Probe into Maharashtra's Muslim boy-Hindu girl marriages

MUMBAI: Maharashtra’s criminal investigation department (CID) meant to probe high-profile cases will now investigate love affairs that have resulted in marriages between Hindu girls and Muslim boys.

CID has been told to check whether Muslim boys are enticing Hindu girls as part of a ‘conspiracy’. Minister of state for home (rural) Nitin Raut had announced this in the assembly on the last day of Maharashtra’s budget session a fortnight back.

Participating in a calling attention notice, Eknath Khadse and Devendra Fadnavis had said young Muslim boys in rural areas were wooing Hindu college girls and then marrying them. According to them, this was part of a ‘conspiracy’ to increase the population of the community. Khadse even alleged that some Hindu girls had been sent to Gulf.

In his reply, Raut admitted such incidents were happening. ‘‘I will initiate an inquiry into this,’’ the minister had promised. But the opposition demanded that he order a CID probe as the issue was serious. Subsequently, Raut gave in to their demands.

CID chief SPS Yadav said, ‘‘We have yet to receive the order. The first thing we will have to do is to check whether such an inquiry is in consonance with the CID manual. If not, we will inform the government about the norms,’’ he said. ‘‘If government persists, we will decide on how to carry out these investigations.’’

Raut’s announcement has not gone down well with his cabinet colleagues and leaders of the Muslim community. Senior NCP leader and labour minister Nawab Malik said BJP has political interest in raising such issues.

Congress leader and minister of state for home (urban) Arif Naseem Khan said there is no provision in law where member of a particular community can be stopped from marrying a girl\boy of another community. ‘‘If any case where a girl\boy is pressurised into getting married to member of other community, the offender should be certainly punished,’’ he added.

Refuting the allegations made by Malik and Khan, Fadnavis said, ‘‘Had we wanted to politicise the issue, we would have carried out morcha and protest, instead we demanded CID inquiry that shows that our intention was not to gain political mileage of the issue.’’

No Lalgarh in red China

Tarun Vijay

The Chinese are patriotic people. They don't allow any Lalgarhs to emerge with Maoists of some sort championing the cause of the poor by killing
security personnel.

They have a portrait of Mao at the Tiananmen square but have reduced his biographies in textbooks to almost a formal mention. It's nationalism everywhere, staunch, undiluted and single-minded "China first".

I am writing this column from Kolkata, once known as the red bastion. The home to Naxalbari, a fertile ground for violent Maoism and a hotbed of Bangladeshi infiltrators who have been sheltered by the Left Front leaders to get their votes. Can we, anyway, compare the Indian communists to the communists of China in their patriotism?

The Chinese hunger to gain more knowledge, more military power, more prosperity and definitely a decisive say in global matters has become one of the most significant stories of our times. Chinese cities are bubbling with unprecedented activities of resurgence, economy is booming, new city centres and SEZs are being created, students are finding new universities focused on special niche subjects, everyone from everywhere is invited to invest in China, make money and at the same time transfer technology, their entrepreneurs are set to take over even the US car industry replacing the Japanese. From African countries to the Indian region, their presence is increasing each day if not overshadowing others completely.

President Hu represents a major policy shift in China since Jiang Zemin's regime. He changed the earlier "city first" policy into rural area-focused planning, pumping millions of RNBs into the rural sector. If the "China first" policy and the undiluted dynamism to make China No. 1 in the world is their side of an unbelievable story, India's emergence on the world stage showing strength of knowledge and technology, prosperity and stability with an excellent record of multiparty democracy, secular pluralism and a living civilisation dating back 5,000 years is an amazing tale of mystery and curiosity for the dragon land.

India too has moved far ahead and with a strong China policy, which has not lost its continuity since Rajiv Ghandhi's days, China certainly looks at us with a bit of disbelief -- capable of springing a surprise any time.

With a shift in the global power centres imminent, China is yet to make up its mind for a new global strategy post-Deng era. Hence it is adopting a hedging strategy without siding clearly with any power centre and keeping its options open.

The only factor that China thinks will help it is a strong urge to remain nationalist. It was quite evident wherever I went in Beijing and around it.

Beijing has always looked shrouded in mystery. Yet, the misty afternoon looked a bit out of place in this new age of reforms sweeping China. It was 3 in the afternoon and the Beijing airport was enveloped in the winter haze.

