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CPM for Chinese growth
model
News Analysis
Karat to take over as CPM General Secretary
today
Muraleedharan expelled from
Congress
Vajpayee, Advani should move aside, says RSS
chief
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BJP-TDP alliance on
rocks
Amended Juvenile Act not to apply retrospectively:
SC
Move afoot to get heritage status for
Kalka-Shimla rail section
IAF exercise in Andamans from tomorrow
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CPM for Chinese growth
model
New Delhi, April 10 Over 800 delegates from across the country, participating in the 18th party congress, being held for the first time in the national Capital, found that the Chinese model would be able to stave off any threat from the international competition while ensuring no compromise on the economic growth in the age of privatisation and globalisation. Briefing the newspersons on the fifth day of the congress, party politburo member Sitaram Yechuri said the CPM had differences with the UPA government on economic issues in the telecom and insurance sectors, reminding the government that China opened its economy only in the hardware and manufacture sectors. “The Chinese economic model, which is showing a steady 9 per cent growth in GDP for several years and does not allow FDI in the stock market but only in the manufacture sector, merit serious consideration,” Mr Yechuri said referring to the delegates discussions on the Political-Organisational Report on “Certain Policy Matters”. Mr Yechuri asserted that “no private cellphone company is there in China.” “Why can’t we learn this thing from China?” Mr Yechuri wanted to know when the mediapersons persistently asked question on FDI. When asked how he thought the party succeeded during eleven months in convincing the UPA government about its approach to FDI, Mr Yechuri said, “Yes, except the telecom, and on other issues also we are trying to discuss and pressurise the government.” Airing deep differences with the Congress-led government, on economic issues, he said the MNCs could not be allowed to enter our economic sphere “only to make profits and endanger our independent government and the sovereignty of the states.” In reply to a specific query, he said the CPM would oppose the Insurance Regulatory Authority Bill to make way for raising a hike from 26 to 49 per cent in FDI in the insurance sector, whenever it is presented in Parliament.” We still maintain our opposition.” On the hike in telecommunications, he said in China there is not even a single private operator in the sphere of cellphones. He said the party was opposed to the use of finance capital for speculative economy and recalled how the economy of the Asian countries was destroyed in the process only recently. “We will soon start a mass movement demanding regulation of industrial capital on the conditions- that it must augment existing productive capacities, enhance the existing technology and lead to employment generation.” On the acceptance of the aids from international institutions, including the World Bank and the IMF, the party said these could be accepted if “no strings and
conditions” were attached to these. Citing the recent example of such aid called the Structural Adjustment Programme, the party congress said these were indeed meant at
destroying “our economic foundations. Besides these destroyed the very authority of the states.” Referring to the Self-Help Groups who he said were working to greater extent toward creating employment opportunities for the rural people and the backward areas. “But they cannot be allowed to market the products of the MNCs and replace the rural credit working operating in our country.” —
UNI |
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Pitfalls of Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai
by Rajeev Sharma CHINESE Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in India on April 9, riding on the wave of bilateral trade of $ 13.6 billion in 2004. Trade is projected to reach $ 20 billion in a few years’ time. The trade is highly in India’s favour. China’s construction boom, which absorbed almost 50 per cent of domestic investment, last year, is largely responsible for the sharp rise in Indian exports. Both India and China are keen to diversify the area of trade and economic cooperation. Both President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao are convinced that the much-publicised coastal China showcased to the world during the last 20 years has created a serious economic and social imbalance which could result in serious consequences. The various plans to uplift the rest of the country on the one hand, and quest for high technology in areas like bio-technology, pharmaceuticals, information technology, etc, could offer attractive opportunities for Indian entrepreneurs. The common perception in India is that close economic partnership helps resolve all other bilateral problems. The Chinese state-controlled media says it is a “win-win” situation, and so does a powerful section of the influential Indian intelligentsia. A stream of flag bearers from Chinese think tanks and universities has visited India with apparently positive ideas. They usually sidestep critical questions required to introduce transparency in bilateral relations. History is witness to the fact that no enduring relationship can be built if one or both sides work in opacity. The dictum, trust but verify, is the touchstone of building relationships. A scan of the Chinese media and think-tank journals reporting and writing on India is very revealing. A fortnight before Mr Wen Jiabao’s arrival in India, one section of reporting in the Chinese media has been upbeat. However, the constant line in Chinese reporting and analysis projects India as a hegemonic country, a threat not only to its immediate neighbours but also to countries stretching from Central Asia and West Asia to South East Asia and even the Far East. It will be difficult for the Chinese official establishment to pass those writings off as individual and personal opinions of the writers. China’s Communist Party and State Constitution firmly put the media or any published opinion under contract. Any deviation from the dictated official line violates China’s law and the author is seen to have either leaked state secrets or undermined the state’s security or sovereignty. It is, therefore, appalling when Indian writers promoting Sino-Indian relations ignore their official line. The Chinese propaganda has two objectives. One, brainwash China’s Diaspora that India is a live threat. Two, instil the India threat in the countries of the regions mentioned above. The Chinese Ambassador in New Delhi, Mr Sun Yuxi, told a Press conference on April 1 that the Sikkim and Tibet issues with India have been settled. An opinion-making stream in India has been propagating the same message. Sikkim, first. