Sunday, October 11, 2009

Cong-BJP war of words over model code violation

I
TANAGAR: With barely three days left for the battle of ballots in Arunachal Pradesh, mudslinging between Congress and BJP has intensified. The
parties accused each other of violating the model code of conduct.

While the saffron party has charged Congress with misusing government machinery and trying to buy votes with money, liquor and opium, Congress said BJP is trying to malign it.

AICC secretary and Arunachal in-charge V Narayanswami said the opposition is bent on shifting voters' attention. " So they are engaged in spreading rumours. But such things will not affect our prospects. Congress will form the next government with thumping majority," he said at a press conference. "We will return to power. We are committed to people. It is only Congress which can form a stable and transparent government," he said .

"Arunachal should develop into a front-runner state in the country and the UPA government will provide all assistance to transform the dream into reality," the Congress functionary said.

Earlier, BJP's organizational in charge (North-East) P Chandrasekhar Rao had told reporters on Friday that Congress candidates are violating the Rs 6-lakh expenditure limit. "In Lohit, Congress workers are distributing opium and liquor to voters. What is the EC doing? Has it become a part of Congress?" Rao said.

The saffron party demanded that the EC allow BJP workers to accompany poll officials carrying electronic voting machines to the strong room when the polling is over.

Do more wives bring more votes? Arunachal waits to see

G
UWAHATI: They say behind every successful man there's a woman. But in Arunachal Pradesh, behind a number of "successful" politicians, there is
almost always more than one woman. Sounds strange? But the list of candidates fighting the October 13 elections to the state's 60-member Assembly only confirms this.

Among the most prominent politicians in the fray with more than one wife is chief minister Dorjee Khandu, who has been elected unopposed from the Mukto constituency in Tawang district. He has two spouses.

But leading the list is former chief minister Gegong Apang, who's contesting from the Tuting-Yingkiong constituency on a Congress ticket, with four wives, closely followed by former deputy CM and Congress candidate from Chayang Tajo Kameng Dolo. He has three wives.

Another Congress nominee and former minister Hori Natung, contesting from Seppa West, has two wives. Deputy speaker Takara Marde (Congress nominee from Dumporijo) and Lombo Tayeng (Congress candidate from Mebo) are going neck and neck in the race with two wives. The latter even served as ministers in Congress as well as BJP governments. The Congress candidate from Khonsa East, T L Rajkumar, also has two spouses. He, too, had been a Cabinet minister for several years.

BJP candidate from Itanagar, Lechi Legi, has three wives. He served Congress as well as BJP ministries for many years, but lost the 2004 elections on a Congress ticket. Trinamool Congress, which is contesting the elections in Arunachal for the first time, has given a ticket to Talo Mugli for the Raga seat. He had married twice. Mugli had been a Congress minister for two terms and is also a former APCC chief. He, however, lost the last polls on a BJP ticket.

Incidentally, polygamy is common among various tribes of the landlocked, frontier state. One of the reasons why politicians to marry more than once, it seems, is to be in an advantageous position in the battle of ballots. "By having more wives, one can have more relatives and more supporters. This may appear strange in other parts of the country, but not in Arunachal where many people get married more than once," a trader from Arunachal says, adding that men often marry more than once because of the small population of each tribe.

"Polygamy is part of age-old tribal traditions in Arunachal. Many tribes are dwindling in number. And to keep their population intact, they practise polygamy," says an Itanagar-based teacher, who's not originally from Arunachal.

Many traditional tribal laws are still in force in Arunachal and the customary judiciary system of "Kebang" is still considered an effective tool in many villages of the state. Judiciary was separated from executive in Arunachal on December 17, 2007 when the state decided to set up two district and sessions courts.

Let a thousand guitars bloom

L
et's agitate,'' says Gwyneth Mawlong, her petite form belying what she calls the simmering ember in her belly. "Yes, let's agitate and protest.
But only through music.'' Then, as the lead performer in an all-female rock band gently curls her fingers around the Hobson's six strings, she says the youth of her beloved Meghalaya will never let violence rule their lives again. "The new songs will be of peace.''

Music, they say, runs through the rocks, stones and streams of the Khasi, Jaintia and Garo hills. For countless years, tribes living quietly in these misty mountains have looked at music as their sustenance and shelter. And now, more than ever before, there is the sound of music be it the finely nurtured folk music or the passionately improvised western forms everywhere in Meghalaya.

