Trinamul Mission Lalgarh

Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams, Chapter 306

Palash Biswas

Trinamul sets foot on Lalgarh

PRONAB MONDAL

Lalgarh, July 28: Over 150 Lalgarh residents who were once active CPM supporters today chanted “Trinamul Congress zindabad” and crowded around a team from Mamata Banerjee’s party.

What the Trinamul men saw was a far cry from what Congress MLAs had encountered in Burdwan’s Mangalkot barely a fortnight ago.

Union
ministers Mukul Roy and Sisir Adhikary and MLA Partha Chatterjee heard
the CPM supporters complain about their “corrupt party” at the Lalgarh
bazaar.

“Those who believe in Mamata Banerjee’s ideology are most welcome,” Roy said later.

In
a region where the fear of Maoists has been forcing CPM leaders to
disown their party, they huddled together to hear the Trinamul leaders
where the town’s Puja is held.

Unlike
in Mangalkot, where the Congress team was chased and stoned, Lalgarh is
a former CPM stronghold. The Maoist-backed People’s Committee Against
Police Atrocities now calls the shots here.

“Mamata
Banerjee is against the operation by the joint forces (in Lalgarh).
There has been no development here in 32 years. But now an attempt is
being made to capture political turf with the help of the police. We
demand the immediate withdrawal of the forces,” said Chatterjee.

Minutes
after the Trinamul team left, the committee took out a procession of
10,000 people led by women to push for the pullout of the forces. The
police batoncharged them and used tear gas when they tried to break
through barricades outside the police station.

The committee’s leaders dubbed the Trinamul visit a “political gimmick”.

CM meets Salim man

Calcutta, July 28: The
director of the company that was to build the Barasat-Raichak
expressway today met the chief minister and told him he was surprised
by the government’s “unilateral” decision to shelve the project.

After
the 30-minute meeting at Writers’ Buildings, Prasoon Mukherjee said: “I
told him what I had said earlier to the media after having learnt that
the project had been shelved.”

Asked
if he told Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee the unilateral announcement had
surprised him, Mukherjee, a partner of the Indonesia-based Salim Group,
said: “Yes. That’s what I told the chief minister.” But he added that
the company was yet to be informed anything officially.

The
proposed 108km highway would have linked Dum Dum airport and Haldia
port without a break. Finance minister Asim Dasgupta had told the
Assembly the government “will not proceed with the project.”

In
reaction, Mukherjee had said: “We are surprised... I do not know how
one of the parties can take a decision when there is an agreement
between the Bengal government and us.”

The
NRI today said he spoke to the chief minister also about the Mahabharat
motorcycle project in Howrah and problems in the plant’s connectivity
with the national highway.

Writers’ rejig

Calcutta, July 28: The government today shuffled several IAS and IPS officers.

G.D.
Gautama will be the new power secretary. C.M. Bachawat will replace
finance secretary Dipankar Mukherjee, who will go to the urban
development department. Chief electoral officer Debashis Sen will be
the Power Development Corporation MD. Calcutta Municipal Corporation
commissioner Alapan Bandopadhyay will be the new municipal affairs
secretary.

IPS
officers Raj Kanojia, R.K. Pachnanda, A.K. Maliwal and Banibrata Basu
have been made additional directors-general. Partha Bhattacharyya and
R.S. Rawat will be DGs.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090729/jsp/bengal/story_11295164.jsp

Two Trinamool leaders killed in a clash in Burdwan district

STAFF WRITER 17:53 HRS IST

Burdwan (WB), July 29 (PTI) Two Trinamool Congress
leaders were killed and four others injured today allegedly by
CPI(M) cadres in Bardhaman district of West Bengal, witnessing
a bloody turf war between the parties especially after the
ruling Left's debacle in Lok Sabha elections.

A 56 year-old headmaster of a primary school and
Trinamool leader Samsur Rehman was stabbed to death in a field
allegedly by a group of 30 CPI(M) workers at Kharjuli
Natungram, the police said.

Another Trinamool leader Jafar Ali, 50, who was
assaulted with lathis and stabbed, died at the Burdwan Medical
College and Hospital.

Four others were also admitted to the hospital,
where the condition of the 60-year-old Qutubuddin Mandal was
stated to be serious.

Local Trinamool leaders have filed an FIR against 25
persons, including CPI(M)'s Burdwan zonal committee secretary
Ratan Jalani.

CPI(M) MLA Pradipta, however, claimed that there was
no political angle to the clash.

Sans PCPA, Trinamool on shaky turf

Nirmalya Banerjee & Sukumar Mahato, TNN 29 July 2009, 03:02am IST

LALGARH:
They came, they met and they left but Trinamool's high-profile team that visited
Lalgarh on Tuesday realized every moment how enfeebled

they were without the
support of People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA).

The
two programmes they attended saw thin crowds. With PCPA leaders not exerting
themselves to mobilize villagers, police found it easy to disperse people who
had gathered to meet the ministers. After the Trinamool team left, PCPA
organized a rally, which dispersed after police lathicharged.

The
Trinamool team, which had Union ministers Sisir Adhikari and Mukul Roy,
Opposition leader in the Assembly Partha Chattopadhyay and Krishi Jami Raksha
Committee leader Purnendu Bose, attended two rallies at the Lalgarh market
square and Gohamidanga village. Police allegedly did everything possible to stop
people from attending the programmes. On the ground that prohibitory orders
under Section 144 CrPC were in force, police dispersed the crowds that had
gathered to meet the ministers. "We have come all the way from Dherua and
beyond. Even women have walked, but police are not allowing us to proceed any
further," a rallyist complained.

Addressing the gatherings, the
Trinamool leaders demanded that the joint operation by the police and the
central paramilitary forces be withdrawn. "Let the joint forces go back. We will
appeal to the Centre that the operations should be stopped. Let democracy be
restored in Lalgarh," they said. At Lalgarh market, some people narrated how
they had been beaten up by the police since the beginning of the Lalgarh
operation and how people were arrested indiscriminately.

When the
team was travelling back to Midnapore town, some rallyists stopped the convoy at
Malbandi outside Lalgarh and complained that police had seized their traditional
weapons and arrested five of them.

Talking to TOI, PCPA spokesperson
Chhatradhar Mahato gave a tongue-in-cheek welcome to the Trinamool team. "We do
welcome the Trinamool Congress team to Lalgarh, But had the party leaders
contacted us, PCPA leaders could have met them," he said at his shelter near
Lalgarh. Mahato asserted that PCPA had planned to organize mass rallies and help
villagers meet the central ministers, but at the same time, he wasn't keen on
prohibitory orders being violated on this ground.

