"Banned outfit Ulfa has termed central government’s attitude towards the flood affected people of Assam as discriminatory. Already Central government’s Rs 1000 Crore relief package to Bihar has snowballed into a major controversy in Assam with couple of organizations attacking chief minister Tarun Gogoi for failing to secure a similar relief package for Assam."[Source: Economic Times]

I don't blame them. The discrimination against North east is just so obvious. And am not talking about Goverment. My problem is with mainstream media. I really wonder don't anybody feel ashamed of this failure to include problems of north east as part of India's national problem.

As much as my heart cries for the flood victims of Bihar, but they are not the only one. But do we see enough coverage of the Assam Floods on the national news channels? At least I don't.

So anyway I thought of doing this. Starting from this week I'd be doing a weekly roundup on North East.

---

Assam

A total of 19 of the state's 27 districts are hit by the floods displacing about 1.5 million people and killing 17 with the overall situation continuing to be critical," Assam relief and rehabilitation minister Mr Bhumidhar Barman told IANS. A government statement said 2,500 villages were hit by the floods, affecting nearly 400,000 hectares. The cumulative figures are from the first wave of floods that began 28 May. This is the second wave of floods that began a fortnight ago." [Source: Statesman]

Two wildlife sanctuaries, famed Kaziranga National Park, a world heritage site and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary have also been severely affected. 60% of Kaziranga is under water 4 Rhinos and several deers are dead.

The state's lifeline to the rest of the country - National Highway Number 31 - has also been cut off by floodwater.[BBC]

Manipur

We thought it was only Raj Thackeray and the likes who were posing a threat to the idea of one India. Welcome to Manipur home to two dozen militant groups fighting for the past 4 decades demanding seperate homelands or regional autonomy. A number of militant groups have bases in Myanmar with Manipur sharing an unfenced border with the junta ruled country. More than 10,000 people have lost their lives to insurgency in Manipur during the past two decades.

One such militant group 'the separatist Peoples Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (Prepak) claimed responsibility of an attack on the life of Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh. They said this was a warning to Mr. Singh to mend his ways. This was the 3rd attack on Mr. Singh's life in the past 2 years.   [Source: Reuters, BBC]

A piece of good news from Manipur is that sports person Tombi Devi has done the state proud by being one of the two sportspersons from the Northeast to take part in the Beijing Olympics. Now she has been conferred the Arjuna Award for the year 2007.

The 26-year-old soft-spoken judoka was ousted in the first round of the Olympics at Beijing, but she made history by becoming one of the nine Olympians the state has so far seen being honoured with the Arjuna Award. The only other sportsperson from the region to take part in the Beijing Olympics is archer L. Bombayla Devi of Manipur, who had an early exit.

Tombi has added another feather to Mayai Lambi Sports Academy’s cap after being named among the 11 sportspersons selected for the prestigious award. [Source: Telegraph]

Tripura, Meghalaya

All across the nation you have angry citizens protesting against one thing or the other. If it's against TATA's Nano factory in Shingur then its angry students along with political parties and NGOs (of course) against mining of high-quality uranium, available in plenty in Khasi hills located in the western part of Meghalaya.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Donkapur Roy has emphasised a need to reach a consensus amongst all stake holders in the issue of Uranium mining. The Unranium Corporation of India Limited is exploring the possibility of mining in the region which has been opposed by the Khasi Students' Union on grounds of health hazards.[Source: Kangla Online, Economic Times]

Nagaland

This particular state is a total knock out. You read the news related to Nagaland and you feel like you are in Mars. Names, abbreviations, situations, incidents, political outfits nothing just nothing is familiar. You google you can't find anything. You go to wikipedia. Nothing. Zilch. I just don't get it. So far as I know only Jammu and Kashmir has a independent status in the constitution but it seems in effect Nagaland is totally independent of India.

Who is aware of something called the Hebron Camp. And an organisation called GPRN/NSCN. I don't but I should. We should. Meanwhile these are the news related to Nagaland from Morung Express.

Hebron camp continues killing spree: The immediate hurdle towards unity, peace and reconciliation of the Nagas, at a present time, is the continuous torture and killing of innocent public by Hebron Campers...The inhuman torture and killing of a civilian, Mr. Phukheto Chishi of Nihoto village once again not only raises the issue of the violation of human rights by those at Hebron Camp but also questions their pledge given to Naga frontal Organizations for reconciliation of the Nagas. The extreme torture and subsequent killing of the victim has easily stamped Hebron Camp as the perpetrators of the crime.[Morung Express]

I have no clue what is this all about. Naga reconciliation? What reconciliation? With who, on what? Who are these Hebron Campers?

Also crime against woman is on the rise in Nagaland. Dimapur has become the rape capital of the state. In the recent past there have been 3 terrible incidents of rape and murder. After the rape, and subsequent murder, of a 15 year old student of Carmel Higher Secondary School and the rape of a daughter by her father recently, the latest victim is a pregnant mother of two of Old Showuba village who was reportedly gang-raped by four college students. [News, Editorial]

Arunachal Pradesh

Assembly elections are due in Arunachal Pradesh next year so the state is having its own share of political sweet nothings. The key player being newly appointed Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee president Nabam Tuki, who is also PWD and urban development minister in the Dorjee Khandu-led Congress ministry, on August 30. In the 60 member assembly Congress has 44 MLAs and rest are all independent, so there is hardly any opposition from BJP and now Mr. Tuki's intends to regain the two Lok Sabha seats currently held by BJP. [Telegraph]

Mizoram

Nice to hear that even though Mizoram is reeling under acute famine due to bamboo flowering, there has been no starvation death thanks to proactive measures taken by the state government. That's what Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga said during the independence day celebration in the state. [Hindu]

President Pervez Musharraf resigned last Monday August 18th, 2008, in order to avoid impeachment. Now that he is out of power, his fate is undecided. The Muslim extremists want to kill him and the political parties want to eradicate him from politics.

After the President’s resignation, a suicide bomber bombed a hospital in the country. Talk about pure stupidity, out of the all the places they chose a hospital, where people go to get medical treatment. It looks as if some Pakistanis don't want to be Pakistanis.

Pakistan is truly a country of countries: Balochistan, West Punjab, Sindh, and the tribal areas (FATA). Initially it was supposed to be a democratic country for Desi Muslims, but now it’s becoming war zone.

The democratic elected government is having a hard time controlling the country, Pakistan’s future looks undecided.

If Pakistan falls then it may be bad news for Bangladesh. Pakistan is the most powerful Muslim country in the Muslim world, and it keeps a balance of power in South Asia with India. If Pakistan breaks up like 1971, then the Indian federal government may target Bangladesh for destabilization. Bangladesh is booming and regardless of the flooding, the political instability, and the corruption, the country’s economy is growing constantly with great significant developments. If Bangladesh becomes the second largest economy of South Asia, like some Indian and US financial institutions say, then it may signal some East Indian states that independence is a must. Cities of Assam, West Bengal, Tripura, Meghalaya, are all Indian states that are underdeveloped when compared to Mumbai, Bangalore, New Delhi, Hyderabad. If they see the rise of Dhaka, Sylhet, Chittagong, then East Indian states’ independence may be inevitable thus Bangladesh’s rise will be a threat to the Indian federation.

So, what ever is going on in Pakistan, it will affect Bangladesh indirectly economically, politically, and may be militarily. Let’s hope Pakistan stays together insh’Allah, because Muslims are divided already as it is; and any more division will only weaken the Muslim Ummah even more. On top of everything, millions of innocent people will die from multiple divisions of the Muslim federation.

