Govt won't be sacrificed for n-deal
No elections before 2009: Pranab

NEW DELHI, Mar 8: Downplaying the Left’s threat to withdraw support, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee today made it clear that neither the Congress nor its allies were thinking of elections before 2009 and there was no question of "sacrificing" the Government for the Indo-US nuclear deal.

Mukherjee said India had conveyed to the US that it could not work "within a specific time-frame" to conclude the deal.

"I don’t think so, because we want to have elections in due time (in 2009)," Mukherjee told NDTV when asked about the possibility of early polls.

While noting that "many unforeseen things happen" in coalition politics, he said "but the things you have referred to are not unforeseen because the position of Left parties is well known to us."

He was responding to the threat issued by the Left parties of withdrawal of support if the Government went ahead with operationalising the Indo-US nuclear deal.

"I do not visualise that anybody is thinking of early elections. None of the coalition partners or coalition supporters are talking of early elections," Mukherjee insisted.

"Nobody is talking of holding elections now. There is no talk of sacrificing the Government for something," he said when asked if there was a debate in the Congress about whether the nuclear deal is worth sacrificing the Government for.

The Left parties, which provide crucial outside support to the Government, have lately hardened their stance against operationalisation of the deal, triggering speculation of early polls.

Asked about CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan’s letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday threatening to withdraw support, Mukherjee said he had not seen the letter but only read about it in newspapers.

He, however, referred to the letter written by CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat to him wherein the Communist leader had sought early meeting of the UPA-Left committee on the nuclear deal.

"There he (Karat) has simply stated that as per our arrangement we shall have to meet. ‘We have read in newspapers that negotiations with IAEA are complete. So, kindly fix a meeting, preferably by March 15’," the External Affairs Minister said.

Downplaying the Left parties’ threat, Mukherjee suggested that it was nothing new.

"Generally, I can say that they have all along maintained their position that if you proceed with civilian nuclear cooperation with the US, then they will have to withdraw support. It is decision of their policy-making bodies," he said.

Asked if the Left, at the next UPA-Left meeting, demands that the Government should not go ahead with the deal, Mukherjee said "what they will demand and what will be our response, I know how to deal with it."

On the deadline of May set by US Senators to conclude negotiations with IAEA and seek waiver from Nuclear Suppliers Group, he said "of course, there is a timeframe because of their election process. So they might have talked of that.

"So far as India is concerned, we have mentioned to them that is not possible for us to work within a specific timeframe."

The Bush administration as well as the US lawmakers have been insisting that the deal should come before the Congress by May-end so that there is sufficient time to have a final vote on it.

They have warned that if the agreement is not concluded during the tenure of President George W Bush, India will not get a similar deal from the next administration. (PTI)

Gujjar's killing leads to SHO's suspension, inquiry

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Mar 8: A Gujjar was killed under mysterious circumstances along Narwal bypass late last night. The Government has ordered suspension of SHO Bagh-e-Bahu Sub Inspector Shakti Sharma and ordered a magisterial inquiry into the killing after the Gujjars protested at Medical College alleging that the Gujjar was killed after being hit by a police stick on his head.

Police have, meanwhile, seized three trucks including the one in which the killed Gujjar was travelling, and recovered 33 bovine animals from them. While two trucks were seized by a naka laid by Nagrota police station the third truck was seized by Bagh-e-Bahu police at Narwal bypass on the boundary of Nagrota and Bagh-e-Bahu police stations. Three bovine smugglers have been arrested by Nagrota police.

The Gujjar, who was killed under mysterious circumstances at Narwal bypass last night, has been identified as Murad Bakshi son of Said Din R/o Manorha Gopla, Samba, presently putting up at Sidhra.

He was shifted to Medical College hospital soon after the incident where he was declared as brought dead.

Police sources said Bagh-e-Bahu police had a specific information that nearly a dozen bovine animals were being smuggled in a truck No. 4545 JK02K from Raghoora, Sidhra to Srinagar in the night. Police parties led by SHO Bagh-e-Bahu Shakti Sharma immediately laid a naka at Narwal bypass. Another naka was laid on main Nagrota road by Nagrota police station.

Two trucks, which had crossed bypass before Bagh-e-Bahu police laid the naka, were seized by Nagrota police from which three bovine smugglers were arrested and 21 bovine animals were seized.

