30 June, 2012 (English) - Bharatiya Janata Party

Can media remain obliviousof its responsibilities?Editorial...It was 131 BC in Rome when the communication system began. Messages were usedto be engraved on the stones placed in public places and people came out to readthem. A revolution took place in the world of communication and every newswhether small or big began to spread all over the world within seconds now. Thereforethe responsibility of the media which is known as fourth pillar of democracy cannotbe said to be lesser in any manner than that of legislature, judiciary and executive. Ifall three pillars are accountable to the constitution then the media is accountable tothe society at large. Having worked in this field for years I know the distinctionbetween sensation and sensitivity. And it is not me who needs to understand this butthe ones who have taken the responsibility of media on their own shoulders. The factshould not be distorted; rather it should be enabled to be more meaningful. Undoubtedly,the media should not be placed under the purview of government control but it shouldbe definitely within the parameters of social control. Media cannot be placed abovethe society and the nation. If the nation and society thrive, then only the importanceof media will remain. India is a cultural nation. Culture is its legacy. No one has theright to play with it.Recently an incident took place in Muraina. It was the death of IPS NarendraKumar. The grief which his family felt at the death of the young IPS offices, the nationwas no less aggrieved by the incident. An IPS belongs to the nation, not to the familyalone. Can the manner in which the TV channels and newspapers tried to rake upthe issue on the day of Holi, the festival of colours without going into the details asto whether it was an accident or a murder and attempted to tarnish the image of BJPruled Madhya Pradesh government be said to be justified? CBI report has come. It hasbeen said clearly in the CBI report that neither any mining mafia nor a willful murderwas behind the death of Narendra Kumar. It means that it was an accident. But themanner in which it was stirred up by the channels and the Shivraj government wastargeted – can it now be set right?Media builds the consciousness of the people. Media has come to acquire aposition from where it can even affect the families. Can it now remain oblivious of itsresponsibilities in such a situation? The reality should be analysed on the basis offacts and close scrutiny. Media can create faith in the system and it can even shakethe faith of the people in the system. But if the society has reposed so much of faithin the media, it should also think over its mode and method of functioning. But nowthe question arises whether the media will undertake such exercise?We know that media played a leading role in bringing an end to the black nightof emergency. There should never be any curfew or section 144 imposed on the pen,but should media become unrestrained? Should it interpret as per its own whims andfancies? Media has no right to distort the facts. Not one, but there are many exampleswhen media had to eat humble pie. We neither wish to sermonize nor teach. But it isour social responsibility to keep making it aware of its responsibility and duty. Forthe sake of creating sensation on channels the emotions of society, institutions, familyand nation should not be played with. Media is also comprised of human beingstherefore it cannot be bereft of or bypass the emotions. We believe that every incidentgives us a lesson. The incident which took place vis-à-vis Narendra Kumar and theapproach of the media on it is a matter of grave concern. •June 16-30, 2012 5

NDA's Nationwide Bharat BandhPeople come out openly againstUPA to support Bharat BandhThe nation observed BharatBandh against the anti-people,anti-poor policies of theCongress led UPA governmenton May 31. The call for BharatBandh was given by NDA whichreceived tremendous supportfrom across the country. Thecall was given against thesteepest ever hike of the petrolprices which has hit very hardthe common men fuellinginflationary pressure in thecountry. As many other nationaland regional parties, auto- taxiunions also supported theBandh, major shops,commercial establishmentremained closed and themovement of trains andcommercial vehicles wasdisrupted. As the Bharat Bandhcame into effect, the mainopposition BJP along with itsallies and other regional partiesled major agitation across thecountry to protest what is thesteepest ever hike in petrol pricesin recent times. The call forBandh evoked sharp responsein Bihar, Karnataka, MadhyaPradesh, Maharashtra , Goa,Rajasthan and other States. Thepeople with one voice demandeda complete roll back of theincrease in petrol prices with amessage to the Congress partyloud and clear “if you don’troll back the hike, we will rollyou back”.June 16-30, 2012 6DELHIDelhi Mahabandh called by the BJP to protest against pricespiral, hike in the price of Petrol and CNG was a historic success.All the Traders Organizations, Retailers, Rehdi-Patri Walas, Auto-Taxi Organizations and the people of Delhi supported the Bandhhappily. The roads remained deserted in view of the Bandh call. Thepeople of Delhi preferred to remain indoors. As a result, there wasBandh in entire Delhi since the morning. Even the tea shop ownerskept their shops closed so that the deaf and dumb, paralyzed CongressGovernment may know the acrimony of the people. Under theLeadership of Pradesh President Shri Vijender Gupta workersblocked the traffic completely at many places in Delhi. The workersalso stopped Rail and Metro Rail. The police arrested PradeshPresident along with thousands of workers. After being releasedfrom the custody, he also visited Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazar,Connaught Place, Khan Market and other places and participatedin the Chakka Jam and Bandh programmes with the workers. Hetook stock of the Bandh in entire Delhi and thanked the workers andtraders for this unprecedented support to Bandh. He further saidthat if Congress Government does not roll back the increase the priceof Petrol and CNG then the people will roll back the Government.The activists stopped Rail at Mundaka Railway Crossing. InChandni Chowk and Karol Bagh the activists stopped the runningof Metro Rail. Among others BJP National General Secretary

(organisation) Shri Ramlal, BJP National GeneralSecretaries Shri Ananth Kumar and Vijay Goel,BJP National Vice President Shri Mukhtar AbbasNaqvi Leader of Opposition in Delhi AssemblyProf. Vijay Kumar Malhotra, BJP nationalheadquartes In-Charge Prof. Om Prakash Kohli,BJP National Secretaries Ms. Aarti Mehra and Ms.Vani Tripathi etc. blocked traffic at various placesin Delhi and courted arrest.CHHATTISGARHNormal life was thrown out of gear in the cityand large parts of Chhattisgarh on May 31, as allmodes of public transport remained off the roadand shopkeepers downed their shutters in supportof the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA)call for shutdown to protest petrol price hike.The impact of the shutdown inChhattisgarh was widespread as the protestcall of the BJP, the ruling party in the State,was supported by 16 organizations,including the powerful ChhattisgarhChamber of Commerce and Industries. Thisresulted in a total shutdown in the industrialbelt of the capital city and many other citiesand towns of the State.Colleges and universities whereexaminations were going on remained openthough the Akhil Bharatiya VidyarthiParishad (ABVP)and the Bharatiya JanataYuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of the BJP,called for the shutdown. Only retail medicine shopswere open as they were exempted by protestorsfrom the shutdown.MADHYA PRADESHBarring few incidents of violence, the day-longbandh call given by NDA and Left to protest steephike in the prices of petrol was by and largepeaceful. The ruling BJP in Madhya Pradeshdescribed the bandh as “successful as peoplesupported it because of huge hike in the prices ofpetrol”.Addressing a meeting at Bhawani Chowk,State BJP President Prabhat Jha said the commonman is facing lot of problems because of Rs7.50hike in the price of petrol. The bandh was successfulin the entire state with all markets and businessestablishments remaining closed.Though essentialservices, educational institutions holding exams,government offices, banks and insurancecompanies offices were spared from the bandh,June 16-30, 2012 7the traffic on the roads was negligible till 1500hrs.The wheat procurement process too was sparedfrom the bandh as today was the last date forprocuring wheat on MSP.Reports of effective bandh were received fromGwalior, Ujjain, Rewa, Shahdol, Sagar and Bhindcities which was by and large peaceful. In Indore,all markets were shut down and public transportwas off roads in Malwa region, including IndoredivisionGUJARATThe nationwide bandh called by the NDA toprotest the steep petrol price hike evoked strongresponse in Gujarat. Shops and commercialestablishments remained closed in Ahmedabadeven as the State government suspended busservices in the city after buses were pelted withstones by the protesters. Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP)workers also tried to block rail traffic. Autorickshawsalso joined the shutdown as partyworkers took to streets to seek support for thebandh call.BIHARMore than 2500 NDA activists, includingJD(U) National President Shri Sharad Yadav andBJP National Spokesperson Syed ShahnawazHussain were detained on May 31 st as they tried toenforce the 12-hour Bharat bandh which hit normallife badly in Bihar. Private bus operators suspendedtheir services across the State as bandh supportersburnt tyres and logs on the State and nationalhighways to enforce the bandh. Bandh supportersblocked railway tracks in Patna, Sitamarhi,Samastipur and Saharsa. They also blockednational highways at different places in

