The mind is all-powerful, either for evil or good; bomb planting on plane, wheel-chair-borne old woman cheated by nurse, woman killed,ear chopped off

By O.J.George

What are we being fed almost every day with news pieces of perverted minds?

A crude bomb was planted on a Kingfisher flight in Thiruvananthapuram on March 21 and the culprit appears to be soft handled on his plea that he was trying to teach a lesson to his colleagues or someone else. He had to get a crude bomb first and then plant it on the plane whose precincts should otherwise be sanitised. The mind is perverted.

An old, wheel-chair-borne helpless woman in Kottayam was duped by her home nurse worth about Rs 75 lakh over a period of more than a year. The nurse and her paramour were having a gala time spending the money of the old woman.

In Palakkad, a woman was killed, her mother hacked (still lying unconscious) and the booty taken away. The thieves did not have time to take out ear ornaments in the normal way. They chopped off the ear and fled.

Earlier, a morning walker at Varkala was simply knifed to death, another was wounded. The act, it seems, was meant to secure social equity.

The minds are very powerful for the acts concocted by them. No computer chip would size up with the enormity of the possibilities arising from minds, evil or good.

World’s Last Chance people say if we remove one ‘o’ from good, it becomes God. They also something about Satan permeating everywhere, even Vatican, for not punishing the priest who abused 200 deaf chlldren in the US years ago.

Whatever it is, would we not see some demonising in one form or the other everywhere?

Communal sensibility could have been shattered; thank God, situation is under control

By O.J.George

What happened at Newman College, Thodupuzha, during an examination for internal assessment for the Malayalam paper of second semester BCom students is prima facie appalling.

Students were asked to punctuate a passage, apparently a conversation between the Prophet and God Almighty. The passage was no doubt sacrilegious and defaming.

The comment of Education Minister M.A.Baby that no man of common sense would do this is genuine. It was Prof T.J.Joseph who was responsible for compiling this question paper.

The management has suspended this man from service. The question is what this professor was professing in his life.

It seems the government is trying to pin him down to see whether there was a deliberate attempt to unsettle communal harmony in the state.
Reports say the professor is absconding. No one should tinker with society’s peace and tranquillity.

Mayawati in garland conundrum

By O.J.George

UP Chief Minister Mayawati is again in a controversy for accepting a garland furtively made of Rs 1,000 notes at the rally which was organized to celebrate 25 years of the BSP founded by her mentor, the late Kanshiram.

In fact, Mayawati need not be unduly perturbed about the party leader receiving money during such occasions. For, that has been the modus operandi of celebrations of the BSP.

But now she has found herself in a bind only because the Income Tax Department has come calling on her to explain the source of the huge input of currencies.

Now Mayawati has convened a meeting of her ministers, MPs and MLAs to sort out the issue. Naturally, they would be asked to own up in part funding for the garland. No doubt, they might have worked overtime at fund mobilisation.

An initial estimate was that the garland would come to Rs five crore.But Congress leader Digvijay Singh has come up with a calculation arriving at the figure of Rs 22.50 crore. The garland was 10 metres long, each ring had 45 1000-notes, and each cm had five such rings. Well, the calculation is perfect, as per the version of Digvijay Singh.

This is only with regard to the garland, but there were other forms of opulence about which the party has never been ashamed.

Meanwhile, Mayawati has asked for launch of a high-level probe into the release of honey bees at her function when the garland was adorned on her. For some time, a swarm of honey bees hovered around her head, irritating her! Many are the devious ways of politics.

Lo, foreign universities are coming!

By O.J.George

India may become an international hub of foreign universities and other institutions of excellence soon. For, the Union Cabinet has approved a bill called Foreign Educational Bill.

The procedure for bringing in the bill has been in the offing for some time, from UPA I governmental bandwagon. But the Leftists were dead against allowing foreign varsities come in and do business in the education sector.

Times are changing as we have already opened up vistas of knowledge to our people through many tools.

Popularisation of internet, spilling of an avalanche of information at the press of a button and conveyance of all sorts of ideology, thinking and peals of wisdom have broadened the horizons of Indian people as well on an intellectual plane.

