Ruthless Killing Culture against Man and nature
Palash Biswas
Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata- 700110, India. Phone: 91-033-25659551
Email: palashbiswaskl@gmail.com
Please read,react,circulate and Write.Just Visit:
http://www.nandigramunited.blogspot.com/
Bengal has no future for Change as it seems to be the Vision in North India.
Just see!
She may not be politically with him right now, but Railway Minister Lalu Prasad feels there is nothing wrong if Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati aspires to be prime minister one day.
"Why not? That is a very good thing," the leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) said in an interview when asked how he felt about the rising ambitions of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief.Lalu Prasad also took some credit for the emergence of Mayawati as a major political actor.
"It is the consequence of our movement that today Mayawati, the poor daughter of a Dalit, is ruling the most populous state of Uttar Pradesh," Lalu Prasad told.
West Bengal Left front Goverment executed Maraichjhanpi Massacre to protect Environment violating International and inland water laws. Just see:
On Line Video Petition against Marichjhanpi Genocide:
http://indiainteracts.com/videos/2008/02/07/Marichjhanpi-genocide/
Just read these documents:
morichjhanpi.blogspot.com
Now they are opening entire Coastal Area. Nayachar is handed over. Centre led by Comrador Grand World Bank Slave Dr Manmohan Singh and defacto Prime Minister the DON of Bengali Brahminical hegemony have shown green signal. Ms Mamta Bannerjee and so called Civil society could do nothing but opened all avenues for Buddhadeb`s Capitalis Marxist Urbanisation and Industrialisation Indiscriminate. No SEZ movement has lost momentum as guns in Kalingnagar and Navi Mumbai are also silent. Barnala, Gurgaon and Noida tamed accordingly. Marxist used Muslim card to divert Nandigram Singur insurrection using false issues of Rizwan Love story and Taslima Nasrin. So Navi Mumbai is also subverted by Raj Thackeray daram, a real Reality show. Since Modi has won once agian, since War Against Terrorism continues by Corporate, white Zionist Imperialism irrespective of Election 2008 results- Minority Psyche ahs to accomodate the Ruling Hegemony Game Plan. The Global ruling Class have aligned the Ruling Classes allover the world. Post Modern Galaxy Manusmriti is the future as well as the present of this Enslaved world where all forces concerned with Man and Nature are mere isolated islands and the System of Repression and Opression, Regress and Depopulation, War and Civil war, Biological, Chemical and atomic warfare is quite a galaxy affair with Space dominance complete and strategic regrouping of Hindutva, Zionism and Aparteid with caste system to sustain the enslavement of Majority indigenous people predestined for genocide, displacement, inherent injustice and inequality!
Marxist now demands to open Sundarvana for tourism. Oil Blocks have been awarded to Ambanies. Tata Motors have taken over Jharkhand, West Bengal and Orissa.Dows, Slaem, Zindal, Hinduja, Colas, and so on the left ally list is infinite now . All on the Name of Marx, Lenin and Mao.
They prepare for Nuclear Plant in Haripur junput area. They have earlier planned to establish Nuclear Plant right into the heart of Sundarvan. Foreign terotories liberated from Indian constitution have been established for Blue Film Revolution so called Information Techonology Boom and FDI fed explosion of sponsored Misinformation! Valentine nationality is launched in shining Sensex India to kill all languages indigenous, all identites indigenous and all marinalised people deprived of Purchasin Power, citizenship, human and civil rights.
Daram on Kolkata Bookfair, with full scale involvement of west Bengal Governement and ruling Left Front to regroup so called Civil society behind the Hegemony, has shown how much they care for Man and Nature. Natural resources have been captured by MNCs and corporates national and international. But they killed hundreds of refugees, raped scores of dalit Women in Marichjhanpi to save the Tiger Project. Dead bodies were not cremeted in Marichjhanpi, were fed to royal bengal tigers. Now, no wonder, another royal Bengal tiger Ex Indian cricket captain bats so solid in favour of the Gestapo Head!
The West Bengal government Friday handed over the Nayachar islands, an alternative site chosen for an upcoming chemical hub, to a joint venture company promoted by the state government and a consortium led by Indonesia’s Salim Group. At the state secretariat Writers Buildings Friday evening, a plot of land measuring 12,500 acres at Nayachar Island was formally handed over to the Prafulla Chandra Roy Chemical Complex (PCRCC). It is a joint venture company in which the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) has 49 percent stake and the New Kolkata International Development (NKID) has 51 percent share.Earlier, an environmental group raised objections saying that under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, the entire Nayachar Island falls under the Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ)-I and III area.Hinduja Group India Ltd. has expressed interest in the chemical hub being planned by the Bengal government in the Nayachar-Haldia region. The group has major plans on the cards to invest in India's oil and gas sector, and Bengal could feature in its scheme. The Hindujas are mulling construction of a petrochemical/chemical plant.This intent, though at a very elementary stage, is the clearest statement of intent yet from any major private sector group for participation in the Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemical Investment Region (PCPIR) the state government is planning in Nayachar and Haldia. The Hindujas plan to invest US$50 billion over the next 4-5 years in various sectors in India, and have also shown interest in healthcare, and might build a super speciality hospital or even a large "medicity" with facilities for teaching and training.
No one talks on Nandigram and singur nowadays. They launched a Second Food Movement on outbreak of Foodriots around Kolkata. They assured to stand united with the Tea garden starving People. They did nothing but to cheer Indian cricket carnival and valentine celebrations, durga Puja is not very far as book fair is alos not over as yet. Gran bangla Nationality, led by Brand Buddha, Grand Gangu and Sham Ranju assisted by Money, Muscle and Media ,isquiet competent to clear ways for George Bush and Henry Kissinger to colonise South Asia, the divide, bleeding Geopolitics. Bengali Media is quite enthusiastic to endorse a Bangaldeshi girl, the adoted daughter of Republican Candidate Mc Cain, Brizit Mc can in the White House!
Md Yunus and Dr Amartya Sen lead the comrador, illegal offspring of Adam smith to justify every way of Genocide inthis part of the world. Zamindaries and Desi riyasaten remain intact. The planted Prime Minister and planted political leaders with imported idiologies and parties do consist a full proof system of Genocide In this Sub continet.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has submitted its report on the Nandigram firing to the Calcutta High Court on Friday.This is the investigating agency's second report to the Calcutta High Court on the March 14 police firing last year that left 14 people dead.The high court had asked the central agency to inquire into the situation that prompted the police to open fire when thousands of villagers had gathered to protest the police's forced attempt to enter Nandigram.Locals have been agitating against the state government's decision to acquire land for a chemical hub in Nandigram.The CPI(M) had alleged that outsiders were brought into Nandigram on March 14 to shore up the protests, which steadily gained momentum and led to the entire area becoming a killing field for 11 months.