Everything is shut-- shops, schools, colleges, offices and even the IT sector companies. There are no taxis or buses on the roads. The streets of Kolkata are completely deserted.

The strike has been called by eight major trade unions including the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and Centre for Industrial Trade Union (CITU).

Its also backed by 40 employees associations across sectors like public sector banks and airport ground handling staff.

All Delhi flights to Kolkata have been cancelled. Delhi flights to Kochi and Thiruvanthapuram in Kerala have also been affected.

Two flights from Delhi to Port Blair and Mumbai have also been cancelled.

Airports Authority of India's 22,000 employees are on strike between 7 am and 7 pm affecting ground handling at airports.

The Kolkata airport was the worst affected due to the strike. It wore a completely deserted look. Not a single flight landed at the airport since the morning.

Indian Airlines has been able to operate only two flights out of Kolkata since the morning whereas Kingfisher three and Jet Airways just one flight.

The streets of Kolkata are empty. The entire state of West Bengal has come to a standstill. No long distance train have left Howrah and Sealdah since Wednesday morning. Some passenger trains left Howrah and Sealdah but were blocked soon after.

And the flights to Kolkata which were supposed to depart from Delhi before 9.00 am and now stand cancelled are JetLite flight number S2 319, Kingfisher flight number IT 601, Indian Airlines flight number IC 401, Air India flight number AI 9401.

The effect of the strike is being felt more in the Left-ruled states of West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura.

Flights on passenger heavy routes like Kolkata, Trivandrum and Cochin have been affected.

Airport employees are protesting against privatisation of airports and rationalisation of employees' pay-scales. 250 Indian Air Force personnel have been deployed at 21 airfields across the country to ensure smooth air travel.

Not a single long distance train left from Howrah or Sealdah since morning. Some passenger trains did leave in the morning but were blocked soon after they left the station.

Many long distance trains coming to Howrah from different parts of the country are still stranded as trade union activists have blocked the railway tracks.

Banking transactions across the country will also be hit with employees' associations at all Public sector banks joining the strike, except for State Bank of India which was on strike on Monday.

The bank employees are protesting against the new economic policies of the government, especially with regards to mergers which have lead to job cuts.

Strike cripples life in West Bengal, Tripura

The 24-hour industrial strike on Wednesday paralysed the Left-ruled states of West Bengal and Tripura and affected life elsewhere in the eastern region, barring most of the North Eastern states.

Additional policemen and Rapid Action Force personnel were deployed in Kolkata to maintain law and order, though the situation was totally peaceful, Inspector General (Law and Order), Raj Kanojia said.

The protesters did not spare the IT sector in Salt Lake here from the purview of the strike. Local CPI-M MP Amitava Nandi said, "Nowhere in the country is the sector kept out of the purview of the strike."

Train and air services were disrupted in the state, while public transport was off the roads.

The picture was also the same in Tripura, the other left-ruled state in the region with government offices, banks, public sector undertakings like ONGC and GAIL India Ltd recording no attendance.

In Bihar, five left parties called a simultaneous bandh, which severely hit banking services across the state, though offices of the state government and undertakings were largely unaffected.

Air and rail services were normal in the state.

In BJD-BJP ruled Orissa, markets and business establishments were closed, with public transport off the roads in Bhubaneswar. Cuttack and the steel city of Rourkela were, however, unaffected.

In Assam, normal life was affected in parts as hundreds of CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML) and AISF picketers were picked up by the police for attempting to block trains and traffic on national highways.

Shops, markets and banks in Guwahati kept their shutters down. Though government offices were open, attendance was thin.

All flights between Guwahati and Kolkata were cancelled. However flights between the city and Delhi, Mumbai and Northeastern states remaining unaffected.

Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram were unaffected by the shutdown, though shops, markets and business establishments were closed in Manipur and attendance in government offices was below normal.

Today's strike was called by Left trade unions against surging inflation, price rise and the 'anti-people' economic policies of the Centre.

31 July, 2008, Hhowrah.org

If former Assam Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Ajay Singh's assertion of around 6000 illegal Bangladeshis entering Assam daily is even partially correct, the fate of India's North East is at stake. The horrific demographic imbalance will see Bangla migrants outnumber the entire population of the region in the next two decades.

Despite Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi shrugging off the Governor's seemingly inflated claim, the fact is that infiltration into the State remains unabated over the years. Social tension is strengthening, which is evident in the text-message campaigns in Upper Assam advocating a social and economic boycott of Bangladeshi migrants.

The moot question: is it a threat to survival or survival of the threat?

Decades back, the powerful All Assam Students Union (ASSU) had launched a bloody campaign to push Bangladeshis back to their land. Indigenous people who feared a minority status in their own land massacred thousands of Bangladeshis, including women and children, across the State. New Delhi signed an accord in 1985, but clauses on the deportation of foreigners have still not been implemented. Though there are genuine Assamese Muslims and mainland Muslims, the present influx of illegal Bangladeshis in the State threatens the country's internal security.

Today, 23 years after the agreement was signed, illegal migrants from Bangladesh remain entrenched in the state; their identification and deportation have become increasingly remote. The political parties have played a major role here by maneuvering to consolidate their electoral vote-banks.

The Assam agitation peaked in the early 1980s, but has completely dissipated due to the compromises made by the political forces that are driven by narrow interests. There is a conspiracy of silence in their political posturing that has uprooted socio- cultural-political mores. The long stretch of Assam forest bordering Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh has over the years disappeared and been systematically occupied by the illegal immigrants. The trouble is most of these illegal settlers are well equipped with valid land holding documents issued by the Assam administration.

The Nagaland Government often alleges that these illegal immigrants have even occupied the Disputed Area Belt (DAB) that leads to frequent border skirmishes.

Tripura is a case in extremes and Nagaland is the next target because of late Bangla migrants have been swarming the State. In the last few years, there has been a dramatic change in the socio-economic ethos of the State. Lack of work culture, easy money and a laid back opulent life style are the main reasons why these Muslims mostly coming from Bangladesh into Assam first are then entering Nagaland.   All the menial jobs, construction of houses, taxi driving, rickshaw pulling and cultivation are mostly done by these Muslims today. They also run almost half of the shops in Dimapur, the biggest commercial hub of the State and the capital, Kohima.  Though historically the Nagas had no links with either the Bangla or Assamese Muslims.

However, Muslims had come to Manipur from Sylhet in the 17th century during the reign of King Khagemba (1597-1652) at the invitation of Prince Sadongba. Reportedly Prince Sadongba had planned to dethrone his brother King Khagenmba with the help of these Muslims. In many battles, Manipur Kings used the services of these Muslim soldiers who were considered skilled fighters.  Many Muslim soldiers also lost their lives when Manipur suffered in the 1758 Burmese-Manipur war. Even when the British defeated Manipur in 1891, many Muslim soldiers were also killed and some were deported to Andaman and Nicobar Islands.  How can Assam have such a huge Muslim population spilling over into other parts of the region unless coming from across the international border?

Cases over IMDT

There has been a slew of court cases fought over the efficacy of the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act (IMDT) to identify and deport the illegal Bangladeshi migrants, which has led to the Supreme Court of India striking down the IMDT Act in favour of the Foreigner's Act.   Yet there have been attempts to bypass this order by amending the Foreigner's Act and providing special provisions for the state of Assam. There are some Assamese Muslim organizations that have come up in Upper Assam to tackle the identity crisis they are facing. Successive Congress governments in the state have sought to consolidate the Bangladeshi vote-bank, which has paid huge dividends. It was only during the last assembly elections in Assam that the IMDT Act was struck down by the Supreme Court and the Congress faced reverses in getting Muslim votes.

