'STATE DAY' WARNING FOR NEW DELHI

HIMALAYAN GUARDIAN     Vol 1 No 19       Page 1                    May 18, 2011

 'STATE DAY' WARNING FOR NEW DELHI

Rethinking in Sikkim if Centre ignores rampant corruption, misrule: Sikkim Liberation Party

Himalayan News Network

Gangtok, May 17: The newly-formed Sikkim Liberation Party (SLP) has warned the Centre that if it continues to neglect rampant corruption, suppression of democratic rights, and alleged misrule in the State which has been the order of the day in the past three and half decades since the merger, the Sikkimese people would be forced to take a “different course” of action to shape their future.

In its memorandum, dated May 16, 2011, to the Union Home Minister, P. Chidambaram, SLP Convenor, Duk Nath Nepal, said the party’s letter to him was the “last hope” of the Sikkimese people to set things right in Sikkim before it is too late.

The message in the memorandum is well-timed as it comes on May 16, which is annually observed as a State Day in the State, commemorating the day (May 16, 1975) when the former kingdom formally became the 22^nd State of India.

Stating that Central funds are widely misused in the past three decades, when two persons ruled Sikkim, Nepal alleged that New Delhi remained a mute spectator to the three-decade-long misrule in the State. Central funds and development projects are used to “murder democracy”, suppress democratic values and destroy the “social structure” of the Sikkimese people, Nepal said in the memorandum, which was release to the local media.

If what is going on in Sikkim is supposed to be “a fruit of democracy” and “dreams of our forefathers” then, Nepal warned, “democracy is sure to die an untimely death,” the memorandum said.

It further warned: “…if the Government of India cannot keep the promise made to our forefathers” and if there is further suppression of the democratic movement in Sikkim “…it would take no time for us to take a different course.”

China rules out dialogue with new Tibet PM

“Talks only with Dalai Lama’s aides”

Himalayan News Network

Beijing, May 17: China has effectively ruled out dialogue with the Tibetan government-in-exile's new prime minister, saying it will only meet with representatives of the Dalai Lama and will limit any talks to the Tibetan spiritual leader's future.

The remarks by Zhu Weiqun, a vice minister of the Chinese Communist Party's United Front Work Department -- which has led unsuccessful on-off talks with the Dalai Lama's envoys -- are Beijing's strongest reaction yet to the election of Harvard law scholar Lobsang Sangay as Tibet's new prime minister in exile, Reuters reported.

In an interview on the website of the China News Service on Thursday Zhu said the exiled government was an illegal group with no recognition.

"We have two basic points when it comes to contacts and negotiations. The first is that the capacity of the other side can only be as the Dalai Lama's private representatives," the article cited Zhu as saying.

"It does not matter who is the 'kalon tripa' (prime minister) of his 'government in exile', they are a splittist political clique that has betrayed the motherland. There is nothing legal about them and they have no qualifications to 'talk' with the central government's representatives," he added.

Sangay told Reuters in an interview this week that he was willing to negotiate with Beijing "anytime, anywhere", suggesting his leadership would not be significantly different from that of the Dalai Lama.

The Nobel Peace Prize-winning Dalai Lama said in March he would relinquish the four-century old tradition of political guidance in favour of a popularly elected leader by the Tibetan diaspora.

Zhu, whose department oversees the Party's dealings with religious organisations, said the only meaningful thing the exiled government could do was dissolve itself.

"The content of negotiations can only be about the Dalai Lama's future, or at most that of a few of his personal aides," Zhu said.

New Tibet PM to pursue genuine autonomy demand

Arvind Sharma 

Dharamsala, May 17: The new Tibetan Prime Minister-in-exile Lobsang Sangay expressed hope that dialogue process with China and representatives of the Dalai Lama would resume. The talks had been suspended by China after protests in Tibet just before the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

    Sangay has also endorsed the middle-way approach adopted by the Dalai Lama in which he had sought meaningful autonomy under Chinese sovereignty. “The stated policy of the Tibetan government in exile is the middle-way. So, I as the Kalon Tripa elect, when I take over, which is likely to be in mid-August, will implement that policy,” he said.

On his arrival here from the US last week-end Sangay told reporters that one of his main priorities would be to ensure that the Dalai Lama returns to his “rightful place in Lhasa.”

“His Holiness Dalai Lama made the magnanimous decision to dissolve his political power to elected leaders. It is not a question of replacing him, he’s irreplaceable, he’s led us brilliantly for the last 50 years and he will be a great source of inspiration for all of us,” Sangay said. 

The new PM will be administered oath to the office on May 30. He, however, will assume office in August when the term of present Prime Minister Samdhong Rinpoche ends.

Sangay will also participate in the debate of Tibetan parliamentarians and other leaders over the draft proposals framed by a committee of Tibetan parliamentarians for devolution of political and administrative authority of the Dalai Lama to the elected leadership.

After the draft proposals for devolving the political and administrative authority of the Dalai Lama are discussed by the Tibetan luminaries, a special session of Tibetan parliament-in-exile will be convened at the end of May to pass resolutions.

Nepal govt for another year extension for Parliament

Himalayan News Network

Kathmandu, May 17: Nepal's government on Thursday proposed a second one-year extension in the life of the current parliament that was elected in 2008 to draft a new constitution but has singularly failed to do so.

The parliament, known as the Constituent Assembly, was originally elected with a two-year mandate -- meant to end on May 28, 2010 with the promulgation of the new constitution, AFP reported.

Political deadlock in the Maoist-dominated house resulted in a one-year extension to May 2011 and, with no constitution in sight, the cabinet has now proposed a second extension to May 2012.

"We have decided to extend the term because it became clear that we won't be able to promulgate the constitution within the deadline," Education Minister Gangalal Tuladhar told reporters.

The decision followed a multi-party meeting, notable for the absence of two opposition parties who want to stick with the original deadline, the report said.

The proposed extension will require the support of two-thirds of parliament. "The government will hold negotiations with other parties to garner their votes to secure the approval," Tuladhar said.

Nepal has struggled to build any political consensus in the wake of a decade-long civil war between Maoist rebels and the state.

The conflict ended in 2006 and led to the abolition of a centuries-old Hindu monarchy, ushering in a difficult transition period to democracy in which the drafting of a new constitution is considered a crucial step.

The lack of progress, amid splits between and inside various parties, has seen public anger mounting in recent months with civil society groups demanding that MPs deliver the constitution in time.