Over the years, music in Shillong, the Meghalaya capital, has become a metaphor for freedom, defiance, love and a unique way of life. Aware of its power, it was music again that the government used in 2003 to bring out hundreds of enthusiasts for one of the most colourful Independence Day celebrations in recent memory.

As Australian band Afro Dizzy Act took on the stage, the young crowd sang and danced the evening away at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, a rare phenomenon in the troubled North-East. Since then, people here have defied bandh calls made by secessionist elements on national days. This year's Independence Day function was the biggest ever. Police Bazaar, where different bands played their music of freedom, looked like a mini-Woodstock.

"We needed this,'' said former home minister Robert G Lyngdoh, the brain behind the 2003 freedom celebrations. "The youth had to be brought out of their shell. There is nothing like music to motivate people.''

Though militancy in Meghalaya has never been as bloody as it is or was in other insurgency-hit parts of the North-East, like Assam, Manipur and Nagaland, rebels here have held large sections of society to ransom with their organized syndicates of extortionists and goons. The Khasi Hills-based outlaw group Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) still routinely gives calls for bandhs on national days. Not taking any chances, people usually heed these diktats and shut themselves indoors. Vehicles, too, go off the roads. Sumar Singh Sawian, accomplished
musician and writer, said, "In fact, music played a dominant role in the political struggle for a separate hill state. Meghalaya fought a bitter battle to tear itself away from Assam in 1972. Patriotic songs were an integral part of the Hill State Movement in the early Seventies. Music here is held sacred." Shillong today draws music lovers from across the country. Bands perform throughout the year, both in the urban and rural areas of Meghalaya. And the rich culture of music has reaped a golden harvest international names like Michael Learns To Rock, Air Supply, Petra, Fire House, Scorpions, Eric Martin and former Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di'Anno have all performed here.

The iconic Lou Majaw, one of North-East's biggest acts and the man behind the annual Bob Dylan Birthday Bash, said, "We don't do it because we are fans, but out of respect and admiration for the man.'' The founder-member of legendary Shillong band The Great Society added, "He (Dylan) has given so much to the world through his soul-stirring poetry and music. We want more people to know about him.''

There's nothing that brings more happiness to the greying Lou than the response to the Dylan fest which, these days, draws fans from all over the country and even abroad. He still remembers playing to 30 or 40 people at the first edition of the festival in 1972.

But what's wonderful is that the popularity of western music which picked up rapidly from the '60s has not swamped the rich folk culture. Traditional instruments like the tangmuri, duitara and bom still accompany folk songs and dances at annual events organized by the Hynniewtrep Cultural and Welfare Organization. "If we forget our roots, we are lost, man. It will just become history. Folk music is our identity," says Lou.

It was a year after Independence that the Jaiaw Orchestra, one of Shillong's oldest acts, hit the stage for the first time. The group of friends said they just believed in "music for love, peace and understanding". The group's name has now passed into local legend and though octogenarian Webstar Davies Jyrwa, the leader of the band, seldom takes the stage these days, people still remember one performance in 2006.

The audience was held in thrall as the elderly group opened with Walk Right Back. What followed was magical quickstep, slow foxtrot, samba, rumba, tango, waltz, old Viennese, and haunting tunes like Merilu, Sanimio (the Italian version of It's Now or Never), Falling In Love With You and the famous samba Brazile.
There have been the records, too, to show for it. A new Guinness World Record for the Largest Guitar Ensemble' category was set on October 26, 2007, when 1,730 guitarists strummed Dylan's classic Knocking on Heaven's Door in perfect harmony.

The previous year, Shillong had created another Guinness record with 7,951 drummers performing for more than five minutes in perfect rhythm. The drummers played a 20-minute synchronized tune called Positive Vibrations, composed by local musician Rudy Wallang, in an open stadium packed with 20,000 people.

For Shillong, the stage is the world. And there's a lot happening on it. As Dylan says in his song Stage Fright: "See the man with the stage fright, just standin' up there to give it all his might. And he got caught in the spotlight. But when we get to the end, he wants to start all over again.''