According to the 2001 Census, the Muslim population in the North-East was recorded at 8,858,543 as against 6,805,647 in 1991. Out of this, Assam's share was recorded at 8,240,611, followed by Tripura at 254,442 and Manipur at 190,939. Five other states have Muslim populations of less than one Lakh: 99,169 in Meghalaya, 10,099 in Mizoram, 35,005 in Nagaland, 7,693 in Sikkim, and 20,675 in Arunachal Pradesh. As the 2001 Census data indicates, in Assam, the overall Hindu population was 64.9 per cent as against 67.1 per cent in 1991, while the Muslim population for the corresponding years stood at 30.9 per cent and 28.4 per cent respectively. Though several factors might have contributed to this demographic change, several analysts believe that the unabated influx of illegal migrants from Bangladesh could be a major factor in this increase.

Against the backdrop of these developments, the abnormal increase in the number of madrasas in Assam numbering about 1466, of which 810 are registered, is a matter of concern. Intelligence agencies have been warning for years that many of these madrasas could be safe havens for radical elements. Surprisingly, Islamic groups have been silent on the tumultuous issue of illegal migration from Bangladesh to Assam. Intelligence inputs have expressed trepidation about these groups being instigated to violence by external Islamic groups on the pretext of safeguarding interests of minorities facing harassment at the hands of outfits spearheading the oust-Bangladeshi campaign in the region. Strategists in the Home Ministry fear that the tug-of-war over migrants of suspected Bangla origin could become the trigger for groups such as Harkat-Ul-Jehadi-Islami(HUJI) to fish in the troubled waters of the North-East.

The surfacing of these groups and their ability to strike deals with prominent outfits like the ULFA and extraneous Islamic groups has added a new twist to the multifarious security environment that besets the North East. The best antidote to counter this emerging threat is to break their nexus with groups like the ULFA and their external allies. Sitting like a lame duck on this unholy alliance will prove to be too costly for India's geopolitical security in the years ahead.

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Arvind Singhal: Liberating the retail sector

http://www.business-standard.com/common/news_article.php?leftnm=lmnu2&subLeft=3&autono=324337&tab=r

The report must be read more carefully, and with an open mind, by those vociferous elements in the UPA government (read: Left parties), Mayawati of BSP, and our own Don Quixotes going by names such as India FDI Watch.

Retail giants operating without license
Making the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation a captive, retail giants are setting up shops in various centres in the city. Big Bazaar still functions without the Corporation’s licence, said Mayor C. Jayan Babu.

ITC Chaupal Fresh expansion on hold

ITC, the fresh vegetable retailer under the brands Choupal Fresh have hit a pause on their expansion plans. Currently the company operates 24 Choupal Sagars - large format rural stores that complement the e-choupal initiative. It also has 27 Choupal Fresh stores in Hyderabad, Pune and Chandigarh.

Australian farmers "ripped off" by supermarkets

In Australia, the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) has told the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission into grocery pricing that the major grocery chains are ripping off consumers and farmers by labelling the same products differently.

K. RAHEJA HyperCity to abandon neighbourhood store format

K. Raheja-owned HyperCITY Retail has abandoned plans announced last year to launch a neighbourhodd store format under the ExpressCITY banner.

Food prices are growing, but farmers' share of the profit is not

The farmer's share of the retail food dollar is about the same today as it was in the 1970s. Take corn, for example. According to economists at the American Farm Bureau Federation, the farmer receives less than 8 cents for the corn used in an 18-ounce box of corn flakes selling for $3.30 at the grocery store. It is pretty much the same for a loaf of bread. The farmer receives about 16 cents from a loaf of bread that sells for $1.78. The farmer's share of a 5-pound bag of flour costing $2.39 is $1.10.

Govt needs to chalk out national retail policy: Assocham

The government needs to formulate a national retail policy to facilitate co-existence of both organised and unorganised retail, besides setting up an independent regulator for governing the retailing sector, a report by industry body Assocham says.

Decision on FDI in retail unlikely in UPA regime

apart from the broad political opposition, the Government has come under severe pressure from scores of trade and industry bodies from across the country against FDI in retail. A total of 44 trade and industry associations have represented to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP)

Organised retail to capture 25 pc market by 2011

In a surprise finding that organised retail is growing faster than expected in India, a study has forecast that this segment could account for a quarter of the total retail revenues by 2011 from the current 8 per cent share.

Retail will drive growth of fruits and vegetables: Pawar

According to the ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, about 72 per cent of the fruit and vegetable produced in the country goes waste because of lack of proper retailing and adequate storage capacity. P K Mishra, secretary in the ministry's department of agriculture and co-operation, said so while was speaking at a Fruit and Vegetable Summit organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

Indian Railways offering retail space
The Indian Railways is soon going to offer around 4,800 hectares of land to retail and logistics companies to set up retail outlets, agri-retail infrastructure and warehouses. Around 3,000 sites have already been identified by the railways across the country for the purpose.

Mom & Pop shops eye cooperatives to take on big retailers

Bhartiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal (BUVM), the biggest national-level association of mom and pop stores (kirana stores) that comprises 17,000 state- and district-level associations across 27 states, is planning to form co-operatives throughout India helping its members benefit from a common sourcing and shared infrastructure (logistics, storage and billing) platform.

AUSTRALIA calls for overhaul of planning laws

A report in Australia, commissioned by Urban Taskforce Australia, recommends a review of state planning laws regulating new supermarkets and large food stores.

Reliance to invest Rs 5,000 crore in converting 700-odd closed fuel pumps into malls/ multiplexes

Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) which incurred a loss of about Rs 800 crore on operations of its 1,432 fuel stations during 2007-08 is looking at converting about 700 to 800 of them into shopping malls and multiplex halls.

Wal-Mart joins the dairy retail club

Wal-mart is the newest entrant in the diary procurement and retail business in Punjab. Wal-mart has been buying milk directly from cooperatives rather than from farmers.

RPG plans Rs 1000 crore expansion; revamping old stores

Eyeing Rs 1,800 crore turnover this fiscal, RPG group has planned aggressive expansion plans for its retail business.

VISHAL turnover amibitions

Vishal Group plans to increase its turnover from the current INR1,000 crore (USD248 million) to INR5,000 crore (USD1,240 million) by 2011. Vishal is having a revenue growth of 90-100% every year.

In Solidarity!

Dharmendra Kumar

Director

India FDI Watch

M-9871179084

Email:

dkfordignity@yahoo.co.uk

dkfordignity@gmail.com

Colonial rule in India is a history of isolation and separatism. And India is still trying to come in terms of the differences arising out of this history. Take for example the North-East India. North-East India is a cultural mosaic or a colorful kaleidoscope on its own lying in the North-Eastern frontier area of India which touches China, Burma(Myanmar), Bangladesh and Bhutan.

India's independence in 1947 led to the emergence of a new nation consisting primarily of British India. But it also inherited the problematics of it. Due to various reasons, North-East India drifted towards a state of alienation resulting in insurgency or calls for sovereignty. In the course of time these nationalistic aspirations turned uglier and murky for both the government and the insurgent groups (commonly known as Undergrounds).