Driver of third truck, which was following two trucks, came to know that two trucks had been seized by a police naka. According to Police, Murad Bakshi, who was sitting along with driver of the truck, jumped out of running truck. The driver, whose identity couldn’t be ascertained, also stopped the vehicle short of police naka and escaped.

Police said Murad Bakshi’s head was either hit by door of the truck or he fell on a stone which crushed his skull leading to his on spot death.

However, the Gujjars and other local people didn’t agree with the police version and alleged that Murad Bakshi was hit on his head by a police stick which led to his killing. They held a demonstration at Government Medical College (GMC) hospital, where body of the youth had been kept for post-mortem as Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad reached the hospital for inspection of under construction extended emergency wing of the GMC.

The Gujjars were demanding action against the police for killing of Murad Bakshi.

Sources said the Chief Minister directed suspension of SHO Bagh-e-Bahu Shakti Sharma and ordered a magisterial inquiry into the killing, which will be completed within 14 days. He also asked the Medical College authorities to constitute a Board of Doctors for conducting post-mortem of the Gujjar.

GMC Medical Superintendent Dr Romesh Gupta said the post-mortem was conducted by a Medical Board and the body was sent to Murad Bakshi’s house for burial.

Mr Azad has also ordered a compensation of Rs one lakh to next of kin of the deceased family.

Police said a FIR under Section 188 RPC had been registered at Bagh-e-Bahu police station before police laid a naka to check bovine animals smuggling. The FIR in the killing of Murad Bakshi under Section 304 A (death due to negligent act of driving) has been registered at Nagrota police station.

Two trucks, which were moving ahead of truck No. 4545 JK02K in which Murad was killed, were seized by Nagrota police station naka at the end of Narwal bypass road. The truck Nos. 7605 JK02F and 3237 JK02H were carrying 21 bovine animals, which have been seized. Three bovine smugglers were arrested from the truck. They have been identified as Roshan Din son of Shaffi R/o Bohli, Samba, Liaquat Hussain son of Jalal Din R/o Jawahar Nagar, Rajouri and Kaka Hussain son of Shah Mohd R/o Dwara, Raghoora, Sidhra.

Twelve bovine animals were recovered from the truck in which Murad Bakshi was travelling. Police said a search was on to apprehend driver of the truck, who had managed to escape.

Police authorities have categorically denied that Murad Bakshi was killed in police action but said the facts will come out in the inquiry.

Police said for the past few months smuggling of bovine animals has alarmingly been on rise and the smugglers were using Narwal bypass route. It was in view of the increased smuggling that police had stepped-up nakas. As many as 27 FIRs of bovine animals smuggling have been registered in peripheries of Jammu City along during last two months, sources said.

Striking SRTC employees canecharged, 130 arrested

SRINAGAR, Mar 8: About two dozen State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) employees and their family members were injured when police fired tear gas shells and resorted to baton charge to disperse them on Moulana Azad road this afternoon.

About 60 striking employees, besides 70 members of the State Government Employees Joint Action Committee (JAC) were also arrested by the police.

The SRTC employees were on indefinite strike for the past few weeks in support of their 13-point demands.

The employees, who had struck work despite threat by the Government declaring their strike unlawful, assembled in the SRTC headquarters along with their family members, including women and children today.

Raising slogans against Transport Minister Hakeem Yaseen, SRTC Management and Government, the employees alleged that the authorities had failed to implement their promises from time to time.

As the employees tried to march towards the busy Moulana Azad road, police resorted to baton charge. Later, the police fired tear gas shells to disperse the employees and their family members.

A UNI correspondent, who was on the spot saw about two dozen employees and their family members wounded in police action.

The police also detained more than 60 employees and their family members.

The SRTC union leaders claimed that hundreds of their workers were so far arrested by the police from different parts of the Valley.

The employees, joined by their family members, including children were demonstrating against the Government almost everyday for the past few weeks.

Children of the employees set on fire their uniform and books early this week saying that they were not being allowed to sit in the classes as they have no fees to deposit in school.

The Government had recently asked the striking employees to resume duty as their salaries would be released within a week. The release of salary, was one of the demands of the striking employees.

However, when the employees continued their stir, the Government had declared the strike unlawful and warned them to resume duty or face action under the Essential Services Maintenance Ordinance (ESMO).

