At Gadag, Yeddyurappa told reporters that his office had received two letters from the Governor and he would reply to them in two days time.
State unit BJP President K S Eswrappa flayed Bhardwaj's comments against the government and said, "The Governor is behaving like an Opposition leader."
Source: Agencies
17/12/2010
WikiLeaks: Bollywood stars should tour Afghanistan, said US diplomat
London: Bollywood celebrities should tour Afghanistan to help stabilise the war-ravaged country, suggested a US diplomat who pointed out that Bollywood movies are wildly popular in that country. This was revealed in fresh diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks Friday.In a confidential March 2007 cable responding to a request from Washington for "specific, concrete ideas for opportunities for India to use soft power in helping Afghanistan's reconstruction", officials said Bollywood was an area that "seems ripe", the Guardian reported.
"We understand Bollywood movies are wildly popular in Afghanistan, so willing Indian celebrities could be asked to travel to Afghanistan to help bring attention to social issues there," the cable said.
The idea was not put to practice, but it reveals the constant efforts of diplomats in New Delhi to exploit Indian resources and goodwill to bolster the international effort in Afghanistan.
"India has significant aid to offer," the cable notes, immediately adding that a key challenge would be "to overcome Pakistani objection(s) if India is to expand its role".
India's attempts to build its influence in Kabul and among Afghans through indirect aid and reconstruction assistance have often been seen by Pakistan as evidence of a strategy of encirclement by its historic enemy, the Guardian noted.
One cable refers to "India's lingering zero-sum suspicion of US policies towards Pakistan".
One key concern for India - apparent in several cables - is that the US and its western allies will prematurely withdraw from Afghanistan having negotiated some kind of settlement with the Taliban.
The Indian position has been that any attempt to reconcile with militants is doomed to failure and risks plunging Afghanistan into anarchy and fanaticism from which Pakistan stands to benefit.
The cables describe Indian National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon telling Senator Claire McCaskill that if the Pakistani establishment felt US commitment was flagging, it would "sit it out and use the Indian threat as an excuse for not doing what was needed (in terms of tackling militants within its own borders)".
Source: IANS
J&K interlocutors begin third round of visit to state
Interlocutors for Jammu and Kashmir peace process began their third round of visit to the state on Friday. Two of them, eminent journalist Dileep Padgaonkar and former central information commissioner M M Ansari, went to Jammu today while the third one, educationist Radha Kumar, will join them on Saturday. The trio will wind up their visit on December 23.
The appointment of interlocutors is part of the eight-point initiative taken by the centre to hold sustained dialogue with various groups and communities in Jammu and Kashmir. The Cabinet Committee on Security meeting chaired by Prime Mamohan Singh on September 25 had taken the decision to appoint a set of interlocutors for J&K.
The team of three interlocutors have been talking to several groups in Srinagar. They are to give audience to the opinions in Jammu and Ladakh regions too.
Read more: J&K interlocutors begin third round of visit to state - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/JK-interlocutors-begin-third-round-of-visit-to-state/articleshow/7116636.cms#ixzz18NTlBTkC
Wikileaks: US argued against visas for Kashmiri hardliners, counter-insurgents
The wikileaks US embassy cables have revealed that the US argued against visas for Kashmiri separatist hardliners and counter-insurgents who worked with Indian security forces to combat terrorism in Kashmir.
The US embassy cable of June 4, 2007 noted that the US should deny visa application of Kashmiri Ikhwani leader and the then MLA Usman Abdul Majid "in the interest of remaining balanced in" their approach to the Kashmir issue following their denial of pro-Pakistan Kashmiri separatist leader Sayeed Ali Shah Geelani's visa request.
"Kashmiri paramilitary leader and J&K state MLA Usman Abdul Majid applied for a U.S. visa on May 22nd in order to attend functions held by the United States Institute of Peace starting on June 7th in Washington, DC. Majid is a leader of the pro-GOI Ikhawan-ul-Musilmeen paramilitary group, which was formed by India's security forces to combat terrorism in the Kashmir Valley. The group is made up of terrorists who have surrendered to the Indian government and agreed to fight against their former brethren," the cable mentioned.
Ikhawan, the cable said, "has a reputation in the Valley for committing brutal human rights abuses -- including extra-judicial killings of suspected terrorists and their family members, as well as torturing, killing, raping, and extorting Kashmiri civilians suspected of harboring or facilitating terrorists."
"Majid won election easily in his Baramullah district of Kashmir, but this is likely only because the district has had a minute voter turnout as terrorist groups continue to enforce a boycott there of Indian-held elections. This boycott continued in Baramullah even in 2002, when turnout was much higher in other areas.
However, the cable pointed out, "Similar to many of the instances of torture and violence surrounding the Kashmir dispute, Post is unable to verify with evidence the claims against Majid."
"Majid's reputation in the Kashmir Valley is one of the worst among those associated with the GOI. In light of our rejection of the Geelani visa, we will not be able to maintain our record of neutrality in the Kashmir dispute if we grant this visa. Nonetheless, denying his application may have some repercussions with GOI officials, especially those from India's Intelligence Bureau who have been close to his case. As with the Geelani case, this will be a very delicate matter, but in light of Ikhawan's history, Post recommends that the U.S. government deny the visa."
Read more: Wikileaks: US argued against visas for Kashmiri hardliners, counter-insurgents - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Wikileaks-US-argued-against-visas-for-Kashmiri-hardliners-counter-insurgents/articleshow/7118072.cms#ixzz18NU4jSWX
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West Bengal: SFI, Trinamool students clash in Howrah
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On Thursday, students affiliated to CPI-M and Trinamool Congress clashed in south Kolkata which left one dead and nine injured. The clash took place when an ...
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Karunanidhi slams media reports on Niira Radia tapes
PTI – 44 minutes ago
Chennai, Dec 17 (PTI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today slammed media reports on Niira Radia tapes which alleged that his grand nephew and Union Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran had paid Rs 600 crore to the DMK chief''s wife Dayalu to secure a ministerial berth."Are some media organisations trying to defame the Dravidian movement reporting things which are far from truth... will someone believe at all that Maran paid money to his grandmother," Karunanidhi said writing in party mouthpiece ''Murasoli.''
