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05/09/2006: "Army refutes news of joint operations with NSCN (IM)"


Army refutes news of joint operations with NSCN (IM) UNI Nahvind Times
Imphal, May 8: The army today refuted charges that it carried out any joint operations with the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivan) (NSCN (IM)) outfit.
A press information bureau (PIB) (defence wing) report said there was no casualty during any encounter with the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) cadres at Tingkai Khullen.
The PIB stated that earlier this month an operation was launched at Tamenglong district of Manipur from May 2, during which many militants camps were busted.
An AK-47 rifle, improvised explosive devices (IED), ammunition, detonators and some incriminating documents were recovered and an UNLF cadre was killed.
Meanwhile, the police said that late last night some unknown miscreants fired some rounds at Dr Maniruddin Sheikh, the speaker of the Manipur Legislative Assembly’s residence.
The residence is located at Lillong. However, no one was injured.
In a separate incident, the police said a Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) cadre was apprehended by the imphal West police.
Pawar to lead delegation to Israel PTI Economic Times
NEW DELHI: Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar will lead a high level delegation to Israel to boost technological cooperation between the two countries in the farm sector.
The delegation will attend an expo in farm technology, Agritech-2006 during May 10-12, an official release said.
The technological cooperation between the two countries is expected to get a boost in the field of agri-processing and marketing, food processing, post harvest management and value addition, food marketing, establishment of cold chain and product handling, it said.
Agritech- 2006, organised jointly by the Asia Chamber of Commerce and industry body FICCI, will also see participation from the chief minister of three states- Gujarat, Rajasthan, Nagaland and the Agriculture Minister from the states of Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
India and Israel had entered into an agreement in 1993 for cooperation in agriculture and allied activities. The agreement provided for cooperation in water and soil management, arid and semi-arid crop protection, animal science, fruit and vegetable cultivation, plant protection, agricultural research and agro forestry
No talk time for CF review NSCN (IM) wants meeting before Amsterdam talks Morung Express News Dimapur | May 8
NSCN (IM) officials are anxiously waiting for a positive response from the Government of India with regard to a review meeting planned to be held at Kohima to discuss the ceasefire ground rules as agreed by both sides during an earlier meeting held at Delhi on March 29. The two sides had planned on a Kohima meeting after government of India officials had requested for some more time to sort out details with regard to a review of the ground rules.
NSCN (IM) officials are irked by the complete silence on the part of Indian officials and have expressed displeasure over the constant failure to meet ‘specific commitments’. The NSCN (IM) on its part wanted a ‘complete review’ of the mechanism that governs the ceasefire ground rules. Further it wants the meeting to take place before the next round of peace talks slated for May 18 at Amsterdam.
When contacted, army sources did confirm about the planned meeting slated for the first week of May at Kohima. They were however not willing to divulge further details.
Sources told The Morung Express that the review meeting was a ‘necessity’ and as a follow-up to the last round of peace talks held at Bangkok. It may be mentioned that the Government of India-NSCN (IM) ceasefire was signed on August 1, 1997 with the agreed ground rules which included cessation of ‘active’ military operations by security forces while curbing activities of the NSCN (IM) such as kidnapping, extortion, killing etc. The ongoing ceasefire signed for a period of six months in January is expected to expire in July end.