Mahato also felt
that the administration was wrong to give preferential treatment to "some
people" visiting Lalgarh, while withholding permission to others. This was a
reference to the incident in which a human rights team led by Medha Patkar had
recently been stopped by the administration from entering Lalgarh.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4832098.cms

INISTER CALLS UPON GMs TO TAKE ALL POSSIBLE MEASURES TO IMPROVE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION MONITORING COMMITTEES TO BE SET UP FOR PROJECTS
	17:10 IST

The Minister of Railways
Kumari Mamata Banerjee has called upon General Managers of Zonal
Railways to take all possible measures to further improve all aspects
of Railway operations specifically catering, cleanliness, punctuality,
safety and security on the Railways as well as take care of social and
economic obligations. Addressing a two-day conference of the General
Managers of all Zonal Railways and Production Units here today, the
Railway Minister said that all Zonal Railways should be more active in
ensuring the safety and security of the passengers as the Railways
operate round the clock and visible to all. The Minister said that
there is a need of continuous monitoring mechanism to improve the
punctuality performance in all Zonal Railways.

Kumari Mamata Banerjee further said that quite often there are
complaints of delay in completion of on-going railway projects. She
said that projects should be completed in a time bound manner and
accordingly tenders etc., should be finalized and floated in time. She
said that the budget allocation should be properly spent on the
projects and the fund should not remain unspent. She further said that
there is a need to make concerned officers accountable and responsible
for the delay of projects. She also advised to constitute a monitoring
committee at each zone consisting of all core concerned departments to
ensure effective implementation of the projects.

She also called upon GMs to commercially utilize railway’s vacant land
to mobilize the resource especially through Private Public Partnership
model in areas like developing world class stations. She said that Rail
Land Development Authority (RLDA) needs to be more effective to ensure
proper utilization of vacant railway land and land bank should be
improved.

Talking out the beautification of railway stations/premises, the
Railway Minister said that local touch like local art, paintings and
traditional symbols and designs should also be given due place in
addition to national level things to make the station premises more
attractive with regional/traditional look.

Kumari Mamata Banerjee further said that railway employees are the
assets of the Indian Railways and are the backbone of this vast
organization. They need to be attended to properly and their welfare
should be a priority. It is in this context that Railways will be
providing its vacant land for setting up of medical colleges and
schools for the benefit of the children of railway employees along with
general public. She said that vigilance departments of Railways should
play more active and effective role in order to ensure more
transparency and an efficient corruption free system in the Railways.
She also emphasized the need to further improve functioning of Railway
Recruitment Boards (RRBs).

The Minister of State for Railways, Shri K.H.Muniyappa in his address
pointed out that world is facing a global economic slowdown which is
affecting not only industry but transportation sector as well. Though
there some visible signs of economic recovery Railways need to really
work hard to achieve the targets set for the current year and also the
11th plan targets which are very steep, he added. He also said that
though the number of consequential train accidents have reduced
considerably in the first three months of current years, it is
necessary that accidents on account of factors within railway control
be curbed at all costs. He emphasized the need to provide adequate
security and safety to the passengers and to evolve public awareness
campaign at a large scale in this regard. He said that Railways are
committed to provide protection to passengers at both stations and on
trains. Women RPF (Railway Protection Force) squads need to be deployed
for security of women passengers particularly in sections where a large
number of women travel alone regularly, Shri Muniyappa said.

While addressing the GMs conference, the Minister of State for Railways
Shri Shri E.Ahamed said that Railway Budget 2009-10 has addressed many
expectations of the people with more concern for the traveling public
in general and the down trodden in particular. However, he said that
there are areas of concern like time and cost overruns in project
implementation, cleanliness of railway premises and present trend of
thefts on trains. He said that vital projects need to be monitored and
reviewed and every delay explained and addressed right from tendering
stage to project completion. Whereas cleanliness of railway premises is
concerned, there is a need to evolve a system of tendering whereby only
competent, committed and sincere agencies are selected. He called upon
the GMs to organize more decoy checks and take all necessary steps to
identify anti-social elements frequenting trains and stations.

Chairman, Railways Board, Shri S.S.Khurana also addressed the
conference. Also present on the occasion were the Members Railway Board
and other senior officials of the Ministry of Railways. Safety
performance, punctuality performance, freight loading, production and
quality of output improvement of catering, cleanliness etc, are some of
the major issues being discussed during the two-day conference.

AKS/HK/LK/TR

Parliamentray SOAP Opera is very Complex!

Only Mulayam singh leads to demand the RESIGNATION of Petroleum minister Murali Deora on AGM Speech delivered by Anil ambani! Mulayam does not seem to be a little bit concerend with public Grievances and day to Day Sufferings due the Extra Constitutional Coup of India Incs and LPG Mafia. Simply he obliges Anil ambani!

Ms Mamta Bannerjee the Leftist Human face of the Colonial Brahaminical hegemony Government, has nothing to do with any Change to LIBERATE the Enslaved Majority Eighty Five Percent Aboriginal Indigenous Masses, she just addresses her Vote Bank to Capture Writers Building on and within 2011. She has not spoken a single word against Revenue diversion for the Realty sector and bail out to feed the Killer Money Machine eating our Robs, Blood and Flesh! She has selected FICCI secretary Amit Mishra to make it NILEKANI, PITRODA, Montek and sunil Mitra Extra constitutional combination to acomplish the Mass Destruction Agenda.

Mamata Banerjee

The
Howrah-Singur 'Andolan Express'whose introduction from August 1 was
announced by Railwayminister Mamata Banerjee, may turn out to be a
local train.

Operating an express train for a 34-km distance
betweenHowrah and Singur will not be commercially viable for want
ofpassengers, railway sources told PTI.

"It takes a local train
58 minutes to travel thisdistance. Why would a passenger pay double the
fare to travelin an express train?" the sources asked.

Banerjee,
who is also the Trinamool Congress chief, hadannounced at a railway
function here recently that the'Andolan Express' would be introduced
from August 1.

This is seen as an apparent bid to highlight the
name ofSingur from where she began her 'andolan' (campaign)
sincemid-2007 against land acquisition from unwilling farmers forthe
Tata Motors Nano small car project.

