HIMALAYAN GUARDIAN      June 27, 2012

Sangma blames Pranab for price rise, corruption

Amritsar/New Delhi, June 26: A day after inviting rival Pranab Mukherjee for a debate, BJP-backed Presidential candidate PA Sangma took him on directly, blaming him for the slowdown of the economy.

Formally beginning his campaign from Amritsar on Sunday, Sangma spoke to Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, the Hindustan Times reported.

"The country today faces devaluation of money, price rise and issues like corruption, and the finance minister is individually responsible for this," Sangma told reporters after the visit to the Golden Temple.

All this will definitely have an impact during the Presidential elections, where members of the electoral college cast a conscience vote and there is no whip, the former NCP leader added.

In the face of solid support for Congress candidate Mukherjee even from NDA allies like Shiv Sena and the JD(U), Sangma is banking on the conscience vote and a "miracle".

Though BJP ally and the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Punjab has offered him support, Sena leader Sanjay Raut said on Sunday party chief Bal Thackeray would not meet Sangma.

China, Bhutan to establish formal ties, resolve border issue

Beijing, June 26: China and the remote Himalayan nation of Bhutan have agreed to establish diplomatic relations and resolve a long-standing border dispute, China's foreign ministry said.

Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao held talks with his Bhutanese counterpart Jigmi Y. Thinley on the sidelines of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio De Janeiro on Thursday, the ministry said in a statement, AFP reported.

"China is willing... to establish formal relations with Bhutan, resolve the border issue between the two nations at an early date, strengthen exchanges in all areas and advance Sino-Bhutanese relations to a new stage," Wen said.

China appreciated Bhutan's support for the "one China policy" which maintains that Taiwan and Tibet fall under China's sovereignty, Wen said.

Thinley said his talks with Wen carried historic significance as it marked the first meeting between the heads of the two governments, the statement, posted on the ministry website, said.

"Bhutan resolutely pursues the one China policy and has the strong desire to strengthen understanding and friendship with China," it quoted Thinley as saying.

"(Bhutan) is willing to establish formal diplomatic relations with China at an early date."

Bhutan, a strong ally of India, has refrained from establishing relations with China and watched with concern as Beijing took over control of Tibet in the 1950s.

Despite a lack of formal ties, China and Bhutan have engaged in several rounds of talks to resolve the ongoing dispute along the about 470 kilometres (290 miles) of shared border.

In 1998, the two sides signed an agreement to maintain peace in the border area.              

Rebel leader Golay enters Assembly, goes on offensive mode

Gangtok, June 26: Dissident ruling Sikkim Democratic Front MLA PS Golay has finally lived up to the people’s expectation as a rebel leader. He gave a virtual thumbs down to Chief Minister Pawan Chamling by refusing to stand up (while rest of the SDF legislators stood up) when he re-entered the Assembly after seeing off the Governor, BP Singh, on the first day of the budget session here on Monday.

The rebel leader’s reappearance in the Assembly on the second day of the session, when the budget was presented by the Chief Minister, has further boosted the morale of his supporters who were visibly present everywhere in the capital. This prompted the authorities to tighten security measures in the capital to ensure that things don’t go out of control.

Speaking in the Assembly on the second day, Golay, who was in a combative mood, attacked the Chamling Government on many fronts, including the alleged Rs. 20,000 hydel power scam in North Sikkim.

An observer said, “Golay sat on the same chair that Chamling sat in the Assembly when he was the lone dissident MLA in the Bhandari government.” Besides the oath-taking ceremony which he attended after winning the Assembly polls in 2009 this is the first time that Golay attended the Assembly session.

The three-time minister in the Chamling cabinet is expected to float his own political outfit soon to prepare for the Assembly polls in early 2014, according to sources close to Golay.

Editorial

TRIBAL CARD

Sangma’s ‘Conscience Vote’ Appeal

He may finally lose the presidential polls if the MPs and MLAs fail to respond positively to his call for ‘conscience vote’. But by choosing to participate in the presidential polls former Speaker Purno A. Sangma has proved that he cannot be ignored given the fact that his main appeal is on the sub-continent’s backward communities, including his own tribal clan. By declining Sangma’s challenge for an open debate ahead of the presidential polls Pranab Mukherjee has been able to shy away from the public domain on matters such as economic slowdown, price rise and rampant corruption in governance. The tribal leader is right when he says democracy demands debate and in a democracy people have the right to choose and demand accountability.

Sangma’s utterances such as "The election will be by a secret ballot. Secret ballot means conscience vote. I depend on conscience vote and I believe in conscience vote" will surely provoke many citizens and their elected representatives who are faced with a dilemma on what their conscience says and the diktat of their political parties. Playing the tribal card, Sangma said that he wanted to correct the historic mistakes the country has committed as "tribals have not been given their due...I appeal to the conscience of the nation. We have given our land, our forest, our natural resources...please recognize us."

When at least 60 percent (5% STs, 15% SCs and 40% OBCs) of the electoral college in the ensuing presidential polls belong to the backward section of the population Sangma’s hopes are not misplaced. Even if he loses he would have surely set the agenda for the next general elections in the country.

Nepal's new Maoist party targets India

India interfering in Nepal’s political affairs: Baidya

Kathmandu, June 26: A day after its formation, the breakaway faction of Nepal’s ruling Maoist party launched an attack on India on Tuesday.

Communist Party of Nepal, Maoist, which parted ways from Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) on Monday, blamed the southern neighbour for several problems plaguing Nepal.

"India has been encroaching Nepal’s territory and interfering in our economic, social and political affairs," CPN, (M) Chairman Mohan Baidya told a press conference at Kathmandu while formally announcing formation of the new party, the Hindustan Times reported.

He also accused India of controlling political parties in Nepal and installing and removing "puppet governments" at will.