Today North-East India is still burning with the flames of seeds sown long time ago. This state of affair needs us to re-examine the role of the so called main stream society specially of the people living in Hindi belt in the above context. Recently I wrote a an article (which I actually started as a letter) on this issue titled ' मुख्यधारा के बरक्स हाशिए का समाज-पूर्वोत्तर '. To read this article (Pdf) click on the link below

The margins in the main-scape: North-East India

மதுரை, மார்ச் 19: திரிபுராவில் இறந்த எல்லைப் பாதுகாப்புப் படை (பி.எஸ்.எப்.) வீரரின் சாவில் மர்மம் உள்ளதாகவும், சிபிஐ விசாரணை நடத்த வேண்டுமெனவும் கோரி அந்த வீரரின் சடலத்தை வாங்க அவரது பெற்றோர் மறுத்து வருகின்றனர்.

இதுகுறித்து போலீஸ் தரப்பில் கூறப்படுவதாவது:

மதுரை திருப்பரங்குன்றம் பாலாஜி நகர் சிதம்பரனார் தெருவைச் சேர்ந்தவர் சையது முகமது ஷா. இவரது மகன் ஷேக் அப்துல்லா (24). இவர், 4 ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன் எல்லைப் பாதுகாப்புப் படையில் சேர்ந்தார்.

அண்மையில் திரிபுராவில் பி.எஸ்.எப். 34-வது பட்டாலியனில் வீரராக இருந்தார்.

இந்நிலையில், கடந்த 16-ம் தேதி ஷேக் அப்துல்லாவின் பெற்றோரை, திரிபுரா பிஎஸ்எப் அலுவலகத்திலிருந்து தொலைபேசியில் அழைத்து "உங்களது மகன் துப்பாக்கியால் சுட்டுத் தற்கொலை செய்துகொண்டார். அவரது சடலத்தை அனுப்பி வைக்கிறோம்' எனக் கூறியுள்ளனர்.

தங்களது மகன் சாவில் மர்மம் உள்ளதாக சையது முகமது ஷா புகார் தெரிவித்தார்.

சடலத்தை வாங்க மறுப்பு: இந்நிலையில், திரிபுராவில் இருந்து விமானம் மூலம் கர்நாடகம் கொண்டு வரப்பட்ட ஷேக் அப்துல்லாவின் சடலம், கர்நாடக பிஎஸ்எப் வீரர்கள் சார்பில் விமானம் மூலம் மதுரைக்கு புதன்கிழமை கொண்டு வரப்பட்டது.

திருப்பரங்குன்றம் பாலாஜி நகரில் உள்ள அவரது வீட்டிற்கு சடலத்தைக் கொண்டு வந்தபோது, ஷேக் அப்துல்லா சாவில் மர்மம் உள்ளதால் தீவிர விசாரணைக்கு உத்தரவிடாத நிலையில் சடலத்தை வாங்கமாட்டோம் என பெற்றோர் தெரிவித்தனர்.

இதனால், பிற்பகல் 3 மணியளவில் கொண்டுவரப்பட்ட சடலத்தை இரவு 8 மணிவரை அவர்களது பெற்றோர் பெறவில்லை.

பெற்றோர் பேட்டி 2 மாதங்களுக்கு முன் விடுமுறைக்கு வந்திருந்த எனது மகன், "உயர் அதிகாரிகள் தொந்தரவு (டார்ச்சர்) அதிகம் உள்ளது' என தெரிவித்ததாக அவரது தந்தை சையது முகமது ஷா கூறினார். வேலை பிடிக்கவில்லையென்றால் ராஜிநாமா செய்துவிட்டு வந்துவிடு என அவனிடம் தெரிவித்தேன்.

ஆனால், விடுமுறை முடிந்து பணிக்குச் சென்றிருந்த நிலையில் எனது மகன் தற்கொலை செய்துகொண்டதாகக் கூறுகின்றனர்.

எனவே சாவில் மர்மம் இருப்பதால் நீதி விசாரணைக்கோ அல்லது சிபிஐ விசாரணைக்கோ உத்தரவிட்டால்தான் சடலத்தை வாங்குவோம் எனத் தெரிவித்தார்.

மறு பிரேத பரிசோதனை?

பிஎஸ்எப் வீரர் ஷேக் அப்துல்லா இறந்தது குறித்து இரவு 10.45 மணியளவில் அவரது குடும்பத்தினருக்குத் தகவல் தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. ஆனால், அங்கு இரவு 9.45 மணியளவில் பிரேத பரிசோதனை நடைபெற்றுள்ளது. இறப்புச் சம்பவத்தை வேண்டும் என்றே மிகவும் தாமதமாகத் தெரிவித்துள்ளனர் என ஷேக் அப்துல்லா குடும்ப வழக்கறிஞர் ராஜாமுகமது தெரிவித்தார்.

மேலும், அவர் கூறுகையில், பிரேதப் பரிசோதனையில், கழுத்துக்குக் கீழ் 3 துப்பாக்கி குணடுகள் பாய்ந்து தலை (நெற்றிப் பகுதியில்) வழியாக வெளியே வந்துள்ளதாகக் கூறப்படுகிறது.

ராணுவ வீரர் ஒருவர் தற்கொலை செய்துகொண்டால் அதுகுறித்து ஆர்டிஓ அளவிலான விசாரணை நடத்தவேண்டும். ஆனால் அதுகுறித்த எந்த ஆவணமும் பிஎஸ்எப் சார்பில் வழங்கப்படவில்லை. எனவே, வீரரின் சடலத்தை மறு பிரேதப் பரிசோதனை செய்யவேண்டும் என அவரது பெற்றோர் விரும்புகின்றனர் எனத் தெரிவித்தார். இதுகுறித்து பேச்சுவார்த்தை தொடர்ந்து நடைபெற்று வருகிறது.

'We will carry out a peaceful and democratic agitational programme in different parts of Darjeeling, Siliguri and Dooars area in north Bengal. We want that the tripartite accord of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) signed in 1988 be immediately withdrawn,' GJM general secretary Roshan Giri told IANS.

'We would not only undertake the political agitation in Darjeeling but would also extend our activity in Siliguri (the plains) and Dooars as these two places are inseparable parts of Gorkhaland,' Giri said.

While the Sixth Schedule of the constitution envisages greater autonomy, the GJM, which has challenged the over three-decade hegemony of Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) leader Subhas Ghising, has raised the demand for a Gorkhaland.

Giri said the Memorandum of Settlement signed on Dec 5, 2005, should also be nullified because people of Darjeeling do not want any Sixth Schedule status for the region.

The central government had in 2005 announced Sixth Schedule status to the region to ensure greater autonomy to the governing DGHC in the hill district. The proposal is now pending union cabinet approval.

GNLF was the principal political force in hills till GJM emerged.

Ghising was a signatory to the Memorandum of Settlement for Sixth Schedule status to the region.

Under the Sixth Schedule, the district council gets more powers, similar to those enjoyed by the Autonomous District Councils of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura.

Followed by indefinite protests, the GNLF chief was forced to knock on West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya's door after hundreds of GJM supporters confined him at Pintail village, a resort located three km from Siliguri, for five days after his return from New Delhi Feb 18.

He had held talks with the central government over inclusion of Darjeeling in the Sixth Schedule.

The beleaguered GNLF supremo later stepped down from the post of caretaker administrator of the DGHC.

RS-LD GORKHA (NATIONAL,BUSINESS,PARLIAMENT,GENERAL)
Created on : 02/28/2008 13:56 (PRI)

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Parliamentary panel puts brakes on Gorkha Hill Council Bill

New Delhi, Feb 28 (PTI) A Parliamentary panel today put brakes on the bills seeking to accord special status to Darjeeling hill areas and asked the Government to take a re-look before proceeding further.