The striking employees said their General Provident Fund (GPF) had not been deposited with proper authority by the SRTC management. They are not being paid GPF and other dues, they added.

They have presented a 13-point demands to the Government, which included release of wages, payment of cost of living from 2006, appointment of children of deceased employees under SRO-43 and appointment of a commission to probe into the alleged scandals in the corporation.

The JAC also took to the streets at Partap park near here in support of the striking SRTC employees.

A JAC spokesman said the police used force against them and also arrested more than 70 members.

State Secretary of the Communist Party of India (M) M Y Tarigami condemned the police excesses on the SRTC employees.

He said the Government should immediately meet the demands, including release of COLA, CP fund and salaries.

Mr Tarigami said the successive Government had created ‘‘mess’’ in the Corporation and never addressed the issues faced by the workers.

He urged the Government to stop victimization of the SRTC workers, release detained workers and initiate negotiations with the representatives of protesting workers.

He also appealed to the SRTC workers to enter negotiations with the Government for an early settlement of their issues.(UNI)

Second slot in literacy, top in teachers' vacancies
Kathua's distinction under 'threat'

By Mohinder Verma

JAMMU, Mar 8: Unbelievable it may sound but it is a fact that a district in the State which has the distinction of having second highest literacy rate, is presently plagued with the highest ever vacancies of the teachers as well as lecturers.

Sources said that though the Service Selection Recruitment Board (SSRB) during the past one year made selection of several teachers to overcome the problem of vacancies in Government schools across the State, yet Kathua district continue to reel under acute shortage of teaching staff.

"Presently, around 3500 posts of teachers have been lying vacant in the Government schools in Jammu division of which 900 are only in the Kathua district", the sources said, adding "even large number of posts of Lecturers are lying vacant in the district". The remaining 2600 vacancies of the teachers fall in the districts of Ramban, Kishtwar, Rajouri, Udhampur and Jammu.

The situation vis-a-vis shortage of teachers deteriorated further after the promotion of the teachers to the masters grade recently as maximum promotees were from the Kathua district, the sources disclosed and said that of the total 650 promoted teachers majority of them were adjusted in the other districts owning to least vacancies of Masters in the district.

They attributed this grave problem to the failure of the State Government to lay focus on providing adequate teaching staff while opening and upgrading existing schools during the past some years.

"The Kathua district has the literacy rate of 65.6 per cent and is only after the Jammu district which has the highest literacy rate of 77 per cent in the State", the sources disclosed and said that all other districts are far behind the Kathua district in the tally of the literacy rate.

"The highest ever shortage of teachers in Kathua is likely to cast shadow on its distinction of being number two highly literate district", they apprehended and said that the shortage of teachers even in the other districts may cost students dearly in the examinations.

Confirming that Kathua district has been hit hard by the shortage of the teachers, Director School Education, Jammu, A K Raina said that the vacant posts have been referred to the recruiting agency and it has been requested to speed up the recruitment process.

"We are expecting recruitment of 300 teachers shortly", he further said. Mr Raina, however, maintained that meeting 100 per cent shortfall was not possible. "Now after massive expansion in the school education there is a dire need to focus on quality and for the same a plan has been mooted to frame monitoring teams comprising of reputed Headmasters, Principals, teachers and representatives of the District Institutes of Education Training (DIETs), from the next academic session", he said.

The teams will visit schools to review their activities aimed at improving the academic standards, assess achievement level and problems. They will later discuss the outcome of their visits with the Chief Education Officers and Zonal Education Officers for immediate solution.

Hay-and-horse situation at Asma-Hurriyat meeting

From Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Mar 8: She talked of the horse and they talked of the hay but Asma Jehangir's meeting with leaders of the Mirwaiz Umar faction of Hurriyat Conference happened inspite of her being labeled as an "Indian agent" by the Valley's radical separatist leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelani and the Dukhtaraan-e-Millat chief, Asiya Andrabi.

Before concluding her 24-hour-long brief visit and boarding a New Delhi-bound Jet Airways flight, Pakistan's celebrated human rights activist and a UN Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion and Faith, Asma Jehangir, walked into the Mirwaiz Hurriyat headquarters at Rajbagh. With Chairman Umar Farooq being still in America, she and her European colleague, Michael, had more than an hour-long interaction with the Valley's separatist leaders. Former heads of the separatist conglomerate, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat and Maulvi Abbas Ansari, were among half-a-dozen Hurriyat functionaries who briefed Asma---more on Azadi and human rights abuse than her specific UN mandate on "freedom of religion".

