At around 4 PM, a group of 15-25 Shiv Sena activists armed with sticks and baseball bats barged into the office of IBN7 Hindi news channel and the IBN Lokmat Marathi TV channel and attacked journalists and employees. The female receptionist was slapped, and the Shiv Sena men went around looking for Nikhil Wagle, editor of IBN Lokmat. They threw a chair at him and slapped him. Reports also say that several women journalists were also attacked. LCD TVs and computers were trashed, chairs were toppled and glass panels were broken.

Many of the attackers escaped before the police arrived. However, it seems that the IBN journalists and technical staff counterattacked, and 7 of the attackers were caught and handed over to the police.

Photo: IBN Lokmat, IBN7 offices after Shiv Sena attack

Shiv Sena MP and editor of the Sena newspaper Saamna told reporters that it was a spontaneous attack, and as the people who attacked said they were Shiv Sainiks’ he was accepting it. He justified the attacks saying that the IBN7 and IBN Lokmat channels were consistently biased against the Shiv Sena. He also said that the attacks were justified, as the TV channels attacked Bal Thackery over his Saamna editorial criticising Sachin Tendulkar for saying that Mumbai was for everyone, and that he was an Indian first. “Media is not God–criticism of Balasaheb Thackeray will not be tolerated,” said Sanjay Raut. “If you target Sena, we will attack. Criticism of Sena is also criticism of Marathi Manoos.”

Photo: Shiv Sena chieftain Bal Thackeray

IBN Lokmat editor Nikhil Wagle said that he believes that Sanjay Raut organised the attacks. He said that this was not a spontaneous attack, and it was pre-planned.

One of the Shiv Sena’s grievances was that Nikhil Wagle has been insulting Bal Thackeray and Marathi sentiments by calling Bal Thackeray, the Shiv Sena chieftain, an “old man”. It did not look like Nikhil Wagle was in any mood to give in, though, even after the attacks. Speaking to the media, he repeated the phrase, saying “”Bal Thackeray has become old. Uddhav Thackeray has lost control over Sena and elements like Raut are flourishing in that party.” It should be noted that many Maharashtrians believe that Sanjay Raut has been penning editorials in Saamna which go under the name of Bal Thackeray, damaging Marathi sentiment. For example, post the Maharashtra Assembly election loss, Saamna editorial ostensibly written by Bal Thackeray said that he did not trust Maharashtrians anymore, and that they had stabbed him in the back by voting for Raj Thackeray’s MNS and thereby enabling Congress and NCP to win.

Nikhil Wagle has been aggressive in attacking the Sena brand of politics, and the Sena has never taken kindly to criticism, especially of its ageing leader. He said that the Shiv Sena has attacked Marathi sentiments by attacking a Marathi TV channel.

The Shiv Sena has often said criticism of Bal Thackeray would not be allowed. Bal Thackeray is ageing, and he is becoming something of a holy cow for the Shiv Sena. Raj Thackeray, who split from the Shiv Sena and set up his own party – the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) – too refused to comment on Bal Thackeray’s editorial which was critical of Sachin Tendulkar. In 2005, the Shiv Sena reacted violently every time there was any impolite mention or criticism of Shivaji. In 2009, it seems Bal Thackeray too cannot be criticised in Maharashtra.

CNN-IBN’s editor in chief, Rajdeep Sardesai, came on TV soon after the attacks and said that media has been increasingly facing such attacks, and blamed the Shiv Sena for the attack on IBN7 and IBN Lokmat. He said that the attacks marked a new low in Maharashtra politics.

Deputy commissioner of police RM Vhatkar said: “The arrested men have been booked for assault and rioting. We are on the lookout for the others.” He did not say whether the arrested men were indeed Shiv Sena men.

Criticism of the attacks came in immediately from Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, who said that those arrested would be dealt with harshly. He said that the attacks on the IBN7 and IBN Lokmat TV channels showed the frustration of Shiv Sena after losing Assembly elections. NCP Chief Sharad Pawar said that strong action should be taken against those who attacked media.

