[chhattisgarh-net] Digest Number 1712

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 09:50:03 -0800

Title: chhattisgarh-net

Messages In This Digest (6 Messages)

Messages

1.

The booming companies of Mrs A Raja

Posted by: "Nutan Thakur" drnutantha...@yahoo.com   drnutanthakur

Tue Dec 16, 2008 9:17 am (PST)


The spectrum controversy as regards the 2G-spectrum allocation in
the beginning of this year has got mired in controversy is well
known to us all. That the Telecom Minister A Raja along with others
seem seriously involved and implicated in this has been alleged by
many. But overruling and brushing aside all these allegations as
rubbish, Raja moves around confidently because his mentor and DMK
leader M Karunanidhi is standing fully with him. Like a true
politician, who always has the knack of finding any possible
scapegoat, Karunanidhi has found the Caste of his minister as his
greatest armour. "People can't tolerate the rise of a humble Dalit",
he says and that is the end of it. As if being Dalit, being Muslim,
being Brahmin, being Yadav, being Tamil, being Punjabi, being
Assaamese or any other such brand is a licence to commit all follies
and then fall back upon these for rescue.
But a few very important facts related to some of the personal
financial and professional involvements of Raja have emerged lately
which clearly point to the direct involvement of this first-time
minister. But will all this help in yielding justice? Or will this
case also fall on the back burner to remain cozily placed for years
together, to be used and dumped as per the suitability of the
political requirements.
Presently the matter is under the scanner of the Delhi high court
and the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC).
The facts are as follows. A Chennai-based real estate company with
an initial capital of only Rs 1 lakh by the name of Green House
Promoters Private Limited was registered in the required manner
barely four months after Raja became a Cabinet Minister (in charge
of Environment and Forests) for the first time in May 2004. One AM
Sadhick Batcha, a close associate of Raja who hails from his
Perambalur constituency was its Managing Director and his wife Reha
Banu its director. Later on, many of Raja's close relatives like his
brother, nephew, niece and a few others became directors in the
company. They include Raja's elder nephew RP Paramesh Kumar (joint
managing director), Minister's brother, A Kaliaperumal ( director)
of Green House, R Ram Ganesh, son of Raja's elder brother A
Ramchandran (director) who is also an IftS officer. Soon the share
capital of the firm got up to nearly Rs 3 crore in only14 months.
More interesting things were yet to come. In February 2007, a lady
by the name of Ms. MA Parameswari, joined the board as a director.
Nothing noticeable in this except the fact that Ms Paramerswari is A
Raja's wife. Even this is not wrong or illegal but the fact that the
minister did not inform the Prime Minister of his wife's business
activities as per the Services (Conduct) Rules certainly is.
Interestingly the Minister's official residence also acted as his
wife's business address. But sometimes in early 2008 his wife
resigned from the directorship of the company, though before doing
so she transferred her shares to Raja's niece, Malarvizhi.
Meanwhile the company went on going leaps and bounds, with offices
as far as in Singapore. As if this is not enough, Parameswari and
other of his relatives also became active partners in another
company Equaas Estates Private Limited floated hardly a month after
Green House in September 2004, again apparently dealing in real
estate which came to have such an unimaginably high turnover of Rs
755 cr in its very first year of operation. No information or
affidavit regarding this business association of Ms Parameswari was
given to the concerned authorities, just as in the previous case. In
this company also, the managing director is Sadhick Batcha, with
Raja's nephew RP Paramesh Kumar as the joint managing director.
So how come are these companies skyrocketing to dazzling heights in
the times of global recession when the rest of the Infrastructural
and realty companies are feeling the heat to such a great extent? Is
it prima-facie believable? Does it not seem only too logical that
the kickback from deals like that of Swan Telecom Private Limited,
having being allotted the 2G Spectrum licence in a controversial
manner for Rs 1,537 crore in October 2007 and having sold 45 per
cent of its shares to Etisalat, the UAE telecom giant, for $900
million (approximately Rs 4,500 crore) and Unitech, another real
estate company, which got a licence to operate in 22 circles for Rs
1,651 crore and similarly within weeks of acquiring the circles,
sold 60 per cent shares for Rs 6,120 crore to a Norwegian company,
Telenor contribute to the coffers of these two companies? What else
can give a possible and plausible explanation?
And what does the minister have to say on all this. This waves it
off as nothing more than despicable mudslinging. He says some vested
interested want to get him out of the way because he has come in the
way of these corporate groups who have so far been operating as a
Cartel in a manner contrary to the spirit of free and open
competition. Naturally hurt, these powerful groups are trying all
possible means to defame and demean him.
With his wife having resigned from the Companies now and with the
DMK boss firmly besides him, Raja is as safely placed as any one can
be. With no worries lying in his head, he can look wholeheartedly
towards the next General Elections to come back elected and get some
powerful ministry. With it, the Equaas and the Green house would
reach further heights.
Let the poor and helpless people of this country go on crying hoarse
at the top of their voice regarding the blatant loot of the public
coffers. Who is listening to them anyway?