Aurangabad, Sitamarhi, Motihari, Muzaffarpurand Purnia. Yadav was taken into custody whenhe took out procession in Saharsa town to enforcethe call while Hussain, was detained in Bhagalpurtown.Talking to reporters, Shri Yadav demandedthat Prime Minister Manmohan Singh resignimmediately for “failure” of his government tocontrol the spiralling prices of petroleum productsand essential commodities. Several other seniorJD(U) and BJP leaders were also detained whiletrying to enforce the bandh call at different placesin the state. Major shops, business establishmentsand schools remained closed in Patna, Saharsa,Motihari, Bettiah, Madhepura, Muzaffarpur,Bhagalpur, Darbhanga, Sitamarhi and Madhubanidistricts. Vehicular traffic too plied in depletednumbers in these towns. Hundreds of vehicleswere seen standing on the roads at different placesin the state. Attendance at state government officeswas partially affected because of inadequatetransport. In the state capital, ruling BJP and JD(U)activists burnt tyres on the busy Bailey Road andAshok Rajpath and tried to prevent movement ofprivate vehicles on roads. Shops in major marketsin Maurya Lok, Hathua Market, Khetan Market,besides several showrooms downed their shuttersbecause of the bandh called to protest against thepetrol price hike.GOAGoa witnessed a near total and peaceful bandhon May 31 barring some incidents of stone-peltingon buses and blockades on some bridges as publictransport among others coming to a grinding haltsince morning.A few buses of the State-owned KadambaTransport Corporation were seen plying on roadsJune 16-30, 2012 8intermittently along with emergency services likepharmacies being open, which were spared fromthe bandh call. Tourists taxis, private buses, andeven autorickshaws were off roads. Hotels andrestaurants were closed. The call was given by theNDA at the national-level against the increase inpetrol price. Left political parties and trade unionshad given a call for bandh to protest against thesame as well as raising other issues like inflationaffecting common man. The police claimed thatthe strike was largely peaceful sparing a fewincidents of road blockages and pelting of stonesreported in some parts of the State. Attendance ingovernment and private offices was extremely poor.Several banks, which had initially decidednot to join the strike, had rolled down their shuttersas they ran short of staff to function effectively.KARNATAKAThe bandh called by NDA to protest the steephike in petrol prices in the State of According toreports the bandh evoked good response in severaldistricts. Public transport was hit and shops andbusiness establishments remained shut in severalparts of the state. Holiday was declared for schoolsand colleges on that day in view of the bandh. Asa precaution, Karnataka State Road TransportCorporation (KSRTC) also suspended services insome districts such as Kolar, Ramangara,Chikkaballapur, Hubli-Dharwad and Hassan.TAMIL NADUThe effect of the Bandh was also seen in TamilNadu. The bandh called by NDA to protest thepetrol price hike evoked a strong response in TamilNadu. No untoward incidents was reported in theState. BJP workers, including party’s State unitPresident Pon Radhakrishnan, were detained in

the city and suburban Tambaram for attempting toblock road and rail traffic respectively. In the city,BJP workers also burnt officies of Prime MinisterManmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson SoniaGandhi.MAHARASHTRALarge number of protestors, including leadersfrom the BJP, Shiv Sena and Republican Party ofIndia were detained by the police for protesting inpublic places. Most of the shops and commercialestablishments, showrooms and hotels observed ashutdown. In Saurashtra there was totalshutdown in Rajkot, Amreli and Bhavnagardistrict, while it met with a strong response inJamnagar. Almost all the business organisationsand associations extended their full support to theshutdown and remained closed. The petrol pumpsand CNG stations too remained closed. The bandhlargely remained peaceful.TRIPURAAlmost all shops and over 7,000 garmentmaking units remained closed in Tirupura whereover 300 political workers and people were arrestedfor attempting to block train. In Coimbatore, policefoiled an attempt by nearly 100 BJP workers tostage a picketing at the railway station.PROTESTS IN KOLKATAIn Kolkata, BJP workers tried to block the roadto the airport at Baguihati. They also burnt rubbertyres. The police finally dispersed the crowd andone person was arrested. Bandh supporters alsoblocked the Howrah bridge, which connects themetropolis to the Howrah district. Police arrested38 people for trying to disrupt traffic by putting uproad blockades in various areas of Kolkata andHowrah.Protestors also blocked roads at ChapadaliJune 16-30, 2012 9More in Barasat in the Bankura district, BudgeBudge and some other places.MANIPURIn support of the Bharat Bandh on 31st May,2012 called by NDA all over the country, the StateUnit of BJP organized bandh in Manipur. All theconcerned citizens of the State supported theBandh. BJP, Manipur Pradesh strongly condemnedUPA, led by Congress, efforts to burden commonpeople with latest Petrol price hike Rs. 7.52 perlitre. The food price inflation is hovering in theregion 17% to 20% and people are feeling the realpinch of overall price rise. Instead of providing therelief to the common man, the Govt. is bent upontaking the petroleum prices to the new heightswhich clearly is anti people policy.RAJASTHANMarkets were closed in major cities ofRajasthan and private buses off the road as thebandh called by the NDA against petrol price hikebegan on May 31. With trade associationsextending support to the bandh called by BJP,markets in major cities like Jaipur, Bikaner, Jodhpurwere closed.ODISHANormal life in Odisha was affected on duringthe bandh called by by NDA. The shutdown waspeaceful with security tight across the state Shops,business establishments, schools, colleges, banksand offices remained closed throughout the Stateincluding the State capital and at Cuttack,Berhampur, Puri, Balasore, Sambalpur, Rourkelaand Paradip. In the State capital, roads wore adeserted look as public transport virtually came toa grinding halt.

JAMMU & KASHMIRShops and business establishments in Jammualso remained closed in support of Bharat bandh.The BJP, led by Rajya Sabha MP, J P Nadda,and Avinash Rai Khanna took out a protest marchin the city against the hike in fuel prices raisingslogans against the Congress-led UPAgovernment.Earlier, BJP State president Shamsher SinghManhas carried out a protest rally in the city ridingon a horse-cart. Manhas said if the fuel pricescontinued to increase like this, the day is not farwhen people will have to depend upon cycles andother traditional modes for conveyance. Naddaalleged that the Congress-led UPA was workingin an anti-democratic fashion and had no respectfor the institutions of this country.“It is very sad that the Parliament is beinginsulted. The budget session of 2012 is sine-die onMay 22 and on the evening of May 23, this antidemocratic government led by UPA raises theprices of petrol, knowing that people are alreadyreeling under the serious inflation,” Shri Naddapointed. The bandh also had its effect of the otherdistricts of the region with BJP protestors burningthe effigy of UPA government in Kathua, however,the traffic movement on the national highwayremained unaffected.We‘ll continue our protest against the anti-peoplepolicies of the Congress : GadkariBJP National President Shri Nitin Gadkari thanked the people fortheir support to the successful Bharat Bandh.The BJP President Shri Nitin Gadkari has thanked the people for their spontaneous andoverwhelming response to the successful Bharat Bandh demanding a complete roll back of theunprecedented hike in petrol prices. The massive turn out of all segments of the society bravingsevere heat conditions and active participation of NDA and other non-Congress parties made ita COALITION OF PROTEST across the country.The people with one voice have demanded a complete roll back of the increase in petrol priceswith a message to the Congress party loud and clear “if you don’t roll back the hike, we will rollyou back”.Shri Gadkari has praised the relentless efforts of the party leaders and the BJP rank and filethroughout the country in making the Bharat Bandh a grand success.The BJP President has also thanked all the NDA partners and other non-Congress parties forresolutely demonstrating the power and strength of the COALITION OF PROTEST which willcertainly go a long way in our collective Endeavour to throw this most ineffective and corruptgovernment out.We will continue our protest against the anti-people policies of the Congress and expose theall round failure of this lame-duck government. The BJP is finalizing its further course of action-A JAN SANGHARSH ABHIYAN - details of which will be announced shortly, he said.June 16-30, 2012 10