CNN-IBN said that the attackers claimed they were agitated over misquoting Bal Thackeray. Thackeray’s criticism of Sachin Tendulkar did not go down well with most politicians and across India, and it is likely that the IBN channels were declaring that disgust, which obviously was not to Shiv Sena’s liking.

There were two other incidents of attacks by Shiv Sena – the IBN office in Pune was attacked, and an outdoor broadcast van of the channel was also not spared.

In 2008, senior journalist Kumar Ketkar’s house was also attacked by those claiming to be angered by his comments about a proposed Shivaji statue. He told the media political parties indulge in violence because they are certain of getting away.

Rahul Narvekar, the head of Shiv Sena’s legal cell refused to apologise for the attacks when asked, and said that his party would always defend Marathi pride.

Raj Thackeray's MNS' rise has unnerved the Shiv Sena, which has had the Marathi Manoos plank stolen from its creator.

There has been no reaction from Shiv Sena ally BJP, which has often been embarrassed by the violent behaviour and obvious justifications of such violence by Shiv Sena. As a national party which needs the Shiv Sena to have a foothold in Maharashtra, it has always found it convenient to close its eyes to Shiv Sena’s parochial and violent behaviour.

The Shiv Sena has always made it clear that they would not stay away from violence if they think their leaders or the pride of Maharashtra was offended by anyone. It is obviously not a defender of press freedom, and has never claimed to be so.

All this comes right on the heels of the recent slapping of SP MP Abu Asim Azmi by MNS legislators in the Maharashtra assembly, senior Thackeray’s editorial against Sachin Tendulkar, and yesterday’s editorial in the Saamna which proudly claimed that those who demolished the Babri Masjid were Shiv Sainiks, and exhorted all Hindus in India to unite against Muslims. Bal Thackeray has always been caught between Marathi chauvinism and Hindu chauvinism, never really able to make a choice while his nephew Raj has positioned himself as the champion of Maharashtrian rights above all – and so far, that seems to be working, making the Shiv Sena and Bal Thackeray ill-at-ease.

The commission’s report will be made public along with an Action Taken Report (ATR).

The Liberhan Commission, headed by Justice M S Liberhan, had submitted its report to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on June 30, 2009 – the last day of the commission’s 48th extension – in the presence of Home Minister P Chidambaram.

The report was subsequently sent to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for “further action.”

Home Minister Chidambaram had announced in June 2009 that the Liberhan Commission report would be tabled in Parliament within 6 months.

Whatever the contents of the Liberhan Commission’s report are, there will be an uproar either by the UPA and Left parties, or if it goes against them, by the BJP and its allies. BJP and its parent organisation the RSS have consistently denied that it was a spontaneous action by the mob, and there was no planning involved. Whatever the truth is, very few believe that the truth about what happened and who was responsible would be finally made clear by the report. Even the Congress has some skeletons in its cupboards, due to the actions – or inaction – of the then-Congress Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, wh is believed by many to be too trusting of the RSS.

The contents of the Liberhan Commission Report have so far not been divulged. Justice Liberhan was accused of going slow as well as being too soft on certain political leaders during the course of the commission’s investigation.

Babri Masjid demolition photos

Babri Masjid photo: Before the demolition

Photo: Babri Masjid demolition in progress; this pic appeared in the next day's papers. By then the Masjid had vanished

Babri Masjid demolition photo

Photo: babri Masjid demolition in the background, cheering crowds in front

According to political observers, the Liberhan Commission Report could have far-reaching political implications vis-à-vis role the role of some of the leaders of the Sangh Parivar in the Babri Masjid demolition.

Sources in the Union Home Ministry said that the Action Taken Report (ATR) was being finalised and that it would submitted in Parliament along with the Liberhan Commission Report.

It is mandatory that the government should submit the Action Taken Report within 6 months of receiving a commission report. The deadline for the ATR regarding the Liberhan Commission Report is December 31, 2009.

