Round The States

New Delhi, 25 March 2010

Public Distribution System

STATES PLAYING MERRY HELL

By Insaf

Almost all the States are in the dock for playing merry hell with the Public Distribution System. A Central Vigilance Committee set up by the Supreme Court to look into the Public Distribution System has found that the sale of foodgrains through the PDS to poor families throughout the country at highly subsidized prices is stinking of corruption, hoarding and black marketing. “Corruption”, says the CVC in its damning report, “is all pervasive in the entire chain involved in the PDS… True some officers are doing a good job, but then most functionaries under them in the Department are typically callous and resort to corrupt practices.” The CVC, headed by Justice D.P. Wadhwa, retired Supreme Court judge, submitted its report to a Bench of Justices Dalveer Bhandari and K.S. Radhakrishnan, hearing a petition on the need for streamlining the PDS, after touring various states and scrutinizing the operation of the PDS through fair price shops.

The Centre gives a whopping Rs. 28,000/- crore annually to the States to subsidise food for the poor. Tragically, however, “the poor go on suffering at the hands of corrupt officials, dishonest Fair Price Shops (FPS) owners, treacherous transporters and, possibly to a large extent, unscrupulous miller as well.” There was large-scale diversion of food grains supplied to the PDS and blackmarketing by FPS dealers, provoking the CVC to assert: “Corruption in the PDS is a cancerous growth and has to be chopped off as patchwork would not do.” There was a strong nexus between the FPS dealers and officials of the department; improper records, false entries in registers and, above all, political influence and interference hampering public distribution. In Bihar, for instance, foodgrains were not distributed every month. The Committee visited many villages and towns and met lots of beneficiaries. All generally complained that during the last year, they got foodgrains only for 2 to 3 months!

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Capital Delhi Is Worst

Of interest is the terminology used by Justice Wadhwa for different states. Rajasthan --- PDS has collapsed; political pressure is put on the appointment of FPS dealers. Jharkhand --- PDS is a glaring example of what the system ought not to be. The distribution mechanism of the State has continued in the hands of the most corrupt and inefficient Bihar State Food and Supply Corporation. Rotten grain and good grain lie together in the godown. If the FPS owners do not pay the godown manager Rs. 10 per bag, he supplies rotten grain! Gujarat --- FPS owners bribe officials to get FPS licences and pay monthly bribes. Karnataka --- enforcement lax, collusion between officials, investigating agencies, dealers and wholesalers. But the most damming comments are for Delhi. Apart from terming the PDS as inefficient and corrupt, the CVC has stated: “There is largescale diversion and blackmarketing of food grains. Subsidised PDS foodgrain does not reach the poor, the FPS owner uses bogus/fake ration cards for blackmarketing of PDS food grain.”

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Andhra Tackles Maoism

Andhra Pradesh has some lessons to offer in tackling Maoism. Remember, only 15 of India’s 630 districts suffered from Maoist incidents in the 1990s. Today Maoists have become much stronger in most States. Over 200 districts are affected, despite big increase in anti-terrorism outlays. The only exception is Andhra Pradesh, where Maoist incidents reportedly fell from 576 in 2005 to 62 in 2009, Maoist killings from 211 to 17 and police deaths from 25 to nil. Contrary to a popular impression, the change has not been brought about by the State’s specialized anti-Maoist force called the Greyhounds. It has been transformed by economic development and welfare. Massive irrigation, construction and welfare programmes have created so much employment that Maoism has lost its attraction for once-unemployed youth in the State. The casual labour wage is now well above the minimum of Rs. 120 per day. Welfare schemes, notably rice at Rs.2 per kilo, have provided safety nets. Police action, as the CM Rosaiah insists, was no doubt crucial. Ultimately, it was economic progress and welfare that spearheaded the State’s success against Maoism.

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Naga Talks In Trouble

A question mark has gone up over the Centre’s talks with Nagaland’s leading militant group: NSCN (IM). Last Sunday, General Secretary, Thuingaleng Muviah, no doubt, commended the Government of India for its “seriousness in finding a peaceful solution.”  But he stuck to his basic demand of sovereignty, which is not acceptable to New Delhi, stating: “We have told them very clearly, don’t try to impose the Indian Constitution on us. The Nagas will never accept it.” Importantly, Muivah declared this while addressing the 30^th “Republic Day” function as the “Prime Minister” of the Government of the People’s Republic of Nagalim (GPRN). The function, which had to be seen to be believed for its solemnity and popular impact, was held at the NSCN-IM’s truce-time headquarters at camp Hebron, about 80 km from Kohima. Muivah initially hoisted the Nagalim flag. Three contingents of the “Naga Army”, including two women’s contingents, thereafter marched past smartly. Muivah also declared: “We have been talking with the Government of India for 13 years now. We have fought for Naga rights and have not berdged an inch. We have not moved today. Nor shall we move tomorrow…..”