Insiders revealed to EXCELSIOR that her hosts focused strictly on their political slogan of Azadi and the human rights abuse committed by military and paramilitary forces while fighting armed insurgency in Kashmir in the last 19 years. They laid maximum stress on 17-year-old "mass rape of women" at Kunan Poshpora village in Kupwara district and alleged that "rape, burning of properties, forced disappearances as also killing and detaining innocent civilians" by the government agencies and security forces was "unabated" in the strife-torn state.

Even as their guest maintained, more than once, that she was visiting Kashmir with the "limited mandate" of studying the freedom of religion and faith "in this part of India", the separatist leaders sought to convey to Islamabad---and, more sharply to Asif Ali Zardari's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)---through Ms Jehangir that General Musharraf's successor regime should continue "unambiguous support to our freedom struggle". Asma, who had bitterly cried in her television interviews on the day of Benazir Bhutto's assassination in December last, is famous in Kashmir for her long association with PPP and now that party's emissary in India.

While Hurriyat issued a 3-sentence statement on the meeting and decided not to face the media, Asma made it clear to a thick brigade of journalists that her UN mandate was restricted to studying the freedom of religion in Kashmir and other Indian States. "I'm just studying what kind of a religious freedom is here…Is there any kind of communal bigotry". She sought to clarify that it was a worldwide academic exercise carried out by the UN rapporteurs, including herself. She said that she would compile a detailed report at the conclusion of her visit to India and submit it to the UN agency.

Ms Jehangir expressed her pleasure over the freedom of religion and faith in India and said that inspite of occasional aberrations by communal elements, there was a protective and corrective mechanism to restore the atmosphere of harmony between different religions. In the brief statement, Hurriyat said that it explained to Ms Jehangir that there was the best possible religious tolerance and communal harmony in Jammu and Kashmir and those harping on communal strife were "New Delhi's henchmen".

Meanwhile, a day after the Dukhataraan-e-Millat chief, Asiya Andrabi, called her "an Indian agent", Chairman of the so-called hardline faction of Hurriyat Conference, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, today alleged that Asma Jehangir had only damaged her credibility as a human rights activist by "remaining tightlipped over the human rights abuse of Indian forces in Kashmir". "It's clear from her tone and tenor that she is here on an Indian mission rather than that of the UN. She has been crying over human rights all over the world. How can she remain deaf and dumb to the human rights violations by forces in Kashmir?", Geelani said in his statement to local media from New Delhi.

"If she is here on a holiday trip, she could well have enjoyed it in some other countries. If she wanted to relish the Kashmiri cuisine, it could have been sent to her by courier", Geelani added in his hard-hitting statement over Asma Jehangir's visit.

While Geelani's statement ran into circulation in Srinagar, Asma returned to New Delhi alongwith her European colleague---leaving behind a visibly shattered separatist camp, a triumphant establishent and a completely indifferent population of six million Kashmiris.

Arnas massacre solved, accused arrested
Bid to target majority community VDCs unearthed

By Sanjeev Pargal

JAMMU, Mar 8: The Hizbul Mujahideen commanders have directed their cadre to target Village Defence Committee (VDC) members of majority community, who have taken up official guns and were fighting militancy firmly.

Thursday night’s attack on a VDC member Mushtaq Ahmed and his family at Sani Top in Arnas area of Reasi district in which Mushtaq’s father and two daughters were killed and five other family members including Mushtaq himself were injured was an outcome of the HM commanders’ direction, police said.

However, acting swiftly, Reasi police have unearthed the conspiracy behind attack on Muslim VDC member’s family and arrested the main accused who had lobbed grenades on Mushtaq’s house on Thursday night. His arrest was made within 36 hours of the incident.

Identified as Abdul Rashid son of Abdul Majid Mir, a resident of Challad, the grenade thrower was arrested this afternoon from a hide-out in upper reaches of Arnas where he had fled after the attack, SSP Reasi J L Sharma said.

He added that police parties from police post and police camp, Arnas had been deputed to different directions soon after the attack and were hunting Abdul Rashid, who had turned out to be prime suspect in the attack on VDC member. The arrest was finally made this afternoon.

IGP Jammu K Rajendera monitored the operation and announced Rs 40,000 cash reward for the cops.