Batting for capitalist investment , West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had declared not accepting proposals of US, Japan, China and Germany will "allow others to bypass us leaving us behind" as far as industrialisation is concerned.
"The USA is interested to invest in Information Technology in the country, China has proposed investment in the field of electricity and if we don't accept their proposals then we will be left behind allowing the others to bypass us," Bhattacharjee told a rally organised by the party's youth wing DYFI.
Reiterating that capitalist investment was necessary Bhattacharjee said, "We know with capitalist investment, there will be labour exploitation and personal profit but we don't have any other alternative."
Admitting that Nandigram was a mistake, Bhattacharjee said that did not mean the party and the government had retracted from its aim of making a chemical hub.
"We have shifted the proposed chemical hub to Nayachar but we didn't stop (the project) because that will provide one lakh job. The proposed steel plant at Salbani will provide 18,000 jobs. The car factory at Singur has created problem for some people but that will provide 6,000 jobs," he said.
"All these jobs are for the students and youths of our state and we cannot stop our development programme for some reactionary forces," he said.
Urging youths to come forward and reach out to the people so that they can understand the importance of development, he said, "We have become self sufficient in agriculture and we will become the front-runner in industry too. We need the support of the common people."
Inspite of the police being criticised for their role in Nandigram and lately in Dinhata, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Thursday said the force was much better compared to other states.
"With 54,000 policemen and 435 police stations in the state which is much less than the requirement, police have performed remarkably," Bhattacharjee said during the West Bengal Police Medal Investiture Ceremony 2007 at Science City.
He said though terrorist and divisive forces were active in both north and south Bengal, police had lived up to the situation.
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee might be having a tough time rejuvenating industry in the state following jagged opposition from within and outside the Left Front, but the West Bengal chief minister’s initiatives have received strong support from an unexpected corner. Kolkata’s ‘Maharaja’ and former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly has come out openly in support of Bhattacharjee.In a strongly-worded article published in Left-leaning vernacular daily Aajkal on Tuesday, Ganguly not only complemented Bhattacharjee for his industry rejuvenation drive but also called upon the people of the state to hit the streets in support of the chief minister’s initiatives.At the same time, Ganguly committed to take the initiative and hold talks with overseas investors and convince them to invest in West Bengal. “I have spoken to foreign investors following a call from the chief minister. I will do the same again and again….And this I will do not as the state’s brand ambassador, but as an ordinary citizen of India,” he wrote.Although Ganguly is a known Bhattacharjee confidant, this is the first time that he has written such an article openly supporting the chief minister. Government sources said Ganguly readily agreed to write the article following requests from a couple of top CPI(M) leaders and senior officials in the chief minister’s secretariat.
The clouds now seem to be gathering in Washington over the nuclear deal. Even before the Indo-US agreement has been extricated from Left roadblocks at home, there were ominous signals from the US Congress on Wednesday when it met to hear the budget proposals for the State Department.
The first blow was the news that a strong opponent of the nuclear deal, Democratic Congressman Howard Berman, has taken over as chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He succeeds deal-friendly Tom Lantos who passed away on Feb 11.
Berman’s name rings alarm bells here. He authored killer amendments to the Hyde Act when the enabling legislation was being debated in the US Congress in 2006. Then, last October, he urged President Bush to ensure that the waiver for India from the Nuclear Suppliers Group does not deviate from the conditions in the Hyde Act.
The second blow was his not-so-gentle reminder at the first meeting he chaired of the House Committee on Wednesday that he is still on the warpath. Although the House Committee was discussing next year’s budget for the State Department, Berman raised the Indo-US deal.
He said he was concerned that the Bush Administration had circulated a proposal for a “clean” (or unconditional) exemption for India from the NSG.
“[The proposal] does not reflect any of the restrictions contained in the Hyde Act,” he remarked.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s reply offered little consolation. She assured Berman that the US cannot support anything with India in the NSG that contradicts the Hyde Act. “We will have to be consistent with the Hyde Act,” she said, “or I don’t believe we can count on the Congress to make the next step [in consummating the deal].”
Officials here were reluctant to speculate on the implications of the exchange between Berman and Rice. On the face of it, Rice could not give any other reply. The Bush Administration has consistently said that all its steps are in line with the Hyde Act, including the controversial 123 Agreement, which the Left has refused to pass.
However, one official acknowledged that this position is correct in a broad interpretation of the Hyde Act. A narrow reading of the Act could create problems, particularly if India conducts another nuclear test.
A senior Left leader said that Rice’s reply only confirms their worst fears about the deal. “We have all along said that the Hyde Act cannot be ignored when considering the next steps,” he pointed out.
Unitech has reported that the government of West Bengal has given possession of 12,500 acres of land at Nayachar Island on Feb 15 to the developer PCR Chemicals, a joint venture between New Kolkata International Development (51%) and West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (49%). New Kolkata International Development is a consortium between Unitech (40%), Salim Group of Indonesia (40%) and Universal Success of Indonesia (20%). It entered into a development agreement with West Bengal Government on July 31, 2006 for development of mega infrastructure in the State of West Bengal.
On Friday, Unitech shares closed up 6.72 per cent at Rs 417.15 on BSE.
With the government under attack from friends and foes alike on the hike in petrol prices, Congress on Friday sought to bat for the party-led coalition saying its hand was forced by the volatile global oil market.
"No government takes any decision deliberately which is politically disastrous. But ground realities forced it," party spokesman Shakil Ahmad told reporters when asked to comment on Opposition criticism over the fuel price hike as a 'politically disastrous move'.
To a question whether Congress was supporting the government move reluctantly or wholeheartedly, he said fuel prices are not controlled by the government which waited long enough for prices to ease down.
Showering praise on Narendra Modi, senior BJP leader L K Advani on Friday said his victory in Gujarat was the triumph of good governance, development and security over vote bank politics. Addressing business leaders here, the NDA's Prime Ministerial candidate said most political parties believe that the politics of vote banks is the surest way to winning elections.
"They have also developed skepticism that good governance, democracy, security and probity in public life are not commitments that can win votes," he said at the annual general meeting of FICCI her.
Against this backdrop, the "most significant" aspect of Modi's victory in Gujarat is that it signalled the triumph of good governance, development and security over the politics of vote bank.