World recognizes Naga healing system Chizokho Vero Kohima | May 8 The Morung Express
Good News. The Naga healing system has caught the attention of the medical world.
Dr. N. Kezienuo has been conferred with the prestigious Health Excellence Award for his outstanding contribution and praise-worthy achievement in the field of health and medicinal sciences at the International Grand Conference, Convocation and Award Presentation Ceremony on Holistic Health, Homoepathy and Healing at Taj Bengali Hotel, Calcutta earlier this month. He was among the 39 recipient in the country.
The function was organized by International Institute of Health Science, sponsored by New Age International University, Italy, Europe and co- sponsored by Indian Broad of Alternative Medicines, International Homoepathetic Medicinal Foundation, Institute of Education, Research and Development.
Dr. Kezienuo, MBBS, Psychiatrist, Acupuncturist and Principal Investigator, Naga Medicine Research centre, Kohima which was set up in 1989 as per the resolution adopted in the second conference of All Nagaland Traditional Health Workers in November 1989 at Kohima under the aegis of Nagaland Khadi & Village Industry Board.
Since 1995, Dr. Kezienuo set up the Naga Institute of Herbal and Indigenous Medicine at Jail Colony, Kohima at the behest of the former chief secretary of Nagaland, AM Gokhale under the registration of Society’s Act of 1860.
He has also written a book entitled Naga healing Vol. I in 2002 for use of first-phase training curriculum at the institute.
The trainees learnt some curative acupuncture formula for a dozen of diseases including for cure of Rheumatic and humoral diseases, Stoke Hemiplegia, etc. which are usually intractable to chemical drugs.
Many patients are said to be cured within a week time of treatment and seems some of the trainees are earning even upto Rs. 5000 and above per month, he said.
Dr. Kezienuo says that after he had presented a paper on true healer within and few special features of Naga healing, some of his colleagues came and touched his feet and saluted him.
They also congratulated him for being able to make Naga healing system known to the world at large for the benefit of humankind.
Open letter on the controversy of PM's Package for Wokha district- Nagaland Post Column Of late, there have been controversies and paper wars on PM's package for Wokha district which continues till today in the local papers. The District Congress Committee, Wokha has been keeping silent over the issue regarding allotment of contract works to some individuals as sub-contractors un-officially by a vested interest to party supporters as political gifts. There has been allegation and counter allegation that the contract works have not been allotted as per the terms of tender notice and that there are a lot of duplication of works over the recently constructed roads for improvement of roads in Wokha town.
In these controversies a lot of questions arise such as:-
1. What are the specific works to be done under the package and the guidelines for implementation of the works?
2. If it is PM's package the DCC Wokha would like to know if the schemes are for the entire Wokha district or for Wokha town alone.
3. If Tender notice was issued how many tenderers were there and who was allotted the work? Why the contractor is keeping silent all along? The DCC Wokha would like the contractor to come out with the truth of the issue.
Taking a thorough scrutiny of the controversy, it appears that the works allotted to cub-contractors un-officially by a political leader is questionable and there are lot of amble opportunities for corruption and misuse of the fund. Therefore, the DCC Wokha would like to request the authority to take up the matter seriously and conduct high level investigation and if necessary re-cast the scheme for the well being and interest of the people of Wokha district and also punish all these who are involve in such kind of corrupt practices.
K. R. Murry, President, DCC Wokha.
N. Tsenthungo Ngullie, Vice president, DCC Wokha.
Renbemo Lotha, General secretary, DCC Wokha.
Zubemo Lotha, General secretary, DCC Wokha.
Reweaving the Fabric of Naga Society• By Tezenlo Thong Kuknalim.com