Baidya said that the new party would strive towards scrapping of old agreements with India like Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement and signing of new treaties on equal terms.

"If India doesn’t stop its interference, our energies will be targeted against it to protect our national unity and sovereignty," he stressed.

Baidya accused UCPN (M) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai of having "special relations" with India.

Terming formation of the new party as a new episode in the country’s communist movement, he informed continuance of the unfinished tasks of the “peoples’ revolution” in a non-violent manner as its aim.

Baidya and several members of his faction who were in Indian jails when the Dahal-Bhattarai combine signed the peace deal on New Delhi’s guidance had been at loggerheads with the party’s establishment faction for digressing from "peoples’ revolution".

The new party would concentrate on formation of a third political front comprising nationalist and leftist forces to oppose to the ruling Maoist-Madhesi coalition and the opposition combine of Nepali Congress and Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist).

Reviving historic links, Pak for move people-to-people contacts with Bhutan

Islamabad, June 26: A 12-member delegation of Buddhist Monks from Bhutan, who are on a week-long visit to Pakistan, on Wednesday called on Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Nawabzada Malik Amad Khan.

The delegation was led by Lopen Kunzang Wangdi, Chief Monk of the Central Monastic Body of Bhutan. Dasho Bap Kesang Ambassador of Bhutan to Pakistan, resident in Dhaka, and his spouse were also part of the delegation. Minister of State expressed his satisfaction over the bilateral relations between Pakistan and Bhutan and highlighted the historical links that date back centuries.  He recalled the meeting between Prime Minister Gilani with Jigmi Y Thinley, Prime Minister of Bhutan when the latter visited Islamabad in March 2011.

The Minister emphasized the need to further deepen people-to-people contacts, adding that to promote interfaith harmony, such visit would be welcomed by Pakistan in the future as well.

To mark the occasion, the minister presented a replica of “Fasting Buddha” to the visitors.

The delegation will be visiting different sites of spiritual and religious significance for Buddhism in Mardan and Swat. The delegation will also visit Taxila and Lahore museums, home to historical origins of Buddhism.

Wangdi thanked the Government of Pakistan for the hospitality extended to the delegation and praised the warmth they received from the people of Pakistan.

He expressed his admiration for Pakistan to have preserved the historical Buddhist sites and for promoting visit of this nature from abroad.

Fire engulfs Bhutan’s historic dzong

Thimphu, Jaune 26: The fire that broke out at the entrance of Wangdue Phodrang Dzong on Sunday afternoon has completely destroyed the historic 17^th century dzong even as fire crews tried their best to douse the fire.

His Manesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyal along with his father His Majesty the 4^th Druk Gyalpo and Bhutan Government officials arrived at the dzong in central Bhutan to witness the tragic event.

Sources said as the dzong was under renovation important historic and religious relics have been saved as they were kept away.

Panun Kashmir seeks separate homeland for JK Pandits

Jammu, June 26: Panun Kashmir last week sought establishment of a separate homeland with full and free flow of Indian constitution in the Kashmir Valley.

"The geo-political aspirations of the seven lakh Kashmiri Pandits can only be addressed with the establishment of a separate Homeland with full and free flow of Indian constitution in Kashmir valley", President Panun Kashmir Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo said today.

The organisation held a conference at Jammu to review the recently announced rehabilitation measures for the displaced community and the Goa conclave, PTI reported.

Referring to the resolution passed at the Goa conclave recently, he said the government of India should take strong measures for the reversal of genocide and ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir.

It also demanded the abrogation of Article 370 and also demanded that the Kashmiri Pandits be provided all facilities till they are settled in their homeland.

The resolution also demanded that the refugees of 1947 who continue to live in the Jammu and Kashmir state be given full citizenship rights under the constitution of India, Chrungoo said.

Political parties not serious in fighting corruption: Kejriwal

Shimla, June 26: Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday alleged that none of the political parties were serious to combat corruption.

Kejriwal, who arrived with Manish Sisodia here to attend an anti-corruption rally, said the country's main opposition, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was not serious in its fight against corruption.

"The BJP is indulging in politics. If they are so serious then why do they not create an effective law for the creation of the office of Lokayukta in Himachal to combat corruption? Why are they not creating an effective anti-graft law wherever they are in power? They are only playing politics. All the parties are playing politics," he said, ANI reported.

Kejriwal added that the demonstrations undertaken by the BJP were "drama."

"Whom should the people of Himachal Pradesh go to? A third alternative has to emerge from among the people because the politics that is being played by both the BJP and Congress is having an adverse impact on the country. Neither BJP nor the Congress wants to fight against corruption. All these rallies and demonstrations are only drama," he said.

The Right to Information (RTI) activist urged the people of Himachal Pradesh to participate in their campaign against corruption.

"We will once again fast from July 25 at Jantar Mantar. When there will be fast at Jantar Mantar, then all the people from the villages of Himachal Pradesh will have to come out and support us," Kejriwal said.

Historic Dastageer Sahib shrine in Srinagar gutted

Srinagar, June 26:  Tension gripped this Jammu and Kashmir summer capital on Monday following a blaze that gutted the revered Peer Dastageer Sahib shrine.

The historic Dastageer Sahib shrine in old Srinagar was gutted in a big blaze early Monday morning.

As per latest reports the fire has now spread to some adjoining homes as well even though fire tenders were battling to control the blaze.

The two-century-old shrine located in the Khanyar locality of Srinagar was an epitome of Kashmir architecture laden with ornate Khatamband ceilings and elaborate carvings with grand chandeliers adorning the main prayer hall, IANS reported.