Editorial

TIBET TALK

China Must Listen

The newly-elected Prime Minister, Lobsang Sangay, of the exiled Tibetan Government has stated that one of his top priorities would be to continue engaging Beijing with the on-going dialogue between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government. This indeed is a step in the right direction and with the Dalai Lama formally relinquishing political power Beijing may be quite responsive to initiatives taken by the new Tibetan leadership in the dialogue process. The 43-year-old Harvard law graduate, who comes from a humble background, seems eager to address the Tibet issue through peaceful means unlike a section of the younger exiled Tibetan leadership which prefer a more radical way to tackle Beijing. The changed political leadership among the exiled Tibetans ought to evoke a more realistic and flexible attitude from the Chinese government. Both parties stand to gain if the Tibet issue is resolved to the satisfaction of all concerned when the Dalai Lama is still there to lead and guide.

While leading the exiled government Sangay must note that one of his main priorities should be to work towards more democratization of not only the system of governance but to help the Tibetans in Tibet and elsewhere to think and act democratically in society and in their daily life. The Dalai Lama has graciously given up political power to enable Tibetans to work towards a secular, democratic society while preserving Tibet’s rich and unique cultural heritage. Sangay must, therefore, build on the foundations laid by the Dalai Lama and other Tibetans to move forward.

Bimal Gurung on poll results:

“VICTORY FOR GORKHALAND”

C. Tamang

Darjeeling, May 17: With the massive mandate of the people in the just-concluded Assembly polls in West Bengal, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) is now poised to start a new chapter to its statehood demand.

The Morcha’s three candidates won all three hill constituencies in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong with a massive margin, leaving the Opposition in a state of shock and desperation.

The victory margin of the three winning candidates is also the highest in the State.

Trilok Dewan, GJM candidate from Darjeeling, secured 120532 votes defeating his nearest rival Bhim Subba of the GNLF who had secured 13977 votes, by a margin of 106555 votes.

Harka Bahadur Chettri, GJM candidate from Kalimpong, secured 109,102 votes defeating his nearest rival Prakash Dahal of the GNLF who had secured 7427 votes, by a margin of 101675 votes.

Rohit Sharma, GJM candidate from Kurseong secured 114297 votes defeating his nearest rival Pemu Chettri of the GNLF who had secured 21201 votes, by a margin of 93096 votes.

In Darjeeling the total number of votes polled was 153523; in Kurseong it was 154449 and in Kalimpong 124875.

“This is a unique victory. Our rivals have forfeited their deposits. This is a victory for Gorkhaland, the public and the able candidates,” said GJM President Bimal Gurung.

Ghising leaves hills after GNLF-GJM clash 

Darjeeling, May 17: Though he had promised not to leave Darjeeling after the Assembly polls Gorkha National Liberation Front chief Subash Ghising was forced to quit the hills late on Sunday  after clashes broke out between his supporters and rival Gorkha Janmukti Morcha supporters on Sunday.

GNLF activists reportedly attacked a Morcha victory celebration near Sonada on Sunday night. While one Morcha member was stabbed on the neck another three were injured in the clashes.

In retaliation, Morcha supporters vandalized five houses of GNLF supporters in Sonada, located between Darjeeling and Kurseong.

 The Morcha leadership has blamed Ghising for the unrest. Four GNLF supporters have been arrested. Ghising reportedly left the hills on Sunday night.

Morcha supporter Rabin Rai, who was injured in the incident, was taken to a Siliguri hospital for medical treatment.

The newly elected Morcha MLA from Kurseong Rohit Sharma, accused the GNLF of trying to disrupt the victory celebration. “Armed GNLF goons hurled stones at our party members. Soon after, they attacked our supporters.”

"We have deployed a contingent of police in Sonada. The situation is normal," said Darjeeling SP D P Singh. The four arrested persons were produced in the Kurseong court on Monday.

Morcha MLAs threaten to resign if Gorkhaland demand is rejected

Mamata to keep her Darjeeling promises 

Kolkata, May 17: Trinamool Congress leader and CM-designate Mamata Banerjee said she would try to sort out the Jangalmahal and Darjeeling hills problems within three months.

"I will try my level best to sort out the problems in three months," Banerjee told a Bengali news channel here, a national daily reported.

While Jangalmahal area in three districts of West Bengal are affected by the Maoist problem, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha is demanding separate statehood for the Darjeeling Hills.

"I will go to Jangalmahal and Darjeeling Hills as promised and talk to the people there," she said.

Mamata is also expected to appeal to the Centre to solve the Darjeeling problem.

Meanwhile, the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha is hopeful that Mamata would fulfil her promise of finding an amicable solution in the hills within 100 days of her coming to power.

The newly-elected Morcha MLA Harka Bahadur Chhetri said, “We will talk to Mamata Banerjee after she assumes charge as chief minister. If she does not agree to our demands, we will resign from the Assembly and the GJM will chalk out plans for future agitation for Gorkhaland," Chhetri said.

He, however, added, “We will either be a part of the government or resign from the Assembly, particularly if it is proved beyond doubt that Trinamul and the Congress will not accept our key demand for Gorkhaland,” Chhetri said.

 “We have supported the Congress-Trinamul alliance in the Dooars and the Terai. So we have every right to want to participate in the new government if the alliance comes to power,” Chhetri said.

“In case our demand is turned down outright, then we shall resign as there is no point in sitting in the Opposition. The GNLF sat in the Opposition for all these years but achieved nothing.”

Chhetri, however, said the Morcha would not apply pressure on the new government to clear its stand on this statehood demand “from day one” but would give it “sufficient time” to make up its mind.

No IT exemption for non-Sikkimese: Centre

Goyal to pursue issue with Rajya Sabha panel

Gangtok, May 17: Despite the Centre’s decision not to give income tax exemption for non-Sikkimese social activist and Chief Coordinator of Nagarik Sangharsh Samiti Prem Goyal seems confident that he would get a favourable response from the Centre on the issue for the old business community in the State.

Briefing reporters here last Friday, Goyal said he had received a letter from the Union Finance Ministry’s Revenue Department stating that the Centre was not keen on giving income tax exemption to non-Sikkimese, who do not possess the Sikkim Subject Certificate. This certificate is issued to bonafide Sikkimese (Sikkim subjects) during the rule of the Chogyal (king) before the merger in 1975.

The letter, dated April 25, 2011, was in response to Goyal’s memorandum to the Finance Ministry urging it to consider giving IT exemption to old settlers who resided in Sikkim before 1975.

Goyal said while the Finance Ministry had closed the chapter on his demand he has also approached the Rajya Sabha Parliamentary Petition Committee on the same subject. The committee has  accepted his petition and the first hearing took place in January this year.

