Daily Excelsior... Editorial

EDITORIAL

K N Pandita
At the 57th session of the UNHRC now underway at Geneva, Pakistan, speaking for itself and for OIC, reverted to one-point .....more

Open choice or
open disaster

By Prof. Lalit Magotra
Students of City Colleges in Jammu are once more agitating, like in three previous years, demanding ''Open Choice'' in graduation..more

West Bengal : The
rattled CPI (M)

By Sondip Bhattacharya
History, Alexis de Tocqueville wrote after the 1848 revolutions in Europe, repeats itself - first as tragedy and then as farce. The ...more

Role of minerals in Industrial development of J&K State

By Ramnik Chawla
Speedy development and utilisation of the resources of Industrial rocks and minerals of the State shoul ...more

EDITORIAL

Imperious arrogance

In the on-going war of attrition between the NDA Government and the Opposition, Atal Behari Vajpayee has allowed himself to be further criticised. And his think-tank has, once again, allowed itself to be further exposed for its intolerance towards the Opposition, particularly the Congress president, Ms Sonia Gandhi. In her more-loyal-than-the-king style, Ms Sushma Swaraj, the Minister for Information and Broadcasting, sought to frighten the lady of 10 Janpath by inviting her to participate in a discussion on Doordarshan, instead of conceding the latter’s demand for time on DD for making a statement. Ms Sushma, undoubtedly, is an experienced lady in the field of politics, while Ms Sonia lags behind because of her lack of experience in politics and politicking. Ms Sushma, as the I&B Minister, at the same time, has demonstrated purely partisan view on Ms Sonia’s demand. Ms Sonia, it requires to be mentioned here, demanded, on March 20, that a representative of her party be permitted to present its views on the Tehelka tapes to the nation. And she made the demand in a letter addressed to Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee. She must have irritated the Prime Minister by her criticism of his decision to allow former Defence Minister, George Fernandes, to address the nation on the national network "after he was dropped from the Cabinet". Mr Vajpayee simply forwarded Ms Sonia’s letter to the I&B Minister, Ms Sushma Swaraj. In fact, Mr Vajpayee wrote to Ms Sonia in reply to her letter: "I am sending the letter to the I & B Minister to look into the matter". In her letter, Ms Sonia had termed as "unprecedented" the decision to allow a "dropped" Minister to address the nation on Doordarshan, and, precisely, sought similar opportunities for her party to explain its views on the Tehelka expose. The Congress president dashed off the letter to the Prime Minister at a time when the BJP had launched an offensive against her. Why? The BJP lashed out at Ms Sonia for demanding the resignation of the Vajpayee Government on "moral grounds". And BJP leaders sought to remind her that she had not articulated the need for her husband, Rajiv Gandhi, to resign after the Bofors scandal erupted, nor had her mother-in-law, Indira Gandhi, offered to step down after the Nagarwala scam. If Ms Sushma openly supported George Fernandes to use Doordarshan to make political remarks after he tendered his resignation letter to the Prime Minister, why should the NDA Government prevent Ms Sonia from making use of DD to answer certain points raised by former Defence Minister in the wake of the Tehelka expose? Can Ms Sushma and others in the NDA Government deny the fact that George Fernandes made offensive remarks as part of his explanatory statement? In a democratic system, the powers-that-be are supposed to demonstrate democratic temperament. Considering the fact that George Fernandes lambasted his political adversaries, the NDA Government is required to give an equal opportunity to the Opposition leaders to defend themselves on the same electronic medium, which was used by former Defence Minister. It is unfortunate that vested interests have begun to give currency to tutored reports that as Prasar Bharati is an autonomous body, the Government has no role in granting permission to any individual or organisation to use All India Radio and Doordarshan. Does Ms Sushma Swaraj want us to believe that as the I&B Minister she has no control over DD? It is generally felt that while DD continues to be under the thumb of the I&B Ministry, the NDA Government anticipates lot of fireworks in the event of permitting Opposition leaders, particularly Ms Sonia Gandhi, to rebut the remarks made by George Fernandes in his statement telecast on March 15. Can Vajpayee’s vehicle of propaganda challenge the growing feeling that the rejection of the demand of Ms Sonia Gandhi smacks of political partisanship? No wonder, allegations that the Government wants to whittle down autonomy of Doordarshan and AIR have, in the altered scenario, found a forceful public expression.