Weaving was a pivotal part of the Naga culture, and every average woman knew the art of traditional weaving. Our foreparents grew cotton, spun it into yarn and dyed it. Then, our honorable ladies wove beautiful traditional clothes out of it to adorn our beautiful bodies...

Today, this invaluable tradition is being gradually forgotten and lost as manufactured clothes and fabrics take the place of the traditional weaving. Our Naga women need to learn to weave again, no less than our Naga men who need to salvage traditional line of male works.

It has been often said that society is like a fabric, and so if we have forgotten the art of actual weaving, we also have forgotten the art of weaving our very own society. Just as manufactured clothes have taken over traditional weaving, our highly evolved traditional values are being replaced by Western or foreign values. Furthermore, it is common empirical knowledge that when one removes any threads, the fabric is weakened proportionately, because every thread in a fabric exists to strengthen the entire piece. In traditional weaving, in particular, the threads are woven together to give a distinctive texture, design and cultural meanings to the fabric. And when any piece of thread is pulled out, the fabric not only begins to weaken and disintegrate, but also its distinguishing and artistic features that exude cultural meanings begin to fade away.

Analogous to a piece of fabric, our Naga society has been in tatters because of the onslaught of modern Western culture. Since the inception of Western colonial and missionary conquests in the nineteenth century, the threads of our cultural fabric have been pulled out one after another, which has come to greatly weaken our society. Vices that were foreign to our foreparents have taken deep roots among us. On the other hand, traditional virtues that underpinned our society and kept it going for ages have almost disappeared. Thus, our society has been greatly weakened and is rapidly disintegrating. Today, we live in a dysfunctional society, characterized by economic and power disparity, class distinction between the haves and have-nots, venality, unrestrained corruption, insatiable greed, a penchant for accumulation and affluence, senseless homicide and all sorts of conceivable vices. There is, therefore, an urgent need to reweave traditional values and meanings into the fabric of our contemporary society.

What would reweaving the fabric of our society entail? It will mean several things. First, we need to make a concerted effort to reaffirm our Naga identity and values. Most youngsters have lost, if not almost lost, the will power to reassert our identity, culture and history. The notion that indigenous culture is deficient abounds, which the colonized deliberately fabricated to colonize the minds of colonial subjects in order to generate “civilization”, conversion and change. Also, modern scientific culture conceives what is natural as primitive, backward and lacking in features of civilization, which we have all unfortunately come to imbibe ardently. It is, therefore, not uncommon for the colonized to engage in self-shame, self-negation and self-sabotage. When in Indian cities, for instance, many of us often deliberately choose to hide our identity and pretend to be aliens from one of the affluent countries such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore or Hong Kong (China). The cause for this is that, not unlike other Indigenous Peoples with similar histories of traumatic cultural disruption and colonial experiences, we have deflated and wounded self-pride, which is why we make no serious efforts to recover, revive and relive our traditional values. There is, therefore, an urgent need to reconstitute our spirit and restore the self-pride, which was our foreparents’ treasured possession that provided them with the resilience and tenacity to thwart the onslaught of foreign cultural and military invasions.

Second, we need to identify the bedrock principles rooted in our traditional culture and reclaim and relive them. We need to revive and make functional our moribund bedrock principles and values that define our being and guide our actions in modern-day existence. So that instead of defining and judging ourselves, our conducts and that of others in terms of Western values, our traditional values will determine our social relationships and conducts. In today’s globalized world, our survival as a distinct people and minority group or nation hinges on our ability to reclaim and retain our historical and cultural identity and principles. We will, otherwise, soon face the fate of many indigenous peoples who have been fully inundated by dominant cultures and have become untraceable.

Third, we need to pass on those traditional values, culture and history to posterity. Can we imagine a future generation of Nagas that knows nothing about our history and culture? Can we build a nation out of a generation that has a deluded and negative view of or impression on its own history and culture? Obviously, we cannot expect to build a vibrant and healthy nation out of a generation that knows nothing about its historical past and culture beyond the delusion that its ancestors were fierce headhunters or bloodthirsty savages.

We have been pursuing a sovereign nation-state, so whose history are we going to teach our children should we become politically independent? Are we to continue teaching Indian and Western histories and ways of living, exclusive of Naga history and culture as it is the practice now? Unfortunately, whereas knowing Naga history and culture is only incidental for our youngsters, learning and knowing Indian and Western cultures and history is officially mandated, when the reverse should have been the norm. The Nagas are not devoid of history and culture, and so it defies common sense as to why nothing is been done by our government to reclaim, revive and teach our history and culture in schools.

How can we teach, adopt or relive our history, culture and traditional values if we do not know anything about them? How can we truly desire to know or learn them if we have the misconception that there is nothing virtuous about our past? To reweave traditional values into our contemporary society, we need to change our mind-set, recover, revive and relive our culture and values and impress these great values of our foreparents upon future generations. Time is of the essence. In fact, it is against us. Therefore, something needs to be done urgently lest the traditional “knowledge bank” should go bankrupt and we find ourselves groping in darkness forever.