Pointing out that 24 pairs
of local trains are run dailyvia Singur between Howrah and the pilgrim
town Tarakeswar, thesources said that an additional two pairs are
operated dailybetween Howrah and Singur.

According to the
sources, the train is likely to be named'Andolan Local,' deviating from
the tradition where localtrains are identified only by numbers.

Railway Minister Mamata
Banerjee today asked senior officials to ensure that ongoing
projects are completed on time and funds are not left
"unspent".

Addressing a two-day general managers conference here,
she also pressed for enhanced passenger facilities and train
punctuality and suggested giving station complexes a
traditional look complete with paintings.

"Quite often there are complaints of delay in
completion of ongoing railway projects. The projects should be
completed in a time-bound manner and accordingly tenders etc
should be finalised and floated on time," she said.

Banerjee said "budget allocation should be properly
spent on the projects and the fund should not remain unspent."

Besides, concerned officers responsible for the delay
of projects should be held accountable, she said.

The minister favoured monitoring committee in each
zone consisting of all core concerned departments to ensure
effective implementation of projects.

As Rly Minister of india, she is COMMITTED to Private public joint Venture even in Railway and says nothing against the DISINVESTMENT and DEPORTATION Drive!

Mamata has nothing to say on Citizenship amendment Act which Massacres Twenty Million Bengali dalit Refugees scattered all over the Country, Muslims speaking Bengali and earning Livelihood may not be counted. Countless are the Slum dwellers who have to be ejected out for Prime Properties. Those Nomadic tribes deprived of Citizenship have not lucky enough to attract Mamata`s Attraction. Though leading light of Intelligentsia, Mahashweta Di who earned reputation fighting for the rights of NOMADIC Tribes, has sought Public support to make Mamata the Next Chief Minister.

The DUO Never mentioned the ORIGINAL Genocide, MARICHJHANPI which was in fact ETHNIC Cleansing of SC Refugees!

Nevertheless, mamata is the leader of Anti SEZ movement and supports the Fascist Zionist Imperialist UPA Governemnt Economic, Foreign Policies! She does oppose the land Acquisition Bill and Boycotts parliament while the Bill is passed by the Cabinet after her dramatic Walk Out and has been sent to the Standing Committee!

She calls for Withdrawl of Forces from Lalgarh and her Ministry in the Centre ESCALATES he REPRESSION!

Amidst row over seat-sharing for
Sealdah and Bowbazar assembly bypolls next month between the
two parties, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee today
accused ally Congress of taking BJP's help to get a
municipality chairman elected.

In the election for the chairman of the Uluberia
municipal board in Howrah district, both Congress and TC had
put nominees after failing to arrive at a consensus though the
combine won 22 of the 29 seats during the polling for the
municipality in June.

Of the total 25 votes cast today, Congress-nominated
candidate Sheikh Sahihur Rahman defeated Trinamool Congress's
Debdas Ghosh by a thin 13-12 margin.

All three CPI(M) councillors abstained along with one
of the two Forward Bloc members.

An angry Trinamool chief alleged that the Congress had
taken the help of two BJP councillors and a Left councillor to
win the election.

The Morality Darama in kashmir may explain Mamata Phenomenon very well!

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, with his conditional
resignation after being linked to a sex scandal, has limited Governor
NN Vohra's options, says a constitutional expert!

On the other hand, Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi was on Wednesday
granted bail by a Moradabad court in a case filed against her for
making allegedly derogatory remarks against Chief Minister Mayawati.

Life returned to normal in the Darjeeling hills on Tuesday following the
withdrawal of GJM's indefinite bandh that began on July

13.

It may not be said the same about the Troubled Lalgarh where Childern do starve simply because the Schools have been Captured by security Forces and Mid day meal has been stopped.

No trace of maoists and the state Power is INDULGED in REPRESSION Unprecedented. Ironically, TWO Central Ministers Visited the Two Million Odd Population and confirmed the fact that the Marxists are using Security Forces to tame the Rebel Tribals! They demanded Withdrwal of Forces from Lalgarh as Mamata Bannerjee has been doing!

But lalgarh Stand Off Continues!

Shortly after a three-member team of the
Trinamul Congress, including two Union ministers, visited Lalgarh
demanding withdrawal of Central forces, a procession of tribal women
was allegedly lathicharged by police at Dharampur and Bamal.

In protest, the Adivasis of Bagjhora, Chilgora and Tilaboni blocked the
Dherua-Midnapore Road on the ministers' way back to Kolkata. Five
people were arrested from Bagjhora and Chilgora areas, four of whom are
Asit Mahato of Asnasuli and Mahendra Singh, Makhan Singh and Pagu Singh
of Bagjhora. Several hundred activists of the PSBPC were proceeding to
welcome the Union ministers of state for rural development and shipping
~ Mr Sisir Adhikari and Mr Mukul Roy ~ accompanied by the leader of the
Opposition in the state Assembly Mr Partha Chattopadhyay, convenor of
the Bhumi Raksha Committee, Mr Purnendu Bose, and other Trinamul
leaders who had reached there to distribute relief material to the
tribals.

The villagers were stopped by security forces at Bamal and Dharampur
where police fired tear-gas shells to disperse them apprehending that
they might be followed by Maoists to attack the Lalgarh police station.
Police lathicharged them injuring many women, it was alleged. Mrs
Sitamoni Hembram, Mrs Hiramoni Kisku and Mrs Bharati Hansda showed
their scars to the ministers. Mr Banmali Mahato of Asnasuli, Mr
Haripada Mahato of Bamal and Mrs Barun Mandal of Goaldanga narrated to
the visiting ministers and the leaders how they were tortured by joint
forces and how studies of school children of Lalgarh areas have been
affected since 17 June.

Mrs Usha Rani Rana of Bagjhora told the leaders that they could not go
to the forest to collect firewood as the joint force was not allowing
them to enter the forests. The villagers demanded the arrests of Dalim
Pande, CPI-M’s Dharampur local committee secretary, and his cohorts as
''they had looted lakhs of government funds meant for tribal
development''.

Top leaders of the Trinamool
Congress, including two Union ministers, on Tuesday visited Lalgarh and
called for an end to the operations by joint state and central forces
against the Maoists.

Heavily escorted
by policemen, the team visited interiors of Lalgarh and met the
villagers. The leaders, who alleged police atrocities, stated that a
report will be sent to the Union Home Ministry through Trinamool chief
and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The visit was the
bone of contention between the Trinamool and the CPM-led state
government, who initially refused to allow the team’s visit citing
security issues, but later backed off after directions from Union Home
Minister P Chidambaram.

