Excelsior... Nation

NEW DELHI, Feb 22: In the age of cryptic SMS and e-mail with scant regard for grammar, a book about punctuation is giving John Grisham like thrillers a run for their money.

‘Eats, shoots leaves: The zero tolerance approach to punctuation’ by Lynne Truss bats for punctuation fans who are horrified everyday at the sight of misplaced commas, apostrophes and colons around them.

A stickler herself, the former columnist of the times, London, takes the title of her book from the story of a Panda who "eats, shoots and leaves". The story goes like this: A Panda walks into a cafe. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.

"Why?" asks the confused waiter, as the Panda makes towards the exit. The Panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder. "I’m a Panda," he says, at the door. "look it up." the waiter turns to the relevant entry and finds an explanation. "Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves."

If bad punctuation confounded the waiter in the Panda story, in real life it gave a bad name to the Tony Blair Government when a Cambridge politics lecturer named Glen Rangwala gave away the origin of the February 2003 dossier of the British Government on Iraq.

Rangwala found that the dossier was "reproduced word for word, misplaced Comma for misplaced Comma" from a 12-year-old thesis by American doctoral student Ibrahim-al-Marashi. According to Rangwala, even the "typographical errors and anomalous uses of grammar" were incorporated in the dossier. The misplaced comma in Marashi’s text, "Saddam appointed, Sabir ‘Abd-al-’Aziz-al-Duri as head" remained where it was.

On hyphens, Truss recalls the words of Winston Churchill who said hyphens were "a blemish, to be avoided wherever possible", yet writes there will always be a problem about getting rid of them. Which one is correct, extra-marital sex or extra marital sex?

Can we also do without the expressive and attention-seeking punctuation such as the exclamation mark? Truss tells us the story of French writer Victor Hugo, who telegraphed his publisher with the simple inquiry ‘’?`` To know how his book `Les Miserables’ was selling. The expressive reply hugo received was ‘’’’

‘Eats, shoots leaves,’, which has sold 500,000 copies since its last year’s Christmas launch, reigned no.1 on the bookseller bestsellers’ list for six weeks in Britain ahead of ‘The King Of Torts’ by John Grisham.

"Nobody expected a little grammar book to do so well. In a way it has opened up new possibilities for this category of books," said Vinod Vasishtha, managing director of Viva Books, which holds the distribution rights for the subcontinent.

According to Pramodini Verma, acting principal of Bharati College, Janakpuri, who teaches English literature, the book is "very timely and very needed because we Indians have always been bad at punctuation."

In an unusual gesture for a western author, Truss has dedicated the book to the "memory of the striking Bolshevik printers of st Petersburg who, in 1905, demanded to be paid the same rate for punctuation marks as for letters, and thereby directly precipitated the first Russian revolution." (UNI)

Cable operators say TRAI favouring pay broadcasters

NEW DELHI, Feb 22: Alleging favouritism of the pay television broadcasters for their utility in the coming general elections through the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, cable operators have said they will not allow the ruling party to piggy-back to victory by subsidizing the cable services for the general public at the cost of the industry.

Reacting to the latest clarifications issued by TRAI earlier this week on the implications of charges in the telecommunication (broadcasting and cable) services tariff order 2004 of February 19, the operators feel that the pay TV broadcasters will arbitrarily start increasing the subscriber base and would switch off some favoured channels like those showing the Indo-Pak cricket matches if the subscribers did not agree to their demands.

The national cable and telecommunication association and the Cable Operators Federation of India have in a joint statement said that any increase in subscriber charge or increase in subscriber base has to be passed on the consumers . They say that cable service were being made available within the range of Rs 200 to Rs 300 per month to consumers as on December 26 the cut off date accepted by TRAI - though the total actually came to Rs 460 per month (the total outflow to pay tv broadcasters per subscriber per month was Rs 240, the cost of delivery/distribution/network maintenance/collection was Rs 150, copyright charges Rs 20, and service tax at the rate of eight per cent and over and above, and Rs 20 as entertainment tax).