KCP factions resolve row, play unity card By Our Staff Reporter Sangai Express
IMPHAL, May 8: In a significant step towards unifi- cation of faction ridden Kangleipak Communist Party, a special session of the outfit's Central Committee attended by leaders of all the factions was held from May 4 to 8 and resolved to come under a single roof once again.
The session presided by its president KK Mangang was attended by general se-cretary Laba Meitei, home secretary Lamphel Luwa-ngcha, finance secretary KK Nganba and secretary of publicity and propagan-da Pibarel Mangang, secre- tary of information and public relations Pakhang-lakpa, senior member Kokai Meitei, commander of mobile task force City Meitei, unit commander Tombi Meitei besides other unit commanders.
A statement issued by its president KK Mangang informed that the session conducted a detailed study of ups and downs endured by the outfit in its long history of 26 years. It ac- knowledged that the outfit was embroiled more in intra-party tussle and fund mobilisation than engaging the common enemy and discharging duty as true re-volutionaries. Such devia- tion and straying from the principle entailed hardships to the people besides creating atmosphere of uncertainty in the State, acce- pted the leaders. The statement while conveying sincere regret over their blunder, appealed to the people to give them a second chance.
The leaders unanimous-ly agreed on the fact that ending all kinds of confrontations among the different factions of the outfit would go a long way in enabling its cadres to discharge their duties due to a genuine revolutionary and would certainly help in reducing the hardship endured by common people.
The historical session also resolved to convene a party congress within a year to constitute a central committee whose landmark feature would be unity and maturity among the party leadership.
During the intervening period before the party congress, the present central committee and military council would be abolished and an adhoc central committee of three members would look into the affairs of the party and it would strive to convene the party congress at the earliest.
The adhoc committee is constituted by KK Mang-ang (convenor), Laba Mei- tei and Lamphel Luwang-cha. To assist the adhoc central committee, a five member consultative group including KK Nganba, Pibarel Mangang, Pakha-nglakpa, Kokai Meitei and City Meitei was also set up during the session. As and when the new central committee is formed after the party congress is convened by the adhoc committee, the new central committee would look into the financial affairs of the outfit. Until a resolution is adopted by the central committee, the party would not seek donations from the public either in cash or kind. Moreover the session also agreed to suspend collection of taxes and no contract works/projects would be procured under its name barring those which were entrusted to work agents earlier. The statement further appealed to the people not to entertain any demand for tax or donations before a statement is published in this regard by the central committee which would be constituted specifically to look into financial and tax matters of KCP. Declaring that all the erstwhile factions of the outfit have been united, it asked the people not to extend any cooperation- physical or moral to those who claim themselves as a faction of the party.

