Ready to Talk With Maoists, Northeast Insurgents: Rajnath

Rajnath Singh asserted that the Government will take all steps to ensure communal harmony.

New Delhi, Aug 12 : The government is ready to talk to northeast insurgents as well as Maoists if they shun violence, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said Monday.

Replying to a debate on the working of home ministry in the Rajya Sabha, Rajnath Singh said: "Left wing extremism is a big challenge for the country but the government will not allow anyone to indulge in violence. If they shun violence, we are ready to talk."

On the northeast insurgents, the minister said: "We are ready to talk with any extremist group under the purview of the constitution. Peace in northeastern states is our priority."

The home minister added that every Indian citizen will get identity cards within three years to end the problem of illegal migrants.

KASHMIR ISSUE
Expressing desire to bring about permanent solution to the Kashmir issue, Rajnath Singh said the government is willing to have any dialogue under the ambit of 'insaniyat' (humanity) to address the problem and favours good relations with Pakistan.

"We want to find a permanent solution to Kashmir issue. We are ready for any kind of dialogue within Constitutional framework... If necessary, we are even willing to hold dialogue within the framework of 'insaniyat'," the home minister informed Rajya Sabha.

In this context, he sought the cooperation of opposition Congress if it could help in any manner.
He said India also wants good relations with Pakistan and is ready to hold talks with that country to end the problem of infiltration.

COMMUNAL VIOLENCES
The Minister asserted that the Government does not discriminate on the basis of caste, creed or religion and blamed "vote-bank" politics for the recent incidents of communal violence and said it will not tolerate such occurrences.

Singh said, "We are aware that India is not a country of any one community, caste or region. Our government is committed to ensure justice to all on the basis of 'insaniyat' (humanity). Our concern and priority is 'rozi, roti and suraksha' (employment, food and security)."

Referring to the communal incidents that have taken place in Uttar Pradesh recently, he said, "the situation deteriorated only because of vote-bank politics, nothing else."

He asserted that the Government will take all steps to ensure communal harmony.

The reply, which lasted nearly two hours, tested the patience of Rajya Sabha members, with several of them urging the minister to conclude.

Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien also asked Rajnath Singh a few times how much time he is going to take to complete his reply.

The reply only ended at about 9.30 PM

Rajnath Singh made it a point to reply to all points raised by the members, and addressed issues ranging from insurgency, to communal harmony.

Congress leader Satyavrat Chaturvedi went ahead to say that they will not ask the home minister any questions again, while his party colleague Anand Sharma was seen gesturing at the minister with folded hands.

When some members complained of being hungry, Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Sitaram Yechury said in a lighter note that communists are habituated of being hungry, but the house must take a break so that food can be arranged for other MPs.

When the minister finished his reply, Kurien complimented him and said: "The House compliments you for replying to every member's point."

Northeast Students Show The Way To A Clean Delhi

By Richa Pandey

inShare

Delhi University students from the Northeast participating in a cleanliness drive on the South Campus on Saturday.

While most Delhiites remained busy on Saturday preparing for Raksha Bandhan, student members of the Northeast Students’ Society Delhi University spent a better part of the day cleaning the university’s South Campus. This was a part of an initiative to promote cleanliness in the city.

With the theme of ‘I love Delhi University’, the drive was in continuation of the movement started in June this year when the students decided to clean the university’s North Campus.

The Northeast students from all over the university participated in the awareness programme. The drive was carried out from Motilal Nehru College to Atma Ram Sanatan Dharam College in collaboration with the South Delhi Municipal Corporation.

What made the whole affair more meaningful was its timing. The programme was organised at a time when there is an outrage over repeated attacks in Delhi on people from the Northeast.

“Our objective is to set an example so that others are motivated towards keeping their city clean and also instil in them basic civic sense and the feeling of belonging to the city,” said Saveio Khole, president of the Northeast Students’ Society Delhi University.

He added that they also wanted to send across the message of ‘One India’ and that they too care as much for the Capital as anyone else.

“When we came to Delhi for the first time, we were shocked to see the city so dirty. We must all work towards a cleaner Delhi,” said Thutan, a student.

Students other than those from the Northeast Society also participated. “We are proud of our friends from the Northeast for taking up this noble cause,” said Nitin Arya, a student of Motilal Nehru College.

The college staff and teachers commended the efforts.

Kamla Sacking Puts Modi Government in Soup

New Delhi, Aug 8 : Even as the sacking of Mizoram Governor Kamla Beniwal generated a political storm on the expected lines with the Congress slamming as a political vendetta, the NDA Government on Thursday stoutly defended the action, saying that the decision was in accordance with Constitutional principles and the approval of the President.

Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “The decision to remove Kamla Beniwal, the Governor is in accordance with Constitutional principles and conventions with the due approval of the President.”

Pointing out that there were serious allegations and the government has taken note of them before taking action, Prasad said that the President had decided over it after applying his mind thoroughly on it and such decisions were the privilege of the government.

