IS ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA IMPARTIAL?: December 2010

Thursday, December 30, 2010

BIMAN BOSE: P. CHIDAMBRAM'S LETTER TO BUDDHADEB BHATTACHARJEE THREATENS FEDERAL STRUCTURE OF THE COUNTRY

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MALBAZAR, JALPAIGURI: NEW ORGANISATION OF TRIBALS SURFACE

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P. CHIDAMBRAM SURRENDERS TO THE BLACKMAILING OF MAMATA BANERJEE IN ORDER TO SAVE TAINTED CORRUPT UPA GOVERNMENT

D.O. No. 119-CM

December 28, 2010

Dear Shri Chidambram,

Kindly refer to your secret letter dated 21/22 December, 2010 which had been published in the media before it reached my office on 27.12.2010 at 11 A.M.

Your assessment of the situation in the State of West Bengal is surprising and is far from an impartial overview of the situation. Maoists have spread from across the bordering states and with the help of small section of local people are creating problems mostly in 28 police stations in three districts of West Bengal. They are trying to create their own areas of dominance. They are indiscriminately killing political opponents and even innocent people. They are attacking police stations, police camps and looting arms. They are also engaged in large scale extortions and other unlawful activities.

You are fully aware of these activities of the Maoists. The greatest challenge is how to contain the Maoists and defeat them finally both administratively and politically.

In recent times State and Central Police through their joint efforts have achieved major successes. Peace and normalcy have been restored in vast areas. People who were evicted earlier are going back to their homes. Govt/Panchayat office are functioning normally and so are the schools, markets and shops. Life is gradually coming back to normalcy in these areas but still we have problem in the areas bordering our state. Trinamool Congress which was earlier maintaining secret contacts with Maoist leaders and outfits are now openly organising meetings with them.

CPI (M) and it allies are trying their best to resist the Maoists by mobilizing people against them and in the process have lost more than 170 of their workers and leaders. Unfortunately, you are now blaming them for the present state of affairs. I am afraid it will divert the attention of all concerned who are struggling against Maoists, the greatest threat to our internal security.

As regards political clashes mentioned in your letter I would like to correct your figures. 32 Trinamool Congress supporters have been killed and 601 have suffered injuries while CPI (M) have lost 69 of their cadres and another 723 have been injured. Indian National Congress has lost one of their supporters and 111 have been injured during the period mentioned in your letter. I, however, agree that it is not a happy situation and I am doing my best to stop these senseless killings. I have repeatedly appealed to all the opposition parties to cooperate. All the parties except Trinamool Congress have come forward to cooperate. Trinamool Congress has refused to talk to administration. I am trying to disarm and demoblise all armed groups engaged in violence in some pockets of the state.

I strongly object to your using the word “Harmed” to mean the CPI (M) party workers without knowing the actual meaning of this nasty word coined by Trinamool Congress leaders.

More when we meet.

With regards,

Yours sincerely,

Sd/-

Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee

Shri P. Chidambram

Union Home Minister

New Delhi-110 001

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

UPA GOVERNMENT LED BY SONIA GANDHI IS NOTHING BUT A MOUNTAIN OF RAMPANT CORRUPTION AND SCAMS

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EDITORIAL OF GANASHAKTI DATED 29-12-2010 ON P. CHIDAMBRAM'S LETTER TO BUDDHADEB BHATTACHARJEE

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EDITORIAL OF GANASHAKTI DATED 29-12-2010 ON PROCESSION OF FARMER DEATHS

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PRANAB MUKHERJEE, FINANCE MINISTER, TERMS MAOISTS AS THE BIGGEST THREAT TO INDIA

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Sunday, December 26, 2010

ALL INDIA KISAN SABHA: ORISSA RULERS REMAIN CALLOUS TO PEASANTS’ DISTRESS

THE All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) has expressed its solidarity with the distress-stricken peasants of Orissa who have been reeling under extreme drought and floods that have hit the state over the last few months in quick succession. While nearly 60 per cent of the state was affected by the drought earlier, the recent floods, which have afflicted the state, have totally devastated the paddy crop that was nearing harvest. The Orissa government has not lived up to the expectations of the peasantry and has announced a very meagre compensation for the losses. The compensation announced is Rs 2,000 per hectare for the unirrigated lands, Rs 4,000 per hectare for the irrigated land and Rs 6,000 per hectare for the perennial crops.

Describing these amounts as a pittance in a statement issued from New Delhi on December 14 by its president S Ramachandran Pillai and general secretary K Varadha Rajan, the AIKS said these amounts do not cover even 10 per cent of the costs incurred by the paddy farmers. The state government has announced a bonus of merely Rs 100 per quintal of paddy over the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 1,030 per quintal but is using the Fair Average Quality (FAQ) argument to deny the farmers of any benefits. The Congress-led UPA government has also turned a blind eye to the demands of the peasantry and both the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) that is ruling the state and the Congress are indulging only in blame game and politics of one-upmanship while the peasants are facing acute distresses. The AIKS has condemned this callous attitude on the part of both the state and central governments when the lives of millions of people are at stake.

In such a situation, the AIKS has demanded that the compensation must be at least Rs 25,000 per hectare for the unirrigated paddy land, Rs 50,000 per hectare for the irrigated paddy land and Rs 60,000 for a hectare of the perennial crops. It has also demanded that sharecropper must be recognised as a peasant and compensated for the losses they have suffered.

Other AIKS demands are as below:

1) There must be complete waiver of the loans taken by the farmers during the last one year.

2) They must be provided interest free loans and subsidised inputs for the rabi season.

3) The MSP for paddy must be at least Rs 1,700 per quintal and the government must procure the crop without using the FAQ argument that aims to deprive the peasants of fair prices.

4) Stringent action must be taken against the rice millers who are taking advantage of the distress situation and lack of public procurement to purchase paddy at nearly 50 per cent of the present MSP.

5) Every employable adult must get employment for at least for 200 days in a year.

At the same time, the Orissa Krushak Sabha, the state affiliate of the AIKS, called for a state level dharna on December 16 and simultaneous protest actions in all the districts. The Krushak Sabha said it would stand by the peasantry in the state and make its best efforts to mitigate their sufferings in this hour of crisis.

Source: www.pd.cpim.org/