Another organization, the Cable Operators United Front, has also said the clarification is not worded correctly and has advised all its members not to submit to the pressure tactics of pay channels broadcasters who can ask for increased charges for increased subscriber base only at the pro-rata rates of that cable operator or multi-service operators.

These organizations have pointed out that the TRAI order of January 15 freezing cable subscription rates was welcomed by the cable service providers as well the consumers at large, but that order now had no meaning in view of the latest clarification. Similarly, the order for registering all operators had also been welcomed.

Explaining the meaning of charges in the tariff order, TRAI said earlier this week that the principle applicable for determining charges payable by one party to the other would be to see whether the formal/informal agreement prevalent on December 26 specified the total amount as rate or charge per subscriber, multiplied by the subscriber base, the ceiling applies to the per subscriber charge and not to the subscriber base. But the practice would continue if the amount paid varied on certain limited occasions was linked to the likely change in the subscribers base for a specified short period. However, TRAI had said the charge per subscriber in such cases should not be more than those applicable on December 26 last.

In the clarification issued in view of the uncertainty prevailing in the public mind over the conditional access system for cable TV and the role of the regulator, TRAI had said cable operators would have to lower prices on a pro rata basis in case they reduce the number of channels that were being supplied as on December 26 last year.

It was pointed out that the tariff order of January 15 covered the entire territory of India, both for CAS and non-CAS areas, in the case of charges payable by cable subscribers to cable operator cable operators to multi service operators/broadcasters (including their authorized distribution agencies) and multi-service operators to broadcasters (including their authorised distribution agencies).

If anyone took to CAS after December 26, the tariff order did not provide any specific ceiling, and relevant parties could enter into the formal/informal agreements regarding such charges. However, in specifying the relevant charges, the charges that the broadcaster/multi-system operator/cable operator might have in place in the contiguous areas/similar channels as on December 26 should be kept in mind.

In cases relating to disputes between two service providers in regard to "the number of subscribers," the option would lie in a civil Court or Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT), under section 14 of the TRAI Act.

But TRAI does not deal with complaints from individual subscribers/consumers for whom redressal mechanism was available before a consumer disputes redressal forum or a consumer disputes redressal commission or the National Consumer Redressal Commission established under section 9 of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986.

In the event of contravention of the service tariff order, TRAI after examining the matter could give a direction for the order to be followed. If the order was still not followed, the TRAI has the option of filing a complaint before an appropriate Court under section 29 and 30 read with section 34 of the TRAI Act. (UNI)

CBSE issues guidelines for "alternative
homework" for children

NEW DELHI, Feb 22: Stress-free education for children! armed with this mantra, the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) has formulated new guidelines for schools which will do away with conventional homework and instead provide alternative exercises.

Observing that today’s children are "prone to stress", the CBSE wants to provide them with "stress-free" education, especially in the formative years.

"One factor which adds to stress is homework. It also robs children of the time they could spend with parents", G Balasubramanian, Director (academic) at CBSE told PTI.

While denying that the board is "abolishing" homework for class I and II, he says "CBSE is giving guidelines for alternative homework which will help develop multiple intelligence and emotional skills of the children".

"Homework, which is just repetition does not help. What is important is how much knowledge is gained. This is important especially at a young age when it is the time for children to have the right attitude, right aptitude and healthy relationships", he says.

The CBSE has formulated guidelines in the form of a book for classes I-V, which will be circulated to schools within a month. The proposals, at a "final stage" now, would come into effect from the next academic session, starting in April this year.

"The book contains illustrations of various skills which are open to schools to adopt in the manner that they find suitable", Balasubramanian says.

Elaborating on the guidelines, he says "while studying nature, children could go to a park and try to identify various plants and flowers. Or, they could learn to stitch a button, which is a life skill".

"Learning to talk on the telephone can develop inter-personal communication. All this is part of the holistic development of the child and his emotional empowerment", he says.

The reaction from schools has been "wonderful" so far and teachers and principals feel "it is a step in the right direction", he says.

The CBSE Director, however, says schools can frame their guidelines accordingly, keeping in mind children from different backgrounds.