BJP rally in Mumbai (Maharashtra)BJP led NDA will return to powerin 2014 : Nitin GadkariFrom Our CorrespondentAddressing a hugegathering of BharatiyaJanata PartyKaryakartas and masses after thecompletion of BJP NationalExecutive meeting in Mumbaion May 25, BJP NationalPresident Shri Nitin Gadkarisaid, “That the BJP-led NationalDemocratic Alliance (NDA) willreturn to power in 2014 LokSabha elections, the Congressled UPA Government has beenadmitted in the ICU. The BJP isthe only answer to everyproblem, “he said.Shri Gadkari said there arethree mantras for success:Expand the National DemocraticAlliance (NDA), increase theBJP’s vote share by 10 per cent,and concentrate efforts onbuilding a base among the poor,the minorities and Dalits.Leader of Opposition in theRajya Sabha Shri Arun Jaitleysaid, “There is no leadership inthe Congress led UPAgovernment so there is policyparalysis in the Government.”He said, “Every day, there isa new instance of corruption andthe aam aadmi of the countrywill give fitting reply to theCongress party for it “.“Addressing on theoccasion Gujarat Chief MinisterShri Narendra Modi hit out atthe United Progressive Alliance(UPA) government at the centreand said the UPA had no Neta orNiti (leader or policy).Shri Modi asked, “How longthe nation can wait for thisJune 16-30, 2012 11government to go. The need ofhour that the entire nationshould raise a united voiceagainst this government and thepeople should tell thegovernment it should not remainin power. The longer it remainsin power; the nation will beruined more severely”.Comparing the governmentto the ‘Darbar of Nirmal Baba’,the Gujarat CM was critical ofthe proposed National CounterTerrorism Centre (NCTC). Healso said, “The Prime Ministershould answer why the rupee isfalling constantly. I see aconspiracy behind this.”Taking a dig at the coalitiontrouble in UPA-II, Shri Modiquipped, “Sometimes, the PrimeMinister says there are somecompulsions of the coalition. Iwant to ask you Prime Minister,your Foreign Minister reads thespeech of the leader of anothercountry at the UN. Is this also acompulsion of coalition?”Referring to government-ArmyChief Gen. V K Singh standoff,he said, “The Prime Minister andthe Defense Minister are ofCongress. Still, the governmentis pitted against the Army. Whatcompulsion is this?”Shri Modi also attackedPrime Minister ManmohanSingh accusing him of failing onthe economic front to arrest thedecline of Rupee vis-a-vis USDollar. He also asked the PrimeMinister, why currency ofPakistan, Bangladesh, andNepal not depreciating againstdollar.He said,”Madam Soniajisays, promises will not work,performance has to be there. Thisshows they have just promised,but not performed. From IndiraGandhi’s Garibi bachao andolanto this day, they have just

promised us, but notperformed!”Shri Modi said in 20 pointprogramme of fight againstpoverty, NDA states alwaysstand in first five ranks. When Iled their attention on this issue,they stopped declaring ratingsinstead of asking the Congressgovts to improve their ranks.He further said the PM hasshowed achievement in hisreport card that earlier our agrigrowth rate was 2.25 and now itis 3.25, therefore there is 1%increase. What kind of reportcard he is presenting? OurGujarat has achieved 11% agrigrowth consistently for last 10years, and our PM says it is hisachievement that he liftedgrowth rate to 3.25% from 2.25%.The nation will sink and peoplewill stay hungry if agri growthrate increases on this rate. Somestates are working and satisfyingcountry’s need.This Nirmal Baba govt saysthey would generate 50,000 MWpower, and in this report cardthey say they have generated30,000 MW. I want to ask the PMthat if such power generation hashappened, which states arecredited for that. It is the hardwork of the states.On one side, in this nation,there’s hunger for power, but dueto lack of policy, due tocorruption in coal sector,nation’s power stations don’t getcoal and therefore only 60%capacity is functional and 40%power generating capacity is onhalt, he said.The Gujarat CM said, “Iasked the PM in NCTC meetingthat from where these Naxals,these terrorists get weaponswhen borders are controlled bythe centre? I asked him anotherJune 16-30, 2012 12question that when terror moneyarrives through Havala in ournation, why it is not beingstopped? I asked third questionthat terrorists enter into thiscountry as intruders, whenNavy, BSF etc are under yourcontrol, why they enter? I askedanother question to the PM, thegovernment of India can keepwatch on communication, whythe centre can’t focus on that? Iasked another question that tillthis date, not a single terroristhas been brought from theforeign nation, why? The Delhisultanate had no answer to thesequestions. There’s need to havedetermination for zero toleranceagainst terrorism. And thesepeople in power in centre can’tdo that”.Apart from them former BJPNational President Shri RajnathSingh, Madhya Pradesh chiefminister Shri Shivraj SinghChouhan and ChhattisgarhChief Minister Dr. Raman Singhand other senior leaders of theparty addressed the gathering.•Shimla Municipal Corporation electionsA historic dethronement ofCongress, BJP is the gainerFrom Our CorrespondentIn the May 2012 elections the Congress suffered the worsteverdefeat losing control of the prestigious State capital cityShimla Municipal Corporation which it had been ruling since1987 when direct elections to the municipal body were orderedto be held for the first time on orders of the Himachal High Court.In elections to the post of Mayor and Deputy Mayor, Congressfaced the worst humiliation when its candidates were relegatedto the third position.While BJP enhanced its membership by 50 percent winning12 seats, one seat less than the absolute majority, against 8 wonlast time, Congress had to feel content with just 10 seats against16 it won last time. Communist Party of India (Marxist) wonthree seats, increasing its tally by one seat.For the post of Mayor and Deputy Mayor direct elections towhich were held for the first time, CPI (M) romped home winningboth the posts. For Mayor CPI (M) received 42.85 percent votes,BJP 27.46 and Congress 25.98. For Deputy Mayor CPI (M) cornered40.91 percent votes, BJP 31.69 and Congress 25.49.With elections to Himachal Pradesh assembly less than sixmonths away, this stunning Congress defeat has lowered themorale of Congress and the leaders have started blaming eachother for the debacle.Congress sliding the downhill is an ominous sign for BJP.This has infused greater sense of confidence and enthusiasm inthe party cadre. “It’s a clear rejection of the Congress”, HimachalChief Minister Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal has remarked. •