UNLF points out flaws on surrender issue, cautions By Our Staff Reporter Sangai Express
IMPHAL, May 8: Contending that Taorem Hemanta and Ngairangbam Mocha, who stated before the CJM, Chandel on May 5 and 6 to be UNLF cadres who surrendered to the Assam Ri- fles, the underground UNLF charged security for-ces of terrorising the youths to make scripted confessions. Recalling court room episodes, a UNLF statement issued by senior publicity officer Ksh Yoiheiba said T Hemanta s/o Manglem of Luwangsangbam Matai Khul (village) was produ-ced before the court by Army authorities after subjected to psychological threats during detention at Leikun camp of 34 Assam rifles, to proclaim himself as surrendered UNLF member as cover-up exercise by the Army. Hemanta was simply a driver lured by agents of security force with promises of jobs and incentives, it added.
Substantiating the accusations, Yoiheiba strongly objected records placed before the CJM court by one Major Arun Tiwari of 37 AR regarding the 22 year old Hemanta’s Army No as 136 and surrendering with a US carbine and one magazine.
He pointed out that No 136 as per UNLF’s enrolment record belonged to its deceased Sgt Maj Puren alias Rosankumar s/o Sh Sanajaoba of Kakching Wairi Leikai.
Informing that Puren died in a Manipur river mishap on September 23, 2000, the statement observed that Maj Arun’s efforts to project Hemanta as UNLF cadre has exposed the Army’s surrender drama be- yond doubt.
Not only is the name He-manta alien to the organi- sation, producing the US carbine is literally a tactical miscalculation of the Assam Rifles as such weapon has been out of UNLF’s armoury since long back.
The UNLF also rubbish-ed May 6 report of PIB (DW) that Ngairangbam Mocha alias Nanao alias Shantikumar alias Nong-shaba s/o (L) Ng Lila- chandra of Mayang Imphal Thana Leikai is one of its cadre who surrendered on March 27 at the Leikun post of the AR.
Claiming that the name Mocha as mentioned by the AR authorities is a fictitious one, the armed group further asserted that there is none in Mayang Imphal Thana Leikai under such name and described the PIB report as part of security forces’ ongoing campaign to confuse the public.
It also appealed to responsible citizens of Ma- yang Imphal to clarify whe-ther Ngairangbam Mocha is known to them rather that endure misleading information emanating from Army fortresses.
highlighting numerous cases of civilians made to suffer atrocities committed by security personnel, UNLF said the latest episode is yet another dimension of the Army’s asser- tion that it can manipulate people of Manipur anytime according to its whims and wishes.
Expressing solidarity to suffering of those families who had endured numerous facets of abuse, UNLF said the fact that even civilians arrested in broad day- light are dressed up in combat attires and branded as UGs after death sums up the intention of armed forces who could go to any length to extend colonial rule.
The Army authorities/personnel have even managed to mislead their higher-ups for promotional incentives capitalising on counter-insurgency programme of the Government, alleged the statement referring to the scandalous North Cachar Hills incident wherein innocent people doused in tomato sauce were made to lie down and their photographs taken as militants killed in encounter.
The ongoing surrender drama is nothing short of the tomato sauce episode to make for failure of numerous surrender scheme floated by the Government, said the UNLF while cautioning all to be on the alert as there is still possibility of the security forces carrying out similar ploy with slight alteration to demoralise the sovereignty movement. It also appealed to the people to stand up for their rights instead of falling prey to evil designs hatched by security force through pleasantries taking advantage of the economically under-developed State.