According to Goyal, the panel is likely take up the hearing of the issue on May 16 and a positive response is expected from the 10-member committee.

Several organisations of the business community in the State close to the ruling party and government had placed much hope on the Chamling Government to get IT exemption for pre-merger settlers in the State. The government had also passed a resolution in the State Assembly in March this year demanding tax exemption for non-Sikkimese who were settled in Sikkim before 1969.

After nearly two decades of fighting the Centre granted IT exemption to bonafide Sikkimese in 2008.

“In this regard, I am directed to state that the exemption package to Sikkim was granted after a well consulted and considered decision, involving the representatives from Government of Sikkim,” the letter to Goyal said. It added, “It will not be advisable now to reopen a subject which had been concluded after 18 years of negotiation with consensus. Therefore, it would not be feasible to include Non-Sikkimese under the ambit of exemptions provided by section 10(26AAA) of the Act.”

HUMAN RIGHTS Under the Shadow of Guns

SIKKIM OBSERVER   Vol 20 No 13 Page 1 May 14 2011

Editorial

HUMAN RIGHTS

Under the Shadow of Guns

The Northeast of India has always existed on the periphery of the nation’s consciousness, and in the footnotes of the narrative of growth, progress and development. In a region where lawlessness, rape, murder, army excesses, arbitrary detention, torture and repression are the order of the day, the man in uniform is a formidable and fearsome figure. The Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 (AFSPA) that is in force in the Northeast is one of the most draconian laws that Parliament has enacted in its legislative history. The law has fostered a climate in which the agents of law enforcement use excessive force at their command and set a pattern of apparently unlawful killings of “suspected” civilians. The Act give security forces unlimited powers to carry out operations with impunity once an area is declared “disturbed.”

The State of Manipur has been groaning under the heels of this repressive law for far too long now, where the dreaded legislation has brought with it tales of untold sufferings. “Manipur reflects the true repressive character of the Indian State as it continues to reel under the shadow of guns with its people reduced to a day-to-day struggle for a minimum existence with dignity,” states the Independent People’s Tribunal’s latest Report on Human Rights Violations in Manipur. More than anyone Manipur’s Irom Sharmila Chanu’s ten-year fast demanding repeal of this dreaded Act symbolizes the struggle for “justice and peace” in the Northeast. As long as New Delhi remains a silent spectator to the struggles of the people in India’s vulnerable Northeast region there cannot be enduring peace and lasting development there no matter how much money is pumped to silence the hopes and aspirations of the people.

Get serious on accountability, CM tells officials

“Curb the menace of corruption in administration”

Observer News Service

Gangtok, May 13: Chief Minister Pawan Chamling has urged ministers and heads of departments to get serious about their work and be more accountable to the people.

Announcing that he would begin his month-long village tour in the State from May 17, the Chief Minister, while addressing the coordination meeting of ministers and heads of departments here on Tuesday, directed department heads to accompany him during the tour.

The Chief Minister urged the head of the departments to be “very serious about the outcome of the meeting as we as public representatives and government servants are answerable and responsible to the people,” an IPR release said.

The proposed tour is aimed at assessing and reviewing the works undertaken by the government, the release said.

“We will see where our weakness lies and even take decisions on the spot,” Chamling said.

While taking a review of some of the government’s schemes, the Chief Minister said work at the new township in Pakyong in east Sikkim was going on a slow pace and asked the officials to speed up the delivery system.

“When the government is giving the best facility to the government servant why not the government servants give best service to the people,” Chamling asked.

The Chief Minister also asked the Forest department to expedite the process of forest clearance for the ambitious Sky Walk Project at Bhaley Dhunga in Yangang in south Sikkim.

With regard to the list of BPL the Chief Minister directed to the officials of the DESME, RMDD and Food & Civil Supplies to coordinate with each other and take out a solution for it. “There should be no any confusion in the BPL list”, he said and added that the benefits of the government should be given to the actual BPL beneficiary.

Referring to the resentment of the recent hike on trade license fee from the public, the Chief Minister instructed the UD & HD to put up the proposal to review the hike in the interest of the people.

In order to curb corrupt practices in the administration, the Chief Minister asked the officials to be “very strict” and “leave no stone unturned to curb the menace of corruption from the entire administrative machinery of the state.”

Chamling asked the officers “to search ways and means to take strict action to those government servants who resort to unfair activities,” the release said.

Solidarity Forum for Sikkimese unity, identity, against Sikkim-Darj merger: Basnet

Observer News Service

Gangtok, May 13: Sikkim Solidarity Forum for Gorkhaland has reacted strongly to former minister KN Upreti’s allegation that the Forum was supporting the demand for Sikkim-Darjeeling merger.

Briefing the media here, Forum Chief Convenor Bharat Basnet said his organization was formed in February this year to give moral support to neighbouring Darjeeling people for their demand for creation of Gorkhaland state and not for Darjeeling’s merger with Sikkim.

While condemning Upreti for having mischievously twisted the Forum’s stand on Gorkhaland, Basnet said his organization does not want Sikkim-Darjeeling merger but want  restoration of the political rights of Sikkimese Nepalese and preservation of their distinct identity of Sikkimese Nepalese through declaration of all ethnic Sikkimese Nepalese, who possess ‘Sikkim Subjects Certificate’,  as ‘Scheduled Tribes’ in the State.

“Sikkim's merger was necessary for Indian national interest”

Sudheer Sharma

     King Palden Thondup Namgyal, the Chogyal of Sikkim was in his palace on the morning of 6 April, 1975 when the roar of army trucks climbing the steep streets of Gangtok brought him running to the window. There were Indian soldiers everywhere, they had surrounded the palace, and short rapid bursts of machine gun fire could be heard. Basanta Kumar Chhetri, a 19-year-old guard at the palace's main gate, was struck by a bullet and killed-the first casualty of the takeover. The 5,000-strong Indian force didn't take more than 30 minutes to subdue the palace guards who numbered only 243. By 12.45 it was all over, Sikkim ceased to exist as an independent kingdom.

     Captured palace guards, hands raised high were packed into trucks and taken away, singing: "Dela sil, li gi, gang changka chibso" (may my country keep blooming like a flower). But by the, the Indian tri-colour had replaced the Sikkimese flag at the palace where the 12th king of the Namgyal dynasty was held prisoner. "The Chogyal was a great believer in India. He had huge respect for Mahatma Gnadhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. Not in his wildest dreams did he think India would ever swallow up his kingdom," recalls Captain Sonam Yongda, the Chogyal's aide-de-camp. Nehru himself had told journalist Kuldip Nayar in 1960: "Taking a small country like Sikkim by force would be like shooting a fly with a rifle." Ironically it was Nehru's daughter Indira Gandhi who cited "national interest" to make Sikkim the 22nd state in the Indian union.