BJP Memo to the Hon'ble PresidentThe BJP has demandedremoval of Gujarat GovernorSmt. Kamla Beniwal allegingthat she had grabbedagricultural land inRajasthan. A delegation ledby BJP National PresidentShri Nitin Gadkari metHon'ble President Smt.Pratibha Patil on May 30 andsubmitted documents to her,drawing her attention to anorder of the office ofCooperative Registrar,Jaipur issued on 2 May.BJP demands GujaratGovernor’s removalMahamahim Rashtrapati ji,We wish to draw your kind attention to the Order of the Office of Cooperative Registrar, Jaipur,Rajasthan, dated 02.05.2012.The order has exposed some highly influential persons who grabbed Rs.1000 Crore worth ofGovernment land in Rajasthan through fraudulent means. Unfortunately, those named in the orderinclude the Gujarat governor Dr. Kamla Beniwal.The matter was raised in both houses of parliament during the just concluded budget session. Itsseriousness has been highlighted by the media as well. People are expecting a satisfactory responsefrom Dr. Kamla Beniwal. But she is maintaining a studied silence. The Rajasthan government, too, isrefusing to take any serious cognizance of scandal.In the light of the serious strictures passed by the office of Cooperative Registrar, Jaipur, againstthe society and its members, including Dr. Kamla Beniwal, her continuing as the governor of Gujarathas become untenable. Constitutional propriety also demands that she must relinquish the high officeof governor forthwith.Dr. Kamla Beniwal enjoys the pleasure of the President of India in holding the office of the governorof Gujarat. The Bharatiya Janata Party, therefore, seeks your personal intervention with an appeal towithdraw your pleasure and direct Dr. Kamla Beniwal to step down as Gujarat Governor pendingthorough investigations into the entire land grab scandal.The Rajasthan government may also be asked to explain why no action was taken in, calling foraction against the Society/its members.The Registrar in his order said “the claim of doing 16 hours farm labour work (by the societymembers, including Dr. Kamla Beniwal) for last 58 years is a blatant lie”.It is quite clear from the order that the present Gujarat Governor illegally became a member of theExecutive Committee of the Society and indulged in malpractices.To substantiate our case for immediate action against Dr. Kamla Beniwal we enclose herewith thefollowing:June 16-30, 2012 13

1. Registrar’s Order dated 2 nd May, 20122. Various resolutions & minutes of Kisan Samuhik Krishi Sahakari Samiti, Jaipur.3. Recent factual/Status report of Rajasthan Government4. Resolution of Kisan Samuhik Krishi Sahakari Samiti, Jaipur of 2011 claiming 16 hoursfarm labour work for 58 years by all the members of the Society including Smt. Beniwal.5. Other documents.We earnestly hope that Mahamahim will give favourable consideration to our appeal.Yours sincerely,(Nitin Gadkari)PresidentDr Kirit SomaiyaBJP National Secretary Arun ChaturvediBJP State President, RajasthanBalbir PunjMPBhupendra YadavBJP National SecretaryArjun MeghawalMP•Stable Nepal will ensure a peacefulco-existence of both countriesStatement issued on May 27 by Former BJP PresidentShri Rajnath Singh on constitutional crisis in NepalThe Bharatiya Janata Partyexpresses its graveconcern over the recentdevelopments in Nepal as theConstituent Assembly’s term isgoing to end in few hours time.Major political parties and theirleaders in Nepal have not beenable to form any consensus onmajor issues despite repeatedassurances that they woulddeliver a fully democraticconstitution to meet the people’saspiration. Failure to honoursuch promises would be a serioussetback to Nepal’s quest forPeace, Democracy, Politicalstability and Economicprosperity.We in the BJP are moreconcerned today because Indiais not only a neighbouringcountry to Nepal but also sharesa deep cultural affinity with it.A stable Nepal will ensure apeaceful co-existence of both thecountries. Certain external forcesJune 16-30, 2012 14with vested interests in theirminds are active in the region todestabilize any peaceful politicalprocess in Nepal. The BJPappeals to the Nepalese peoplenot to let their society and thecountry be divided on caste andethnic lines as it has all along aglorious past that practisedcultural, religious and ethnicharmony.What is even moredisturbing that ruling coalitiongovernment has warned that itwould launch a movementagainst the recent Supreme Courtverdict which annulled thegovernment decision to extendthe tenure of the ConstituentAssembly beyond May 28 bythree months. While the BJP hasno intention to interfere inNepal’s internal politics but wewant to share our concernswhich arise out of Nepal’scurrent constitutional crisis.Constitution makingrequires adherence to some basicvalues and respecting theindependence of judiciary evenwhen it may go againstpragmatic approach at times, aregood democratic virtues. Thecurrent trust deficit among thepolitical parties is capable ofpushing the country into deepercrisis and this situation shouldbe avoided at all cost.A prolonged political crisisand the current level ofuncertainty is detrimental todemocratic health of the nationand its pride, and we call uponthe people of Nepal and politicalactors to play their role and takethe country in a way that itsglorious past and its futurevision meet. •

Letter by Shri L.K. Advani to the PMMembers of Election Commission be appointed by a Collegium : AdvaniBJP Parliamentary Party Chairman Shri L.K. Advani in a letter to the Prime Minister Dr. ManmohanSingh on June 2, 2012 demanded a collegium with powers to appoint members of Election Commission.Calling for a major electoral reform and expressing concern over devaluation of constitutional bodiesand controversies surrounding appointments of CVC, CEC etc. he said that a collegium will help inguaranting non-partisan approach in the process of appointment which may lead to strengthen ourdemocratic system. We are publishing the full text of his letter for our esteemed readers :Dated: June 02, 2012Dear Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh ji,I am writing this letter to you on an important subject that is agitating the minds of all those in India whowish to see progressive reforms in our electoral and governance systems.A vacancy will arise in the Election Commission with the retirement of the Chief Election Commissioner,Shri S.Y. Qureshi, later this month. How this vacancy will be filled is a matter that has generated both interestand concern in equal measure. There is a rapidly growing opinion in the country which holds that appointmentsto Constitutional bodies such the Election Commission should be done on a bipartisan basis in order toremove any impression of bias or lack of transparency and fairness. The people of India wish to see that onlypersons with competence, integrity and an impeccable record of service get appointed to these crucial bodies,whose functioning greatly determines the quality of governance.The present system whereby members to the Election Commission are appointed by the President, solelyon the advice of the Prime Minister, does not evoke confidence among the people. Keeping these importantdecisions as the exclusive preserve of the ruling party renders the selection process vulnerable to manipulationand partisanship. Indeed, the credibility of this system was severely dented when a dubious appointmentto the crucial office of CEC was made a few years ago. The time has, therefore, come to reform the selectionprocess for the EC and other Constitutional bodies, as has indeed been done in the case of the CVC and CIC.In respect of the CVC and the CIC, the change has come about because of the intervention of the SupremeCourt. Let the wholesome change come this time as a result of an initiative taken by the Executive.I would like to mention here that even the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC), which hadbeen appointed by your own government, recommended in its report in 2009 that the CEC and other membersof the Election Commission be appointed by a collegium. Significantly, this recommendation appeared inARC’s report on ‘Ethics in Governance’.It is in this context that I would like to strongly urge you that the new member to the Election Commissionbe appointed by a broad based collegium comprising :I) Prime Minister ChairmanII) Chief Justice of IndiaMemberiii) Minister of Law and JusticeMemberiv) Leader of Opposition (Lok Sabha)Memberv) Leader of Opposition (Rajya Sabha) MemberTowards this end, Article 324 of the Constitution which deals with the Election Commission of Indiashould be suitably amended. The phrasing of Article 324 (2) shows that this would not need any ConstitutionalAmendment and can be done by an ordinary enactment.Next year, a vacancy will arise in another Constitution body — CAG. I would like to suggest in advancethat, in this case too, a broad based collegium should be empowered to select the best possible candidate.I do hope that you will take my suggestions positively and expeditiously initiate necessary action.With warm regards,Yours sincerely,(L. K. ADVANI)June 16-30, 2012 15