After examining the bills, Parliament's Standing Committee on Home Affairs advised the Home Ministry to have a fresh look at the move.

"The Committee would like to caution and advise the Ministry of Home Affairs to make a fresh assessment of the ground realities all over again before proceeding with the bills in the two Houses of Parliament," the Committee, headed by BJP leader Sushma Swaraj, said in its report presented to Rajya Sabha.

The bills -- Sixth Schedule to the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2007 and the Constitution (107th Amendment) Bill 2007 introduced towards the fag end of the winter session -- seek to provide Sixth Schedule status for the Darjeeling Hill areas.

The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution provides special status to certain areas in the North Eastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura in terms of administrative and functional autonomy.

The Committee observed that if the bills had been passed immediately after signing the Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) in December 2005, the situation would have been different because Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) leader Subhas Ghisingh was "the undisputed leader at that time". MORE PTI SMI MS aps 02281400 DEL

RS-LD GORKHA TWO

RS-LD GORKHA TWO (NATIONAL,BUSINESS,PARLIAMENT,GENERAL)
Created on : 02/28/2008 14:29 (PRI)

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The Committee in its 45-page report noted that "diametrically opposite" views have emerged on the bills with one group strongly supporting them and another opposing grant of Sixth Schedule status. It was contended before the Committee that the spirit of the Constitution was being changed by giving such a status to Darjeeling and a new precedent was being set by extending the Schedule to an area beyond the north eastern region, the report said.

It said an apprehension was also expressed that in future it would have to be extended to other areas as the tribal areas of Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar might demand Sixth Schedule status.

There are already such resolutions from Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, the Committee noted and felt that such demand might gain momentum and lead to "opening of Pandora's Box".

In the backdrop of Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) demanding immediate ouster of Ghising as the caretaker administrator of the hill council and scrapping of the Sixth Schedule bill, the Committee stated that an "overwhelming majority" of those who appeared before it had asserted time and again that there would be bloodshed in the region if the bills were passed.

The GJM, spearheading the movement in Darjeeling, did not allow Ghising to enter the hills and forced him to go to Kolkata. PTI SMI aps 02281434 DEL

RS-LD GORKHA THREE LAST

RS-LD GORKHA THREE LAST (NATIONAL,BUSINESS,PARLIAMENT,DEFENCE)
Created on : 02/28/2008 14:55 (URG)

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(Reopens PAR15) The last election to the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) was held in 1999 and its term, which expired in March 2004, was extended by a year and the term of Ghising has been extended six times.

Recently an all-party delegation of West Bengal MLAs met Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil to demand grant of Sixth Schedule status to the Darjeeling hills.

The West Bengal Assembly had adopted a resolution in March 2006 recommending grant of Sixth Schedule status for Darjeeling hill areas.

The main objective of the MoS is to replace the DGHC by an autonomous self-governing council under the Sixth Schedule to fulfil the economic, educational and linguistic aspirations and socio-cultural and ethnic identity of the hill people, while protecting the rights of non-tribals.

The MoS, popularly known as tripartite agreement, was signed by the Centre, West Bengal Government and Ghising, as Administrator of DGHC.

Racing against time in the wake of the agitation for creation of an autonomous self-governing council in Darjeeling, the Centre introduced the concerned bills in the Lok Sabha in November 2007.

The bills were introduced in the backdrop of largescale violence in Darjeeling forcing authorities to call out the army for restoration of peace. PTI SMI aps 02281459 DEL

Contributed by Mr. Bishal Rai, New Delhi

India FDI Watch along with its partner organizations calls for Halla Bol on 23rd February 2008 in all the major cities of India taking demonstrations to the doorstep of corporate stores. Militant demonstrations will be organized before the corporate stores as part of the action. In Kerala, Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samiti will organize a Halla Bol rally in Trichur on 23rd Feb. Lakhs of small shopkeepers are expected to join the rally to raise their voice against corporate retail.

The political resolution draft for XIX Party Congress of CPM says, "The Party firmly opposes FDI in retail trade as it will seriously affect the livelihood of millions of shopkeepers and small traders. The entry of big Indian corporates into retail trade has a similar effect. At present there is no law to restrict the entry of corporate sector. Taking advantage of this, companies like Reliance have entered retail trade in a big way. The CPI(M) has set out a policy document for licensing and regulating the entry of corporates in retail trade. Till the Central Government puts in place such a policy, the Left led governments should take steps to regulate their entry." Leaders of the party informed India FDI Watch that West Bengal Govt. has decided to regulate the entry of corporates in retail trade according to its policy draft and a committee will be formed having traders and hawkers to issue licenses to corporations to do retail.

National Statistical Office (NSO) of South Korea reported that, Mom-and-Pop shops are disappearing from neighborhoods, losing to cutthroat competition against giant retail outlets and convenience stores. Korean Mom-and-pop shops are seeing sales drop. It says, - Losing the competition, these small retailers are disappearing from the market. According to the Bank of Korea, the number of these shops dropped to 585,996 in 2005, from 739,059 in 1995. Another statistic showed that an average 6.3 mom-and-pop shops closed down everyday between 2001 and 2006. The number of corporate stores, meanwhile, surged to 8,855 from 1,557, increasing 20 percent on average every year during the last 10 years.

Below is the link of an informative short video, reflective of the unsustainable wasteful consumption culture being developed by corporate retailers: - www.storyofstuff.org

In Solidarity !
Dharmendra Kumar
Director
India FDI Watch
M-09871179084
Email:dkfordignity@yahoo.co.uk, dkfordignity@gmail.com

Drug wholesalers of Mumbai boycott Subhiksha :
http://www.planetretail.net/NewsFeed/NewNewsFeed.aspx
Drug wholesalers of Mumbai have boycotted Subhiksha. Subhiksha has sent legal notices to drug wholesalers in Mumbai for withholding supplies. Subhiksha Managing Director R Subramanian said, "wholesalers have boycotted us and have stopped supplying medicines.
Wal-Mart did lobby Blair over Asda

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/01/27/cnasda127.xml

Details of a secret Downing Street meeting held between Tony Blair, the then prime minister, and a senior Wal-Mart executive just months before the world's biggest retailer pounced on Asda have finally been released, some nine years after the £7bn deal was struck. The Sunday Telegraph can reveal that Bob Martin, the then chief executive of Wal-Mart International, complained at the meeting to Tony Blair about Britain's restrictive planning rules. The minutes of the meeting, released last month by the Cabinet Office after a direct order from the information watchdog, lay bare the lobbying strategy employed by Wal-Mart before it bought Asda in July 1999. The three-page document exposes the frantic lobbying of a country's leaders that top executives carry out before making a major acquisition.

Mom-and-Pop Shops Disappear As Giant Retail Shops Pop Up :

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2008/02/123_18403.html

Mom-and-pop shops are disappearing from neighborhoods, losing to cutthroat competition against giant retail outlets and convenience stores. According to the National Statistical Office (NSO), huge retail outlets like E-Mart posted sales growth of 9.8 percent last year. Mom-and-pop shops, meanwhile, are seeing sales drop. Small markets below 50 pyeong (165.3 square meters), excluding convenience stores, saw sales decrease of 2.9 percent. They were the only retailers to see sales fall. Losing the competition, these small retailers are disappearing from the market. According to the Bank of Korea, the number of these shops dropped to 585,996 in 2005, from 739,059 in 1995. Another statistic showed that an average 6.3 mom-and-pop shops closed down everyday between 2001 and 2006. The number of convenience stores, meanwhile, surged to 8,855 from 1,557, increasing 20 percent on average every year during the last 10 years. Retail outlets also explosively surged to 316 from mere 25 a decade ago, growing 28.9 percent on average each year.