Pro-India

     In the years leading up to the 1975 annexation, there was enough evidence that all was not well in relations between New Delhi and Gangtok. The seeds were sown as far back as 1947 after India gained independence, when the Sikkim State Congress started an anti-monarchist movement to introduce democracy, end feudalism and merge with India. "We went to Delhi to talk to Nehru about these demands," recalls CD Rai, a rebel leader. "He told us, we'll help you with democracy and getting rid of feudalism, but don't talk about merger now." Relenting to pressure from pro-democracy supporters, the 11th Chogyal was forced to include Rai in a five-member council of ministers, to sign a one-sided treaty with India which would effectively turn Sikkim into an Indian "protectorate", and allow the stationing of an Indian "political officer" in Gangtok.

    As a leader of international stature with an anti-imperialist role on the world stage, Nehru did not want to be seen to be bullying small neighbours in his own backyard. But by 1964 Nehru had died and so had the 11th Chogyal, Sir Tashi Namgyal. There was a new breed of young and impatient political people emerging in Sikkim and things were in ferment. The plot thickened when Kaji Lendup Dorji (also known as LD Kaji) of the Sikkim National Congress, who had an ancestral feud with the Chogyal's family, entered the fray. By 1973, New Delhi was openly supporting the Kaji's Sikkim National Congress.

Tripartite agreement

    Pushed into a corner, the new Chogyal signed a tripatrite agreement with political parties and India under which there was further erosion of his powers. LD Kaji's Sikkim National Congress won an overwhelming majority in the 1974 elections, and within a year the cabinet passed a bill asking for the Chogyal's removal. The house sought a referendum, during which the decision was endorsed. "That was a charade," says KC Pradhan, who was then minister of agriculture. "The voting was directed by the Indian military."

India's "Chief Executive" in Gangtok wrote: "Sikkim's merger was necessary for Indian national interest. And we worked to that end. Maybe if the Chogyal had been smarter, and played his cards better, it wouldn't have turned out the way it did."

    It is also said that the real battle was not between the Chogyal and Kaji Lendup Dorji, but between their wives. On one side was Queen Hope Cook, the American wife of the Chogyal and on the other was the Belgian wife of the Kaji, Elisa-Maria Standford. "This was a proxy war between the American and the Belgian," says former chief minister, BB Gurung. But there was a third woman involved: Indira Gandhi in New Delhi.

     Chogyal Palden met the 24-year-old New Yorker, Hope Cook, in Darjeeling in 1963 and married her. For Cook, this was a dream come true: to become the queen of an independent kingdom in Shangrila. She started taking the message of Sikkimese independence to the youth, and the allegations started flying thick and fast that she was a CIA agent. These were the coldest years of the Cold War, and there was a tendency in India to see a "foreign hand" behind everything so it was not unusual for the American queen to be labelled a CIA agent. However, as Hope Cook's relations with Delhi deteriorated, so did her marriage with the Chogyal. In 1973, she took her two children and went back to New York. She hasn't returned to Sikkim since.

     Then there was Elisa-Maria, daughter of a Belgian father and German mother who left her Scottish husband in Burma and married LD Kaji in Delhi in 1957. The two couldn't have been more different. Elisa-Maria wanted to be Sikkim's First Lady, but Hope Cook stood in the way. "She didn't just want to be the wife of an Indian chief minister, she wanted to be the wife of the prime minister of an independent Sikkim." With that kind of an ambition, it was not surprising that with annexation, neither Hope Cook nor Elisa-Maria got what they wanted.

Indira Gandhi

     Meanwhile in New Delhi, Indira Gandhi was going from strength to strength, and India was flexing its muscles. The 1971 Bangladesh war and the atomic test in 1974 gave Delhi the confidence to take care of Sikkim once and for all. Indira Gandhi was concerned that Sikkim may show independent tendencies and become a UN member like Bhutan did in 1971, and she also didn't take kindly to the three Himalayan kingdoms, Bhutan, Sikkim and Nepal, getting too cosy with each other. The Chogyal attended King Birendra's coronation in Kathmandu in 1975 and hobnobbed with the Pakistanis and the Chinese, and there was a lobby in Delhi that felt Sikkim may get Chinese help to become independent.

     In his book on the Indian intelligence agency, Inside RAW, The story of India's secret service, Ashok Raina writes that New Delhi had taken the decision to annex Sikkim in 1971, and that the RAW used the next two years to create the right conditions within Sikkim to make that happen. The key here was to use the predominantly-Hindu Sikkimese of Nepali origin who complained of discrimination from the Buddhist king and elite to rise up. "What we felt then was that the Chogyal was unjust to us," says CD Rai, editor of Gangtok Times and ex-minister. "We thought it may be better to be Indian than to be oppressed by the king."

     So, when the Indian troops moved in there was general jubilation on the streets of Gangtok. It was in fact in faraway Kathmandu that there were reverberations. Beijing expressed grave concern. But in the absence of popular protests against the Indian move, there was only muted reaction at the United Nations in New York. It was only later that there were contrary opinions within India-Morarji Desai said in 1978 that the merger was a mistake. Even Sikkimese political leaders who fought for the merger said it was a blunder and worked to roll it back. But by then it was too late.

     Today, most Sikkimese know they lost their independence in 1975, and passengers in Gangtok still say they are "going to India". The elite have benefited from New Delhi's largesse and aren't complaining. As ex-chief minister BB Gurung says: "We can't turn the clock back now."

SIKKIM OBSERVER May 14, 2011

IT exemption for pre-merger old Indian settlers in Sikkim still open: Goyal

Observer News Service

Gangtok, May 13: The Centre has decided not to grant income tax exemption to “non-Sikkimese” who have been living in Sikkim for generations.

In response to Prem Goyal, Chief Coordinator of Nagarik Sangharsh Samiti’s plea,  the Department of Revenue, Central Board of Direcst Taxes of the Ministry of Finance, said the issue of IT exemption to those other than Sikkimese (Sikkim Subjects) living in Sikkim was a closed chapter.

In its letter to Goyal, dated Apri 25, 2011, the Finance Ministry has stated that income tax exemption was given to bonafide Sikkimese,  i.e. those who were ‘Sikkim Subjects’ during the Chogyal era, after “a well consulted and considered decision”  during 18 years of “negotiation and consensus.”

“It will not be advisable now to reopen a subject which had been concluded after 18 years of negotiation with consensus,” the letter to Goyal by Vivek Anand Ojha, Under Secretary (TPL-1) of the Department said.