Nutan Thakur,
Editor,
Nutan Satta Pravah,
Lucknow

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2.

Populist Vote wins in Chhattisgarh

Posted by: "Shubhranshu Choudhary" s...@cgnet.in

Tue Dec 16, 2008 10:02 am (PST)

*POPULIST VOTE *
*By Venkitesh Ramakrishnan*

THE battle of competitive populism in Chhattisgarh was finally won by those
who started it and had the superior organisational machinery to turn it into
electoral gains. This could well be the one-line assessment of the outcome
of the elections to the 90-member State Assembly, which were held in two
phases on November 14 and 20. The BJP was the front-runner in the populist
competition, and it duly returned to power with 50 seats, the same number it
had held in the previous Assembly. The Congress, the principal Opposition,
which sought to follow in the BJP's footsteps, improved its tally marginally
by winning 38 seats, one up from its previous position. The BSP won two
seats, its strength in the last Assembly.

In an election campaign that did not focus on core issues, such as the
pathetic livelihood conditions of the considerable number of people living
below the poverty line (BPL) and the troublesome security climate marked by
persistent violence between Maoist rebels and Salwa Judum (the self-styled
anti-naxalite resistant group based mainly in the tribal districts of
Dantewada and Bastar) activists, it was the populist programmes announced by
the BJP and the Congress that influenced the electoral process.

The ruling BJP was better placed to exploit the populist method. The Raman
Singh-led government initiated the exercise by introducing a scheme to
provide rice at Re.3 a kg and salt at 25 paise a kg for BPL families. Once
the election process started, the Congress also fell for this populist trap
and promised to provide rice to all ration card holders at Rs.2 a kg if
elected to power. The BJP then went the extra mile, promising in its
election manifesto to provide rice at Re.1 a kg and salt free of cost,
interest-free loan for the agriculture sector, and free electricity to
farmers having 5-horse power pumps, among other things.

Organisationally too, the BJP was better placed than the Congress. It
announced that the incumbent Chief Minister would continue to lead its
government. And to this end it played up, throughout the campaign, Raman
Singh's image of an honest politician. The BJP's internal assessment was
that any anti-incumbency sentiment would work against some of the
legislators and not against Raman Singh, and as such the party set forth to
address this factor at the local level by denying the ticket to 18 sitting
MLAs. Overall, the BJP's campaign was better structured. Its central
coordinator, Ravi Shankar Prasad, camped in Raipur and assigned well-defined
roles to various units of the party as well as its affiliates in the Sangh
Parivar such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh.

In contrast, the Congress campaign was anything but structured. Its was
mainly led by former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, who moves about in a
wheelchair, having suffered grievous injuries in a road accident a few years
ago. Jogi undertook intensive campaigning but had little support from other
Congress stalwarts in the State such as Vidya Charan Shukla and Motilal
Vora. Some reports said factional politics played its role and suggested
that Jogi had sought to undermine the electoral chances of his inner-party
rivals such as Mahendra Karma, the Leader of the Opposition in the previous
Assembly.

Overall, the Congress campaign seemed disoriented, merely replicating the
populist promises made by the BJP. It failed to highlight serious issues
such as the alarming rate of farmers' suicides in the State and the undue
weightage given to the development of Special Economic Zones (SEZs). The
human rights violations by the State government, which were exposed through
a number of incidents, including the arrest in May 2007 of the human rights
activist and public health specialist Dr. Binayak Sen on charges of having
links with Maoist rebels, did not find a place in its campaign. According to
many middle-level Congress leaders of the State, Mahendra Karma's proactive
role in founding and advancing the activities of Salwa Judum acted as a
handicap.