Both District
Magistrate of West Midnapore Narayan Swarup Nigam and State Home
Secretary Ardhendu Sen had also warned the team against visiting
Lalgarh. Incidentally, a landmine exploded in Katapahari area after the
Trinamool leaders left Lalgrah and security forces engaged in gun
battle with Maoists squads.

The
pro-Gorkhaland party announced the withdrawal of the strike on Monday, citing
"the need for creating a suitable atmosphere for the August 11 talks between
GJM, the Centre and the state government".

Markets, offices and
educational institutions were opened but revenue offices and electricity and
telephone bill counters remained closed as part of GJM's non-cooperation
movement that started in April 2008. The party has asked people not to pay taxes
and to protest the government's opposition to its statehood demand.

The strike had been called in support of GJM's demand for a separate
Gorkhaland, transfer of IG (North Bengal) K L Tamta and two other senior police
officers and an inquiry into the July 10 clashes between police and GJM
supporters at Panighatta.

Charging
two central ministers belonging to Trinamool Congress with "inciting
violence" in Lalgarh, the CPI(M) on Wednesday asked the Centre to
explain why they were allowed to visit the place in West Bengal
violating Home Ministry directives against such trips.

"At a time when joint operations to
contain Maoist violence is going on, they visited the area yesterday,
incited violence and provoked confrontation with security forces,
thereby giving sustenance to Maoist violence and endangering the unity
and integrity of the country," CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury told
reporters here.

His party colleague Basudeb Acharia
claimed the two Ministers, Mukul Roy and Shishir Adhikari, addressed a
public meeting "violating" Section 144 CrPC and "spoke against the
presence of central forces in the area and the joint operations carried
by them and the state police."

Maintaining that the Cabinet Committee
on Security had decided to send central forces to Lalgarh, he asked
"how can Ministers speak against a decision of the Cabinet? Isn't it
the collective responsibility of the Ministers to go by these
decisions."

Noting that the Home Ministry had
earlier directed that no central minister should visit Lalgarh when
anti-Maoist operations were on, Mr. Acharia and Mr. Yechury demanded
that the Centre should clarify why the two Ministers were allowed to
visit the area and take "necessary action".

Meanwhile, Seat-sharing talks between
Congress and Trinamool Congress for the Assembly bypolls received another jolt
on Tuesday when sworn enemies

Congress and BJP came together to edge out
Trinamool during election to the Uluberia Municipality chairman’s post.

The state leadership of both Congress and Trina-mool are now keeping
their fingers crossed over the outcome of the talks between Mamata Banerjee and
the Congress high command in Delhi.

AICC general secretary in-charge
of West Bengal, Keshav Rao, is ready to sacrifice one of the two seats —
Sealdah and Bowbazar — that Congress won during the last election. Mamata,
however, is rigid on fielding her candidates from both because the two winners,
Somen Mitra and Sudip Bandyopadhyay, had dumped Congress to win Lok Sabha polls
on Trinamool tickets.

Sikha Mitra, wife of former Sealdah MLA and
now Trinamool MP from Diamond Harbour Somen Mitra, will file her nomination from
Sealdah on Wednesday. So will Swarna Kamal Saha for the Bowbazar
seat.

State Congress working president Subrata Mukherjee, however,
saw no reason for his party to part with two of its winning seats, indicating
the parleys between the two parties might continue beyond Wednesday. But
Congress is yet to announce the names of its candidates for the two seats. Party
sources said Pradip Ghosh may contest from Sealdah if seat-sharing talks break
down. The Bowbazar candidate may be a heavyweight like Subrata Mukherjee, though
he himself ruled out the possibility.

Adding fuel to the ongoing debate over seat-sharing between the Trinamool and
the Congress for the August 18 byelections to two Assembly

seats in Kolkata, the
Congress on Tuesday managed to capture the Uluberia municipality, supposedly
with support from two BJP councillors and without taking its election partner
— Trinamool Congress into confidence.

Since the election for
the chairman for the Uluberia municipality was held through secret ballot, it is
difficult to identify the councillors, who had supported the Congress to get
majority of the votes for their candidate Saidur Rahaman, who contested for the
post of chairman. But Trinamool sources claimed that two BJP councillors had
voted for the Congress nominee and the Congress did not contradict the
allegation officially till Tuesday evening.

Working president of the
West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) Subrata Mukherjee said the party
will inquire into the incident and take steps against any Congress leader if it
was found that any of the party leaders approached the BJP to get their
support.

The Congress' decision to capture the civic body in Howrah
district has infuriated railway minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata
Banerjee who condemned her election partner on Tuesday evening before leaving
for Delhi to finalise her seat-sharing deal for the two assembly byelections
with the Congress high command.

"What the Congress has done today is
most regrettable. Now they have to face the consequences for what they have
done. Only a few months ago, the Congress was accusing our party for having
links with the BJP. We have categorically cleared our position by saying that we
are no longer a partner of the BJP-controlled NDA. The Congress forged an
electoral alliance with us only after we snapped our ties with the BJP. But now
the same Congress has taken help from the BJP to capture the Uluberia
municipality. This is a most shameful act the Congress has done," an angry
Mamata told reporters on Tuesday afternoon.

Mamata also said she will
hold a public meeting in Uluberia to thank the people there for their moral
support to her party. "We have captured the maximum number of seats in the
municipality and still, we could not capture the civic body. This is ridiculous
and I hope the people of Uluberia will understand the role played by the
Congress in grabbing the civic body immorally," Mamata said.

In the
30-member civic body, Trinamool Congress had got 11. Congress' decision to form
the civic body supposedly with support from the BJP might jeopardise the ongoing
talks with Trinamool Congress over the seat-sharing issue for the by-elections
to Sealdah and Bowbazar assembly seats to be held on August
18.

Wednesday is the last date for filing nominations for the
byelections. Till Tuesday, no settlement has been made between the two
opposition parties over seat-sharing. Talks are on as both parties want to fight
two seats. Mamata will hold talks with WBPCC chief and Union finance minister
Pranab Mukherjee and if necessary, with AICC chief Sonia Gandhi, after she
reaches Delhi on Tuesday night.

Trinamool Congress sources said
Mamata will refer the case of Uluberia civic body during her meeting with

Mukherjee.

