Press Trust of India
PUNE, 3 AUG: Terming corruption as the biggest problem facing the country, BJP leader L K Advani today said it emanated from the ego of the political class.
“Corruption is the biggest problem confronting society. It stems from ‘ahankar’ (ego) of politicians who think they are all powerful and indispensable, and can do whatever they want,” he said last night.
The former Deputy Prime Minister was speaking at a function organised in connection with the 95th birthday celebrations of Sindhi spiritual leader Dada J P Vaswani here.
Mr Advani, who spoke in Sindhi, asked politicians to cultivate a spirit of giving and said that corruption can be removed if spiritual quotient in an individual is increased.
Paying tributes to Dada Vaswani, he said his teachings were relevant to present times and lauded the Sadhu Vaswani Mission’s work which aimed at increasing spiritual quotient in the society.
Dada Vaswani said the need of the hour is to have men and women of character who worked selflessly for the country.
 

Press Trust of India
KUALA LUMPUR, 3 AUG: Thirty-six illegal immigrants from Indonesia are missing after a boat carrying them home to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr sank off Malaysia’s coast.
The boat sank after being hit by strong waves around midnight on Thursday, about 13.55 nautical miles off Tanjung Siang in Kota Tinggi of Johor state, located in the south of Peninsular Malaysia.
But the incident came to light only last evening when a group of fishermen rescued three of the survivors clinging to a plastic drum. A fourth survivor was rescued by a Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) patrol boat passing through the area.
Kota Tinggi police chief Supt. Mohd Nor Rasid said search and rescue operations by the Marine Operations Force and MMEA are still ongoing.
“Based on initial information, I can confirm that the boat was carrying 40 illegal immigrants and that four of them have been rescued. It is understood they were on their way to Batam to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr,” Rasid told Bernama news agency.
Shipping accidents off Malaysia’s coast are common as thousands of people from poorer neighbours, such as Indonesia and Myanmar, risk journeys in flimsy boats to work illegally in the relatively affluent country.
It was the second recent maritime accident involving Indonesians in Johor state’s waters. At least one woman drowned and 27 were rescued when a boat sank on 18 July.

Press Trust of India
WASHINGTON, 3 AUG: Crimes committed against Sikhs, Hindus, Buddhists, Arabs and three other minority religions would now be tracked as hate crime by law enforcement agencies and the FBI, US Attorney General Eric Holder said.
In a blog posting, Mr Holder said that the FBI Director has accepted the recommendation in this regard by the Advisory Policy Board which advises the FBI on various issues, including statistical reporting under the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program.
“As we look toward the future I’m confident that this change will help us better understand the law enforcement challenges we face.” said Mr Holder.
The three other groups added to the list of hate crime tracking include Mormon, Jehovahs Witness and Orthodox Christian individuals.
“It will empower us to better enforce relevant laws to protect everyone in this country.
And it is emblematic of our unwavering resolve to prevent and seek justice for acts of hate and terror,” Mr Holder said in a blog posting written on the eve of the first anniversary of the tragic Oak Creek Gurdwara shootout that killed six Sikh worshippers on last year.
The decision was welcomed by lawmakers, human rights organizations and advocacy groups who have been making such a demand for the past several years now.
Top American lawmakers including Congressmen Joe Crowley, Eliot Engel, Bill Pascrell, Michael Honda, Adam Schiff, Gary Peters, Ami Bera, Tulsi Gabbard and Eric Swalwell immediately welcomed the FBI decision in this regard.
“One year after the Oak Creek killings, we are thrilled the FBI has agreed to begin tracking and documenting hate crimes against Sikh, Hindu and Arab Americans,” a lawmaker said in a statement.
“This groundbreaking decision to collect valuable hate crime data will go a long way towards protecting communities living in fear of being victims of a hate crime,” the lawmakers said in a statement,” he said.
“We especially want to thank Attorney General Eric Holder and FBI Director Robert Mueller for this critical move. The decision will serve to strengthen relationships between these communities, local and state law enforcement, the FBI and the Department of Justice,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement.
The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), the nations oldest Sikh American civil rights and advocacy organization, applauds the decision in this regard.
“We applaud the DOJ’s decision; it is a great step in the right direction, there is much work to be done to address the issue of hate crimes, but this is a positive start,” said Mr Jasjit Singh, executive director of SALDEF.
After such a decision, Mr Holder said the victims of Oak Creek must never be reduced to mere crime statistics but in order to honor their untimely losses by ensuring that justice can be done they do need to be counted.
“Having accurate information allows law enforcement leaders and policymakers to make informed decisions about the allocation of resources and priorities    decisions that impact real people, and affect public safety in every neighborhood and community,” he said.
 