Retail policy stuck over Rs 16 lakh bill :
http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=14596372
The Centre's proposed retail policy seems to be stuck over, believe it or not, an uncleared bill of Rs 16 lakh. ICRIER, it seems, will not submit the report till this bill is cleared by the government. The government's objective was to draw up a comprehensive retail policy from the findings of the ICRIER study.

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: Mumbai Marches on Against Globalisation :
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40953
MUMBAI, Jan 27 (IPS) - There was grim determination on the faces of the 500-strong crowd that marched through the streets of this western port city for the World Social Forum’s Global Day of Action on Saturday.
Defiantly, they carried banners that read ’Another World is Possible". The slogan -- familiar enough in this city which hosted the WSF in 2004 -- has a special ring to it because memories linger of a year-long strike in 1982, by some 250,000 textile mill workers, which failed.
"India's retail sector is facing the onslaught of national and multinational corporations which will lead to the destruction of livelihoods of over 40 million people in the country," said V. Shetty, lawyer and coordinator of India FDI Watch, an organisation spearheading a national campaign against foreign direct investment (FDI) in the retail sector, and the Vyapar Rozgar Suraksha Samiti (Committee for Protection of Livelihoods and Retailers), a coalition of small traders, hawkers and workers.
"Multinational chains have started selling vegetables at predatory prices, threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of hawkers who make a subsistence income on this work. And Indian companies like Reliance, Godrej and the Birlas open retail outlets and lure middle-class customers with prices that are below cost, running "Mom and Pop" stores out of business after which they can hike their prices sky high, said Shetty. ''The ground realities are in complete contrast to stated government policies of not allowing FDI in the retail trade. Walmart, the largest company of any kind in the world, is slated for entry into India in 2008, in a joint venture with an Indian company."

Reliance Fresh on Orissa govt watch list :
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Services/Retailing/Reliance_Fresh_on_Orissa_govt_Watch_list/articleshow/2738944.cms
NEW DELHI: Reliance Fresh could be headed for an Uttar Pradesh-like situation in Orissa with the state government learnt to have assured an India FDI Watch delegation that it will re-scrutinise the permission given to Reliance Fresh for opening outlets in Orissa. “We have been assured by a senior state government official that all possible steps would be taken for the rehabilitation of roadside vendors. The permission given to Reliance Fresh for opening outlets would also be scrutinised,†India FDI Watch director Dharmendra Kumar told ET.
India FDI Watch is a national association of small traders that is opposing big and foreign retail players. The Orissa government has, meanwhile, also offered a helping hand to the roadside vendors, notifying specific zones for them across the state.
To start with, 15 such vending zones will be opened in the Cuttack district of Orissa, aimed at rehabilitating roadside vendors, whose business has reportedly suffered major losses due to entry of organised retail players. Reliance Fresh has had a difficult time operating in the state. Even its launch in September last year was marred by violent protests from local traders and the company had to close down its Bhubaneshwar store for a couple of hours on the day of the launch itself.
The state government had also refused to extend any preferential treatment or additional security to the corporate giant.
Farmers urged to come under one umbrella :
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Farmers-urged-to-come-under-one-umbrella/267068/0
The former Union agriculture minister and the CPI leader, Chaturanan Mishra urged the farmers' organizations affiliated to different political parties in country to come under one platform to fight for the just cause. The conference passed a resolution demanding hike in the minimum support price (MSP) for paddy to at least Rs 1000 per quintal and that of paddy and that of wheat to at least Rs 1600 per quintal. It criticised the wheat imports done by the government at higher prices in 2006 and 2007, when ample wheat was available in the country. The government should have purchased wheat from farmers by raising the MSP, instead of buying wheat in the global market at higher prices, it said Expressing concerns over the government's apathy towards the increasing incidences of suicides committed by farmers, the Bharatiya Krishak Samaj president, Krishan Bir Chaudhary demanded reversal of the anti-farmer policies. The resolution criticized the government for opening the doors to the corporate houses and multinationals in Indian agriculture and in the retail chains as this would lead to greater exploitation of farmers. The resolution also called for a ban on futures trading in agro commodities. The resolution also demanded a ban on genetically modified crops. The farmers have suffered huge losses on account of Bt cotton cultivation.

Mom, Pop stores impacted by big retail: ICRIER :
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Mom--Pop-stores-impacted-by-big-retail--ICRIER/266673/

The neighbourhood kirana stores will initially feel the heat with the growth of big super markets and malls, Rajiv Kumar, Director of ICRIER, which has been entrusted with a government study on the impact of organised retail on Mom & Pop stores, said. "Small retailers will be initially impacted by the entry of large scale retail houses. However, the impact is likely to be diluted over a period of time", Kumar said.

Draft Political Resolution For XIX Party Congress :
http://pd.cpim.org/2008/0127_pd/01272008_draft.htm

The Party firmly opposes FDI in retail trade as it will seriously affect the livelihood of millions of shopkeepers and small traders. The entry of big Indian corporates into retail trade has a similar effect. At present there is no law to restrict the entry of corporate sector. Taking advantage of this, companies like Reliance have entered retail trade in a big way. The CPI(M) has set out a policy document for licensing and regulating the entry of corporates in retail trade. Till the Central Government puts in place such a policy, the Left - led governments should take steps to regulate their entry.

Reliance to unveil new speciality format; plans to set up 100 AutoZone stores :
Having already launched its first ˜ AutoZone " in the recently opened Reliance Mart (Hypermarket) at Jamnagar (Gujarat) on the 30th January, Reliance Retail, is ready to rollout a super speciality retail chain of auto stores across the country. Apart from selling auto spares and repairing two wheelers and four wheelers, AutoZone stores will also retail two wheelers and pre-used branded cars.Reliance plans to set up about 100 such AutoZone stores across the country, within a year.

Landmark group to undetake aggressive retail expansion; plans $500 mn. investment in 3 years :
indiaretailbiz.com

Landmark Group, owned by Dubai-based group of NRIs, which currently operates 19 stores under three retail chains across 9 cities in India, according to a Business Standard report, is planning to invest another $500 million in the next three years (by 2010) in the country. The group, in the past 10 years, since 1998, has invested $100 million in the country. Landmark group operates over 650 stores across West Asia, India, China and Spain. Landmark's current operations comprise 13 Lifestyle stores, 5 Home Centre stores and a Babyshop store operating out of Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, New Delhi, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Vashi and Pune.

Reliance could soon foray into travel retail business :
To begin with, before venturing into full fledged travel business, the company would first like to leverage on the domestic and international travel business worth about Rs. 100 crore being generated by the group and on promotional schemes that offer travel related incentives like holidays to its retail customers. The company, incidentally, has already incorporated a subsidiary called Reliance Retail Travel & Forex Services Ltd. The new company appears to have tied up with Indian, the national airline, for up to 30% discount on airfares.

Kamal Nath defends retail FDI policy :
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/02/09/stories/2008020952401000.htm

Bangalore, Feb. 8 The Union Commerce Minister, Mr Kamal Nath, on Friday said that the government will continue to reduce customs duty but it will also ensure that every fiscal policy decision it takes stimulates economic growth. But he defended India’s policy on retail FDI stating that there was a need to protect smaller retail shops and the conditions in the country were different from other countries. "We need to see that the policy does not dislocate small retailers," he told delegates at the India Sourcing Summit.

