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Bengali Brahamin Marxists Aligned with Global Hindutva and Zionist Corporate US Imperialism for Economic Ethnic Cleansing! Sustained Regimented Genocide Culture of Brahaminical Hegemony! Mamata Banerjee Follows Suit!


Bengali Brahamin Marxists Aligned with Global Hindutva and Zionist Corporate US Imperialism for Economic Ethnic Cleansing! Sustained Regimented Genocide Culture of Brahaminical Hegemony! Mamata Banerjee Follows Suit!

Indian Holocaust My Father`s Life and Time - SIX HUNDRED TWELVE

Palash Biswas

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  1. palashbiswas's blog Blogs – View palashbiswas'sblog Blogs Blogs ...

     - 6 visits - 01/03/10
    palashbiswas at 12:43 am on 17 Oct, 2010. Caste Bar on Puja Festivity in Progressive, Marxist, Brahaminical Bengal Waiting Change, Replacing Bhattacharya ...
    baesekolkata.ibibo.com/ - Cached
  2. Topography of TERROR, Anglo Saxon Brahaminical Bengal Replicates ...

    by M Links - Related articles
    24 Oct 2010 ... Contrarily,in Bengal neither Hindutva norBrahaminical Hegemony has any ..... By Palash Biswas, India. More than twenty million East bengal ...
    o3.indiatimes.com/palashbiswas/archive/2010/10/24/5053013.aspxCached
  3. Mutinyrural

    by M Links - Related articles
    Caste Bar on Puja Festivity in Progressive, Marxist, Brahaminical Bengal ...
    o3.indiatimes.com/mutinyrural/
  4. RONEN Sen SHERA BANGALI! Indo US Deal Connects Bengali ...

    12 Jul 2009 ... Palash Biswas. Pl Publish, CIRCULATE and Forward to your ...
    o3.indiatimes.com/palashbiswas/archive/2009/07/12/4970223.aspx
  5. Unprecedented Violence in Bengal is the Logical result of ...

    7 Jan 2011 ... Palash biswas द्वारा 8 जनवरी, 2011 11:52:00 PM IST पर .... Anti Brahaminical Anti Aryan is DESPISED by the Brahaminised Bengal...
    palashkatha.mywebdunia.com/.../unprecedented_violence_in_bengal_is_the_logical_result_of_brahaminical_monopoly_resultant_in_what_cong...Cached
  6. Rabindra Sangeet is the best ever phenomenon ofBrahaminical ...

    3 Jan 2011 ... Rabindra Sangeet is the best ever phenomenon ofBrahaminical ...
    palashkatha.mywebdunia.com/.../rabindra_sangeet_is_the_best_ever_phenomenon_of_brahaminical_hinduisation_which_deleted_the_ab...Cached
  7. palashbiswaslive: Progressive Bengal Celebrates Conservative ...

    8 May 2010 ... Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams, chapter 471.Palash Biswas ..... I am sorry that the Bengali Brahaminicalcolonial Anglo Saxon ...
    palashbiswaslive.blogspot.com/.../progressive-bengal-celebrates.html - Similar
  8. palashbiswaslive: Rs. 5000 Crore Betting's on India – Pakistan ...

    27 Mar 2011 ... Palash Biswas On Unique Identity No1.mpg ...Bengali Brahins who have Partitioned India to EnsureBrahaminical Hegemony Rule in Bengal...
    palashbiswaslive.blogspot.com/2011/.../rs-5000-crore-bettings-on-india.html
  9. palashbiswaslive: Barack Obama, Martin Luther King, MK Gandhi and ...

    1 Nov 2010 ... Palash Biswas On Unique Identity No1.mpg ... the Demographic adjustment and readjustment to sustain Manusmriti Rule in Brahaminical Bengal...
    palashbiswaslive.blogspot.com/.../barack-obama-martin-luther-king-mk.html - Cached
  10. PWAP : Message: Topography of TERROR, Anglo Saxon Brahaminical ...

    23 Oct 2010 ... Contrarily,in Bengal neither Hindutva norBrahaminical Hegemony has any ..... Palash Biswas, India. More than twenty million East bengal ...
    groups.yahoo.com/group/PWAP/message/22795 - Cached

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  1. Marxism and Marxist Economics

    Given the horrible experiences of the Soviet Union, Cuba, and North Korean, MarxistEconomics is no longer in the mainstream in the Western World.
    economics.about.com/cs/marxism/ - Cached - Similar
  2. ZESTEconomics

    Bengal tiger: Calcutta is transformed from Marxist redoubt into India's latest ... The speed limit for economic reform in India is to a great degree set in ...
    zesteconomics.blogspot.com/ - Cached
  3. PRINT - www.outlookindia.com |

    16 Jul 2007... from a different school to his Marxist counterpart in West Bengal... economic reforms being played out in West Bengal and Kerala. ...
    www.outlookindia.com/printarticle.aspx?235103 - Cached
  4. Economic growth in West Bengal - The Hindu

    19 Mar 2005 ... It discovered Marxism and like poor Russia in 1917, committed suicide. Theeconomic lead of Bengal has vanished and so has the cultural lead ...
    www.hindu.com/2005/03/19/stories/2005031901061000.htm - Cached
  5. Economic Growth in West Bengal - Centre for Policy Alternatives

    11 Mar 2005 ... It discovered Marxism and like poor Russia in 1917, committed suicide. Theeconomic lead of Bengal has vanished and so has the cultural lead ...
    cpasindia.org/.../mg-05-03-11-economic-growth-west-bengal.html - Cached
  6. Bengali rate of growth « Bengali Nationalist

    22 Nov 2010 ... Even in terms of growth of per capita income, West Bengal has fared much better than all other states during the post-reforms era. ... Thus, if we have to accept thatMarxist notions on economic equalisation dearly cost ...
    bengalinationalist.freetzi.com/?cat=11 - Cached
  7. [PDF] 

    The Nano Controversy: Peasant Identities, the Land Question and ...

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    by S Majumder - 2010 - Related articles
    2 Nov 2010 ... because the Marxist government in West Bengal, known for its pro-peasant land .... embracing of neoliberal economic reforms (120). ...
    www.icainstitute.org/ojs/index.php/working_papers/article/.../47/22
  8. West Bengal History - Origin Of West Bengal, History & Origin Of ...

    The phase of Bengal Renaissance and Brahmo Samaj socio-cultural reform ... In 1977, the leftist group (Marxist) of India gained a grip over West ... The economy of West Bengal further gathered pace after the LPG economic reforms were ...
    www.bharatonline.com/west-bengal/culture/history.html - Cached - Similar
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    2.2 State-directed economy; 2.3 Market socialism. 3 Social theory. 3.1 Marxism; 3.2 Utopian versus scientific; 3.3 Reform versus revolution ...
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  10. West Bengal's pro-business Chief Minister reaches out - The Hindu ...

    2 Apr 2011 ... West Bengal Chief Minister and veteran Marxist Buddhadeb ... globaleconomic dynamic, so much so that Communists had to "reform or perish. ...
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  1. 1500-1800 C.E - Bengal Genocide

    Bengal Genocide covers the mistreatment and persecution of Hindus in West Bengal... The new ruling class lacked attachments to Bengal and its culture...
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  2. Pre-600 C.E - Bengal Genocide

    Bengal Genocide covers the mistreatment and persecution of Hindus in West ...
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  3. Century of genocide: critical essays and eyewitness accounts - Google Books Result

    Samuel Totten, William S. Parsons - 2008 - History - 654 pages
    Pakistani ruling elite looked upon Bengali language and culture as too "Hindu leaning" and made repeated attempts to "cleanse" it from Hindu influence ...
    books.google.co.in/books?isbn=041599084X...
  4. West Bengal: The Genocidal State under CPI-M Rule - Mainstream Weekly

    26 Mar 2011 ... The force which has lost its elan, its culture and its pride in ... That WestBengal has become a genocidal State is evidenced from the ...
    www.mainstreamweekly.net › 2011 - Cached
  5. Blood and soil: a world history of genocide and extermination from ... - Google Books Result

    Ben Kiernan - 2007 - History - 724 pages
    It repeatedly intervened in East Bengal to frustrate the popular will. ... set out to "cleanse" EastBengal's language and culture of Hindu influences, ...
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  6. Bengali Hindu - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    Kinship in Bengali Culture. DC Publishers. ISBN 8180280187. Bhattacharya, S.K. (1987).Genocide in East Pakistan/Bangladesh. A Ghosh. ISBN O961161434. ...
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindu - Cached
  7. How Left front has destroyed West Bengal | Facebook

    Save West Bengal: Mission to save Bengali Culture. Bandormoni: One More Genocide in West Bengal? Kolkata : India | Sep 29, 2010 By broteem 2 0 Views: 52 ...
    en-gb.facebook.com/topic.php?uid...topic... - United Kingdom - Cached
  8. Bangladesh Genocide Archive » Road to Bangladesh-1 An unusual ...

    24 Dec 2007 ... Bangladesh Genocide Archive. An online archive of chronology of events, ...and 'purify' East Bengali culture in Pakistan after 1947. ...
    www.genocidebangladesh.org/?p=6 - Cached
  9. Genocide of Hindus in West Bengal by CPIM with illegal Muslims, no ...

    27 Oct 2010 ... It is therefore necessary to expose the culture of this village as in ... -forum/435125-genocide-hindus-west-bengal-cpm-illegal-muslims-no- ...
    hindulinebengal.wordpress.com/.../genocide-of-hindus-in-west-bengal-by-cpim-with-illegal-muslims-no-unity-of-incompetent-hindus-cpm-wit... - Cached
  10. Just Visit nandigram United to have the Documents on Marichjhapi ...