"The guidelines have to be relevant and contextual. Exercises can differ for rural and urban children and also age-wise", he says.

The book focusses on the gradual expansion of the base of the child and has chapters accordingly.

"The book has chapters on myself, my family, my school, my city and progresses onto my country, gradually expanding the base of the child", he says adding that practising school teachers were involved in the process of formulating the guidelines.

Besides "alternative homework", the book also talks about a proposal for continuous evaluation as opposed to examinations.

"We are discouraging exams for class I and II. For class III-V, we have recommended an assessment system of continuous evaluation. The focus should be on experiential learning", he says.

While the guidelines are not binding on educational institutions, schools under the cbse generally follow whatever the board says.

Stressing that the CBSE was a body of "educationists, not policemen", Balasubramanian says "we want to create acceptability for the proposal. We welcome suggestions from schools. I’m sure the entire system will take it on a voluntary basis." (PTI)

India likely to become most virus prone country:Expert

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Feb 22: Netizens of India beware a variety of ‘worms’ and ‘viruses’, ‘spies’ and ‘trojan horses’ are lurking in the cyber dark to attack homes, offices and installations. And, not enough attention is being paid to the threat posed by them.

As an emerging Information Technology (IT) powerhouse, India should move fast to put in place laws and mechanisms to protect its computer systems and networks from these "enemies", says Prof N Balakrishnan, Chairman, Division of Information Sciences, Indian Institute of Science (IISC), Bangalore.

"The country has not put in place any serious intrusion detection or intrusion prevention mechanisms. There are no laws about spams. Pirated versions of programmes abound. Virus cleaning mechanisms are not used. Almost 50 per cent of the e-mail bandwidth is clogged with junk mail. We are likely to become the most virus prone and junk mail hoarding country in the world," prof. Balakrishnan said in an interview to UNI here.

In Thiruvananthapuram to attend the launch of the first indigenously developed set of cyber forensic tools by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Prof Balakrishnan said there was a need for a national agenda for creating anti-spamming laws and best practices for web sites.

Predicting that the future warfare would be information warfare, he said the physical and economic security of a country would rest on its information security. While internet is not yet "life critical" in India, it is critical to the country’s economic security.

Describing Information Technology as both a weapon and a target, he said the ability of nations to launch cyber attacks and to protect against concerted attacks would become items of negotiations like the CTBT.

"Like nuclear haves and have-nots, you will soon have cyber nations and non-cyber nations. We are all vulnerable."

Stating that "hactivism", a convergence of political activism and computer attacks and hacking, was on the increase, he said case studies done on defacement of Indian web sites had shown a direct relationship between political conflicts and increased cyber attacks.

The rate of defacement, mostly by pro-Pakistani interests, registered an increase with any downturn in bilateral relations or spurt in terrorist-related activity.

Thus, the Barc site was attacked immediately after Pokharan II and as many as 560 Indian sites were defaced in a single mass defacement around the Indepedence Day in 2002, in the aftermath of the breaking of all diplomatic and other ties between India and Pakistan.

According to Prof Balakishnan, who holds the Prof Satish Dhawan Chair at the IISC, a study of the messages left behind by the hackers showed that 30 per cent of them were motivated by political interest, 25 per cent by ethnic hatred and 11 per cent by nationalism. Personal vendetta instigated only two per cent of the attacks while "fun hacking" accounted for 21 per cent of the defacements.

Describing "cyber terrorism" as a cheap option, Prof Balakrishnan said opportunities abound to manipulate perceptions in cyberspace.

"Spreading onto internet makes the battle field without frontiers. The enemy is unknown and everwhere."

The attacks could also throw out of gear a country’s vital installations such as telecom networks, ATC, Power Grid, Railway and Airline reservations, Commercial Banks and ATMs.

On the use of computers by criminals, he said economic offenders were increasingly using computers and terrorist networks also communicated through the web and were it savvy. Stating that law enforcers the world over were not ready for tackling crime in the digital world, Prof Balakrishnan said there was a need to devise special tools for them.

Describing hi-tech, high data rate interception as one of the challenges facing the world, he said the Indian experience in Analog communication interception was very good. This needed to be updated both for monitoring and analyses.