Abdul Rashid, Mr Sharma said, had been won over by Hizbul Mujahideen commanders Mushtaq Ahmed alias Baber Hizbi, district commander and Peer Manwar R/o Sumbar, Gool. They had given a Chinese grenade to Abdul Rashid and asked him to throw it inside the house of Mushtaq Ahmed.

On Thursday night, Rashid had called out Mushtaq Ahmed from his house on the pretext of taking a match box as both were known to each other. Rashid and Mushtaq’s houses were just 200 meters apart. As Mushtaq returned to the house after giving match box, Rashid lobbed the grenade from behind killing Mushtaq’s three family members and injuring five others including Mushtaq.

Rashid was shifted to Arnas amidst tight security arrangements this afternoon where he was subjected to sustained questioning. During preliminary interrogation, he has confessed the grenade attack which, he said, was carried out on the instructions of Baber Hizbi.

According to sources, the Hizbul Mujahideen outfit was upset with a large number of majority community members taking up arms against the militants joining VDCs and police as SPOs. Hizbi had issued directions for killing such VDC members or their families as they were hurdles in smooth movement of the militants besides their attack in the villages.

Police have recovered the grenade’s pin and some documents from the possession of Rashid.

Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police (IGP) K Rajendera has announced a cash reward of Rs 50,000 for the police which apprehended Abdul Rashid within 36 hours of the incident. Mr Rajendera has lauded quick action by police in apprehending the accused of three killings of a VDC members’ family.

Police said efforts were on to apprehend Hizbi and Peer Manwar. During the questioning of Abdul Rashid some hide-outs of two HM commanders have been ascertained.

Bid to revive Punjab militancy: PM

NEW DELHI, Mar 8: Government has credible information of efforts to revive militancy in Punjab and cannot do away with the list containing names of Sikh youths with alleged militant links though it undertook periodic reviews, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said in a letter to the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC).

Singh was replying to SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar’s letter on December 25, 2007, seeking a review of the so-called "black list" containing such names.

The lists cannot be done away with as "the Government and our agencies have credible information of efforts being made by extremist groups to revive militancy in Punjab," he said.

"Much of this is concentrated in countries abroad, like the UK, Germany, Canada and especially Pakistan, where such groups receive a great deal of encouragement from remnants of extremist groups as well as support from other hostile forces," Singh’s letter said.

"I would like to assure you that our Government has and is adopting a very enlightened policy in this regard. It would not be correct to assume, as you have said, that no review has ever been conducted of the so-called 'black list’. Reviews are periodically carried out and during the past three years at least three such reviews have taken place," he said.

The Prime Minister also referred to the last year’s Ludhiana bomb blasts.

"You would be aware of the bomb blasts in Shingaar cinema in October last year. The investigations into the incident are a matter of concern. Fourteen persons have so far been arrested and considerable quantities of rdx explosives, assorted arms, bomb-making material and ammunition recovered from them," the letter said.

Singh said investigations have revealed that the two masterminds responsible for the incident were induced to carry out the attacks during a visit to Pakistan and that the funding came from "extremist elements in the US".

He expressed satisfaction over the return of peace in Punjab and said "undoubtedly, there is little support for militancy in Punjab today. Yet, as pointed out above, extremist groups elsewhere have not given up their attempts to revive the movement. A great deal of caution is hence called for".

The Prime Minister expressed the hope that the SGPC would be satisfied with the steps being taken by the Central Government. (PTI)

Cong, rivals stake claim in Meghalaya

SHILLONG, Mar 8: The race for power in Meghalaya intensified today with both Congress and a newly formed combine of the UDP and NCP staking claim to form the next Government.

The UDP-NCP combine paraded 31 newly elected MLAs of the 60-member Assembly before Governor S S Sidhu to press their claim to form the new Government.

Chief Minister D D Lapang separately met the Governor to stake claim to form a Congress-led Government. The Congress has emerged as the single largest party with 25 seats.

Faced with the two claims, the Governor may announce his decision by Monday, Raj Bhavan sources said.

"I will take a decision in the larger interest of the State and to provide a stable Government. At the same time it has to be ensured that there is no horse-trading," Sidhu said.

While admitting that the MPA had listed 31 elected members in its support, Sidhu confirmed that the Congress too claimed to have support of some independents.