Our Toyota took about 25 minutes to reach the hotel, not very far from Tiananmen Square. These minutes give a foreigner an elegant introduction to the brave new world of progress and power.

China is changing fast and with a great sense of patriotism. There is simply no trace of the old Communism here. The will to succeed and emerge a superpower has driven Chinese leadership to go full steam for reforms and market economy. It’s a real Laksmi Pujan going on there. The new path has been named "Socialism with Chinese characteristics". How does the name matter if it brings prosperity to the millions of people the most populated nation. The new policies have changed the face of this nation but have also brought new problems.

Though unlike India, China began opening up and implemented reforms only after having its agriculture and the manufacturing sector strengthened. Then it aimed to quadruple its GNP of 1980 by the end of 2000, which it achieved in 1995, five years ahead of the schedule. Now it has set an objective to double the GNP of 2000 by 2010 and reach the level of a fully developed nation by 2050.

It has controlled the population growth, increased the defence budget to $22.4 billion, has taken the industrial growth to 12.6% , remains as hard as ever on Tibet and other such issues, taken control of Hong Kong and Macao, doesn’t care about Taiwan’s gestures and indications to come back, in fact the biggest investors to China come from that land.

How real is this new incarnation of the old Maoist totalitarian regime?

China is facing challenges on two major fronts. First, finding a position geopolitically commensurate with its newly gained status on the diplomatic front and cultural and administrative reforms domestically.

On the cultural front China is encountering a vacuum created by the Cultural Revolution. There is no visible cultural inspiration left to the younger generation, which is fast getting Americanised. Mr. Jin Jianfan, chairman of the Chinese Academy to protect and promote national Culture told me that they are very concerned about the growing Americanization of the Chinese youth. Sudden prosperity has brought the youngsters to pubs, night clubs, and has made them discard old Chinese values. Money alone makes a society wayward and prone to the alien effects which may not be good for the country. So, the Chinese are devoting a great deal of time to make the new generation proud of their national heritage.

Civilisational and cultural pride in their national history and heritage has become so visible and underlined at every monument of the historical importance that one wonders whether one is in a land of believers or atheist communists. In this context it would be interesting to know that Buddha, though more in a political and a strategic way, is returning to China in a big way.

In the field of administrative reforms, corruption is rampant in the party, in the administration, in the entire state-run machinery. Several important functionaries, industrialists, party office bearers including a vice governor of Anhui province Wang Huaizhong were executed for taking bribes. Whether the anti-corruption would succeed or not is yet to be seen.

Indian communist should certainly take a lesson from their former ideological masters about how to love your nation. One must concede that China does not have a multiparty system of democracy and neither has it had freedom of the press that we enjoy here. There may be a few who attribute the astonishing progress of China to its totalitarian system of decision making, Yet, a democratic India guaranteeing freedom of speech and the right to exercise democratic privileges, remains a "mystifying threat" to the Chinese hagemonistic ambitions.

"Embrace Islam or pay Jazia"

Hindus in Battagram District of NWFP told to embrace Islam or pay tax

Chief of the Hindu community in the Battagram city of Battagram District said on June 28 that the Taliban had threatened them to pay Jazia (tax) or accept Islam, Dawn reported. “It depends on you to choose between Jazia and Islam otherwise you would face abduction and suicide attacks,” Dr Oam Parkash quoted the Taliban as saying. He said that so far he had received two calls during the last two days: first by a Taliban commander and then by a militant. “They demanded Rs6 million from me,” the Hindu leader added. The Taliban is reported to have threatened that “if you or any other member of your community were kidnapped then we will not release the kidnapped person even after payment of Rs10 million as ransom”. Parkash said that he had made clear to both callers that the Hindus in the region were not in a position to pay such a huge amount. Parkash said that 15 Hindu families were living in Battagram but none of them had enmity with anyone in the District. “The government should take precautionary measures to protect the Hindu community as the Taliban have threatened even to target our place of worship in Battagram,” he added.

"I shall not allow the sacrifice of my parents to go in vein "- Godhra Victim

Ahmedabad: The torching of coach S-6 of the Sabarmati Express on February 27, 2002, was planned, said Gayatri Panchal (24), whose parents and two sisters were killed in the carnage incident.