agence france-presse
Phoenix, 2 August
French striker Karim Benzema scored twice in the second half and Real Madrid coasted past the Los Angeles Galaxy 3-1 Thursday in the International Champions Cup friendly tournament.
Angel Di Maria also scored for Real, his 15th-minute goal putting the Spanish giants on the path to a fourth win in as many years over the two-time defending Major League Soccer champions.
With the win, Real booked a clash with English Premiership club Everton in the winners’ bracket of the tournament on Saturday at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. On the undercard at the home of baseball’s Dodgers, the Galaxy — who had a spectacular goal from Jose Villarreal — will take on Italian side Juventus in the consolation bracket.

statesman news service
Kolkata/Pune, 2 August
To frame a card of six races for tomorrow, the RCTC has gone back to the old practice of inordinate delay. The idea of having three race days in a week during the monsoon season cannot be appreciated from any angle. But of late, the RCTC’s decisions are hardly based on need-based realities and, instead, tend to favour or protect the interests of a few individuals.
With almost no time to go through the card, an attempt at hurried selections is made. Dandified stands tall in the feature – The Harry The Horse Cup. He is fancied as the best bet of the afternoon. Selections:
1.45 p.m.:  ADORINGLY 1, Eros 2, Fire Dragon 3.
2.15 p.m.:  AKILINA 1, Iron Lady 2, Sparkful 3.
2.45 p.m.:  SMOOTH AS SILK 1, Zoffany 2, Angels Quest 3. 3.15 p.m.:  SIGNOR SASSY 1, Double Do 2, Ocean Fairy 3. 3.45 p.m.:  DANDIFIED 1, Crown Rule 2, River Star 3. 4.15 p.m.:  SMOKEY BABA 1, Words 2, Star Of Roses 3.
Day&’s best: Dandified.
Following are Saturday’s selections for Pune races:
1.30 pm: Run Like The Wind 1, Cornelian 2; 2 pm: Mykonos 1, Strategy 2; 2.30 pm: Capital Attraction 1, Winston 2; 3 pm: Mahiki 1, Erotic Flame 2; 3.30 pm: Oriental Masti 1, Armel 2; 4 pm: Silver Streak 1, Edith Piaf 2; 4.30 pm: Falco Nero 1, Caruso 2; 5 pm: Crowned Princess 1, New Wings 2; 5.30 pm: Super Satin 1, Su O Moto 2. Best bet: Falco Nero.

‘Give armstrong his tour titles back’