“Therefore, it would not be feasible to include non-Sikkimese under the ambit of exemptions provided by section 10(26AAA) of the Act,” the letter added.

Briefing reporters here today, Goyal said the “chapter for the government on the issue is closed,” as the Centre has decided against the demands made by the Chamling Government on the issue.

However, Goyal said he would continue to pursue the matter with the Central Government and urged the State Government to support him if it is still willing to seek income tax exemption for non-Sikkim Subject Indian nationals, who were settled in Sikkim before the merger on April 26, 1975.

LIBERATION FOR REAL PARIVARTAN

SIKKIM OBSERVER   Vol 20 No 13 Page 1 May 14 2011

They won, we lost: Duk Nath Nepal

LIBERATION

FOR REAL

PARIVARTAN

Jigme N Kazi

Gangtok, May 13: Journalist, writer and political activist Duk Nath Nepal has done the right thing finally. He has stopped joining other parties and following other leaders. He has finally come to his senses and formed his own political outfit – Sikkim Liberation Party (SLP) – and has set his own agenda with like-minded Sikkimese.

Though he is presently holding the post of Convenor of the party, Nepal, often referred to as “DN”, will surely become its president when the party gets going.

Nepal’s perception is clear: in the last 35 years of ‘democracy’ after the Indian takeover of the former kingdom, Sikkim and the Sikkimese people have lost; they have become refugees in their own homeland; they have been promised a lot and constantly been betrayed by their leaders; it is now time for real parivartan, change which would bring real democracy, freedom, rule of law, justice and bread.

“Real parivartan” will come when the people’s mindset is changed, says Nepal. How true. It does not come by changing the person who occupies Mintokgang, chief minister’s official residence, adds Nepal.

Referring to who ruled Sikkim in the past three and half decades after the ‘merger’, Nepal says while  parties led by LD Kazi (first CM – 1974-1979) and NB Bhandari (CM – 1979-1994) got 31 out of 32 and 32 out of 32 seats in the House respectively, Sikkim and Sikkimese people were the losers.

Nepal says while Sikkim lost its “independence and sovereignty” under Kazi, Sikkimese people “lost their communal harmony” and Assembly seats of the Sikkimese Nepalese under the Bhandari regime. Nepal does not spare the present ruling Sikkim Democratic Front led by Chief Minister Pawan Chamling, which has all 32 seats in the House. He says under Chamling’s rule Sikkimese people have lost their dignity and self-respect.

He says the Chamling Government has sold Sikkim’s hills, rivers, brooks and lakes to big business houses.

“In the last 35 years while those in power plundered the land, Sikkimese people have become unprotected and helpless,” Nepal said, while adding, “There is a large section in Sikkim which has not enjoyed democracy in the past 35 years. Democracy has been kidnapped, leaving the people always craving after democracy.”

With 13 convenors and the party’s red and blue flag with a flaming torch, Nepal and his Sikkimese liberators have set upon an audacious task to change the present political system in Sikkim which is built on lies, deceit and corruption.

“DN” rightly says that his new party believes in “deeds and not words”. In the days and months to come SLP’s well-wishers, sympathizers and supporters will surely hope that the new party will live out its creed and liberate the Sikkimese people from their apathy and lead them towards a future that they can cherish.

If “DN” and his comrades fail to liberate the Sikkimese people within the system then the hills of Sikkim will surely be ripe for a revolution that gives people the freedom to shift gears without asking for permission from anyone.

SOLIDARITY FORUM FOR SCHEDULED TRIBE STATUS

HIMALAYAN GUARDIAN     Vol 1 No 19       Page 1                    May 11, 2011

SOLIDARITY FORUM FOR SCHEDULED TRIBE STATUS FOR ALL ‘SIKKIMESE NEPALESE’

Himalayan News Network

Gangtok, May 10: The Sikkim Solidarity Forum for Gorkhaland is likely to give more emphasis on basic issues that concern Sikkim from now on.

This was indicated by the Forum’s Chief Convenor Bharat Basnet who is likely to convene a public meeting of the Forum to announce its new plan of action.

Indicating this at a press conference held here last week, Basnet said after the Sikkim Assembly passed a resolution on formation of Gorkhaland state there was now no need to focus on ‘Gorkhaland’.

He has demanded that ‘Sikkimese Nepalese’, who possess the Sikkim Subjects Certificate, should be declared scheduled tribes. This would go a long way in preserving Sikkim’s distinct identity and communal harmony as per the historic May 8, 1973 tripartite agreement and Article 371F of the Constitution, Basnet said.

The Forum believes that if the ST status demand for all ‘Sikkim subjects’ is met all bonafide Sikkimese belonging to the three ethnic communities – Lepchas, Bhutias and Nepalese – would be clubbed together. “This would ensure preservation of our distinct identity,” Basnet said.

 Incidentally, the Chamling Government also wants all Sikkimese Nepalese who were “Sikkim subjects” to be given ST status. As of now only the Bhutias and Lepchas and Limbus and Tamangs among the majority Nepalese are included in the State’s ST list.

Bihar to invest in Bhutan hydel projects: Nitish

T. Dem

Thimphu, May 10: Bihar is likely to take part in Bhutan’s hydel projects. This indication came during Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s three-day visit to the Druk Kingdom.

The Chief Minister said he will urge the Central Government to make Bihar a partner in Bhutan’s hydel projects and also seek permission to take equity stake in these ventures to meet the power needs of his State.

"There has been a constant demand for at least 1500 megawatts of power, which the central government could facilitate from the Psangchhu hydel project in Bhutan, currently under construction," the Chief Minister said after his returns from Bhutan last week.

Nitish Kumar further said Bhutan is the most trusted friend of India and the mutual relations are based on cooperation and understanding.

"A big number of Bhutanese visit Buddhist sites every year and tourists from India also go to Bhutan. The two nations enjoy very cordial relationship. The ties between Bhutan and Bihar are quite emotional," said Nitish in Bhutan.

The Chief Minister visited Bhutan at the invitation of Bhutan prime minister Jigme Yoser Thinley who sometime back made a pilgrimage to Bodh Gaya. Thinley had met Nitish and invited him to visit Bhutan.

After Bhutan, Nitish is expected to pay a six-day visit to China from June 13 to 18. "Recently, the Chinese envoy had extended an invitation to me. Earlier, the foreign secretary (India) had advised me to make a goodwill visit to China," he said.

Bhutan and Bihar are set to sign a joint pact to promote tourism in famous Buddhist circuits in Bhutan. Every year thousands of Bhutanese Buddhist pilgrims visit Bihar, particularly Bodhgaya during winter, to undergo their annual nekor (pilgrimage).