Fear, violence & democracy: The case of Manipur Amar Yumnam Sangai Express
Despite occasional hiccups, the desire to live together in an atmosphere of lasting peace has been the undeterred longing of human beings. Forced agreements were the foundation for such an atmosphere in the distant past, but this could not be sustainable as any new force could challenge old order and binding force. So this has long been replaced by the human endeavour to evolve a mechanism for unforced agreements. It is in this process that human beings have evolved democracy as the best means to establish an atmosphere of lasting peace based on unforced agreements. In the process the need for violence has been greatly reduced though not completely eliminated.
The Place of Fear: In this entire process of endeavouring for a lasting peace, fear has played a key role. Before I proceed far, I must hasten to add that the nature of fear has however undergone a major transformation. First, it was the fear of the unseen, who could cause thunderstorms, floods, earthquakes and what not, that made human beings to behave. Second, it was the fear of the despot or some authority, who could protect or organise protection from dangers, that evoked fear and established a semblance of order and hierarchy. But the problem with this system was that the fear and compliance was forced. The natural resistance and reaction of human beings to force and suppression made this system unsustainable. The search of human beings for a more friendly compliance to order and hierarchy continued. It is in this process that mankind have discovered democracy and its inherent framework for unforced compliance and structured hierarchy. This framework is what is called the rule of law.
But does this imply that democracy has ruled out any place for fear in a society? The answer is a definitive no. There is a deep-rooted and sustained fear even in democracy, but the only difference is that this is an unforced fear. Democracy is sustained by this fear. In a democracy the people feel the sustained fear that any wrong-doing would be dealt with a due process of rule of law and there would be very little scope, if any, for the wrong-doer to get away. Whereas the forced fear of punishment instilled by a despot would be avoidable even with a wrong action, and with appropriate cajoling of the despot, fear of ultimate punishment for crime by a due process of law is real and much more enforceable than the punishment caused by the former.
Fear in Manipur: It is in this context that we now need to examine the contemporary scenario in Manipur. There prevails widespread fear in Manipur, but all of the wrong kind. We can now examine the character of the fear prevailing in the State with real examples.
First, we have the fear caused by the Naobi incident. The way the State security forces have reacted to an earlier ambush incident and downloaded their anger on the poor girl, Naobi, is absolutely a representative case of the way the state mechanism functions in the State. That the whole incident smacks of immaturity and lack of training on the part of the State security forces despite the so-called repeated attempts at modernisation is beside the point. What matters is that the Naobi incident caused widespread fear among the people in the State. But this fear was founded on insecurity, suspicion and hatred consequent upon the violent violation of the rule of law by the State security forces. In a democracy, the fear is based on respect and widespread feeling of security by the masses under the rule of law. The fear caused by the Naobi incident was definitely not of this kind.
But we may ask as to what is the kind of fear we like to feel in so far as our relationship with the State security forces is concerned. Here again we have a vivid and recent example. The efficiency with which the same State security forces have recently resolved the phimu setpa (black dressed) mystery is but laudable. The people of the State were suspicious that the security forces themselves were involved in the crimes committed by this group. But now the State security forces have uncovered the truth with a great efficiency and without any hassle. What is significant is that this solution too has generated a fear as well.
The fear and assurance generated by this is that no criminal would go scot-free if the State security forces are determined to bring the criminal to book. This is exactly the kind of fear we would love to feel about them. This is indeed a landmark positive departure relating to a force long known for corruption and incompetent flamboyancy.
Secondly we have the fear caused by the recent incident relating to the print media in the State. The incident of forcing the fourth estate to toe a particular line lock stock and barrel has the implication of the culture of violent enforcement of agreements having come a full circle affecting every segment and agency of the society. But this is not democracy nor is it an ingredient for any intended democracy.
The third example of fear I have in mind is the one created by the more than frequent general strikes. I understand that the historical tendency of the state administration to respond only to bandhs is itself a violent behaviour; violence encompasses much more than physical assault. But to respond to state violence of inaction by a public violence of forced stoppage of every activity cannot and should not be a weapon frequently resorted to. General strikes violently violate the schedules and livelihoods of people. The society should now be able to evolve a less violent means for achieving the coveted objectives other than the general strikes.
Still another example of violence and forced agreement is the ongoing surrender drama involving the Manorama-famous Assam Rifles. The implications of this are getting unfolded increasingly. But, amongst others, the violence it has inflicted upon the credibility of the national security forces and, ipso facto, the Indian nationalism is unpardonable.
The Bottom-line: The bottom-line of my argument is that violence and forced fear based on hatred have increasingly become inherent characteristics of functioning of both state and non-state agencies in Manipur. This is not only an unsustainable situation but harmful for democracy as well. The genius of Manipur should now be called upon to evolve a non-violent atmosphere for establishing unforced agreements.