Charges have been framed against 100 people accused in the case. The dates for the recording of evidence have also been fixed. Evidence in the case will be recorded on July 1, 2, 5, 6, 7 and 8. The Gujarat Police had submitted 19 chargesheets in the case, in which the accused were charged under the provisions of the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), among others.

Gayatri’s Disclosure

On the 27th February, the Ahmedabad bound Sabarmati Express, carrying
karsevaks from Ayodhya was barbarously attacked and burnt at Godhra in which around 60 karsevaks laid their lives. Gayatri Panchal a young eleventh class student was also amongst those who were returning from Ayodhya. She is a surviving witness to the inhuman atrocious cruelty in which right in front of her eyes two of her sisters and parents were burnt alive.

Harshadbhai Panchal, a resident of Ramol, left for karseva at Ayodhya on the 22nd February, together with his wife Neetaben and three daughters, Pratiksha, Chhaya and Gayatri. His sister in law, her son, her neighbour Poojaben and her would be husband were also accompanying him.

All of them were returning to Ahmedabad along with several other karsevaks. Harshadbhai and his family, Poojaben and her husband were in one compartment. While his sister in law and her husband and their son were in another compartment. The only survivor out of these ten, Gayatri, says about this horrible event that, “On the 27th morning, at around 8 a.m. the train left Godhra Station.



The karsevaks


were loudly chanting the Ram Dhoon. The train had hardly gone ½ Km., when it suddenly stopped. Somebody had perhaps pulled the chain to stop the train. Before anybody could know what had happened, we saw a huge mob approaching the train. People were carrying weapons like Gupti, Sphere, Swords and such other deadly weapons in their hands and were throwing stones at the train. We all got frightened and some how closed the windows and the doors of the compartment. People outside were shouting loudly, saying “Maro, Kato” and were attacking the train. A loudspeaker from the Masjid close by was also very loudly shouting “Maro, Kato, Laden na dushmano ne Maro.” These attackers were so fierce that they managed to break the windows and close the doors from outside before pouring petrol inside and setting the compartment on fire so that nobody could escape alive. A number of attackers entered the compartment and were beating the karsevaks and looting their belongings. The compartments were drenched in petrol all over. We were terrified and were shouting for help but who was there to help us? A few policemen were later seen approaching the compartment but they were also whisked away by the furious mob outside. There was so much of smoke in the compartment that we were unable to see each other and also getting suffocated. Going out was too difficult, however myself and Pooja some how managed to jump out through the windows. Pooja was hurt in her back and was unable to stand up. People outside were trying to hold us to take us away but we could escape and run under the burning train and succeeded in crawling towards the cabin. I have seen my parents and sisters being burnt alive right in front of my eyes.” Luckily, by the grace of God, Gayatri was not hurt too badly. “We somehow managed to go up to the station and meet our aunty (Masi). After the compartments were completely burnt the crowd started withering. We saw that even amongst them were men, women and youngsters like us both male as well as female. I returned here after evacuating the dead bodies of my family members at Godhra Station. Out of 18 of us ten had laid their lives.”

Gayatri’s father was a carpenter whereas her mother worked in the Madhyanha Bhojana Yojna (i.e. Mid-day meal scheme), her elder sister Pratiksha was serving in the Collectorate.

In spite of what had happened, Gayatri still feels that she would any time once again venture to go for karseva. She says, “I shall not allow the sacrifice of my parents to go in vein.”

Hindu priest moving after racial attack in Belfast

Hindu priest moving after attack


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8117538.stm


A Hindu priest and his family who live at the Indian Community Centre in north Belfast have said they are planning to move out.

It follows an attack on the Clifton Street property last week, which they believe was racially motivated.

A gang of youths tried to break down the door of the centre while the priest's wife was alone inside.

Stones were also thrown at the building and the gang tried to take grills off the windows to get inside.

The family said they were too afraid to speak publicly about the incident at the time.

According to Bidit Dey, who works at the centre, police did not make any contact with the priest's wife after the attack.

"They did not actually stop by or call in to see her. This would have reassured them," he said.

CPM’s very own Cancer Ward

Balbir Punj

India’s Marxists invariably claim to speak on behalf of the people as if they have a patent on what the people think. In their Orwellian world, the party and the people are one — that is, whoever is with the party is with the people, and whoever is against the party is anti-people.