JK Hurriyat leader meets European Parliament Prez

L.Verma

Srinagar, May 10:  Hurriyat Conference (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq last Friday held a meeting to discuss the Kashmir situation with President of European Parliament Libor Rucek at Brussels..

During the meeting, Mirwaiz apprised Rucek about the “struggle of Kashmiris for right to self determination and the gross human rights violations, unidentified graves and the arrest and detention of youth and political activists in Kashmir,” a spokesman of the amalgam said.

“Mirwaiz also urged the European Parliament to use its influence over India for giving a practical shape to the commitments made to Kashmiris,” the spokesman added.

Leaders of Kashmir Centre London and Kashmir Centre Brussel, Nazir Ahmad Shawl and Barrister Abdul Majeed Tramboo were present during the meeting.

During his meeting with Josef Jenning, Director European Policy Centre in Brussels, Mirwaiz stressed that European Parliament could play a constructive role in facilitating meaningful engagement and dialogue between India, Pakistan and Kashmiris for the final resolution of Kashmir dispute.

Mirwaiz also apprised him that the treaties of India and Pakistan over water resources were not in favour of Kashmiris.

                    

Shabir Shah joins Geelani in Osama praise

Himalayan News Network

Srinagar, May 10:  Senior Hurriyat (M) leader, Shabir Ahmad Shah, on Friday joined Syed Ali Shah Geelani in high praise for Osama Bin Laden, describing the slain Al Qaeda founder as ‘an idea that can never die.”

Geelani himself used the funeral prayers for Bin Laden to dare India to hold a plebiscite in Kashmir, and demanded a ban on liquor and a halt to co-education.

Having been released from house arrest at around noon, Geelani offered Friday prayers at Batmalu and then spoke at Bin Laden’s funeral service, repeated that the Al Qaeda leader was steeped in love and concern for Muslims and had raised his voice against anti-Islam forces.

He condemned the US for burying Bin Laden at sea, saying that such measures had no justification.

 “It was cowardly of the American authorities to have executed Bin Laden after taking him into custody,” Shah said.

“There could be room for difference with Bin Laden’s methods, but not handing him over to Muslims for proper burial was cowardly,” he said.

“Bin Laden is not the name of an individual, but an idea, and ideas never die,” Shah said.

 “He was the wealthiest individual in the Arab world, but could not bear the American atrocities on the Palestinians, Iraqis, Afghans and freedom fighters in other lands, and spent his entire wealth to free Muslims from the US oppression. He was aware of the oppression and the sufferings of the Kashmiri people,” he said.

“He was fighting anti-Islam forces against the religious and political slavery of Muslims, and we have a duty to offer prayers for him,” he said.

Hardline Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani on Monday called al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden a martyr who died fighting US oppression in the world. He said Osama had become a symbol of resistance to America and laid down his life doing this.

“Osama has died a martyr. He fought US and its imperialistic designs," Geelani, The Indian Express reported. “But his martyrdom won't end the resistance against the US in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the Muslim world.”

Geelani said he had no animosity with the people of America but the US government’s policies were stoking anger across the Muslim world. “The US policies are against Muslim Ummah. We condemned 9/11 attacks as they were terrorist acts. But ever since, US has massacred lakhs of Muslims in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and now Libya.”

EDITORIAL

HISTORIC PACT

The Indian Betrayal

Those who are well aware of what took place in Sikkim in the ’70s, when the former Buddhist Kingdom was taken over by its protecting power in the guise of ushering in democracy, ought to know by now the sense of betrayal the Sikkimese people feel after becoming the 22^nd State of India. The leaders of the so-called democratic movement led by former chief minister LD Kazi now stand fully exposed for their dubious role during the ‘merger’ era. That is why they have been unsuccessful in Sikkim politics as they stand forever condemned by the people at large. Post-merger Sikkimese are gradually re-discovering what really took place during the signing of the historic Tripartite May 8, 1973 Agreement. And they are not happy with what took place and are asking serious questions. Some of them have chosen the political path to react to situations that took place between 1973-1975, when anti-Sikkimese elements backed by New Delhi put an end to Sikkim’s distinct international political status.

But what really has got the Sikkimese angry and worried is the gradual dilution of the constitutional safeguards and protections given to the ethnic Sikkimese of Lepcha, Bhutia and Nepalese origin. Ironically, three years after the ‘merger’ Sikkimese Bhutias, the then ruling class in Sikkim, faced the first assault on their distinct identity when they were made ‘scheduled tribes’ and other communities mischievously included in the definition of ‘Bhutia’, leading to the gradual erosion of their political rights. A year later in 1979 Sikkimese Nepalese, who were always touchy about their political rights, lost reservation of their traditional seats in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly. Despite the demand for restoration of their political rights in the past three decades New Delhi has kept mum. How long can the stalemate continue? The formation of Sikkim Liberation Party last week is surely an indication of what is to come in a strategic and vulnerable State like Sikkim.

SIKKIM: How A Buddhist Kingdom Became An Indian State

The Chogyal of Sikkim with India’s Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in mid-1970s

    Sikkim’s original inhabitants, the Lepchas, call their land Nyemael, “Paradise.” Though one of the legendary “bayul” or Shangri-la valleys that refer to a handful of remote valleys of the Himalayas was said to be only behind the mighty Kanchenjunga, rather than implying the entire former Kingdom, Sikkim, now the 22nd state of India, has very much the same characteristics as the other fairy tale kingdoms of the Himalayas.

   The Buddhist patron-saint of Sikkim is Guru Rinpoche who is said to have passed through the land in the 8th century and introduced Buddhism to Sikkim. As a result landscape is studded with many picturesque monasteries, much like Bhutan further to the east. Though most monasteries extol Padma Sambhawa and follow the Nyingmapa order, or Red Hat school of Buddhism, since 1959 when the 16th Karmapa arrived in Sikkim after Tibet was overrun by the Chinese, Rumtek, a large monastery near Gangtok, has become the seat of the Tibetan Karma Kagyu lineage.

   Same as its neighbors, Sikkim too was a monarchy, presumably since the 13th century though the first king, or Chogyal, of Sikkim was not consecrated until 1642 in Yuksom, in West Sikkim. The end of Sikkim’s monarchy came on April 6, 1975 when the Indian army subdued the palace guards, placed the king under house arrest and Sikkim ceased to exist as an independent kingdom, its sovereignty lost.