Congress workers damage vehicles of NCP leaders

I
TANAGAR: In an incident of pre-poll violence, Congress workers have damaged five vehicles of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders at
Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh's East Siang district.

According to sources, Congress workers on Friday allegedly pushed down the vehicles into ditches after damaging them. East Siang deputy commissioner (DC) Onit Panyang comdemned the incident and urged police to tighten security. Though the damaged vehicles have been handed over to police and a case has been registered, no arrests have been made so far, sources said.

Earlier, Congress workers pelted stones and attacked NCP candidates from Pasighat East Kaling Moyong at Yagrung village of the district. However, timely intervention by security forces diffused tension in the area.

An emergency meeting was convened later at the DC's office which was attended by NCP candidate Kaling Moyong, Congress candidate Bosiram Siram and BJP's Oyem Dai, besides the superintendent of police and other party leaders.

Tripura commandos top NSG course

A
GARTALA: Once they had played a key role in counter-insurgency operations in Tripura and earned kudos from the army and paramilitary forces for
their sheer grit, determination, discipline and skills. And for their expertise in anti-guerrilla warfare, they were also deployed in the Maoist-hit areas of West Bengal and Chhattisgarh during elections.
Now, the elite combatants of Tripura State Rifles (TSR) have outshone their peers from across the country to top commando courses from National Security Guards (NSG).

In fact, the daredevil TSR personnel have bagged all 14 top positions of the 75-day Police Commando Instructor Course held at NSG in Maneswar, Haryana. Earlier in 1991, a TSR contingent had recorded best performance in several events of NSG courses.

"This time, personnel from as many as eight states took part in the programme. Among them, rifleman Anish Kumar of 8th Bn TSR was adjudged the best shooter, while rifleman Jagdish Prasad Chawla won the 5-km run. Five of them achieved A-1 grade, while the remaining nine secured A grade," a source in Tripura Police said. DGP Pranay Sahay announced the awards for the TSR combatants.

Incidentally, TSR runs its own counter-insurgency and jungle guerrilla warfare institute at Kachucherra in Dhalai district according to the army's Vairangte (Mizoram) school.

TSR was formed in 1984 to counter militancy in the northeastern state with 75 per cent of its jawans being inducted from Tripura, while the remaining 25 per cent from all over the country, thus giving it a national look. At present, there are 12 TSR battalions, while one more is being inducted.

Of them, eight are Indian Reserve battalions - which means they could be deployed anywhere in the country according to the Centre's call. "The TSR training was modelled like that of BSF's. Over the years, they have turned out a great combatant force," IGP Amitabha Kar said. "They are indeed Tripura's pride," he added.

Bhutanese ganja finding way to state markets

G
UWAHATI: After marijuana from Manipur hit the pot in northern India, marijuana grown in the wild in Bhutan is finding its way to Indian markets
again after a brief lull in illegal trade of the contraband.

Sources said that, according to the directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI), some big seizures of marijuana from Bhutan in the eastern side across Udalguri district a few years back had closed down the route for a while. However, recent seizures of the contraband in the central and eastern part of the country by Bhutanese authorities have established that smugglers have been using new routes.

Marijuana, which is traditionally known in India by its three grades bhang, ganja and charas is produced in an organized farming system in Manipur, while in Bhutan, it is mostly grown in the wild. Bhutan's state-run newspaper Kuensel had reported on Friday that "Bhutanese communities and individuals have been selling and exporting marijuana growing naturally in Bhutan across the border to Assam for many years, according to data from the royal Bhutan police (RBP)." In March 2009, the RBP had seized nine bags of marijuana weighing 237 kg from two people in Daifam, Samdrupjongkhar, who were going to smuggle it to Assam. Before that, many seizures with consignments weighing 539 kg, 30kg and 5kg have also been made by the RBP from Daifam, the newspaper reported.

Sources said that DRI would now focus on the new routes opened in the western part of the state across the two Bhutanese towns of Daifam and Samdrupjongkhar. "In the past, we had made seizures of 1500 kg and 3,000 kg of Bhutanese marijuana in Udalguri. These had been smuggled in from Bhutan and stocked in local residences, from where they would have been transported to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh," sources said.