"This is a much belated welcome development for India, he said noting that Modi's victory has conveyed a message of far reaching importance.
Indicating that the party was planning to implicate the Gujarat model at the national level, he talked of GDP -- good governance, development and protection -- as three imperatives identified by the NDA as it aspires to come back to power.
"If my party and the NDA do win the mandate of the people in the next parliament elections, it shall be our firm resolve to make good governance, development and security the trinity encapsulating our common minimum programme," he said.
The NKID is a consortium between Unitech Ltd (40 percent), Salim Group of Indonesia (40 percent) and Universal Success of Indonesia (20 percent).
The NKID entered into a development agreement with the West Bengal government on July 31, 2006, for developing mega infrastructure in the state.
“We are giving possession of the land and they will first conduct a feasibility study,” West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya said after formally handing over the papers to Prasun Mukherjee of Universal Success.
Nayachar, a dolphin-shaped piece of land tapering at both ends, was selected by the government following a violent resistance by villagers at Nandigram in the same East Midnapore district, where the chemical hub was slated to come up earlier.
Nayachar, a deltaic estuary zone of Hooghly river, is located about 200 km from Kolkata.
The state government is keen to see Nayachar along with Haldia Petrochemicals getting the Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Region (PCPIR) status. The state government has already filed an application with the central government for it.
A six-member expert committee, appointed by the state government to advise it on setting up of a chemical hub at Nayachar, will visit the islands Feb 25. Incidentally, this will be the first visit of the high-powered committee, headed by Subir Raha, former chairman of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), to the islands.
The progress of the proposed deep sea port in the state will determine the future course of action for any company interested in investing in the petrochemical hub coming up at Nayachar, said state Commerce and Industries Minister Nirupam Sen on Saturday.
He was speaking at a press conference after his three-day visit to Mumbai. Principal Secretary Sabyasachi Sen had accompanied him in the visit, during which they met industrialists and extolled the investment potential in the state.
While speaking about the deep sea port project, Sen said: “During our discussion with Mukesh Ambani, he enquired about the progress of the deep sea port.”
He added, “Though consultants have been shortlisted, till now, no one has bid for the project. They have even given a few suggestions regarding the terms of reference for the bidding process. The state government is concerned that though the committee looking after the port is considering these suggestions, restarting the entire process will delay the project further.”
Hence, the department feels that if prospective developers are directly called to place their bids for the port, subject to clearance from the Centre, then the pace of the project could be accelerated, the minister said.
Regarding the progress of the petroleum, chemical and petrochemical investment region (PCPIR) at Nayachar, Sabyasachi Sen said that he will visit New Delhi next week for the state plan discussion. During his visit, he will also meet the secretaries of the 13 concerned Central departments regarding the PCPIR proposal.
Nirupam Sen added that the Hinduja Group has also been requested to explore avenues of investment in the petrochemical hub at Nayachar. “They were very upbeat about the state and said that they might consider setting up a downstream naptha cracker unit in the hub,” said Sen. The Hindujas are also learnt to have expressed their interest in developing a mega super specialty hospital on the lines of the one in Mumbai.
The minister also shared the contents of his meeting with Tata Motors MD Ravi Kant. “The trial run for Nano is expected to begin in June-July, but commercial production will begin only before the Durga Puja in October. We also discussed issues like power and drainage at the factory. We have already asked the National Highway Authority of India to prepare a design for a service road parallel to the Durgapur Expressway that will lead to the factory at Singur,” he added.
The progress of the proposed deep sea port in the state will determine the future course of action for any company interested in investing in the petrochemical hub coming up at Nayachar, said state Commerce and Industries Minister Nirupam Sen on Saturday.
He was speaking at a press conference after his three-day visit to Mumbai. Principal Secretary Sabyasachi Sen had accompanied him in the visit, during which they met industrialists and extolled the investment potential in the state.
While speaking about the deep sea port project, Sen said: “During our discussion with Mukesh Ambani, he enquired about the progress of the deep sea port.”
He added, “Though consultants have been shortlisted, till now, no one has bid for the project. They have even given a few suggestions regarding the terms of reference for the bidding process. The state government is concerned that though the committee looking after the port is considering these suggestions, restarting the entire process will delay the project further.”
Hence, the department feels that if prospective developers are directly called to place their bids for the port, subject to clearance from the Centre, then the pace of the project could be accelerated, the minister said.
Regarding the progress of the petroleum, chemical and petrochemical investment region (PCPIR) at Nayachar, Sabyasachi Sen said that he will visit New Delhi next week for the state plan discussion. During his visit, he will also meet the secretaries of the 13 concerned Central departments regarding the PCPIR proposal.
Nirupam Sen added that the Hinduja Group has also been requested to explore avenues of investment in the petrochemical hub at Nayachar. “They were very upbeat about the state and said that they might consider setting up a downstream naptha cracker unit in the hub,” said Sen. The Hindujas are also learnt to have expressed their interest in developing a mega super specialty hospital on the lines of the one in Mumbai.
The minister also shared the contents of his meeting with Tata Motors MD Ravi Kant. “The trial run for Nano is expected to begin in June-July, but commercial production will begin only before the Durga Puja in October. We also discussed issues like power and drainage at the factory. We have already asked the National Highway Authority of India to prepare a design for a service road parallel to the Durgapur Expressway that will lead to the factory at Singur,” he added.
CBI submits 2nd report on Nandigram firing to Calcutta HC
The CBI on Friday submitted its second report to the Calcutta High Court on the March 14, 2007 police firing at Nandigram that left 14 people dead.
CBI counsel Ranjan Roy submitted before a division bench comprising Chief Justice S S Nijjar and Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghosh that the agency be allowed to submit the report though the matter was not listed for the day.
The bench then directed the CBI to submit the report to the Registrar Council Shyamal Kanti Chakrabarty.
The division bench would go through the report and fix the next date of hearing, Court sources said.
The CBI had submitted its preliminary report to the High Court on December 17 last year. The Court, after going through the preliminary report, had directed the CBI to submit its report by today.
The High Court had on November 18 last year indicted the West Bengal government for the firing on innocent people in Nandigarm while terming it wholly unconstitutional and unjustifiable and directed the administration to compensate the families of each of the 14 victims with Rs five lakh.
Immediately after the police action on March 14 last year, the High Court had asked the CBI to enquire as to what prompted the police to open fire when thousands of villagers had gathered to protest against attempts by the police to enter Nandigram.
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Taslima wants govt to ease curbs on her movement
After getting extension of her visa to stay in India, Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen today said she is living a "caged" life and asked the government to remove the curbs on her movement.
