2002 August 13

News digest

News Headlines:

Opinions & Editorials:

Ayat of the Day:
Courteous greetings

"When a (courteous) greeting is offered you, meet it with a greeting still
more courteous, or of equal courtesy. God takes careful account of all
things."

Holy Qu'ran: Surah 4, Verse 86

News Headlines: Indian-Americans Stall Resolution
Far Eastern Economic
Review, August 08, 2002: The increasingly influential Indian-American community
has scored a recent victory in Washington by blocking a congressional resolution
expressing concern about the violence of Hindu mobs against Muslims in the
Indian state of Gujarat earlier this year. As word of the pending resolution
spread, Indian-American groups inundated Senate offices with e-mails and phone
calls opposing the resolution. "We did not move on this because we were buried"
by messages, says a congressional aide. Senators had hoped to pass the
resolution ahead of Secretary of State Colin Powell's visit to India in late
July. The economically successful Indian-American community is credited with
playing a key role in the warming of U.S.-India relations in recent years.
http://www.feer.com/articles/2002/0208_08/p008intell.html

Back to Top

Modi stopped
officials, say judges
Deccan Chronicle. New Delhi, Aug. 9: Gujarat
Chief Minister Narendra Modi in a late night meeting on February 27 did instruct
officials and politicians to turn a blind eye to the Hindu reaction which could
follow the Godhra train arson, two senior judges have confirmed. Justice P B
Sawant, who was a member of the Concerned Citizens Tribunal which inquired the
post-Godhra riots, said police officers, politicians and administrative
officials who currently hold high posts in the State government had confirmed
this in their deposition before the tribunal. .."I would say that we have good
information from credible people that in the meeting, Modi asked his officials
not to come in the way of what will occur in the next few days," Justice Sawant
said.
http://deccan.com/headlines/top1.shtml

SEE ALSO:

Lapses led to Godhra carnage: TTEs (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_ID=18687653

Police clear screening of film on Gujarat riots (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=18203417

Godhra court acquits 71, over 40 rearrested (The Hindu)

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/10/stories/2002081003031100.htm

Godhra railway officials clueless on train burning details (Hindustan
Times)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_34837,000600030005.htm

Hearing of rioting case in Godhra begins (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=18398351

Digging may not throw up all answers
in Ayodhya
rediff.com, Aug 6, 2002: Senior archaeologists believe that
the result of any proposed excavation at the disputed Ram Janambhoomi-Babri
Masjid site in Ayodhya cannot be the last word on the religious quarrel. ..The
expert pointed out that in Ayodhya, the foundations of buildings used to be of
brick, which rules out the possibility of still finding a temple foundation.
Further, he argued, "How can it be proved that the mosque was built after
destroying a temple? How can the possibility of a major time gap between the
destruction of the temple and the construction of the mosque be ruled out? Maybe
the temple had decayed and a new ruler constructed a mosque using its pillars
and other stones?"
http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/aug/06ayo.htm

SEE ALSO:

VHP threatens stir against court suggestion on Ayodhya (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=18189818

Undisputed land for VHP opposed (The Hindu)

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/06/stories/2002080602861300.htm

Temple issue: Sunnis, Akhara reject proposal (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=18800999

Talks on to resolve Ram temple issue: Katiyar (Hindustan Times)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_35745,0008.htm

RSS chief to meet Muslim leader in UP (Hindustan Times)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/printedition/100802/detNAT15.shtml

CEC: Situation in Gujarat muddy
Hindustan Times, New Delhi, August 11 : Chief
Election Commissioner J.M. Lyngdoh was tight-lipped about the feasibility of
elections in Gujarat on his return to the Capital on Sunday. He, along with a
high-level Election Commission (EC) team, has been touring for three days to
assess the situation in the state. However, he did hint at his perceptions about
Ahmedabad and Baroda, the worst-affected during the recent riots in the state:
"It is quite muddy there," he said. The full EC meets on Monday, and is likely
to announce its decision on elections in Gujarat in a day or two.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_35929,000900040003.htm

SEE ALSO:

Election Commission, CEC to visit Gujarat (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?artid=18381675

EC team on Gujarat submits its report to the Commission (Indo-Asian News
Service)

http://in.news.yahoo.com/020808/20/1tgfz.html

Election Commissioners tour relief camps (Indian Express)

http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=13645

Gujarat not ready for polls, panel tells CEC (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=18503499

Condition unfavourable for Gujarat polls: Sonia (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=18883735

Gujarat situation is delicate, says Lyngdoh (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_ID=18595195

You call this normal, asks Lyngdoh (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=18686633

Advani accuses EC of
double standards
Times of India, Aug 11, 2002, NEW DELHI: A
confrontation between the BJP-led government and the Election Com-mission over
the Gujarat elections appears to be on the cards. On Saturday, at a closed-door
meeting of the BJP's opinion-makers, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani reportedly
took a swipe at the EC's detailed scrutiny of the situation in the riot-ravaged
state. BJP sources said Mr Advani, answering a question from a party member on
the EC's "negative" attitude to the Gujarat government, said "different
yardsticks" were being applied to holding elections in different parts of the
country. Mr Advani is said to have stressed that even though the situation in
Jammu and Kashmir was difficult, the EC had announced polls there.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=693913

SEE ALSO:

Jaitley takes a swipe at CEC (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?artid=18784236

Advani: 'I didn't comment on CEC's visit' (The Hindu)

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/12/stories/2002081204081100.htm

EC acting at behest of Cong: BJP (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=18891897

Focus on polls not relief measures: BJP to EC (Indian Express)

http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=13724

BJP intimidating EC, says Congress (Indian Express)

http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=13746

Early Gujarat polls in people's interest: BJP chief (The Hindu)

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/12/stories/2002081204091100.htm

Hurriyat rules out
participation in polls
Press Trust of India, Srinagar, August 10 : The
Hurriyat Conference on Saturday ruled out participation in the forthcoming
assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, but decided to convene a meeting of its
general council on Monday to discuss the invitation for talks extended by leader
of the Kashmir Committee Ram Jethmalani,
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_34984,00080001.htm

SEE ALSO:

Ram Jethmalani: 'The trifurcation threat must be made to secessionists,
what RSS says isn’t wrong’ (Indian Express)

http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=7269

PM wants Central rule in Jammu and Kashmir (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?artid=18305650

Muslims saved our mother: Survivors (Hindustan Times)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/printedition/070802/detNAT01.shtml

Pak responsible for Amarnath attack: Swami (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=18290309

Indian President, on His First
Official Trip, Visits Site of Riots
New York Times, August 13, 2002:
India's new president, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, visited the riot-torn state of
Gujarat today, marching into politically sensitive terrain on his first official
trip. Earlier this year Gujarat was the scene of India's worst Hindu-Muslim
violence in a decade, and Muslims have bitterly accused the state's ruling Hindu
nationalist government of doing nothing to protect them from rampaging Hindu
mobs. ...During the visit today, Dr. Kalam, an eccentric scientist who played a
leading role in India's nuclear weapons development, toured the suburb of Naroda
Patia, outside Ahmedabad, the site of some of the worst carnage during the
riots. He was accompanied by Narendra Modi, the state's chief minister, who has
been accused of allowing the rioting to continue unchecked. It was Mr. Modi's
first visit to Naroda Patia since the violence. In the 48 hours before the
visit, the administration in Ahmedabad had removed all remaining signs of the
destruction. Burnt vehicles and the rubble of destroyed houses were removed,
charred homes were freshly painted and roads were paved. Dr. Kalam spent around
30 minutes walking through the lanes of the suburb, where about 90 Muslims were
burned or hacked to death by Hindu mobs on Feb. 28.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/13/international/asia/13HIND.html?tntemail0

SEE ALSO:

Indian president tours riot state (BBC)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2187626.stm

Kalam takes Modi's guided tour (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?artid=18898518

Times of India: Kalam to visit Gujarat, review riot relief (Times of
India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?artid=18561850