He said when such reports surfaced in the media a few days back, he had not considered it fit to deny them since "I thought people will not believe such things.
"But a section of media is repeatedly writing about a lie and things which are far from truth. Can they prove such a transaction happened? If so, let them report in their media in their own name (and not refer to Radia tapes) and we will face them in court," he said.
On the issue of Common Entrance Test for undergraduate and postgraduate medical courses, he reaffirmed the state''s opposition to it and said any move by Medical Council of India to go for Common entrance Test would be faced legally.
A Supreme Court bench, hearing a set of petitions against MCI''s proposal to conduct a nationwide CET, had recently allowed it to notify any rule in accordance with the law approved by the Centre but said anyone could challenge the notification.
Naidu on hunger strike; demands relief to calamity-hit farmers
PTI – Fri, Dec 17 11:48 AM ISTHyderabad, Dec 17 (PTI) TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu today launched an indefinite hunger strike demanding that the state and the central governments immediately provide succour to hapless farmers and artisans who faced the brunt of nature''s fury in the last one year.
The former Andhra Pradesh chief minister expressed serious displeasure over the relief announced by Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and demanded higher compensation as the loss was enormous.
Naidu, the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, launched the indefinite hunger strike at the new MLA quarters at Adarsh Nagar close to the state Secretariat after paying homage to TDP founder-president N T Rama Rao at the NTR Ghat, Mahatma Gandhi''s statue at the Assembly and B R Ambedkar at Tank Bund.
Rajya Sabha member Nandamuri Harikrishna, former Union Minister K Yerran Naidu, senior leaders Nagam Janardhana Reddy, T Devender Goud and over 10 MLAs sat on a relay hunger-strike today in solidarity with Naidu.
Addressing the gathering at his fast camp, the TDP chief said the misery of farmers was leaving him in tears.
"The farmers and artisans faced the nature�s fury at least five times in the last one year. The loss was colossal but the government failed to come to their rescue," he lashed out.
Chandrababu demanded that the government pay a compensation of Rs 10,000 per acre to paddy farmers and Rs 15,000 for commercial crops like cotton and tobacco.
He wanted the government to fix Rs 2500 per tonne as minimum support price for sugarcane and Rs 4,500 per bale for cotton and lift the ban on cotton exports. He also wanted the Food Corporation of India to relax fair average quality norms and purchase discoloured and damaged paddy at MSP.
Maoists unveil vicious nails again; kill 7 in WB
Maoists unveiled their poisonous nails again in West Bengal as in the midnight on Dec 16, the rebels abducted seven villagers in Purulia district.All the deceased were reportedly the supporters of Forward Bloc in the state and their bodies were discovered in the jungle mahal of the district on Friday, Dec 17.
Police official stated after the incident, "The rebels broke into the houses of the villagers and kidnapped them at gunpoint past midnight."
Forward Bloc leaders, on the other hand, claimed, "rebels are trying to unleash a reign of terror in the run-up to the state assembly elections in Bengal next summer. They are trying to stop our supporters from campaigning."
Maoists, who claimed to fight for the rural poor, have strongly protested in West Bengal and other states like Orissa, Andhra Pradesh.
But this time the rebels killed so many political personalities all together after their attack on Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's
convoy in Nov 2008.
17 DEC, 2010, 03.28AM IST,ET BUREAU
Congress-TMC ties on disturbed track
KOLKATA: The Congress on Thursday held the Trinamool Congress responsible for trying to derail the electoral adjustment between the two opposition parties in West Bengal before the 2011 assembly elections ."What can we do if someone is keen to dismantle the electoral alliance between the two opposition parties? We are in favour of an electoral adjustment. Pranab Mukherjee and our party high command are also keen to continue the alliance. But if someone wishes to break it, we are helpless," West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) president Manas Bhunia said on Thursday.
Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee's criticism of Mukherjee for his failure to attend a railway function in Murshidabad on Wednesday has not gone down well with the Congress leadership. Bhunia said: "It is a fact that Mukherjee could not attend the function because of a technical snag detected in the chopper in which he was supposed to fly to Sagardighi. But many people are ignoring this crucial fact. What can we do if someone distorts facts and misinterprets Wednesday's incident?"
Bhunia stressed that he did not receive any response from the Trinamool Congress with regard to his letter to the party seeking to hold joint meetings by the two opposition parties against the ruling Marxists. Asked whether the Trinamool had responded to his appeal, Bhunia said "till now I have not received any response from their end". "What can I do if they (Trinamool) don't respond?," asked Bhunia.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress officials said on Thursday that the party supremo Mamata Banerjee had instructed her close aides to initiate the process of selecting party candidates for all the 294 assembly seats in West Bengal. "Didi has instructed us last night to do so. She is extremely unhappy with Mukherjee for his failure to attend the railway function at Sagardighi along with her. She has asked us to prepare ourselves to fight the next year's elections on our own," said a senior Trinamool Congress leader.
The opposition leader and Trinamool Congress MLA Partha Chatterje refused to comment on the incident in which Mukherjee could not reach Sagardighi. "We are much more concerned about the poor people who are facing attacks from CPM for supporting us. At the moment, our sole intention is to defeat the ruling Marxists and for the purpose, we are touring the districts where CPM-backed anti-socials are attacking our men," Chatterjee told ET on Thursday.
17 DEC, 2010, 03.26AM IST,ET BUREAU
SC threatens Orissa with CBI probe for NREGA bungling
NEW DELHI: Expressing serious concern over faulty implementation of the government's flagship programme, NREGA, in Orissa, the Supreme Court on Thursday asked the centre and the state government to explain within four weeks why a CBI probe should not be ordered into the irregularities."We are constrained to observe that the Union of India as well as the state of Orissa, prima facie, have failed to effectively and purposefully implement the provisions of the Act (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005). This has resulted in the deprivation of the entitled class from getting employment and receiving the allowances due to them in terms of the statutory guarantees available to them under the Act," said a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice SH Kapadia. "We call upon both the Union of India and the state government to show cause as to why there should not be a direction to the CBI to investigate this matter in accordance with law," said the court.