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Kerala Facing Drought?

Is Kerala going to be a victim of global warming? Fears are that it will. The lush green southern-most State, with 44 rivers, thousands of water bodies and world-famous backwaters is facing a drought. Studies undertaken last year show that there has been an 18 per cent rainfall shortage i.e. the State received 230 cm of rainfall as against an average of 260 cm. This had led to the groundwater dipping 28 per cent. Even though peak summer is yet to set in, Palakkad in the north is already reeling under 42 deg C, which is 9 degrees above normal! So far nine persons have been hospitalized for sunstroke and some even have their skin peeling off because of sun burns. A similar situation prevails in Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram. Acute water and power shortage is already staring the people in the face. A concerned State government has rushed a team of experts to the affected districts to study the phenomenon and suggest remedial action. Worse, water levels in reservoirs and rivers have dipped, and the Sasthamkotta lake, which supplies drinking water to large swathes of south Kerala has dried. Environmentalists believe the drought is a result of the global warming, thanks to the ruthless exploitation of natural resources like sand-mining and tree-felling. Time for New Delhi to pay heed!

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India’s Wine Capital

Bangalore or Bengaluru, as the capital of Karnataka is now called, has reason to rejoice and celebrate. It has quietly acquired the status of India’s wine capital, in addition to being the country’s IT capital. Incredible as it may seem, drinking wine has become a way of life in Bangalore, thanks to the BJP-led Yeddyurappa Government. Some ten months ago, it became the first-ever State Government to announce an explicit wine policy, which promoted wine as a family drink and allowed the beverage to be sold in malls and metromarts. This has worked wonders, what with the young and the elderly and men and women alike eagerly adopting the new drinking habit. More and more Bangaloreans are now uncorking bottles of refreshing wine instead of opting for the traditional whisky and soda. Sale of wine has reportedly risen to 25 lakh litres per annum from just 13 lakh litres in 2006-07. Area under grape cultivation, which is receiving top Government priorities, has increased from 500 to 1,800 acres. The State now has nine wineries. Some 30 per cent of its produce is being exported to the U.K., France and the U.S.! ---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

Round The States

New Delhi, 18 March 2010

BSP Shames Backward UP

VULGAR DISPLAY OF MONEY POWER

By Insaf

It’s a tale of two cities in Uttar Pradesh this week. One witnessed shameless and vulgar celebration of money power in politics. The other was engulfed in tragic communal riots. After lavish birthdays, giant statues and memorials over the years, the State Chief Minister and BSP supremo, Mayawati set a new bar for Dalit celebrations. On Monday last, she organized a maha rally in Lucknow to mark the party's silver jubilee and also its founder Kanshi Ram's birth anniversary. Extravaganza was put to shame. The administration is alleged to have splurged close to Rs 200 crore for the grand show targetting a record crowd of 20 lakh. And how? A temporary township “Bhim Nagari” was constructed over 60 acres with 30 waterproof pandals, 2,000 temporary toilets and 1,000 bathrooms; 200 tankers supplied water. A make shift hospital was put up with 200 doctors and 500 paramedical staff.  Some 1600 State transport and 5,000 private buses were in place. Over 1,000 quintals of flowers were used. But the piece de resistance for the staggering four lakh crowd that turned up was the mammoth garland she was presented. It was strung together with Rs 1,000 notes which could total up to Rs 5 crore!  