    21 Jan 2008 ... Pl Visit my blog to understand the gestapo culture prevelant in West Bengaland India! Know the details of MARICHJHANPI Genocide...
    indiainteracts.in/.../Just-Visit-nandigram-United-to-have-the-Documents-on-Marichjhapi-Massacre/ - Cached - Similar
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Bengali Brahamin Marxists Aligned with Global Hindutva and Zionist Corporate US Imperialism for Economic Ethnic Cleansing! Sustained Regimented Genocide Culture of Brahaminical Hegemony! Mamata Banerjee Follows Suit!Demanding the registration of a case in the 'cash-for-vote' scam following the WikiLeaks expose, CPI(M) termed it as a "gross act of political malfeasance and bribery" and said the Congress leadership cannot escape responsibility.But this time Exposed Cable exposes Buddhadev and CPIM Naked Running Blind on the Highway of Marixst Capitalism of Foreign capital!
  1. RIGHT TO INFORMATION: [voiceofindiagroup] Unprecedented Violence ...

    9 Jan 2011 ... http://sheetalmarkam.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/arya-brahmin...... However, the state's ruling Marxists took a dig at Banerjee saying she ...
    piracybay.blogspot.com/.../voiceofindiagroup-unprecedented.html - Cached
  2. Arya-Brahmin Vengeance « Sheetalmarkam's Blog

    7 Apr 2009 ... Sheetal Markam, Suhail Ansari, Adv. Harshwardhan Meshram, Urmila Marko and ...... Last Marxist Surviva… on Arya-Brahmin Vengeance on Beng… ...
    sheetalmarkam.wordpress.com/category/arya-brahmin-vengeance/ - Cached
  3. Recognizing & Diffusing Brahminist Traps in Our struggle ...

    29 Apr 2009 ... Sheetal Markam (Commander -in -Chief, Gondwana Mukti Sena, India) .....Similarly, when the Bahujans negate all these Arya-Brahmin parties, ...
    sheetalmarkam.wordpress.com/.../recognizing-diffusing-brahminist-traps-in-our-struggle/ -Cached
  4. Arya-Brahmin Vengeance on Bengali-Tamil Dalits & Chakma Adivasi ...

     - 4 visits - 23 Feb
    7 Apr 2009... edited by Sheetal Markam, Commander in Chief Gondwana Mukti Sena, ......Pingback by Last Marxist Survival Kit of OBC Quota in Bengal ...
    sheetalmarkam.wordpress.com/.../arya-brahmin-vengeance-on-bengali-tamil-dalits-chakma-adivasi-indigenous-refugees/ - Cached - Similar
  5. Indian Holocaust My Father`s Life and Time: SC OBC Minority VOTE ...

    16 Jan 2011 ... Fifty Two percent OBC support makes BRAHMIN Front Government and manusmriti Rule a ... Just read Sheetal Markam on Brahaminisation and Aryan .... TheMarxists are the most dangerous Elements of the Brahaminical Hegemony ...
    indianholocaustmyfatherslifeandtime.blogspot.com/.../sc-obc-minority-vote-bank-on-topmost.html
  6. Impending Satanist World Order

    Unless we Uproot Mentality of Brahmin-Slavery and the Brahmincracy Itself ... Niranjan Masram,Yavtamal Communication Address : Sheetal Markam Gondwana Vikas ...... PhonyMarxism is an excellent ideological veil in which to cloak illuminati.
    www.scribd.com › Research › History - Cached
  7. nandigramunited: Exclusive Sensex Economy of Ethnic cleansing and ...

    31 Dec 2010 ... Bengal has no Anil Sarkar but Ruling Marxist Brahminical Hegemony . .....Kangali, and two of his friends K B Maraskole and Sheetal Markam...
    nandigramunited-banga.blogspot.com/.../exclusive-sensex-economy-of-ethnic.html - Cached
  8. Palash chandra Biswas's Blog at BIGADDA

    sheetalmarkam.wordpress.com/… ..... Bengali Brahmin marxists rescue PM. PALASH C. BISWAS, C/O MRS. … stay in the PMO suits the interests of Brahminical ...
    blogs.bigadda.com/pal4868546/2009/10/page/2/ - Similar
  9. Let the BRAHMIN KANYA Matua Mamata Banerjee RESIGN First! CHANDAL...

    27 Feb 2010 ... sheetalmarkam.wordpress.com/.../arya-brahmin-vengeance-on-bengali-tamil-dalits-chakma-adivasi-indigenous-refugees/ - Cached - Similar ...
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  10. Chaitra Sangkranti, MOSSAD AGENTS and Internal SECURITY:THINK ...

    11 Apr 2009 ... Communication Address : Sheetal Markam Gondwana Vikas Mandal, ... the rest of the mankind and strives for imposition of Arya-Brahmin rule or ...
    palashkatha.mywebdunia.com/.../chaitra_sangkranti_mossad_agents_and_internal_securitythink_before_advocating_political_party.html - Cached

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  1. Silence is Betrayal: Who was Karl Marx?

    1 Oct 2007 ... Heinrich Karl Marx (Moses Mordecai Marx Levy, 1818-83) was born of wealthy parents (his father was a lawyer), and much of his personal life ...
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  3. Mexico: Betrayal in electrical workers union | Work of the ...

    27 Feb 2011 ... Work of the Negative: A Marxist-Humanist blog. Marxist-Humanist views of the world ... Mexico: Betrayal in electrical workers union ...
    dmitryev.wordpress.com/.../mexico-betrayal-in-electrical-workers-union/ - Cached
  4. Do u think lenins betrayal of marxist ideas is justified in any ...

    18 May 2010 ... "Do u think lenins betrayal of marxist ideas is justified in any way?" - Find the answer to this question and millions more on Yahoo!
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  5. The Betrayal » Obama Marxist

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    30 Apr 2008 ... Gottlieb Roger Marxism:Origins, Betrayal Pb by , December 31, 1990,HarperCollins Publishers Ltd edition, Paperback.
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April 3, 2011

128590: Treasury Secretary Paulson talks trade and investment with West Bengal Chief Minister