On preventing misuse of internet, Prof Balakrishnan said every Indian should have traceable identity so that no fake id could be created on the net. Every computer or access devise should be identifiable and traceable. Every transaction should be made traceable.

"A balance can then be maintained between individual privacy and national security." (UNI)

Pakistani women’s team visits Ajmer Dargah

AJMER, Feb 22: A 24-member team of the all Pakistan women’s association visited the Dargah of Sufi Saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti here today.

The team, led by Najma Mehmoodullah of Islamabad, arrived at the Dargah this morning after touring Pushkar, 13 Km from here.

"People of Pakistan are eagerly waiting for the India-Pakistan cricket series," Ms Mehmoodullah said, expressing hope that efforts for peace between the two countries would succeed.

The delegation had arrived in India on February 16 and has already visited Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, besides Pushkar. (UNI)

Don’t let fears get to you : doctor

NEW DELHI, Feb 22: To students wondering why work hard with Ravinderpal Singh Sidhus or Dr Ranjit Singh’s out there ‘blessing’ the competition for a price- a psychiatrist says take heart.

"That someone out there is queering the pitch, may be reason to work harder— not to give up," says Samir Parikh, a consultant psychiatrist working with schoolgoers.

He suggests students take it as another odd to beat, until the Government or Judges find the guilty and put them away where they belong.

Dr Singh is a key accused in leaking question papers for tests that are a gateway to medical or management education. Sidhu, former Chairman of Punjab Public Service Commission, was allegedly caught running a racket in civil and judicial jobs— taking money to hire.

Some children, according to Dr Parikh, see such reports and worry what is the point in putting in hard work if others score marks or get jobs on the platter. That authorities may have caught up with a gang or two does not rule out others still operating— a reflection of the level of faith in a justice system which fails to convict the accused nine times out of ten— or even oftener.

"I have in recent months had kids come to me with such doubts," Dr Parikh said in a telephone interview. "I ask the student to learn to distinguish between the points of concern over which he or she has control and those over which he or she has no control. That someone out there is queering the pitch, may be reason to work harder not to give up."

The secret, he said, was not to let something "over which you have no control overwhelm you. If anything, that has to be a cause for working harder."

Parikh said the number of students visiting psychiatrists for consultation, especially before exam, has grown substantially in recent years— and four out of five show signs of mild to severe anxiety.

At a recent workshop for school counselors, he said exam anxieties— pressures of expectation and performance— make students’ life these days ‘’very stressful.’’

A key concern that surfaced on the occasion was the heightening suicide rate among youngsters.

Recent world health organisation studies and other published accounts have estimated occurence of a million suicides a year around the world— and about 100,000 a year in India alone— which amounts to an Indian national taking his or her life every five minutes.

The worldwide incidence of suicide has risen 60 per cent over 45 years. Suicide attempts have also risen alarmingly.

Although suicide has traditionally been highest among elderly males, studies now show that rates "among young people have been increasing to such an extent that they are now the group at highest risk in a third of all countries."

India’s national crime records bureau has reportedly estimated the incidence growing from 40,245 cases in 1981 to 84,244 in 1993 and 100,000 by 1999— and one in three suicides being that of a youth.

Dr Parikh said adolescent suicide rate has jumped four-fold since 1950 and accounts for nearly 12 per cent of adolescent deaths. He put suicide as third leading cause of death among 15-24-year-olds.

Such data underscore need for school counselors— mental health experts— to help students overcome exam related emotional and psychological problems.

He estimated that only a small proportion of Indian schools currently have counselors.

Dr Parikh suggested schools setting up helplines during exams and encouraging students to get in touch in time of stress.

Common complaints that trigger crises range from self-doubts, failure to concentrate, suffering dizzy spells in exam halls, even blackouts, he said, adding that students must be encouraged to talk to experts whenever they feel the pressure coming.

He said friends and family have a key role in this and breaking away from this support system may increase the risk of adverse effects.

He stressed reinforcing students’ study skills and instructing them in organising time and material so as to reduce the sense of ‘having to do so much in less time’.