The rally had the Opposition parties up in arms in New Delhi. The BJP, SP and the Congress disrupted the Lok Sabha proceedings for two days, demanded a CBI inquiry into the source of the garland notes presented to the “Daulat (not Dalit) ki beti”. The currency garland, which could feed several thousand of UP’s poor, has expectedly made the Income Tax department sit up. On Tuesday, the department said that it would investigate the ownership of the Rs 1,000 notes used, the bank from which the money was sourced and whether it was from disclosed income. Accordingly, it will make a case for tax evasion. This apart, it would also look into the entire funding of the rally. But nothing affects Mayawati. Just two days after the hullabaloo, she was welcomed by her party MLAs with another cash garland worth Rs 18 lakh at a party meeting in Lucknow! Her Minister, Naseemuddin Siddiqui, even announced that the CM would from now on be welcomed only with currency notes! That is not all. The day also saw Lucknow get its eleventh statue of Mayawati, a composite structure of four 7.5-foot tall white marble figures standing back to back on a pedestal at the Bahujan Prerna Kendra!

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Bareilly Burns

Shockingly, the Lucknow celebrations took place even as Bareilly was burning. The city, home to many Hindu temples and traditionally an example of communal harmony, was engulfed in unprecedented communal riots. Curfew had to be clamped in five police areas for as long as a fortnight, causing untold misery to the residents. The violence between the Hindus and the Muslims erupted over the route of a procession to mark Barawafat or Milad-Ul-Nabi - the Prophet’s birthday - on March 2 --- after the President of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council made a rousing speech. Over 40 shops and kiosks were gutted, a dozen-odd vehicles burnt and over a score people wounded. But, this could have clearly been easily averted. The origin of the current violence dates back to 2006 when a Barawfat procession through Kohada peer locality triggered some aggressive protests from Hindus. The issue was promptly resolved after the administration allowed an alternative route. This month, though there were similar protests, the authorities simply did not react. They were too busy with the maha rally. It was criminal mismanagement from day one, which the BJP proposes to expose. It has set up a three-member fact-finding committee, which includes Maneka Gandhi, to go into the communal violence.

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Trouble For Modi?

Narendra Modi’s Gujarat is in the news. But this time for the wrong reasons. The Special Investigating team (SIT) constituted by the Supreme Court two years ago to probe 10 of the most critical cases from sites like the Gulbarga Society, post-Godhra riots in 2002, has summoned the Chief Minister on Sunday. Questioning will be on the basis of an FIR filed by Zakia Jafri, widow of Congress MP Ahsan Jafri, who has accused Modi and 62 others of complicity in the riots in which nearly 2,000 people were killed. However, the SIT, headed by former CBI director R K Raghavan, has run into a crisis. One of its members, DIG (retd) Param Singh is said to have resigned. Worse, the Special Public Prosecutor in the Gulbarga Society trial, RK Shah too has put in his papers saying he could not take the non-cooperation of the SIT and taunts from the trial judge. These developments in the SIT, which is considered the last word in investigations into the riot cases, has forced the Supreme Court to take note and stay further proceedings in the trial. The big question is: will Modi get a reprieve in all this mess? While it is unclear what evidence the SIT has, or whether any charges will stick to Modi, the summoning of Modi is a call that carries symbolic weight, if not much else yet.

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‘Healthy’ First For Assam

Assam is all set to create history. It is the first State in the country to introduce a Bill, which guarantees the right to health and well-being of its citizens. On Thursday last, the Congress government tabled the landmark Assam Public Health Bill, 2010 in the State Assembly, in response to the Centre’s appeal for legislating on health rights. The Bill makes it mandatory for all development projects to carry out a health impact assessment. Importantly, the State is not viewing health as just doctors and hospitals but everything that influences the well-being of the people. With this aim, the Bill seeks to bind the health and family welfare department to meet its basic obligations—coordinating with other departments concerned and providing people with minimum nutritionally essential food, adequate supply of safe drinking water, sanitation and access to basic housing facility. Besides, both government and private hospitals will have to provide free healthcare services and maintain appropriate treatment for the first 24 hours to any emergency patient, among other path-breaking provisions in the Bill, which will be put to vote on March 31.