The shrine contained holy relics of the revered Muslim saint of Bhagdad, Sheikh Syed Abdul Qadir Jeelani. The shrine also housed the relics of other Muslim saints

The shrine is thronged by thousands of people from across the Valley on the annual Urs every year to observe the birth anniversary of the 11th century patron saint, Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani.

Not only Muslims, the shrine has been an object of reverence for Kashmiri Pandits also.

The blaze in the second most revered shrine in Kashmir after Hazratbal is stated to have engulfed the adjacent new structures as well which included a mosque and the under construction additional extensional structure.

The blaze has sent shockwaves across Kashmir Valley and people were seen crying at the scene. Police had a tough time in controlling the mob.

GJM divided on GTA polls, Gurung to meet Chidambaram on Tuesday

Darjeeling, June 26:  The meeting of the central committee of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), convened at Darjeeling today to decide whether the party should take part in the elections for the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), ended in a stalemate.

The party is vertically divided, admitted Harka Bahadur Chhetri, MLA and spokesman for the GJM. “The meeting ended in a stalemate. There is a sharp difference of opinion,” Chhetri said.

The party now seems to have lobbed the ball in the Centre’s court as a five-member delegation of the Morcha led by president Bimal Gurung will leave for Delhi this week to meet Union Home Minister P Chidambaram and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. On their way back, they will meet Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata, the Indian Express reported.

While one section of the Morcha expressed its desire to go ahead with the agitation following rejection of the Justice Shyamal Sen Committee report that allotted only five mouzas of Terai and Dooars to GTA, another section firmly rooted for election, saying development of the region came first. This section does not want the hills to be rocked by turbulence again.

Another issue that remains unresolved is whether the four GJM MLAs would attend the Assembly session. “We have been instructed not attend the session,” Chhetri added.

The GJM delegation,which has expressed disappointment over recommendations of a panel report over inclusion of new areas in the proposed hill council, will meet Chidambaram in Delhi on Tuesday.

GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said the delegation may also meet Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee the same day.

"We will take up with the Home Minister the Justice (Retd) Shyamal Sen Committee report", Giri told PTI.

Swine fever outbreak in West Sikkim

Gangtok, June 26: With three blood samples having tested positive at Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (RDDL) authorities yesterday confirmed ‘swine fever’ outbreak as the cause of high mortality among pigs in Rinchenpong, West Sikkim.

Joint Director, Animal Husbandry department [West], Dr D S Tewari, said in a statement that results of three blood samples sent to RDDL, Khanapara, Assam, confirmed that it is swine fever and the department embarked on a vaccination drive in Rinchenpong constituency, PTI reported.

In the first phase, villages in the constituency have been identified and divided into different segments for the purpose of vaccination. The Upper Hathi Dhunga, Zeel and Lower Hathi Dhunga/12 Mile have been categorised as the 'Infected Zone' while Lower and Upper Sangadorjee and Lower Zeel and Tapel have been identified as 'Hazardous Zone'. Lower Takuthang, Bompool Reshi Bazaar and Chunbhatti fall under areas, beyond 100 meters of focal area of infection, where vaccination in going on.

Initially, the sick animal shows symptoms of hyperthermia followed by lachrymal discharge, staggering gaits, diarrohea finally leading to death. Besides, the department’s para-veterinarian has also covered nearly 200 pig spots where disinfection and fumigation was conducted. The District Collector, West has directed BDO, B A C Kaluk to impose temporary ban on the sale of piglets/pigs in all the nearby markets, the statement said.

 A team of veterinarian from the headquarters will also be visiting the infected area on June 24, the statement said urging vets at Melli, Rangpo, Rambang and Reshi check posts along the West Bengal border to ensure prohibit entry of piglets for at least two more months. PTI COR SUS SUS

Gorkha Manch formed, to create greater awareness of ‘Indian Gorkha’ identity

Siliguri, June 26: Conscious Gorkhas in the north eastern region of the country on Sunday launched the Gorkha Bharati Vichar Manch to preserve and promote the distinct identity of Indian Gorkhas.

Leading the movement towards greater awareness of ‘Indian Gorkhas’ is the former Working President of Bharati Gorkha Parisangh CK Shrestha, whose book The National Identity Crisis of the Indian Gorkhas and the Concept of Bharati Gorkha Manch, was released during the launch of the new organization in Siliguri.

Representatives from Sikkim, North Bengal and the Northeast were present during the function.

The convener for the function was Krishna Bhujel from Guwahati and Dr. BR Chettri, an eminent educationist from Kalimpong, was present as the Guest of Honour, a release of the organization said. 

Manch leaders feel the need to create greater awareness of the “identity issue” of Indian Gorkhas, whose identity has been “misinterpreted and misrepresented,” the release said.

“The Vichar Manch is of the opinion that the Indian national history has to be” re-written in the “correct perspective so that minority communities like Gorkhas do not get sidelined and marginalized from the country’s mainstream,” the release said.

Due to “the incorrect interpretation of history that communities like the Gorkhas are faced with the dilemma of always having to prove their national identity,” the release added.

INTERVIEW PA Sangma

God and time are on my side: Sangma

Former Speaker and BJP-backed Presidential nominee PA Sangma has said that he believes that although he may not have the numbers as yet, God is with him and that he will win the election by a miracle.

In a candid interview to CNNIBN’s Devil's Advocate, Karan Thapar, the leader from the North-East said that his desire to be a part of the Presidential race stemmed from his desire to assert his rights as a citizen of India and as a tribal. Excerpts of the interview.

Karan Thapar: Hello and welcome to Devil’s Advocate. Given that he has little chance of winning, why is Purno Sangma determined to contest the presidential elections? That’s the key question I shall ask Purno Sangma himself. Mr Sangma I have spoken to many people and practically all of them, including many of your sponsors, say that you have very little chance of winning. Then, why are you contesting the presidential elections?