It asked the concerned authorities to file affidavits also appraising the court on the following points: What was the extent of funds released by the Centre to Orissa for implementation of the NREGA schemes for each of the year between 2006-10? To what extent and for what projects, the released funds have been utilised? Whether Orissa has given to the central government the requisite certificate of utilisation?
Findings are also to be recorded on whether any amount earmarked for any of the schemes under NREGA has been diverted to any other head of account, including revenue account by state government. The number of households actually employed under the scheme and paid allowances to them for such period of 2006-10. Whether any social audit of the projects under the Gram Sabha has been conducted? If yes, its detailed findings for such period.
The court also asked for details on the appointment of all the requisite authorities/officers/officials, from the higher levels in the central government or state governments to the grass-root levels at district, intermediary and panchayat level for effective implementation of the scheme.
The apex court also sought to know whether the centre or the state government, in consultation with the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, or otherwise, have conducted any general audit of accounts of the schemes at any level in terms of section 24 of the Act.
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Grooms aplenty, 'bride' India should pick right match: Russia
Times of India - 55 minutes agoNEW DELHI: Russia sees India as a bright and beautiful "bride", surrounded by many grooms but wants New Delhi to pick the "right match".
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Don't ignore corruption charges, governor tells Yeddyurappa
Sify - 1 hour agoBangalore, Dec 17 (IANS) Karnataka Governor HR Bhardwaj Friday bluntly told Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa not to turn a blind eye to corruption charges against him and his ministers.
Karnataka Governor seeks CM's answer on scams IBNLive.comBhardwaj seeks Yeddyurappa response on land scams, illegal mining The Hindu
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Leak: India says Pakistan must do more on Mumbai
The Associated Press - 2 hours agoNEW DELHI (AP) - Pakistan is "hypnotically obsessed" with India's military and has done next to nothing to prosecute suspects in the 2008 terrorist attack on Mumbai, top Indian diplomats have told US officials.
Indian, Pakistani students to write letters to bridge gap SifyIndia, Pakistano lawyers come together for peace Sify
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India's urban population will double in 25 years: Mukherjee
India's urban population will more than double to over 600 million by 2035 as increasing number of people migrate to cities because of better infrastructure and employment opportunities, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Friday.
'With sustained high economic growth, the pace of urbanisation is set to accelerate. The next 25 years should see the urban population living in Indian towns and cities doubling,' Mukherjee said at the 10th National Convention of Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India.
Currently, nearly 300 million people live in urban areas in India, which is almost equal to the population of the United States and larger than the population of many countries put together.
However, the percentage of population living in urban areas is quite low in India. Only 28 percent Indian people live in cities and suburbs against the worldwide average of over 50 percent.
The finance minister said the trend in India was set to change on the back of high economic growth.
'We already have 393 urban agglomerations and towns with more than one lakh population and about 400 smaller towns with a population of more than 50,000,' Mukherjee said at NATCON 2010 conference Thursday.
He said rising urbanisation gives birth to many challenges and at the same time offers opportunities for development.
Addressing the gathering of nearly 600 real estate developers and heads of financial institutions, Mukherjee said providing housing facilities to people in urban areas was becoming a big challenge.
'I would place the desire to own a house or the need to have a roof over ones head as one of the basic desires of an individual or a family,' he said.
India faces enormous housing shortage. Over 25 million homes are required to meet the existing housing needs, according to a survey conducted by Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) recently.
'Fulfilling the dream of housing for all is an enormous task that the government alone would never be able to meet on its own,' said Mukherjee.
'The private sector's role is crucial as is the role of ultimate consumers. The real estate developers have to play a leading role in supplementing the efforts of the government,' he added.
7 December 2010 Last updated at 13:23 GMT
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Wikileaks: Rahul Gandhi feared Hindu extremist threatRahul Gandhi is a scion of India's Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty
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Wikileaks Revelations
According to Wikileaks, Mr Gandhi told a US envoy last year there was some support among Indian Muslims for militants such as Lashkar-e-Taiba.
But he told ambassador Timothy Roemer the greater threat could come from the growth of radical Hindu groups.
Opposition have politicians responded, suggesting Mr Gandhi has "a sick mind".
Mr Gandhi was at a lunch hosted by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in July 2009, Ambassador Roemer wrote in a cable a month later.
He recalls Mr Gandhi saying: "Although there was evidence of some support for Laskar-e-Taiba among certain elements in India's indigenous Muslim community, the bigger threat may be the growth of radicalised Hindu groups, which create religious tensions and political confrontations with the Muslim community."
In a statement released on Friday, Mr Gandhi - scion of India's Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty - stressed that "terrorism and communalism of all types" was a threat to India.
But opposition Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman Prakash Javdekar told AFP: "To call Hindu groups more dangerous than Lashkar-e-Taiba is the product of a sick mind."
Rahul Gandhi, who is secretary general of the Congress party, caused controversy in October when he compared a right-wing Hindu group with a banned Islamic group, saying both preached fundamentalist ideologies.
Other revelations relating to India in the latest Wikileaks cables include:
- US officials raised concern in June 2006 that terrorists could take advantage of lax security at Indian laboratories to steal "bacteria, parasites, viruses or toxins" and mount biological attacks across the globe
- During a chat in 2006 with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's wife Maria Shriver, Rahul Gandhi's mother and Congress party president Sonia Gandhi appeared warm, admirable and informed, far from her reserved public self, and "despite her carefully erected Indian persona, her basic Italian personality is clearly evident in her mannerisms, speech and interests"
- A US briefing said in February this year that India was a "raucous democracy" and "a true partner" of America, and that their defence relationship was "progressing rapidly" with weapons sales to Delhi expected to reach $4bn in 2011
- The International Committee of the Red Cross sent evidence to US diplomats about widespread torture in 2002-04 by Indian security forces in Kashmir
Wikileaks Revelations
US diplomatic cablesQ&A: Arrest of Wikileaks' founder
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The founder of whistle-blowing website Wikileaks, Julian Assange, has been granted bail by a court in London and has vowed to fight extradition to Sweden - but what are the issues involved?