     It is said that Sikkim’s merger with India was necessary for India’s national security since India’s first cross border skirmishes with the Chinese in the 1960s. China claimed Sikkim to be part of Tibet, hence part of China and India feared vulnerable to an attack should Sikkim succumb to China. Though the eventual annexation of Sikkim to India was years in the making, perhaps as far as back as 1947 when India gained independence from the British, fact is also that India played dirty in the process, staging referendum vote whether the people wanted to become part of the union, all to pave the road to justification of the eventual annexation.

       Hailed as expression of democracy, those that remember the voting and events of those days well recall India hauling in masses of poor folks from the plains, some said to have been brought from as far south as Bihar to vote, all to show the wish of the majority was to join the Indian Union. No foreign press was allowed into Sikkim for a long time and even as late as 1980s a number of those that used to be close to the former Chogyal and agitated against India’s rule lingered off in Indian prisons.

   Today, most Sikkimese know they lost their independence in 1975, and the plains-bound passengers from the hills still say they are “going to India” despite that indeed they are in India. The pride of the Lepchas and being Sikkimese carries on and it is good to see that the young generation has not lost their identity, quite the contrary. Although India has always been hailed as the largest democracy and praised for its practices, it seems the spirit of democracy it sowed in Sikkim is a far cry from its otherwise fine track record. (toptravelleads.com)

(To learn more about the events of 1970s when India annexed Sikkim, read Smash and Grab: Annexation of Sikkim, by Sunanda K Datta-Ray.)

Better days ahead for Darjeeling tea industry

Himalayan News Network

Darjeeling, May 10: The Union Finance Ministry has cleared two foreign direct investment (FDI) proposals from the Darjeeling tea industry, the first FDI approval since 1974 for the branded brew sector in the hills.

“Such investments had stopped after the introduction of Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (Fera) in 1974, which stated that foreign companies making profit in India cannot remit their profits out of the country,” said an industry insider, according to a national daily.

The applications of M/s Darjeeling Organic Tea Estates Pvt Ltd and M/s Jay Shree Tea & Industries Ltd, Kolkata are among the 21 FDI proposals approved by the Centre recently.

In the early nineties, the FDI cap in tea gardens was raised to 74 per cent from 49. But even at that time, under FERA, profits could not be remitted out of the country. As a result, no company showed any interest in investing in tea gardens.

In 2002, the FDI for the industry with its ailing tea gardens was relaxed to 100 per cent. A stipulation, however, said the 100 per cent FDI had to be rolled back to 74 per cent in five years. Also, from then on, foreign companies were allowed to proportionally remit the profits back to their countries. This led to renewed interest in investing in tea, especially in Darjeeling where gardens were making profits.

A statement issued by the ministry of finance said that while 21 FDI proposals amounting to Rs 1027.20 crore were cleared on May 3, 17 applications have been deferred, nine rejected and one withdrawn from the agenda, the report said.

About the particulars of the application submitted by the Darjeeling Organic Tea Estates, Even though Darjeeling tea — only 87 gardens can use the brand name — by itself is a world-famous brand, companies had in the past gone in for value addition to make their product more attractive.

As early as in 2006, Gopadhara tea garden had started manufacturing “designer tea”. Such products included the handcrafted Olympic Flame — tea leaves resembling an Olympic torch — and the Dragon Pearl brew. When put in hot water, the tea opened up into two leaves and a bud. Dragon Pearl Tea is intricately finger-rolled

Darjeeling tea companies, which had suffered a setback last year due to a drop in production, are likely to perform better this year as the crop situation has improved and enquiries from the overseas markets have picked up significantly. Even quake-hit Japan has sent feelers to the Darjeeling producers for picking up good volumes of tea to meet the country's demand.

Britain's high street departmental store Harrods is also set to procure premium Darjeeling tea this year. "Harrods officials will come in June to place their requirements and tea companies hope to have a good deal with them," said Sanjay Bansal, chairman of Ambootia Group.

Production of tea has increased by at least 25% compared to previous year. "Last year, production got affected due to a drought-like situation. We lost the premium first and second flush teas, which fetch maximum revenues for tea companies. But this year the weather has improved and this will have a good impact on the production," said Ashok Lohia, chairman of Chamong Tee.

Kalimpong Park Hotel was once the summer residence of Maharaja of Dinajpur

S. Deki

An aura of modernity and a quaint sense of history tickles the sensitivity at the three-star heritage hotel, The Kalimpong Park Hotel, in Kalimpong, once known as Dinajpur House, the former summer residence of the Maharaja of Dinajpur. This hotel with a distinct personality sits one kilometer uphill from the town area and commands breathtaking view of the sweeping majesty of the Himalayas.

The Maharaja of Dinajpur lived here for about 38 – 40 years. The Maharaja, a zamidar (landlord), avoided much of the intense summer heat of the plains of Bengal by staying in this British architectural style bungalow with his family and entourage of servants, according to Amode Yonzone, the proprietor of the hotel.

Situated on a view-point about a kilometer uphill from town, this property sat like a sentinel on a ridge facing Kalimpong town, Dr. Graham’s Homes and Dehlo hill on the opposite hill, overlooking the river valleys to the east,  Kanchenjunga to the north and the hills of Durpin to the south.

Started as modest guest-house with three bedrooms in 1978, it is now a full fledged hotel with ‘three star’ facilities.

The main wing of Kalimpong Park Hotel was once known as ‘Dinajpur House’, the former summer residence of the Maharaja of Dinajpur (a district of West Bengal, now divided with Bangladesh).

Dinajpur House was bought by G. P. Yonzone (of Dumchipara Tea Garden in the Dooars) in December, 1960. The property included all the antique furniture, utensils, crockery and cutlery.

After Independence the government of India went about imposing land and property taxes on landlords and property owners and the Land Ceiling Act was imposed, according to the owner of the hotel, who is one of the sons of the late G P Yonzone.

 This ended the luxuries of the Maharajas and zamidars. Thus, many of their properties like Dinajpur House were put up for sale because the landlords who did not have any income now could not pay the new property taxes and neither could they maintain their vast properties.

Dinajpur is a district in North Bengal. After the partition of India with Pakistan, half of this district went to East Pakistan, i.e. present-day Bangladesh.

Remembering Tagore in Mongpo

On his 150^th birth centenary

Maitreyi Devi not having penned “Mongpo-te Rabindranath” (Tagore’s days at Mongpo), I am quite certain the common Bengalee literati would have forgotten Tagore’s memorable days at the Cinchona plantation.

This little remembered hamlet is about a fifty- kilometre drive from Siliguri. A place remotely cornered, heavily guarded by foliage in the jungles in district of Darjeeling, Mongpo is unscathed by footfalls, mechanised cars and cigarette packets.