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J&K Bill Against Women

Jammu and Kashmir is truly far distanced from New Delhi. Days after the Rajya Sabha passed the Women’s Reservation Bill, the J&K Assembly witnessed the tabling of a bill, which discriminates against women. On March 2, the PDP MLA, Murtaza Khan, introduced the Permanent Resident (Disqualification) Bill on March 2 and the Government accepted it at the introduction level. The Bill seeks to debar J&K women of their right to property and jobs if they marry someone outside the State. The Opposition, led by the BJP, protested and staged a walkout in the Assembly on Saturday last, asserting  that it would deprive girls of ancestral rights to own land, property and jobs if they married outside the State. They questioned the constitutional validity of the Bill and asked as to how it could even be introduced. However, the PDP insists the Bill “would save identity of the State’s women.” And, further argues that the State’s special status under Article 370 “would be undermined if women marrying non-State subjects retain their citizenship rights”. All eyes, however, are now on the ruling National Conference, headed by young Omar Abdullah and his stand. So far there is silence. Either J&K is an integral part of India or it is not!---INFA

 (Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

Round The States

New Delhi, 11 March 2010

Mujahideen, Maoist Threat

3 STATES ON ALERT, NEW OFFENSIVE

By Insaf

India’s internal security is under fresh threat, both from terrorists and Maoists. On Monday last, three States -- Maharashtra, West Bengal and Karnataka were put on terror alert. This follows interrogation of Indian Mujahideen (IM) suspect Salman Ahmed, who has “revealed” that plans are afoot to engineer serial blasts in three cities, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata and in particular “target foreigners.” Hence, the State governments have been asked to tighten security, as the Centre does not want to take any chances given its past bitter experience of not reacting to available information. Salman, a native of Azamgarh, in UP and a suspect in serial blasts in Ahmedabad, Varanasi and Gorakhpur, has confessed that the IM has set up bases in Karachi, Kathmandu, Dubai and the Middle East under its “Karachi project.” The plan by Pakistan’s ISI is to train motivated Indians to attack targets in India so as “to create a degree of separation from Pakistan.” The Centre cannot ignore this more so as another IM jehadi, Khwaja Amjad’s revelations tally with those of Salman and confirm that the IM operatives visited Kolkata four months ago to activate their sleeping cells.

Meanwhile, the Centre has finally adopted stern strategy viz the Maoists’ threat. It has discarded Kishenji’s ultimatum of striking cities and towns if its offer of talks is rejected. Instead, it has put Operation Green Hunt into top gear in Bengal and Jharkhand. On Wednesday last, the police forces of the two States along with the CRPF launched a joint offensive against the Maoists in the bordering districts of West Midnapore and Purulia. In particular, the action in the Kolhan forest area comprising parts of West and East Singhbhum in Jharkhand assumes major significance as it clears doubts over Chief Minister, Shibu Soren’s intention. The tribal CM, till recently, had shown reluctance against such operations and even Kishenji had put him in a separate category, saying “we will confront him only when he acts adversely.” On Saturday last, the Maoist leader had hinted that Kolkata and Bhubaneswar could be targeted as chief ministers Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Naveen Patnaik were keen that operations against the Maoists be stepped up. Will he able to carry out the threat, given the Centre has turned the heat on the Maoists?  

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Chhattisgarh For Transparency

People’s yearning for clean and transparent governance is slowly but steadily making headway. Be it the BJP government in Chhattisgarh or the panchayats at the grass-root level in Congress-ruled Rajasthan, the winds of change are blowing. On Tuesday last, Chief Minister Raman Singh announced in the State Assembly that he has decided to make public details of the assets “owned by him, his ministers and party legislators every year”. Additionally, government officials have been directed to put the details of their property on websites of their respective departments. The declaration followed when  Raman Singh responded to the opposition Congress’ question on how many IAS, IPS and IFS (Indian Forest Service) officials had furnished details about their property as required under the rules. Obviously, it was more than welcome. The Congress MLAs too decided to follow suit and announced they would also declare their assets “every Budget session.” Recall that only last month, the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his BJP ministers had made public details of their property by tabling them in the Assembly.

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Sarpanchs To Fight Corruption

Likewise, the desire to fight corruption has been taken up by 40 sarpanchs in Rajasthan, mostly first-timers. They have recently resolved “not to sign cheques blindly, succumb to pressure from government officials or accept bribes of any kind.” And, their intent should not be questioned as for starters they have spent less than Rs 20,000 in the recently-concluded panchayat elections. Apparently, the resolve follows a tour of Vijaypura, a model panchayat unit under the NREGS in Rajasthan last month. One of the tips the sarpanchs took back was to maintain a complete record of all cash transactions to avoid corruption allegations. “The most important thing is not to sign all papers and cheques presented before you,” was a clear message. And, another way to steer clear from corruption was to stay close to the people who voted for them. This way they could avoid advances from corrupt officials. As most of the sarpanchs won on the platform of transparency, they have resolved to keep that promise. .   