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee did not extract any commitment on Sikkim during his official visit to China in June 2003. The Chinese propaganda machinery spun the yarn that the Sikkim issue was settled. But whenever asked to comment officially, the Chinese maintained the position that Sikkim was a historical issue between the two countries and hoped it would be resolved with improvement of relations. Mr Sun’s statement, two and a half years after Mr Vajpayee’s visit, that China’s maps will be changed with regard to Sikkim, remains a question for the future. The Tibet issue is even more perplexing. Ambassador Sun’s April 1 statement made it very clear that in India- China relations, the Tibet issue has been put in the same box as Taiwan. Tibet, now, is an internal matter of China according to Ambassador Sun, and China “brooks” no outside interference. How will India deal with the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan refugees, and the Tibetan NGOs in India, and their activities? The Chinese strategy vis-ŕ-vis India needs explanation to the initiated. The strategic importance of agreements signed with Pakistan, the Friendship Treaty for example, and the Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation Agreement with Bangladesh, needs no emphasis. The encirclement of India in South Asia is almost complete. Yet, there is a need to put aside differences and build on complementarities. Strong economic relations are no insurance against political, military and strategic confrontations.
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Karat to take over as CPM General Secretary
today
New Delhi, April 10 He would take over from the ‘living legend’ of the communist movement in the country Harkishen Singh Surjeet. However, Surjeet and former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu, who had ruled the state for nearly three decades, were likely to continue in the politburo, the core decision-making body of the party, despite their requests to be relieved from party posts due to ill health and advancing age. Party sources indicated that the 800 odd delegates attending the party congress were of the view that the two leaders were indispensable to the party and should continue to guide the party in decision-making forums. The politburo, which has so far been the male bastion, is all set to witness the entry of women members. Although there were several contenders for the berth, the significant aspect is that the delegates were firm in their desire to bring about change in this male bastion. |
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Muraleedharan expelled from
Congress
New Delhi, April 10 A brief statement from the All-India Congress Committee general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said Mr Muraleedharan, who had been suspended from the party earlier, continued to “indulge in anti-party activities”. Kozhikode: Hinting at a possible split in the party, expelled Congress leader K. Muraleedharan today said the future course of action would be decided at a meeting of the ‘I’ faction to be held on April 12. “Dreams of thousands of real Congressmen in the state will be realised” at the meeting to be presided over by senior leader K. Karunakaran on April 12, a visibly upset Muraleedharan told mediapersons here. Mr Muraleedharan, also a former Pradesh Congress Committee president, was earlier suspended from the party for revolting against the party high command by organising three zonal rallies in the state, demanding among other things, holding of organisational polls in the state. Describing the action as “one-sided,” Mr Muraleedharan said neither had he been consulted nor a chargesheet served on him, seeking his explanation before announcing the disciplinary action, adding that the decision might have been taken at the behest of KPCC chief Thenna Balakrishna Pillai and Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. — UNI |
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Vajpayee, Advani should move aside, says RSS
chief
New Delhi, April 10 Speaking on NDTV 24x7’s “Walk the Talk” programme, Mr Sudharshan said both leaders should take note of their age and remove themselves from active command of the party. “Both should step aside and see younger leadership emerge in front of them,” he said. When interviewer Shekhar Gupta pointed out that Mr Vajpayee often said he was tired, the RSS chief said: “I have been saying that he should go and let new faces emerge. He should stay as senior advisor only.” Asked whether the time had come for “some persons” to retire, he said, “absolutely, age is a factor after all.” On whether Mr Advani was also getting old, Sudarshan said: “Yes, both should step aside and see younger leadership emerge in front of them.” On the dissidence being faced by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Mr Sudarshan said: “That is because of his style of functioning.” However, he was quick to add that “his (Modi’s) decisions are right and he gets the work done well.” Asked what was wrong with his style of functioning, Mr Sudarshan said, “he does not take all people into confidence collectively. He meets them separately.” The RSS chief said he had advised Mr Modi to “take everyone along with you” and hoped that his style would change as he was “facing pressure from all sides.” —
PTI |
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BJP-TDP alliance on
rocks