Expressing
concern over rise in prices of essential commodities, Railway Minister
Mamata Banerjee on Sunday asked authorities to take steps to contain
the trend.

"The price of arhar is Rs 90 per kg and
the price of green chillies is Rs 100 per kg. I am concerned at the
price rise. I think the authorities have a responsibility to look into
this," the Trinamool Congress chief said, without fixing responsibility
on anyone while inaugurating a passenger reservation system (PRS) at
New Alipur station in the city.

On the current employment trends "which
do not guarantee job security", she said, "Earlier, a government
employee could work upto the age of 60 years. Now, the younger
generation are working in an environment where there is no guarantee
that their jobs will remain secure tomorrow."

Ms. Banerjee said that in a situation
where life was becoming more difficult for the common people, the
Railways were decentralising its facilities for their benefit.

Stating that 100 new PRS would be set
up country-wide, she said divisional railway managers have been asked
not to delay implementation of projects in their respective areas.

Trinamul’s Mission Lalgarh, minus Mahato Visit today, govt objects

OUR BUREAU

Mamata Banerjee and Chhatradhar Mahato (with microphone) in Lalgarh on February 4 this year. Mamata had attended a meeting in the tribal zone to condole the death of three villagers, who were allegedly killed by CPM activists. Mahato had said the villagers who were killed were supporters of the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities; (below) Mamata and the Congress’s Bengal in-charge, K Keshava Rao, in Calcutta on July 21. File pictures

July 27: A Trinamul Congress team will visit Lalgarh tomorrow despite the government’s objections but will not meet resistance leader Chhatradhar Mahato though he seems keen for an interaction.

The team, led by Trinamul leader of Opposition Partha Chatterjee, will also have ministers of state Mukul Roy and Sisir Adhikary, and Purnendu Bose, a leader from the Save Farmland Committee.

Their task is to disburse aid and relief material to the “tortured” people of Lalgarh.

Today, while speaking in Nanoor, where she had gone to commemorate the killings of 11 Trinamul supporters in the year 2000, Mamata Banerjee said: “The security forces are torturing villagers in the name of a joint operation. We are sending a team tomorrow to find out what is happening.

“I had told the Centre about our visit. I came to know this morning that the Centre has asked the state government to make all necessary arrangements.”

But West Midnapore district magistrate N.S. Nigam has written to district Trinamul president Mrigen Maity saying the team should not visit Lalgarh as it would not be possible to provide adequate security. Second, Section 144 of the CrPC was in force in the area so there should not be any gathering of people.

Home secretary Ardhendu Sen said he was not aware of any such order. “I am not aware of any communication from the Centre in this regard. I also don’t know whether the chief secretary got any letter of this kind,” he said.

Sen, however, said the state government would provide security to the team if they insisted on visiting the area.

Last month, when artistes had gone to Lalgarh while the security operation was on, Union home minister P. Chidambaram had appealed to people, “especially political leaders, NGOs and others not to go to the conflict areas”.

But today Chatterjee said in Calcutta: “We shall visit Lalgarh tomorrow, come what may. Our leader Mamata Banerjee announced the programme at the July 21 rally. We won’t budge an inch.”

The other problem for the Trinamul team is Chhatradhar Mahato, the leader of the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities.

Mahato wants a 1,000-strong delegation of tribal women to meet the ministers and speak to them about their grievances. “We welcome the Trinamul team to Lalgarh. Mamata Banerjee had objected to operations by the joint forces. Our members are eager to meet them,” he said today.

But Chatterjee and his party may not be as keen to meet him, perhaps. Chatterjee made it clear that meeting Mahato was not part of his brief. “Our sole purpose (of going to Lalgarh) is to distribute relief to those affected,” he stressed.

Trinamul’s hobnobbing with the People’s Committee, especially before the Lok Sabha polls, is not something the party would like to be seen doing now. Mamata had shared the stage with Mahato three months before the elections.

But she threatened agitation last month when the chief minister said: “The Trinamul Congress has strong links with the so-called People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities.... The leader of the group, Chhatradhar Mahato, is very much a member of the Trinamul Congress.”

Left loss in Nanoor is Trinamul’s gain

;Snehamoy Chakraborty

NANOOR (Birbhum), 26 JULY: With the “winds of change” gaining momentum
across the state, CPI-M strongholds have started falling apart. The
latest has been in Suchpur, the village in which 11 landless farmers
were hacked to death, allegedly by CPI-M cadres, in 2000.

The change is that a large number of villagers from this settlement,
known to be a stronghold of the CPI-M, announced that they will join
the rally to be organized in the memory of the 11 victims, on 27 July.
Trinamul has observed 27 July as a "Martyrs’ day" in Birbhum since
2001, but this is the first time that residents of Suchpur will join
the rally. The rally will be addressed by Miss Mamata Banerjee,
Trinamul leader and Railway minister.

Every year, Miss Banerjee attends the rally, which is usually organized
in Basapara, a few kilometers away from Suchpur. After the massacre in
2000, Trinamul developed a foothold in the area, but no crack has
previously been evident in the red bastion of Suchpur.

Apart from Miss Bannerjee, three Union ministers of state, a number of
MLAs and Trinamul MPs will attend the mass rally in Nanoor's Basapara.

The district Trinamul leadership claims that this is the first time
that party supporters from Suchpur and its adjoining areas will join
the rally, daring threats and violence from the CPI-M.

“The victory of our party in the recently concluded Loksabha and
municipal polls has given a boost to our supporters in different CPI-M
dominated villages to go against the party's diktat. We have
inaugurated a party office in Khujutipara for the first time,” said, Mr
Abdul Kerim, a local Trinamul leader.

The Trinamul Congress leadership also claimed that about one lakh of supporters are expected to attend this year's rally.

“The supporters from Mangalkote, Aushgram, and the entire district will
attend the rally this year to condole the mass killing that took place
nine years ago,” said, Mr Anubrata Mondal, district president of the
Trinamul Congress.

Meanwhile, the district police has tightened the security, as four
Union ministers and several MPs and MLAs will attend the rally for the
first time.

“There will be four check-points and a huge number of policemen, and
combat forces have been deployed for the rally this year,” said, Mr LN
Meena, SP, Birbhum.

Cooperatives get ration charge

;Pranesh Sarkar

KOLKATA, 26 JULY: In an effort to ensure the steady distribution of
foodgrain and other essential commodities in trouble-torn Lalgarh, the
state government has decided to engage local cooperative societies in
the running of four ration shops in the area.