In terms of vote share, the BJP got 40.33 per cent, which marked a marginal
improvement on its 2003 figure of 39.26 per cent. The Congress, too,
registered an increase, from 36.71 per cent in 2003 to 38.63 per cent. In
2003, the Congress contested the elections on its own, whereas this time it
entered into an alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). In 2003,
the NCP contested all the seats. However, it won only one seat and
registered a vote percentage of 7.02. Obviously, the coming together of the
Congress and the NCP did not automatically translate into an accretion of
the NCP votes to the Congress. This arithmetic exposes the limitations of
the Congress' campaign. The fact that six senior party leaders were defeated
in the elections also points to a serious lack of electoral strategy. State
Congress president Dhanendra Sahu, working president Satyanarayan Sharma,
Mahendra Karma, Deputy Leader of the Opposition Bhupesh Baghel and Arun
Vora, son of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Motilal Vora, were among
the party's losers.

The third force in Chhattisgarh, represented by the BSP, also registered an
increase in its vote share, from 4.45 per cent to 6.11 per cent. Again, this
did not reflect in the number of seats won. However, the BSP emerged second
in 12 constituencies. Other smaller parties, such as the Communist Party of
India (CPI), the Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha and the Communist Party of India
(Marxist), put up spirited fights in many constituencies but drew a blank.
The performance of Manish Kunjam of the CPI in Dantewada was particularly
impressive. Although the BJP's Bhima Mandavi emerged the winner, Kunjam was
able to push Mahendra Karma to the third spot.

The writing on the wall for the Congress was clear. The Congress and the
forces of the third alternative will have to strengthen their organisational
set-ups and increase their social and political interventions in the State
to make an impact on electoral politics and in day-to-day affairs. Until
that happens, the BJP's finely tuned organisational machinery will continue
to hold sway in Chhattisgarh.

http://www.flonnet.com/stories/20090102252600800.htm
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3.

Salwa Judum: Chhattisgarh assures SC of action on NHRC report

Posted by: "Shubhranshu Choudhary" s...@cgnet.in

Tue Dec 16, 2008 10:02 am (PST)

*Salwa Judum: Chhattisgarh assures SC of action on NHRC report*

New Delhi (PTI): The Chhatisgarh government on Tuesday assured the Supreme
Court that further action would be taken on the recommendation of the NHRC
which probed the alleged human rights violation by Salwa Judum, a people's
movement to combat naxalism in the state.

The apex court asked the state government to file Action Taken Report (ATR)
on the recommendations made by the NHRC which had pointed to incidents of
burning and killing on which FIRs were not registered and cases of
high-handedness of the Special Police Officers, the civilians, armed with
weapons to fight naxal menace.

The report by the NHRC had stated that villagers have become victims of the
fight between naxalites and Salwa Judum.

Senior advocate K K Venugopal, appearing for the Chhatisgarh government,
said the state has already acted reports and recommendations of the NHRC and
have lodged FIRs in the cases which were pointed out.

Further, in some cases the probe has been initiated before registering the
FIR.

Senior advocate Ashok Desai, appearing for one of the petitioner, stressed
the need for taking steps against the SPOs who are accused by the NHRC
report of indulging in extra-judicial killings.

A bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan posted the matter for
further hearing on February 3 next year.

In an exhaustive report supported by documents, NHRC had inquired into
alleged human rights violations by activists of Salwa Judum in Chhattisgarh
even as the Centre had approved the state government's stand.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200812161842.htm
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4.

36garh Diary | 17 Dec | 2008

Posted by: "Shubhranshu Choudhary" s...@cgnet.in

Tue Dec 16, 2008 6:15 pm (PST)

Naxals learning child recruitment from LTTE: Chhattisgarh Chief

Daily Mirror - Colombo,Western,Sri Lanka

Children are more prone to brainwashing than grown-ups and that is the
primary reason as to why minors are targeted," Chhattisgarh Director General
of ...

http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/Sections/frmNewsDetailView.aspx?ARTID=35266

SC seeks Action Taken Report from Chhattisgarh govt on Salwa judum

Indlaw.com - New Delhi,India

The Raman Singh government had launched Salwa Judum movement in the state
under which arms were supplied to private individuals to protect themselves
and ...

http://www.indlawnews.com/newsdisplay.aspx?c01c3d2a-cc16-4393-a866-03554fe00519

Indian Voters' Top Worry? The Economy

BusinessWeek - USA

... such as the conditions of roads in Delhi and the availability of cheap,
subsidized rice in rural Chattisgarh, which is among India's poorest states.
...