associated press
Berlin, 2 August
 Lance Armstrong should have his seven Tour de France victories reinstated because of the prevalence of doping at the time, former cyclist Jan Ullrich said.
"I would give Armstrong the Tour victories back. … That’s how it was back then," Ullrich told the current edition of Sport Bild magazine. "It doesn’t help anyone to draw a line through the winners’ list."
Ullrich, who won the Tour in 1997, finished second to Armstrong three times — in 2000, 2001 and 2003 — but the German declined to stake a claim for his former rival’s stripped titles.
"I only want victories that I’ve experienced on the bike. I don’t want to win anything at the green table," he said.
Armstrong, the dominant cyclist of his generation, acknowledged in January that he doped for all seven of his Tour wins from 1999-2005. He was subsequently stripped of the titles.
Ullrich admitted to Focus magazine in June that he received blood treatments from Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes.
"But I’d said that already a thousand times. There was nothing new in that," said Ullrich, who was stripped of third place in the 2005 Tour and banned for two years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in February 2012. Last month, a French inquiry uncovered proof Ullrich used EPO when he finished second to 1998 Tour champion Marco Pantani, who also used the banned blood-booster. Pantani died from a drug overdose in 2004. Ullrich was unapologetic when asked why he had not come clean about his doping past before.
"I decided differently," he said. "In hindsight, perhaps I would have done some things differently. But I am no god that can see everything and do everything right."

National football federation has left escape route open after acting tough

press trust of india
New Delhi,  2 August
None of the country’s top 14 clubs, including big names such as Dempo, Churchill Brothers, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, could clear the Club Licensing Test conducted by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). Girija Shanker Mungali, chaired the Club Licensing Committee — First Instance Body (FIB) — meeting organised by the AIFF at Football House here today.
The five-member committee appointed by the AIFF included FIFA Regional Developmental Officer for South and Central Asia Shaji Prabhakaran, Ushanath Banerjee, Punkaj Jain, I-League CEO Sunando Dhar, apart from the chairman himself.
AIFF’s Club Licensing Committee decided that based on the reports all the fourteen license applicants failed to clear the test. Besides the heavyweights from Goa and Kolkata, the 14 clubs included Pune FC, Salgaocar SC, Sporting Clube de Goa, Prayag United SC, United Sikkim, Mohammedan Sporting, ,Mumbai FC, Rangdajied FC, Shillong Lajong FC and Pailan Arrows.

The decision was based on the various documents at the committee’s disposal. However, all the clubs have been given a lifeline by the AIFF by allowing them to appeal or seek an exemption for the National License to participate in I League and Federation Cup this season. The request for an exemption to compete in the National Club Competitions has to be sent to AIFF’s Club Licensing manager, Roma Khanna by 14 August.
This exemption is mandatory, without which the clubs will not be allowed to compete in the I-League. AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das said: “This is a mandate given by AFC, and approved and accepted by the AIFF. So the Licensing Criteria is a must, and all the clubs need to abide by it.”
Meanwhile, IMG-Reliance today commenced a one-month long training-cum-conditioning camp for its contracted players at the Cooperage Ground here.
Trevor James Morgan, who will take charge of the camp from Monday, will oversee the training proceedings.

foray into hill politics impossible without enough support
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
Siliguri, 2 August
The leaders and activists of Darjeeling Hill unit of the Trinamul Congress vented anger against a section of the party leaders based in the plains, including the north Bengal development minister and the district party president Mr Gautam Deb, when they met the All India Trinamul Congress general secretary Mr Mukul Roy at an interactive meeting in Siliguri today.
It is learnt that the Hill activists complained to Mr Roy that they are not getting enough support from these leaders when they are trying hard to foray into the Hills politically.  
“These leaders are wary of taking responsibilities. They hardly understand the sentiment of the Hills. There are many such leaders in the plains who try to manipulate things in their own ways ignoring the reality of the Hill politics that is not the same as that of the plains,” said a Trinamul activist from the Hills who insisted on his identity not being disclosed. 
Another said they had told Mr Roy that if the trend does not reverse it would prove difficult for them to penetrate in the Hill politics to champion the development agenda of the state government. “Mr Roy gave us a patient hearing and said only Mr Deb among the leaders of the plains would look into the affairs of the Hills. He also asked Mr Deb to show more sensitivity regarding the peculiarities of the Hill susceptibilities,” he added.
The convener of the Hill Trinamul Congress, Mr Rajen Mukhia said they have unburdened their grievances to Mr Roy.
The spokesperson of the Darjeeling Hill Trinamul Congress, Mr Binny Sharma, said: “The party can establish its relevance in the Hills by untiringly stressing on peace and development. It is important to reach out to the people to make them aware of the state government&’s sincerity for development. We have told Mr Roy what we feel.”
However, after the meeting was over, Mr Roy said the party is united to fight for the development in the Hills.
“Darjeeling is an integral part of Bengal. Our aim is to restore peace to accelerate development of the Hills,” Mr Roy said.

