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STATES : Rajasthan Gujarat Andhra Pradesh Kashmir

	August 16, 2004

Rajasthan

Congress to check RSS growth

The Congress party is concerned about the growing strength of RSS and its affiliates in Rajasthan. Observers believe that the BJP won the last Assembly polls due to the significant contribution by the RSS. Now the Congress is trying to concentrate on strengthening its frontal organisations like Youth Congress, Mahila Wing, Seva Dal and National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) to counter the growth of the RSS in the state.

Former Rajasthan chief minister and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot recently said, “Our frontal organisations like the Youth Congress, Mahila Wing, Seva Dal and National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), which were not receiving much attention, would now be given due place in the party to counter the spread of RSS and the parivar outfits.

As the hardcore fundamentalists, the RSS workers play the communal Hindu card to win the hearts of the voters. In fact they distribute Hindu symbols like Trishul (trident) to woo them. It is likely that the Congress would direct the NSUI and other frontal organisations’ workers to concentrate on secularism to counter the RSS influence. RSS and the BJP-led government at the Centre had ‘spread hatred’ among the people and generated a “false” image that they were the only saviours and sole representative of millions of Hindus, who could build a Ram temple at Ayodhya, Gehlot alleged.



Gujarat

Supreme Court raps Modi Government

The Supreme Court has expressed displeasure over the Gujarat Government’s handling of the Best Bakery case in the light of the Public Prosecutor opposing issue of non-bailable warrants to secure the 21 accused to face trial before a Mumbai sessions court. A Bench of Justice Arijit Pasayat and Justice C.K. Thakker said : “You are showing your true colours right from day one. What sort of Public Prosecutor is he who opposes arrest warrants against accused who do not appear before the Court?”

The Bench directed the Director-General of the Gujarat Police to file within a week steps taken by the State to produce the accused before the trial court. The State Government was also asked to consider the suggestions by the victims regarding appointment of a Public Prosecutor in the case.

The Bench noted that the Gujarat Government never took into confidence the 14 victims in the case while appointing the Public Prosecutor as directed by it. Since Gujarat had lost its right to do so, it should agree to one of the four names suggested by the Maharashtra Government for appointment as Public Prosecutor, it said.

The Bench had shifted the case outside Gujarat as sought by Zaheera Shiekh, one of the victims, to ensure a fair trial.



Andhra Pradesh

Setback in Naxal negotiations

After reaching a preliminary agreement on opening formal negotiations, the People’s War (PW) and the Andhra Pradesh Government appear to be posturing before they can actually begin the talks. First, there was the filing of cases against three top emissaries of PW for their allegedly “provocative speeches” at Warangal. Then the Home Minister, Jana Reddy, promised to review the cases once a detailed report was received from the Warangal district police. Finally, he has written to the PW leaders to insist that their cadres should not carry weapons during the `ceasefire’. Although this was part of the earlier agreement, clause 7, PW was expected to make a public commitment at its rally in Warangal. Instead, there were some provocative speeches. What apparently made the police decide on filing cases was the “threat” held out to a former Warangal Superintendent of Police and an array of former Chief Ministers, above all, N. Chandrababu Naidu. The Government was obviously conveying a message that it would not take lightly this non-compliance. Evidently, neither side wants to be seen as succumbing to pressure. The expectation is that the two sides will give up the posturing and get on with the talks.

There are bound to be some hurdles in the course of a process that aims at putting an end to the violence. After several contacts and personal talks between emissaries of PW and Jana Reddy, the State Government took the welcome step of letting the ban on PW lapse last month. That itself was a politically significant move. Added to that was the permission granted to the group to hold public rallies, first in Warangal and then near Vizianagaram. Although the ban on PW has been lifted, there has been some unease over cadres moving about with arms. But the fact that there has been no major incident of violence in the Dhandakaranya range suggests that the understanding on cessation of hostilities holds, as of now.



Kashmir

Doubts over UPA’s sincerity

An impression has gained in the Valley that the Congress-led UPA government may not be serious in resuming talks with Kashmiri separatists. The All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) led by Maulvi Umar Farooq, has already rejected talks with pre-conditions after Home Minister Shivraj Patil said the parleys would be held within the ambit of the Constitution.

Separately, Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal has said the government would hold talks with those groups of separatists that had the support of militants. He even went to the extent of saying that talks would be initiated with those that “have the authority of militants.”

A senior APHC leader, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, says that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had a clear vision on the matter and had his government been voted to power again, things would have started moving in the right direction by now. He said the new Central Government lacked vision and understanding of the ground realities and complexities in Kashmir.

Tanveer Ahmed, an intellectual says : “Since the attitude of militants towards a dialogue with the Centre is known for the past over a decade, nobody should expect they would authorise any separatist group to resume talks with the Central Government.” It is improbable that militants will support any separatist group wishing to initiate talks with the Centre.” He referred to the fate of APHC leaders and said militant groups had almost disowned them and attempts were made on the lives of Maulvi Umar Farooq and Maulvi Abbas Ansari after they participated in two rounds of talks.

Political observers in the state are of the opinion that abandonment or delay in holding talks is likely to allow Kashmiri separatists to assume added political weight. They referred to the downhill journey of the APHC after it participated in talks with the then Central Government.

Hardliner among the separatists, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, seems to be aware of this predicament. He has been consistent in opposing bilateral talks. While emphasising Delhi-Islamabad talks, he wants them to be backed by trilateral parleys.

Peoples’ Democratic Party Chief Mehbooba Mufti has also warned the Centre that putting pre-conditions for talks with Kashmiri groups would hamper the peace process in Jammu and Kashmir. “If dialogue is held with Pakistan without any conditions, why conditions have been imposed on Kashmiris for initiating the ongoing talks.” This would spoil the conducive atmosphere and the situation will return where it was two years back, she warned.

The apparent breakdown of the dialogue is a setback for the broader peace process between India and Pakistan. Two rounds of talks between the central government and Hurriyat’s moderate wing were held earlier this year. It was the first dialogue process between the two sides since an insurgency against Indian rule erupted in the Himalayan state in 1989. But violence has flared up in Kashmir in the last month as India and Pakistan have stepped up their own dialogue process.

Meanwhile, Kashmiri separatists went on a general strike in Jammu and Kashmir to coincide with Independence Day anniversary on August 15. The call came a day after the main separatist group rejected conditions set by the new government for resumption of peace talks.



Stormy assembly session likely

The coming monsoon session of the Jammu and Kashmir legislature is expected to generate much heat as the opposition National Conference (NC) and the Panthers Party (PP), which is a partner in the coalition government, are planning to embarrass put Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed by raising a number of controversial issues in the two houses. While the NC is likely to target both Mufti and the Congress, the attack of the PP would mostly be confined towards local leaders of the Congress.

The PP has issued a whip asking its legislators to oppose the controversial Daughters’ Bill that is expected to be introduced in the Assembly during the coming session in Srinagar. The PP would oppose the Bill on the floor of the House. The party has accused the Congress of adopting double standard on the controversial bill that seeks to deny property rights to women who marry outsiders. The Bill, earlier introduced in the last session, has lapsed, as it could not be passed in the Legislative Council within the prescribed period.

On the other hand, the NC has announced that it would introduce the Bill in the Assembly in its present form. An awkward situation has emerged for the ruling coalition as the PDP of Mufti Sayeed was in favour of passing the Bill, whereas the Congress leadership in Delhi was annoyed at the stand of the PDP. The NC was trying to pin down the PDP on the issue, particularly in the Kashmir valley, where both these parties have their base.