He also advocated healthy lifestyle skills— leisure, plenty of breaks, proper sleep, staying in touch with friends and family, good diet, relaxation exercises and leaving nothing to last minute.

Guided imagery— confronting anxiety-causing issues in a relaxed state— can help improve concentration, he said.

Dr Parikh suggested students fixing a worry time— and postponing all worrying until that period.

He said signs of distress parents should look for include sadness, crying spells, social withdrawal, sleep impairment, somatic complaints like pains and aches and reduced appetite.

His do’s and don’ts for parents: Support and encourage kids, have fun with them, take breaks with them, don’t let them overwork and don’t nag them. (UNI)

Naidu, Krishna, Patnaik, Chamling hope to stave
off anti-incumbency factors

NEW DELHI, Feb 22: Like the NDA Government at the Centre, the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Orissa and Sikkim are also hoping to stave off anti-incumbency factors and emerge victorious in the assembly elections that will be held in their states along with the April-May Lok Sabha polls.

All four Chief Ministers have opted for early dissolution of the assemblies, months ahead of schedule, and decided to go to the people on the strength of their performance.

The opposition in these states, on the other hand, is hoping to unseat them through new alliances and by trying to pin them down on local issues, especially those related to development.

With the dates of the polls slated to be announced later this week, UNI reports from the four states show that the major political parties are yet to begin serious campaigning, though there has been a lot of behind-the-scenes activity, mainly to work out new alliances and seat sharing arrangements.

It would appear that, apart from the state-level issues, the alliances that the major parties are able to stitch would be an important factor that will determine the outcome of the coming elections.

In Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party leader N Chandrababu Naidu has managed a head start over his main rivals, the Congress, by announcing the dissolution of the assembly even before there was any serious talk about the general elections. He is seeking a third term in office.

In Karnataka, Chief Minister S M Krishna of the Congress is making a bid for a second term by highlighting his Government’s performance.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik of Orissa is seeking a second term while his Sikkim counterpart Pawan Chamling is looking for a third innings in office.

In Andhra Pradesh, the Telengana issue and alliances will be major factors in the elections.

Unlike the 1999 General Elections which the TDP won hands down, the assembly polls this time present the ruling party with twin hurdles.

Since the last elections, the demand for a separate Telangana state has assumed a feverish pitch. While the TDP has stuck to its stand of a ‘United Andhra,’ what has caused the party discomfiture is the fact that the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), spearheading the separate statehood movement, has been flirting with the idea of forging an electoral alliance with the Congress.

With 107 of the 294 assembly seats falling in the backward Telangana region, the TDP can ill-afford to ignore the twin issues - the demand for a separate state and the proposed alliance between the TRS and Congress.

However, with the opposition yet to formalise an alliance and seat sharing arrangements, the TDP has got some respite. It had earlier managed to get its ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party, to put the Telangana demand in the cold storage.

The TRS, formed in April 2001 with considerable clout in Telangana, is learnt to have asked for at least 51 assembly seats and seven Lok Sabha seats from the Congress, besides a clear commitment on the demand for a separate state.

However, the Congress is unlikely to part with such a large number to a party which is yet to prove its strength in electoral politics.

TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao was the lone member of the party in the dissolved assembly. The party had no representative in the Lok Sabha, but BJP MP A Narendra defected to it protesting against the ‘go-slow’ approach of that party on the Telengana demand.

Though too early, poll pundits predict that an electoral understanding between the Ccongress, the TRS and the Left parties (CPI and CPI-M) under a secular banner could tilt the electoral fortunes in their favour.

Initially averse to any adjustment with the ‘separatist’ trs, the pro-vishalandhra (unified andhra) left-wing parties have come to accept that only a united opposition could dislodge the tdp from power.

The pressure to capture power is telling on the Congress, as a defeat this time could mean a requiem to the party in the state. But, infighting and the failure to name a Chief Ministerial candidate is creating difficulties for it.

Chief Minister Naidu set the campaign clock ticking for his party with a mega meeting ‘Vijaya Bheri’ (sounding of the victory conch) in the state capital, which was the culmination of a series of events in the districts.