PA Sangma: On what basis people come to a conclusion that there is a little chance?

Thapar: Can I answer that?

Sangma: Yes.

Thapar: Even today, more than 60 per cent have decided to support Pranab Mukherjee. In those circumstances if you stand, you would have lost even before the first vote is counted. Sangma: Well, voting is not going to be on the floor of Lok Sabha where three-line whip applies, where Article 56 applies. Here Article 55 of the Constitution of India applies, which says the election shall be by secret ballot. So, how have you started counting votes when it is going to be a secret ballot?

 Thapar: Mr Sangma you are assuming that people are going to vote, not one or two or three people, differently to the way party suggests, but in a massive way people are going to defect from their party’s position, it’s impossible and you know it. You can’t get the size of conscious vote you need to overturn a 62 per cent majority in Pranab Mukherjee’s favour?

 Sangma: It has happened. Look at a history. In 1969 it had happened, why can’t it happen now?

 Thapar: Those were very different circumstances where the prime minister of the day, was secretly if not publicly, revolting against her party. Nothing of the sort is happening this time, there is no comparison with ’69.

 Sangma: Mr Karan election is a different game. I have never lost an election, I have won nine times the Lok Sabha election, two times the Assembly elections. So, I know what election means.

 Thapar: But there is always a first time to lose and I am putting to you that even Mamata Banerjee, who is adamant about not supporting Pranab, is not even prepared to meet you. That’s the extent of the problem that she won’t even meet you.

 Sangma: How do you know that?

Thapar: It’s all over the front page of The Hindustan Times.

 Sangma: Hindustan Times, they didn’t say they have talked to Mamata Banerjee. It is just a guess, just a speculation. I have requested for time and I am waiting for a reply.

Thapar: But you still haven’t got the time.

 Sangma: I will, you can’t say now. There is still time. The last date for filing the nomination is 30th and the voting is on the 19th of the next month, so it is almost one month away.

 Thapar: Her party is making it perfectly clear that they will prefer to abstain but they won’t vote for you.

 Sangma: Things will change everyday, you just watch…Day before yesterday, all the news channels were showing that PA Sangma has only six per cent votes, right? But day before yesterday when the BJP started announcing their backing and some of their allies started talking about it, suddenly from six per cent it has gone up to 28-30 per cent.

 Thapar: Mr Sangma let me put it to you, people are fond of you, they indulge you, but they are laughing at the fact that you believe that you can win. Nobody believes it, but you.

 Sangma: Yes, many people laugh at my height also. I don’t mind, if people laugh at it.

 Thapar: Are you a little worried that by standing in the face of such odds and they are incredible odds, you might make yourself a laughing stock?

 Sangma: Not at all, not at all. Mr Thapar you will just see how things move, politics move very fast. What happened day before yesterday, a designated Prime Minister of Pakistan had to suddenly drop and some unexpected man took over. You know this is politics and in politics anything can happen.

 Thapar: Mr Sangma, miracles and the unprecedented don’t happen everyday. You are really depending on a miracle, that’s the truth. Isn’t it?

 Sangma: Yes. Miracles do happen in this world. It happens, I believe in miracles. You are very right. I don’t know how you read me so correctly.

Thapar: All right, let’s then leave that to god, it’s not long before we’ll see whether miracles happen or not. Let’s now look at the contradictions in your position.

 Sangma: Somebody came day before yesterday and they told me, sir be careful the corporate body in this country is with Mr Pranab Mukherjee…So, I told him all right. You know the corporate sector may be with somebody but can you tell whose side god is. He became nervous. That is what matters most.

Thapar: You’re saying god is with Purno Sangma?

PA Sangma: Yes… I am standing for principles, I am standing for democracy, I am standing for the welfare of poor people. I am very clear in my conscience.

Thapar: You are being big hearted. So let me come to a third problem. How confident are you that your sponsors aren’t using you. To begin with, Naveen Patnaik who does not need PA Sangma, but who needs his support to reach out to the 25 per cent of Odisha which is tribal and whose support he badly needs. You are a tool for his strategy.

 Sangma: Not at all. The fact that he is giving importance to the tribals.. we are grateful to him.

Thapar: He is using you.

Sangma: Not at all.

Thapar: He is exploiting you.

Sangma: Not at all. Nobody can exploit me. I have stood for principle everywhere. Even if you look at my past, I don’t go for posts, I don’t go for chairs.

 Thapar: Mr Sangma, even if you look at the BJP, who you said a moment ago had increased their support for you to 26-28 per cent, are using you… as a stepping stone over the bridge to Jayalalithaa and Naveen Patnaik. Mr Sangma you are a tool. You are a part of a strategy that supports their convenience. That’s why they are supporting you, not because they believe in you.

Sangma: You think we are ignorant of which media is whose tool? Mr Karan, you think we are ignorant of which media is whose tool. Mr Karan don’t talk about tools.

 Thapar: Are you suggesting that my questioning is motivated?

 Sangma: Yes, yes, you are also a tool. We are all tools. Don’t bring these kind of questions. We are all tools. These are small, petty things.

 Thapar: So, you say that you want to become a president to advance the tribal cause. How is the tribal cause advanced when you are willing to make yourself a pawn in the hands of Jayalalithaa?

 Sangma: Till 1995, the tribals of this country had no representation in Indian politics. In 1995, I was the first tribal to become a Cabinet minister in this country.

Thapar: Yes, but that was a Congress government, not the BJD or the AIADMK or the BJP.

 Sangma: No, no! That’s not the point. How the country forgot the tribal people, I am talking about that. The country did not realise that we had a hundred million tribals in this country. And today, that I am a candidate is a demonstration of the country’s recognition that yes, there are tribals in India also.