The Liberhan Commission had recorded statements of a number of top political leaders, including those of L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Kalyan Singh, and Uma Bharti, in addition to senior officials of the government of Uttar Pradesh.

The Liberhan Commission, set up on December 16, 1992, was initially asked to submit a report within 3 months.

However, the commission could submit a report only after over 16 years, and following a total of 399 sittings.

The Union Government spent around Rs 9 crore on the Liberhan Commission, including on salary.

Meanwhile, security will be tightened in Maharashtra in connection with the tabling of the Liberhan Commission Report in Parliament, especially in areas that are communally sensitive.

It may be recalled that the demolition of the Babri masjid on December 6, 1992, had led to communal riots in Mumbai in December 1992 and then in January 1993 in which the Shiv Sena and its leaders are believed to be involved in. These riots had, in turn, triggered a series of retaliatory bomb blasts by the underworld in Mumbai, in which over 180 people had lost their lives.

Hence the Home Ministry of Maharashtra is taking no chances, and is beefing up security in the state as well as presence of police on the streets, a source of the Home Ministry said.

New Delhi: The expected civil nuclear agreement between India and Canada was not signed on November 17, 2009, when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper met.

Negotiators from both countries had met a week ago in an attempt to remove the obstacles in the way of a joint agreement on use of nuclear power for civilian purposes, which could have been a milestone in India’s improved relationship with Canada.

An agreement in this regard will let Canada sell India nuclear technology, and the agreement would have been in accordance with a memorandum of understanding on constructing more nuclear reactors with Canada’s CANDU technology.

India has a special interest in Canada, which is one of the biggest exporters of uranium.

According to reports, Cameco, the Canada-based mining and energy company, which has significant operations in Saskatchewan in Canada, is planning to set up its marketing office in India in order to explore opportunities of supplying uranium fuel to India.

India and Canada have announced a number of initiatives in such diverse areas as agriculture, mining technology, as well as a joint study group for a free-trade pact.

Stephen Harper had told Indian businessmen in Mumbai the other day that Canada is eager to share its expertise as also invest in fields such as science and technology, renewable energy and nuclear energy, and medical research projects.

Meanwhile, India and Canada have signed an agreement to set up a joint study group to boost trade and economic relations between the two countries and aiming at taking the bilateral trades to worth US $15 billion in the next 5 years annually.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) to this effect was signed following the delegation-level discussions and later talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Yet another agreement, on bolstering cooperation in the sphere of energy, was signed, with a view to meeting the increasing energy needs in India, since Canada has is now become a superpower in the area of energy.

Manmohan Singh said that another pact, on cooperation in using nuclear energy for civilian purposes, is on the cards.

In a joint statement issued at the end of the discussions, Manmohan Singh and Stephen Harper recognised the contributions being made by the Indian-origin community living in Canada in improving ties between the two nations.

The talks between the two leaders included such issues as climate change, the impact of the global economic depression, as well as the Doha Round of negotiations.

Both agreed to initiate efforts at improving as well as diversifying bilateral ties.

Manmohan Singh and Stephen Harper said they are not only satisfied with the functioning of institutional mechanisms that guide bilateral cooperation but also will launch new mechanisms to fortify bilateral ties.

The two Prime Ministers acknowledged education as “an area of new momentum” and stressed the need for cooperation in the areas of science, technology, innovation, and linkage between institutions of higher learning in both countries.

Bal Thackeray's editorial against Sachin Tendulkar angers many

Sachin Tendulkar had a told a news conference the other day, in connection with his completing 20 years in international cricket, that that “Mumbai belongs to all Indians.”  He added that, while he is a Maharashtrian and is “extremely proud of that,” “I am an Indian first.”

In an editorial in Saamna, the mouthpiece of Shiv Sena, Bal Thackeray advised Tendulkar to focus on his international cricket and said that he has “hurt the feelings of Marathi Manoos.”