Missile Man: Unguided to Gujarat: BJP gets rattled as Kalam puts refugee
camp in schedule (Indian Express)

http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=7415

Modi prepares pitch as Kalam comes calling (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?artid=18793674

Kalam holds unscheduled meeting with Narendra Modi

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=18862446

Blasts in Ahmedabad as Kalam comes calling (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?artid=18976892

Don't ignore us, plead Shah Alam riot victims
Times of India, August 12, 2002,
AHMEDABAD: The hunger is reflected in their faces. But, nobody is even glancing
at the pile of food in the Shah-e-Alam relief camp here. For, as President A P J
Abdul Kalam embarks on his tour of Gujarat, the 2,000-strong inmates of this
camp are protesting against the arrest of one of the organisers and Kalam giving
their camp a go by.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?artid=18870235

SEE ALSO:

Major relief camps not in Kalam's itinerary (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=18793674

Modi govt doles out cash to riot victims (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=18838832

We have no good words for Modi, victims tell Kalam (The Hindu)

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/13/stories/2002081304580100.htm

Gujarat puts a shine on ‘normalcy’ (Indian Express)

http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=7535

Relief camp organiser held ahead of Kalam visit (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=18849595

Ban on media coverage of Kalam's visit (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=18787195

Riot victims take out rally with burnt goods (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=18599944

Gentle rocket from Missile Man: ‘Need
to eliminate communal strife'
Indian Express, Ahmedabad, August 12:
The sting was in the tail. At the end of a day in which he said little and
followed the beaten path around Naroda Patiya, President APJ Abdul Kalam
released, late at night, a statement that was a gentle put-down of the BJP
governments at the Centre and in the state. What the country needs, he said, is
an ‘‘intensified movement to eliminate totally communal and others forms of
strife’’ and bring about unity of minds and total integration of vision and
goals. He would endeavour, he said, to ‘‘devote all my energies’’ to make this
dream come true in the shortest possible time
http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=7582

SEE ALSO:

'President at a loss for words in Naroda Patiya, while Modi stared
blankly' (Indo-Asian News Service)

http://in.news.yahoo.com/020812/43/1tnh5.html

Kalam’s Gujarat visit significant: Ahmadi (Deccan Herald)

http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/aug11/s2.htm

Kalam asks govt to expedite relief work (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=18885136

Indian Express: Overawed, they choked on complaints (Indian Express)

http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=7570

Fingers crossed, Muslims hail Kalam's Gujarat visit (Indo-Asian News
Service)

http://in.news.yahoo.com/020813/43/1tovi.html

Another day, another VIP, for riot-hit it’s all the same (Indian Express)

http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=7573

Futile wait for Shah Alam (Indian Express)

http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=7571

What Kalam didn’t see, didn’t hear: notes from Naroda (Indian Express)

http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=7588

Narayanan says he felt helpless during Gujarat riots

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_37113,0008.htm

Long list of missing minority voters
worrying EC officials
Indian Express, Monday,
August 12, 2002 , NEW DELHI: The Election Commission is expected to take a final
decision on conducting polls in Gujarat by Wednesday. Though the EC has not
revealed its mind, the BJP seems quite rattled by the way Chief Election
Commissioner J M Lyngdoh made news in Gujarat. Senior party leaders were today
fielded to virtually tell the EC that its job was to conduct elections, and only
that. ...One of the facts the team found, and which may influence the final
decision, is the long list of voters from the minority community who are
missing, especially in the two cities worst hit by the riots.
http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=7536

SEE ALSO:

Lyngdoh lashes out as officers ‘fudge’ facts (Indian Express)

http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=7485

Stripped by Lyngdoh, dressed for Kalam (Indian Express)

http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=7483

EC sees empty houses in Gulbarg, frightened riot victims in Naroda (Indian
Express)

http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=7418

Give us a roof, then we will think of votes' (The Hindu)

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/11/stories/2002081104660100.htm

EC decision on Gujarat polls by Friday (Hindustan Times)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_37204,0008.htm

IB says Gujarat not normal (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=18894142

One lakh voters disenfranchised: IB (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=18896907