Efforts at putting an iron curtain over the information explosion is not feasible. One cannot close the door to the infusion of invaluable information.

Even before that some of the best educational institutions in the capitalist countries had good centres of excellence teaching Leftist ideas, Marxism etc in addition to their other pet subjects. The Leftists need not worry about obliteration of teaching covering their spheres in these foreign institutions.

There would be no harm in foreign varsities of the likes of Oxford, Cambridge, Harward, Stanford, London School of Economics and the like opening shop here and imparting training to those who seek it in India itself.

No one can block huge developments in the education sphere. Let all good institutions from across the oceans come here for mutual benefit.

Not agitation by women, but the goodwill of men contributing to women’s reservation

By O.J.George

There were reports in patches by some women’s associations that the agitations launched by them from time to time have culminated in the conferment of one-third quota for women in the Lok Sabha and Assemblies.

No doubt, the women have been making a clarion call all these years. And it was just and fair that they have been campaigning for a just cause.

But don’t forget that all menfolk think like Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Prasad Yadav and Sharad Yadav.

There are millions of men who do not fall under anti-women planks who have contributed to creating a mindset that would allow greater participation for women in public life.

In fact, some men were finding easy justification for denying more women’s representation pointing out undesirable tendencies that prevailed among the fairer sex which should only be ignored. There would always be some blemishes, but those shortfalls should not be generalised.

In the years to come, the women would behave in a better and far more desirable way than many of the menfolk.

If the women do not perform the way they are expected to, they would naturally be in bad light. And they cannot afford to do that.

Heavens are not going to fall if more women come up to don positions of political power.

The arguments for deferring the women’s reservation bill for inclusion of a quota within a quota for minorities and the like is only a ruse to scuttle the piece of legislation that is going to transform the very functioning of the polity.

In the years to come men will have to concede fifty per cent of reservation for women. Let there be no perfunctory handling of the issue.

The Yadavs could not prevent passing of Women’s Reservation Bill, however hard they tried to scuttle it

By O.J.George

It goes to the credit of the fledgling democracy of India that the main Opposition party and the main ruling party joined together to pass the historic women’s Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday with two-thirds majority of the members present and voting as required for a Constitutional amendment.

Now it has to be passed by the Lok Sabha as well as more than half of the state legislatures for the law to become a reality.
There are a few capable women in various spheres of life in India, but now they would get one-third reservation as per law. No one can prevent them from contesting in seats allotted to them.

The chauvinistic menfolk were, it seems, against the rotational reservation to women , seatwise. The stalwarts who were guarding particular constituencies as their lifetime fiefdom will have to look to other places when their own constituencies get reserved for women. Maybe they will ask their spouses to contest from such seats.
Times are changing and the writing on the wall has to be respected. Women who are better finance managers at home can take over many functions in a responsible manner. Those who condemn them, taking stray cases of aberration, would be in for a surprise when women take up their legislative functions effectively.

Passing of this piece of legislation has not been easy, for there have been attempts during the last 14 years and all the time it got scuttled. Now there has been a concerted attempt and the players deserve kudos for seeing the bill through. If it can be passesd in the Rajya Sabha, it could very well be followed through in the Lok Sabha as well.

The male chauvinists are not prepared to give up; Women’s reservation bill passing an uphill task

By O.J.George

By now it is clear about one thing. No one can say it with precision whether the women’s reservation bill would be passed. A series of adjournments, uproar whenever the Houses reconvened, the unjustifiable act of desecrating the Rajya Sabha chairman and such sequences permeated in the seats of Indian democracy that is Parliament.

Monday’s proceedings would show democracy of the type we proclaim has not evolved to the desirable extent.

Physical obstruction of proceedings in a democratic set-up undermines the very credibility of the House. Snatching papers from the chair, damaging his microphone and the like occurred in the elders’ house.

Women deserve at least 50 per cent reservation, but the attempt to give them one-third representation has been hanging in limbo for the last one and a half decades. Various governments which attempted to provide reservation to women had become unsuccessful.