Thapar: And you believe that the BJP, the BJD and the AIADMK, by supporting PA Sangma, a man about whom two weeks ago, they had nothing to say, now suddenly have become great champions of the tribals, because they are supporting you. Do you really believe that?

Sangma: Yes, these are minor things that do not come to mind that often. You see, the morning after I became a Cabinet minister, Vajpayee ji entered my house and said, “Mr Sangma is it true that India has never had a tribal minister?? I said, “Yes! It is true. I am the first tribal to join the Cabinet.” And he said, “How could India make such a huge mistake?”

Thapar: Let’s come to the next question. You have been speaker of the Lok Sabha. You have been Chief Minister of Meghalaya. You have been a very honourable Cabinet minister. Why are you throwing all of that away behind a pipedream?

 Sangma: I am not. I am just asserting my right as a citizen of India, as a tribal, as a person coming from the North East.

Thapar: Is this determination to be the President of India an obsession that you are fulfilling?

 Sangma: Not at all. It is not an obsession. 1974, when I met Indira Gandhi, she told me don’t run after posts. Do your work, the posts will run after you.

SIKKIM OBSERVER         June 23, 2012

No walkover for Cong as BJP backs Sangma in Prez polls

Sangma ‘tallest leader’ of Northeast: BJP

New Delhi, June 22: The Bhartiya Janta Party has decided to support PA Sangma for the post of President. The Akali Dal is with BJP in backing him. BJP said, as the main Opposition party, it was its duty not to allow a “walkover” for Congress.

Reconciling with division within NDA over Presidential poll, BJP admitted that it failed to persuade allies like Shiv Sena and JD-U to support Sangma.

Announcing the decision at a press conference, BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley said the main opposition party could not support a government which is using “various manoeuvres”, including investigative agencies, to rope in parties to stay in power.

“BJP has decided to support the candidature” of Sangma, whose candidature has been proposed by AIADMK and BJD, Swaraj said.

Describing  Sangma as “the country’s tall leader” as also north-east’s “tallest leader”, she appealed to allies like Shiv Sena and JD-U to give up their opposition to his candidature.

To press her point, she noted that Shiv Sena had earlier also voted for UPA nominee Pratibha Patil during the last Presidential poll even though NDA had opposed her candidature but still remained part of the alliance.

 Swaraj and Jaitley said BJP was trying to bring Trinamool Congress on board but refused to reveal how it was being done.

Dalai Lama, Suu Kyi meet in London for the first time

I have real admiration for your courage, the Tibetan spiritual leader tells Suu Kyi

London, June 21: Aung San Suu Kyi had a private conversation with the Dalai Lama on Tuesday in London, in which he told her, “I have real admiration for your courage. I am very happy we’ve been able to meet.”

It was the first time the two Nobel Peace Prize laureates had met, mizzima news reported.

In a conversation that lasted about 30 minutes, His Holiness told her that just as her late father had shown great dedication, he was confident that she too would be of great service to humanity, and he wished her every success in fulfilling her life’s goals, according to a statement on his office website.

The Dalai Lama also said he looked forward to meeting her again. Other details of the meeting have not yet been made public.

The Dalai Lama has often in the past campaigned for Suu Kyi’s release from house arrest along with other fellow Nobel laureates.

Soon after Suu Kyi was freed from house arrest in late 2010, the Tibetan spiritual leader, in a statement, welcomed her release.

“I welcome the release of fellow Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and extend my appreciation to the military regime in Burma. I extend my full support and solidarity to the movement for democracy in Burma and take this opportunity to appeal to freedom-loving people all over the world to support such non-violent movements,” the Dalai Lama said.

The Dalai Lama is currently on a 15-day tour of England, Scotland and Italy.

Lachen dzumsa wins, Teesta hydel project likely to be scrapped

Govt opts for micro hydel projects

Gangtok, June 22: After deciding to scrap four hydro power projects in Lachen-Lachung in North Sikkim the State Government has cleared six micro hydel projects in the State.

The total cost of these projects are placed at Rs. 19 crore, according to Power Secretary AK Giri. While 70 per cent of the cost will be borne by the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, the North East Council (NEC) will provide Rs 5 crore while the State Government is expected to pitch in Rs 4 crore.

While six micro hydro-electric projects have already been cleared seven other such projects are likely to get the nod soon. The proposed hydel projects are expected to generate 1045 kw power.

Faced with growing opposition the State Government recently decided to scrap four hydel projects on tributaries of the Teesta river in North Sikkim. The hydel projects scrapped were the 99-MW Bop hydro- electric project (HEP), 99-MW Bhimkyong HEP and the 99-MW Lachung HEP on the Lachung Chu and the 280-MW Teesta Stage-I HEP at Lachen.

The decision was officially endorsed by the cabinet at its May 10 sitting, Secretary of Power and Energy Department AK Giri said, PTI reported. The four projects have been consistently opposed by the people of Lachen and Lachung especially after the September 18 earthquake. They have not allowed project survey and investigation in the area as a result of which even the Detailed Project Reports have not been prepared yet. The State Government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the Teesta Stage-I with Polyplex Corporation India Private Limited in 2005 and with Himalayan Green Energy Pvt Ltd (which is also co-developer of Polyplex Corporation India Pvt Ltd) for the remaining three HEPs in 2008.

Giri also confirmed that the project developers have not been able to prepare the DPRs for any of the projects due to the opposition of the people and their dzumsa (the traditional assembly of the people).

High Court turns down interim stay order on Tashiding hydel project

Gangtok, June 22: The division bench of the High Court of Sikkim comprising Chief Justice Permod Kohli and Justice SP Wangdi heard the petition relating to the demand for scrapping of the 97MW hydroelectric project in Tashiding in West Sikkim on Wednesday.