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Wikileaks' struggle to stay online
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US hurdles to prosecuting Assange
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Spotlight cast on 'sensitive' sites
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Britain still a useful US ally?
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Has Wikileaks cost lives?
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Timeline: Swedish Assange case
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Bumpy ride ahead for US
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US diplomatic cables explained
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Profile: Julian Assange
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Times of IndiaRahul Gandhi told US, Hindu extremists are a bigger threat to India42 mins ago
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-1201874417 December 2010 Last updated at 11:14 GMT
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Wikileaks: India 'tortured' Kashmir prisonersThe Wikileaks revelations come at a time of heightened tension in Kashmir
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Wikileaks Revelations
Visits to detention centres in the region in 2002-04 revealed cases of beatings, electric shocks, sexual abuse and other types of ill-treatment.
The organisation concluded that India condoned torture in the region.
There has been no comment from the US. The ICRC said it was investigating.
The chief minister of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, told India's NDTV channel that the allegations related to a period before his government took power and that he did not condone torture.
Correspondents say the revelations will be embarrassing for Delhi, coming at a time of heightened sensitivity in Kashmir, which is divided between Indian and Pakistani control.
They were published by The Guardian newspaper in the UK, one of five publications - including the New York Times, France's Le Monde, El Pais in Spain and Germany's Der Spiegel - given access to the entire archive of the reports from US diplomats out in the field by Wikileaks.
Wikileaks website says it has obtained more than 250,000 cables passed between the US State Department and hundreds of American diplomatic outposts - but it has so far only published a small sample of those messages.
The site's founder, Julian Assange, was on Thursday freed on bail in London, where he is fighting extradition to Sweden over sex assault allegations made by two women. He denies any wrongdoing.
Electric shocks
The torture allegations come at a time of heightened tensions in Kashmir, with massive public protests and numerous curfews in recent months.
The ICRC told diplomats they had made 177 visits to detention centres and met 1,491 detainees, a cable published in the UK Guardian newspaper said.
Ill-treatment was reported in 852 cases, the ICRC said.
A total of 171 said they were beaten and 681 subjected to one or more of six forms of torture:
- Electric shocks
- Suspension from ceiling
- Crushing of leg muscles
- Legs split 180 degrees
- Water torture
- Sexual abuse
Nonetheless the situation was "much better than it was in the 1990s", officials said.
There were no longer cases of security forces indiscriminately raiding villages and detaining their inhabitants, they added.
ICRC spokesman Alexis Heeb said the organisation was looking into the matter, but would not comment on the contents of the diplomatic correspondence as that was an internal communication between the US embassy in New Delhi and Washington.
The latest batch of documents to be released by Wikileaks is made up of diplomatic messages sent from US embassies around the world.
The website released 77,000 secret US files on the Afghan conflict in July, and 400,000 documents about the Iraq war in October.
Washington has strongly criticised Wikileaks for publishing classified diplomatic cables and military reports.
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A world after Wikileaks
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12014734Attacks by Pakistan-based groups most lethal strain of terror in India: US cables
Attacks by Pakistan-based terror groups, "sometimes with the support of elements" in the government there, are the "most lethal strain" of terrorism in India, according to a secret US cable made public by WikiLeaks.
"Terrorism conducted by 'jihadi' groups based in Pakistan - and sometimes with the support of elements of the GOP (government of Pakistan) - is historically the most lethal and the most politically volatile strain of terrorism in India," said the cable from the US embassy in New Delhi in 2006 before the April 19 US-India counter-terrorism joint working group.
Reflecting improved counter-insurgency policies, civilian fatalities from terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir have substantially decreased from 2001-2004 - approximately 20% decrease each year, it said citing Indian government statistics and a leading independent Indian terrorism expert.
The data for the first nine months of 2005 showed a continued decline, but "a spike in lethal attacks after the October 8 earthquake resulted in the 2005 levels being roughly equal to those for 2004," said the cable.
The United States, which has accused WikiLeaks, of stealing its secret cables, has however, refused to either deny or confirm the authenticity of these documents.
"Since January 2005, 'jihadis' have carried out or are believed to be responsible for lethal attacks at three popular markets on Diwali and Jama Masjid, both in Delhi, as well as Ayodhya, Varanasi and Bangalore, in addition to the litany of deadly bombings and shootings in J&K itself.
"These new targets in the Hindi heartland and the South reflect a new and dangerous trend that bears close watching," the cable said.
Referring to the series of terrorist attacks inside Kashmir, it said foreign terrorist organisations Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), at times operating through front names from camps in Pakistan, claimed responsibility for many of these attacks.
Some of these groups maintain ties with al-Qaeda, although the Indian government takes pride in claiming there is no direct al-Qaeda presence in the country outside of Kashmir, it said.
WikiLeaks: Sonia "felt better" that someone else became PM in 2004
LONDON: After stepping aside in favour of Manmohan Singh to head the new UPA government in 2004, Congress President Sonia Gandhi "felt better" that someone else became prime minister and did not regret her decision.
According to a secret US cable released by WikiLeaks , Gandhi has also promised to write a book detailing the tense moments on the issue of who will become prime minister after the Congress-led UPA emerged victorious in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections.
Stating that she is often asked why she turned down the top job, Italian-born Gandhi told a visiting US dignitary in New Delhi in 2006 that "I am often asked about this, but tell people that I will write a book someday with the whole story."
The 2006 cable details Gandhi's meeting with Maria Shriver, the First Lady of California and wife of Governor Arnold Shwarznegger. It is is titled 'A Garrulous Sonia Gandhi Opens Up to Maria Shriver'.
Reporting the meeting, the cable says about Gandhi: "She would only say that she 'felt better' that someone else became PM and 'did not regret' her decision."
"Shriver congratulated Mrs Gandhi for her resoluteness and described her as 'courageous.'"
The cable adds: "She (Gandhi) elaborated, at Karan Singh's insistence, saying that she was under lots of pressure, as the 'party workers' were 'very upset.' They 'could not understand' why she, as party President, was not taking up the post, since they had voted for her and won a majority."