Pepsi-Punjabi munda

Cricket’s new kid on the block, Harbhajan Singh, has shot into prominence. And Pepsi management wants him to wear Pepsi shirt. Punjabi munda is ready to oblige them. Why? He knows it well that most of India’s top marketable cricketers are with Pepsi, which also grabbed Indian skipper, Saurav Ganguly, a Coke original. Ms Vibha Rishi, Executive Director, Pepsi Foods, does not rule out the possibility of the entire Indian cricket team endorsing Pepsi one day. Even as Pepsi officials have, at present, kept their cards close to their chest, clear indications are there that the cola major nurtures grand plans of getting the entire cricket team under its fold. While Pepsi has been extremely pro-active when it comes to cricketers, Coke seems to have swung the other way. A fact recognised by its rival cola giant. And Pepsi has always been one-up on Coke, when it comes to signing on cricketers. Yuvraj and Zaheer , who shot into prominence during the Kenya cricket series in the year 2000, were signed on just after the series got over.The young have the requisite attitude to outperform their icons. That seems to be the essence of Pepsi’s latest commercial, scheduled to hit television screens shortly. Pepsi has added another chapter to its ‘yeh dil maange more’ series. Shah Rukh Khan, the hero, is shown obliging the whims of the pretty-young-thing in question. However, just as the two are warming up to each other, the writer of the story files in, and takes away the girl.Shah Rukh actually ends up tied to the railway track. Another Pepsi film, also scheduled to break within the next few days, is shot against a tech background. According to data culled by Quantum Research 2000, the youth state-of-mind perceived technology as a great leveller, which explains the thought behind this film. This film will be aired on niche channels only, considering that it would appeal only a certain audience. The advertisements for yet another Pepsi product, ‘Slice mango’, are also in the final stages, and will hinge on the ‘dabaa ke piyo’ tagline. Gatorade, a health-based beverage brand that Pepsi Foods Limited recently acquired from Quaker Oats, is likely to be brought to India in future. The ready-to-drink, bottled beverage is a huge success in the United State. It remains to be seen whether Pepsi Foods will reformulate the brand to suit Indian tastes.

Pakistan’s tantrum at the UNHRC

K N Pandita

At the 57th session of the UNHRC now underway at Geneva, Pakistan, speaking for itself and for OIC, reverted to one-point agenda of Kashmir tantrum. The tone and tenor of her interventions reflected anger over the recent statement of the UN Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan, in Pakistan. He declared Lahore Declaration as the basis for bilateral talks. Supporting his contention with a technical and legal clause of the UN Charter, he ruled out intervention by the UN. The UN agency would, at the best, facilitate bilateralism. Precisely, this was the stand of Clinton administration, and in all probability would be the stand of Bush administration.

Stung by this principled stand of the UN chief, Pakistani delegation at Geneva is left licking the wound. Its panic-stricken anti-India utterances have to be understood in that background. By linking Kashmir question to Palestine, Pakistan has tried to project it as an issue of the Islamic community and of concern not only for Pakistan but also for the OIC as well.

The time has come for India to call a spade by its proper name. We have had enough of Pakistan’s Kashmir tantrum and OIC’s disfigured carte blanche, which she is in the habit of displaying now and then. We should fling it back in their face and let the Islamic world know that no more blackmail is acceptable. They should know that on the instructions of the champions of Islamic government in Islamabad, Pakistani army massacred more than half a million of Muslims during Bangladesh war and raped more than 30 thousand Muslim women. The Humudu’r-Rahman Commission Report is replete with details of these pogroms, rapes and gang rapes. The Bangladesh delegations have been leveling grave charges of war crimes against Pakistan from the same forum (UNHRC) from which Pakistani delegate has been exuding his tantrum.

On the behest of the regimes in Islamabad, Pakistan army and paramilitaries massacred nearly 45 thousand mohajirs, the Sunni Muslims, who, more than any other community, were instrumental in the creation of a separate state for the Muslims of India. The plight of these co-religionists made their exiled leader, Mr. Altaf Husain state publicly on the basis of religion the division of India was a historic blunder. He said that religion was could not be the basis of carving a state. The reports of Amnesty International, Asia Watch and also the scores of statements of various NGOs made from the same platform (UNHRC) from which Pakistani official delegate has been spitting venom against India are self explanatory. What have the Islamic members of the OIC to say about it?