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Secretary Paulson asked for Bhattacharjee's views on the WTO's Doha round of negotiations. The CM responded that trade was important but that India and the developing countries needed "a level playing field."
128590 11/4/2007 11:09:00 AM 07KOLKATA331 Consulate Kolkata UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY VZCZCXRO7295PP RUEHBI RUEHCIDE RUEHCI #0331/01 3081109ZNR UUUUU ZZHP 041109Z NOV 07FM AMCONSUL KOLKATATO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1743INFO RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DCRUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 1651RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 0746RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 0741RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0483RUEHGO/AMEMBASSY RANGOON 0337RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 0485RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0395RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK NYRHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DCRUEIDN/DNI WASHINGTON DCRUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DCRHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HIRUCPDOC/US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE HQ WASHINGTON DCRUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE USD FAS WASHINGTON DCRUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 2134 UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KOLKATA 000331 SIPDIS
SENSITIVE SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL, ECON, ETRD, EAGR, WTRO, IN
SUBJECT: TREASURY SECRETARY PAULSON TALKS TRADE AND INVESTMENT WITH WEST BENGAL CHIEF MINISTER
1. (SBU) Summary: On October 28, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson met with West Bengal Chief Minister (CM) and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) Politburo Member Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to discuss economic development in India and West Bengal, and the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Doha round of negotiations. Secretary Paulson was accompanied by his Chief of Staff James Wilkinson, Senior Advisor Neel Kashkari, South and Southeast Asia Office Director Andy Baukol, Public Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary Brookly McLaughlin and ConGen. Bhattacharjee was appreciative of Paulson's visit, expressed support for globalization and economic liberalization, and a desire for greater U.S. investment and closer links with U.S. universities. Bhattacharjee also believed that India and the U.S. should be able to achieve some understanding on the Doha negotiations. However, he felt that U.S. subsidies to cotton farmers were unfair and had a very negative impact on farmers in developing countries, especially in Africa. He added that India was experiencing low growth in its agricultural sector and seeing many farmer suicides, and so agriculture represented a serious concern for India. Near the end of the meeting, Secretary Paulson asked for a one-on-one interaction with the SIPDIS Chief Minister without others present and discussed the Indo-U.S. civil nuclear agreement. Bhattacharjee's receptivity to closer commercial and educational links with the U.S. is reflective of his more practical desire to improve conditions in West Bengal. However, his willingness to engage with the U.S. has not resulted in him or other senior West Bengal Communist leaders being able to temper the strident anti-U.S. policies of his party at the national level. End Summary.
2. (SBU) Bhattacharjee warmly welcomed Secretary Paulson and his staff. Secretary Paulson related his interest in coming to West Bengal and to India in general, to assess aspects of the country's economic development, including on infrastructure and the financial sector. The CM responded that he believed that globalization was changing the global economic dynamic and that "Communist parties are changing" and have recognized that there must be economic liberalization. He emphasized that the Communists had to "reform or perish." Bhattacharjee commented that he had been to China and Vietnam many times and in his last visit to Vietnam in March 2007, he had seen many economic changes.
3. (SBU) Secretary Paulson asked for Bhattacharjee's views on the WTO's Doha round of negotiations. The CM responded that trade was important but that India and the developing countries needed "a level playing field" and digressed to comment that President Roosevelt and his Treasury Secretary Morgenthau had developed a "Lend-Lease" program during World War II to support Churchill and Stalin, implying that the U.S. should again be generous in supporting developing countries in the area of trade. Bhattacharjee said that U.S. agricultural subsidies were a serious problem and especially for cotton farmers in Africa. However, the CM did not believe that the Doha negotiations should remain deadlocked over agriculture and that India could be flexible. He said that he had spoken to the Prime Minister and the Minister for External Affairs (MEA) to encourage them to work with Brazil and South Africa to craft constructive alternative proposals. Secretary Paulson added India and the more advanced developing countries should be responsive to the Non-Agricultural Market Access (NAMA) issues as well as those related to General Trade in Services (GATS). Bhattacharjee agreed but added that agriculture was a great concern for India given the number of people dependent on that sector, the low economic growth rates in agriculture and the many farmer suicides.
4. (SBU) Bhattacharjee then outlined how he has been seeking to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) in West Bengal for infrastructure and industry. He said that the state was doing well in attracting information technology (IT) companies like IBM and others. However, he wanted more manufacturing and U.S. investment in the state. He had been in contact with Boeing Company officials to suggest a maintenance facility in eastern India. Also, in food processing, the CM expressed satisfaction with having a Frito-Lay factory in the state. Bhattacharjee KOLKATA 00000331 002 OF 002 added that educational cooperation was another area of great interest and that WB Finance Minister Dr. Asim Dasgupta, who was a graduate and a former professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), was fostering collaboration between MIT, Calcutta University and the Indian Statistical Institute. The CM was also in contact with Berkeley University to develop cooperation in biotechnology.
5. (SBU) Secretary Paulson commented that one of the obstacles to greater FDI in India was uncertainty over contracts and the legal process. He said that commercial disputes need to be resolved fairly and quickly and mentioned as examples disputes with Dow Chemical and McDermott International reflecting the long legal process. Bhattacharjee said he understood and in fact, wanted Dow Chemical to invest in West Bengal and the state's proposed chemical hub. The CM did not understand why Dow should be saddled with Union Carbide's liabilities from the Bhopal accident. He assured the Secretary that if there was any investment problem, he would personally resolve the issue. He also encouraged Secretary Paulson to raise investment issues with the Prime Minister and Finance Minister.
6. (SBU) Secretary Paulson finally asked to speak one-on-one with CM Bhattacharjee and ConGen and the Treasury staff left the meeting room. Secretary Paulson later commented to media and others that he discussed the Indo-civil nuclear agreement with the CM.
7. (SBU) Comment: CM Bhattacharjee was demonstrably animated and happy to meet with Secretary Paulson, recognizing the opportunity to highlight his desire for greater U.S. investment and focus for West Bengal. Bhattacharjee covered the themes he typically raises in his meeting with U.S. officials: his acceptance of capitalist principles; the need to have equitable development, especially for agriculture sector; the desire for investment from large U.S. companies like Boeing and Dow; and an interest in educational cooperation. Bhattacharjee clearly is receptive to engagement with the U.S. However, his ideological flexibility and that of some of the West Bengal Communist leadership has not resulted in the West Bengal leaders being able to temper the national CPM leadership in its hard-line opposition to the U.S. and to growing Indo-U.S. cooperation
8. (U) This message was cleared by Secretary Paulson's Staff.
JARDINE
Keywords: cable128590, The India Cables, WikiLeaks, cablegate, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, India economic policy, US FDI in India
http://www.thehindu.com/news/the-india-cables/the-cables/article1595100.ece


CHENNAI, April 3, 2011

West Bengal's pro-business Chief Minister reaches out

SARAH HIDDLESTON
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West Bengal Chief Minister and veteran Marxist Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was "clearly…receptive to engagement with the US," says a U.S. Embassy Cable.
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee expresses his desire for greater U.S. investment in the State
West Bengal Chief Minister and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee expressed his support for globalisation, economic liberalisation and United States investment in the State during an October 2007 meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson in Kolkata, a U.S. diplomatic cable shows.
The astute Mr. Paulson, seeing that Mr. Bhattacharjee was "clearly…receptive to engagement with the US," took the opportunity to dismiss his own advisers and engage him in a one-on-one discussion on the Indo-U.S. civil nuclear deal, the contents of which were not in the cable.
These revelations come from the unclassified official cable [128590: sensitive] sent under the name of U.S. Consul General in Kolkata Henry V. Jardine on November 4, 2007. It was cleared by staff from Mr. Paulson's office, the U.S. equivalent of the Union Ministry of Finance.
"Communist parties are changing," and have recognised that "there must be economic liberalisation," Mr. Bhattacharjee was quoted as having said after welcoming Mr. Paulson. And, globalisation, he believed, was changing the global economic dynamic, so much so that Communists had to "reform or perish."
West Bengal needed more manufacturing in the State, said Mr. Bhattacharjee, and he advocated more investment from large U.S. companies such as Boeing and Dow Chemical. According to the cable, the Chief Minister had already been in touch with Boeing to suggest a maintenance facility in eastern India. When Mr. Paulson raised Dow's legal legacy issue in Bhopal as a barrier to further U.S. investment, Mr. Bhattacharjee responded by welcoming Dow to invest in the State's chemical hub.
The State also wanted closer links with U.S. universities, Mr. Bhattacharjee explained. West Bengal Finance Minister Dr. Asim Dasgupta, a graduate and former Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), "was fostering collaboration between the MIT, Calcutta University and the Indian Statistical Institute," he added. The Chief Minister himself was in contact with Berkeley University in the U.S. "to develop cooperation in biotechnology," the cable reported.
Asked for his views on the World Trade Organisation's Doha round of negotiations, the Chief Minister was cautious but positive.
"Bhattacharjee…believed the U.S. and India should be able to achieve some understanding on the Doha negotiations," the cable reported. "He felt that U.S. subsidies to cotton farmers were unfair and had a very negative impact on farmers in developing countries...India was experiencing very low growth in its agricultural sector and seeing many farmer suicides, so agriculture represented a serious concern." But, the cable said, the Chief Minister "did not believe that the Doha round should remain deadlocked over agriculture and that India could be flexible."
Such positive expressions of support clearly left Mr. Paulson keen to explore further, because at the end of the meeting he dismissed his staff and Consulate officials to talk privately with the Chief Minister. Though the contents of that conversation have not been divulged, Mr. Paulson later told the media he had discussed with Mr. Bhattacharjee the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal.
The Chief Minister was "demonstrably animated and happy to meet with Secretary Paulson" in Kolkata, the cable concluded.
"Bhattacharjee's receptivity to closer commercial and educational links with the U.S. is reflective of his more practical desire to improve conditions in West Bengal," the cable summarised.
But, it lamented: "His ideological flexibility and that of some of the West Bengal Communist leadership has not resulted in the West Bengal leaders being able to temper the national CPM leadership in its hard-line opposition to the U.S. and to growing Indo-U.S. cooperation."
(This article is a part of the series "The India Cables" based on the US diplomatic cables accessed by The Hindu via WikiLeaks.)
Keywords: cable128590, The India Cables, cablegate, WikiLeaks, globalisation, Left parties, US investment, West Bengal government
http://www.thehindu.com/news/the-india-cables/article1594823.ece

In a statement, the party Polit Bureau said the report sent by US Charge d'Affaires Steven White should be the basis for filing an FIR and initiating an investigation against Satish Sharma and his aide Nachiketa Kapur, who were named in the diplomatic cable.

"The Congress leadership, including the Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh), cannot escape their responsibility in this gross act of political malfeasance and bribery," the statement said.

The party said the US embassy cable that Congress "paid bribes" to MPs to win the confidence vote in July 2008 is an "additional confirmation" of a well-known fact.

"The 'cash for vote' issue had erupted in the Lok Sabha on the day of the vote itself. But despite the trail of evidence, after an enquiry by a Parliamentary Committee, no action was taken," it said.

According to the leaked cable, Sharma's aide Kapur allegedly showed a US embassy employee "two chests containing cash" and said Rs 50-60 crore is ready for use as "pay-offs" to win the support of some MPs ahead of crucial vote of confidence in UPA government over the Indo-US nuke deal.

Noting that the Congress party machine was working "overtime" behind the scenes in the run-up to the confidence vote on July 22, 2008, the cables also claimed the party had allegedly paid Rs 10 crores to each of their "four RLD MPs."

RLD chief Ajit Singh, Sharma and Kapur have denied the allegations.

CHENNAI, April 3, 2011

Calling the Left's 'bluff': Ahluwalia on the nuclear deal

SARAH HIDDLESTON
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The HinduDeputy Chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia. File Photo
"The issue in India is who will blink first, the Congress or the Left. For the Left, it is clear the issue is not the 123 agreement, but the deepening U.S.-India relationship which they vehemently oppose."
This was how Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia described to U.S. Ambassador David C. Mulford prospects for the Indo-U.S. Civil Nuclear Agreement.
This was at a meeting in mid-September 2007, a month after the text of the 123 agreement had been released. |
The discussion was a digression from a planning session on an upcoming India-U.S. CEO Forum and visits by Deputy Secretary of Energy Clay Sells and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, according to a cable sent to Washington from the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi on September 18, 2007 [122608, unclassified official "sensitive"].
The U.S. had been "very quiet publicly on the Agreement since July," Ambassador Mulford replied to a query from Dr. Ahluwalia on deadlines to operationalise the agreement.
This was deliberately so "in order to avoid 'stirring things up' for the GOI as it deals with political debate here [in India]".
"Ahluwalia said that there are two possibilities if Congress calls the Left's bluff: it could continue as a minority government until calling for elections, or the Left could join with the BJP in bringing down the government, leading to elections," the cable reported.
Either way, Dr. Ahluwalia was confident. "The Government is presently in a good political position to go into elections," the cable relates him as saying, "but it would be better to go to the polls on issues other than the 123 agreement."
(This article is a part of the series "The India Cables" based on the US diplomatic cables accessed by The Hindu via WikiLeaks.)
Keywords: cable122608, The India Cables, cablegate, WikiLeaks, Indo-U.S. nuke deal, Left parties, UPA government
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Tortuous Convolvulus is one of the most fascinating comic book characters. He appears in Asterix and the Roman Agent. Tortuous Convolvulus is a troublemaker par excellence — he just has to walk past two people to get them to start fighting.