Thackeray went on to say: “Sachin may not know what Marathi Manoos went through to get Mumbai. You were not even born then.”

In a tone of warning, the Shiv Sena supremo wrote in the editorial: “Sachin, please keep it in mind that we praise you for your fours and sixes on the field, but if you use your tongue as a bat to hit boundaries against Marathi Manoos, we will never tolerate it. Please don’t lose on the ground of politics whatever you have earned on the cricket pitch.”

Sanjay Raut, Spokesman of the Shiv Sena, has come out with a clarification that Bal Thackeray has “not criticised” Sachin Tendulkar.

According to Raut, Balasaheb only “commented in his capacity as an elder” and his remarks in the editorial in the Saamna were “an elderly advice to Sachin.”

Meanwhile, Sachin Tendulkar is receiving support from various quarters and Bal Thackeray is being slammed for his outbursts again the cricketer.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan has strongly defended Sachin, saying that the ‘Master Blaster’ had “spoken from his heart” and that “his statement will unite the country.”

The statement by Sachin, Ashok Chavan told reporters, was made in true sportsman spirit. Sachin may be a Maharashtrian, but he plays for the country.

Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister of Bihar, while criticising Bal Thackeray for his editorial, praised Sachin by saying that the “cricket icon” had raised further the “image and prestige of the country” by having said that Mumbai is for all Indians.

Shiv Sena’s ally in the NDA – the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – too came out in support of Sachin Tendulkar saying that Sachin said only what a patriotic Indian would say.

What is interesting is that both Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) and BJP are allies of Shiv Sena in the NDA. Sena’s regional chauvinism has oftne embarrassed its allies like the Sena – the common factor between both remain Hindu majoritarianism, and Marathi chauvinism is often awkward for the BJP.

Several Maharashtrians however believe that what appears in the Saamna editorials are often not Thackeray’s thoughts but someone else’s. Conspiracy theories about someone out to destory the Sena are often mentioned. Post Assembly elections for the Maharashtra State Assembly, Bal Thackeray’s editorial in the Saamna lambasted Maharashtrians for backstabbing the Sena, something which the Shiv Sena has been at pains to deny afterwards.

Raj Thackeray: Silent on Sachin

This is likely a case of over-reaction on Bal Thackeray’s part. Sachin Tendulkar’s statement was in response to a question from a reporter on a day when he has been giving press conferences and meeting the media since morning, and it is natural that he would not have thought about the political implications of a statement which could be interpreted as a snub to the Sena. Bal Thackeray too was not exactly wise about letting the statement go, instead of reacting to it angrily in Saamna – a reaction borne out of the fear that the Sena has to be the first to talk about Marathi Manoos issues. If it did not, there was always the chance that Raj Thackeray’s MNS would be quick to capitalise on that. As it went, Raj Thackeray stayed mum on the issue, and his party explained that this was an issue between the Shiv Sena and Sachin, and their party preferred not to talk about what the senior Thackeray says.

Lalu Prasad, the chief of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), said Bal Thackeray had no “moral authority” to comment on a national hero.

“Sachin Tendulkar is a national hero, and who is Bal Thackeray to comment on him?” Lalu Prasad told reporters.

Besides political leaders, several top sportsmen and sports officials have come out in support of Sachin Tendulkar.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was the first to react to Bal Thackeray’s criticism of Sachin’s statement.

Rajiv Shukla, spokesman of the BCCI and chairman of the BCCI’s finance committee, said Bal Thackeray was “talking like Mohammad Ali Jinnah.”

Sachin Tendulkar, Shukla stressed, is a nationalist. “Sachin is for Maharashtra, and he is for India, and if someone calls himself an Indian, is it a crime?” Shukla asked.

Olympian Milkha Singh, the sprint legend, remarked that Sachin did not say anything wrong and that he is “very happy” with what Sachin has said.