"My freedom of movement is severely curtailed. I cannot meet friends and fellow writers causing stress to my mind and health. I have been told by officials that I will have to bear with this in future. I will have to lead this caged life if I have to live here, where I have decided to spend the rest of my life," Nasreen told PTI over phone.
The writer said she had been informed that there could be serious law and order problems if she was allowed to step out in Delhi or return to Kolkata, her home for the past few years.
Nasreen said she had been told that "ten people could die in Kolkata" if she was allowed to return there.
The writer said she hoped that the government would restore her right of movement, which was a basic human right especially for a writer.
"I'm waiting for the government to let me return to Kolkata which is my home." she said.
Nasreen has been staying in an undisclosed place because of security reasons after being bundled out of Kolkata in November when a radical Islamic outfit had indulged in largescale violence in that city protesting her alleged blasphemous writings and demanding she be thrown out of India.
India should increase FDI limit in defence: Butler
New Delhi : Britain on Friday suggested that India should raise its Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) limit in defence sector up to 49 per cent.
The suggestion came from Creon Butler, Deputy British High Commissioner who was speaking at a seminar organised by a industry body CII.
At present, New Delhi allows only 26 per cent FDI in the defence sector. Echoing such demands from the European industry, the British diplomat said in the years to come the defence sector in India is expected to see significant jump.
India plans to make its defence offset policy open, transparent and less rigid and ensure bigger participation of private players in defence equipment business.
Defence Production Secretary Pradeep Kumar said: "This symposium will provide the UK a platform to understand our Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy in the defence sector."
India has gradually liberalised its defence trade by allowing 100 per cent private investment by domestic companies and increasing the number of licences granted to private players. Our defence equipment companies are competitive and global biggies are outsourcing their work to Indian firms," said Kumar.
Kumar expressed confidence that this symposium will provide us an opportunity to understand the eastern and the western perspectives on defence, explore joint ventures and further strengthen India-UK ties.
Dasmunsi formally takes over as WBPCC President
Information and Broadcasting minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, who will face the challenge of preparing the state unit ahead of the panchayat polls in May and next year's Lok Sabha elections, on Friday took over the reins of the faction-ridden Bengal Congress.
A known detractor of the Marxists, Dasmunsi was appointed the state unit chief of Congress in the Left-ruled state on Wednesday.
He was given warm reception by enthusiastic youth Congress supporters led by his loyalist state YC chief Amitava Chakraborty at the airport after he arrived from New Delhi.
Congress supporters in cars and minitrucks followed Dasmunshi's convoy to Bidhan Bhavan, the party headquarters.
Dasmunsi, who represents Raiganj in Lok Sabha to which he was elected first time in 1971, replaces Pranab Mukherjee who had resigned after the party's debacle in the assembly polls in 2006 but was asked to continue.
Dasmunshi will have to walk the tightrope by having to grapple with factional feud and to rev up the anti-CPI(M) image of the party which was in disarray.
The party has been accused by Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee of not being sincere to take on the marxists.
Centre extends deadline for minority scholarship
Thiruvananthapuram : The Centre has extended the deadline for applying for post-matric scholarships for minority communities from Febrary 15 to 29, according to Minister of State For External Affairs, E Ahmed. The decision in this regard had been taken by the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs, Ahmed told PTI here on Friday. Ahmed, also all-India general scretary of the Indian Union Muslim League, had urged the ministry to extend the deadline.
Sikh minority case; SC refuses to stay HC verdict
New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Friday refused to stay the Punjab and Haryana High Court judgement which said that Sikhs are not a minority community in Punjab. A Bench headed by Justice K G Balakrishnan issued notice to Sahil Mittal who had filed the writ in the High Court.
Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee had challenged the High Court verdict in the apex court.
Pranab to visit Brazil, S.Africa
New Delhi : India's engagement with Brazil and South Africa are expected to receive a boost when External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee undertakes a visit from Saturday to the two nations.
Four agreements are expected to be signed between India and South Africa, which include visa-free travel for diplomats of the two countries and cooperation in agriculture, customs and science and technology.
The visit to the two nations will provide an opportunity for review of the progress of cooperation under India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) framework, which assumes significance as the next Summit is to be held here later this year.
In the first leg of the six-day tour, Mukherjee will visit Brazilia for three days during which the two sides will review the progress of relationship which has been upgraded to strategic partnership.
The two sides will explore ways to further push the relationship.
Focus of discussions is expected to be on agriculture, human resources development, science and technology, renewable and non-renewable energy, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said here on Friday.
Cooperation in sports field has been of mutual interest to the two countries, with India particularly keen on roping in football coaches from Brazil.
The football associations of the two countries are currently holding discussions in this regard.
Reliance Natural Resource Fund garners Rs 5,660 cr
2008-02-15 13:39:46 Source : CNBC-TV18
http://www.moneycontrol.com/india/news/mf-interview/reliance-natural-resource-fund-garners-rs5660-cr/17/30/326366
Reliance Natural Resource Fund has garnered Rs 5,660 crore. Speaking to CNBC-TV18, Vikrant Gugnani, CEO, Reliance Mutual Fund said it is an indicator of the power of the brand and shows that people are using mutual funds to invest because of the volatility in the market.
Gugnani added that there may not be an immediate allocation to any particular market or stock. The first NAV will be declared towards the end of February, he stated.
Excerpts from CNBC-TV18’s exclusive interview with Vikrant Gugnani:
Q: Reliance Natural Resource has mopped up Rs 5,600 crore. How has the response been? Would you say that investor appetite has not really dulled after the recent stock market volatility?
A: I would like to thank 15.5 lakh investors in this fund, who have expressed confidence to invest with us from over 1,200 cities. It is not only an indicator of the power of the brand. It is also about people moving away from directly investing into markets and using mutual funds as a route to invest because of volatility and uncertainty in the market, so as to leave the investments with the experts.
Q: What kind of India allocation are we going to look at for this fund, considering that it is going to be investing in securities of companies listed across geographies?
A: The fund is enabled to invest up to 35% overseas. At this point of time, we will invest in stocks and markets that offer us definite long-term value. There are some opportunities in India and overseas.
Q: What would they be?
A: They will be specific stocks in specific markets. One will have to wait and see when the portfolio gets disclosed at the end of February. But I do not anticipate an immediate allocation to any particular market or stock, because to invest Rs 5,660 crore is going to take sometime for the fund manager. We have a commitment to deliver long-term growth to our investors and not just a short-term strategy of growth.
Q: When will you declare your Net Asset Value (NAV)?