Describing what appeared to be a very cordial meeting, the cable says Gandhi opened up and "revealed a rare glimpse of herself.
"Usually withdrawn and reserved in public, she spoke at great length and radiated confidence on women's issues and some aspects of her private life".
It was the rise of the BJP and right-wing politics that "compelled" her to enter politics, despite much reluctance, according to the cable.
The cable says: "In a candid revelation of her personal political stance, Mrs Gandhi stated that 'the right (wing) was becoming strong in India and Congress weak,' tipping her hand and 'compelling' her to enter politics to protect the Gandhi family legacy.
"She also revealed that her children were 'not keen' about the idea, but eventually told her, 'whatever you decide, we will back you.'"
Gandhi, the cable says, revealed that her parents objected to her marriage to Rajiv Gandhi and she "resented their position" and went ahead and married him anyway.
WikiLeaks: Sonia "felt better" that someone else became PM in 2004Economic Times - 1 hour agoLONDON: After stepping aside in favour of Manmohan Singh to head the new UPA government in 2004, Congress President Sonia Gandhi "felt better" that someone else became prime minister and did not regret her decision. According to a secret US cable ... Wikileaks: Rahul Gandhi warned of Hindu terror threatBBC News - 42 minutes agoRahul Gandhi, widely tipped as a future Indian PM, believed Hindu radicals might be a greater threat than Islamist militants, diplomatic cables reveal. According to Wikileaks, Mr Gandhi told a US envoy last year there was some support among Indian ... After Rahul, WikiLeaks reveals Sonia's 'truth'Oneindia - 31 minutes agoNew delhi, Dec 17: The shocking expositions by whistleblower WikiLeaks on Dec 17 seem to create trouble for Congress. First it revealed the controversial statement of Rahul Gandhi on Hindu terror, now it took a hand on Congress president Sonia Gandhi. ...
VHP condemns Rahul Gandhi's statement on Hindu extremistsDaily News & Analysis - 42 minutes agoPlace: Panaji | Agency: PTI All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Rahul Gandhi's statement on Hindu extremists is condemned by Vishwa Hindu Parishad terming it as a vote bank politics. "His statement is a symbol of vote bank politics ... WikiLeaks release: BJP has a habit of politicising issues, says TiwariSify - 35 minutes agoCongress spokesperson Manish Tiwari on Friday slammed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over their reaction to Rahul Gandhi's statement on radical Hindu groups, which was released by WikiLeaks cable, saying they have a habit of politicising issues. ... WikiLeaks: Sonia Gandhi criticised in 2007 cableNDTV.com - 1 hour agoA couple of cables released on the website discuss assessments of Rahul and Sonia Gandhi by US diplomats and officials. One - in a cable dated August 2009 - has US Ambassador Timothy Roemer recalling a conversation where Rahul Gandhi said that Hindu ... Rahul Gandhi warned US of growth of extremist Hindu groups: WikiLeaksThe Hindu - Jason Burke - 14 hours agoA leaked US diplomatic cable from New Delhi reveals that Rahul Gandhi feared the emergence of Hindu extremist groups. File Photo: PTI Rahul Gandhi, the "crown prince" of Indian politics, told the American ambassador last year that Hindu extremist ... VHP fumes over Rahul's 'Hindu bigotry'indiablooms - John Edwards - 35 minutes agoPanaji, Dec 17 (IBNS) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi branding Hindu organizations to those dealing with 'saffron terrorism' has upset Hindu outfit Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), who claimed it as a 'vote bank' tactic by political parties. ... US embassy cables: US offers mixed opinion of Rahul GandhiThe Guardian - 16 hours agoMonday, 22 February 2010, 08:52 CONFIDENTIAL SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 000321 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS, DRL EO 12958 DECL: 02/22/2020 TAGS PGOV, PHUM, PINR, PTER, IN, EAGR SUBJECT: DELHI DIARY, JANUARY 30 - FEBRUARY 19, 2010 Classified ... Both terrorism, communalism threaten India: Rahul GandhiSify - 3 hours agoNew Delhi: Responding to the WikiLeaks cable in which he is quoted as saying that 'radicalised Hindu groups' may be a bigger problem than Islamist terrorists, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said Friday that both 'terrorism and communalism of all kinds' ... All 40 related articles » | RelatedRahul GandhiHindu Sonia Gandhi Bharatiya Janata Party Terrorism Timothy J. Roemer Timeline of articlesNumber of sources covering this story
ImagesOneindia NDTV.com The Hindu MSN India Oneindia Zee News Oneindia AsiaNews.it NDTV.com All related images »VideosRahul Gandhi warned US of Hindu extremist groups: WikiLeaks Asian News International (ANI) - 4 hours ago Radical Hindu groups pose bigger threat, Rahul told US envoy NewsX - 6 hours ago All related videos » |
US on track in 'difficult' Afghan war: ObamaAFP - Stephen Collinson - 3 hours agoWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says that the US war plan in Afghanistan is "on track," but warned that gains won by his surge strategy at a heavy human cost were fragile and reversible. Unveiling a long-awaited policy assessment on Thursday, ... Afghan war is on track: Barack ObamaThe Australian - Brad Norington - 1 hour agoBARACK Obama has tried to put a gloss on the US war effort in Afghanistan, declaring it remains on track. The US President insisted he will stick with his timetable to start withdrawing troops in July next year. But Mr Obama yesterday conceded that ... US emphasizes support to Pakistan leadershipThe Hindu - 9 hours agoPTI AP Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, right, standing with White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, left, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, center, speaks about the Afghanistan-Pakistan Annual Review, Thursday, Dec. ...