Congress setback due to Muslim anger, say leaders Narayan Swamy, Indo-Asian News Service
New Delhi, May 9 (IANS) Muslim leaders said Tuesday that the community's disaffection with the Congress party was a key reason for its anticipated setbacks in elections in Kerala and Assam. They said in interviews that among the many domestic and other issues, one that had caused the community immense pain was India's growing relationship with the US, evident in the warm reception President George W. Bush got here in March. Exit polls at the end of staggered assembly elections Monday forecast a rout for the Congress in Kerala, where Muslims and Christians make up almost half the population, and a possible defeat in Assam, where Muslims live in large numbers.
'There is no doubt that Muslims are angry and upset with the Congress,' said Shahi Imam Ahmed Bukhari of the Jama Masjid, a 17th-century mosque in the city's old quarters here. Bukhari, who had campaigned against the Congress in Assam, said a string of domestic and other issues had combined to push Muslims away from the Congress. He identified one of this as New Delhi's growing strategic ties with the US. Far away in Mumbai, Intezar Naeem, editor of the Radiance weekly, agreed. 'The problem with the Congress is that it keeps making promises but does not deliver,' Naeem told IANS over the telephone. 'Why will anyone vote for a party like that?' He said Muslims had put away a decade of visible anger towards the Congress, sparked by the 1992 razing of the Babri mosque in Ayodhya, to vote for it in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections that surprisingly brought the party to power. 'But the expectations generated by the Congress victory have not been fulfilled,' he added. 'Muslims are the greatest sufferers in our society. They had expected practical steps from a Congress government. It never happened. 'Be it Assam, be it Gujarat, be it Maharashtra, be it nationally, everywhere Muslims feel disappointed. Even recommendations of official committees that have probed communal riots are not implemented. How can the Congress expect Muslims to vote for it?
'On top of everything, Western companies are killing our small enterprises. The US is acting like the (British) East India Company. No Indian likes this. Muslims too don't like this.'
Muslims number some 140 million in India and form its largest minority. The country is home to the world's second largest Muslim population. Moulvi Mohammed Mouzzam Ahmed, the Naib Imam of the historic Fatehpuri mosque here and a member of the Delhi Waqf Board, echoed their views, highlighting the various complaints of his community. 'There is a feeling that the Congress is not worth the Muslim vote,' he said. 'Muslims have justifiable demands related to education, welfare and security. They are not making these demands just as Muslims but as Indian citizens. But these demands are not being met.' All three leaders said the community's main grouse related to employment and education. Besides, they said, the Congress needed to ensure a riot-free society irrespective of which party ruled which Indian state.
'When (Congress president) Sonia Gandhi led the party to power (in 2004), we did feel that she needed to be given a chance and that she was sincere. But she has done nothing for Muslims as a whole. 'The government seems to be simply trying to put a carpet over legitimate Muslim grievances by appointing so-called high-power committees. What is the use?'
Both Naeem and Moulvi Ahmed argued that India's vote against Iran in Vienna on the nuclear issue and New Delhi's tilt towards the US amid the Iraq bloodshed had also caused acute bitterness. Imam Bukhari said Muslims were, however, fully behind the Left in both Kerala and West Bengal because of the communists' commitment to secular values. In the former, several Muslim groups that in the past have supported the Congress called upon their supporters to vote for the Left this time. Naeem said the Congress should realize its errors.
'They still have time,' said Naeem, recalling the meetings Muslims leaders have had with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. 'They need to talk less and do more. All Muslim problems are the creation of the Congress. So they need to resolve them.'
ULFA shoots AGP leader in Assam By Indo Asian News Service
Guwahati, May 9 (IANS) A senior leader of the opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) was Tuesday shot and critically wounded by separatists in an Assam village while one of his security guards was killed. A police spokeseperson said militants of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) attacked AGP leader Pradeep Hazarika at village Samaguri Mautgaon in eastern Sibsagar district, about 350 km from here, at about 1 p.m.
'A group of motorcycle borne ULFA militants attacked Hazarika. He suffered bullet injuries on his shoulder,' police official A. Das told IANS. A security guard escorting the AGP leader was killed and six others, including a police constable and other party supporters, were wounded.
Doctors said Hazarika's condition was critical. Hazarika had contested the assembly elections that concluded last month from the Amguri constituency in Sibsagar district. Counting of votes will begin Thursday. The ULFA, fighting for an independent Assamese homeland since 1979, last week named a number of AGP leaders for being allegedly involved in killing their cadres while the party was in power from 1996 to 2001. Hazarika was also named in the ULFA statement and was alleged to have organised 'secret killings' of ULFA family members and cadres.
Centre-NDFB talks on May 10 Assam Tribune
NEW DELHI, May 8 — Talks to renew the year-long ceasefire between security forces and insurgent outfit National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) would be held here on May 10, official sources said today. The delegation of NDFB, which has been demanding “a sovereign state of Bodoland”, will be led by its general secretary Govinda Basumatary. “The talks would be held with the Union Home Ministry to renew the ceasefire reached in May last year,” the sources said. – PTI