Godhra infamy earns IB more lucre (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?artid=18790218

Mr Bush Won’t Meet Deputy PM, VHP
The Financial Express, Sunday, August 11, 2002, New
Delhi: Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani is off to the US on August 23. Not just
US president George Bush, no important member of the US administration will see
him. Mr Bush will be busy vacationing on his ranch and all that the DPM will
therefore do is to unveil a bust of Sardar Patel in New Jersey and attend a few
town hall meetings organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). Is this a
diplomatic comedown, after the high-profile `walk-ins' by Mr Bush during Mr
Advani's meetings with US leaders last time, as indeed during visits of then
external affairs minister Jaswant Singh? "Certainly!" says Congress MP and
ex-diplomat Mani Shankar Aiyer. "Yes," concurs organiser VHP, but not without
arguing that we-didn't-do-it!
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=14953

SEE ALSO:

Indian leaders (Vajpayee, Advani) set for America yatra (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?artid=18549330

VHP wants Pota against Magsaysay
awardee
Times of India, August 8, 2002, KANPUR: Candid statements on
the Kashmir issue and Indo-Pak relations have landed Magsaysay award winner
Sandeep Pandey in a piquant situation with political and social organisations
demanding imposition of Pota on him. ....During his recent visit to the Indian
Institute of Technology here, Pandey had allegedly tried to justify ISI’s
activities in India, saying that RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) was carrying
out the same activities in Pakistan. He had also allegedly advocated
independence for the people of Kashmir and praised Pakistan President Pervez
Musharraf for his positive approach in initiating talks with India.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?artid=18401230

SEE ALSO:

Ambedkar was anti-Muslim: BJP (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=18304084

VHP cooks up Christianity story, dishes it out in tribal belt (Indian
Express)

http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=7312

Malegaon riots probe panel gets new lease of life (Indian Express)

http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=7252

Advani's influence growing in party,
govt
Times of India, August 10, 2002, NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister’s
gradual withdrawing from the public eye tactical or not has highlighted the
growing clout of his deputy. In little over a month since his status as the
unchallenged number two was given an official stamp, L K Advani has been
juggling government with party dexterously. Thursday night’s meeting, where he
brokered peace between Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and former CM
Keshubhai Patel in the absence of the PM was just the latest instance of his
increasing clout in party matters. And the official endorsement that Modi would
be the party’s chief ministerial candidate meant that the PM’s unhappiness with
this was set aside. So whether it was the decision to replace K Jana
Krishnamurthy with M Venkaiah Naidu as party president mid-course, or addressing
the weekly meeting of BJP MPs when Parliament is open earlier done by both the
PM and Advani or interacting with groups of party MPs statewise, meeting the RSS
top brass to sort out the differences over J&K, not to mention the weekly
visits to the BJP headquarters, it is Advani all the way.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_ID=18599743

SEE ALSO:

Congress' Gujarat campaign to target Advani (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=18403170

Advani meets BJP MPs from Gujarat, Goa (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=18381958

BJP to revive Modi’s Gaurav
yatra
Times of India, August 08, 2002, AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat unit of
the BJP has decided to revive Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s Gaurav yatra which
was abandoned last month following concerns of an adverse impact on the fragile
law and order situation in the state. ...The party had to postpone the yatra
last month following strong opposition from various quarters, including the
National Human Rights Commission and the Congress, which feared that it would
upset the process of returning to peace in a state where major communal riots
killed and displaced a large number of people earlier this year.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=18479659

SEE ALSO:

Modi graph dips in party (Indian Express)

http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=7351

Worried BJP summons Modi to Delhi (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=18504639

Haren Pandya meets Naidu; crisis blown over: BJP (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=18892174

Pandya quits Modi Govt (Hindustan Times)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_32717,0008.htm