He causes distrust, strife and fights wherever he steps foot. He is the ultimate anarchist - who revels in the discord that he is able to create. He is used by Caesar to create divisions in Asterix' village — till common sense, shared values and a wee bit of magic potion saves the village.

Julian Assange, the Australian who is on the United States's 'most hated' list — is a modern day Tortuous Convolvulus. While on the face of it WikiLeaks — the organisation that he directs — has the stated aim of creating 'open governments' in the long run, in the short run WikiLeaks has become the ultimate tool of creating distrust and discord.

Article continues below the advertisement...
Most countries, their ruling parties or coalitions and their opposition parties have been fairly mature and sensible about WikiLeaks. For one, the cables published so far — both in India and outside tell you nothing earth shaking. In the main, they are drawing room conversations between American diplomats and locals.
There are the 'oh, I am so important' conversations, then there are the 'I am your friend, the rest of my team hates you' snippets, and the gossip 'he is really strange, people say this about him' reported back in official language.
Most people in power or aspiring for power may have read WikiLeaks and may have smirked at someone else's silliness, but they have more or less kept a dignified silence.
After all, there is no point making a song and a dance about the content of WikiLeaks, when you don't know what part of your conversation is in the US government cables and reported in what form. But, Indian politicians, as we all know, are a different breed.
So how should one see the WikiLeaks — especially cables that concern India? At the first level one needs to look at the information gatherers — the United States of America.
A country, whose foreign policy since World War-II, has epitomised the statement, "The path to hell is paved with good intentions." They have been incredibly naive in their reading of local situations — reports of which they have got from their ground level diplomatic staff; they have misunderstood nationalism for anti-Americanism, they have looked at self-reliance as the onset of socialism, and to counter that they have gone about supporting the worst dictators, creating terrible conflicts and leaving societies tattered in their aftermath.
Their understanding of our world in its shades of grey is non-existent. Countries are for it or are against it. It may have been slightly more sophisticated in stating this than former president Bush — but, this has been the core of their relationship with anyone else in the world. Its employees across the world are in tune with this philosophy.
At the second level, one needs to look at the information providers:the Indian ruling elite — Indian politicians and Indian politician wannabes. A breed that epitomises the line 'how do you tell a politician is lying. His lips are moving'.They see the world as a set of alliances that will take them to the next level.
These alliances are not permanent, nor are enemies. Also, it is a tribe that mostly has no firm ideology — except staying in power. This is a breed, which throughout history, has tried to impress the 'foreigner' about how wonderful they are and how beneficial a long-term relationship would be to the foreigner, and more importantly — how terrible their opposition is.
Wikileaks India is essentially a conversation between these two parties. One which sees no ambiguity in its world and the other which is totally ambiguous in all things, except its climb to power.
The problem with accepting the Wiki cables as Gospel Truth has three issues attached to it. If you accept one cable as truth, you cannot question the veracity of the rest.
Related to this is that, you don't know what your side has said to impress the diplomat— it could be equally 'impressive'.And thirdly, if you accept only one part and debunk the rest — you do look opportunistic at best and confused at worst.
So how does one read WikiLeaks? As gossip. Nice, juicy gossip. Read WikiLeaks, smirk, and move on.
Harini Calamur is a media entrepreneur, writer, blogger, teacher & the main slave to an imperious hound. She blogs at calamur.org/gargi and @calamur on Twitter



http://www.dnaindia.com/india/comment_read-wikileaks-smirk-and-move-on_1528365
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Buddha calls WikiLeaks cables one-sided

Kolkata, Apr 4 (IBNS) West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Monday clarified his views on role of private investments and neo liberal globalization as represented in one of the US diplomatic cables accessed by WikiLeaks and now made public.

The cables as published in The Hindu newspaper on Sunday says the reformist West Bengal Chief Minister and the senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader has supported globalisation, economic liberalisation and United States investment in the state during an October 2007 meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson in Kolkata.


On Monday in a statement, Bhattacharjee said: "It surprises me that my conscious reiteration of the publicly stated policies of our government and our party has been one-sidedly represented by the author of the cable. Hence it is obviously a distorted account of our discussion."


"It is well known that while we are opposed to neo liberal globalization and liberalization we cannot insulate ourselves from its impact. Therefore, we "engage" with this process to protect the working people from its anti-poor consequences," he said.


"It is apparent that the author of the cable misrepresented this," he said.


He said on the WTO process, the Left stand has been to fight for a more equitable arrangement and paradigm."This has been partially reflected in the said cable," he said.


"Finally on the question of investment, it has been our long stated public position that we have a positive attitude towards private investment, including foreign investment for augmenting production and productive capacity, technology accrual and most importantly employment generation," he said.


"On Dow Chemicals, I had pointed out that subject to Dow Chemicals owning up responsibility for compensating the victims of Bhopal disaster, we want the Company to invest in the proposed chemical hub project [in West Bengal]. Quite clearly, the aspect of the responsibility of Dow Chemicals has been left out in the Cable," he said.


He said he was constrained to clarify these issues as otherwise his views expressed in the discussion will tend to create confusion, "given the distorted and one-sided account."


Henry Paulson in his cables said the "communists are changing" and recognized the need for economic liberalization.


The West Bengal chief minister faces a tough assembly polls in Apirl-May owing to alienation of the farmers and poor for his pro-industrialization and land acquisition policies.

http://www.indiablooms.com/NewsDetailsPage/newsDetails040411m.php

Tata vs Trinamool: Who will have the last laugh? - Business News - …
IBNLive.com - Aug 23, 2008
It's Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya. In 2006, Mamata Banerjee went on a 26-day fast at the end of which Bhattacharya gave her a written assurance ...


RFI - Thousands besiege car factory in farmers' protest
RFI - Aug 24, 2008
West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said the protests would fail. "The project will be a reality," said Bhattacharjee late Saturday. ...


Tata Motors, Facing Land Dispute, May Move Nano Plant (Update2) - …
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West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee called on the opposition to keep the protest peaceful. ``We are ready to sit with the opposition leaders ...


Tata says he'll shift Nano plant if violence continues - India - DNA
Daily News & Analysis - Aug 22, 2008
Reacting cautiously to Tata's remarks, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said: "I think that the people of West Bengal want this project to come up at ...


The Hindu : Front Page : Hope Singur project will fructify: Buddhadeb
The Hindu - Aug 24, 2008
KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Saturday expressed optimism that the Tata Motors project at Singur would fructify and the ...


Tataís warning - Opinion - DNA
Daily News & Analysis - Aug 22, 2008
This is an embarrassing situation for the Left Front government in West Bengal and particularly for the chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. ...


Siege threat to India's Nano car plant - 8/24/08
Inquirer.net - Aug 24, 2008
But West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, whose communist- controlled government wooed the project, insisted that the row would be settled. ...


Kolkata waits for Tata, Singur for solution - India - DNA
Daily News & Analysis - Aug 22, 2008
But analysts do not rule out the possibility of a last-minute meeting between Tata and chief ministerBuddhadeb Bhattacharjee. In view of Mamataís recent ...


Indefinite protest at Singur; Ratan Tata concerned - Oneindia News
Oneindia - Aug 22, 2008
... the party stuck to its demand, at a meeting on August 20, where Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and the Industry minister were present.


Ratan Tata threatens to withdraw from Singur - Oneindia News
Oneindia - Aug 22, 2008
With meetings between West Bengal's Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Mamata Banerjee remaining inconclusive, the Trinamool Congress chief said it ...


  1. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  2. In 1993,Buddhadeb tendered his resignation from the state cabinet due to a significant ...have also criticized Bhattacharya for pursuing economic reforms. ...

  3. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhadeb_Bhattacharjee - Cached - Similar

  4. news.outlookindia.com | Buddhadev sworn in with 44-member ministry

  5. 18 May 2006 ... Kolkata, May 18 (PTI) Buddhadev Bhattacharjee, the posterboy of CPI(M)'seconomic reforms, was today sworn-in as West Bengal Chief Minister ...

  6. news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?385852 - Cached

  7. news.outlookindia.com | No duplicity in Left's stand on reforms ...

  8. 29 Aug 2005 ... No duplicity in Left's stand on reforms: Buddhadeb ...

  9. news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?319793 - Cached

  10. Show more results from outlookindia.com

  11. India Democracy :: Economic reforms: CPM backs Buddhadev

  12. 5 Sep 2005 ... indiademocracy, Gateway to good governance, Communicate with elected officials.

  13. gilliatnet.indiademocracy.org/news/view/id/138 - Cached

  14. Buddhadev Bhattacharya - Search Results >>

  15. 2 Jun 2009 ... The chief minister Buddhadev Bhattacharya went to Gosaba today to see for... Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharya s economic reform, ...