The court took up hearing of the case after it was transferred to the High Court by the Supreme Court recently. When the apex court took up the matter early last month the two-judge bench of the court comprising Justice Altamas Kabir and Justice Surendra Singh Nizzar said as issues raised in the petition filed by Tenzing Bhutia and others were of “local in nature” it should be placed before the High Court and treated as writ petitions under Article 226 of the Constitution.

As one of the respondents failed to appear before the court the next date of hearing was fixed for July 24. The petitioners pleaded for interim stay on construction at the project site. Sonam Lama had filed a petition seeking interim order to stop the ongoing construction work at the project site in west Sikkim.

The petition has the support of Sikkim Bhutia-Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC) and Platform for Joint Action Against Hydropower Projects. The petitioners have alleged that the project will cause huge damage to Sikkim’s natural and cultural heritage. A large number of monks and anti-project activists were present in the court during the hearing of the case.

Surprisingly, the court did not tie up the two matters regarding Tashiding hydel project and the alleged Rs 20,000 scam in the Teesta hydel project in North Sikkim.

Earlier, SIBLAC chief Tseten Tashi Bhutia and eight social organizations urged the court to take suo moto cognizance of the reported scam on the Teesta hydel projects in North Sikkim in “larger public interest.”

The High Court had earlier indicated that the matter be tied up with the transferred petition. However, during the hearing of the Tashiding hydel project case here on Wednesday the court said the two issues should be treated separately as matters raised were different.

Significantly, the Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT) held a protest sit-in in the capital at the east district collectorate premises on Wednesday.

The anti-mega dam activists reiterated their demand for scrapping of several hydel projects on the Teesta in North Sikkim. The protest marked the fifth anniversary of anti-hydel projects agitation in the Lepcha reserve of Dzongu in North Sikkim.

Editorial

PREZ POLLS

Much Ado About Nothing

Everyone knows and India often boasts of being the world’s largest democracy. Only its citizens know how and why this democracy functions. In the name of democracy it is the elite which rules India and wants the system to continue. For a number of years we have been living under a lame duck Prime Minister. And now the most prominent and the most experienced and perhaps the most influential politician in the UPA has been “kicked upstairs.” Perceptive observers know that Pranab Mukherjee has been gracefully eased out to make room for Rahul Gandhi as the UPA’s prime ministerial candidate in the next general elections slated for 2014 and yet nobody, including Opposition leaders, fail to highlight this issue and instead praise Mukherjee for his towering “stature.”  The role of the President in India is basically ceremonial and yet the country this week was forced to witness a high pitched drama in choosing the next President.

While the UPA stubbornly backed its finance minister for the top post it failed to garner support from its own allies. In the process regional leaders such as Samajwadi Party’s leader  Mulayam Singh Yadav, who is being wooed by the UPA, stands exposed and although Mamata Banerjee lost in the game politicians play she has proved that she can be trusted and relied upon. By backing a tribal candidate in Purno Sangma the NDA has scored brownie points but being the main Opposition party at the Centre the BJP was expected to do much better than sighing helplessly and complaining that the Congress failed to consult its leadership on a consensus candidate for Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Most political parties view the present politicking over the presidential polls as a warm-up session for the ensuing general elections. The next Parliament is expected to produce a more fragmented parliament with no clear winner and the Congress hopes that Mukherjee, a loyal Congressman, will play a key role in deciding which party forms the government at the Centre. However, whether Mukherjee would be more useful as a President or a member of the Cabinet is debatable. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, hailed as the architect of landmark economic reforms he introduced in 1991 when he was finance minister, has been widely criticized by business leaders and investors for weak leadership at a time when India is beset by slowing growth, dwindling foreign investment, and high inflation. India’s ruling Congress party was in turmoil on Thursday after two key allies signaled they had lost confidence in Singh, whose fragile coalition government has struggled to cope with mounting economic problems. If the prime-minister-in-waiting could become the next President it is also possible that the next President could also become the next Prime Minister. After all Mukherjee has wide acceptability across the political spectrum and ours is not only the world’s largest democracy but also the most flexible.

Letter to the Editor

The grandeur of Saga Dawa celebrations reduced to cheap bazaar affair

Sir,

Gangtok streets have completely lost the grandeur of Saga Dawa Chokor celebrations as we used to witness when we were students. The UDHD / GMC did not realise the significance of the day and Gangtok bazaar was dancing to the tunes of pops and fealty songs even on this auspicious  occasion.

Thanks to the Mani Lhakhangs of Tathangchen and Arithang as they organized the traditional celebrations though on a subdued note.

If one says it’s a transition of Sikkim from traditional-religious Buddhist set up to ‘modernity’ and development, then one is left answerless. Saga Dawa is an annual Sikkimese occasion to display the sacred Sutra and Tantra scriptures to the general devotees.

 Posterity will decide if marching onwards by neglecting one’s own tradition and ethos is correct or not. Sikkim Buddhist Dhuchen Organisation which used to organize this event with much grandeur in the Palace, must come forward with befitting response as to why it failed to organize the annual Saga Dawa Chokor procession or else it should be dissolved en-bloc for ever. Sadly, we already have lost the annual Pangtey Chham at Palace during Pang Lhabsol celebrations.

Chewang Pintso

Gangtok

Calcutta HC asks Centre, State and GJM to explain legality of GTA

Kolkata, June 22: Calcutta High Court on Tuesday asked the Centre, the State Government and the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) to file an affidavit in three weeks explaining legality of setting up the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, an autonomous administrative body for development of the hills.

Justice Dipankar Dutta issued the ruling after Gorkha National Liberation Front chief Subash Ghising filed a writ petition before the court challenging the legality of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration Act which was passed to form GTA, UNI reported.