Meanwhile, the Congress’s ‘Prajahita’ bus yatra held a few months ago is in danger of fading from the minds of the people.

With the polls due in April-May, the opposition parties do not have much time to sort out their differences on various issues, including Telengana and sharing of seats.

The BJP, on the other hand, has given a wish list to the TDP demanding at least 42 assembly seats (one seat in each Parliamentary segment) as against the 24 it contested (won 12) in the last elections. Bjp leaders pramod mahajan and arun jaitley will hold talks with the TDP leadership on this topic soon.

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, which had three MLAs and one MP in the dissolved houses, is also putting its weight behind the Congress camp.

Whatever be the electoral arithmetic, the TDP has another acid test to pass - that of facing the distraught farmers after four successive droughts. With the assassination bid on Mr Naidu last year becoming a distant memory now, a backfiring of the party’s calculations to exploit the perceived sympathy wave is the last thing that the ‘yellow’ brigade wants.

In Karnataka, the assembly is due to be dissolved tomorrow, some eight months ahead of schedule and all the main parties have started drawing up poll strategies.

Both the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP are wooing leaders of the All India Progressive Janata Dal (AIPJD).

Multi-cornered contests are likely to be witnessed in most of the 224 assembly constituencies, though the main battle will be among the Congress, the BJP and the Janata Dal (secular) of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda.

With their strength dwindled, the AIPJD, which lost most of its leaders to the Congress and some to the BJP, will find the going difficult.

No major alliances are in the offing, though the AIPJD is trying for an adjustment with the Janata Party (JP) of Dr Subramaniam Swamy so that it could contest on the symbol of "farmer carring a plough."

Despite the efforts by industrialist and liquor Baron Vijay Mallya, a Rajya Sabha member, the JP has not made much headway.

A nascent outfit, the Kannada Nadu of former BJP MP Vijayshankeshwar, will make its electoral debut this time.

The Janata Dal(S) will kickstart its election campaign on February 23 from Nargund/Navalgund in Dharwad district.

The gap after the cabinet decision and the day of dissolution has been gainfully utilised by Mr Krishna and his cabinet colleagues to visit various places across the state and launch developmental programmes.

The demise of former Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde has put paid to the possibility of a formidable third front to challenge Congress and the BJP.

Like the Congress, which admitted some AIPJD legislators into its fold last week, the BJP has also been welcoming leaders from other parties. They include former Hegde confidante Ramesh Jigajinigi, a former MP from Bagalkot, and Mrs Manorama Madhwaraj, a former Congress Minister from Udupi.

Former Bangalore Police Commissioner H T Sangliyana joined the BJP, while former Chief Secretary B S Patil joined the Congress.

Though former Chief Minister and AIPJD supremo S R Bommai was aware of the backstage operations by some of the legislators to switch over to either the BJP or the Congress, the shift by some legislators to the Congress on February 18 has numbed the party.

In Orissa, the battle will be between the ruling BJD-BJP, on the one hand, and the Congress-led opposition.

For the Congress, striking alliances will be virtually a new experience after 1974 when, under the leadership of Mrs Nandini Satpathy, it had gone for a pre-poll alliance with the CPI.

This time, the party, with three-time Chief Minister J B Pattnaik at the helm, is holding parleys with other political parties on seat-sharing arrangements.

According to Mr Pattnaik, negotiations are going on with the CPI, JMM, Janata Dal (S) and the Orissa Gana Parishad (OGP).

The Congress has admitted some prominent leaders and founders of the BJD who were expelled for anti party activities. They include former Finance Minister R K Pattnaik, former BJD working president Nalini Mahanty and Rajya Sabha member and former Union Minister Dilip Ray.

The BJD has inducted OGP secretary general Tathagat Satapathy while its coalition partner BJP has roped in another OGP leader, Jayadeb Parida from the tribals-dominated Nabarangpur district.

The last assembly election saw a straight fight between the BJD-BJP combine and the ruling Congress in which the former captured power by bagging 106 of the total 147 seats.