  16. www.business-standard.com/.../search_news.php?...Buddhadev%20Bhattacharya... -Cached

  17. No double standards in Left policy: Buddhadev - Times Of India

  18. 29 Aug 2005 ... KOLKATA: West Bengal chief minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee on Monday said ... on the issue of economic reforms at the central and state levels.

  19. articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.comCollectionsMamata Banerjee - Cached

  20. Article: Promises galore from Buddhadev. | AccessMyLibrary ...

  21. 3 Nov 2001 ... Free article about 'Promises galore from Buddhadev.' at AccessMyLibrary.com. ... Bhattacharya promises to carry on with economic reforms. ...

  22. www.accessmylibrary.com/article.../promises-galore-buddhadev.html - Cached

  23. Buddhadeb Bhattarcharjee,Buddhadeb Bhattarcharjee Profile ...

  24. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is a Communist leader who lately calls himself a ... Turned a moderate Communist during 2001-06, he made many economic reforms. ...

  25. www.peopleandprofiles.com/...-/Buddhadeb+Bhattarcharjee.html?... - Cached

  26. WikiLeaks disclosures one sided, distorted: Buddhadeb

  27. 4 Apr 2011 ... West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Monday termed as. ...that he was in favour of liberalisation and economic reforms. ...

  28. news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/India/20110404/1723170.html

  29. Economic reforms: Policy and institutions some lessons from Indian ...

  30. by A Virmani - 2004 - Cited by 22 - Related articles

  31. Downloadable! Economic policy and policy reform over the last few decades has been motivated by the need to accelerate growth or equivalently to reverse a ...

  32. ideas.repec.org/p/ind/icrier/121.html - Cached -

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Mamata to keep key berths for some time

OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

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Calcutta, April 1: Mamata Banerjee has suggested she will keep key ministries like education, health, industry and home under her care for "some time" to ensure that Bengal is "rejuvenated" within six months if her party is elected to power.
Mamata also indicated that she was not in favour of a bloated government — a departure from the stand of the Left Front that had floated ministries under every conceivable head to accommodate allies and ageing satraps.
"For some time, I will have to keep under my care the departments of education, health, administration, investment and industry. Agriculture, land and employment will have to be monitored. If co-ordination is better, results will be better," Mamata told STAR Ananda during an interview.
Although Mamata did not specifically mention the home ministry, the portfolio has been traditionally handled by the chief minister in Bengal. Mamata mentioned "administration", which is being seen as a reference to home affairs.
Going beyond the rhetoric of street politics, Mamata for the first time spoke about how her "Maa-Maati-Manush" government would take shape. "I don't want a big ministry. Why should there be separate ministers for fire services and disaster management? I believe that if you are strong, confident and positive, constructive work can be done. I am always positive."
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Mamata Banerjee during the interview with STAR Ananda on Friday. Picture by Amit Datta



In the 140-minute interview at primetime, Mamata beamed to Bengal's drawing rooms the visage of a prospective administrator and spelt out measures that promised to make Bengal "changa" (rejuvenated) within six months.
"Chho masher moddhe Bangla ke changa kore debo (I will rejuvenate Bengal within six months)," the Trinamul Congress chief told the news channel.
In her poll manifesto, Mamata had promised to bring investments to the state should she come to power and had said she would need some time. Today, she set a time frame. "First six months, I will devote to seeking investment," Mamata said.
She took the decision apparently to fulfil her promise of "bringing about administrative reforms in all sectors". The Trinamul chief, however, did not elaborate on how she planned to "change the mindset of bureaucrats".
While saying that she would monitor key departments for some time, Mamata cited the example of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation's mayor-in-council team. "Mayor Sovan Chatterjee has been given the responsibility of several departments. I will follow the same policy," she said.
In the manifesto, Mamata had dwelt upon the ills plaguing the state. Tonight, she made it clear that her priority was to make the administration "impartial".
Asked about chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's "do-it-now" mantra, Mamata said: "Merely uttering the magic words don't work. A leader has to rise above the party and lead the people. Charity begins at home."
The Trinamul chief touched upon the issue seen as the key factor behind her party's string of poll successes: land. Mamata repeated she was against forcible acquisition, and said it was the land losers' "right" to be compensated adequately.
"If the government earns Rs 1 lakh crore from the land of farmers, what is the problem in parting with Rs 10,000 crore? He is giving up his livelihood. Why will he not be compensated?" Mamata asked.
She promised adequate compensation and jobs, and said land would be taken over only for "matters of national interest" — a qualification that leaves some room for manoeuvre if her party is elected to power.
"There is no need for special economic zones. Land is there. It will not be a problem for setting up of industries," she added.
Mamata sought to dispel apprehensions of squabbles with the Congress over ministerial berths. "I don't think the Congress is going to make any demands. There won't be any problems," she said. The Trinamul chief said she was confident of coming to power with a two-thirds majority.
She said the people would either vote for change or against it. "Independents will have no role to play this time," Mamata said. She possibly had in mind the sitting Congress MLAs who had decided to contest as Independents after being denied tickets. At a padayatra this week, Mamata had requested the people not to vote for Independents.
Although the CPM has been talking about a "turnaround", Mamata said she did not see any signs of it.
Asked who among Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Nirupam Sen and Gautam Deb would she prefer to see as the leader of the Opposition, Mamata smiled, saying: "I have doubts whether any of them will win."
But what will she do if Bhattacharjee ever sits on a dharna outside her Writers' chamber? "I will offer him a glass of water, a cup of tea, biscuits or jilipi-amriti."



http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110402/jsp/bengal/story_13800453.jsp

Nandigram, Singur were blunders: West Bengal minister (Interview)

2011-03-20 13:20:00


Kolkata, March 20 (IANS) As West Bengal's ruling Left Front tries hard to wrestle with the anti-incumbency wave after 34 years of uninterrupted rule, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) leader and state Public Works Minister Kshiti Goswami feels the alliance may have to 'struggle' because of the Nandigram and Singur fiascos.

'We have to struggle a lot this time to come to power. We have to go to the people because we have done a lot of wrongs in the last five years,' Kshiti Goswami told IANS in an exclusive interview.

'Nandigram, Singur were blunders. Our government went there without any plan and roadmap. People were against it and that is why we are all paying a heavy price,' said Goswami.

Nandigram in East Midnapore district witnessed widespread violence in January 2007 when the region erupted in protest over proposed land acquisition for a special economic zone (SEZ).

Since then, a turf battle between the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), which leads the state's ruling Left Front, and the anti-acquisition grouping of farmland supporters backed by the main opposition Trinamool Congress has led to repeated violence in the region.

Singur in Hooghly district too saw violent stir against land acquired for Tata Motor's Nano small car project, forcing the company to shift its plant to Gujarat.

These two agitations reversed the state's electoral script. The Left Front, which has been winning all elections since 1977, was battered in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections and last year's civic polls, besides losing a series of assembly by-elections.

Goswami said the main reason behind the Left Front's elephantine majority in the 2006 assembly elections was division of opposition votes.

'Last time the difference of votes between us and opposition was less than 1.5 percent, but we gained because of division of opposition votes,' he said.

But he feels that justice was not done to the massive mandate.

'Forcible land acquisitions were not accepted by the people. We went for industrialisation without any land map and land bank,' said Goswami, a member of the highest decision-making body of the RSP.

Does he blame Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee for pushing hard his dream of industrialisation and thus leading to a string of electoral losses for the Front since 2008?

'It's not about blaming someone but the decisions were wrong. There was no clear planning, people were forced to leave their land...this is not right. The Left Front base was cemented by land reforms and distribution of land to the landless,' he said.

The land reform measures taken by the Left Front when it came to power in 1977 cemented its base for the uninterrupted 34 years of rule. Lakhs of landless farmers and tillers were distributed land and a land ceiling was imposed to prevent accumulation of surplus land.

Goswami, who began his political career as a student activist during the turbulent 1960s, says that his party's protest against the forceful acquisition of land was quashed by state CPI-M bosses.

'They steamrolled our views and protests and alleged that we have joined hands with the opposition,' said Goswami, a three-time legislator from the Dhakuria assembly constituency, which no longer exists due to delimitation of constituencies.

Asked whether it was possible for the alliance to fare better on the economic front, on which it is lagging behind other states, Goswami said: 'We work in a capitalist framework, we have our limitations as national bourgeois parties don't want us to perform because the Left movement is a threat to them.

'But still, we have done work like land reforms and creation of a three-tier panchayat system; still a lot more needs to be done. In information technology, we started a bit late but now we are catching up with other metros.'

Goswami said that the results of the April-May assembly polls will not have any impact on the unity of the 10-member- strong alliance.

'The Left Front was born out of a struggle of the toiling masses. Its unity can never be broken. We have differences but we solve everything through discussion. And whether in power or out of it, the Left Front will remain Left Front,' said Goswami.

And what will be the alliance's most important work if it was voted to power for the eight consecutive term?

'Development of the poorest of the poor of the state. We had started the land reforms but a little work is left; we will complete it.

'You have to keep in mind one thing: that poor people and the working class of this state have no friend other than the Left Front,' Goswami said.