NRIs to discuss rights abuses in
Gujarat
Times of India, August 7, 2002, LONDON: As Gujarat gears up
for Assembly elections, leading members of Britain's non-resident Indian
community are preparing to meet here on August 15 to highlight issues of human
rights abuse in the state and recommend measures to bring reconciliation between
communities. ..."It is time for the silent majority to speak up over events in
Gujarat. The Indian government must allow full access to all who are seeking to
establish the truth, especially the human rights agencies. We have nothing to
hide," said Prem Sharma, chairman of India Development Trust and one of the key
speakers at the conference. Other speakers include Lord Desai of the London
School of Economics, Harsh Mander of Action Aid India, human rights activist Ram
Narayan Kumar, Maja Daruwala of Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, journalist
and activist John Dayal and philanthropist Sir Gulam Noon.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?artid=18341149

SEE ALSO:

Chew on this: pan shop in the way of 46 riot families (Indian Express)

http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=7362

Champ tried for firing in self-defence (Indian Express)

http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=7245

Jaipur is haven for Gujarat homeless (Indian Express)

http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=1755

PM, others pay `guru
dakshina'
The Hindu, NEW DELHI AUG. 7: All RSS-affiliated BJP MPs,
around 200 and including the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, and the
Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, today assembled at the residence of the
Minister of State for Home, I.D. Swami, to offer prayers and salute the `bhagwa
jhanda', the `guru' of RSS members. And they quietly dropped their `dakshina'
(contribution) in sealed envelopes into two boxes. ..It was the annual
celebration of the day when all RSS members, about 15 lakhs of them throughout
the country, meet at different places to pay their contribution. No questions
are asked and neither is an amount specified, but it seems that about one
month's salary or earnings is expected as `dakshina'. Normally, this annual
function is held at `shakhas', where RSS members gather every morning. For MPs,
a special arrangement has been made each year; last time the function was held
at the residence of the Human Resource Development Minister, Murli Manohar
Joshi.
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/08/stories/2002080804931100.htm

SEE ALSO:

RSS men go on the rampage at Chakkai (The Hindu)

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/12/stories/2002081207070300.htm

Violent clashes between JNU student factions (The Hindu)

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/13/stories/2002081301140300.htm

Maharashtra mulls banning Bajrang Dal (Hindustan Times)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_31900,00080004.htm

Media submits riot tapes to inquiry
commission
Times of India, Aug 8, 2002, AHMEDABAD: Representatives of
the electronic media submitted visual recordings of the riots before the Justice
Nanavati and Justice Shah Commission of inquiry. The commission had earlier
summoned the representatives of the television channels to submit all the
recordings that they had, of the riots. On Thursday, representatives of
Doordarshan, Zee TV, Sahara TV, NDTV, Aaj Tak and GSTV submitted cassettes of
visual clippings, news scripts and related files.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=18498027

SEE ALSO:

Govt hands over fact-sheet to Kalam (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=18896438

Tehelka tastes Emergency knock

http://in.news.yahoo.com/020807/58/1tfh1.html

Opinions and Editorials: Heroes and hooligans - Editorial
The Hindu, Aug 10:
YOU PICK THE terrorist. On one side, we have Sandeep Pandey, a Magsaysay award
winner, a former IIT Professor, a doctoral degree holder from a reputed U.S.
university, who gave up a secure future to work for the betterment of the poor
and underprivileged in Uttar Pradesh. On the other, we have Hari Dixit, a Vishwa
Hindu Parishad (VHP) functionary who has sought the court's intervention for
having Mr. Pandey arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) for
allegedly expressing anti-national sentiments. The story of how Hindu
fundamentalists became angered by the recipient of the 2002 Ramon Magsaysay
Award for Emergent Leadership — whose NGO called Asha supports education and
livelihood projects for poor children (mainly Dalits) — is truly bizarre.
http://www.thehindu.com/2002/08/10/stories/2002081007121000.htm

SEE ALSO:

BJP’s Kamaraj Plan: Ideology Rules Over Governance - By B.G. Verghese

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=18101055

TIME Asia Magazine: Going home is hard for Gujarat's scarred and
terrorized Muslim population - By Meenakshi Ganguly

http://www.time.com/time/asia/magazine/printout/0,13675,501020805-332087,00.html

Interview with Advani on Kashmir, Gujarat and War on Terror

http://www.time.com/time/asia/news/interview/0,9754,260779,00.html

India, Pakistan and G.E. - By Thomas
Friedman
New York Times, August 11, 2002: BANGALORE, India: Two months
ago India and Pakistan appeared headed for a nuclear war. Colin Powell, the U.S.
secretary of state and a former general, played a key role in talking the two
parties back from the brink. But here in India, I've discovered that there was
another new, and fascinating, set of pressures that restrained the Indian
government and made nuclear war, from its side, unthinkable. Quite simply,
India's huge software and information technology industry, which has emerged
over the last decade and made India the back-room and research hub of many of
the world's largest corporations, essentially told the nationalist Indian
government to cool it. And the government here got the message and has sought to
de-escalate ever since. That's right — in the crunch, it was the influence of
General Electric, not General Powell, that did the trick.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/11/opinion/11FRIE.html?tntemail0

SEE ALSO:

No autonomy, no trifurcation - By Arun Sharma

http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=7168

In J&K, do it right : Invite poll observers from SAARC - By Kuldip
Nayar

http://www.indian-express.com/columnists/full_column.php?content_id=7545

Warring with neighbours - By Sudhanshu Ranade

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/08/stories/2002080801931300.htm

Bring hope via fair polls - By Saeed Naqvi

http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=7317

Everything is fair in J&K poll - By Mohammad Sayeed Malik

http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/aug/12malik.htm

Godhra's unanswered questions - By
Nafisa Ali
Hindustan Times, August 06 : Is this the
same Atal Bihari Vajpayee who made that celebrated speech in Goa and protected
Narendra Modi? After the shameful petrol pump scam exposed by the Indian
Express, how come the prime minister acted so fast, and with such conscientious
statesmanship? Why did he not similarly act and dismiss Narendra Modi when
thousands of Indians were killed and raped? ...Why is Advani so hurriedly
trashing the forensic report, without even allowing a transparent CBI enquiry?
How was the inflammatory liquid allowed inside the carriage? The Modi government
was quick to declare the Godhra massacre as an ISI conspiracy. If so, why were
law-abiding Indian Muslims of Gujarat punished in such a ghastly manner?
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_32647,00120002.htm

SEE ALSO:

Monitoring investigation in Gujarat - By By C.V. Narasimhan

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/07/stories/2002080703811300.htm

An uneasy EC -
Editorial
Hindustan Times. August 12 : ...Although there have been
other elections marked by controversies, the case of Gujarat is special, not
only because of the communal angle but also because of the state government’s
questionable role. The comments made by Chief Election Commissioner J.M. Lyngdoh
during his interaction with the state’s officials suggest that he was not
satisfied with their performance in the context of the relief and rehabilitation
measures. Mr Lyngdoh’s concerns related to the possibility that many of the riot
victims may not be able to exercise their franchise under the present
conditions. It appears that their disadvantages are both physical and mental —
the former because their current homelessness has deprived them of an address
and the latter because they are still traumatised by the tragedy.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_36572,0012.htm

SEE ALSO:

Coercive tactics - Editorial

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/13/stories/2002081300261000.htm

Reminding the EC of its job - By Kuldip Nayar

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/13/stories/2002081304331100.htm

A significant Presidential visit - By
K.K. Katyal
The Hindu, Aug 11, 2002: The
President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's decision to choose Gujarat for his first visit
outside the Capital within three weeks of his assuming office has evoked unusual
interest in the ruling alliance, among other political parties and elsewhere.
For good reasons. True, he took into account his attachment to Mahatma Gandhi's
Sabarmati ashram but there were other factors as well. ...This was evident from
the press release issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan to the effect that the
President ``will use the opportunity to learn personally about the
rehabilitation measures undertaken by the Gujarat Government and non-government
organisations in the wake of recent disturbances.''
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/12/stories/2002081202661200.htm

SEE ALSO:

The First Citizen’s trip - Editorial

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/printedition/120802/detEDI01.shtml