This is considered to be significant as it is perhaps the first
instance that cooperative societies have been given the responsibility
of running ration shops.

The four ration shops have been lying defunct since the dealers were
suspended on charges of irregularities. However, after the joint forces
reclaimed the area from the Maoists’ grip, the state government
undertook development work to boost the local economy, in the hope of
pacifying the anger of the tribal populace.

When senior state government officials visited Lalgarh after forces set
up camps in the area, they found that local people primarily needed
foodgrain and income facilities to survive.

It was also noticed that local people were often cheated by some ration
dealers. As a result, poor villagers were not getting the foodgrain
allotted to them and had been severely deprived over the years.

Initially, the state government started distributing relief materials
through BDO offices, and later a rationing system was made functional.
But people attached to the four shops were facing real trouble, as
these shops remained closed after the dealers were suspended.

“Initially it was decided that beneficiaries of these four shops would
be included in the nearby ration shops, so that they could get a steady
supply of foodgrain. But we found that people would have had to travel
at least 3 or 4 km due to the geographical terrain of the area to
collect their quota of foodgrain and other essential commodities from
the nearest shop. It was not possible for everybody to travel the
distance every week. Finally, we decided that local cooperatives would
be engaged to run the ration shops temporarily,” said a senior official
at Writers’ Buildings.

However, officials said that these cooperative societies would run the
ration shops only until a fresh dealership could be found.

They also said that they are planning to allow the cooperative
societies to apply for the dealership of the ration shops in the area.

Previously, the state had decided to engage local cooperative societies
in monitoring development projects in the areas where gram panchayats
are not functioning properly.

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=6&theme=&usrsess=1&id=262365

11-yr old raped and murdered

KRISHNAGAR,
26 JULY: Mystery shrouds the death of an 11-year-old girl, found near a
river bank in Bahirjancha village in Nadia's Nakashipara police station
area yesterday morning.

According to police, the victim’s neighbour Mr Uday Ghosh, saw her near
the river bank. The teenager had gone missing on the night of 24 July.
Soon after her body was found hanging, local people put up a road
blockade in the area demanding immediate arrest of the assailants.
Police rushed to the site and brought in a sniffer dog, but no one was
arrested till reports came in last. The blockade was lifted today
afternoon after the additional superintendent of police, Mr Annappa E,
assured local residents that they would be able to find the culprits
within 15 days.

The police said that preliminary investigations revealed that the girl had been raped and then strangulated to death.

Several injury marks were also found on her body and on both of her
eyes. However, the police failed to find any clues as to who could be
the perpetrator of the murder. ;SNS

Cong forms Uluberia civic board sans Trinamul

;Statesman News Service

KOLKATA, 28 JULY: Cracks appea-red in the Trinamul Congress and
Congress alliance today when the Congress formed the board of the
Uluberia municipality with the help of councillors belonging to the
BJP and the Left, even though the combine accounted for 22 of the 29
seats.

The Trinamul had bagged 11 seats in the recent civic elections against the Congress's tally of 10.

The CPI-M won three, the Forward Bloc two, the BJP two and an Independent candidate one.

The Trinamul and the Congress had decided to run the board by rotation,
but eventually they went for voting. The results showed that the
Congress had the support of 13 councillors and the Trinamul was backed
by 12.

Trinamul chief Miss Mamata Banerjee accused the Congress of taking the
support of the BJP and the CPI-M to chalk up a number higher than what
it had on its own. She claimed that the Independent candidate voted for
her party.

Miss Banerjee said: “The Trinamul and the Congress are fighting
together against the CPI-M and the BJP, but the Congress has taken
support of both the parties to form the Uluberia municipal board. The
Congress used to look down on us when we were in the NDA.''

She, however, said the Trinamul had kept its promise of fighting the
CPI-M and did not betray the people's trust. “Forming a board is not a
big deal. We won't take any responsibility of the board formed by the
Congress with the BJP's help. The Trinamul won't have any truck with
those who formed the board with help from the CPI-M and the BJP," she
added.

Mr Subrata Mukherjee, PCC working president said the Congress and the
Trinamul Congress had decided to run the municipality by rotation.

“If there is any violation of our party's principles, we would take action,” he said.

Power play: Wary Bengal offers sops

;Statesman News Service

KOLKATA, 28 JULY: In an apparent bid to regain lost ground following an
unprecedented poll debacle, the Left Front government has decided to
spend Rs 125 crore from its exchequer to provide electricity to
consumers at a subsidised rate in the 2009-10 financial year.

The state power minister, Mr Mrinal Bannerjee, today announced the new
tariff at a Press conference at the New Secretariat building this
afternoon.

The minister said this decision was taken to provide “some relief” to
the common people who are already inconvenienced in the wake of
skyrocketing prices of essential commodities.

The West Bengal Electricity Regulatory Commission has fixed revised
rates of tariff for the state's power utilities today, he added.

Urban households with maximum monthly power consumption of upto 25
kilowatts (Kwh) had been paying a monthly electricity charge of Rs 58
per month to the Calcutta Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) before
new rates were announced. With the Commission imposing Rs 4 as an
additional electricity tariff on this particular category of
electricity consumers, the monthly electricity charge will be Rs 62 per
month. To give “urban poor” some relief, the state government has
decided to give subsidy to them. It was decided that the urban poor
with monthly power consumption of upto 25 kilowatts will pay Rs 55 to
CESC per month and that the rest will be paid by the state government.
Similarly, consumers with monthly consumption upto 30 Kwh electricity ~
who paid Rs 72 a month to CESC before new tariff rates were announced ~
will have to pay Rs 65 to CESC in a month. Though an additional tariff
was imposed, households with monthly power consumption of up to 50
Kwh, 100 Kwh, 150 Kwh and 200 Kwh will not have to pay the additional
amount which would be paid by the state government, Mr Bannerjee said.

He added despite additional tariff was imposed on commercial
consumption of electricity under the CESC distribution network, the
monthly power charges will remain unchanged, Mr Bannerjee said.

For the state's rural belt ~ where the Left Front has faced an
unprecedented setback in the recently held polls ~ the state government
has decided to provide electricity at subsidised rates. Rural populace
with monthly power consumption of up to 25 and 30 Kwh will have to pay
Rs 49 and Rs 58 per month to West Bengal State Electricity Distribution
Company Limited (WBSEDCL).