With the sort of conduct that prevailed in both Houses on Monday, one cannot hope to see the bill passed on Tuesday as well.

Those who oppose the bill flaunt the argument that there should be sub-quota for Muslims and Dalits within the one-third provision.

It was the raj of Mulayam Singh Yadav and Lalu Prasad Yadav that prevailed on Monday. Would Tuesday be different?

Congress cannot be trapped on fuel prices hike, Sonia has said the final word

By O.J.George

The combined Opposition has been trying to corner the Congress Party and its UPA II allies on the issue of hike in prices of petrol and diesel.

The Left parties have been one with the stance of the BJP and allies in opposing the fuel prices increase.

It seemed the Opposition has been gaining an upper hand on the issue as the common man is also furious about the hike, which will cause a spurt in prices of essential commodities in a market which was already on a high on the front.

Someone thought Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee was being cornered in the wake of stiff resistance from DMK of M.Karunanidhi and Trinamul Congress of Mamata Banerjee.

But lately, there were overtures from DMK and Trinamul that they were close-knit with the UPA II Government.

To cap the strategic position of the Congress party, its president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday addressed Congress MPs , after a gap of six months, driving the point home that food security and prices were a top priority.

But she was careful enough to defend Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee by saying he has done a deft balancing of the budget.Resources have to be found for implementing social welfare measures.

Sonia Gandhi also drew inspiration to cite the presentation of the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament on the world women’s day on Monday. Reservation, when implemented, would be a gift to the women.

BJP leader L.K.Advani has always been keen to castigate Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, this time he picked on Dr Singh for resuming India-Pak talks at the nudge of the US.

Dr Singh has been quick to notify Advani about the importance of back-channel diplomacy. A lot of behind- the- curtain talks were held between the-then Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh and US Deputy Secretary Strobe Talbott during the BJP-led NDA regime.

Congress think-tank has been active, it seems, and its policy and administrative measures cannot be taken advantage of by rivals for political reasons.

Mind you, Sonia Gandhi has fallen in line to defend her flock.

Sun rays, sea water may be tax source in the future when fossil fuel becomes extinct

By O.J.George

For every government, getting some quick bucks by way of tax on the most consumed item is a priority.

It would dole out figures of mounting non-plan expenditure, escalation in standard of living caused by pay revision, pension and what not for cornering the levy.

No doubt, the non-plan expenditure is on the rise, but nobody takes cognizance of the losses on account of mismanagement in various spheres.

Fuel price hike in the form of enhancement of excise duty or sheer increase in administered prices directly (that is also on the way) affects everyone.

Even the poorest of the poor is hit on account of intrinsic escalation of prices of essential commodities fomented by huge transportation costs.

All the same, fuel is the easiest item on which the tax master wields his stick as it yields thousands of crores of rupees. There may be jugglery in figures as well. No one may know the exact amount realised.

An education cess can be levied, railway safety fund can be realised on every litre of petrol and diesel.

Nitish Kumar, when he was the railway minister, collected cess on fuel and rightly kept a separate fund for railway safety operations.

When Lalu Prasad Yadav became Railway Minister he simply cornered the amount for general expenses wiping out the separate account for safety. He was bandied about as the efficient railway minister on account of the bounty he got from the safety fund.

Now the future of fossil fuel on planet Earth is bleak. It may last for a couple of decades and become extinct.

By then, hydrogen fuel , solar energy etc may be the captains of the energy sector. Finance Ministers may charge tax on every Sun ray.

Sea water ( H2O) may be utilised for extracting hydrogen for fuelling vehicles.

Now we are scouting for some kind of fossil fuel from beneath the so-called ice sheets lying dormant in caves on the Moon. There the Sunrays cannot reach the ice sheets.

Otherwise, milling one tonne of Moon soil (not at all areas) may yield one litre of water, scientists now say.

We are hoping to bring back lithium and other rare elements to Earth to energise us. At the same time, it would be interesting to note that the scientists wait for an opportune moment when there would be no rain or storm to send out a rocket from the atmosphere of Earth. The elements cannot be tamed easily.