Ghising's counsel Arunava Ghosh said the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration Act 'is ultra vires of the Constitution.' The Act was passed in September to form the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration.

Trinamool Congress-led government formed GTA by dissolving the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council.

'The entire area under the DGHC was supposed to come under the control of the municipalities and panchayats once the body was dissolved,' he said , 'and the government would have to amend the Constitution to set up another administrative body.' ' So, the act to set up such a body in the hills of Darjeeling without the amendment goes against the provision of the Constitution,' Ghosh said.

DGHC came into being after an agreement among Central government, West Bengal government and Gorkha National Liberation Front was signed at Raj Bhavan in Kolkata on August 22, 1988 to end the violent agitation for a separate homeland in the hills of Darjeeling for Gorkhas.

Ghising was chief of the body till administrative body was dissolved to form GTA.

Ghishing's move is likely to add a new dimension to the GTA issue after the GJM, upset over a high-powered committee's report recommending only five additional areas to be included in the GTA, has threatened to renew agitation in the hills.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has urged the GJM leadership to abide by the panel report, is slated to meet them Saturday to resolve the issue.

Monsoon preparedness in south district

Namchi, June 22: South District Collector AK Singh last week urged various companied based in south district to help the government with their manpower and machinery during disasters in the rainy season.

This appeal came during a high-level meeting here last week. The meeting was attended by heads of various departments and companies established in the district, according to an IPR release.

The DC also asked BDOs and the officials of the concerned departments to furnish him with daily reports of any disaster which has occurred in the district.

Singh said no matter how small the incident of disaster it should be reported and not ignored so as to take remedial measures.

Tsewang by Gyaltsab Rinpoche at Rumtek on June 24

Gangtok, June 22: Rumtek monastery Regent His Eminence Goshir Gyaltsab Rinpoche will confer long life empowerment (tsewang) in Rumtek on June 24.

The tsewang is being organized at the request of the Gyalwang Karmapa Jesdan Tsogpa of Rumtek Dharma Chakra Centre, according to an official press release.

The long life empowerment is part of the ongoing recitation of one hundred million ‘Karmapa Khyenno’ mantra. The pujas are meant for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and His Holiness the Karmapa, Ogyen Trinlay Dorje, and for world pease, the release said.                                                                                                    

Gangtok Mayor asks shopkeepers not to panic

Gangtok, June 22: Gangtok Mayor KN Topgay wants the Urban Development and Housing Department to release allotment orders of shops at Kachandzonga shopping complex (Lal Bazaar) to lessen the panic among shopkeepers.

Addressing the constituency-level meeting of the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front held here recently, Tobgay urged shopkeepers in the complex to wait for these orders and not to panic.

He said the Gangtok Municipal Corporation (GMC) will do its best to solve the problems faced by traders and hawkers in the capital.

The meeting which was held under the Chairmanship of KT Gyalsten, Speaker of the Assembly, also saw the participation of the party workers.

Gyalsten said for the past 18 years the SDF-led government has been working for the people of Sikkim bringing holistic developments under the leadership of the chief Minister Pawan Chamling.

“People should understand the vision of the chief Minister. Sikkim had not seen such a huge development in any tenure of the previous chief ministers” Gyalsten added.

The area MLA and HRD Minister, NK Pradhan, said that the Chief Minister has personally taken the interest in the shopping complex matter and has assured full cooperation to the traders and hawkers.

He also called the party workers to involve actively in giving publicity of the works carried out by the SDF party.

According to Deputy Mayor Shakti Singh, shopkeepers at the complex were very cooperative in settling their various problems.

Chinese trader detained, sent back for taking photographs

Gangtok, June 22: A Chinese trader was detained and sent to the Tibet Autonomous Region after she was found taking photographs of the Indian Army camps at Nathu La in Sikkim, The Hindu reported recently.

Bichen Chomu crossed the border on Tuesday morning and started taking photographs with her mobile phone. Personnel of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) immediately detained her and seized the phone, said Mandeep Singh Tuli, Superintendent of Police, Sikkim East District. She was sent to the Chinese side in the afternoon according to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of the ITBP,  Tuli added.

Trade through Nathu La, located at an altitude of approximately 14,140 feet, resumed in July 2006 after 44 years.

Indian traders go so far as the trade mart at Renquinggang in the Tibet Autonomous Region, while Chinese traders visit Sherathang in East Sikkim.

PROFILE Altamar Kabir

“The judiciary is a strong pillar of democracy”

Justice Altamar Kabir, the next Chief Justice of India, is a Hermonite and studied in Mt. Hermon School, Darjeeling, and Calcutta Boys School. Under CJI Kapadia, Justice Kabir has emerged as the "social conscience" of the apex court and believes that court decisions have a crucial role to play in the enrichment of individual lives.

BY DAMAYANTI DATTA

Justice Altamas Kabir wears an amiable expression and listens to lawyers with such patience that it is impossible to tell which way his decisions might lean. He shares this trait with the Chief Justice of India (CJI), Sarosh Homi Kapadia, the man he is slated to succeed after September 28, 2012, when the CJI retires.

It's surprising how many lawyers miss the cue-as on December 8, 2011, when he stunned the court with a sharp warning to lawyer Prashant Bhushan against "reckless" remarks on corruption in the judiciary. He takes immense pride in the "new court" shaped by CJI Kapadia: "This judiciary has withstood pressure of all kinds. You may exclaim 'Oh! There is massive corruption'. But you will just weaken a strong pillar of democracy."

     On May 12, 2010, when CJI Kapadia took his oath, the nation celebrated his story: a Class IV employee who rose to be the chief justice, entitled to perks like a Lutyens' bungalow in Delhi. But Justice Kabir "arrived" even before starting out. He was born into an aristocratic Muslim family of landed gentry from Faridpur, now in Bangladesh, where titles of Khan Bahadur, social visibility, status, influence and elite education came as a matter of course.