Break the Silence! - By Shabnam
Hashmi
WCN, April/May 2002: ....They have defied the VHP's ten
commandments, which asks all Hindutva followers not to buy anything from a
Muslim shopkeeper and not to sell anything from their shop to such elements!
Yes, normalcy has returned to Modi's Gujarat. Mujib bhai informs us that there
are 10,200 people in the Aman Chowk Camp. His eyes are absolutely statement less
and defocused, he is not looking at us but stares somewhere in the distance-they
removed all her clothes and raped my aunt, my nani tried to save her, they
chopped her hands and then burnt them alive.he is only seven and is from Naroda
Patiya.
http://www.worldconfrontationnow.com/32gujarat.htm

SEE ALSO:

Ode to the BJP - By Mushirul Hasan

http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=7215

Walking out on Modi - Editorial

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_33290,0012.htm

Charity... or terrorism? - By Robert
M. Hathaway
The Hindu, Aug 7, 2002:
...Alternatively, issues of fraud may be at issue. Responsible sources report
that some U.S. residents make financial contributions to overseas religious
roups in the belief that these funds are to be used for religious or
humanitarian purposes, when in fact the monies so raised are used to promote
religious igotry. ...The Gujarat violence, Lone's assassination, and most
recently, the designation of L.K. Advani as Deputy Prime Minister and most
likely successor to Mr. Vajpayee have all raised new concerns about India's
future among India's friends in the U.S. An official U.S. investigation into
Gujarat-related fund-raising, voluntarily facilitated by the Government of
India, would go far towards easing those concerns and further strengthening the
new partnership between our two peoples. (The writer is Director, Asia Program,
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington D.C.)
http://www.hinduonnet.com/stories/2002080800201000.htm

SEE ALSO:

A curable malady - By Dileep Padgaonkar

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=18689417

Minority institutions and the state -
By Pratap Bhanu Mehta
The Hindu, Aug 10, 2002: Only adherence to clear
and consistent principles can prevent a debilitating politicisation of
secularism and protect the rights of minorities. ...THE RELATIONSHIP between
minority institutions and the state is a tangled web, made complicated in recent
years by inconsistent judicial pronouncements that have eroded the rights of
minority-run institutions in many cases, while arbitrarily privileging them in
others. While the cases currently before it involve numerous complex issues, the
Supreme Court ought to use them to clarify the fundamental principles at stake,
even if individual cases remain more contentious.
http://www.thehindu.com/2002/08/10/stories/2002081007101000.htm

SEE ALSO:

'Matters of faith cannot undermine rights'

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/12/stories/2002081207431200.htm

Diversity in Islam - By Sanjay Subrahmanyam

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=18589629

‘Muslims should give up Babri’ - G.K. Noon

http://www.asianage.com/main.asp?layout=2&cat1=6&cat2=42&newsid=14848

A pall-bearer’s poll? - By Praful
Bidwai
Hindustan Times, August 08 : We have been witnessing something
surreal. According to Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani, there never was a
constitutional breakdown in Gujarat; Narendra Milosevic Modi needs ‘no
certificate’ for his impeccably secular conduct; the well-established
State-sponsorship of the pogrom in Gujarat is merely ‘a baseless allegation’
levelled by the political opposition. Going by at least 12 reports by non-party
investigators, including two by the National Human Rights Commission, several
civil liberties groups, a former foreign secretary, the Ahmedabad-based
Citizens’ Initiative and Jansangharsh Manch, and numerous women’s organisations,
the constitutional breakdown occurred as early as the evening of February 27,
the day of the terrible Godhra killing, when Modi instructed his officials to
ensure the ‘success’ of the imminent VHP-BJP-sponsored protest bandh — that is,
to become complicit in, and an agency of, independent India’s worst communal
butchery. The next day, two of Modi’s ministers personally directed anti-Muslim
operations from police control rooms...
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_33930,00120001.htm

SEE ALSO:

Pump Parivar and our future - By Dilip Chitre

http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=7495

The Rashtriya Swayam-Seva Sangh - By Tavleen Singh

http://www.indian-express.com/columnists/full_column.php?content_id=7454

Also a Muslim - By Mukul Dube

http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=7268

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2002 August 13

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