(Pradipta Tapadar can be contacted at pradipta.t@ians.in)

http://www.sify.com/news/nandigram-singur-were-blunders-west-bengal-minister-interview-news-national-ldunugdhibj.html

Netaji wanted a planned economy: Buddhadeb Bhattacharya

Mon, 2011-01-24 13:03 — subhanil
Invoking Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's vision of India as a socialist country, on the occasion of his 114th birth anniversary, Chief Minister of West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, questioned the patriotism of the Congress [party] in view of reports of tax evasion to the tune of lakhs of rupees as money is siphoned off to accounts in Swiss banks and the recent 2G spectrum scam, on a day officially observed as Desh Prem Diwas by the West Bengal government.
"Is this the patriotism of the Congress? Who are these people who have stashed their money in Swiss banks and why has the government [not] taken any action against them?" Mr. Bhattacharjee asked, adding that the money siphoned off belonged to the nation.
Mr. Bhattacharjee said the money that should rightfully have come to the nation passed into the hands of criminals in the recent 2G spectrum scam.
"Netaji had wanted a planned economy, but market forces have been allowed to rule every sector. Netaji had wanted to ensure control and regulations, but everything is being de-regulated. He had wanted the nationalisation of resources, but resources are increasingly being privatised," Mr. Bhattacharjee said.
A disastrous situation had emerged because of a market economy, de-regulation and privatisation, and it had led to the creation of two Indias – one where there are a hundred billionaires and another where nearly 40 percent of the people are poor and deprived of education, health and homes, he said.
The biggest problem was how to bring prices under control so that the poor could afford food. The Supreme Court had directed that food rotting in godowns be distributed to the poor, but the government had no answers, Mr. Bhattacharjee said.
"This dangerous capitalist nature of the government is not what Netaji had envisaged," Mr. Bhattacharjee said, adding that it was important to revive his ideals in these times. He said that as the State government had officially observed the day as Desh Prem Diwas, he was hopeful that the Centre would follow suit. Biman Bose, chairman of the State Committee of the Left Front said the message of patriotism must be taken to everyone, particularly when "hypocrites who have no love for the country are posing as patriots." Mr. Bhattacharjee unveiled a statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose at Noapara police station in North 24 Parganas district where the freedom fighter had been kept in a lock-up.

A Report from The Hindu
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Prakash Karat on India cables, accessed by 'The Hindu' through WikiLeaks

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The HinduCommunist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat. File photo

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The general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Prakash Karat, highlights the significance of the India Cables, accessed by 'The Hindu' through WikiLeaks. The publication of the cables 'lays bare the nature of the relationship between India and the USA during the tenure of the UPA and NDA governments' he says.

Source: News from the CPI(M), marxistindia@cpim.org

WikiLeaks Cables

A Government Compromised

Prakash Karat

The publication of the confidential US diplomatic cables emanating from India is having a significant fall out. At one stroke, it has laid bare the nature of the relationship between India and the USA during the tenure of the UPA government and earlier the NDA government. The publication and analysis of the US embassy cables accessed by The Hindu through WikiLeaks is ongoing, but what has been made available so far reveals a disturbing picture. The US has acquired an influential position in various spheres - strategic affairs, foreign policy and economic policies. The US has access to the bureaucracy, military, security and intelligence systems and has successfully penetrated them at various levels. The cables cover a period mainly from 2005 to 2009, the very period when the UPA government went ahead to forge the strategic alliance with the US.

Foreign Policy: Turn Around

It is well known that the Manmohan Singh government went back on its commitment in the common minimum programme to pursue an independent foreign policy. The CPI (M) and the Left parties had to oppose the U turn in foreign policy from the outset. How this reversal was effected has been laid out through a number of cables setting out the efforts of the US embassy and high level functionaries of the Bush administration. The volte face by the Manmohan Singh government in voting against Iran in the IAEA in September 2005 was one such crucial event. The cables illustrate how the US government exercised maximum pressure to achieve this turn around. The Indian government was told that unless India takes a firm stand against Iran, the US Congress would not pass the legislation to approve the nuclear deal. Prior to the Bush-Manmohan Singh meeting on September 13 at New York during the UN General Assembly session, intense pressure was brought upon the UPA government. It is after this meeting between Manmohan Singh and Bush that instructions were sent to the Indian ambassador in Vienna to go along with the United States in the IAEA. After the vote the US ambassador in a cable termed it as "the most important signal so far of the UPA's commitment to building a stronger US-India relationship".

Other cables reveal how the United States succeeded in getting India to coordinate policy towards other countries in South Asia like Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The close cooperation with Israel under US aegis is also spelt out.

The success achieved in getting India's foreign policy to be "congruent" to US policy is smugly stated in an embassy cable that Indian officials are 'loathe to admit publicly that India and the US have begun coordinating foreign policies'.

Defence Cooperation

The second area where the US influence grows appreciably is in military and security cooperation. The UPA government signed the Framework Agreement on Defence Cooperation with the United States in June 2005. The then defence minister, Pranab Mukherjee, had told the media before his departure for Washington that it was merely an exploratory visit. One of the cables from the US ambassador to the American defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld spells out the agenda which the Americans hope to accomplish during the visit. The Defence Framework Agreement was the first of this type to be signed by India with any country. It envisages a whole gamut of cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries. It is evident from the cables that the US government and the Pentagon had been negotiating and planning for such an agreement from the time of the NDA government.

Security & Intelligence Cooperation

The cables show the growing coordination of the security establishments of the two countries reaching a high level of cooperation after the Mumbai terrorist attack. The then National Security Advisor, M K Narayanan was seen by the Americans as eager to establish a high degree of security cooperation involving agencies such as the FBI and the CIA.

The cables also provide a glimpse of how the Americans are able to penetrate the intelligence and security apparatus. Among the forty cables which were first published by the British paper, The Guardian, there are two instances of improper contacts. In the first case a member of the National Security Advisory Board meets an American embassy official and offers to provide information about Iranian contacts in India and requests for his visit to the United States to be arranged in return. In another case the US embassy reports that it is able to get access to terrorism related information directly from a police official serving in the Delhi Police, rather than going through official channels.

In the current group of cables published, there is one which pertains to the cabinet expansion in 2006. Here there is reference to "our contact" (the name is withheld) in the government owned Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL). The cables show that information is sourced from not just the media but from sources within various government ministries.

Penetration & Espionage

The collaboration between the intelligence and security agencies of the two countries had already resulted in American penetration. Two cases of espionage had come up. During the NDA government, a RAW officer, Rabinder Singh was recruited by the CIA. When his links were uncovered, he was helped by the CIA to flee to the United States. During the UPA government a systems analyst in the National Security Council secretariat was found to have been recruited by the CIA, the contact having been established through the US-India Cyber Security Forum.

The cables show a surge in pro-American decisions in foreign policy and economic policies in the 2005-2008 period. The United States utilised every lever to get India to accept all its interests in exchange for the nuclear deal. Following the two successive votes against Iran in the IAEA in September 2005 and February 2006, the union cabinet chaired by the prime minister decided in a meeting in 2006 to join the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline project which the Americans wanted. This was a clear signal that the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline was being scuttled as demanded by the Americans. It is in this period that there was a significant increase in the military joint exercises and other areas of defence collaboration. The cables clearly show the priority the United States had in getting India to sign the Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement which is known popularly as the Logistics Supply Agreement. This would enable US naval ships and air force planes to access Indian ports and bases for refueling, maintenance and supplies. The Left had strongly opposed the signing of this agreement, a draft of which had been prepared for approval by the cabinet.

Political Influence

The political influence wielded by the United States is starkly revealed in another cable regarding the cabinet expansion which took place in 2006. The assessment of the cabinet reshuffle by the US ambassador states, "The net result of the reshuffle, however, is a cabinet that is likely to be excellent for US goals in India (and Iran)". The report notes that five ministers with strong pro-US credentials have been appointed viz Murli Deora, Kapil Sibal, Anand Sharma, Ashwini Kumar and Saifuddin Soz. The report correctly remarks that the Left would be infuriated by this shuffle and predicts that "Viewing this shuffle as shift towards the US, the Left has become more alienated from the Congress and more determined to obstruct UPA's economic liberalisation and foreign policy initiatives, all but ensuring political fireworks in the months ahead".

The American ambassador can hardly contain his joy at the removal of Manishankar Aiyar as the minister for petroleum and natural gas and his replacement by Murli Deora. Aiyar is pilloried for his initiatives taken in the energy sector with regard to the IPI pipeline and his visit to China. Murli Deora, on the contrary is lauded for his pro-Americanism and his close links with big business.

Under the Manmohan Singh regime, the Americans have been provided licence to penetrate and influence every sector of government. It is no use blaming the Americans for utilising these opportunities. After all it is the UPA government that decided in 2007 that the mandatory mid-career programmes training for IAS officers should be undertaken in various American universities. Whether they are civil servants or military officials, the way to go ahead is to get training in the United States.

Political Corruption

The cables show that the Americans are keen observers of the high level corruption that exists in India's political system. Understandably the cable which reports the huge amounts of money being used for buying MPs of the opposition during the confidence vote in July 2008 has caused a furore. The Americans were willing for the Manmohan Singh government to do everything to win the vote, so that the nuclear deal goes through. Any means, fair or foul, was acceptable for the Americans. A cable from the Chennai consulate provides a graphic and accurate account of how the DMK distributes money to voters, as it did in Thirumangalam by-election and the Madurai Lok Sabha polls. With such knowledge the Americans have a correct measure of the corrupt politicians and how they can purchase them for their purposes.

The cables in the run up to the nuclear deal and the political struggle which ensued show how the United States was most interested in getting the nuclear deal through. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the coterie of officers around him who touted the nuclear deal as the next biggest thing to happen to India since independence were actually advancing America's interests, more than safeguarding the interests of the country. As the cables make it clear, the United States was after not just the commercial benefit of a few billion dollars in sale of nuclear reactors, but getting India firmly on its side as a strategic ally.