A: We will declare our first NAV towards the end of February.
Bengal’s poultry sector seeks Rs 400-crore aid
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Markets/Commodities/Bengals_poultry_sector_seeks_Rs_400-crore_aid/articleshow/2783802.cms
KOLKATA : Even as poultry farms in the organised sector in West Bengal have not been affected as much as those in the unorganised sector following the recent outbreak of bird flu in the state, poultry owners from that sector have claimed Rs 400 crore as grants from the state government and the Centre as well to cover their loss.
Though there was no large-scale culling of chickens in the organised poultry sector following the recent attack of the disease in major parts of the state, the sector has suffered a loss of Rs 400 crore due to shrinkage in the sale of chickens and eggs over the past one month, claims the West Bengal Poultry Forum, the representative body of the organised poultry sector.
While placing the demand before the state government and the Centre, the forum has also requested the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government to restore normalcy in the supply of chicken feed, which has been severely disrupted in the wake of outbreak of bird flu in the state.
To help the bird-flu affected poultry owners, the state government has recently announced a Rs 700-crore bailout package wherein it has made a provision of Rs 100 crore as grants to all the affected 37 lakh poultry farmers including organised poultry owners.
The remaining Rs 600 crore is to be arranged as a long-term bank loan at lower interest rates, for which the state government is currently negotiating with banks
India will achieve 9% growth: PM
Friday, 15 February , 2008, 14:05
Last Updated: Friday, 15 February , 2008, 15:17
http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=14605390
New Delhi: The Indian economy will continue to grow at a fast clip and attain 9 per cent growth this fiscal, even as the government will ensure that negative impact of a global slowdown is moderated, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said here Friday.
"I do not see any reason why we can't sustain 9-per cent growth even in the face of a global slowdown," the prime minister told the 80th annual session of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci).
"There are global concerns of a slowdown. We need to be aware of these concerns. We will take steps to limit the impact on us. The finance and commerce ministers are seized of the matter," he added.
Manmohan Singh said keeping inflation under check was high on the agenda for his government even if it came in the way accelerating growth, since a much larger section of the society was directly impacted by price rise.
"I know some of you are not happy about our emphasis on inflation control. There have been some impatient editorials about the sacrifice of growth at the altar of inflation control," he said.
"It hurts the poor more than the rich. Therefore, it is essential we
"It hurts the poor more than the rich. Therefore, it is essential we ensure that the poor are not adversely affected by high inflation, particularly basic items of consumption. This is a matter of social priority and of their survival."
According to the prime minister domestic factors like high investment rate that has touched 36 per cent of the country's gross domestic product and savings rate of 35 per cent had been driving India's robust growth.
"There is an underlying dynamism in our economy," he said. "There will be ups and downs. There will be leads and lags. There will be sectoral and regional imbalances. These should be addressed," he said.
"But let us not miss the wood for the trees."
The prime minister also expressed concern about the affordability of health care and the quality of public health in the country, and said while the central government will ensure adequate funds for various programmes, the states needed to do more.
"We need reform of our health system, especially our public hospitals," he said, adding: "We are looking at new models of affordable health insurance and other related strategies."
The prime minister said while there were reports on the poor state of India's infrastructure, the facts spoke of a different story entirely.
The civil aviation sector was on the right track, railways had seen a remarkable turnaround, the national highways had been expanded, electricity generation was improving and urban infrastructure was getting renewed attention.
The prime minister said the sustainability of economic performance rests on the health of the agriculture sector and reiterated the government's commitment to resolve the problem of credit availability for the farmers.
"We cannot have a situation where 80 per cent of the farm sector is outside the formal financial system and suffers from excessive indebtedness."
Manmohan Singh also gave away the Ficci Awards for 2006-07 in six categories to Bharat Biotech International, Steel Authority of India, Grasim, Zenith Computer, ITC and Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science.
McCain's Challenge
By PETER WEHNER
February 14, 2008; Page A16
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120295181742766981.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
On Tuesday Barack Obama crushed Hillary Clinton in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. He did this while winning significant support from older voters, women, lower income earners and Hispanics -- groups that had sharply favored Mrs. Clinton in other states. And he did this after turning in decisive victories over the weekend in Louisiana, Nebraska, Washington state and Maine.
Mrs. Clinton was supposed to deliver the knockout blow on Super Tuesday. But instead, after being fought to a draw and now facing an Obama avalanche, she is taking a Giuliani Light approach. She is counting on winning in Ohio and Texas on March 4. The problem is that March 4 is nearly three weeks away, or about the same length of time between when Republicans voted in New Hampshire and when they voted in Florida. During that span Rudy Giuliani went from one of his party's frontrunners to one of its also rans.
By the time voters in Ohio and Texas head to the polls, Mr. Obama could be on a 10-state winning streak and raising funds at a clip that far outpaces Mrs. Clinton. If so, Mrs. Clinton's support could drop precipitously -- and her party's super delegates could hand their support to Mr. Obama.
So in the race for the Democratic nomination, the odds now favor the junior senator from Illinois. And if he wins, the presumptive Republican nominee, John McCain, will have his work cut out for him. Those who believe Mr. Obama will be an easy target because he is liberal and inexperienced haven't followed his campaign. If Mr. Obama is the nominee, Mr. McCain will face a politician of enormous talent and personal grace. So what can Mr. McCain do about it?
- First, he can make use of the gift of time. Having all but locked down the GOP nomination, Mr. McCain can use the next few months to reintroduce himself to the American people. It is not safe to assume that most voters have closely followed the race thus far. What many people know about Mr. McCain they like, based on his valor, honor and love of country. Now he needs to build on this by retelling his life story in a vivid, moving way.
- Second, create a compelling narrative that explains his candidacy. So far the GOP race has had a "check-the-box" quality to it. Mr. McCain needs to put issues under a broader banner. Defending American ideals against our enemies abroad, and being worthy of those ideals at home, is one banner that could have broad appeal. If Mr. McCain advocates policies that advance liberty and individual responsibility, strengthen the family, and promote prosperity, he will give his candidacy the context it needs.
- Third, turn Mr. Obama's strength into a weakness. Right now Mr. Obama is presenting himself as a figure who floats above politics. His allure is based on inspiring but vague calls for hope and unity. This airy appeal can and needs to be firmly strapped down to the policies Mr. Obama would put in place. This requires defining Mr. Obama's invocation of "change" for what it is: orthodox liberalism.