Silchar people want Showers' statue installed

S
ILCHAR: A group of intellectuals in Silchar want the statue of Lieutenant Colonel Eden Currie Showers, the late commandant of Surma Valley Light
Horse Volunteers now known as Assam Rifles, re-erected here.

The historical statue, raised by public subscription, was erected in Showers memory at the heart of the town more than 100 years ago.

But in 1976, Silchar municipal authorities dismantled the monument for widening the road. Since then, the statue has been lying unattended in the District Library Complex.

"It's necessary to re-erect the monument of the British hero for the sake of preservation of history and architecture of the region. It's sad that a historical monument is abandoned without care of the administration as well as Assam Rifles authorities," said a memorandum submitted to the Cachar deputy commissioner on Thursday.

Partha Pratim Das, spokesman of the delegation, said the DC has assured them to take necessary steps while Assam Rifles authorities said if the district administration makes a place available they will ensure erection of the statue of Lt-Col Showers.

The members of the delegation said Lt Col Eden Currie Showers led the Surma Valley Light Horse Volunteers as its commandant in the war fought between Great Britain and the two Boer republics South African Republic (Transvaal) and the Orange Free State from 1899 to 1902. He, however, was killed in action near Thaba N'chu on April 30, 1900.

According to history, the war was precipitated by the refusal of the Boer leader Paul Kruger to grant political rights to Uitlanders (foreigners, mostly English) in the interior mining districts and by the aggressiveness of the British high commissioner Alfred Milner. Initially, the Boers defeated the British in major engagements. But the Boers finally accepted defeat at the Peace of Vereeniging.

Lt-Col Eden Currie during his tenure as commandant of the British force in Assam established close ties with the local populace. He was the son of the late Major General, St George Daniel Showers. Surma Valley Light Horse Volunteers under Lt Col Eden Currie played an important role in the war against the African republics.

Police arrest six vehicle lifters

G
UWAHATI: Here's a word of caution for vehicle owners and transport operators in the North-East. Inter-state vehicle lifters active in the region
are posing as drivers to take out vehicles from Assam.

Police stumbled onto this fact after they arrested six vehicle lifters from Banderdewa in upper Assam's Lakhimpur district bordering Arunachal Pradesh on Friday.

According to police, one of the arrested lifters identified as Mohammad Ali who had posed as a driver and taken a truck from city-based truck owner Binoy Deka on October 5, had sold off the vehicle in Arunachal with the help of the other five. The other lifters have been identified as Amit Sarkar (Sonitpur), Raju Saha (Dhemaji), Abdul Matin (Lakhimpur), Ajay Das (Hojai) and Mohammad Rafiq Ali of Laluk in Lakhimpur district.

"Based on information that they had sold the truck in Arunachal, we nabbed the driver Ali and later arrested the other five. The lifters have admitted that Ali posed as a driver to dupe Deka and take out his truck," a Jorabat police official said. The officer added that the stolen truck has been traced and would be brought back to the city soon.

"Initially we faced problems tracing the driver because Deka had employed Ali without verifying his identity and address. Truck owners should verify the identity of drivers before employing them," the officer said. Police have arrested several truck lifters in the past few months in the city.

The lifters take the vehicles out of the state and sell them off in Manipur, Dimapur (Nagaland) and Arunachal Pradesh.

'Nagaland occupation of BSF post unacceptable'

I
MPHAL: Chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh has said Nagaland Police's oc-cupation of a barrack vacated by BSF at the remote Jessami village in
Uk-hrul district was unacceptable.

The chief minister's reaction comes a couple of days after the United Committee Manipur (UCM) expressed serious concern over the government's inactiveness to protect the state's boundaries.

Referring to reports that Nagaland government has established rest houses in addition to occupation of the barrack at Jessami, the chief minister said a joint team of police personnel and revenue department officials have been sent to the spot to ascertain the truth. He added that Union home minister P Chidambaram has clarified that the Centre did not give any di-rective to Nagaland Police to occupy the barrack left by the BSF.

The BSF and Nagaland government have no right to come to a mutual un-derstanding, Okram said at a hurriedly summoned media conference at his office chamber late on Friday night. To settle the issue amicably, attempts are being made, he added.

The chief minister said Manipur was not consulted on the occupation of the barrack by Nagaland Police and that it was not done on Centre's order. Lauding the efforts of people of Jessami to protect their land, Okram iter-ated his government's stand to safeguard Manipur's territorial integrity at any cost.