statesman news service
Gangtok, 2 August
In continuation to the
earlier meeting held on 31 July, a coordination meeting was held at the conference hall of the State Secretariat today to take stock of the
situation and review the
preparedness in the light of indefinite strike called by the GJMM in Darjeeling Hills.
The meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary, Ms R Ongmu was also attended by the mayor and deputy mayor, Gangtok Municipal Corporation, principal secretary, Home Department, secretary, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services, secretary, Food and CS and CA Department, secretary, Land Revenue and DMD, secretary, IPR, DIG, Range, district collector, East and Superintendent of Police, East.
At the outset, the Chief Secretary while taking preview of the situation, said the state has control over the situation and has prepared to deal with the situation in terms of essential
commodities like food, petrol, LPG etc.
Further, in order to deal with the daily supply of vegetables, fuel and LPG, it was decided that the convoys with escort and security would be sent daily to
Siliguri in coordination with the Army and district
administration, Darjeeling.
The SIMFED and Denzong Cooperative Society may also bring vegetables to meet the requirement.
It was decided in the meeting that the Superintendent of Police, East and the district collector, East will coordinate with the district administration, Darjeeling and with the concerned department of the state government to provide escort and security of the essential commodities coming to the state.

Statesman News Service
Raiganj, 2 August
In protest against the bad condition of the National Highway 34  from Dalkhola to Itahar in North Dinajpur district, the members West Dinajpur Chamber of Commerce (WDCC) in association with the members of Uttar Dinajpur Bus & Minibus Owners Association (UDBMBOA), the members of North Dinajpur Truck syndicate, Raiganj Taxi Owners, the members of Raiganj trekkers and Auto owners Association and other traders bodies have decided to stop the construction of a four lane road in the district from next week.
The secretary of UDBMBOA, Mr Ashok Chanda, said: "Around 75 km stretch of National Highway 34 from Itahar to Dalkhola of North Dinajpur district remained in bad shape since 2011. This year, due to heavy rains, the surface of the road was washed away. Ditch-like holes are all over. Around 200 buses everyday are moving between Siliguri and Raiganj through Dalkhola. Buses often break down due to the bad condition of the road. Road mishaps are frequent. The vehicles take around three hours instead of one hour to reach Dalkhola from Raiganj. We organised different movements since this May, including transport strike between Raiganj-Dalkhola routes, demanding immediate repair of the road. But the National Highway Authorities remained silent to our demands."
The president of West Dinajpur Chamber of Commerce ~ a trade body of both North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur districts ~ Mr Shankar Kundu, said: "Our traders are facing problems while importing and exporting goods. We, along with the members of all our vehicles, will  intercept the construction work of the four lane, to demand the repair of the existing road.”
“The movement will start next week. We are also planning a transport strike for an indefinite period from Itahar to Dalkhola on NH-34," Mr Kundu also said.