Sources said that the Government had studied the reports of the state governments on three specific charges against Beniwal and the charges listed in a dossier sent to President Pranab Mukherjee along with its recommendation.

Sources said that Beniwal’s brief one-day stay in Mizoram after transfer, her frequent air  travel as the Governor of Gujarat and her false affidavit in a land scam in Rajasthan were  the three specific charges against her.

As the Gujarat Governor, Beniwal had challenged the Narendra Modi Government on a series of issues, including the appointment of a Lokayukta. Beniwal is the second Governor to be sacked after the removal of Puducherry Lt Governor Virendra Kataria.

Opposition parties have questioned the action against Beniwal citing the Supreme Court judgment on Governors. The Congress strongly criticised the government for sacking Beniwal and said that it was nothing but political vendetta since she took on Modi in Gujarat. “Beniwal was first transferred in a cavalier manner to a northeastern state and then removed. The Governors are constitutional authorities. They cannot be trampled upon or trifled with like this,” Manish Tewari said.

Vinod Kumar Duggal to Take Oath as Mizoram Governor Today

Manipur Governor Vinod Kumar Duggal

Aizawl, Aug 8 :  Manipur Governor Vinod Kumar Duggal, who has been given additional charge of Mizoram Governor, will be sworn-in at the Raj Bhavan in Aizawl on Friday, state protocol department officials today said.

The officials said Mr Duggal would be arriving at 12.20 pm at the Lengpui Airport where he would be accorded a customary ceremonial guard of honour and would be received by acting Chief Minister R Lalzirliana and other dignitaries.

Meanwhile, outgoing Governor Dr Kamla Beniwal would be leaving the Raj Bhavan here at 2 pm and would be accorded the ceremonial guard of honour and farewell by Lalzirliana, other ministers and senior officials, the officials said.

Mr Beniwal was sworn-in as Mizoram Governor on July 9 last.

Making A Deal for Manipur

Positions have hardened to the point of great imminent violence in the state: there may not be a Manipur as we know it

By Sudeep Chakravarti


The greatest bulwark against an NSCN (I-M) assault is the Indian Army, its adjunct force Assam Rifles and paramilitaries like the Central Reserve Police Force.

Hard rain masks the jade-green hills in this unspoiled northern suburb of Kohima, the capital of Nagaland. He then glances at a Walther PPK handgun on a table by his side, and turns to me.

“Manipur nathaki jabo,” he says in Nagamese, the “bazaar Assamese” that linguistically knits a dozen Naga tribes. There won’t be a Manipur. More precisely, there won’t be a Manipur as we know it. It’s not an idle observation from a former general of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah), or NSCN (I-M), the largest Naga rebel group; and a council member.

According to him, it’s a possible outcome of one of the deadliest games of political chess being played in India. He maintains that if the government in Manipur, Nagaland’s southern neighbour with homelands of several Naga tribes in the hills across more than a third of its territory, doesn’t agree to the demand of its resident Nagas for administrative autonomy—dealing directly with New Delhi—Manipur will break. It’s what the apex United Naga Council (UNC) of Manipur—which Manipur’s top bureaucrat, in a conversation with me last week, insisted is a front for NSCN (I-M)—terms “Alternative Arrangement”.

Alongside being a pitch for development that Nagas feel has been denied them by the Manipuris of the plains, it is also a bargaining chip. NSCN (I-M)’s general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah hopes to soon meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It could be an important first step to revive stalled peace talks. NSCN (I-M) has been in ceasefire with the government since 1997. It has led to the absence of all-out conflict, not durable peace. NSCN (I-M), like other smaller Naga rebel groups in ceasefire with the government, has designated camps. Cadres are permitted to carry weapons. Many observers speak of rebels being demotivated after years of ceasefire.

For its part, NSCN (I-M) has also been weakened by factional strife and splits—often facilitated by plays of Indian intelligence agencies that, as a matter of policy, leverage rebel groups’ leadership egos, ethnic insecurities, and both need and greed for money. But the groups still pack a punch. For instance, plump with steady recruitment and arming, NSCN (I-M) alone has cadres estimated by Naga observers at between 7,000 and 8,000. It’s not much less than what the Communist Party of India (Maoist) has across the country.

This heft permits NSCN (I-M) and other Naga rebel groups like Myanmar-centric NSCN (Khaplang) and the smaller NSCN (Khole-Kitovi), and the Naga National Council to run parallel administrations in specific Naga regions, bankrolled by citizens and businesses. This has endured even the recent phenomenon of exasperated Naga citizens’ groups openly protesting against rebel taxes. Businesses can’t function without rebel say-so. If the push comes to shove in Manipur, NSCN (I-M) can exert pressure in the state’s three Naga-majority districts.