Hyderabad, April 10 Once a crucial player in the NDA regime, the Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP, smarting under electoral drubbing last year, is now undergoing an ideological churning process that may well lead to its parting ways with the saffron party. An already fragile relationship between the two allies has come under further strain with BJP President L.K. Advani recently asserting his party's commitment to Hindutva ideology and construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya. Mr Advani's remarks at the party's silver jubilee celebrations in Delhi have caused consternation in the TDP circles. "We condemn the BJP's moves to revert to hardline Hindutva and revive the Ayodhya issue. This poses danger to secularism," the Telugu Desam Parliamentary Party (TDPP) leader K. Yerran Naidu said. Though the TDP has not taken an official stand on its future relationship with the BJP, a majority of the party leaders are understood to be favouring review of the alliance with the saffron party. "When the BJP is clearly moving towards hardline Hindutva plank, what is the point in continuing the alliance? Our views on secularism are well known," a senior TDP leader and a member of the party's politburo said here. —
PTI |
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Amended Juvenile Act not to apply retrospectively:
SC
New Delhi, April 10 A Bench of Mr Justice Arijit Pasayat and Mr Justice S. H. Kapadia gave the ruling in the case of a murder accused from Bhiwani in Haryana, who was not considered a juvenile under the old Juvenile Act of 1986, which fixed the age limit of 16 years for the applicability of the law. Clarifying that the amended Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000, which recognised only a person of less than 18 years of age as juvenile, would not have any bearing on the cases registered before its implementation, the court said “The age of the offender (for the applicability of the Act) must be reckoned from the date when the alleged offence was committed.” Since the Juvenile Act of 2000 came into effect from April 1, 2001, the Bhiwani accused would only be tried under the provisions of the general criminal laws as he was 17 years and eight months old when he was booked as co-accused in a murder that took place on November 17, 1999. The question whether he would be tried under the old, or the new Juvenile Act came for the decision before the apex court on an appeal of Bijender Singh, who was the complainant in the murder case after the Punjab and Haryana High Court has held that the new amended Juvenile Act of 2000 would apply in instant case and accordingly the accused was entitled to the benefit of the juvenile law. The apex court directed the Bhiwani Sessions Judge to hold trial against the accused under the general criminal law, saying the trial court would be entitled to apply ordinary rules of evidence for the purpose of determining the age of the juvenile. “The embargo of giving a retrospective effect to the statute arises only when it taken away vested right of a person. By reasons of Section 20 of the Act, 2000,no vested right in a person has been taken away, but only an additional protection had been provided to a juvenile, the Supreme Court said. |
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Move afoot to get heritage status for Kalka-Shimla rail
section New Delhi, April 10 The World Heritage Committee meeting at Durban in June will examine the application. The Indian government has also nominated Harmandar Sahib for inscription as a world heritage site. The Railways is optimistic that the KSR section would become India's third heritage mountain railway as site evaluations for Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) have been completed by the Paris-based International Committee for Monuments and Sites. In a proposal sent to Francesco Banadarin, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, the Railways stated that the KSR section was one of the best preserved heritage railways in India. Mr Rajesh Agrawal, Executive Director of the newly created Heritage Directorate in the Railway Ministry, told TNS that every year, a few hundred applications were made but only about 45 get the coveted heritage status. “They like to inscribe only one site from each country every year. We have highlighted that the KSR section is a preserved railway heritage and an outstanding example of its kind in terms of its engineering genius and beautiful surroundings. We have learnt from the Himachal Tourism Department that the Chief Minister may be sending a letter of support for our application.” Mr Agrawal, who has also been Director of the National Rail Museum, says that the inscription as world heritage status bring recognition. He said the ministry had backed its application with pictures, maps and CDs. Justifying the outstanding universal value of the KSR section , the ministry has said that the KSR section was opened in 1903 and applied bold and ingenious engineering solutions to the problem of establishing an effective rail link across a mountainous terrain of great beauty and was still fully operational. It has numerous impressive multi-arch galleries up to four story, about 900 bridges and over 100 tunnels. Among the Standard Gauge Heritage Railways of the world, the only other heritage railway that is comparable in terms of the engineering feat of the KSR section is the Semmering Railway in Austria, inscribed as a World Heritage Site. Listing the features of KSR section , the proposal states, ``The KSR is definitely no less important than the Semmering Railway and as such is worthy of consideration for World Heritage Site inscription.'' Twenty-six sites in India have so far been inscribed as world heritage sites. These include Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, the Taj Mahal, the Agra Fort, the Ajanta and Ellora Caves, the Churches and Convents of Goa, Sunderbans National Park, Qutab Minar, Humayun's Tomb and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
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IAF exercise in Andamans from tomorrow
New Delhi, April 10 According to reports here, at least four Jaguar deep penetration strike fighter aircraft and two Su-30 multi-role fighters would be in Car Nicobar base in the Andamans and Nicobar Islands for the exercises. The Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi recently said the operation of fighter aircraft from the Car Nicobar base, battered by the killer tsunami waves on December 26, would amply prove that the base was now fully functional. The Air Traffic Control (ATC) is functional as well as the other operational infrastructure. A new radar has been installed, while power and water connections have been restored. |
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New Delhi, April 10