Mr. McCain, meanwhile, can be the man of substance, specific policies and reform. Presenting himself as that man, however, won't be easy. In the past, Mr. McCain has shown a lack of interest in economic and domestic issues. But it is essential now for his success. His policies need to be creative, aimed at everyday concerns, and show intellectual rigor. Remember that among the GOP's greatest electoral successes in recent decades (Ronald Reagan's election as president in 1980 and the Republican capture of Congress in 1994) were based on philosophical contrasts. Pale pastel campaigns (George H.W. Bush in 1992 and Bob Dole in 1996) are a road to defeat.
- Fourth, repair the breach with key conservatives. Mr. McCain can begin to do this by stopping advisers from making silly attacks on talk-radio hosts and instead offering specific, concrete governing commitments. Picking fights with the right people, instead of people on the right, would also help Mr. McCain. Conservatives may never love Mr. McCain. But he can strengthen ties to them by cultivating common interests.
- Fifth, broaden the national security debate beyond Iraq. Mr. McCain was right on Iraq, and he was right early. The success of the surge is a tribute to his wisdom and steadfastness on these matters. But Iraq is and will remain an unpopular war. Mr. McCain needs to speak more specifically about his policies beyond Iraq and the Middle East and articulate the philosophical core of his national security approach. And he needs to explain why he (unlike Mr. Obama) will keep America safe and on the offensive in our war against jihadism.
Mr. McCain's task will not be easy. If he is the nominee, Mr. Obama will be a formidable candidate and Democrats will likely enjoy advantages in fundraising, enthusiasm and party identification. But John McCain has overcome more difficult challenges in his life.
Mr. Wehner, formerly deputy assistant to President George W. Bush, is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.
Clinton steps up rhetoric against Obama
She says she offers solutions, not talk
Senator Hillary Clinton held up a pair of boxing gloves autographed by Kelly "The Ghost" Pavlik in Lordstown, Ohio. (Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press)
Email|Print| Text size – + By Sang Foon Rhee
Globe Staff / February 15, 2008
A day after Barack Obama delivered a detailed economic plan at a General Motors plant in Wisconsin, Hillary Clinton yesterday used the backdrop of a GM plant in Ohio to launch a populist-style attack against Obama, questioning whether his inspiring rhetoric can deliver real help to struggling Americans.
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"Now, over the years, you've heard plenty of promises from plenty of people in plenty of speeches," Clinton told the auto workers. "And some of those speeches were probably pretty good. But speeches don't put food on the table. Speeches don't fill up your tank, speeches don't fill your prescription, or do anything about that stack of bills that keeps you up at night.
"That's the difference between me and my Democratic opponent," she said, using some of her strongest language yet against the Illinois senator, who has won eight straight primaries and caucuses. "My opponent makes speeches, I offer solutions. It's one thing to get people excited; I want to empower you."
Clinton, who needs to win the March 4 Democratic primary in Ohio, appealed directly to the blue-collar workers and middle-class families whose support she is relying on.
"Some days, it must feel like a perfect storm," she said, citing rising prices for gas, milk, and prescription drugs. She said hardworking families are like "a human ATM," but all the money is going out.
Clinton also excoriated the Bush administration's economic policies as the country nears a recession, if it isn't already there.
"President Bush has signed a subprime mortgage on America's economy," she charged at the plant in Lordstown. Bush handed perks to special interests on a "silver platter," she added, "probably one made in China."
While China manipulates its currency and racks up huge trade surpluses, it sends tainted products to the United States, she said. "Our government doesn't do a thing to stop it," she said.
"For seven long years, we've had a government of, by, and for the special interests, and we've had enough," the New York senator continued, borrowing liberally from the themes of John Edwards, the former North Carolina senator who suspended his campaign last month and has yet to endorse Clinton or Obama. "It's time to level the playing field against the special interests and deliver 21st-century solutions to rebuild the middle class."
Clinton outlined a plan yesterday to rein in special interests, taking back at least $55 billion per year from drug companies, oil companies, and firms that ship jobs overseas, and investing the money to lower the cost of college, reduce healthcare costs, and create jobs.
Clinton also charged Obama with watering down a bill to please the nuclear industry and voting for an energy bill loaded with tax breaks for the oil industry. That prompted a heated response from the Obama campaign.
"Barack Obama doesn't need any lectures on special interests from the candidate who's taken more money from Washington lobbyists than any Republican running for president," spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement.
"Hillary Clinton should tell the people of Ohio the truth - she once bragged about helping to pass the nuclear bill she's now criticizing Obama for, she came out with her plan for green jobs one month after Obama did, and she's said she'd 'go after' people's wages if they couldn't afford health insurance under her plan."
New polls released yesterday showed that Clinton is leading in Ohio and in Pennsylvania, where the April 22 primary is also crucial to Clinton's bid.
In Ohio, Clinton leads Obama 55 percent to 34 percent, and in Pennsylvania she leads Obama 52 percent to 36 percent, according to the Quinnipiac University polls. The surveys were conducted Feb. 6-12 and have a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.
Many of the interviews for both polls were conducted before Obama's eight-contest winning streak that is giving him momentum and could move poll numbers in his direction. Polls suggest that Obama is favored in contests next week in Wisconsin and Hawaii that could extend his streak to 10 before the pivotal primaries in Ohio and Texas on March 4.
New Mexico officials yesterday announced the winner of the Super Tuesday caucuses there: Clinton beat Obama by a razor-thin margin, and claimed 14 delegates to his 12.
© Copyright 2008 Globe Newspaper Company.
more stories like this
Clinton steps up rhetoric against Obama
She says she offers solutions, not talk
Senator Hillary Clinton held up a pair of boxing gloves autographed by Kelly "The Ghost" Pavlik in Lordstown, Ohio. (Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press)
Email|Print| Text size – + By Sang Foon Rhee
Globe Staff / February 15, 2008
A day after Barack Obama delivered a detailed economic plan at a General Motors plant in Wisconsin, Hillary Clinton yesterday used the backdrop of a GM plant in Ohio to launch a populist-style attack against Obama, questioning whether his inspiring rhetoric can deliver real help to struggling Americans.
more stories like this
Today on the presidential campaign trail
With "Yes We Can," Obama rides wave of enthusiasm
Union backing in the presidential race
McCain's focus is on general election
Easy answers elude Mich., Fla. delegates
"Now, over the years, you've heard plenty of promises from plenty of people in plenty of speeches," Clinton told the auto workers. "And some of those speeches were probably pretty good. But speeches don't put food on the table. Speeches don't fill up your tank, speeches don't fill your prescription, or do anything about that stack of bills that keeps you up at night.