The ceasefire with Naga rebel groups does not extend to Manipur—a result of the government of India trying to calm fears among non-Naga people in the state who see the adding of Manipur to a ceasefire deal with Naga rebels as a prelude to breaking up of the state. Even the most generous security analysts don’t give Manipur’s police—and Manipur’s slew of fiercely nationalistic non-Naga rebel groups—a chance against a determined assault by NSCN (I-M). The greatest bulwark against an NSCN (I-M) assault remains the Indian Army, its adjunct force Assam Rifles, and to a lesser extent paramilitaries like the Central Reserve Police Force.

A key reason why the NSCN (I-M)-versus-the-rest conflict hasn’t erupted in Manipur is on account of a studied response by the rebel group as well as Indian security forces to protect the ceasefire in Nagaland. Both sides instead use occasional, low-intensity skirmishing and proxies among civil society groups and small rebel outfits from Manipur’s multi-ethnic stew to try and whittle away the other’s advantages; and create pressure before official negotiations.

In anticipation of such talks, the government of Manipur, non-Naga rebel groups in the state and several non-Naga civil society organizations have steadily ratcheted up their rhetoric against NSCN (I-M) and UNC since June. On 4 August, the influential All Manipur United Clubs’ Organization marked its annual “Integrity Day”—to commemorate its 1997 protest to stall extension of the ceasefire with NSCN (I-M) to Manipur—with more emphasis than usual. Positions have hardened to the point of fracture, of great imminent violence.

All major interest groups will have to be in on a peace deal. Or there won’t be a deal.

Sudeep Chakravarti’s latest book is Clear-Hold-Build: Hard Lessons of Business and Human Rights in India. His previous books include Red Sun: Travels in Naxalite Country and Highway 39: Journeys through a Fractured Land.

Banking Ombudsman Receives 770 complaints in Northeast Region

Guwahati, Aug 8 : The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Banking Ombudsman-Northeast has received 770 complaints from customers during 2013-14 on the services of different banks.

The response was good as people were taking help of the Banking Ombudsman scheme introduced in the Northeast region during 1996-97 when only 37 complaints were registered, Ombudsman and RBI general manager Anand Prakash told reporters here today.

His office reached out to a large number of customers due to the intense awareness campaigns and customer meetings held during the last five years for redressal of their grievances free of charge.

Assam was leading in the utilisation of the scheme with 608 cases, followed by Tripura with 42, Manipur 23, Meghalaya 21, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland 18 each and Mizoram 10, Prakash said adding 30 complaints were also registered on credit cards.

Customers aggrieved with services and insensitive approaches could complain to the quasi-judicial body through email, letter or the prescribed form for speedy redressal of their grievances, Prakash said.

The problems are solved through mutual agreement and conciliation between the customers and banks, he added.

CBSE to include study material on northeast: Irani

New Delhi, Aug 8 : The CBSE curriculum committee will include sufficient material related to the northeast region to create awareness, HRD Minister Smriti Irani said Wednesday.

"The curriculum committee of the CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) has decided to give due preference for inclusion of precise and sufficient material to the northeast region in CBSE curriculum for students' awareness about the region," Human Resource Development Minister Irani said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

The step follows the demand from people of northeast living in different cities to include material about northeast in NCERT books.

Mizoram Governor Kamla Beniwal Sacked A Month After Shift from Gujarat

New Delhi, Aug 6 :  Kamla Beniwal, who had a running battle with Narendra Modi when he was Gujarat Chief Minister, was tonight sacked as Governor of Mizoram just two months before her tenure comes to an end.

"The President has directed that Dr. (Smt.) Kamla shall cease to hold the office of the Governor of Mizoram," a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique said on Wednesday night, exactly a month after she was shifted to Aizawl from Ahmedabad.

Governor of Manipur V K Duggal has been asked to discharge the functions of the Governor of Mizoram until regular arrangements are made, the communique said.

The sacking order brings to an end the gubernatorial tenure of 87-year-old Congress leader from Rajasthan who battled with the Modi government over the appointment of Lokayukta and some legislations during her tenure in Gujarat.

During her confrontation with Modi, Beniwal appointed retired Justice R A Mehta as Lokayukta in Gujarat against which the state went in appeal to the High Court and later the Supreme Court which upheld it last year.  However, it was another story that Justice Mehta did not take up the post and Modi's government named a new nominee.

Beniwal also sat over legislations passed by the state Assembly one of which provided for 50 per cent reservation for women in local bodies.

Beniwal was first appointed as Governor of Tripura in October, 2009 the first woman to be appointed as governor in the Northeast. However, a month later she was appointed as Gujarat Governor.

Beniwal is the second Governor to be sacked after the removal of Puducherry Lt Governor Virendra Kataria. Soon after the Modi Government assumed office, some Governors were forced to resign while a few a resisted and are still in office.

Interestingly, another Congress leader Margaret Alva appointed by the UPA government was allowed to conclude her tenure in Jaipur yesterday.