He, however, refused to divulge the exact list of supporters claimed by the Congress.

Lapang told reporters after being elected Congress Legislature Party leader that "we are the single largest party, and as per norms we should be invited to form the Government".

Asked how the party would get to the magic number of 31, Lapang, said, "we are looking for friends. We are confident of getting them, and we will prove our majority on the floor of the House."

He, however, refused to divulge the names of the ‘friends’ the Congress was communicating for support.

The NCP, which emerged as the second largest party with 14 seats, has combined with the 11-member United Democratic Party, a former ally of Congress, two members of the Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) and the lone members of Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) and the BJP to form the Meghalaya Progressive Alliance (MPA) to support its claim. (PTI)

Mughal period Qurans seized

NEW DELHI, Mar 8: Two antique copies of Holy Quran, written in golden letters and dated back to Mughal era, were seized in the national capital and three persons were arrested in this connection.

While the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is ascertaining the value of the rare treasures, police said, the three accused had struck a Rs 3.5 crore deal with decoy customers send by Delhi Police’s Crime Branch.

Experts have initially estimated that two seized pieces of ‘Quran Mazid’ in Arabic — one a 150-page laminated leather hard-bound and another a 220-page embedded with golden metallic leaves — belong to either Shahjahan’s or Aurangezeb’s period.

The trio — identified as Gurdeep Singh (48), Sanjay Nathani (41) and Prasanjit Biswas (33) — were dealing in property and finance here and they joined hands to make some quick money through selling antiques, Additional Commissioner of Police Satyendra Garg told reporters.

The arrests were made following a tip off developed by special operations group of Crime Branch that some people were trying to sell rare copies of the holy book.

Decoy customers were sent to the trio to strike a deal on March 6 and after hard bargaining the accused agreed to bring down the price to Rs 3.5 crore from Rs five crore besides deciding to exchange the Quran for money the next day.

A trap was laid at a restaurant near Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station, where the exchange was to take place.

After the accused came to the spot in two cars and the availability of the Quran was ascertained, the decoy customer signalled to the waiting police team who arrested the trio.

Garg said the arrested persons have revealed the source from where they have got these books and investigations are on to nab them.

As the possession and sale of antique religious books require registration and permission from the Government, a case has been registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Antiquity and Art Treasures Act.

Two cars, a laptop and coloured of the holy books were recovered from the possession of the three accused. (PTI)

Rahul spends night in tribal village

KORAPUT (ORISSA), Mar 8: On a ‘Discover India’ tour, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi spent a night in a tribal village here, sharing food with the tribals and discussing their problems.

Gandhi, who is on a four-day visit of the State, during which he has projected himself as a protector of tribal rights, digressed from the schedule to visit Kondhpungar village in this district yesterday and spent the night there.

The local police, which has asked the young leader, seen as the heir-apparent of the Nehru-Gandhi family, to stick to his itinerary due to security reasons, was caught unawares by the "unplanned" visit.

Gandhi was supposed to take rest at Damanjori guest house here.

The local residents complained to Gandhi about the indifferent attitude and lack of cooperation from the local authorities even as the 37-year-old AICC general secretary stressed on the importance of unity and awareness for developing the society, a party source said.

Gandhi was of the view that although development was important, it cannot be at the cost of nature and the tribal identity, the source said.

Hailing the tribals as preservers of natural wealth and knowledge, the Congress leader exhorted them to take up the role of leadership in the society.

Gandhi yesterday visited a remote village called Ejurpa in the Nimgiri forest area and promised support to the local tribals for their agitation against the proposed Bauxite mining from the hills.

The issues of mining, industrialisation and rehabilitation were discussed threadbare by Gandhi in his interaction with the tribal youth.

Gandhi had recently stayed with a poor family in their house in his constituency Amethi in UP.

The Congress leader’s visit to Orissa is the first leg of his countrywide tour, which is being seen as a virtual launch of the campaign for the Lok Sabha polls.

Starting the tour from the poverty-stricken Kalahandi area yesterday, Gandhi said though the country was making rapid progress, regions like Kalahandi were lagging behind in getting facilities in health, education and employment because the coalition state Government had "failed" to properly implement the scheme.

Projecting himself as a protector of tribal rights, Gandhi said: "your fight is mine too. I am a soldier for Adivasis (tribal). I have heard your voices (of concern)."(PTI)