"That's the difference between me and my Democratic opponent," she said, using some of her strongest language yet against the Illinois senator, who has won eight straight primaries and caucuses. "My opponent makes speeches, I offer solutions. It's one thing to get people excited; I want to empower you."
Clinton, who needs to win the March 4 Democratic primary in Ohio, appealed directly to the blue-collar workers and middle-class families whose support she is relying on.
"Some days, it must feel like a perfect storm," she said, citing rising prices for gas, milk, and prescription drugs. She said hardworking families are like "a human ATM," but all the money is going out.
Clinton also excoriated the Bush administration's economic policies as the country nears a recession, if it isn't already there.
"President Bush has signed a subprime mortgage on America's economy," she charged at the plant in Lordstown. Bush handed perks to special interests on a "silver platter," she added, "probably one made in China."
While China manipulates its currency and racks up huge trade surpluses, it sends tainted products to the United States, she said. "Our government doesn't do a thing to stop it," she said.
"For seven long years, we've had a government of, by, and for the special interests, and we've had enough," the New York senator continued, borrowing liberally from the themes of John Edwards, the former North Carolina senator who suspended his campaign last month and has yet to endorse Clinton or Obama. "It's time to level the playing field against the special interests and deliver 21st-century solutions to rebuild the middle class."
Clinton outlined a plan yesterday to rein in special interests, taking back at least $55 billion per year from drug companies, oil companies, and firms that ship jobs overseas, and investing the money to lower the cost of college, reduce healthcare costs, and create jobs.
Clinton also charged Obama with watering down a bill to please the nuclear industry and voting for an energy bill loaded with tax breaks for the oil industry. That prompted a heated response from the Obama campaign.
"Barack Obama doesn't need any lectures on special interests from the candidate who's taken more money from Washington lobbyists than any Republican running for president," spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement.
"Hillary Clinton should tell the people of Ohio the truth - she once bragged about helping to pass the nuclear bill she's now criticizing Obama for, she came out with her plan for green jobs one month after Obama did, and she's said she'd 'go after' people's wages if they couldn't afford health insurance under her plan."
New polls released yesterday showed that Clinton is leading in Ohio and in Pennsylvania, where the April 22 primary is also crucial to Clinton's bid.
In Ohio, Clinton leads Obama 55 percent to 34 percent, and in Pennsylvania she leads Obama 52 percent to 36 percent, according to the Quinnipiac University polls. The surveys were conducted Feb. 6-12 and have a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.
Many of the interviews for both polls were conducted before Obama's eight-contest winning streak that is giving him momentum and could move poll numbers in his direction. Polls suggest that Obama is favored in contests next week in Wisconsin and Hawaii that could extend his streak to 10 before the pivotal primaries in Ohio and Texas on March 4.
New Mexico officials yesterday announced the winner of the Super Tuesday caucuses there: Clinton beat Obama by a razor-thin margin, and claimed 14 delegates to his 12.
© Copyright 2008 Globe Newspaper Company.
Consumers wary about price rise
15 Feb, 2008, 0215 hrs IST, TNN
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2784029.cms
The good news first. Good times are expected to continue. The bad news now: People who think this to be the case aren’t a majority. Almost 35% of the people polled in the The Economic Times-Hansa Mood of the Nation pre-budget survey say they expect the living standards to improve only a little over the next one year, but less than 29% expect a huge positive change in the same period.
The survey conducted by Hansa Research Group also indicates that people in the North are most optimistic about the one-year future while western India is rather pessimistic. Almost 41% of the people in this part of the country don’t expect living standards to improve much.
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Rising prices, falling stock markets and increasing debt burden are unnerving people. People have also disclosed that they’re not entirely sure on their big-ticket purchases - a house, a car, durables et al. Says marketing consultant Rama Bijapurkar, who also helped ET frame the methodology for the survey, “While the FM isn’t exactly walking a tightrope, he’s got very little room for manoeuvre with the upcoming Budget”.
But let’s give credit where it’s due. There has been a huge economic transformation in the country, and most people surveyed believe that things have changed for the better over the last five years. A quarter of all people surveyed say their finances are significantly better now than five years before and an additional 50% think they’re not doing too badly. Just 2% people think that they’ve got a bigger hole in their pocket than five years ago. The general feeling of a heavier wallet has extended to regions, demographics and age groups. A greater percentage in the higher SECs (socio-economic classification, a system to classify consumers based on their incomes and education) and older age groups believes they are better off.
The caution seeps through in most other responses. Inflation has pinched, and the survey shows just as much. Of all the respondents polled, nearly 75% were of the opinion that price rise has either put a strain on resources, or in fact made life very difficult in the last one year. The North and South didn’t feel it as much as the East and West.
The tone of the responses almost moves to wariness when it comes to expectations next year.
More than a third of respondents feel that price rise was a reason for a lot of worry. Forty-six per cent respondents in the South were ‘extremely worried’ about prices in the next one year, compared to a national average of 35%, and the older respondents showed a greater vulnerability to price rise. However, the lower SECs (i.e. SEC C & D) don’t seem to have as much of a problem as the higher SECs do with price rise, current or future. While there is a steady increase in the number of people affected by rising prices as the SECs become lower, the increase isn’t enough to suggest that lower SECs are more affected by price rise.
The uncertainty over price means there seems to be some amount of hesitancy when it comes to purchasing big-ticket items. Altogether 55% of respondents felt that the next year was not a good time to buy a house. An additional 18% had no opinion, clearly indicating that they’d like to wait and watch. Just one-fourth felt next year was a good time to take a loan, while one-fifth again chose to wait and watch. The West in particular believes that the next year isn’t a good time to buy a house or take a loan. On durables purchases 44% believe the coming year is a good time to buy, 41% don’t agree. There is also a huge percentage sitting on the fence on both durables and car purchases. And consumers don’t think that the Budget will alleviate their worries. Just under three-fourths collectively believe nothing would change or that there would be additional pressure on their wallets.
The numbers for the East tell a few interesting stories. Even though the East shows that more people are better off over the last five years (40% saying yes as opposed to 25% overall), just 5% of respondents from the eastern states thought the price situation was comfortable last year, as opposed to 21% overall. Seventy-seven per cent thought the Budget would put greater pressure on the common man, the most amongst the four regions. However, the East has also paradoxically expressed the greatest desire of buying a house or consumer durables in the next year.
What are the top priority tasks for the FM? Price rise control is clearly on everyone’s mind, with 55% believing that it’s the most important task to address in the Budget. Next is increasing government spending on healthcare and education, more significant in the West and South. Curiously, just 3% believe that upgrading infrastructure in cities is a priority. The West wants the FM instead to cut down personal income taxes.