Next generation tax could therefore be on Sunrays and sea water, before the-then government imposes import duty on lithium and other rare elements from Moon.

Shashi Tharoor should learn the art of silence

O.J.George

It seems Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor should learn the art of maintaining diplomatic silence. His UN service hang-over of pleasing everyone could prove to be his undoing in the role of a minister in the External Affairs wing of India.

The latest gaffe is that he said Saudi Arabia could be the best interlocutor between India and Pakistan to sort out issues. Not even any one without a grounding in diplomacy about Indian position in this regard would speak in the same vein as Shashi Tharoor had done. Even if he had no experience in ministerial positions, no doubt he has had enough opportunities to interact with External Affairs people regarding India’s position.

A position as a minister in the Indian External Affairs wing does not condone loud mouthing. Perhaps he may get away with an explanation that he did not mean that Saudi Arabia would be a mediator.

Care and caution should be displayed in tricky diplomatic exercises. One word or a sentence could prove costly. Saying something in public is one thing and doing backdoor diplomacy is another mission.These things cannot be mixed up.
Outbursts like the one Shashi Tharoor made would divert the attention of the core issues.

Better be careful at least next time.

Is it curtains down the Thilakan controversy?

By O.J.George

Super- star Mammootty speaking in a calm and composed manner about the Thilakan issue and about Dr Sukumar Azhicode’s reaction to Super-star Mohanlal appears to be heralding a solution to the problem.

Mammootty would have consulted AMMA before making the announcement that the association is callig a halt to public controversy.

Thilakan issue would be sorted out by AMMA, and Thilakan would have the freedom to explain his position at his convenience.

Dr Sukumar Azhicode has also expressed his willingness to stop the wordy duels. No one can equal Azhicode in the war of words. Literary, cultural and artistic personalities should not show their weak points in public.

Their larger-than-life image would be tarnished on account of public spats. Already, the fans of various heroes have started war-like campaigns struggling to protect their semi-Gods. For them, the make-belief world is their real world. Nobody can deter them.

Therefore, it is in the fitness of things that the persons concerned bury their hatchets and offer a conducive atmosphere for fun and frolicking. The film field should be an entertainment to the people and not a forum for tension creation.
The people concerned are all veterans and they should behave most benevolently. All the best for them.

Brace yourself up for further hike in price

By O.J.George

The budget ghost has been let loose, and please brace yourself up for further hike in prices of various commodities and products.

The overwhelming effect on prices would be brought in by the hike in excise duty on petrol, diesel, crude oil and overall 10 per cent increase in excise duty of all products. Service tax has also been increased.

The whole exercise is to bridge the fiscal deficit wrought perhaps on the exchequer by last year’s economic stimulus programmes. Now we are paying a price for it.

Anyone can cut the deficit by going on increasing administered prices and removing subsidies. The efficiency of regimes is to put minimum pressure on common man’s living as his earnings are not increasing.

Not only petrol and diesel, but also cement, bikes, cars, mobile phones, jewellery items, air-conditioners, refrigerators, coal, liquor, cigarette, tobacco items would cost more. Let there be some tinkering with the luxury items, but common man’s consumption items costing more would have a tornado effect on their survival.

Already the markets are showing increasing inflationary tendencies. Today’s tax and excise duty proposals would worsen the situation.

There is also a hidden danger in the proposal given out in the economic survey for restructuring the public distribution system. The proposal is to make ration shops redundant by giving coupons to the consumers which can be produced before private vendors.

There would be no statutory strength to this proposal. Since it would be an administrative exercise, the facility can be withdrawn any time.
By that time , the ration shops would have vanished.

In Kerala, there is statutory rationing system. Replacement of this system with an administrative system would deprive the people of their food security. The coupon system, if at all implemented, should be provided with statutory protection.

Let M.A.Baby attempt to mediate between Thilakan and AMMA

By O.J.George

There is no harm in Education and Cultural Affairs Minister M.A.Baby attempting to mediate between actor Thilakan and AMMA over the issue which appears to be going out of hand.