The Gilgit unit of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, in the Northern Areas of POK has openly questioned the claims of the mainstream political parties in PoK/NA to represent people of these areas. Pakistan illegally ceded over 5000 square kilometers of J&K territory in Aksaichin region to China in exchange of building the Karakorum Highway. If Pakistan is sincere in its demand of the right of self-determination for the people of the State, then it should rescind the agreement with China and ascertain the will of the people. If Pakistan's plea of Kashmir as a disputed territory is accepted, then under international law, she has no authority to pass on a portion of a disputed territory to a third party. She never asked the local people whether they wanted to be given away as dumb driven cattle in return of material and strategic benefits for Pakistan? Did the right of self-determination of these people evaporate in thin air? Did Pakistan ascertain the right of self-determination of the people of Northern Areas when she integrated it into her territory in 1953 through a clandestine treaty with political leaders who never represented the people of Northern Areas?

Pakistan has become the world’s largest training ground for religion-based terrorism. Theo-fascists trained in the seminaries and training camps are deployed to fight jihad in several parts of the world, Tajikistan, Kashmir, Chechnya, the Philippines, Xinjiang etc. A country that has weaponised its civil society to fight jihad against the people of non-Islamic faith, against non-Sunni-Wahhabi sects at home, against political opponents in the name of Islam and against democratic institutions like press and platform, has no right whatsoever to ask a third country to give this or that people the right of self –determination. A country where each democratically elected government is thrown out ignominiously by the military rulers is least qualified to speak for the right of self-determination of others.

A military regime that grabbed power through a military coup and suspended the assemblies constituted of elected representatives, has no moral right to ask India to do this or that in Kashmir. This regime is illegal and its delegates at the international forum of UNHRC represent only the military junta and not the voice of the people of Pakistan.

The Alliance for Restoration of Democracy, a conglomerate of several political parties including two most popular parties, viz. PML and PPP, wanted to bring out on 24 March 2001 a protest demonstration against the failed military regime. In quick retaliation, the military regime rounded up and put behind the bars more than 1500 political activists of these parties in order to stifle their voice of dissent. What right has a delegation of this country to ask for the right of self-determination for the people of the State of Jammu and Kashmir who have gone through nine general elections to the legislative assemblies since 1953? Top leaders of two major political parties of Pakistan, namely PPP and MQM are living in exile outside Pakistan. The leader of the third largest party, namely PML(N) has been sent on forced exile to Saudi Arabia along with a large group of his family members. With top political leaders banished from the country, with nearly two thousand political activists put behind the bars, with all the four provincial assemblies and the national assembly suspended since October 12, 1998, does the military junta in Islamabad have any right to ask India to concede the right of self-determination in J&K?

This is the time that India should come out of her shell and take a decisive step to deal with the festering sore called Pakistan. A part of J&K State is under illegal occupation of Pakistan. The people in that part are denied their political, civil and social rights. Their natural resources are being plundered and misused. In Kashmir, Pak sponsored insurgency has not only taken a heavy toll of innocent civilian life but has also devastated the economy of the entire state and destabilised its administrative and judicial institutions. Pakistani intelligence agencies have spread their tentacles in different parts of the country and they are trying to incite communal violence as they incite sectarian violence in their own country.

The suppression of religious and ethnic minorities in Pakistan by state - sponsored theo-fascists is bound to bear negative effect on India’s secularism. India must assert and wrest from Pakistan’s illegal occupation the part of the territory of J&K State that is rightfully her own.

Open choice or open disaster

By Prof. Lalit Magotra

Students of City Colleges in Jammu are once more agitating, like in three previous years, demanding ''Open Choice'' in graduation examination. Certain political, semi-political and social outfits are lending the agitating students their active support. Others and general public is extending tacit support by adopting silence in the matter and watching the whole show like mute spectators.

What does ''Open Choice'' mean? If accepted, basically it means, any student who has just covered one-half of the prescribed syllabus will be able to attempt full paper. In essence,a graduate of Jammu University will be academically one-half of a graduate from any other university in India. This raises certain fundamental issues which deserve a very serious attention of all sections of Society.