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/dec2008/gb20081215_628805.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index+-+temp_global+business

Two Maoists shot dead in Chhattisgarh

Thaindian.com - Bangkok,Bangkok,Thailand

Raipur, Dec 16 (IANS) Two Maoist guerrillas were shot dead Tuesday in
Chhattisgarh after a brief gun battle with security forces, officials said.
...

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/two-maoists-shot-dead-in-chhattisgarh_100131767.html

Bhilai Steel Plant moves towards sustainable practices

Livemint - Delhi,Delhi,India

Their plant in Bhilai, about 40km from Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh,
had been running on a fuel that comprised 80% coal and 20% coke oven gas.
...

http://www.livemint.com/2008/12/16215008/Bhilai-Steel-Plant-moves-towar.html

BJP finds it tough to choose Chhattisgarh Assembly speaker

Hindu - Chennai,India

Raipur (IANS): Chhattisgarh's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is finding
it tough to find a legislator who is willing to become the speaker of the
...

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200812161480.htm

Mumbai Media, the Indian Elite and the Naxalite

unnindia - New delhi,India

Furthermore, the naxalites are beginning to reach into the cities,
especially into the industrial working class areas of Delhi, Mumbai, Raipur,
...

http://www.unnindia.com/english/story.php?Id=3660

Seven BJP MPs resign LS memberships after Assembly wins

Hindu - Chennai,India

"Seven MPs -- four from Madhya Pradesh and one each from Rajasthan,
Delhiand Chhattisgarh -- have resigned from the Lok Sabha and they
were given
farewell ...

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200812161845.htm

Chhattisgarh HC issues notice to Chief Minister

Indlaw.com - New Delhi,India

The Chhattisgarh High Court has issued a notice and sought reply from Chief
Minister Raman Singh, former chief secretary Shivraj Singh, Lokayukta and
...

http://www.indlawnews.com/Newsdisplay.aspx?648f5fb8-36a4-4a3c-a62b-d2b4dd7b01a4

Agro tips from Chhattisgarh

Calcutta Telegraph - Calcutta,India

Keen on developing the agrarian community of Jharkhand, a business house of
Chhattisgarh is all set to undertake an integrated farming project here. ...

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081216/jsp/jharkhand/story_10258583.jsp

Congress factions in Chhattisgarh unite against Jogi

Newstrack India - Delhi,India

Though a majority of Jogi's loyalists won the elections, his long-time rival
and leader of the opposition Mahendra Karma lost his home seat, Dantewada,
...

http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/49755

All quiet during Maoist bandh in Kanker

The Times of India Mon, 15 Dec 2008 9:28 AM PST

There was a mixed response to the `bandh' call given by Maoists on Monday at
Pakhanjoor in Kanker district of Chhattisgarh's Bastar region.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/All_quiet_during_Maoist_bandh_in_Kanker/rssarticleshow/3842172.cms

Chhattisgarh Gets Award for Controlling Water Pollution

Outlook India Mon, 15 Dec 2008 8:25 AM PST

Chhattisgarh has been selected by a Chennai-based social organisation for a
national award for its achievement in controlling water pollution.

http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=647082

Naxals call for 'bandh' in Chhatisgarh's Pakahnjore area

Times of India - India

15 Dec 2008, 1630 hrs IST, PTI RAIPUR: Markets remained shut with a trickle
of vehicular movement on roads in Pakahnjore area of Kanker district
following a ...

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Naxals_call_for_bandh_in_Chhatisgarhs_Pakahnjore_area/articleshow/3840731.cms

Bhilai expansion plan on track

Livemint - Delhi,Delhi,India

New Delhi: Despite the contraction in the global demand and falling
commodity prices, Bhilai Steel Plant, a unit of Steel PSU Steel Authority of
India ...

http://www.livemint.com/2008/12/14233310/Bhilai-expansion-plan-on-track.html?h=B

Lessons From The Outcome of Assembly Polls

People's Democracy

THE recently-held assembly elections in the five states of Madhya Pradesh,
Rajasthan, Delhi, Chattisgarh and Mizoram have thrown up results widely ...

http://pd.cpim.org/2008/1214_pd/12142008_1.htm

What's General About a General Election?