Congress supporters accused of burying a CPM worker
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
Malda, 2 August
Unrest continues in Malda following the publication of the panchayat results. In a fresh incident, the Congress supporters were accused of trying to bury a CPI-M worker Mr Salam Sheikh alive and poisoning the water in the pond of a winning CPI-M gram panchayat candidate, Mr Bhanu Malo killing large quantity of fishes owned by him. The incident took place at Amarpur village of Kharba gram panchayat in the Chanchal police station last night.
Mr Salam Sheikh was admitted to Chanchal rural hospital. His wife, Mrs Setara Bibi, alleged that her husband was a CPI-M supporter and so the Congress goons threatened him earlier too. "Yesterday, Salam joined a victory procession of the CPI-M. When he returned at night, some Congress goons took him away and after beating him severely tried to bury him alive," she said.
Mrs Bibi claimed that hearing her husband&’s yells she and other neighbours rushed to his rescue and the goons fled.
Mr Malo said: “Kharba gram panchayat was won by the Congress for 15 years. But this time they lost it. Moreover, the Congress was defeated in the panchayat samiti and zilla parishad seats too. So they attacked the CPI-M out of frustration.” He claimed that the Congress goons added poison to his two ponds and killed fishes causing loss of few lakhs to him.
The Chanchal Congress MLA, Mr Asif Mehbub, however, rubbished the allegation and said last night’s incident was the consequence of an old family tiff. "The Congress had no connection with the incident," Mr Mehbub said.
The Superintendent of Police, Mr Kalyan Mukherjee, said: “A complaint was lodged against four persons for trying to kill a CPI-M supporter and adding poison to the ponds of a winning CPI-M candidate.”
“Police have started an enquiry. But the accused fled from the locality,” Mr Mukherjee said.

statesman news service
Dehradun, 2 August
The state government has given a nod to the Badri-Kedar Temple Committee to offer prayers at Kedarnath Temple on 11 September.
In a meeting of the Badri-Kedar Temple Committee on Friday, the date of offering prayers at the Kedarnath Shrine was finalised to which the government also gave its nod. Later, communicating
this decision to the media, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna said from 11 September onwards, prayers would be offered in Kedarnath.
The Temple Committee, including the representative of Shankracharya Swami Swaroopanand and Rawal of Kedarnath, decided the date to which the chief minister also gave his nod. However to offer prayers on 11 September,  no outsider will be allowed. Besides members of the Temple committee, only those who are associated with the temple would be present at the time of the prayer, said the Rawal (head priest) of the Temple, Bhima Ling.
After 11 September, prayers would be offered on a regular basis. Priests in groups of ten would stay at the temple on a rotational basis in the synthetic tents being put up there till the doors would be closed for winter in October.

press trust of india
Diphu/Kokrajhar, 2 August
With the Army on a flag march in Assam, the rubber estate and a house of a Congress MP were set ablaze, while four people were injured in police firing, as the demand for separate states on the lines of Telangana by several groups was stepped up today.
The Army staged a flag march in violence-hit Karbi Anglong district in the afternoon after being called in by the civil administration, official sources said.
Train services across the state were affected by a 12-hour rail blockade called by different Bodo organisations to demand a separate Bodoland.
 Protesters removed six kilometre of railway tracks in the Diphu-Lumding section, but it was restored later though train services were yet to resume.
The MP Biren Singh Engti’s rubber garden and house, about seven kilometre from Diphu, was set on fire by miscreants who also felled trees, the sources said.
There was no casualty as there was nobody in the house of the Congress MP, who represents the Autonomous Hill district constituency, at the time.
Police opened fire in the district to disperse a mob in which four people were injured with the condition of two stated to be critical, the sources said.
At Donkamakom in Hamrem sub-division a mob ransacked a police outpost and attacked policemen demanding the release of seven arrested youths, they said.
Assam IGP (Law and Order), Mr S N Singh who held a meeting at Diphu to take stock of the prevailing situation, told reporters that five additional companies of security forces were expected to arrive soon while two companies were deployed.
Mr Singh said preventive arrests were being made to bring the situation under control and to prevent further violence. The President of Karbi Students’ Association, Mr Laiseng Engleng was arrested for inciting violence.
Seven others were arrested from Dokmoka area taking the total number of arrests to 18 since the outbreak of violence in the hill district.
Parliamentary Secretary (Home), Mr Etuwa Munda rushed to the district with an appeal to the people to maintain peace and not to damage government property.
The All Bodo Student’s Union along with NDFB (Progressive), the All Bodo Womens’ Federation, other bodies participated.