He studied in the best of schools and colleges: Mount Hermon School in Darjeeling, Calcutta Boys School and Presidency College in Kolkata. He had enough role models on offer within the family. Politics would have been the easiest choice. In post-Independence Bengal, politics was in the firm clutches of the Kolkata elite, and the branch of the Kabir family that chose to stay in India after Partition lived in the limelight. His uncle, Humayun Kabir, had studied at Oxford and was a close associate of Congress president Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. Humayun was the editor of Maulana's biography, India Wins Freedom, and translated it from Urdu to English. Scholar, writer, educationist and philosopher, he was a Union minister under Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri as well as Indira Gandhi. His father, Jehangir Kabir, was also influential in Bengal politics.

   Justice Kabir shares the same values as CJI Kapadia. If the catchword in Justice Kapadia's court is "integrity", in Justice Kabir's court it's "ethics". In a scam-ridden era, top judges of the apex court have captured public imagination by their passionate and even provocative defence of honesty in public life. But judicial hard knocks come wrapped in gentlemanly tones at two of the 15 courtrooms in the Supreme Court-in court 1 of the CJI and, next to it, in court 2 of Justice Kabir.

And it's the "simple" questions they ask that trigger long battles of nerves with the Government. As it did when CJI Kapadia questioned the legality of appointing P.J. Thomas as the Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) in November 2010: "We wonder whether he will be able to function as CVC with the tag of an accused on him." In October 2011, Justice Kabir similarly punctured Maharashtra government's decision to ban bardancing with his candid query: "If women can be models why can't they be bar dancers? Are there moral assumptions in the state's constitutional choices?"

Though he dines in dinner jackets with the Prime Minister on formal occasions, the first principle in his private life is "humility". He is most comfortable in khadi kurta-pyjama, say his friends. At a national seminar on transgenders in Delhi in February 2011, participants recall his visible embarrassment when the discussion gave way to hushed silence at his appearance.

In August 2011, lawyers say, it created quite a stir in Bangalore when word spread that the SC judge had put up with soiled linen, torn towels and reluctant service at the state-owned Kumara Krupa guesthouse without a murmur.

Justice Kabir began as "an outstanding lawyer on both civil and criminal sides". He became a permanent judge at the Calcutta High Court in 1990. And he proved himself to be "a very moderate judge with little ideological baggage". Kolkata remembers his intervention on behalf of Dr Jack Preger, the British doctor who devoted his life to free medical service, when the Foreigners' Registration Office denied him a visa in 1995. He became the CJ of Jharkhand High Court in 2005. The same year, at a relatively young age of 57, he was invited to join the Supreme Court.

Under CJI Kapadia, he has emerged as the "social conscience" of the court. "The Constitution affirms equality in all spheres but the moot question is whether it is being applied", is what he said at a panel discussion organised by the National Legal Services Authority in February 2011. His judicial philosophy is influenced by the 19th century theorist Friedrich Nietzsche's "aristocratic individualism", point out lawyers. It is premised on the idea that court decisions have a crucial role to play in the enrichment of individual lives.

His verdicts reflect his faith: proposing open courts for the mental health of prison inmates, fast-tracking problem solving lok adalats, framing a wider definition of domestic violence, upholding equal rights for transgenders, prohibiting the use of muscle men in recovering financial dues to issuing notice to enhance compensation for the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy victims. In a judgment in 2008, he sent a husband to jail for driving his wife to suicide with taunts over her "dark complexion".

"He is the most compassionate judge of the court," say lawyers recalling his landmark cases: in 2007, he dismissed the plea that activist Medha Patkar was working for foreign powers; in 2008, he restrained the Narendra Modi government from arresting political analyst Ashis Nandy for an article ("If a journalist cannot write, who else will?"); in 2009 he famously said, "Once an arrow leaves a bow, we can't take it back", about the Gujarat government's hasty ban on expelled BJP leader Jaswant Singh's book on Jinnah.

"I don't know a more down-to-earth and grounded family than them," says a family friend. That could be because this Sunni Muslim family has, for generations, bypassed orthodoxy in private life. Mixed marriages with Hindus, Christians and Buddhists have given this family a unique culture of sharing values. Humayun Kabir's wife, Shanti, a freedom fighter, belonged to the progressive, anti-caste Brahmo sect. Their children, Leila and Prabahan Kabir, are married to Christians. Jusice Kabir's wife Minna, a child rights activist, is a Mangalorean Christian.

The untimely death of his mother, Syeda Halima, taught Justice Kabir and his five siblings to be independent early on. They grew up in a rented house on Congress Exhibition Road in Kolkata. With their father often away on political work, they learnt to divide household chores and cope with everyday practicalities. The young Altamas's vast repertoire of songs, ranging from Harry Belafonte to Muhammad Rafi, kept everyone happy. As did the dishes he rustled up on a primitive chulha. This early experience developed into a lifetime passion for cooking, baked crabs and Anglo-Indian minced pie panteras being his signature dishes. He met his wife, Minna, in the 1970s after her family moved in as fellow tenants in the same building. Their children, Anamika, 34, and Deep Chaim, 26, both studied law. Anamika, a teacher, chose to work with children.

If every court reflects the personality of the presiding judge, Justice Kabir's court exudes courteousness and affability. He is a rare judge with a sense of humour, report lawyers. He allows lawyers to argue, listens attentively and asks detailed questions. In 1992, the Supreme Court set rigorous standards for judges: "He should be conscientious, studious, courteous, patient, punctual, impartial, fearless of public clamour, regardless of public praise, and indifferent to private, political or partisan influences." Justice Kabir comes closest to that definition. (India Today- January, 2012)