Congress led UPA : Mehangai Badhao SarkarA brief analysis of UPA’s price regimeTrue to its colours andreputaion as a MehangaiBadhao Sarkar, Congressled UPA just after the end of225th session of the Parliamentin a sharpest increase ever hikedthe petrol prices by Rs 7.50 a liter.Under Congress led UPA rule thepetrol price has been increased11 times. Not only petrol, pricesof other consumable essentialcommodities have beenskyrocketing. On the contraryduring the NDA rule price risewas under control with tolerablevariance.If one compared thepercentage change during NDAtenure and UPA tenure, the resultwill be astonishing. While therewas just 48% rise in petrol pricesunder six-year NDA rule, eightyearUPA earned distinction ofincreasing petrol prices by about120% since assumed office. Whileskyrocketing prices of essentialcommodities have already madeit difficult for an average Indianto meet both ends need, the petrolprice hike has rubbed salt on thewound of the common men.Apart from individualFrom Our Correspondenthousehold budget-breakdown,the vulnerability has increasedmassively thus targeting poorpeople as well. According toeconomists, the hike in petrolprices will add another 0.5% toinflation.In this situation such hugehike in petrol prices forcesmiddle class and poor people tolive a tough life. It will be notwrong if we term Congress ledUPA government as people’senemy. At every quarter PrimeMinister Manmohan Singh andFinance Minister PranabMukherji promise of taming ofprice in near future. But the ‘nearfuture’ has never come. It iscomplete and abject failure ofUPA to control prices.After hike in Petrol price, theGovernment at center told thatprice hike decision was of oilcompanies but the reality issomething else.The resons for continuousprice rise are:- The wrong economicpolicies of Congress led UPAhave driven away investorand brought back the licenceraj.The mismanaged policieshave allowed thedepreciation of rupees.Itaffected oil prices.Because,India imports 83 % of crudeoil of its total requirementfrom internation market.Wehave to pay there in dollorsand rupees are going downagainst dollars. Increasing number ofscandals in the Congress ledUPA Government, Mismanagement of the foodstocks. Allowing speculation incommodity markets. Not addressing supply sidebottlenecks. Raising interest rates whichfuelled prices further. Indian farmers grewsufficient food grains to feedthe nation but UPA Govt.completely mismanaged thePDS and the food stocks. Weneed to maintain 20 milliontones of food grains as bufferstocks. We have the storagecapacity of 40 milliontonnes. But Govt. stored morethan 60 million tonnes ofPrice hike during NDA v/s UPA (I and II) regimeUnion Government Date (Delhi ) Petrol Price in Rs Increase % IncreaseNDA Regime (March 19,1998 to May 19, 2004)UPA I and II Regime (May22, 2004 to Current)March 19, 1998 22.84May 19, 2004 33.7 10.86 47.55%May 22, 2004 33.7May 23, 2012 73.14 39.44 117.03%June 16-30, 2012 16

food grains. The foodgrains procured arestored in the openwaiting to be spoiled bythe rains. Despite Supreme Courtdirecting distribution ofexcess food grains to thepoor, government did notimplemented. Millionsare mal-nourished andremained hungry. Evengovt. refused to bringlarge quantities to themarket which wouldhave softened the prices.NDA many times used thismarket intervention as aneffective tool to controlinflation. The governmentindulged intoconsumptionexpenditure on the eve of2009 elections dollingout huge amount forretaining the power. Theinflation thereafter is theresult of suchunproductiveexpenditure and can becalled as expenditure ledinflation. World over, thespeculation isrecognized as one of themain reason for inflationand many countrieshave put effective checkon it. Indian governmentis totally inactive on thisfront. The prices of petroleumproducts are raised bythe government itself. Govt. is rising taxes andbringing all servicesunder the service taxregime. Thus fuellingprices further. •Price rise in petrol during the UPA I and UPA II Regime(May 22, 2004 to May 23, 2012 )Date (Delhi )Petrol Increase in Rs % IncreasePrice in RsMay, 22, 2004 33.7April 1, 2005 37.99 4.29 12.73April 1, 2006 43.49 5.5 14.48April 1, 2007 42.85 -0.64 -1.47April 1, 2008 45.52 2.67 6.23April 1, 2009 40.62 -4.9 -10.76April 1, 2010 47.93 7.31 18.00June 26, 2010 51.43 3.5 7.30Oct 17, 2010 52.59 1.16 2.26De 16, 2010 55.87 3.28 6.24Jan 16, 2011 58.37 2.5 4.47May 15, 2011 63.37 5 8.57Sept 16, 2011 66.84 3.47 5.48Dec 1, 2011 65.64 -1.2 -1.795Wednesday 73.14 7.5 11.45mid night (May 23, 2012)Retail Selling Price (RSP) of Petrol at four metropolitan citiesDate Delhi Kolkata Mumbai ChennaiFeb 27, 2010 47.43 51.15 51.68 51.59April 1, 2010 47.93 51.67 52.20 52.13June 26, 2010 51.43 55.32 55.88 55.92July 1, 2010 51.45 55.31Sept 8, 2010 51.56 55.40 55.97 56.02Sept 21, 2010 51.83 55.69 56.25 56.31Oct 17, 2010 52.55 56.44 57.01 57.09Nov 2, 2010 52.59 56.47 57.01 57.09Nov 9, 2010 52.91 56.81 57.35 57.44Dec 16, 2010 55.87 59.90 60.46 60.65Jan 16, 2011 58.37 62.50 63.08 63.36March 2, 2011 61.93April 1, 2011 62.51May 15, 2011 63.37 67.71 68.33 67.22July 1, 2011 63.70 67.99 68.62 67.5Sept 16, 2011 66.84 71.28 71.92 70.82Nov 4, 2011 68.64 73.15 73.81 72.73Nov 16, 2011 66.42 70.84 71.47 70.38Dec 1, 2011 65.64 70.03 70.66 69.55Mid night 73.14 77.53 78.16 77.05(May 23, 2012)June 16-30, 2012 17

Overseas Friends of BJP meeting in Washington DCIf voted to power, BJP will bring back Blackmoney stashed in foreign banks : Yashwant SinhaThe Overseas Friends of BJP(OFBJP) - USA organizeda public reception andmeeting in honor of the visitingformer Finance and ExternalAffairs Minister of India andsenior BJP leader Shri YashwantSinha. The event was hosted atthe local Minerva Party Hall, inWashington DC on 31, May 2012.Despite being a working day,over 200 people attended theevent to meet, greet and listen toShri Yashwant Sinha. ManyOverseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP)workers even came fromneighboring states of New Jerseyand New York to attend theprogramme.The program started withthe lamp lighting ceremony andpaying floral tributes to theportrait of Maa Bharati and thefounding fathers of Jan Sanghand BJP, followed byVandemataram.Addressing the gatheringJune 16-30, 2012 18Shri Yashwant Sinha spoke inchaste Hindi in the midst ofconstant cheers from veryreceptive and enthusiasticaudience.In his address, Shri Sinhaenthralled the gathering first byoutlining BJP’s vision to solvethe current problems facing byIndia on all fronts. He painted avery grim picture of India underthe misrule of Congress led UPA-II which has failed on all fronts.He said Scams are tumblingout from the cupboards of everyministry in Congress led UPAgovernment. The country isfacing the worst economic crisis,inflation is skyrocketing,unprecedented rise of the petrolprices, sharp falling of rupeeagainst Dollar, deficit is of recordlevel and the UPA governmentis sleepwalking.Shri Sinha praised NRIs andthanked them for rising to thenation’s call during 1998 postPokharan economic sanctionsand buying India resurgentbonds whose targeted amountwas reached within 10 days afterissuing them. He furtherelucidated about NDAgovernment policies whose fruitswere reaped by the UPAgovernment after 2004 andadded that because of theCongress leaders are visionless,India’s growth rate andeconomic index are comingdown very steeply.He said that only BJP ledNDA government can revive andrevitalize the Indian economyand national growth.Recalling his trip to Pakistanas part of India’s delegation ledby Prime Minister Shri AtalBihari Vajpayee in 2001, whereAtalji subtly but firmly putforwarded India’s position oncross border terrorism. Similarly,he recalled how during NDAregime India had establishedherself at a very high position inthe comity of nations so much sothat the heads of USA, UK, andUSSR used to listen veryattentively the opinion ofVajpayeeji on many internationalmatters of mutual interests.He exhorted the IndianAmerican community andOFBJP karyakartas to help BJP winthe next parliamentary electionswhenever they are held.While replying to a questionhe categorically stated that if BJPled NDA is voted to power it willbring all the black moneystashed in foreign banks. Hefurther mentioned that there are