First and foremost of the issues is ''What kind of education we wish our youth to be imparted?'' University of Jammu, like all other universities, is a public organisation charged with the responsibility of providing education at the highest level and maintaining the standard commensurate/at par with the other good universities at the National level. For any action of university which dilutes the standard of education and puts our students at disadvantage vis-a-vis students graduating from other universities, it owes an explanation to the Society. The university has, therefore, adopted the most appropriate stand in this matter, asserting that the dilution of educational standard is not acceptable and there is no question of agreeing to the academically unjustified demand of open choice.

The second pertinent issue is ''Will the Society in general and parents of the concerned students in particular, allow students to be misguided and to follow the path of self-destruction''? Political and social leaders tof almost all hues from Jammu have, from time to time, expressed their strong resentment about the discriminatory and step-motherly treatment meted out to the people of Jammu Region. The local and National newspapers are full of articles and statements appearing in this regard, wherein serious concerns are expressed about lack of the social, economic and educational development of Jammu Region due to discrimination against Jammu.

These concerns will appear to be farce if it is not realised that the self inflicted deprivation and discrimination by the students of Jammu by way of pressing their demand for open choice, will be potentially more disastrous than any perceived discrimination practised by outsiders against Jammu. How can this region progress if its youth will be incompetent to compete with the youth of other regions of the Country in matter of seeking admission to institutes of higher learning or in the job market? Half baked graduates from Jammu University will stand no chance in the face of tough competition offered by graduates from other universities. More so, what is the fault of those hardworking students who cover the full syllabus and who would be judged at par with the students having covered just one-half of the syllabus. It will make the quality to suffer and excellence will be at discount.

It is a well accepted and amply established social principle that progress of a Society or a country is directly proportional to the quality and level of education received by the youth. The Society will have to bear longterm serious consequences of its insensitivity to dilution of standards of education in the system.

Another important question is ''What kind of educational institutions we wish to develop and foster in Jammu''? The University of Jammu has been listed by the University out of about 300 odd universities spread over the country, which have potential for excellence. This recognition of Jammu University has come on the basis of quantum and quality of research work being carried out in the university. The university departments have many prestigious and front-line scientific research projects being pursued in collaboration with National and International Institutions of high repute. There are many other related parameters, like course contents at postgraduate and undergraduate levels, the level of teaching and conduct of evaluation system etc. which have played a crucial role in the recognition of university by the UGC.

A UGC team is visiting the University of Jammu for accredition, under the newly introduced scheme of grading Universities on the basis of their performance and potential. The future funding and other academic assistance by UGC will depend largely on this grading of a university. Moreover the degrees awarded by the universities will be rated in the academic and commercial circles on the basis of the accredition grade of a university awarded by UGC. The demand for the open choice would not have come at more inopportune time, when the UGC team is likely to visit Jammu University anytime in the month of April.

Open choice in the examinations conducted by the Jammu University will certainly go against the claim of the university for obtaining better grade from UGC and will harm all the students of this university in all matters related to their career and future.

This issue therefore should be dealt with utmost seriousness, it deserves. The representatives of all section of Society should make a concerted effort to save the education system and the university from disaster so that a better future for the youth of our region is ensured.

West Bengal : The rattled CPI (M)

By Sondip Bhattacharya

History, Alexis de Tocqueville wrote after the 1848 revolutions in Europe, repeats itself - first as tragedy and then as farce. The CPI(M) in West Bengal is an example. The party is in a bind over how to brand - and tackle - the latest series of desertions, which have come barely three months before the assembly polls in the state.

The rumblings of revolt that were first voiced by former central committee member Saifuddin Chaudhury have since been echoed by party satraps such as Subhash Chakraborty, Samir Putatunda, two top former leaders of the SFI and the DYFI, Tapas Basu and Subir Choudhury, and scores of other leaders at different levels of the organisation. While many of the malcontents have either been expelled or left the party on their own, scores of others are waiting to follow them.

The biggest of the rebels - Subhas Chakraborty, transport minister and vice-president of the state unit of the CITU - is blowing hot and cold almost daily, sending confusing signals to party leaders and his own flock alike.