Perhaps, all the players may not approach Baby for umpiring the issue. But being in government and holding charge of cultural affairs Baby can take the initiative to hold discussions.

If the players refuse to come round for a reconciliation, that is their problem. But leaving an issue in ether is not conducive to the film field and the people.
Already, bad blood has been created among Thilakan and many other actors. Lately, writer Dr Sukumar Azhicode is fretting and fuming over the Thilakan issue and it has become a new issue between Azhicode and actor Mohanlal and AMMA, the original alleged offender, according to Thilakan, was Mammootty.

Today the students wing of Kerala Congress (Pillai) group has obstructed Thilakan at Kottarakkara for speaking against Ganeshkumar, MLA, who is also an actor.

Why should there arise bad blood among versatile actors and artistes, when there are avenues for reconciliation? Discuss the issues and solve the problem. No one becomes small by reconciliation.

Seven new trains, coach factory, drinking water plant for Kerala

By O.J.George

New Delhi: Mamata Banerjee presented her second railway budget without enhancing freight and passenger fares. Kerala will have four new Express trains, one Memu service, and two passenger trains.

Kanchikode coach factory has been cleared and a commitment was made that this would be set up this year.

The long-standing demand of a peninsular zone was not accepted. Kerala was not included in the southern freight corridor linking Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai either.

Mumbai- Ernakulam Duronto, Kanyakumari-Bhopal Bharat Theerth special, Pune-Ernakulam super fast, Kozhikode-Thiruvananthapuram Jana Shatabdi Express are the long distance trains allowed.Memu service is between Kollam and Ernakulam.

Passenger trains are between Kozhikode and Kannur, and Nilambur and Shoranur.Mangalore-Kannur passenger has been extended to Kozhikode.

Thiruvananthapuram-Ernakulam inter-city has been extended to Guruvayur.Kochuveli-Yashwantpur has been extended to Hubli.

Survey would be held for six new lines. These are Kozhikode-Malappuram-Angadippuram, Dindigul-Kumali, Madurai-Kottayam, Punalur-Thiruvananthapuram, Chengannur-Thiruvananthapuram via Adur, and Thalasserry-Mysore are the routes for new survey.
A drinking water plant would be set up at Thiruvananthapuram.Railways will not be privatized. Social commitment would be the priority.

Hartal in Munnar against govt’s eviction move by ruling parties

By O.J.George

That Munnar evictions are not easy has been hawkishly pronounced by various ruling front parties by ordering a hartal in Munnar on Tuesday.

The hartal is called by CPM-influenced High Range Samrakshana Samithi (protection council) in taluks of Devicolam, Udumbanchola and Peermade and panchayats of Kanjikuzhy and Vathikudy in Idukki district.

The issue raised is the attitude of the LDF government with regard to evictions in Munnar. The ruling parties in Idukki district are deadly against any form of eviction in Munnar and other parts of Idukki district.

The latest U-turn has been made by CPI which held a high-level meeting in Thodupuzha on Monday. Its trade union leader C.A.Kurien has apparently threatened to walk off the party, if it supports eviction. His plea is that those supporting the move against eviction would cross over to the CPM, whose district secretary M.M.Mani is a hawk supporting settlers.
CPM, CPI and Kerala Congress(Joseph) are supporting the hartal. Reports doing the rounds in media are that there was a move to declare Munnar as Ecologically Fragile Land(EFL). The charge is that this has been pointed out in a report submitted to the High Court which is looking into the encroachment issue.

Moreover, the court was told on behalf of the government that various LDF people, including those of the CPM, are holding land unauthorisedly.

The Idukki district leaders of various LDF partners have thus been convinced that the government was making concerted efforts to evict encroachers.

Renvenue Minister K.P.Prabhakaran, Forest Minister Benoy Viswam and CPI state secretary Veliyam Bhargavan have made it clear that there was no move to declare Munnar as ecologically fragile land.

The Congress Party has been taking a guarded posture. Follow the legal procedure to take action against encroachers, according to its leaders. Eviction is easier said than done.