"Not an inch of land will be given to anybody," he added. The government has made arrangements to deploy state forces in remote border areas, including Jessami, said Okram. Responding to a query, Ibobi Singh said efforts will be made to include Jessami villagers in the proposed recruitment of 300 Village Defence Force (VDF) personnel for Ukhrul district.

Dam toll rises to five, missing feared dead

S
HILLONG: The death toll in the deluge at the Myntdu-Leshka Hydel Project in the Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya rose to five on Saturday with the
recovery of one more body, even as ten others who were still missing were feared to be dead.

"We are afraid that they may not be alive," project manager Elias Lyngdoh said over the phone from the dam site. Five workers were missing from the dam's tunnel while six were trapped in the power house when there was a sudden overflow of water following incessant rains on Thursday evening.

Three of the bodies buried in debris inside the power house downstream were recovered on Friday along with the body of a driver, whose vehicle had been smashed by a landslide. Jaintia Hills SP M K Singh said four teams, including police personnel and local villagers, were carrying out rescue operations in the site.

On the other hand, a high-level team led by additional chief secretary WMS Pariat, who is also chairman of the Meghalaya State Electricity Board (MeSEB), visited the site on Saturday to take stock of the situation. Incessant rains since the last couple of days had led to the overflowing of water and had also triggered landslides at the construction site of the ambitious Rs 900 crore 84 MW hydel project.The power house, located downstream, had been covered in debris of stone and mud. Officials said the loss could cross the Rs 5-crore mark, with costly electrical equipment and machinery used in the construction reported to have been damaged in the deluge.

Congress favourite to win in Arunachal Pradesh

T
he ruling Congress party has emerged as the frontrunner in the coming assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh, with the fractured opposition unlikely to spring any surprises.

Elections to the 60-member legislature is scheduled for October 13 but voting would take place for just 57 seats. Three candidates have been declared elected unopposed.

The three are Chief minister Dorjee Khandu and Congress members (incumbent) Tsewang Dhondup from Tawang constituency and debutant Jambey Tashi from Lumla.

The chief minister was elected unopposed from the Mukto constituency in Tawang district bordering China in 1999 and 2004 as well.

"We are sure to win the elections hands down as people will vote for development and stability. Our government has been able to provide a major boost to the overall economic progress of the state," Khandu told IANS.

A total of 157 candidates are in the fray for the October 13 elections.

Apart from the Congress that had fielded candidates in all the 60 seats, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has put up 30 candidates and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 22. The surprise entrant is the Trinamool Congress, which has 28 candidates in the fray.

Of the 28 candidates fielded by the Trinamool Congress, five are former Congress ministers and 10 are incumbent legislators from the ruling party who were denied the ticket this time.

"Our main campaign issue is development and good governance. People know what we did in the past. We are confident of their support," said Congress MP Takam Sanjay.

There is no opposition in the present 60-member house - the Congress has 45 members and enjoys the support of 13 independent legislators and two legislators from the regional Arunachal Congress party. Six of the independents have applied for Congress membership.

The political equations were different after the 2004 assembly elections with the Congress winning 34 seats, independents 13, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nine and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Arunachal Congress two each.

In later years, the Congress managed to break the opposition. The nine BJP and two NCP legislators joined the ruling party while all 13 independents and the two Arunachal Congress legislators lent their support to the Congress.

The opposition is trying to put up a brave front, with NCP state chief and former home minister L. Wanglet claiming that political equations in Arunachal Pradesh would change with other national parties in the fray this time.

"We are expecting to win 10 to 12 seats. The elections will not be easy for the Congress," Wanglet said.

The opposition is raking up the issue of Chinese incursion into Arunachal Pradesh and the alleged lack of development during the Congress regime.

"The central government is still not categorical about China's claims over Arunachal Pradesh. We need a bold step and no nonsense type of an attitude from New Delhi," said P Chandrashekhar, the BJP organizing secretary for the northeast.

An estimated 750,000 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise Oct 13. Security arrangements have been intensified in about 2,000 polling booths in the state.

Said an Election Commission official: "We are only worried about the inhospitable terrain. Polling personnel have been sent to some booths that require trekking of up to five-to-seven days."