Last month’s general election results rubbished this notion and cut the Marxists to size in both their strongholds — West Bengal and Kerala. It may be recalled that CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat had boasted that he was acting on behalf of the people when he withdrew support to the UPA Government last year over the India-US civilian nuclear cooperation agreement. Needless to say, the CPI(M) subsequently fell flat on its face.

The repeated reference to ‘American imperialism’ by the Marxists did not create even a ripple among the electorate. Instead, these self-styled guardians of secularism, who backed Islamists in Kerala and West Bengal in a bid to win over the Muslim community, got a rude shock when a large section of Muslims deserted them in the two States.

In West Bengal, the electoral humiliation that the CPI(M) faced prompted talks of removing Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. Whereas in Kerala the Marxists are in complete disarray. The party’s Kerala State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan was at war with his own Chief Minister, Mr VS Achuthanandan, even during the height of the Lok Sabha election campaign.

At the centre of the conflict is Mr Vijayan’s dubious role in the Rs 300 crore SNC Lavalin scam. The deal — to retrofit three hydro electric generators in the State — was inked when Mr Vijayan was the State Power Minister in the late-1990s. The public sector firm, BHEL, had offered to do the job for a much lower price, but was still denied the contract.

It is shocking that before the deal was finalised, the Canadian company, SNC Lavalin, was a consultant to the Kerala Government on the project. But suddenly it chose to apply for the tender itself. This goes against all business ethics. For, as a general rule the consultant for a project cannot also bid for it.

In the wake of the criticism that the deal attracted, SNC Lavalin offered to provide equipment for a cancer hospital in Cannore to ‘compensate’ for the high price it had quoted for the project. In the end, neither did the cancer hospital equipment come nor was the firm able to execute its job satisfactorily, drawing strong rebuke from both the CAG and the State Assembly.


The CBI found that the Cabinet note prepared by the then principal secretary of the Energy Department had misled the State Government deliberately on four major points. The note had misinformed the Government that the project for modernisation was as per the MOU. The note had also not mentioned that there was no signed agreement on the Canadian firm’s offer to supply cancer treatment equipment.

The order for the supply of equipment for the modernisation of the power plants was decided without calling global tenders — the Cabinet note did not mention this. Nor did the note reflect the Central Electricity Authority’s view that there was no need for this modernisation project. The CBI also found that the Cabinet was not informed that the State Government could withdraw from the deal if it wanted. In addition to this, even though the Canadian firm claimed that it had deposited Rs 32 crore in the account of the cancer hospital, this has been found to be false.

The UDF Government in 2005 revealed that the Canadian firm wanted a ‘No Objection Certificate’ from the State Government for the supply of equipment it had offered for the cancer hospital. But the departmental report on the work done by the firm was so skeptical about the quality of the equipment that it refused to give any such NOC.

In effect, the deal was a total fiasco. Neither did it result in quality work with respect to the modernisation of Kerala’s power plants, nor did it lead to the cancer hospital getting some new treatment equipment. SNC Lavalin took the Government’s money and provided the latter with some shoddy service for which it charged far more than what it deserved to be paid.

All this while the people of Kerala were watching this twisted drama. Mr VS Achuthanandan, a political rival of Mr Vijayan, has let it be known privately that he was in favour of the CBI’s request to prosecute the latter even though his Cabinet had unanimously advised the Governor to reject the decision. Now that the Governor, Mr RS Gavai, has given his assent to the CBI’s request, the Marxists have been holding demonstrations against him.

Thus, even as the Marxists fear the worst in West Bengal, their only other base, Kerala, is fast slipping out of their grip. Mr Prakash Karat used to bully the first Manmohan Singh Government, but now he himself is fighting to retain his position within the CPI(M). So much for the Marxist dogma that the ‘party is the people’.

As India is a Secular Nation, Non Hindus can be employed in Temple - AP Government

Hyderabad: The Congress government in AP is pursuing their Anti Hindu agenda and Temple destructive policies - The justification for all these Policies are vested around SECULARISM!

In a highly objectionable move AP Endowment Ministry is going ahead with the appointment of Non Hindus in AP temple as staff.Recently Christians were employed at famous Annavaram Temple.

While responding to press , Minister for Endowments, Stamps and Registration Gade Venkata Reddy said there should be no objection to employment of non-Hindus in Hindu temples as India is a secular State.