Intelligence Reports Offer Dim Views of Afghan WarNew York Times - Elisabeth Bumiller, Mark Mazzetti - Dec 14, 2010WASHINGTON — As President Obama prepares to release a review of American strategy in Afghanistan that will claim progress in the nine-year-old war there, two new classified intelligence reports offer a more negative assessment and ... Report Shows How Pakistan Still Bedevils ObamaNew York Times - David E. Sanger - 15 hours agoWASHINGTON — When the Obama administration began earlier this year to assess its progress in Afghanistan and Pakistan, some officials suggested reversing the usual bureaucratic shorthand and calling it the "PakAf review. ... NATO Push Deals Taliban a Setback in KandaharNew York Times - Carlotta Gall - Dec 15, 2010Rodrigo Abd/AP A street in Kandahar, Afghanistan. According to Afghans with Taliban contacts, the insurgents have lost their hold on all the districts around the city. By CARLOTTA GALL and RUHULLAH KHAPALWAK KABUL, Afghanistan — As the Obama ... Analysis: Four more years of war in AfghanistanCNN International - Peter Bergen - 5 hours agoDave Hancock, a veteran from the war in Vietnam, participates in an anti-war protest in front of the White House on Thursday. NATO will continue to have some kind of role in Afghanistan, likely advising and training ... Taliban ambush British soldiers in AfghanistanTelegraph.co.uk - 4 hours agoThe gunfire exchange between men from the 5th Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland (5 Scots) and the Taliban only lasted a short while before the insurgents fled. As well as taking on the Taliban, the footage shows the soldiers walking through ... Obama's Remarks on the Strategy in AfghanistanNew York Times - 14 hours agoGood morning, everybody. When I announced our new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan last December, I directed my national security team to regularly assess our efforts and to review our progress after one year. That's what we've done consistently ... Mullen Expresses Impatience With Pakistan on VisitNew York Times - Thom Shanker - Dec 14, 2010ISLAMABAD — America's top military officer visited the Pakistani capital on Tuesday, carrying what he called a strong sense of "strategic impatience" with the government here over its failure to clear insurgents from border safe havens ... All 3,739 related articles » | RelatedTalibanBarack Obama NATO Afghanistan Pakistan Timeline of articlesNumber of sources covering this story
ImagesThe Hindu New York Times CNN Internation... New York Times Los Angeles Tim... Aljazeera.net The Guardian The Guardian All related images »VideosDramatic footage of Taliban ambush ITN NEWS - 13 hours ago Obama: Significant Progress In Afghanistan War The UpTake - 16 hours ago Obama: 'Significant Progress' Hindering Al-Qaida The Associated Press - 20 hours ago WPRI.com - Dec 15, 2010 All related videos » |
US eyes huge trade in India's tier II, III cities
MADURAI: The United States would focus on tier II and III cities in India for increasing trade as they offer huge business potential, US Commercial Consul for South India Aileen Nandi has said.
"There is huge potential for trade in India in Tier II and Tier III cities and the US Commercial Services (USCS) in India will focus on them," she said at an interaction with members of Madurai District Tiny and Small Scale Industries Association here last evening.
India's exports to the US stand at USD 21 billion per annum while it imports USD 16 billion worth goods from the country, Nandi said, adding that the Indian market was growing at a faster pace.
While textile sector and jewellery form majority of Indian goods headed to the US, aircraft components and medical equipment were most bought items from the America, she said.
She said the US trade was now centered around metros like Delhi and Mumbai, but this would change in due course with the efforts taken by the USCS wherein focus would be given to other cities too.
Overall, the potential for doing business with India was high, though as of now the country stood 13th among business partners of the US, she said.
On import duty, she said USCS had requested the Indian Government to reduce the duty on various products. "At present for any company, the import duty costs around 28 per cent of the product cost and we are working towards bringing it down as Indian market is price sensitive."
On other target areas of USCS, she said it also focussed on student exchange programmes and partnership with educational institutions.
Over the years, the number of Indian students in the US had been surpassed by Chinese students. USCS would work towards taking India back to number one position in this area.
She said energy efficiency was a major area in which her department was focussing in Tamil Nadu. It had been advising on alternative energy solutions, including solar power.
Manufacturers should come up with specific products they would be able to supply when it comes to bilateral trade. The US companies were interested in investing in rubber industries. A delegation in this regard would take part in Rubber India Fair to be held in Chennai next month, she said.
Nandi also said the US Secretary of Commerce would visit India in February acompanied by 74 major US companies. Responding to a request from the Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, she assured to help if a delegation wanted to visit US to explore opportunities in the US market.
India's economic recovery 'losing steam', says OECD
LONDON/NEW DELHI: Contrary to forecasts of India seeing good growth momentum in coming months, Paris-based OECD today cautioned the country's economic recovery appears to be "losing steam".
"There are signs of regained growth momentum in the Chinese economy owing to a strengthening of investment and retail sales. India's economic recovery appears to be losing steam," it said.
OECD comprises of a grouping of mostly developed nations that account for over 60 per cent of the global economic output.
Observation by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) came even as Indian economy recorded robust growth of 8.9 per cent in the first half of this fiscal and the Government projecting the economy to expand by up to over 9 per cent this fiscal.
The observation is based on OECD's Asian Business Cycle Indicators (ABCIs), which looks at the short term economic climate of Asian economies.
ABCI is mainly based on composite index (that assesses change in economic fluctuations) and diffusion index (that provides a broader picture of overall economic activity).
Meanwhile, in Mid-Year Analysis, tabled by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in Parliament last week, the economy was projected to expand by 8.75 per cent plus or minus 0.35 per cent this fiscal.
However, Mukherjee did caution against the crisis in Europe, which account for 36 per cent of India's exports.
Mukherjee had said if the sovereign debt crisis in Europe turns contagious and spreads, the country will not be able to immediately find new markets.
"Unless there is robust recovery in Europe, immediately we cannot shift our market and improve international trade scenario," Mukherjee had said.
After engulfing Greece, Portugal and Spain, financial mess has unfolded in Ireland.
Separately, the OECD's grouping's Composite Leading Indicators (CLIs) released today indicated that India's economic activity is seeing a slowdown.
CLI provide early signals of turning points in business cycles -fluctuations of economic activity around its long term potential level.
"Downturn signals are still evident for Canada, Italy and India, while Brazil remains in a slowdown phase," OECD said.
CLI for India was at 100.6 in October, slightly lower than 100.8 recorded in September.
The indicator stood at 100.9 in August.