 Maitreyi Devi’s husband Dr.Manmohan Sen was in charge of British India’s lucrative cinchona plantation at Mongpo and Maitreyi had invited Tagore more than once (especially between 1938-1940) requesting his thoughts to be bared, some even on the office note books of the factory. Dr. Sen’s official residence lies across factory gates and now an indiscreet bust of Tagore overlooks the beautiful garden.

The small, tidy bungalow allows nature to pierce through its innumerable glass panes where Tagore had once rested on a couch that still exist. Just at the end of the portico on the left; lies the very private enclosure restricted by glass walls on two sides, here silence prevails even now as if the bard is still nurturing his imaginations to flow down his pen.

This enclosure is adorned by the presence of a writing desk and a chair, designed by the poet himself, his faculty fine crafted by his son Rathindranath. Rathindranath’s mastery in wood work is well known and it enhances the aesthetics of this bungalow. A bamboo work of pen stand is emblazoned with Tagore’s drawings. A heavily purported wooden aisle lies beside Tagore’s medicine box containing some still fresh Homeopathy medicines.

Tagore himself had designed his bed whose backrest rises heavily against its frame in a rather odd fashion. This was likely as a remedy towards the respiratory distress he withstood during his last decade. This bed is kept in the adjacent room. A visit to this place whispers that nothing had changed here in spite of the tree just behind the house, which Tagore had lovingly named ‘Saptaparni’, growing enormously spreading its arms for the last fifty years or so.

How lucky the present generation is who would plan trips in noisy automobiles to this offbeat destination never even realising how tedious and difficult and time consuming it was in unfurnished palanquins in those days to travel from the plains of Siliguri. Mr Sisir Routh who now upkeeps this house feels proud when he mentions that his father Bhimlal was one of those palanquin bearers who attended Tagore during the trips to Mongpo. (calcuttaliterati) 

Manipur family celebrates Osama’s death

Himalayan News Network

Imphal, May 10: The news of Osama bin Laden's death brought cheers to the Manipur capital where the relatives and friends of a 9/11 victim from Imphal celebrated the sensational event.

Jupiter Yambem (42), a native of Imphal's Uripok Yambem Leikai, was among the 3,000 people who died in the attacks on the World Trade Center. He was a banquet manager with Windows of the World, a restaurant spread across 40,000 sq ft on the 107th floor of the WTC.

Welcoming Laden's death, Yamben Laba, Jupiter's elder brother and former member of Manipur Human Rights Commission, said, "I'm so happy that justice has been done. I thank US president Barack Obama, who ordered the oppression against bin Laden. Now my beloved brother can finally rest in peace."

Laba said all should appreciate the war against terror and the role played by the US. "I extend my thanks to the White House, the Pentagon and everybody else who were part of the operation. I hope America will make more breakthroughs in the war against terror," added Laba, a well-known senior journalist in the northeast.

Jupiter is survived by his American wife, Nancy McCardle Yambem and son Santi Mc Cardle (15) aka Chinglailakpa (dragon-tamer). The mother-son duo, who lives in New York, often visits Imphal to spend time with Jupiter's relatives.

In 2002, Laba and his father, Yambem Tombi, visited New York to attend a memorial service at Ground Zero. Every year, Jupiter's family holds a memorial service in his memory on September 11.

Born to the Yambem family of Uripok neighbourhood in Imphal West, Jupiter left India when he was selected as a coordinator at Camp America, a youth exchange programme, in 1981.

He stayed back, married Nancy, a music therapist, went on to become a manager of the restaurant and stayed with his family in New York till he died in the terror attack.

“I am not very comfortable with the idea of celebrating this. My husband was murdered and killed. I know what it feels like. Though Osama needed to be brought to justice, and death was probably to only way to do it, I don’t feel comfortable with the idea of celebrating a killing,” said Nancy.

INTERVIEW/Baba Ramadev

“Majority of the people of India are fed up with the growing menace of corruption in the country”

After social activist Anna Hazare's soul-stirring movement against corruption, Yoga guru Baba Ramdev is now ready to fight “unto death” to eradicate corruption from society.

Baba Ramdev, who was with Anna Hazare when he was fasting at Jantar Manter, said, “I only wish that others too join movement against corruption. It is a fact that now majority of the people of India are fed up with the growing menace of corruption in the country.”

In an interview with Editor-in-Chief of News 24, Ms.Anurradha Prasad,  for her weekly show 'Aamne-Samne', he said that the fight against corruption will not stop.

In keeping with his combative new avtaar of crusader against black money and menace of corruption, Yoga guru Baba Ramdev is also ready to take Messrs Digvijay Singh and P.L. Punia head on for questioning his integrity.

Baba Ramdev took Congress leaders' direct barb on him with a pinch of salt. “I have no personal issue with them. He (Digvijay Singh) belongs to a feudal family and I have very humble origins. There is no question of joining issue with him or for that matter anybody.”

Baba further said, “I have no tablet to cure him. Let his party do something to make him all right."

When News 24 asked Baba what is wrong if Digvijay Singh or Punia ask him to furnish his income tax returns, Baba said, “The transaction of my trust is audited every year. I have no bank account, no property at all. I am ready to face any investigating agency to investigate the accounts of my trust. I am open to that. Our accounts are absolutely transparent.”

Replying to a question regarding Digvijay Singh's younger brother Laxman Singh joining hands with him, Baba said, “There cannot be any debate that 99 per cent people of the country support my cause. And I do not mind that one per cent are not with me. Even one per cent were not with Lord Ram and Sita. Even Congressmen with Gandhian thoughts are with me and fully supporting my cause.”

In order to clear his position once and for all, Baba said, “ I have no issue against any party or person.”

Replying to another direct question related to his growing wealth, Baba challenged anybody to prove that there is even an iota of misappropriation of funds in his empire. “My followers have given me an island in UK and a huge land in Houston. I got everything according to the law of land of those countries.”

Are you ready to contest the next general election to be held in 2014? To this question Baba Ramdev said he would like to clarify once and for all that he would not contest the election. However, he did say that he would put his candidates with clean image.

“My constitution has given me the right to fight against the anti-national forces. And what is the problem of anybody if I fight against all those who are fighting against the interests of the country.”

'Baba, how far this charge is true that Muslims still avoid your Yoga camps?'

"They are with me and support my movement. I addressed a huge gathering of venerable Islamic seminary Darul-ulum in Deoband. Muslim leaders also declared Yoga as not anti-Islamic. A large number of Muslims gathered at my recent really at the Ramlila ground in Delhi."