Ajit Wadekar, former Indian cricket captain, reacted to Bal Thackeray’s criticism of Sachin by saying that Sachin is playing for his country and “that has exactly what has motivated him to get the record.”

Photo: Nitin Gadkari

Gadkari, who enjoys the support of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), was in New Delhi the other day, fuelling speculations that he will be chosen to head the BJP at the national level.

Addressing reporters in New Delhi, Gadkari said that no decision has been taken yet. However, he did not deny that he is being tipped for the BJP’s top job and also said that he is “ready for any assignment.”

Photo: Nitin Gadkari with Rajnath Singh, current BJP president and Gopinath Munde

Nitin Gadkari said he had not met RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, who also was in New Delhi, adding that he has always taken up any responsibility that the party has given him, but he was never a part of any race for any post.

Political observers see Gadkari’s presence at the BJP’s central office in New Delhi as an obvious indication that his election as the national president of the BJP could be no more than a formality. If this come to pass, the BJP’s national-level leaders like M Venkaiah Naidu, Arun Jaitley, Ananth Kumar and Sushma Swaraj have been ignored for the post.

The candidature of Nitin Gadkari as the choice of the RSS for the post of the BJP chief has been doing the rounds since September 2009.

If Gadkari does become the BJP president, the party’s connection with Nagpur, the headquarters of the RSS, will be strengthened in many ways, according to observers.

Since Gadkari is close to the RSS, his possible elevation to the top party post is construed by many as an attempt by the RSS to get involved in the affairs of the  BJP.

The RSS apparently holds Gadkari in high esteem since he is considered as a “development-oriented” leader and also for his “clean image” after renowned social worker Anna Hazare had to withdraw a case of corruption against Gadkari as the charges could not be proved.

Nitin Gadkari had attracted attention while he was the Mayor of Nagpur and also as Maharashtra’s Minister for Public Works in the Shiv Sena-BJP government.

He has been credited with the development of Nagpur and Mumbai while he was the Mayor of Nagpur and a Minister in Maharashtra.

Kolkata: A Minister of the Left Front government in West Bengal has openly favoured early elections to the State Assembly following the setback that the ruling Left Front suffered in the recent by-elections. There is already an opinion within the rling CPI(M) that the winds are against the ruling party consistently, and the better thing would be to call for early elections to the state assembly and try to get a mandate. The counter-opinion within in the CPM is to wait it out and hope that Mamta Banerjee or her party, the Trinamool Congress, makes a mistake which would give them a fighting chance in an election.

Minister for Fisheries Kironmoy Nanda, who belongs to the West Bengal Socialist Party, a constituent of the Left Front, told reporters that the verdict of the people is obviously against the ruling coalition and that seeking a fresh mandate is essential.

The Bengal Socialist Party has 4 MLAs in the State Assembly.

Nanda said in no uncertain terms that “we need to accept the debacle and go for early elections to seek the people’s mandate.” In fact, he stressed, this should have been done “right after the Lok Sabha elections in 2009.”

He said that it is better for the Left Front to sit in the Opposition if it lacks the support of the people of the West Bengal.

Kironmoy Nanda even went to the extent of admitting that “we are losing the confidence of the voters” even as the victory margins of the Opposition are “rising steadily.”

He warned the partners of the Left Front that that the government will not be able to “deal firmly with” the growing lawlessness in the State or implement the development agenda successfully in the “deadlock situation” that exists now.

Kironmoy Nanda said that his party would write to Biman Bose, chairman of the Left Front, seeking a discussion on the situation after the recent by-elections.

Another Minister of the Left Front government, Kshiti Goswami, of the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), however differed with Kironmoy Nanda.

Describing what Kironmoy Nanda said in favour of early elections as his “personal opinion,” Kshiti Goswami argued that the Left Front needs to review “the entire situation arising out of the steady erosion of its strength.”

Early polls, Goswami added, is not the right choice and any abrupt dissolution of the government could lead to “trouble all round.”