In fact, the problem with the rebels in general has been precisely this. They have given contrary signals about their positions for far too long before they finally took the plunge. Saifuddin Chaudhury along has been the solitary exception. He had been sulking ever since he was dropped from the central committee at the Chandigarh party congress in 1996 for advocating a 'pro-Congress' line to fight the BJP. And he did not make his pro-Congress sympathies a secret.

His expulsion from the party was waiting to happen. But the likes of Putatunda and Chakraborty kept everyone guessing about their true intentions and about the colours of their rebellion. Days before he actually severed ties with the party, Putatunda went public saying he would not leave it. Chakraborty's prevarications have become an embarrassment even to his followers.

Even more curious is the rebels' equation with patriarch Jyoti Basu. Except for Saifuddin Chaudhury, they all swear by Basu's "line and leadership". It is doubtful if many of these leaders would have left the party if Basu were still chief minister and if he contested the coming elections for yet another run at Writers' Buildings.

Curiouser still, most of these rebels were known to have been on the side of Basu's successor Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in the inner party battles over the past few years. It was so, for the simple reason that Bhattacharjee shared his mentor's political line. The rebels claim they have left the party as they failed to 'reform' it the way they wanted. What they do not admit is that it was as much Basu's failure as any other leader's. But then, they argue, Basu was shackled by the hardliners' dogged resistance to reform.

Rebellion for reform is the only plausible case these leaders have so far managed to present, however nebulously. As is well-known, it began in the now famous central committee meeting of June 1996, in which, as Basu later put it, the party made the 'historic blunder' of not joining the United Front government and allowing him to become prime minister.

While the party has subsequently shifted its position on joining another government at the Centre (most categorically at the Thiruvananthapuram special conference), the rebels complain that the principle of 'democratic centralism' exists only in the party document. The minority view, according to them, is stifled in the old Stalinist manner. The hardliners - represented by leaders like Prakash Karat, S.R. Pillai, E. Balanandan, E.K. Nayanar and West Bengal party secretary Anil Biswas and Biman Bose - rule the roost even today, closing windows on all winds of reform.

If one is to believe the rebels, they are for two broad kinds of reform - political and economic. On the political front, they want the party to clearly identify the BJP as the main enemy and therefore abandon the line of the 'anti-Congress, anti-BJP third front'. As a logical corollary to this, they want the party to move closer to the Congress to fight the BJP.

As a matter of fact, the rebels put the party leadership on the dock for the rise and growth of the BJP. Their argument is that the need to correct the line has become all the more important in view of the weakening of the Congress, not only in Bengal, but also at the national level.

The Party for Democratic Socialism - the new party that Saifuddin Chaudhury has launched in West Bengal and which Putatunda and other CPI(M) deserters have joined - has, therefore, openly declared its intention of having an alliance with the Congress for the coming assembly elections in the state. It is also open to adjustments with Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress if the latter dumps the BJP.

Subhas Chakraborty has gone on record as saying that there is no raison d'etre for a communist party in today's liberalised world.

On the economic front, the rebels, who love to call themselves reformists, want the party to accept the principles of globalisation and liberalisation. It may sound odd, though, that the new party still could not do away with socialism, much like the Congress' thinly veiled advocacy of the public sector a decade after Manmohanomics.

The rebels want the party to come clean and declare openly that foreign direct investment, multinationals, private enterprise and the market are the prime movers of the economy, in which State control can be not only inhibiting but actually disastrous. It is time, they argue, the Marxists reinvented themselves as Marketists.

It is still unclear if the PDS or any other party/platform that other rebels might launch hereafter will lure away larger sections of grassroots party workers. It has yet to get the kind of surge the Naxalite movement picked up in its early years. The current rebellion has made its impact and is increasingly finding fresh sympathisers, primarily because of wide-spread disillusionment of old time party faithfuls with the leadership and its wooden policies.

It is beginning to dawn upon even diehard Leftists that just being in power for 24 years in West Bengal is not quite the kind of achievement that leaders tend to claim. More and more grassroots party workers openly rubbish many of the claims and allege that not much changed in this long time primarily because the party itself changed so little.

What is not so unclear is the possible impact of the desertions of the CPI(M)'s fortunes in the coming elections. It is going to be the first election the Left Front will be fighting without the obvious choice of Basu as the leader of another LF government. The change of guard at the party too, with Anil Biswas taking over as secretary, has caused rifts in party units across the state.