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No Stopping MNS

There seems to be no stopping Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray and his supporters in Mumbai. Not even a warning by the Supreme Court, so it seems. On Tuesday last, the apex court cautioned Thackeray from making hate speeches against north Indians as cases against him would continue. It was hearing a plea for stay of trial in three more cases filed in Jharkhand, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh relating to his hate speech in Mumbai in 2008. The MNS chief was seeking transfer of these cases as he feared his safety. Last month the court had transferred seven similar complaints pending in Jharkhand and Bihar to Delhi. While the SC sent notices to the three State governments and stayed the trails, it didn’t stop MNS supporters to go on a rampage in Mumbai twenty-four hours later. They vandalized two Airtel stores for not having Marathi as one of the languages in its pre-recorded messages for subscribers. While the MNS seeks to deny involvement of its members, Thackeray’s speech earlier in the day warning Airtel of its “deadline being over” were enough indications of who was behind the vandalism.

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Delhi “Best City”

Delhi’s Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has reason to rejoice. Despite the entire city being dug up, it has got an excellent certificate -- of “offering the best quality of life” to its residents among all cities in the country. This comes in the form of a “Liveability Index” released by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on Monday last, based on surveys conducted in 37 cities for over a decade. Delhi outscores metros such as Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Kolkata; NCR towns Gurgaon, Noida and Faridabad; and even planned cities like Chandigarh. The National capital ranks first on parameters like population, density, safety, transport, education, job opportunities and accidents.  The only place it falls behind is in health care, where it is ranked 17^th much after Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kolkata. According to the survey, the next best cities to live in after Delhi are Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore. The bottom rankers are: Jamshedpur, the worst and preceded by Vishakapatnam, Patna, Lucknow and Ludhiana. About the survey’s authenticity, CII says: “The study uses hard data collected from reliable sources to eliminate the possibility of personal bias or a sampling error obscuring the reality.”  ---INFA

(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)

Round The States

New Delhi, 4 March 2010

Peace In The North East?

NAGA TALKS BACK ON TRACK

By Insaf

All eyes in Nagaland and the sensitive and strategic North-East are on New Delhi where the good, old Naga talks are back on track. The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, and the Union Home Minister, P. Chidambaram, bent over backwards on Tuesday last to make a gesture to the rebel Nagas in their bid to end the decades old insurgency in the State. The Prime Minister personally received the NSCN-IM General Secretary, Thuingaleng Muivah and the Union Home Minister spent an hour with him broadly exchanging thoughts and possible solutions. The Centre’s new interlocutor, R.S. Pandey, former Chief Secretary of Nagaland and former Petroleum Secretary, has also had a quiet talk with Muivah, who arrived in New Delhi from Amsterdam, his present abode, on Saturday, with four other leaders. The NSCN-IM and the Government of India opened a political dialogue in 1997, when a cease-fire was put in place. They have so far held 67 rounds of talks, including a good few in Bangkok. The last round was held in March 2009 in Zurich.

Much in regard to the outcome of the talks will depend upon the willingness of Muivah and his colleagues to be fair, reasonable and practical. There is no question of conceding sovereignty to Nagaland, as demanded by the NSCN-IM. Nor is there any question of creating Nagalim (Greater Nagaland) by bringing the Naga inhabited areas of the region into a single administrative set-up because of the strong opposition from Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The Centre is willing to concede greater autonomy. But it does not want to create new problems elsewhere in trying to resolve the Naga problem. Importantly, the Union Home Secretary, G.K. Pillai, has made it clear that the final solution would be worked out with all the underground groups, including NSCN-Khaplang. Time is no doubt of the essence. As representatives of the Western Sumi Hoho (popular Assembly) reportedly told Pillai last week: “The common people suffer greatly in the absence of a peace accord. They have to pay taxes to the elected Government as well as the parallel government run by the underground groups!”

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Joint Action With Myanmar

Meanwhile, the North-East has reason to be pleased on another development—the meeting between Home Secretary Pillai and his counterpart in Myanmar, Brig-Gen Phon Swe in Yangon last month. The two have agreed to launch a “coordinated operation” to flush out North-East militants operating from neighbouring Myanmar. This follows Pillai’s team giving the Myanmarese officials maps of rebel camps located in Myanmar. However, as the Myanmar Army is facing certain difficulties, New Delhi will extend necessary assistance for the coordinated action. Apparently, rebels belonging to the United National Liberation Front, People’s Liberation Army—the armed wing of the Revolutionary People’s Front—NSCN (IM) are said to be putting up in Myanmar. Hopes of success are high as past experience of similar assistance to the Bangladesh army has yielded results. But much will depend upon the ability of the Bangladesh government to carry out assurances of full cooperation given to India during the recent visit of its President, Sheikh Hasina.