Earlier they had been paying monthly charges of Rs 59 and Rs 71
respectively. Those who consume electricity between 30 Kwh to 200
Kwh per month, there will be no change in electricity charges.

Cong stings Trinamool in Uluberia, hurt Mamata spits fire

Express News Service
Tags : kolkata, Congress, TMC tension
Posted: Wednesday, Jul 29, 2009 at 0221 hrs
Kolkata:

The tension between Congress and the
Trinamool Congress reached a flashpoint today when an angry Mamata
Banerjee dared her ally to “face the consequences” after the party
“immorally” captured the Uluberia municipality in Howrah district
allegedly with the help of the BJP and Forward Bloc.

The two allies in
the state are already on a collision course over seat-sharing for the
bypolls to be held for Bowbazar and Sealdah Assembly seats on August
18.

On Tuesday,
matters came to a head when the Congress, having won 10 seats in the
30-member Uluberia civic body, got the better of its ally Trinamool (11
seats) by enlisting support apparently from two BJP and one Forward
Bloc councillors even as it kept Mamata’s party engaged in talks over
the election of the chairman. After a secret ballot, Saidur Rehman of
the Congress was elected the chairman.

A long way into history: Mamata brings victims of Nandigram and Tebhaga on one platform

Express News Service
Tags : kolkata, TMC rally
Posted: Wednesday, Jul 22, 2009 at 0352 hrs
Kolkata:

The Tuesday’s rally of Trinamool
Congress in Kolkata was used by the party to pay its respect to people
who lost their lives in various socio-politico movements — from the
1946 Tebhaga movement to 2007 Nandigram land agitation — that took
place in Bengal.

Taking the
opportunity to widen her party’s reach, Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee
also paid her tributes to those people who lost their lives in
movements that were launched by Marxists like the Tebhaga movement and
1959 Food movement.

It was a rare
occasion to see relatives of those killed in the Tebhaga movement,
which was launched by the communists for share-croppers, sharing the
dias with the family members of those killed in the police firing in
Nandigram.

By paying tributes to these martyrs, Banerjee attempted to hijack the core communist ideology in Bengal.

“We speak for all
the martrys of Bengal. We want to pay respect to them and their
families. We should not forget their contribution to Bengal, be it
people killed by police firing in Nandigram or during the Tebhaga
movement,” said Banerjee.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/a-long-way-into-history-mamata-brings-victims-of-nandigram-and-tebhaga-on-one-platform/492498/

Morality play

Stung by sex scandal slur, Omar stuns country with stepdown

MUZAFFAR RAINA

Omar Abdullah’s sister Safiya runs towards his residence on hearing about his resignation. (PTI)

Srinagar,
July 28: Guilty till proven innocent — Omar Abdullah has sought to turn
on its head an evolved “law” governing public life in the biggest
gamble of his career.

Omar
tendered a “conditional resignation” after he was accused by an
Opposition legislator in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly of being a
suspect in a three-year-old sex scandal, the country’s youngest chief
minister falling back on an old tradition associated with a bygone era.

“Justice
demands that a person is innocent unless proven guilty. It can be true,
perhaps, in cases involving theft and robbery. But so far as the (kind
of) false allegations levelled against me are concerned, the fact is, I
am guilty unless proven innocent,” the 37-year-old chief minister told
the Assembly, setting off scenes rarely seen in legislatures and making
gripping television.

As
his party colleagues fell over one another — and sometimes over Omar
also — besieging and beseeching him to reconsider his decision, the
chief minister wriggled himself free, recovered from a stumble and
strode out in pursuit of the eventual destination, the governor’s
house, where he put in his papers.

Muzaffar
Baig, a former deputy chief minister and senior MLA of the People’s
Democratic Party, set the stage in the morning for one of the most
stunning days in Indian legislature history.

Baig
told the House that Omar’s name figured in the CBI’s list of suspects —
“at serial number 102”. The bureau has been investigating the case,
which rocked the state in 2006 and led to the arrest of two ministers
in the then ruling PDP-Congress combine, on orders of the high court.

In
the evening, Union home minister P. Chidambaram said in New Delhi that
Omar did not figure in the list of accused prepared by the CBI. The
bureau had questioned 37 people and chargesheeted 17, whose trial is on
in a sessions court in Chandigarh.

But Omar handed over his resignation to Governor N.N. Vohra in the evening.

“Those
who lead must not only be clean but also look to be clean. At the end
of the day, all one has is one’s personal credibility and self-respect.
Both of these Mr Baig tried to snatch from me through the charges he
levelled,” Omar told Vohra.

National Conference MLAs try to dissuade Omar from leaving for Raj Bhavan to resign. (PTI)

A
Raj Bhavan spokesperson said Omar had demanded a time-bound inquiry
into the allegations. Vohra has asked Omar to continue in office till
the final decision is taken.

Baig,
a Supreme Court lawyer, started his address with human rights
violations, focusing on the Shopian rape and murder and then brought in
the 2006 sex scandal.

He
glanced at a few pages, which he claimed was a list of suspects from
the sex scandal, and asked Speaker Akbar Lone to have a look at who
figures at serial number 102. Before the Speaker could react, the PDP
leader said the man was no other than Omar Abdullah, son of Farooq
Abdullah.

Baig
later said Farooq, now a Union minister, too figured in the list, at
number 38. The PDP legislator toned down his allegation at a news
briefing later, saying the two could well be exonerated by the high
court as they were on the list of “suspects and not accused”.

The
scandal broke in 2006 and led to massive protests as the names of some
high-profile ministers, politicians, bureaucrats and police officers
figured in it.

Baig’s
statement stunned the House, simmering since yesterday. PDP leader
Mehbooba Mufti, who had yanked and hurled a mike on Monday, led the
sloganeering, seeking action against “serial number 102”.

Omar
sat back, his face flushed, as his National Conference MLAs charged
back. He appeared to be struggling to hold back his tears, making
repeated attempts to speak. The Speaker tried to silence the
legislators, sometimes using harsh words.

Omar
was seen shouting at his men to allow him to speak. Suddenly, there was
silence. The chief minister stood up and spoke his heart out.

“I
thank Allah that they (PDP men) have finally spoken what they have been
hinting at all these years,” Omar said, his intensity reminiscent of
his feisty defence of the nuclear deal in the Lok Sabha a year ago.

Omar
said Baig’s claim was a “blot” on him. “If you expunge these remarks,
order an inquiry by the home department, it would be futile. I will not
be able to work. I am going to the governor’s house to tender my
resignation,” he said.