no treaties that preventGovernment of India to disclosethe names of the account holdersin foreign banks.On another note, he also saidthat Pakistan must fulfillprevious promises beforeengaging in future talks.Earlier, Shri Raghu Varma,Chief co-ordinator, Washington-DC OFBJP Chapter welcomedthe elite gathering. FormerPresident Dr. Adapa Prasad,recognized and welcomed thecommunity leaders as theypresented flower bouquets toShri Yashwant Sinha. Leadersfrom eleven Indian and ethnicorganizations attended themeeting to felicitate Shri Sinha.Dr. Prasad introduced ShriJayesh Patel, OFBJP Presidentand Shri Yashwant Sinha to theaudience.Dr. Prasad also briefedabout the OFBJP organizationand how OFBJP has beeninteracting with local, state andfederal lawmakers and membersof think tanks. He alsomentioned the OFBJP initiativesof interactions with republicanand democratic parties and citedthe recent visit of RepublicanParty Institute (RPI) delegationto India.Shri Jayesh Patel was givena rousing reception by thecommunity. Later, he brieflydescribed OFBJP activities in thelast one year all across thecountry. He reminded howOFBJP has been in the forefrontin taking up the issuespertaining to NRIs and India atvarious forums. For example,OFBJP conducted a nationwidesurvey on Indian Americancommunity’s nightmarishexperiences regarding visa, andpassport issues at IndiaJune 16-30, 2012 19consulates. OFBJP had presentedthe survey results at PravasiBharateeya Diwas in India. ThePresident informed that ShriYashwant Sinha actuallyforwarded those results to theexternal affairs minister Shri S.M. Krishna’s attention for furtheraction. He exhorted thecommunity leaders to work withOFBJP shoulder to shoulder inhighlighting the causes of Indiaand Indian Americans.Shri Sinha’s speech wasfollowed by a vibrant questionanswersession conducted byShri Sameer Chandra, anexecutive member of OFBJP,Washington-DC Chapter andShri Mahesh Kuruba. The eventwas concluded with a vote ofthanks by Joint GeneralSecretary Dr. Satish Misra. Thelocal organizing committeemembers and BJP NationalCouncil member Shri MadhuBellam , Shri Giri Sadu, ShriRamesh Kalwala, Shri SrinivasB were appreciated in helpingorganize this event. •CPM’s language is similarto terrorists: Narendra ModiGujarat Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi took on CPMsaying that the language used by them is similar to that of terrorists.Shri Modi was reacting to a speech made by CPM’s Idukki districtsecretary M M Mani in which he stated that ‘there had beeninstances of the party eliminating political rivals’.“When leader of a political party says that we murder ourpolitical rivals, it is dangerous to our democracy. Where is NHRC(National Human Rights Commission)? We should raise ourvoice against such acts. Our workers keep giving their lives inKerala,” Shri Modi said. He remarked, “Is Delhi governmentsleeping and what is Kerala government doing on the issue”.“This language is same that of terrorists, Maoists and Naxalites,”he further said.• (FOC)Courtesy : Asian Age

On Protection and De-pollution of the Sacred GangaBJP to launch a campaign forNirmal Ganga, Aviral GangaGanga as a holy river is worshipped by crores of peopleacross India and the world. The callousness of theGovernment has led to its pollution to such an extent thatit survival stands threatened. Former Chief Minister ofMadhya Pradesh Sushri Uma Bharati gave a presentationon protection and de-pollution of the sacred Ganga. Weare publishing the presentation for our esteemed readers :-The Bharatiya Janata Partyexpresses its profound concernover the alarmingly high levelof pollution in the River Ganga, madeworse by several obstructions in itsflow. These developments havethreatened the natural life of a riverthat has been regarded by successivegenerations of Indians, since timeimmemorial, as one of the most sacredsymbols and sustainers of India’s cultural andcivilisational identity.The BJP also deplores the failure of the GangaRiver Basin Authority, chaired by the PrimeMinister himself, to find viable and enduringsolutions to the various issues brought up byreligious leaders, environmentalists and socialactivists in an insistent manner over the pastseveral years.The people of India venerate all rivers andwater bodies. However, they have a specialemotional and spiritual attachment to the Ganga.This is evident from the fact that both Gangotri inthe Himalayas, where the river originates, andGanga Sagar in Bengal, where it merges into thesea, are among the holiest centres of pilgrimage inIndia. Situated along the course of the river areother holy places – Hardwar, Rishikesh andVaranasi, the City Eternal.‘Ganga Jal’ is believed to be holy not onlybecause of the people’s religious sentiments.Scientific research has also established its uniquecharacter. The Ganga provides water toover 40 percent of India’s population in11 states.Sadly, even though the Ganga hasnurtured and protected the Indiancivilization over the millennia, todaythe Ganga itself is in need of protection.Unplanned urbanization andindiscriminate industrialization haveraised the level of pollution in the river totoxic levels. Study after study has shown that theBiochemical Oxygen Demand (BoD) and FecaelCaliform, which measure the contaminants in theGanga, are dangerously high. Large numbers ofpeople die each year due to ailments caused byriver pollution in the states through which theGanga flows.The Prime Minister himself stated in the thirdmeeting of the Ganga River Basin Authority, heldin April, that out of the 290 crore litres of sewagethat is allowed to flow into the Ganga daily, only110 crore liters of sewage is treated. This illustratesthe utter failure of the Ganga Action Plan, whichwas launched with much fanfare by the formerPrime Minister, the late Rajiv Gandhi, in 1985, andon which thousands of crores of rupees have beenwastefully spent so far.It is indeed an alarming situation that verylittle pure water is found in Prayag, where croresof devotees from all over the country and the worldcome for the Kumbh. No less worrying is the factthat, due to obstructions and diversions created byJune 16-30, 2012 20

dams, long stretches of the riverremain dry.Nirmal Ganga, AviralGangaThe BJP regards thiscondition of the Ganga to betotally unacceptable. We believethat it is a pious national duty ofthe people and the governments(at the Central, State and locallevels) to restore the purity andunobstructed natural flow of theGanga – and, going forward, ofall the other rivers in India. Thisis what is meant by ourcommitment for Nirmal andAviral Ganga.It is necessary to recall herethat the call for Aviral Ganga wasfirst given by Mahamana PanditMadan Mohan Malaviya, whenthe then British government triedto divert the flow of the Ganganear Hardwar. The massivecampaign launched by himforced the colonial authorities torespect the sentiments of theHindu society and enter into anagreement in 1916 to guaranteethe Ganga’s aviral flow. The BJPresolves to carry forward thisimportant legacy of Malaviyaji,whose 150 th birth anniversarywas celebrated last year.Aviral Ganga does not meanthat there shouldn’t be any damsat all across the river. Expertshave averred that it is possible toensure unobstructed andcontinuous flow of at least a partof the river along its naturalcourse even when dams are builtfor irrigation or powergeneration purposes. Thisbecomes easier when small-scaleand run-of-the-river powerprojects are designed in such away that they generate nearly thesame amount of power as ispromised by big dams.In order to translate intoJune 16-30, 2012 21concrete action the Party’scommitment to protect and depollutethe Ganga, The BJP’sNational Executive resolves:1) The Ganga River BasinAuthority should be givena specific and time-boundmandate to make the Ganganirmal and aviral. Since theGanga has been accordedthe status of India’sNational River, thedevelopmental/energy/financial needs of theriparian states should besuitably borne by theCentral Government.2) Instead of first allowing thepollution to take place andthen searching for solutionsto address this problem –which is a thoroughlyunscientific andunsustainable approach –the Centre, Stategovernments and local selfgovernmentsshould jointlydraw up strict guidelinesfor stopping the emissionof untreated sewage andindustrial effluents into theriver. Industrial unitsshould be enabled to adopteffective pollution-controlmeasures. Wherenecessary, they should berelocated to places awayfrom the river. Penal actionshould be resorted to in thecase of violators.3) State and local selfgovernmentsshould beassisted to set up sewagedisposal and treatmentplants for all untreatedsewage. This is best donein a decentralized mannerby empowering GramSabhas and other CivilSociety bodies.4) Since experience hasshown the Ganga RiverBasin Authority to havefailed in its mandate, theBJP demands a law to beenacted by Parliament toensure that the Ganga ismade nirmal and aviral, bysuitably strengthening andempowering the Authority.The law should alsodeclare the Ganga to beIndia’s InvaluableNational Heritage.5) Monitoring of theimplementation of thedecisions taken by theGanga River BasinAuthority should beentrusted to ani n d e p e n d e n tConstitutional body likeCAG.6) The BJP believes that thetask of protecting and depollutingthe Gangashould be treated as anational mission. Itdemands cooperative andenthusiastic participationof all the stake-holders. Werecognize that a largenumber of religious, social,cultural and environmentalorganizations have beenalready active in thismission. The BJPcommends their efforts. Weexpress our readiness andcommitment to collaboratewith all suchorganizations, and alsowith other political partiesand their governments, inadvancing this importantnational agenda.The National Executiveresolves to launch a massawareness campaign to mobilisebroadbased popular support forits demand for nirmal and aviralGanga. •