Elections to the West Bengal Assembly are to be held, in the normal course, in 2011.

However, Mamata Banerjee, president of the Trinamool Congress, the chief Opposition party in West Bengal, has been demanding invocation of Article 356 of the Constitution and resignation of the West Bengal Chief Minister following the Left Front’s poll debacle.

In the by-elections, the CPM, the main constituent of the Left Front, lost in all 5 seats it had contested.

According to reports, leaders of the CPM are much worried about the big increase in the victory margins of the Opposition parties, especially those of the Trinamool Congress.

Meanwhile, Pranab Mukherjee, Union Finance Minister and president of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee, has remarked that the Left Front government in West Bengal has lost the people’s support and that a majority of the people of the State are now in favour of the Congress-Trinamool Congress alliance.

Azmi was assaulted the other day by legislators belonging to the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) for having taken oath Hindi instead of Marathi in the Maharashtra Assembly, defying the directive of MNS chief Raj Thackeray to take oath only in Hindi. Later, while speaking to the media, Abu Asim Azmi had said that Bal Thackeray, the Shiv Sena patriarch, was “old” and “child-like.” This led to protests by the Shiv Sena in the Maharashtra Assembly on the next day.

Photo: Abu Asim Azmi, SP MLA in Maharashtra Assembly slapped by MLAs from MNS

Amar Singh told a news conference in New Delhi that an anonymous caller rang him up on his mobile phone and told him that Abu Asim Azmi “will not be spared for his comments on Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray.”

Amar Singh had earlier said that he received 3 anonymous phone calls threatening him with “dire consequences” if he visited Mumbai.

Meanwhile, Ganpatrao Deshmukh, the pro-tem Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly, has order an investigation into the “behaviour” of Abu Asim Azmi within the Assembly and on its premises.

The pro-tem Speaker ordered the inquiry after repeated allegations by the Opposition members that Azmi had made “provocative speeches” as well as “insulted” Bal Thackeray, the chief of the Shiv Sena.

Eknath Khadse, Leader of Opposition, demanded that the government also should investigate the charge levelled by the Opposition parties that Azmi indulged in inciting people outside the Assembly.

Members of the BJP, the Shiv Sena and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena demanded that Abu Asim Azmi be arrested for his “misbehaviour” on the opening day of the Assembly session and for his remarks he made later against Bal Thackeray.

A group of Shiv Sainiks held a protests outside the Maharashtra Assembly, shouted slogans against Abu Asim Azmi and tried to burn his effigy. The police succeeded in bringing the situation under control and arrested some activists of the Shiv Sena.

Meanwhile, the attack on Abu Asim Azmi by the legislators of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena for having taken oath in Hindi in the Maharashtra Assembly has come in for sever criticism from various organisations.

In a press release, Kiran Moghe, Maharashtra state president of the Akhil Bharatiya Janwadi Mahila Sanghatana (AIDWA), strongly condemned “the crude display of muscle power” by the newly elected MLAs of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.

While it is necessary to safeguard the Marathi language and culture, she added in the press release, turning the Vidhan Sabha into a battleground and making the matter into an emotional issue in order to foster narrow-minded politics is unacceptable.

The Yuvak Kranti Dal said that the new legislators were perhaps “illiterate” of the ways of democracy.

The oath-taking is a solemn occasion, and the Constitution of India has listed the languages in which one may take oath, a press release from the Yuvak Kranti Dal said.

These sites have become breeding grounds for mosquitoes that cause dengue, according to Kanwar Sain, Mayor of Delhi.

Kanwar Sain told reporters that an inspection conducted by the officials of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi a week ago found that the Commonwealth Games Village in East Delhi has turned into a breeding place for mosquitoes.  Other news: Commonwealth Games accommodation preparations

Sain rejected the allegation raised by Kiran Walia, Health Minister of Delhi, that the MCD has failed to curb the mounting number of dengue cases in Delhi, by saying that the Municipal Corporation is “doing its best” to restrain the spreading of dengue.