The
chief minister began walking out, but found himself barricaded by his
legislators. “If you want to see me back on this chair, allow me to
take this decision,” Omar replied.

Party
legislator Sajjad Kichloo, along with others, caught hold of his coat
and forced him to take the seat. But Omar didn’t relent and headed for
his residence from where father Farooq accompanied him to Raj Bhavan.

Scores
of people descended on Omar’s residence in scenes equalling in
intensity the swell of support for Sonia Gandhi when she had resigned
as Congress president over the attack on her foreign origin a decade
ago.

The
resignation could help the young chief minister weather the political
crisis he is facing after the Shopian rape and murder controversy.

But
it is an unfinished journey: by insisting that “I cannot work till I am
proved innocent”, Omar has opened himself up to intense, unyielding
scrutiny.

If
he can come out unscathed, he would have fortified himself with an
unassailable armour of morality. It will also mean he would have
succeeded in raising the bar for other politicians.

However,
should any skeleton tumble out or dirty tricks departments manage to
make the mud stick, it will be difficult for Omar to recover.

IMF boosts lending to poor states

The IMF wants the money to relieve poverty in Africa and around the world

The International Monetary Fund (IMF)
has said it will take "unprecedented" measures to help poor countries
cope with the economic downturn.

The IMF said it will boost
lending by up to $17bn (£10.4bn) between now and 2014 and suspend
interest on some loans to low income countries until 2011.

It plans to sell some of its gold reserves to raise funds for the loans.

The measures are partly in response to calls from the G20 countries at their April summit for greater lending.

"This
is an unprecedented scaling up of IMF support for the poorest
countries, in sub-Saharan Africa and all over the world," said IMF head
Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

The measures "should prevent millions of people from falling into poverty," he added.

The fund said the global crisis was jeopardising the "remarkable economic progress" made by many poorer countries.

The
new loans would not only help them weather the downturn, but also help
them in the longer term battle against poverty, it said.

It added that $8bn would be made available over the next two years, more than the $6bn called for by the G20.

Earlier this month, the IMF agreed $2.5bn loan with Sri Lanka and a $600m loan with Ghana.

GLOBAL RECESSION

KEY STORIES

EU sets new bank bail-out rules

Japan's export slide slows down

UK recovery 'to take five years'

US interest rates to 'remain low'

US 'exposure to crisis $23.7tn'

Sri Lanka agrees $2.5bn IMF loan

BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS

Spend a little, save a little: China's new rescue plan

Well Street? Goldman's success not replicated

US states face budget meltdowns

Live global share movements

CRISIS OVERVIEW

How market moves affect you

Timeline: Credit crunch to downturn

Credit crunch jargon explained

Audio slideshow

Robert Peston's guide to the causes of the financial turmoil

VIDEO REPORTS

Pace of US job cuts slowing

Euro unemployment at decade high

Ex-trader works as Wall St tour guide

New York plumber's search for work

Indian PM defends Pakistan talks

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani (L) shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

The two leaders said terrorism was their common threat

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said his country had no choice but to hold peace talks with Pakistan.

He said the alternative was to go to war which was not in anyone's interest.

Speaking
in parliament, Mr Singh said he believed that Islamabad had made some
progress in its investigation into last year's Mumbai attacks.

The
leaders of the two countries met recently in Egypt and agreed to
restart talks, but the move was heavily criticised in India.

'Harsh reality'

"I say with strength and conviction that dialogue is the best way forward," Mr Singh said on Wednesday.

I told him [Geelani] we had no interest in destabilising Pakistan

Indian PM Manmohan Singh

"The harsh reality of the modern world power structure is that when
it comes to matters of our own self interest… we have to help
ourselves. Self-help is the best help."

The BBC's Sanjoy
Majumder in Delhi says a joint statement issued after the meeting
between Mr Singh and his Pakistani counterpart, Yousuf Raza Gilani, in
Egypt two weeks ago had led to a major political fallout in India.

It
was decried by opposition leaders as a climb-down from India's demand
that a resumption of talks should be linked to Pakistan acting against
the planners of the Mumbai attacks.

Our correspondent says the
government appeared to backtrack from the statement after it realised
it would not go down well in India.

Mr Singh later said India would not restart peace talks with Pakistan until the suspects were brought to justice.

Taj Mahal hotel under attack in November

The Mumbai attacks led to a freeze in ties between the two countries

The opposition BJP said the statement had been poorly drafted and blamed Mr Singh.

In
particular, a reference in the statement to the situation in the
Pakistani province of Balochistan raised eyebrows, with many saying it
implied that India was fomenting trouble there.

In parliament
Mr Singh said he had reassured Mr Gilani that India "had no interest in
destabilising Pakistan" in connection with events in Balochistan.

The
prime minister said India had nothing to hide and therefore was not
afraid of discussing any issue of concern between both countries.

Referring
to a dossier handed over by Pakistan relating to its investigation into
the Mumbai attack, Mr Singh said it was the first time any Pakistani
government had accepted that a group based in its country had carried
out an attack in India.

He added it was also the first time Islamabad had briefed Delhi in connection with an attack on its soil.

Mr
Singh said there was no option but to engage with Pakistan. He also
said that while the present Pakistani leadership might not be very
strong it understood the need to defeat terrorism.

Peace talks
between the two neighbours were suspended after November's Mumbai
attacks, in which 170 people were killed, nine of them gunmen.

India has accused the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba of being behind the attacks.

Pakistan has vowed to do all it can to bring the suspects to justice.

MUMBAI ATTACKS

KEY STORIES

Main Mumbai suspect pleads guilty

Shock and surprise in Mumbai court

Excerpts from Qasab's confession

Profile: Mohammad Ajmal Amir Qasab

Suspect's tears and smirks

Mumbai warrants seek 22 suspects

Pakistan admits India attack link

ANALYSIS AND BACKGROUND

Police 'name gunmen'

Mapping the key targets

Attacks as they happened

Will India's overhaul work?

Pakistan scepticism

EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS

'No value on life'

'We barricaded the door'

'They killed so many'

IN VIDEO

Mumbai prosecutor 'surprised' by plea

CCTV of gun battle on night of attacks

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Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, with his conditionalresignation after being linked to a sex scandal, has limited GovernorNN Vohra's options, says a constitutional expert!

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Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, with his conditional
resignation after being linked to a sex scandal, has limited Governor
NN Vohra's options, says a constitutional expert!