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Return Of Militant Sikhs

Punjab and its Sikhs, led by Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal and his son and Deputy Chief Minister, Sukhbir Singh Badal, have reason to rejoice. The Union Home Minister, P. Chidambaram, has informed them that the Union Government would help Sikhs living abroad in exile to return home provided they were prepared to renounce their demand for a separate State on the lines of the amnesty package currently being drafted by the J&K Government for the Kashmiri youth who crossed over to Pakistan and Pak-occupied Kashmir. Said PC:  “If the Sikh youth want to return, having given up militancy, giving up violence and giving up the demand for Khalistan, we will certainly facilitate their return.” His remarks came two days after Chief Minister Badal had stated: “When the country is one, what is the harm in giving general amnesty to Sikh youth wanting to stern violence and join the mainstream?.” The ball is now in Punjab’s court. PC has clarified that if the Government of Punjab wishes to draw up a scheme similar to the one by the J&K Government, he would be happy to consider it.

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Trouble Brewing In Goa

Trouble is brewing in the Congress Ministry in Goa, thanks to the increasing lust for power and pelf among politicians. A small group of dissident MLAs in the Congress appear hell bent on securing a change in the State leadership. The party High Command has so far refused to be pushed around and replace Digamber Kamat, who was initially handpicked for the CM’s job. What may happen in the days ahead is, however, any one’s guess. The dissidents continue to send loaded signals to the High Command. They have even hinted at taking some “drastic steps”, including resignation from the Assembly, in case their demand is not met. The change could happen even before the Assembly meets on March 22 for its five-day budget session. Prominent among those mentioned as replacement are the Speaker and former Chief Minister Pratapsinh Rane, the Home Minister Ravi Naik and the PWD Minister Churchill Alemao. A name acceptable to most in the dissident group is that of Vishwajit Rane, Health Minister. But he is more keen to install his father, Pratapsinh Rane, once again as the CM.

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Cong-BSP Spat In UP

The Congress and BSP are spoiling for another fight in Uttar Pradesh. This time it’s over the inauguration of the newly-constructed Ganga Setu—a 1,032.33 bridge in Congress President, Sonia Gandhi’s constituency, Rae Bareli. On Wednesday last, the State PWD Minister, Nassimuddin Siddiqui declared the bridge open by pressing a remote button at a hastily organized function not at the site but in Lucknow! He was originally scheduled to inaugurate it on Thursday. The hurried move was obviously to short-change the Congress on taking credit. Not only was the Mayawati government informed about Sonia’s plans to do the honours later this month, but the Union Minister of Surface Transport, RPN Singh was scheduled to visit the site on Wednesday. However, he was not allowed to proceed to the bridge near Dalmau and was detained by the DM in the name of “law and order.” The district authorities feared Singh was not going for “inspection” but to hold a function there. Whatever may be the truth, the turf war is hotting up as Singh has decided to give a notice of breach of privilege against the State administration.

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Secular Bonhomie At Godhra

Godhra in Gujarat witnessed last week what was badly needed over the years: heart-warming secular bonhomie and some blurring of the unfortunate religious divide in the State. Remember the Godhara carnage of 2002, when 59 people, mainly kar sevaks, were brunt to death in the Sabarmati Express at the railway station sparking off communal riots, killing nearly 2000 people. The eighth anniversary of the carnage, which coincided this year with Eid-l-Milad, the holy prophet’s birthday, saw the Samagra Muslim Samaj (SMS) hold a mass nikaah (marriage) ceremony for 34 couples at Godhra with the Hindus (believe it or not) performing something akin to “kanya daan” for the brides! Explained a Hindu college professor: “Salma is my friend’s daughter. I come to perform kanya daan and bless the couple.” The SMS kept the menu for the occasion strictly vegetarian out of respect for the 200 Hindu guests. Even traditional Biryani was dropped. But no one complained. The guests, for their part, chipped in with “shagun” liberally --- cash totalling Rs. 1 lakh.---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)