Health Minister Kiran Walia also accused the Municipal Corporation of not taking proper measures to check the breeding of mosquitoes in Delhi, in spite of “several reminders” and that the Health Officer of the MCD of not bothering to inform the government of Delhi about the total number of dengue cases in various hospitals.

Kiran Walia said the Delhi government has decided to issue public notices, advertisements as well as the dos and don’ts intended to create awareness among the residents about the way the vector-borne dengue spreads.

She added that three hospitals run by the Delhi government – Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital, Hedgewar Hospital, and Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital – will prepare and formulate the blood platelets.

In addition, emergency services in all hospitals will function round the clock to attend to dengue patients, and those hospitals which fail to furnish reports on dengue patients face prosecution.

The Health Minister appealed to the residents of Delhi not to wash their cars and two-wheelers in order to prevent accumulation of water on the streets and in pits.

Already, two persons have died of dengue in and around Delhi, and about 550 people are suffering from the vector-borne disease.

There has been an increase this year in the number of people afflicted by dengue because of late rains in Delhi, according to Mayor Kanwar Sain. The situation will be brought under control next year, and there will be no dengue problem during the Commonwealth Games, he added.

According to the guidelines of the Central Government, the standard test for dengue is the IgM Capture ELISA test. Any patient who is confirmed to be suffering from dengue, after undergoing this test, is notified to the Municipal Corporation by all leading hospitals of Delhi, the Mayor said.

There has been a spate of activities related to building and renovation all over Delhi in the run-up to the 2010  Commonwealth Games, to be held from October 3-14, 2010. This has resulted in the buildup of a lot of rubble, which has eventually become breeding grounds of dengue-causing mosquitoes.

At a presentation made before the Committee of Secretaries, the NRSA presented “concrete evidence” that suggests construction activities, excavations and movements of trucks in and around the Zangmu site.

Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said here that India has taken up the issue with China on a number of occasions, but China has consistently denied engaging in any construction activity on the Brahmaputra.

She added that the question of dam has not strained India’s relations with China.

The Brahmaputra, according to Nirupama Rao, has now become a permanent subject on the agenda of the talks between India and China. India has taken up the issue of the dam with China several times, and China has time and again denied that any dam was being built, she said.

With data from the National Remote Sensing Agency revealing construction activity by China, the government of India has decided to seek clarification from China on the matter.

The official media of China has reported that China will build 5 dams in the “middle reaches” of the river Brahmaputra (Yarlung-Tsangpo) for hydro-power projects and that they are scheduled to be completed by 2015.

The Chinese report went on to say that Huaneng, the top electricity-generating company in China, was financing the project. Gezhouba, one of the largest dam-construction firms in China, is in charge of building the project.

According to other reports, China is expected to approve more dam-building projects on the river Brahmaputra soon, with the Zangmu hydro-power project the first one to be constructed. This is to be followed by 5 other dams on the Brahmaputra – Guoduo, Dhongzhong, Ruxi, Linchang, and Xiangda.

According to experts in India, while these dam projects have small reservoirs and that China has a right to build them – it being an upper riparian state – what Indian should worry about is that China’s strategists have proposed that the Brahmaputra be “diverted” to meet the water needs of its arid north-eastern region.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had recently “reassured” the Chief Ministers of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam saying that he was “convinced” that China was not constructing dams on the Brahmaputra.

The matter also had come up at the meeting between Manmohan Singh and China’s Prime Minister Wen Jiabao held on the sidelines of the ASEAN-India and East Asia Summit in Thailand in October 2009.

It may be noted that China did not inform Pakistan when it constructed a big dam on the river Indus in Senge-Ali. Pakistan knew about China’s dam in Senge-Ali only after a book presented details of the dam.

India fears that the dam China is reportedly building, aimed at generating 540 megawatts of electricity, will result in water being denied to India.

There is no bilateral treaty in place between India and China regarding trans-boundary rivers.