Birla Retail in talks with farmers' co-ops for direct procurement :
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Birla-Retail-in-talks-with-farmers---co-ops-for-direct-procurement/269189/

Bangalore, Feb 4 Even as India's largest business conglomerate Reliance Industries is facing trouble over its retail venture over procurement of farm products, its competitor Aditya Birla Retail Ltd, the retail arm of the $23-billion Aditya Birla Group, is trying to overcome the hurdles by tying up with farmers' cooperative societies. The company, that has set a target of establishing 1,000-1,500 superMarkets and has earmarked Rs 8,000-9,000 crore in the next five years, is planning to tie-up with cooperatives to procure fresh farm products, vegetables and fruits.

Spencer's first hypermarket in Kolkata launched; plans to invest Rs. 2,500 Cr. in expansion :
Spencer's, among the oldest names in retail sector, threw open the doors of its Hypermarket store on in Kolkata on the 1st Feruary, 2008. The store was opened by the group patriarch R P Goenka. Besides Kolkata, Spencer's also operates hypermarket format stores in Mumbai, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, Calicut, Hyderabad, Vizag, Vijayawada, Aurangabad and Durgapur. The group is planning to scale up its operations to 52 cities in the coming months.

The stock in trade response of the Left Front leaders is that they wish to ‘meet the situation politically’, which usually means giving in to Ghising’s unconstitutional and undemocratic blackmail, while he tramples on the fundamental right of worship. [Inset: A Rajbonshi woman]

The West Bengal government has recommended and the Cabinet of the Central government has decided, in the last week of September 2007, to include the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) in the 6th Schedule of the Constitution. The related Bill will be brought before the Parliament in the winter session of 2007-08 (Ananda Bazar Patrika 2007a). DGHC chairman Subash Ghising has not allowed Council elections to be held on some pretext or the other, although the term of the old Council has expired several years ago. Thus he has created a constitutional impasse by sheer intransigence and finally extracted the promise of the 6th Schedule from the State Government. It seems his ‘unconstitutional’ and ‘undemocratic’ behaviour is about to earn a reward rather than a punishment, such is the state of governance in West Bengal.

The Constitution
It is pertinent here to quote the exact provisions of the Indian Constitution:

Article 244 titled ‘Administration of Scheduled and Tribal Areas’ says:

1. The provisions of 5th Schedule shall apply to the administration and control of the scheduled areas and Scheduled Tribes in any state other than the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.

2. The provisions of the 6th Schedule shall apply to the administration of the tribal areas in the States of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.

Article 244A deals with formation of an autonomous State comprising certain Vanvasi areas of Assam. I repeat Article 244A applies only to Assam, and no other State, that is, not even to Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.

It is clear from the part (2) of Article 244 that it is a State that has to be brought under the 6th Schedule and not a Hill Council. So the Cabinet decision of the Central Government amounts to an intention of bringing the whole State of West Bengal under the 6th Schedule. It is clear from part (1) and (2) given above that a State can either be under 5th Schedule or 6th Schedule. It cannot be under both. So a State cannot have a mix of 5th and 6th Schedule in dealing with its Vanvasi population. Hence, once West Bengal comes under the 6th Schedule, all its Vanvasis will be governed by it. And that would include the Koch and Rajbongshi Vanvasis of North Bengal also. It is notable that there is an armed movement among these Vanvasis in demand of a separate Kamtapuri State, comprising Jalpaiguri, Kochbihar and parts of Dinajpur and Malda districts.

Soon after the aforesaid Cabinet decision Subash Ghising said that he has not abandoned his long term goal of a separate State of Gorkhaland. This implies that once Darjeeling achieves the 6th Schedule status, it would demand inclusion of West Bengal in Article 244A, in the company of Assam. He is likely to stall elections once again on that pretext. What would West Bengal Government do then? Capitulate and pave the way for disintegration of Bengal?

Making Gorkha out of non-Gorkha
The original people of Darjeeling district are the Bhutias and Lepchas. For some mysterious reasons their number has been declining over last two generations. The Darjeeling hills were very thinly populated in the 1950s. Burgeoning population of Nepal spilled over across the open border in the last century and Darjeeling’s population became overwhelmingly Nepali Hindus and Buddhists. The same demographic change took place in Sikkim also. The populace there has the same exact mix of Nepalese castes. A vast majority of these people are not Gorkhas, but different castes such as Sherpa, Limbu, Rai, Tamang, Norbu, etc. Gorkhas are a martial Kshatriya caste who came from a place of the same name, located far west of the Kathmandu valley and very far from Darjeeling hills. The Gorkhas were the backbone of the army that brought the present royal dynasty of Nepal to power in Kathmandu in the late 18th century.

The king of Nepal started to lend his Gorkhali troops to the British at the time of the ‘Sepoy’ mutiny of 1857. This tradition continued for more than a century and in course of time Gorkhali became shortened into Gorkha. British Gorkha regiments were filled with these war-like people and some Parbatti (mountaineer) people from the Kathmandu valley and the surrounding hills. All this narration is presented to establish that the Gorkhali are a very special people and all inhabitants of Nepal are neither war-like nor Gorkhali. Darjeeling hills were not a traditional recruiting ground of the British army.

Subash Ghising and his movement created a metamorphosis in Darjeeling hills and created Gorkhas from a set of different castes, mainly non-Gorkha, mostly Hindu and some Buddhist. His party, the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) sprang an insurgency in the hills in 1980s and held the State Government to ransom to extract recognition for the false identity of the so-called Gorkhas of Drajeeling hills. The unwise and historically uninformed West Bengal leadership conceded recognition to this concocted Darjeeling-Gorkha identity. Kiran Desai (2006) in her Booker award winning novel, The Inheritance of Loss, has depicted an accurate picture of this movement. One of the characters in the novel, who was at the receiving end of the insurgents’ fury, makes a telling point that the insurgents were not Gorkhas but mostly from the labouring classes.

It is my considered opinion that the poor toiling common people of Darjeeling hills deserve to have their own Council. My quarrel is only with the term Gorkha in the name of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council. It has far reaching implications.

Making Vanvasi out of non-Vanvasi
Ghising and his party, the GNLF, have been busy manufacturing a Vanvasi identity out of the so-called Gorkhas for the last 10 years or so. He and his able assistant C.K. Pradhan of Kalimpong have banned idol worship in the hills, off and on, for last one decade. Sometimes the ban is for all inhabitants; sometimes it is only for the Nepalese. The mind simply boggles at the variety of arbitrary dictates. The spineless State Government just looks on. The stock in trade response of the Left Front leaders is that they wish to ‘meet the situation politically’, which usually means giving in to Ghising’s unconstitutional and undemocratic blackmail, while he tramples on the fundamental right of worship.

It should be remembered that there is also a settled population of non-Nepalese in the hills. To prove that the Nepali-speaking people of Darjeeling are of Vanvasi origin. GNLF has tried to persuade the simple Nepalese to give up worship of the idols of deities they adore, Durga and Kali and also Hanuman. Ghising wants to portray these folks as nature worshippers, as opposed to idol worshippers, in his bid to manufacture a Vanvasi identity. He has only been partially successful in the past and there has been resistance for these basically religious idol-worshipping people. After the tripartite agreement has been reached between Centre, State and GNLF to put Darjeeling Gorkhas in the 6th Schedule, Ghising has relaxed the ban and this relaxation comes just a month before in Durga Puja celebrations of 2007 (Ananda Bazaar Patrika 2007 b). Now he is talking about how fond the “Gorkhas” are of Durga and Kali. While this bit is meant for internal consumption of Darjeeling people, for outsiders he has a different statement that the ban continues but is not for the non-Vanvasis and only for the Vanvasis.