The next govt and future of Asom — Rekha Bhattacharjee
On 11 May 2006 we will have State election results. The predictions have been all along for a ‘hung Assembly’ in Asom, an area that since 1947 bordered on East Pakistan and since 1971 borders on Bangladesh. The partition of India resulted in perhaps the largest transmigration in world history with refugees travelling in both directions. Bengal and Asom received theirs. Worse still West Pakistan’s genocidal invasion of East Pakistan in 1971 repeated this phenomenon as it drove millions of Bangladeshi refugees into West Bengal and Asom. Many remain there to this day. Today many question the future of India’s North East, mainly Asom.

The Government of India, always anxious to keep a lid on communal and other tensions decreed that all persons in India as at 19 July 1948 be deemed citizens. One man, one vote is a powerful political mantra. It has been said that a politician is a person who has his eyes on the next election, while a statesman is one who has his eyes on future beyond the next elections. Along India’s unprotected and largely unfenced North East some 20 million Bangladeshis have infiltrated into the country. The Government of India eyed this vote bank and passed the Illegal Migrants (Determination of Tribunals) Act which provides that anyone settled in Asom before 25 March 1971 is deemed to be a citizen. The cut off date of 19 July 1948 remains for the rest of India. Worse still under the IM(DT), the onus is on the complainant (accuser) to prove that a person was not in India on 25 March 1971. The IM(DT) thus bypassed the Foreigners Act which placed the onus on the alleged resident rather than a complainant. As illegal migrants poured in unchecked and diluted the demographic structure of Asom, protests followed. The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) Member of Parliament challenged the IM(DT) in the Supreme Court which struck it down on 12 July 2005, after twenty long years.
Influential minority leaders of Asom have now formed a new party, the Asom United Democratic Front (UDF) to protect the illegal migrants who continue to pour in unabated and unchecked and now form a majority in at least five districts of lower Asom. Politics makes strange bedfellows, and the ruling Congress government in Asom is now toying with the option of forming a coalition with AUDF. The Centre under Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi has now amended the Foreigners Act so that claims are referred to a tribunal where Smt Gandhi assured a rally while campaigning in Asom that a hearing would be held before a person is declared a foreigner. Ironically genuine citizens are at risk. The BJP has condemned these maneuvers. What then is the result of rather tardy electioneering? First and foremost, it compromises national security if foreigners can march in unchecked. But there are greater implications. Bangladesh has always had its eyes on Asom as a future annexation. A few years ago, a delegation of intellectuals from Bangladesh to China declared that Asom will one day become part of Greater Bangladesh. The Congress seems oblivious to such a danger, or, if it does, it ignores that danger for short term political gain. The history of India after Prithviraj shows how such short term alliances have wreaked havoc on the unity of India, and the integrity of its borders. How can this disaster be averted? The ball is now in the court of the students and the people of Asom. It is for AASU and the educated to take up cudgels on behalf of the genuine and indigenous people with rallies, pamphlets and bulletins. The unemployed people in Asom must realise as they who are suffering as illegal migrants become entrenched and take up their jobs.
But what will prevent the major parties – Congress and AGP to form an Angela Merkel/Gerhard Schroeder type of coalition after the next elections. Or are Asom politicians that bitterly divided that they would give Asom away to Bangladesh rather than form a coalition? A leaf can be taken out of strife torn Kashmir where a Common Minimum Programme has been formed by the People’s Democratic Party-Congress Aliance. (PDP/CA) Surely Asom Assembly could follow suit. The aim in Kashmir is to protect persons who have been victims of militancy and one poignant aim has been to secure the return of Kashmiri Pundits to their homes. How Asom will fare and whether it will fall into Greater Bangladesh within a decade is a matter of concern for all those who cherish the integrity of India and who wish to keep democratic values alive in the great country. It is time for the whole of Asom to act, and act quickly.
The Congress ‘high command’, should apply what Sonia has been saying during her election campaign. “Unlike the Opposition Parties, Congress Party had ideology, policy, ideals, principles and culture. Politics cannot be done through double standards.” The supreme sacrifice will be if Sonia Gandhi can take that decision for Congress to sit in Opposition rather than join hands with AUDF. But if it can bring about a Common Minimum Programme like Kashmir with AGP - with one strike the government will be able to diminish infiltration and insurgency, create employment paving the way for development and prosperity in the State.


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