According to experts, the river Brahmaputra enters India from Tibet with 71.5 BCM of water. Out of this, China is reportedly planning to divert 40 BCM of water for its needs.

The fact that the Brahmaputra has a runoff of 550 BCM of water, on an average, when it reaches Bangladesh shows that the river is being fed by its tributaries after it enters India.

The Islamic seminary at Deoband, located 150 kilometres north-east of Delhi, maintains that singing Vande Maataram violates Islam’s faith in monotheism.

A resolution adopted by the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind at its 30th general session also said that Muslims were being “targeted over the issue,” adding that “we love our country and have proved it many times, but we cannot elevate it to the status of Allah, the only one worshipped by the Muslims.”

Asserting that the ‘fatwa’ issued by the Darul Uloom is “correct,” the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind said that referring to the nation as mother and singing an ode to motherland is “un-Islamic” and violates “our faith in monotheism that is Islam’s foundation.”

It may be noted that the Jamiat’s move comes at a time when a few states such as Madhya Pradesh, ruled by the BJP, has introduced singing Vande Maataram in state-run schools.

Jamiat’s endorsement of Darul Uloom’s stand on Vande Maataram came a on the same day the ‘general session’ of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind was addressed by Union Home Minister P Chidambaram.

In his speech, P Chidambaram had taken care to stay away from any controversy and praised Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind for the resolution it adopted against terrorism in Deoband in 2008.

Chidambaram said that the Jamiat’s call against terrorism was a call to all citizens of the country, and not just Muslims, to oppose terrorism and violence. While condemning the demolition of the Babri masjid, the Home Minister said “it is the duty of the majority to look after the minorities.”

The Union Home Minister has since clarified that he was not present when the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind adopted the resolution against the recital of Vande Maataram.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reacted to the Jamiat’s stand by saying that the presence of the Union Home Minister had “legitimized” the attitude against Vande Maataram.

In a statement, Murli Manohar Joshi, BJP leader, said that the party opposes the resolution passed by Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind.

Mukhtar Naqvi, vice-president of the BJP, said that while the singing of Vande Maataram was not compulsory, the way in which the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind opposed the song – “immortalised in Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s classic” – is unacceptable.

Naqvi also criticized P Chidambaram for having addressed a gathering where the singing of Vande Maataram was being opposed, arguing that the Minister’s speech would be construed as supporting the “retrograde” viewpoint of the Jamiat.

The Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, in other resolutions, disagreed with the proposed Central Madrasa Board, saying that such a body would be an “intrusion” in the running of madrasas.

The Jamiat demanded that that education of girls after the age of 10 should be “completely according to the norms of the Sharia.” Though the Jamiat did not specify what it meant by “Sharia norms,” it is generally believed that the radical Muslim outfit was referring to the use of the veil and the hijab as well as separate classrooms for boys and girls.

Darul Uloom has repetitively described co-education as “unlawful” and even opposed a ruling recently by a senior cleric at the much-respected Al Azhar, of Cairo, that face-veils were not needed in all-women classrooms.

Vande Mataram has always been a point of controversy ever since it was adopted by the freedom movement against the British Raj in India. Muslims had opposed it even then, and several leaders of the Congress were uncomfortable with some of the supposed ‘anti-Muslim’ tone of the novel in which the song had first appeared.

In the last twenty years, the RSS, BJP and its allies have attempted to use the Vande Mataram as a touchstone to Indian Muslims’ patriotism. This has predictably led to even more angry denunciations from Muslim organisations. After the endorsement of the Vande Mataram Fatwa, Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray said that those who do not sing the song were traitors and they should go to Pakistan or Bangladesh. That is definitely not a very helpful attitude in convincing Muslims to sing the Vande Mataram, we believe.

On the other hand, focusing on such symbolic issues other than on more substantive issues such as education and women’s rights have always been a tactic adopted by Islamic leaders – both religious and political – in India to keep the community under their thumb.