BJP National Cells meetingGird up loins for Lok Sabha elections early 2013Gadkari exorts party workersFrom Our CorrespondentBJP National President ShriNitin Gadkari has calledupon the BJP workers togird up their loins for the LokSabha elections which could beheld even in early 2013 insteadof 2014.Shri Gadkari wasaddressing a meeting of all theprabharis, National Convenersand co-conveners of the Cells ofthe Bharatiya Janata Party onJune 7 in New Delhi.He exhorted the Cells tostrain every nerve to ensure thatin the next Lok Sabha electionsBJP was able to get additionalten percent votes from thosesections of people who hadearlier never voted for the Party.If we succeed, nobody can stopBJP-led NDA government frompower at the Centre, he wassure.Shri Gadkari disclosed thatwhen BJP got the lowest numberof seats in Parliament, its shareof votes remained 19% whileCongress got 27% at the lowestebb. He, therefore, called uponthe Cell conveners to reach outto the unharnessed unorganizedsector comprising 42 crores. BJPshould penetrate into theintelligentsia too to earn greateracceptability, he added.Shri Gadkari called upon theworkers to make the 7-12 JuneJansangharsh Abhiyan all overthe country a great success topursue Party’s demand forrollback of Rs. 7.30 raise in petrolprices, mis-governance an d antipeoplepolicies of UPAgovernment during the last eightyears . Every worker should courtarrest on June 22, he said.BJP Morchas and CellsNational Co-ordinator, ShriMahinder Pande. set the tone ofthe meeting when he gave a birdeyeview of purpose of themeeting. He said such meetingsshall be held after every threemonths to review thefunctioning of the Cells.All the Cells were put in fivegroups where their activitieswere reviewed in a detailedmanner and the Cell Convenersgave an account of their futureplans.The meeting concluded withNational General Secretary(Organisation) Shri Ram Lalexhorting the Cells to involve thescheduled castes, scheduledtribes, dalits and every othersection in their activities. Hegave some very useful hints atachieving greater efficiency andsuccess in the performance of theCells.The meeting was alsoattended by BJP National Vice-Presidents Mrs. NajmaHeptullah and Mrs. Kiran Ghai,senior BJP leader, Prof. Bal Apte,BJP National Secretary ShriMurlidhar Rao, BJPHeadquarters incharge Prof. O.P. Kohli, Shri VinaySahasrabudhe and ShriSudheendra Kulkarni. •Nitin Gadkari congratulates Viswanathan Anandon retaining world chmapionshipWorld chess champion Viswanathan Anand defeated Israel’sBoris Gelfand in Moscow to retain his title on May 30. The popularAnand, world champion since 2007, won the junior title in 1989 andbecame India’s first Grand Master at the age of 16. Anand became thefirst Asian to win the FIDE world chess championship after defeatingSpain’s Alexei Shirov in Tehran in 2000. His title win on May 30 washis fourth in a row — he also won in 2007, 2008 and 2010. The BJPPresident Shri Nitin Gadkari has congratulated Viswanathan Anandon retaining the World Chess Championship title for the 5th time.•June 16-30, 2012 22

Indeed, it's Gujarat shining!According to IndianOilseed and ProduceExport PromotionCouncil estimates, the summergroundnut production inGujarat this year stands ataround 4,59,000 tonnes, whichis about 56 per cent higher than2,94,000 tonnes recorded lastyear. Gujarat dairies send 20lakh litres of milk to Delhi, eightlakh litres to Mumbai and fivelakh litres to Kolkata daily,besides supplying milk power tothe Armed Forces.The world’s largestirrigation network is madepossible by the Sardar SarovarProject on the Narmada river,with the dam height of 121.9June 16-30, 2012 23metres. The farm miracle inGujarat has come full circle in adecade. Gujarat has a totalgeographical area of 19.8 millionha, of which about 9.8 millionha is utilised under agriculturalpurposes.About two-third of the landin the State falls under arid andsemi-arid tropics. This areareceives scanty and unevenrainfall, while marginal landshave low soil fertility and lessmoisture holding capacity.Despite, all these odds, Gujarathas maintained a remarkablegrowth rate of 11 percent inagriculture as compared withjust 2.5 percent for the rest of thecountry.The double-digit growthstands testimony to Gujaratpioneering a second ‘GreenRevolution’ in India.Gujarat set a benchmark inmilk production with its whiterevolution. The production ofdairy items in the State hasincreased by 68 per cent duringthe last 10 years. It is evident thatthe share of cooperative dairieshas increased from 46 lakh litresto 100 lakh litres per day, a bigleap from Rs 2,400 crore to Rs12,250 crore, over the sameperiod.The number of primary milkcooperative societies in Gujarathas increased from 10,000 to16,000, membership from 22 lakhto 32 lakh. and the number ofmilk societies formed and run bywomen from 800 to 2,250. Gujarathas created history in waterconservation by launching itsblue revolution — constructingcheck-dams, boribunds and khettalavadis (farm ponds). TheSardar Sarovar Project onNarmada river has madeimmense contribution towardsirrigation, hydropower anddrinking water supply in theState.Recognised far and wide asthe “growth engine of India” forits industrial growth per se,Gujarat is now a leading State ofagricultural and milk produce.This has been made possible bythe progressive agriculturepolicies of the State Governmentleading to construction of waterharvesting structures and use ofmodern technology inagriculture sector.The team effort of farmerswith the supportiveinfrastructure from the StateGovernment and guidance ofagro-scientists has yieldeddesired results.However, the gains are notovernight miracle but a steady