How can a sensible government deny itself of UGC benefits for college teachers?

By O.J.George

What is so special about the state of Kerala with regard to denying itself of the UGC benefits for college teachers? UGC will not give assistance for pay revision of college teachers unless superannuation age ceiling is revised. That has been made clear in its directives. Otherwise, state governments from time to time would have seized the opportunity to get assistance by now. It is simply not available.

Today, the Left Democratic Front appears to have discussed the issue and it seems a decision would be taken later. It cannot be delayed long, for the cut-off date for implementation is March 31 this year. By then, the modalities should be worked out.

It seems the youth wing of the CPI is particularly strong in its opposition to pension age hike. That is a pitable situation, for no additional post has been created during the past decade in colleges. Retirement vacancies have not been filled. No organization has taken up this issue so far. Now when the government is coming round to taking a decision, they are opposing a sane proposal. Except in Kerala, all other states have taken a decision and the pension age there is either 60, 62 or 65.

Now it has been estimated that about Rs 2,000 crore would be available to the government by way of arrears for the last five years, if the UGC pay revision is implemented with provision for pension age hike. You see, the amount of arrears is not paid out to the teachers. It goes directly to the provident fund account, which is government’s money. There is an accusation that the amount will be diverted. There need not be resort to diversion, it is government money.

The government should be able to design effective developmental projects using all the money. Moreover, the government does not have to pay all the money for the retiring teachers for five years. That amount will also be available for use for productive purposes. Why not use it for creating jobs in the Information Technology sector? Or any other sector which offers employment opportunities.

Talented actors squabbling among themselves is unseemly

By O.J.George

We have a strange situation in Kerala with regard to highly talented actors squabbling among themselves. Mammootty, Mohanlal, Thilakan, Innocent, Jagathy and all others have a pride of place in the minds of cine-goers. Now through AMMA and FEFKA the actors and technicians are fighting it out over alleged denial of opportunities for Thilakan and the resultant charges and counter-charges.

Thilakan has allegedly spoken against other mega stars who are peeved at the negative comments. Thilakan appears to be in no mood to apologise. AMMA has appointed a disciplinary committee to go into the allegations against Thilakan.Probably, Thilakan is on the way out from AMMA. Sad state of affairs, indeed.

It seems there are not many active associations on the lines of AMMA etc in Bollywood,Tollywood, Kollywood etc, in spite of wider influence wielded by super-stars and artistes in those spheres. Larger-than-life egoism, no doubt, is the problem with the performing artistes.

There are problems in the film field elsewhere, but chances of this squabbling are remote. Personal rivalry among super-stars in other languages could be worse than in Malayalam. Still they live with the criticism levelled against them.
Malayalam filmdom should be able to solve the problems without creating more rancor.

Rising prices would take away the sheen of other good things done by the government

By O J George

An over-populated country like India cannot suck in the tendency of rising prices thrown up perhaps by market forces and other vested interests.

These forces would always play their cards meticulously to reap windfall profits. But then , the government should step in and take steps to ameliorate the woes of the people.

Which people we mean? We may have scores of trillionaires, hundreds of billionaires and thousands of millionaires. They are not the core of the Indian populace.

A majority of the nearly 120 crore people are ordinary mortals of whom a substantial number of them are living below the poverty line.

You have divided them between below the poverty line and above the poverty line. The line is very thin and the so-called above the poverty line people are not much better off than the below the poverty line.

Of course, lakhs of people are given employment by the big-league private companies, most of them giving good salary to the staff. The government also gives employment to lakhs of people. And the lot of the government employees is not bad.

But there are scores of crores of people who have no gainful employment or regular work fetching them a monthly remuneration. They just live away their life over the crumbs they get by way of casual job, irregular daily wages and all. Mind you, we don’t have a system of payment by the hour for the work put in by anyone.

All tummies should be filled by food stuff. If the stuff costs them beyond their means, you cannot call it a welfare state. The mighty government can take various steps to rein in price rise tendency.

Edible items should be made available in plenty. Now that the import policy is liberalised, one can fill the gap of short supply through imports.