Politics plays havoc with education
THE ISSUE: West Bengal misses out on
national e-governance awards.
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=13&theme=&usrsess=1&id=190848
The CPI-M’s import of politics in education, like many other vital sectors, is taking its toll resulting in the educational standards in once-important institutions nose-diving to the detriment of the future generations in West Bengal.
Teachers in educational institutions, whether schools, colleges or universities, are more busy in the unhealthy competition of proving their loyalty to the CPI-M for going up the ladder not by dint of their qualifications or qualities, but the amount of boot-licking of party leaders they can do.
This is playing havoc in the education field with serious-minded students making a bee-line to the southern states where politics is not allowed in educational institutions like it is in West Bengal.
And it is no surprise that West Bengal missed out on the national e-governance awards and no student was groomed properly by their teachers to qualify for such awards. This proves the hollowness of the claim of the CPI-M, which holds the vital portfolios of primary and higher education, about, what it calls, spectacular progress in literacy and education sector.
Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who is nothing but a dream merchant living in a fool’s paradise, is interested to the extent of putting up a show that West Bengal has so many industries, so many universities and so many IT companies for which a separate zone has been carved out in Salt Lake Sector V ~ Nabadiganta (a New Horizon). But he has no time to see whether the students are being imparted proper education by the comrade-professors with the dedication and devotion they deserve.
West Bengal should do a little soul-searching as to how Gujarat, which is condemned by the Marxists as being a communal state, could bag most of the major e-governance awards. It is a shameful thing that even a small Union Territory like the Andaman & Nicobar Islands had a share of major e-governance awards, but not West Bengal.
It will be too much to expect the Marxists in this hapless state to feel embarrassed even in the near-total miss of national e-governance awards in spite of its promoting such projects to build up its sagging image outside.
ASABARI SEN,
4 February, Santiniketan.
It’s a pity
Yes, it is a pity that West Bengal has missed out on national e-governance awards. An e-governance award is something quite novel and it would have generated a lot of enthusiasm among the general lot of the common people who would have had a very new experience.
Sadly for the state, it failed to materialise and thus the general sense of despair and frustration is acute among those who had been fervently expecting a break from the beaten track.
E-governance has some positive advantages, including the speediest execution of the process and a more fool-proof result ensuring a more effective outcome.
DEBASHIS SEN,
4 February, Kolkata
OF COURSE, THERE’S AN ALTERNATIVE
A few years ago, the Left Front had
vehemently opposed industrialisation for the sake of ‘capitalism’ but now it has done a
turnaround. A political party should never be afraid of vigorously examining itself in front
of the moral mirror, writes Parag Biswas
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=31&theme=&usrsess=1&id=191026
OFTEN it is in the warm afterglow of success, rather than in the morale-shattering gloom of failure, that soul searching becomes easier. Such a climate allows for introspection without fear. But principled self-scrutiny is something West Bengal, under Left Front rule, has rarely been able to take credit for. And this might be as good a time to take a hard look at ourselves as people of a politically conscious state.
The events at Singur, Nandigram, central Kolkata and Dinhata held a mirror to the best and worst of West Bengal politics as well as its society and culture. Civilised Bengal shamelessly stripped itself bare, warts and all. Whether this cathartic act unnerved Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s men and, in turn, stripped the ruling CPI(M) — the fountainhead of Bengali nationalism for over three decades — of its aura of invincibility is debatable. I would like to believe that the people of Singur and Nandigram deserved all the credit for halting the juggernaut.
Amidst all the fevered rants in a poisonous climate of hyper-factionalism, and ever ready to feel endlessly sorry for ourselves as self-perceived victims, we might have let go of a rare opportunity.
As they did in chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s case in 2004, the vibrant Telegu media and the public —going by the results of the assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh — stood up for the development of agriculture in rural areas as much for industrialisation in the urban centres.
Is it similar for West Bengal - on the course for industrial development, a process which begun at least a decade ago in almost all parts of India? To answer this question we must try and find out the relic of our tribal past.
Was the government correct to oppose privatisation of education and the use of computers and the latest technologies in government sectors? Was it morally correct for the Left Front government to discontinue the study of English from class-I in the government schools and allow the English medium missionary schools to run freely in the state — because the rich and the educated would not send their children to the public schools - after the government decided to introduce English to the students in the state-run schools from class-V? Here, the intelligentsia in West Bengal is equally culpable.
Why did a large section of intellectuals in the state, who took to the streets in mammoth numbers to protest against the alleged highhandedness of the CPI (M) cadres in Nandigram and claimed that the policemen in the state were corporeal specimens of uniformed brutality, not raise their voices against these mindless resolutions of the government, when they were adopted decades ago?
Surely, this is not to say that now, the CPI (M), after several years, has corrected these “historical mistakes” and sought apology for their lack of foresight.
If one is sorry for a blunder committed, that is fine, but to commit one mistake after the other and apologise repeatedly after a period of time is neither sensible nor appreciable and it can lead to potentially dangerous situations.
The Left Front finds itself in so prickly a situation today it courtesy mainly due to the 30-year-old propensity of its main constituent, the CPI (M) to avoid introspection and act in a defiantly self-contradictory manner till it is compelled to feel publicly sorry for its mistakes due to contradictions inherent in its policies, to avoid embarrassments at the hustling.
By introducing English from Class V in government schools and allowing English medium missionary schools to operate freely in the state, the votaries of a classless society set a detestable example of dividing the state’s future into two distinctive classes — one comprising solvent, urban, convent-educated elites and the other - poor or semi-urban pseudo-educated masses.
The earlier decision of the Left Front to vehemently oppose industrialisation for the sake of opposing “capitalism” tooth and nail and simply perhaps the congress prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru had declared - “Industries were the temples of tomorrow,” counted amongst the most nakedly aggressive and senselessly self-contradictory steps taken in the history of the country. The young residents of the state were at the wrong end of a foolish decision taken by a socialist alliance, which they had put into power. The students, pursuing careers in electronics or information technology, as also a vast majority of those belonging to a vernacular background, both had reasons to believe they were not fairly treated.
At a time of great euphoria in the Left Front following the epochal victory in the assembly elections in May 2006, it would perhaps seem churlish for the voices of sanity within the ruling combine to advocate soul-searching. But success should not be allowed to sweep inconvenient issues under the carpet.
A mature political party is never afraid to vigorously examine itself in front of the moral mirror. There is no shame in reforming yourself for the benefit of your people, just as there is none in a defeat arrived at after a hundred per