Overheating, asset bubble concerns for Indian economy: Moody's
Amid projections of up to over 9 per cent growth in India . economy this fiscal, ratings firm Moody's has cautioned against overheating that can result in probable asset bubbles.
"We see risks of an overheating economy given our expectation of continued strong economic and credit growth, while real estate prices in metropolitan areas and equity markets have already recaptured their pre-crisis peaks," Moody's Vice-President Nondas Nicolaides said.
"We also see an increased risk of probable asset bubbles forming and posing a medium-to-longer-term challenge for the banking system," he said.
Overheating refers to heightened demand unmatched by equivalent supply, that leads to increase in prices. This also gives rise to asset bubble.
After recording low level of economic growth in two years of global financial crisis — 2008-09 and 2009-10 — Indian economic growth accelerated to 8.9 per cent in the first half. Mid-Year Analysis, tabled in Parliament recently, has projected the economy to grow by up to over 9 per cent this fiscal.
Equity benchmark index Sensex is hovering around 20,000 points, and had gone very near earlier this year to the peak of over 21,000 points, recorded in pre-crisis level.
Moody's said even real estate prices in metropolitan cities have recorded their pre-crisis level.
Even as probable asset bubbles pose a risk for banks, Moody's said regulatory limits on Indian banks' exposures to sensitive sectors, including capital markets, somewhat temper its concerns.
Also, the asset quality pressures faced by Indian banks over the past two years will moderate, Nicolaides added.
Besides, Moody's said said the outlook for the Indian banking sector is stable due to favourable operating conditions, good capital levels retail deposit funding base.
It said that the credit outlook for the banking sector in the country is likely favourable for next 12-18 months.
"The outlook for India's banking system remains stable, reflecting favourable operating conditions, solid capital levels that remain sound in stressed scenario analysis, a strong retail deposit funding base, and sound liquidity," Moody's Investors Service said in its new Banking System Outlook on India.
"The banking system outlook expresses Moody's expectations for the fundamental credit conditions in this banking system over the next 12-18 months," it added.
Moody's outlook comes at a time when the Reserve Bank has announced plans to inject Rs 48,000 crore into the system through purchase of government securities, technically called open market operations (OMO).
17 DEC, 2010, 04.19PM IST,TNN
Chennai beats Mumbai to become second most competitive city
CHENNAI: An educated workforce and good logistics infrastructure are two of the factors that have propelled Chennai up the City Competitiveness Rankings , from no. 4 last year to no. 2 this year.The report, released earlier this month by the Institute for Competitiveness (IFC), New Delhi, says Chennai has overtaken Bangalore in the rankings and edged out Mumbai for the second spot. Delhi continues to hold its rank as the most competitive city to do business in the country. The report bases its rankings on infrastructure, business environment and about 800 other indicators, taken from data released by various government departments. Fifty Indian cities were included in the report.
As per the report, Delhi is no.1, Chennai holds the second spot, Mumbai is in slot three and Bengaluru and Kolkata are in places four and five, respectively. The rise of tier-two cities such as Ahmedabad and Pune indicate an improvement in governance, municipal efficiency, physical infrastructure and workforce. Mumbai, the report says, has slipped in its ranking due to the worsening state of its infrastructure. Other cities on the list are Chandigarh, Surat, Gurgaon, Coimbatore and Kochi.
IFC is affiliated to Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness , Harvard Business School , and its report is based on factors such as demand conditions, context for firm strategy and rivalry, and support and related industries.
The report cites the large number of educational institutions and the strong culture of education in Chennai as working to its advantage. It also draws attention to people's strong communication skills as well as their innovativeness.
While the report says the city is a good place to do business, especially for manufacturing and IT companies, due to the good physical infrastructure and logistics such as the presence of a port and airport, it also adds that Chennai has to improve its performance on the administrative side.
It currently takes 34 days to start a new business in Chennai as opposed to the average of 30 days in the rest of the country. "The cost of doing business in Chennai is marginally lower than Mumbai, Bangalore or Hyderabad," says Kalyan Kumar G , CEO of Beecon Business Consulting , adding that the city is a good place to do business. "Except for problems with electricity, most policies of the state government are industry-friendly and this has contributed to the city's competitive edge," he says.
Saffron terror
This article is an orphan, as few or no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from related articles; suggestions may be available. (April 2010) |
Saffron terror[1] is a controversial phrase used to describe acts of right-wing terror in India,[2] allegedly inspired by Hindu nationalism. The phrase "saffron terror" is a neologism which entered public debate in India following the 29 September 2008 western India bombings.[3]
Contents[hide] |
[edit] Investigations and allegations
Bomb blasts in India which have been perpetrated by Hindu extremist organisations include 2006 Malegaon blasts, Mecca Masjid bombing (Hyderabad), and the Ajmer Sharif Dargah Blast[4][5][6][7][8]
It was in the aftermath of the September 29 bomb blast in the predominantly Muslim town of Malegaon in Maharashtra that the terms Saffron Terror and Hindutva Terror came to be used widely in various medias.[9] However, the accused parties confessed to police on narco-analysis that they conspired with Muslim groups for the blasts.[10] However, Purohit allegedly admitted that a splinter group with tenuous ties to him had executed two blasts in India, which prompted investigators to look into the blasts in Ajmer and Hyderabad.[11]
Three men accused of the 2006 Malegaon bombings, including Lt Col Shrikant Purohit of the India army and Pragya Singh Thakur, have been described as representing Saffron terror.[12][13] Purohit was also accused of being involved in the 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings until the role of Pakistani terrorist Asif Zamani was unearthed.[14][15] A United States Department of the Treasury report links these bombings to Lashkar-e-Taiba and Al-Qaeda.[16]
While the United Progressive Alliance-led central government has claimed that Abhinav Bharat was behind the Mecca Masjid bombing,[17] the South Asia Terrorism Portal,[18] the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses,[19] the United States,[20] and the United Nations[21] have asserted that the Islamic outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami was actually behind the attacks. Noting this, security analyst Bahukutumbi Raman has questioned "the two different versions that have emerged from Indian and American investigators."[16] On September 22, 2010 a report submitted by the United States National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) to the United States Department of Homeland Security, named HuJi responsible for the blasts. The CBI claimed in their response that the NCTC "do not seem to be updated with developments in the case"[22]