Make what meaning you can out of this doublespeak. What has idolatry got to do with Vanvasi identity? There are scores of Vanvasis in India and the world who worship idols. Also there are Hindus who do not worship idols, for instance the Vaishnavas of Assam whose Naam Ghars have no idols. However, it has been the constant refrain of the Christian missionaries in India that the Vanvasis of North-East India are not Hindus, because they do not worship idols, and they are nature worshipping animists, as if Hindus do not worship animals. The mind simply boggles at the gullibility of the State and the Central Government who have swallowed this logic and decided to put West Bengal in the 6th Schedule. We are privy to a spectacle of governance being reduced gradually to farce. If all Nepalese of Darjeeling are Vanvasi then all people of Nepal, including the Gorkhas royal family residing in Mukut Mithi palace in Kathmandu are also Vanvasi, and that surely is an absurd proposition. Again all people of Sikkim too become automatically Vanvasi.

Vanvasis of West Bengal
In southern part of West Bengal bordering Jharkhand there are Scheduled Tribes such as the Santhal and Munda. In North Bengal there are Koch, Rajbongshi, Boro Vanvasis. Since West Bengal so far has been in the 5th Schedule, all Vanvasis of Bengal also are in this Schedule. When and if West Bengal is shifted to the 6th Schedule in the company of Assam, Tripura, etc, then all her Vanvasis automatically are transferred to the 6th Schedule. The whole proposal is fraught with tremendous constitutional complications. I demand that the West Bengal Government make public a list of all Vanvasis in the 5th Schedule who belong to Darjeeling hills. I do not have a list, but I suspect that the present list includes only the Bhutias and Lepchas or none at all. Logically, only those Vanvasis who are now in the 5th Schedule should shift to the 6th after the required Bill is passed. If Nepali inhabitants of Darjeeling in general are given the 6th Schedule status, then it is a suitable case for judicial review, provided some public-mind individuals or organisations file such a suit. The entire population of Darjeeling hills, who were hitherto neither Scheduled Caste nor Tribe, would become entitled to job and educational reservation all of a sudden. An unending wave of immigration from Nepal would start. Nepalese of all religions, Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist, would aspire to migrate to Darjeeling hills. One just has to cross the open border, set up a foothold in Darjeeling and become entitled to the status of a Vanvasi of the 6th Schedule and enjoy the bounty that comes with it. That would be grossly unfair to the population of West Bengal.

There are many Christian schools in Darjeeling hills and missionary activity is intense. Many schools offer a limited number of free-schooling and other facilities to the locals to attract converts. Ghising’s tampering of cultural parameters such as ban on idol worship, etc. will help only the missionaries in the long run.

Implication for North Bengal and Sikkim
If the Vanvasis of the plain area of North Bengal, who are now in the 5th Schedule, acquire the 6th Schedule status, which they surely would if the concerned Bill is passed, it would breed political instability. As mentioned before, some of these Vanvasis are in the grip of insurgency, demanding a separate Kamtapuri state. Here we are talking about a thin strip of land, called the chicken’s neck, separating China and Bangladesh and connecting heartland India to the North East. Political instability and renewed insurgency here will be a security nightmare for the country.

Similarly the entire population of Sikkim also will have to be given the 6th Schedule status, because its demographic make up is no different from Darjeeling’s. What ramifications it would have on the employment scenario, job reservation and security will have to be evaluated, and it may not be very palatable.

I fail to understand why so much is being risked for so little. The entire stake that is visible is one parliamentary seat that is controlled by Subash Ghising. The Left Front can do without it. If Ghising’s terms are that elections to the Hill Council would be allowed only if the 6th Schedule status is granted, then let there be no election in the hills. The country’s security should be uppermost in the mind of all political parties and not a lone parliamentary seat. GNLF led by Subash Ghising has succeeded in making Gorkhas out of a mix of non-Gorkha castes of Nepalese. Now it is at the point of performing another conjurer’s trick—creating a Vanvasi out of a non-Vanvasi people—by banning idol worship for a traditionally idol-worshipping people. More over, a Vanvasi is sought to be created in the name of the mighty and ruling martial Gorkha cast of Nepal. It would indeed be a sociological miracle, performed under colluding and acquiescing supervision of the Left and Congress. An unending wave of immigration from Nepal into Darjeeling hills will start. The Vanvasis of North Bengal, some of whom have been agitating for a separate stare, would automatically come under the 6th Schedule; this would fuel the simmering insurgency there further. What is being risked by an unwise piece of legislation is the security and integrity of India.

(The writer is Professor, Aerospace Engineering, I.I.T. Kanpur)

“The decision has come as a jolt to our industry,” said Pradip Bagla, the managing director of the Calcutta-based Amrit Feeds. “Units manufacturing poultry feed are badly hit as they are not being able to sell their produce to fixed clients in those areas.”

The state has around 20 companies producing feed in 20-30 manufacturing units, including four or five in north Bengal.

Around 60 per cent of the total produce is exported to the Northeast and Bhutan.

“The ban imposed by northeastern states like Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya and others, along with the government of Bhutan, is surprising,” said Sumit Kumar Ghosh, who is associated with the North Bengal Poultry Industries Coordination Committee. “The feed is an agriculture product made of maize, soyameals and rice. It is not a poultry product in any way.”

A veterinary expert in Siliguri concurred with Ghosh. “Unless there is a poultry farm beside the feed manufacturing unit, there is no way that bird flu can spread through feed.”

Ghosh, who is a partner of Samrat Feeds in Siliguri, said there were around 100-150 employees attached to each manufacturing unit. “For the past 15-20 days, production of feed has virtually stopped in most units and we are having to pay our workers without selling anything.”

The feed manufacturers had sent representatives to the veterinary and animal husbandry departments of the states concerned, but are yet to get any positive response.

“We have also approached the Bengal government but officials are busy preventing dissemination of the H5N1 virus in different districts. We have no other option but to wait,” said a manufacturer.

Officials of CLAFMA of India, formerly known as Compound Livestock Feed Manufacturers’ Association of India — the national body of livestock feed producers — said from Mumbai they were aware of the problem.

“We are looking into the issue and plan to take up the matter with respective authorities,” an official said.

Khawas also added that we are not against Gorkhaland, but if the Sixth Schedule is our present, then Gorkhaland is our future. Through the Sixth Schedule only, we would be able to create Gorkhaland, in a proper way. He also added that the Sixth Schedule would also prepare us to govern Gorkhaland.  Khawas said that states like Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya have been formed after getting the Sixth Schedule status. He also added that even in case of Bihar, the SRC had submitted its reports that there is no need to separate Bihar, but presently, Jharkhand has been formed.

This proves the importance of SRC. Similar was the case in Uttar Pradesh.  Khawas also said that Jharkhand was formed after getting NOC [No Objection Certificate] from the Bihar government. He also threatened that for the Sixth Schedule we would wait till the budget session of the Parliament, and if it is not granted, we would also start our agitation for the separate state of Gorkhaland.  On the other hand, the CPRM also organised a public meeting at Sonada Bazaar against the proposed Sixth Schedule status and in support of a separate state for Gorkhaland.  The speakers said that in the name of the Sixth Schedule status to Darjeeling hills, Subash Ghising and the GNLF leaders are trying to fool.

- यह न समझें कि हिन्दी भाषी होने का अर्थ पिछडे होना है

- हिन्दी पाइथन सीखें व सिखाएँ -

- अौर अपने कार्य पर तत्परता से लग जाएँ