Khaleej Times - Dubai,United Arab Emirates

But the tribals of Bastar gave the decisive tilt to the final tally, putting
the BJP way ahead with an enthusiastic endorsement of the Salwa Judum
programme ...

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/opinion/2008/December/opinion_December62.xml&section=opinion&col
=

Welfare schemes bring BJP cheers

Organiser - New Delhi,India

Finally, the "Raman effect" prevailed upon Ajit Jogi's charisma for the
second consecutive election for the 90-member Chhattisgarh Assembly, as the
BJP won ...

http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=268&page=4

Buddha:Is Maoism not sheer terrorism?

Kolkata Newsline - New Delhi,India

Kolkata With the state facing a surge in Naxal attacks, Chief Minister
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee labeled Maoists as nothing less than "terrorists".
...

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/buddhais-maoism-not-sheer-terrorism/398608/
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5.

Government disapproves of 'non-state' law enforcers

Posted by: "Anoop Saha" anoops...@yahoo.com   anoopsaha

Wed Dec 17, 2008 3:23 am (PST)

Source: http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080076804
Government disapproves of 'non-state' law enforcers
In a virtual disapproval of anti-Naxalite group 'Salwa Judum' in
Chhattisgarh, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday said the
Centre was not in favour of "non-state" actors taking the job of law
enforcement in their hands.

"We are not in favour of
non-state actors taking law enforcement in their hands," he said
replying to supplementaries during Question Hour in Rajya Sabha.

Chidambaram was asked by D Raja
of CPI if the Centre would consider asking the Chhattisgarh government
to disband Salwa Judum, a counter-Naxalite vigilante group launched in
Dantewada district in 2005.

"Law and order and law
enforcement is the responsibility of the state government... We do not
approve of non-state actors taking over the responsibility," he said.

He, however, refused to go into legality of the group saying the matter was before the Supreme Court.

Chidambaram said Salwa Judum
was an organisation which apparently had the support of the state
government and Centre had nothing to do with it.

On the continued detention of
human rights activist and doctor Binayak Sen in Chhattisgarh since May
2007, he said the matter was under his consideration.

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6.

No inputs to suggest Naxalite-ISI links: Govt

Posted by: "CGNet" cgnet...@gmail.com

Wed Dec 17, 2008 3:33 am (PST)

o inputs to suggest Naxalite-ISI links: Govt
16 Dec 2008, 2146 hrs IST, TNN

NEW DELHI: In the dock for its inability to control Naxal violence,
which has spread its tentacles to 13 states, the government sought to
lay responsibility
on state governments for their lack of will in addressing the problem. The
Centre also denied that it had information related to the links between
Pakistan's ISI and Naxal movement.

"There are no inputs to suggest that the Naxals have established links with
the ISI," Sriprakash Jaiswal, minister of state for home, said in Lok Sabha
on Tuesday.

Parliamentarians expressed concern over the lack of cohesive action on the
part of the Centre. Congress MP Naveen Jindal said 13 states were affected,
200 security personnel were killed and nearly 1,500 incidents took place
every year, and the Centre needed to reconsider a way to tackle the problem.

CPM's Mohammed Saleem pointed out that 80% incidents had taken place in the
states of Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and West Bengal.

Replying to the queries, Jaiswal said the Centre was taking steps to check
the Naxal menace, which had emerged as a threat to national security.

The government will raise 10 Commando Battalions for Resolute Action (COBRA)
in the CRPF as a specialised anti-Naxal force, Jaiswal said. In a written
reply to another question, Jaiswal said the government was further
strengthening and streamlining the mechanisms for intelligence gathering and
sharing with a view to make them more effective and result-oriented.

Steps were also being taken for modernisation and upgrading of state police
forces and their intelligence branches and providing modern weaponry,
equipment and training to them, he added.

As many as 217 security personnel and 441 civilians were killed in Naxal
violence and action against them till November 30. Over 1,435 incidents of
Naxal violence were reported this year till November 30, Jaiswal said,
adding that 1,536 Naxalites were arrested in the same period.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Not_sure_of_Naxalites-ISI_links_Govt_/articleshow/3847480.cms
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