Members of Abhinav Bharat have recently been alleged to have been involved in a plot to kill Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh President Mohan Bhagwat.[23] allegedly with the help of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence.[24] Headlines Today released a recorded video tested by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory which indicated the uncovering of an alleged plot to assassinate the Vice President of India Hamid Ansari.[25]
[edit] Usage
It was in the aftermath of the September 29 bomb blast in the predominantly Muslim town of Malegaon in Maharashtra that these terms came to be used widely.[26] In late 2008, Indian police arrested members of a Hindu radical cell allegedly involved in an attack Malegaon which killed 7 Muslims.[27] For incidents like these, Saffron terror has been used synonymously with Anti-Muslim terrorism or Anti-Muslim reprisals.[28]
Kanchan Gupta and Swapan Dasgupta, both journalists, have accused investigators of leaking statements about saffron terror to the media to promote the agenda of the Indian National Congress,[29][30]
The BJP's former president, Rajnath Singh, has denounced claims of Hindu terrorists as "vilification of Hindu saints and army officers in the name of Hindu terrorism".[31]
Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh had been raising the issue of "Hindutva terrorism" at least since October 2008 when he wrote about it to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,[32] statements that earned criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party and a show-cause notice from the Election Commission of India.[33] P. Chidambaram urged Indians to beware of "Saffron terror" on August 25, 2010. This was the first time the word was "officially" used by the Indian National Congress-led government.[1] Since making the remark, a Hindu Swami in the Patan district has filed a defamation lawsuit against Chidambaram, on the grounds that the saffron color is a conventional Hindu symbol and worn regularly by Hindu religious clergy, and that Chidambaram has hurt the sentiments of Hindus by linking the symbol to terrorism.[34] Chidambaram responded by stating "I cannot claim patent on the phrase."[35] On September 6, 2010 a Gujarat court ordered a probe into the use of the term by Chidambaram.[36] Chidambaram was also criticized by members of his own party (the Indian National Congress) for the use of the term, with Congress spokesman Janardhan Dwivedi claiming "terrorism does not have any colour other than black".[37] However, it has more than often been proved that the term "Hindu terror" is used more for the political agenda of some political parties seeking to garner the minority vote share in India. Several people say that just because some of the perpetrators of the crime are Hindu, their acts should not be linked to Hinduism, a view seemingly endorsed by many in India.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Beware of saffron terror too, warns home minister". economictimes.indiatimes.com. Economic Times. 2010-08-26. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/Beware-of-saffron-terror-too-warns-home-minister/articleshow/6436164.cms. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- ^ PC defends 'saffron terror' remark Deccan Herald - September 1, 2010
- ^ Zubair Ahmed (21 November 2008). "Hindu terrorism debate grips India". BBC News (BBC). http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7739541.stm. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
- ^ Dip Your Nib In Scepticism OutlookIndia.com, Editorial, 06-21-2010. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
- ^ RSS members behind Hyderabad, Ajmer blasts IBNLive.in.com, 05-14-2010. Retrieved 16-06-2010.
- ^ The Rise Of Hindutva Terrorism OutlookIndia.com, 05-11-2010. Retrieved 16-06-2010.
- ^ Investigators have neglected 'Hindu terror' for a long time DNAIndia.com, 05-19-2010. Retrieved 16-06-2010.
- ^ Malegaon, Ajmer, Hyderabad blasts. Joining the dots IndianExpress.com, 04-10-2010. Retrieved 16-06-2010.
- ^ "Malegaon probe: Business houses on ATS radar". Rediff.com. 2008-11-19. http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/nov/19atsmale-malegaon-probe-business-houses-on-ats-radar.htm. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- ^ "Swami Dayanand Pande reveals source of RDX". Mumbai Mirror. 2008-11-22. http://www.mumbaimirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=2&contentid=2008112220081122030223279b62155fb.
- ^ "Hyderabad, Ajmer blasts: Why probe took wrong turn". indianexpress.com. 2010-07-26. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/hyderabad-ajmer-blasts-why-probe-took-wrong-turn/651655/0. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- ^ "Army in crisis over saffron terror stain, IBN – November 7, 2008". Ibnlive.in.com. 2010-02-03. http://ibnlive.in.com/news/army-in-crisis-over-saffron-terror-stain/77589-3.html?fads=ads. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- ^ Battleground heats up as the Hand plucks at the Lotus, one petal at a time Tehelka
- ^ "Treasury Targets Al Qaida and Lashkar-E Tayyiba Networks in Pakistan". US Treasury. 1 July 2009. http://www.ustreas.gov/press/releases/tg192.htm.
- ^ TNN (2009-02-14). "US names Pak man for blasts on Samjhauta". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Times of India. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Samjhauta-blast-US-names-Pak-man/articleshow/4126714.cms. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- ^ a b Bahukutumbi Raman (7 August 2010). "Arrest of Some Hindus as Terrorists- Getting Curiouser & Curiouser". South Asia Analysis Group. http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/%5Cpapers40%5Cpaper3971.html. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
- ^ Vishwa Mohan, TNN (2010-08-08). "HuJI ban takes no note of 'Hindu terror' role". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Times of India. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/HuJI-ban-gives-new-twist-to-Mecca-Masjid-blast-case/articleshow/6272245.cms. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- ^ "Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI)". SATP.org. http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/jandk/terrorist_outfits/HuJI.htm. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- ^ "HuJI after the Death of its India Chief". IDSA.in. 2008-02-13. http://www.idsa.in/idsastrategiccomments/HuJIaftertheDeathofitsIndiaChief_TKSingh_130208. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- ^ ET Bureau (2010-08-08). "US, UN declare HuJI as terrorist organisation". economictimes.indiatimes.com. Times of India. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/features/the-sunday-et/dateline-india/US-UN-declare-HuJI-as-terrorist-organisation/articleshow/6272775.cms. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
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Palash Biswas
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http://nandigramunited-banga.blogspot.com/
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