statesman news service
New Delhi, 2 August
RTI activists today opposed the government’s move to keep political parties out of the ambit of the transparency law. A protest is being planned on 6 August by RTI activists to express their unhappiness over the government’s decision and to urge the Centre to take back its decision so that there is transparency in the working of the parties.
“We are against the government’s decision to amend the RTI Act.”
“We oppose it. A protest has been planned where activists and people from across the country will gather to register their protest,” Mr Venkatesh Nayak, coordinator, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, said.
The Union Cabinet yesterday cleared a proposal to amend the RTI Act in order to give immunity to political parties.
Mr Nayak said RTI activists will also hold protests in their respective states to oppose the Centre’s decision.
The protest is being planned by non-government organisations like CHRI and National Campaign for People’s Right to Information among others.
RTI activist Subhash Chandra Aggarwal said the government took a short cut to circumvent the reasoned CIC decision instead of challenging the matter before a higher court.
“There is a possibility that RTI activists contest the amendments in court. Let the government first bring amendments,” Mr Aggarwal said. He demanded that all cooperative societies including multi-state-cooperative societies (MSCS), public-private partnerships (PPP) and all national-level sports federations including the BCCI should be covered under the RTI Act.
Another RTI activist, Commodore Lokesh Batra, said the people should at least register protests against the proposed amendments.
An online campaign has been started by him in which he says 5,000 have already registered themselves.
“We will be meeting each Parliamentarian in support of our demands.”
“We oppose the government’s decision to give immunity to political parties from providing information,” said Mr Batra.
 The Central Information Commission (CIC) had in its order on 3 June held that six national parties ~ the Congress, the BJP, the NCP, the CPI-M, the CPI and the BSP ~ were public authorities and liable to give information under the RTI Act.

Patna, 2 August: A day after around 30 schoolchildren fell sick after drinking water, another 55 girl students from a Kasturba Gandhi Girls Residential school in Bihar were taken ill and had to be hospitalised.
This is probably the 18th incident of water poisoning from hand pumps meant for school children in Bihar in the past  fortnight, causing fresh panic among the children.
Alarmed at the prevailing situation, the state government has ordered an investigation into the incidents while also asking the masses to be on alert.
Reports said the girls enrolled at the Kasturba Gandhi Girls Residential School located in Runnisaidpur block of Sitamarhi district fainted and their condition started deteriorating soon after they had consumed water from the hand pump sunk in the school premises, leaving the school authorities in a tizzy.
Immediately, they were rushed to the local hospitals for treatment. While 38 girls were admitted to the local primary health centre, the rest were shifted to the government medical college and hospital in the neighbouring Muzzaffarpur district. A day earlier, some 30 children had fallen sick after drinking water from hand pumps located in the school premises in three districts of Bihar.     sns