We hear about reports of proposals for export of sugar when it is ruling at over Rs 40 a kilo in the country!

It appears the Congress Party is seized of the matter and is thinking about advising the government to find ways to supply food items at fair price.

The APL-BPL conundrum should be solved. Afterall, what is the distinction between them in matters of food items? Let there be plenty of stuff available. Those who want the items would buy them.

The distinction would only provide opportunities for the officials to seek bribes. India is undoubtedly a corrupt country and generally nothing works without greasing the palm of the officials and agents concerned.

Once the BJP lost power in Delhi because the prices of onion had skryrocketed. The same is true of any government, for the people cannot afford to live in a society whose mores are determined by market forces alone.

Terrorists don’t want India-Pak talks, but engagement is better than war

By O.J.George

India had proposed talks with Pakistan at the Foreign Secretary level, which was accepted by that country raising a bogey for composite dialogue as well. Maybe, it was simply ignoring terrorism angle saying Pakistan was also a victim of terrorism.

Pakistan by its rhetorics wanted to please its captive audience there to drive the point home that it was winning on its own terms.

Recently, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah extended an olive branch to those jihadis who had crossed over to the Pak-Occupied Kashmir to come back and get rehabilitated. Gulam Nabi Azad, hailing from Kashmir, raised a hue and cry highlighting the chances of these people fomenting trouble once they returned to Kashmir.

However, Union Home Minister P.Chidambaram who is handling the portfolio as best as can be by anyone whole-heartedly welcomed the idea.
A few days ago, various terrorist groups gathered in Pak-Occupied Kashmir and spit fire and fury, calling for jihadi activities.

An overview of the jihadi activities would drive the point home that various outfits, known and sleeping, Indian Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jamat-ud-Dawa, Jaish-e-Muhammad, David Headley or others, want murder and mayhem perpetrated in India, and elsewhere, to achieve their so-called religious motives.

When they have international network, terror infrastructure, training outlets, sleeper cells and a plethora of suicide squads, execution of blasts and other forms of attacks are likely, in spite of all possible forms of vigil. Mind you, they have help from elements in India as well. Otherwise, how is it possible to leave a bagpack of explosives in a restaurant with ease? P.Chidambaram had admitted to the fact that the Mumbai attack of 26/11 was facilitated by an Indian handler.

The moment India and Pakistan decided to engage themselves in some form of talks for normalisation of relations, jihadis apparently are outraged. They want to perpetuate terrorism, for which peace is unwanted by them.

Negotiations must go on, for one cannot expect Pakistan to be rid of terrorist elements any time in human history with the sort of outfits existing there and assistance plentily available to them. That country, keeping nuclear bombs and terrorists can never be peaceful.

Again the terrorists have struck, this time in Pune

By O.J.George

This was the second major terrorist attack in Pune, after the 26/11 in Mumbai.

Preliminary investigations point to use of RDX. Nine persons were killed and 57 injured, including foreigners at the blast in the German bakery. Some of the injured are critical.

An intense probe has been launched to pinpoint culprits. Initial reports speak about the hand of the Indian Mujahideen. It could be combined effort of many terrorist agencies. What about David Headley and associates? He had visited critical areas in India, including Pune.

Faith-based terrorist organization can intrude into peaceful societies, get help from the gullible and strike at their will. We can very well imagine a restaurant scenario where scores of people would be there at any given time.

Some of them may have bags and baggages and no one would be particularly inquisitive about a backpack lying somewhere.

How could one imagine that a backpack kept at a restaurant was full of explosives to kill people? What sort of faith was upheld by those who did it, by killing innocent human beings?

We have in Maharashtra the Shiv Sena and MNS lions roaring around raising parochial slogans. Once a terrorist attack takes place, they withdraw to their dens. Gentlemen, the country is facing serious security threat. The world over, terrorists are targeting places.

For faith-based terrorists, India is a hard as well as soft target. Death and devastations are lurking at any corner, for the terrorists never keep themselves idle.

We Indians should not be squabbling against each other when so many terrorist forces are out in the dark targeting us.