The Prime Minister and the Congress leadership are trying to brazen out these exposures. They make the claim that these cables are unverifiable and cannot be treated as authentic. This is a pathetic excuse when everyone knows that the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, herself had rang up the Indian foreign minister to warn about the leakage of these cables and the consequent embarrassment they may cause.

The WikiLeaks cables are a sad and revealing commentary of where Manmohan Singh and the Congress leadership have landed the country.

Keywords: The India Cables, WikiLeaks, Cablegate, Indo-U.S. strategic relationship, Julian Assange


http://www.thehindu.com/news/resources/article1568273.ece?homepage=true

Karat questions portrayal of WikiLeaks as "unverified"

PTI
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The HinduCPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat addresses a press meet in New Delhi. Photo: V.V. Krishnan
The CPI(M) on Friday asked why the Manmohan Singh government was trying to portray the Wikileaks reports as "unverified" when the U.S. Administration was itself saying these were cables of its own embassies across the world including India.
"We are unable to understand why our government is not ready to accept the genuineness of these cables when (US Secretary of State) Hillary Clinton has herself gone telephonically warning world governments about their leakage", CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat told reporters here.
Observing that more cables would come out in the near future, he said, "These will provide a very revealing glimpse of the state of affairs of our government in the past few years, particularly after it entered into a strategic alliance with the United States."
On the protests against the Jaitapur nuclear power project, he said the CPI(M) would make it a national issue and form a national committee, including political leaders and scientists, to support the cause of the local people.
Noting that the Wikileak cables from India, brought out first by The Hindu, had also thrown light on developments before the signing of the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal, he said, "The key question is have we really thought about the consequences of large nuclear parks like Jaitapur where six nuclear plants from the French company Areva will be set up".
Drawing a parallel to the recent accidents at the Fukushima plant in Japan after being hit by the massive earthquake and tsunami, he said there were major safety and environmental concerns and the entire Jaitapur project "needs a relook".
"Fishing will become impossible in the area. The issue is what will be done with the spent fuel. At Fukushima, the 'spent (fuel) rods' which were hit by the tsunami started heating up", Karat said and asked there was no clarity as yet on how the spent fuel would be disposed off.
The CPI(M) leader said the technology to be used by Areva had not been tested anywhere globally, including in France and, in addition, it was "terribly expensive".
To questions about WikiLeaks cables mentioning about a meeting between a US Embassy officer and himself, Karat said he had only one meeting with the then Deputy Chief of Mission who "I think, wanted to persuade me not to oppose FDI in retail trade and the entry of (major US retailor) Walmart into India. Probably, he wanted to probe what our stand will be".
Keywords: WikiLeaks, India Cables, cablegate, CPI(M) general secretary, Prakash Karat

REVEALED: THE INDIA CABLES FROM WIKILEAKS

N. RAM
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Fascinating insights: 5,100 cables, six million words; what they're about & what's in store
Starting today, March 15, The Hindu offers its readers a series of unprecedented insights into India's foreign policy and domestic affairs, diplomatic, political, economic, social, cultural, and intellectual – encountered, observed, tracked, interpreted, commented upon, appreciated, and pilloried by U.S. diplomats cabling the State Department in Washington D.C.
The range of subjects, issues, and persons covered by the India Cables is extraordinary. While the trained diplomat's eye is almost always on the ball – the developing Indo-U.S. strategic relationship and everything that helps or hinders it – the range includes India's relations with its neighbours, with Russia, the European Union, East Asia, Israel, Palestine, Iran, and the rest of West Asia, Africa, Cuba, the United Nations. It covers issues and actions relating to defence cooperation, nuclear policy, arms control, terrorism, intelligence sharing, export control, human rights, Indian bureaucracy, environment, AfPak, and much more. There is a special focus on 26/11, Kashmir, India's policy towards and dealings with Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, and where the Indian polity is headed.
Politicians of all shades, diplomats and other officials, sleuths, businessmen, journalists, busybodies, bigwigs and smallwigs figure in the WikiLeaks India Cache – which comprises 5,100 U.S. Embassy and consulate cables relevant to India (not all of them originating in India) and aggregates an astonishing six million words.
These American diplomats have been trained to listen, probe and prod, massage egos, milk sources, report, and write (supplying accessible and, at times, witty and elegant headings and sub-headings) to inform, analyse, and amuse – as though they were full-time journalists. Many of them work like wire service beavers: long lunches, yes, but very often, same day reports of important meetings. Few things escape their notice. Most of the time, they see Indian men, women, and matters through the reflected mirror of U.S. strategic interests and policy.
The India Cables have been accessed by The Hindu through an arrangement with WikiLeaks that involves no financial transaction and no financial obligations on either side. As with the larger 'Cablegate' cache to which these cables belong, they are classified into six categories: confidential, confidential/noforn (confidential, no foreigners), secret, secret/noforn, unclassified, and unclassified/for official use only.
Our contacts with WikiLeaks were initiated in the second week of December 2010. It was a period when Cablegate had captured the attention and imagination of a news-hungry world.
On November 28, 2010, five major western newspapers (The Guardian, The New York Times, Der Spiegel, Le Monde, and El Pais) and WikiLeaks made a huge splash by publishing a selection from the cables that provided readers worldwide with what WikiLeaks has described as "an unprecedented insight into U.S. government foreign activities." These newspapers had put the cables through a painstaking and painfully slow process of 'redaction,' applying varying criteria according to their lights. They drew on the cables to publish dozens of stories, ranging from the sensational through the instructive to the amusing; the newspapers' journalists provided context, background, analysis, interpretation, and comment.
But by now WikiLeaks was under siege. An organisation committed to openness, transparency, and justice and its charismatic Editor-in-Chief, Julian Assange, had come under fierce, concerted attack orchestrated by the United States. The attack dogs were after Mr. Assange's blood and the organisation had to use the utmost ingenuity to continue to function.
That it was able to do so and even spread its wings in a matter of weeks speaks to the tremendous vitality and technological power of "this new form of indestructible publishing" (to borrow Guardian Editor Alan Rusbridger's phrase) and the solidarity and practical support this mission, which Mr. Assange considers an integral part of journalism, has been able to inspire among thousands of people round the world.
The WikiLeaks database made available to the five newspapers comprised 251,187 cables from 280 U.S. embassies and consulates in 180 countries. The total word length of the cables was estimated to be 300 million. From the start of our interactions with WikiLeaks, The Hindu had its eye on the India Cables, reported to number in the thousands, of which only 40 have been published (http://213.251.145.96/origin /60_0.html).
Hopes of getting our hands on the entire India Cache rose in the second half of December when Julian Assange spoke, in a newspaper interview, of "the incredible potential of the Indian media" in a context of "a lot of corruption" (waiting to be exposed), a rising middle class, and growing access to the internet – and specifically mentioned and praised The Hindu.
To cut the story short, our active contacts with WikiLeaks resumed in mid-February 2011. A breakthrough was achieved without any fuss, resulting in a detailed understanding on the terms and modus of publication, including redacting (where, and only where, necessary) and compliance with a security protocol for protecting and handling the sensitive material – and we had the whole cache of the India Cables in our hands in early March.
Unlike the experience of the five western newspapers, which were involved in a prolonged and complex collaborative venture even while making independent publication choices (described in two books published by The Guardian and The New York Times), The Hindu's receipt, processing, and publication of the cables is a standalone arrangement with WikiLeaks, which, as in the case of the five newspapers, has no say in the content of stories we publish based on the cables.
We quickly assembled a team of experienced journalists – writers, including foreign correspondents, and editors – as well as digital information and data specialists for the India Cables publication project, to which we gave no particular name.
The team worked long hours in a secured office space, practically without a day's break, sifting through the data, categorising, segmenting, and speed-reading the cables, searching with keywords, redacting if necessary, making a large first selection of what seemed most relevant and interesting, and re-reading the cables to write dozens of stories, formatting and uploading the cables online for global reach. Quiet, controlled excitement reigned for the most part within the confined environment, even when fatigue set in and nerves were frayed. It is still work in progress.
Keywords: The India Cables, WikiLeaks, Cablegate, Indo-U.S. strategic relationship, Julian Assange


CHENNAI, April 4, 2011

A struggle between 'reform cadre' and the 'old line' in the Congress

SURESH NAMBATH
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Electoral defeats in 2007 and their impact on impending Uttar Pradesh polls made some Congressmen seek 'a more saleable political face at the head of the government.' Photo: Kamal Narang
Cable speaks of some members of the party advocating that Sonia Gandhi jettison Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister
After the Congress suffered electoral losses in Punjab and Uttarakhand in February 2007, some party members advocated that party president Sonia Gandhi "jettison" Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election in April-May 2007 and "put a more saleable political face at the head of the government," according to a United States Embassy cable (100159: confidential) sent on March 13, 2007.
"Following a string of recent local-level electoral defeats in Mumbai, Uttarakhand, and Punjab, Sonia Gandhi and her personal advisors are very concerned that the impending Uttar Pradesh (UP) elections will turn out horribly for Congress. As a result, some are advocating that she jettison Prime Minister Singh — whose message of rapprochement with Pakistan has been criticized by the BJP — and put a more saleable political face at the head of the government," the cable sent under the name of Embassy Charge d'Affaires Geoffrey Pyatt reported to Washington.
The Embassy appeared worried about the "reform cadre" in the government being sidelined by the "old line" Congress with socialist sympathies. "What seems clear in the aftermath of recent polls is that the reform cadre of Manmohan Singh, [Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission] Montek Singh Ahluwalia, and Finance Minister [P.] Chidambaram are politically diminished, Sonia Gandhi's inner coterie is deeply worried, and the old line Congress and their Communist fellow-travelers are empowered. Politics in India are a mess right now for Congress, and while the GOI [Government of India] is publicly optimistic about the nuclear deal, it is clearly caught in a domestic political eddy," the cable added.
It also took note of the political compulsions of the Congress that might have a bearing on U.S. interests. "Others are urging that the Congress hunker down and play it safe on the budget, inflation, economic reform, and foreign policy — including the nuclear deal — to minimize the negative impact on UP voters, many of whom are Muslim and take a dim view of the United States."