Seema Mustafa

No one uses the Muslims more callously than Samajwadi Party&’s Mulayam Singh Yadav and now his son Akhilesh Yadav, in the belief that their absurd utterances will consolidate the minority vote without which the party will not be able to survive the travails of politics in India&’s largest state, Uttar Pradesh.
This time around, they have sought to justify the suspension of a young bureaucrat, Durga Shakti Nagpal, insisting that this was done because she had brought down part of the boundary wall of a mosque, and the decision was creating communal tension in the area. And hence, somehow, the Muslims were made responsible for the authoritarian decision and brought into the firing line by a state government that lives off such religious polarisation.
Reporters who visited the village wrote about how the minorities did not want to be part of this controversy, and that there was no communal tension at all in the Muslim majority village about the mosque. As subsequent reports have established, the reason for Durga&’s suspension was her strong action against the sand mafia that has been carrying out large-scale illegal mining in the area, with the clear connivance of the political bosses.
In fact, this young IAS officer had created waves in the riverside villages of Noida and Greater Noida by cracking down on the sand mafia, seizing their trucks and ensuring that the illegal activity was stopped. With her suspension now, illegal sand mining has resumed after a brief hiatus, with the sand feeding into the frenetic construction activity in New Delhi. Judging from the action against her by the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, it is clear that she was coming in the way of this highly lucrative business, and the state leadership was looking for the first opportunity to act against her.
It is significant that Akhilesh Yadav, who claims to be so concerned about the boundary wall of a small mosque, has not seen it fit to take any action against those responsible for the Shia-Sunni clashes that have destroyed peace in Lucknow after a long time. The bureaucrats and police officers responsible for maintaining law and order in the capital of Uttar Pradesh are usually handpicked by the political party in power, and clearly, the slow reaction and the failure to sense the building up of tension and take preventive measures is not reason enough for action against erring officials.
The Samajwadi party is aided in this ‘defense’ of the minorities by one Mr Azam Khan, who has an ‘off and on’ relationship with the Yadav family, but manages to do sufficient damage to secularism by his utterances and absurd positions.
Protests against the suspension of Durga are transforming into a nation-wide stir and it remains to be seen whether the state government will revoke its order. At the time of writing, the chief minister had dug in his heels, maintaining that he would not succumb to this pressure by the bureaucracy. This political-versus-bureaucrat face-off can have interesting repercussions, particularly as political parties’ interference in honest bureaucratic functioning has increased dramatically all over the country, with honest officers bearing the brunt of politicians’ wrath. In the meantime, Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son, from whom better things had been expected, will do well to revise their brand of politics. Muslims have been supportive of the Samajwadi party in Uttar Pradesh for want of a better option, but this absurd and rather juvenile brand of minority politics does far more harm than good. More so, as Uttar Pradesh will be the target of communal forces in the coming general elections, with former Gujarat chief minister Amit Shah already in place to stir up the Hindutva agenda and consolidate the votes.
The Yadav duo and Azam Khan make for a potent brew; clearly, their interest is not in strengthening Indian secularism, but in terrifying and consolidating the minority vote in their favour. Ironically, instead of the old RSS-versus-Jamaat-e-Islami counter that worked well for both these fundamentalist organisations during the communal riots, we have in UP today the BJP and the Samajwadi Party representing the two extremes in a bid to capture power. This in a state that returns 80 Members to the Parliament.
It is time Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav came out from under his father&’s shadow and showed the state and the country that he has the potential to embark on a new path. Secularism, through which alone India can remain a vibrant democracy, cannot work through polarisation. It needs to be strengthened through bold, inclusive, courageous and constitutional decisions that unfortunately our political class seems incapable of. All that matters is victory at the polls, and the rest is ‘collateral damage’.

The writer is Consulting Editor, The Statesman

Assails Congress leaders of apathy towards the poor
statesman news service
Chandigarh, 2 August
Giving relief to the BJP, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said that being a key ally of the NDA, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) would go along with the saffrom party’s choice for Prime Ministerial candidate.
Speaking to the media in Kapurthala, Mr Badal said deciding on the Prime Ministerial candidate was an internal matter of the BJP and that the SAD would support every person selected by the party.
"We would extend fulsome support to the BJP on whatever they decide about the PM candidate," he said adding that the SAD-BJP alliance was very firm and as a part of NDA they would ensure that the Congress was routed in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Assailing the Congress leaders for being apathetic towards the problems of the poor and weaker sections of society, the CM said that instead of making any concrete efforts to mitigate the miseries of the common man, the Congress leadership had made a mockery of the poor by claiming that one could easily get food at Rs 5. He said the insensitive Congress leaders were not aware about ground realities and all decisions were made by them while sitting in their air conditioned offices.
He said the statements of  Congress leaders and Planning Commission figures regarding poverty line were absurd.