When the assembly was dissolved on February 6, the ruling BJD had a strength of 69 members followed by its alliance partner BJP(38), Congress (25), JMM (2), Janata Dal(S), the CPI and CPI(M) one each and 10 independents.

In the 2000 elections, the late Biju Patnaik’s legacy helped his son Naveen Patnaik to lead his BJD to a sweeping victory. The BJD and the BJD are likely to stick to the same seat-sharing formula this time, too.

The Congress is yet to make much progress in the matter of forging alliances, with discussions running into hurdles mainly on the question of seat-sharing.

According to the political pundits, although the Vajpayee factor will play a major role, the real battle will be between the Chief Minister and State Congress chief J B Pattnaik.

Mr Pattnaik said his party had a single-point agenda — Naveen Hatao — and would focus on what he described as the "non performance of the coalition Government."

Corruption charges against the Chief Minister in mining deals are also likely to figure in the campaign.

On the other hand, the BJD feels that with J B Pattnaik leading the Congress in Orissa, it would be a cakewalk for the ruling combine.

BJD spokesperson and Panchayat Raj Minister Damodar Rout said the alliance would certainly make the 13 years of "misrule" by the PCC chief a major issue in the elections.

The Congress has started its campaign through its president Sonia Gandhi’s "Jana Sampark Yatra" to coastal and south Orissa, considered to be BJD bastions.

The Chief Minister has been making whirlwind tours of several areas after he decided to go for in for early polls, laying foundation stones of various projects and announcing sops to woo the voters.

The BJP has been concentrating on strengthening its organizational base with two of its Central leaders virtually camping in the state for the last fortnight.

The BJD-BJP combine has decided to formally launch its election campaign from the holy town of Puri on February 28 after formulating a joint strategy at a convention of the leaders of the two parties.

In Sikkim, the major parties in the fray are the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) led by Chief Minister Pawan Chamling and the Sikkim Pradesh Congress led by Nar Bahadur Bhandari, who has served as Chief Minister thrice.

While the SDF has decided to go it alone, a state-level Congress CPI(M) alliance is on the cards.

The SDF is a partner of the BJP-led NDA at the Centre, but the state BJP has decided to field candidates for all assembly seats and also the lone Lok Sabha seat.

"We will fight the elections on our own strength. We will not go into any alliance and we are confident of winning all 32 assembly seats," Mr Chamling said on February 11 when the assembly was dissolved.

Mr Bhandari, on the other hand, said on Friday that he would not consider alliances with any regional party but was open to mergers with the Congress.

"This is because the regional parties will not be able to protect themselves from the attacks of the ruling party and hence we are not sure whether any alliance will last," he explained.

Mr Bhandari, however, acknowledged that a state-level Congress-CPI(M) alliance is on the cards and a meeting to finalise and work out modalities will be held on February 27. He is equally confident of coming to power this time.

Political observers say that the ethnic issue will be a dominant factor in the elections. After the accordance of Scheduled Tribe status to the Limboos and Tamangs recently, different ethnic groups have been voicing their political demands and insecurities.

Groups like the Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee, Limboo Tamang Joint Action Committee and the Gorkha Apex Committee will play a major role this time.

After the Scheduled Tribes status was accorded to the Limboos and Tamangs, the Bhutias and Lepchas of Sikkim feared that the some of the 12 out of 32 seats reserved for them in the state assembly would be allotted to the Limboos and Tamangs and the political rights provided to the Bhutias and Lepchas of Sikkim by Article 371 (f) were under threat.

Campaigning is on in full swing for the ruling SDF. The Congress started its campaign early but is at present slightly on the ebb. They say they are preparing their election manifesto. They have also said that they have more or less finalised their candidates, but have not declared them as yet.

Meanwhile, pre-election violence has already started. Transport Minister S B Subedi has been named in an FIR for beating up a Congress leader. Some vehicles of a local party, Himali Rajya Parishad, were damaged. There was a political scuffle some time ago in the High Court premises.

The Congress has demanded President’s rule in the state and urged Governor V Rama Rao, the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police to take action. (UNI)