ENERGY SECTOR CONCERNS

The cable, accessed by The Hindu through WikiLeaks, was sent ahead of a visit to India by Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman to further the U.S.-India relationship in the energy sector.

Mr. Pyatt, in the "scene-setter" for the visit, expressed the hope that Mr. Bodman could win over the Indian nuclear scientific establishment with the prospect of "future-oriented programs" like the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership. "Your scheduled meetings in Mumbai with Department of Atomic Energy Secretary Dr. Anil Kakodkar and in New Delhi with Special Envoy Shyam Saran offer an opportunity to highlight the many benefits of U.S.-India civil nuclear cooperation, which could be lost if India does not conclude the 123 Agreement quickly," he wrote.

Briefing Mr. Bodman on what to expect during his meetings in India, the Charge said: "The Prime Minister will likely tell you that his number one priority is extending the benefits of India's rapid growth to the 700 million Indians — mostly in the rural sector — who continue to live at a near subsistence level. Rising food and fuel prices have particularly hurt the poor, creating a political backlash against the UPA government in recent state elections. Prime Minister Singh and your other interlocutors will be very interested in your ideas on how the United States can help with India's energy needs in the short and long term, particularly with respect to the rural sector."

Looking ahead to Mr. Bodman's meeting with Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Murli Deora, Mr. Pyatt wrote that Mr. Deora had "close ties to Sonia Gandhi's inner circle and a political base in Mumbai, and he is central to India's international quest for growing petroleum and natural gas imports, and cooperation with the United States in domestic industry development and regulatory policy." The Minister had told American diplomats that India did not expect a final agreement to be reached on the oil pipeline with Iran due to Iranian unreliability and Iran changing the terms of the June 2005 agreement to sell India LNG from its South Pars field for 25 years. "The MPNG increasingly sees LNG from Qatar and Australia as a more viable option than several proposed pipeline projects," the cable noted.

While giving the Energy Secretary a backgrounder to the U.S.-India civil nuclear negotiations, Mr. Pyatt said Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon had handed Under Secretary Nicholas Burns a "completely inadequate counter-draft to the 123 Agreement — authored by the skeptics in India's nuclear establishment who remain concerned about U.S. efforts to 'entrap' India and constrain its strategic program."

Mr. Burns, the cable added, had asked Mr. Menon to "provide a more workable basis on which the U.S. and India can continue talks, and invited an Indian team with negotiating authority to the U.S. for the next round of discussions." (This was sent before the two countries released the full text of the 123 agreement, which allows for cooperation on peaceful uses of nuclear energy, in August 2007.)

Analysing the compulsions of the Congress-led government in this context, it said:

"The politics around India's energy policy reflects a struggle between needed economic reform and political impediments to change. Prime Minister Singh and Deputy Chairman Ahluwalia are well aware of what economic reforms are needed to enhance India's long term growth.

"They realize that reasonable regulation and market-based pricing of electricity, petroleum products, natural gas, and coal would be most conducive to encouraging investment, reliable revenue streams, energy efficiency, and rational choice among projects and energy sources. However, the political imperatives of middle-class and poor voters' resistance to price increases, particularly with consumer inflation recently exceeding 6%, have induced the GOI to maintain price controls and government subsidies. Similarly, although the GOI privately doubts Iran's reliability as a potential source of natural gas by pipeline or of liquefied natural gas, it continues negotiations with Iran to appease Muslim and left-wing voters and Members of Parliament."

(This article is a part of the series "The India Cables" based on the US diplomatic cables accessed by The Hindu via WikiLeaks.)

Keywords: The India Cables, cablegate, WikiLeaks, cable100159, Indian Congress party, UP elections, economic reforms, Manmohan Singh, Ahluwalia, Sonia Gandhi

http://www.thehindu.com/news/the-india-cables/article1597302.ece?homepage=true

India's West Bengal: A Revolution In The Making – Analysis

Written by: Seema Sengupta

As the international community remains glued to the spiraling unrest in Middle East, the fragrance of jasmine is on the verge of dethroning one of the longest serving Communist regimes anywhere on earth.

The Indian province of West Bengal has been an invincible fortress of the Communist Party for the last three decades.

Termed as the left bastion of India, this province has empowered the Communists to become the lifeline of several ragtag coalition governments that ruled India intermittently. And yet at the end of the day they are struggling to retain any worthwhile influence in this part of the globe afflicted with rising inequalities, poverty and hunger.

This fall from grace is attributed by political analysts to the ruthless suppression of democratic aspirations and illegal application of muscle power by the Left regime for a better part of their reign.

India's West Bengal

India's West Bengal

Indeed it has been a genuine concern for the masses and a reader of this author's previous article on Libyan conflict did not miss the opportunity to make an oblique reference regarding Communist atrocity. Unfortunately, there is no denying the gory fact that the province which earned the epithet of India's cultural capital due to its affinity to intellectualism has turned into a virtual fiefdom of a pugnacious organization apparently positioning itself as a bell-wether of the proletariat.

In reality however, the Indian Communists having embraced neo-liberal agendas wasted no time in effectively transmogrifying its role into patronage and benefit disbursal.

This sudden change of image has inevitably dented the pro-poor façade and luster of the Marxist party while corroding its vital class base in the process.

Alarmingly, the province has fragmented into innumerable pockets of influence in the grassroots controlled by local apparatchiks.

These self appointed satraps have spread their reign of terror under the very nose of the disarrayed leadership. The matter has reached such an alarming stage that even a close political aide of the provincial Chief Minister who generally doubles up as his election agent does not hesitate to tread into activities that are by definition unlawful.

Intriguingly, the formidable trade union wings as well as the sister organizations are often hijacked by infamous individuals with little or no ideological mooring. They remain completely engrossed in wheeling and dealing for personal gain throughout the season.

These self-seekers are in fact presently entrenched in influential positions of the Marxist dispensation at various levels. Being accused of betraying the trust of the peasantry, the left forces are confronting a virtual route in an overwhelmingly left liberal stronghold despite the fact that they have effectively throttled the growth of any viable political alternative for almost two decades.

The barrage of discontentment has burst into a flash flood of popular fury waiting to flush the regimented political organization into oblivion. The Marxists have presided over a systematic decline in all spheres of life in their overzealous bid to promote party loyalty.

Successive studies have carefully documented the rapid slide in social and economic index. From maintaining law and order to providing the basic necessities of food, shelter and clothing; from industries to education – West Bengal is limping alongside the tail-enders. The unending saga of treachery, terror and despotism is written all over in this province of the Indian republic.

This palpable decay has resulted in the flight of capital and industries, stagnation in the agrarian economy, tattering infrastructure gasping for life and a fiscal degradation of worst nature. As the devastated province eagerly pray for a magical and divine intervention to revive its sagging fortune, the political opposition has offered an orderly channel for the suppressed and oppressed citizens to vent their anger democratically.

While millions of people including intelligentsia who were once active sympathizers of the Marxist Communist government take advantage of this unique platform, a resonant slogan of "change" is reverberating in the atmosphere. Indeed there has been a collective fatigue among the people of this beleaguered province from decades of uninterrupted Communist rule and they are desperate to wriggle out of this authoritarian syndrome of "come what may the Communist party must stay in power in West Bengal".

This attitude has in fact led to the cynical disregard for liberty, rights and traditions with the party apparatus continuously emphasizing on the necessity to justify all means that lead to the fruits of power. And only power can provide the flag bearers of the subaltern class to sit on assets worth millions of rupees while their core constituency struggle day and night to survive on paltry income.

Come April 18, the first voting day of a six phase election, the electorate of West Bengal will give a hammer-blow to the hammer and sickle party for having exploited their sentiments for so long. But it would be a bit amateurish to even presume that the ruling party would surrender power without a fight. They are already working overtime to regain their lost support base.

With Psephologists predicting a close 43% vote share for the ruling left coalition as against the 44% drifting into opposition kitty, any complacency on the part of opposition might provide a level playing field for the Communist party.

One must not underestimate the extra ordinary skill of the regimented Communist structure in organizing en masse voting especially in the rural hinterland. Given their additional expertise in electoral malpractices, lowering the guard will only help them bridge the narrow gap significantly.

However, India's first past the post electoral system will see the opposition sailing through even with a negative index of opposition unity unless there is a major internal sabotage. It is only a matter of time before the century old red brick edifice called "Writers Building" situated in the heart of West Bengal's capital Kolkata host the province's first female Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The real challenge for the shadow Chief Minister who has been tasked with reviving the dwindling fortune of Indian Railways however starts thereafter. She will be scrutinized at every step of her journey towards restoring Bengal's lost glory and reviving a State whose outstanding liability runs into billions of rupees, roughly equivalent to 43% of the GDP.

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