The PDS, in alliance with the Congress or by itself, is likely to dent the Left vote-bank in some areas of the state. It is also possible that sections of former Marxists will get into covert understanding with the Trinamool Congress in spite of their anti-BJP proclamations. Mamata Banerjee is working overtime to rope in, if not leaders, at least the disenchanted Marxists at the lower levels. But, to make their impact stronger, the rebels too need to make their political line and their policies clearer.

It is not enough to emerge as a ginger group. After all, factions and deserters are no strangers in communist parties either in Bengal or elsewhere. To be a force that will deliver the CPI(M) a body blow, the rebellion has to be more than a straw in the wind. INAV

Role of minerals in Industrial development of J&K State

By Ramnik Chawla

Speedy development and utilisation of the resources of Industrial rocks and minerals of the State should receive active attention of the Government of J&K for the overall development and rapid economic transformation of the State.

The Directorate of Geology and Mining, the Organisation for the exploration leading to development of these resources has to play a vital and important role in this sphere of activity.

It has been highlighed that inspite of the fact that large resources of limestone, Gypsum, Bauxite, Dolomite, Magnesite, Silice sand, Puzzolona clay a building stone of very good quality, have been discovered in the State, these are awaiting optimum utilisation for the purpose for which they are most suited. The cost of transport has been an inhibiting factor in this regard, otherwise gypsum of the state and high grade limestone in the Valley could have found ready markets in the fertilizer factory at Sindri and in the steel melting shop in the rapidly expanding indigenous Iron and steel industry.

It has been emphasised that for the optimum utilisation of the mineral resources of the State, recourse should be to have latest advancement in science and technology keeping the following objectives in view -

(a) To beneficiate and bring the raw materials upto current standards of specification for use in various industries.

(b) To evolve processing techniques to suit the type of raw material available in the State.

(d) To modify the specifications of raw materials in vogue if warranted.

The magnitude of work load involved in establishing commercial utilisation of variety of minerals and their diversified application is indeed great.

In the context of urgent need for setting up mineral based industries in the State, it is for consideration as to whether or not the economic viability of a project or in fact immediate return of investment made though no doubt of prime importance, could be the only guiding factor in the scheme for development of industries. The need for indigenous sources dependent on products or raw materials, for which we are now dependent on other nations, would be very important factor in this regard. Manufacture of Sulphur and Borax from Pugga valley of Ladakh, thus assumes importance.

IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Ore formation is a product of natural processes beyond human control. Mineral deposits often found in nature do not always meet the specifications of the material for use in given industry. But it is within technological ingenuity to suitably modify the processing technique and pattern of utilisation so that not only the minerals, normally considered uneconomical are exploited to advantage but find scope in diversified application.

Problem faced in Industrial Development

In view of the prevailing transport and communication position and for evolving the most economic means of transport for commercial exploitation, utilisation of the mineral deposits of the State, it has been suggested that in programmes of integrated planning and development due emphasis might be given to concept of ''Road to Resources''. No doubt the extension of Railway line to Jammu has improved the situation to a considerable extent, even then a net work of road would continue to be main lines of communications and transport in the State. The feasibility of resorting to other means of transport in the state e.g through barges, flumes, aerial ropeways, conveyor belts apart from existing modes of transport needs to be studied. Reference has been made to encouraging results of incentives given to the development of industries in the State by way of concessions in cost of transport of raw materials and hopes have been expressed that gradually such helpful measures would be extended to cover the field of mineral industry also so that it could be found more feasible to export the deposits in a competitive market.

Tempo of mineral development like any other development activities receives great impetus with availability of power. Determined steps should be taken by the State Government for increasing the power development activities of the State. Thus there would be enough opportunity for the maximum utilisation of natural resources and also for setting up of mineral based industrial units.

Pre-investment studies

For the exploitation of the mineral resources and with a view to exploring the possibilities of setting up industrial units based on these, it is necessary to collect information on.

(a) Present knowledge regarding reserves and grade.

(b) Type of deposit

(d) Cost of mining by the various methods and the best and economical method of mining.

(e) Demands present and projected for the next 5-10-15 years both within the state or outside.

(f) Present source of supply.