outcome of meticulous planning,sustained hard work andeffective allocation of availableresources. Gujarat’s achievementin agriculture sector by leaps andbounds has drawn the attentionof researchers, economists andvarious national andinternational institutes.The foundation of theagricultural revolution in theState was laid between 2002 and2003 when Chief MinisterNarendra Modi decided torevamp the supply of electricityto farms and industries. Plaguedby mounting power losses(caused by lines tripping andalso by theft), he decided tosupply quality power to thefarms for at least four hourswithout any interruption — butonly at night.He sold the idea to farmersthus: Accessing power at nightwould allow them to run theirpumps on three-phase electricity,thus saving them the cost ofdiesel-powered pumps.The new and innovativeapproach adopted by Gujarat torejuvenate its virtually defunctfarm extension system involvesbringing farm scientists andservice providers on the sameplatform and taking them to thefarmer’s doorstep, rather than theother way round.To galvanise the farmingcommunity, the StateGovernment organises a monthlongevent called ‘KrushiMahotsav’ every year where ateam of officials from agriculturaldepartment accompanied byagricultural scientists visit eachof the 18,000 villages andprovide farmers withinformation and guidance aboutlatest technology available,creating marketing linkages,June 16-30, 2012 24micro-irrigation, use of pesticidesetc.Shri Narendra Modi kickedoff the eighth Krushi Mahotsav inManavadar of Junagadh districtearlier this month. Along withthis festival, the State-wide cattlehealth fairs have also begun. TheKrishi Raths will move across allthe 224 seats of talukapanchayat of the State.In Shri Modi’s words, thenation’s agricultural growth washindered primarily because ofthe water shortage. But the waterconservation initiatives ofGujarat have shown a newdirection to the country. “Onlythe use of drip irrigation and theapproach of ‘more crop per drop’will make the farmersprosperous”.Gujarat is the first State inthe country which issues SoilHealth Cards to farmers.Growers who used to grow oneto-twocrops now cultivate threeto-four yields that give hugemargins of profit. In addition,new concepts of contract farmingand micro irrigation have helpedfarmers increase their earningsby more than double.Gujarat’s success story infarm revolution is far from over.In last seven years, theagriculture income rose over fourtimes from Rs 14,000 crore to Rs59,000 crore. The Vibrant GujaratGlobal Summit 2011 sawinvestments of Rs 37,000 crorepouring in for agro-basedprojects.It is a remarkableachievement of the Governmentof Gujarat which initiatedpublic-private partnershipmodel to set up more than sixlakh check dams, khet talavadisand bori bandh. This endeavourresulted in recharging of morethan 10 lakh wells and borewellsin the State during lastdecade. Due to this, irrigationfacilities covered an additionalland of 33 lakh ha and groundwater level rose from three metresto 13 metres.Till year 2001, drip andsprinkler irrigation techniquewas available in only 10thousand ha land but now thisfigure has been increased toseven lakh ha. This techniquehas changed the face and fate ofKutchh district. The region, onceknown to be a totally arid land,now produces fruits like Amla,date, fig, pomegranate, Kesarmango, Colocasia etc. Kutchhalone exports more than 70,000tonnes of the popular Kesarmango variety to West Asia.Besides cereal production,Gujarat has become the topmostState in fruit and vegetableproduction with farmersproducing 78 lakh tonnes offruits and 73 lakh tonnes ofvegetables.Gujarat received a feather inits cap with an internationalorganisation, WashingtonInternational Food PolicyResearch Institute, praising theState for attaining new heightsin agriculture sector while ChiefMinister of MaharashtraPrithiviraj Chavan recentlyaccepted that his State is farbehind in agri-sector ascompared to Gujarat.The State Government hasplayed a pivotal role in changingthe mindset of farmers foradopting advanced cultivationtechnology and left no stoneunturned in providing the basicnecessities — abundant powerand water supply. Indeed, it’sGujarat Shining! •(Courtesy : The Daily Pioneer)

Thamarai Sangamam in Madurai (Tamilnadu)BJP has the capacity to changethe fate of Nation : GadkariFrom Our CorrespondentThe fifth State conference ofthe Bharatiya JanataParty, Thamarai Sangamamcommenced in Madurai on May10 with a call by the BJP NationalPresident Shri Nitin Gadkari todevelop the party as analternative force capable ofcoming to power in the place ofmajor Dravidian parties in TamilNadu.Addressing on theoccasion the BJPpresident said that theBJP, with goodgovernance anddevelopment on itsagenda and nationalismas its philosophy, hadthe capacity to changethe fate of the State andthe Nation. He wasconfident that BJP wouldgain in strength in TamilNadu after theconference and sendrepresentatives toParliament and the StateAssembly. BJP wouldmake major gains in theState in the 2014 Lok Sabhaelections, he said.Shri Gadkari accused theUnited Progressive Alliancegovernment of failing to stop thegenocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka.The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam,a constituent of UPA, also didnot do anything to protect theTamils. The BJP wanted SriLanka to stop atrocities againstthe Tamils there and ensure thatthey lived with dignity.Former BJP NationalPresident Shri M. VenkaiahNaidu said that the time hadcome to tell the people that thereshould be a change ingovernment. Shri Naidu claimedthat the country badly neededthe BJP now. It was the onlyparty that remained united andall others were fragmented. TheMadurai conference, he said,would mark a new chapter inTamil Nadu politics.BJP State president Shri Pon.Radhakrishnan called upon theworkers to take up the challengeof being an alternative to the twomajor Dravidian parties. Hehoped that the conference wouldbe a turning point in Statepolitics.BJP National Secretary ShriP. Muralidhar Rao, , said theparty’s objective should be toorganize the next conference inChennai, while holding the reinsof power in Fort St. George. If theBJP became powerful in TamilNadu, there would not be anychallenge from divisive forces inthe form of bomb threats andblasts. The BJP was the onlyparty which was capable ofprotecting Tamil pride, cultureand language.Shri Muralidhar Rao saidthat the two-day, ThamaraiJune 16-30, 2012 25

Sangamam, the fifth Stateconference of the BharatiyaJanata Party had evolved apolitical action plan for TamilNadu, according to partysecretary. The meet would set outa political agenda for the partyto evolve as a formidable playerin Tamil Nadu politics, Shri Raosaid. He said the plan hascovered all issues of the State,including of fishermen, SriLankan Tamils and those relatedto the development andgovernance of Tamil Nadu. It hadhighlighted the need to changethe politics of corruption at thenational level. Participants havetaken a pledge to bring about achange in Tamil Nadu politicsand also work for the economicand social empowerment of theState.ResolutionsA resolution urged the Stategovernment to fix a timeframe forretrieval of temple propertiesfrom encroachers and collectionof pending dues from occupants.Immediate steps were requiredto renovate ancient temples thatwere in a dilapidated state. Theexecutive appealed to thegovernment to close down allliquor shops run by the TamilNadu State MarketingCorporation in order to retrievepeople from drunkenness andmake Tamil Nadu a productiveState.It felt that there would be noneed to depend on TASMACliquor shops for revenue if thegovernment chose to do awaywith freebies. By otherresolutions, the conferencecalled for the starting of skilldevelopment centres for youth inall districts and an IAS Academyin Madurai to train Civil Servicesaspirants. •June 16-30, 2012 26Punjab BJP MLA AmarjitSingh Sahi passes awayChief Parliamentary Secretaryin SAD-BJP led Punjab governmentand two-time BJP MLA fromDasuya constituency MLA AmarjitSingh Sahi, who passed away onJune 3 after a cardiac arrest atChandigarh, was cremated withfull State honour at his native townDasuya on May 4.Prominent among thosepresent in the funeral includedPunjab Chief Minister Shri ParkashSingh Badal, Technical Educationminister Shri Anil Joshi, RajyaSabha MP Shri Avinash RaiKhanna and, Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma. Paying floraltributes to Shri Sahi, Shri Badal said that with his death the SAD-BJP would face an irreparable loss and that he was a balanced,hardworking and honest politician who worked for thedowntrodden of Kandi area. Shopkeepers of Dasuya town kepttheir shops closed on June 4 as a mark of respect to the departedsoul. Sahi was 55 and is survived by his wife, a son and adaughter.Membership InchargeRadha Mohan Singh appointsState Membership in-chargeAll India Membership Incharge ShriRadha Mohan Singh, MP has appointed thefollowing persons as State MembershipIncharge for conducting Membership for theterm-2012-2014 in their respective states.Shri Sanjeev ChaurasiaShri Chainsukh SanchetiShri Jeevan GuptaShri Prabhakar TiwariShri Yanglet HaokipShri Gauri Shankar Aggarwal•StateBiharMaharashtraPunjabWest BengalManipurChattisgarh

State ReportsFrom Our CorrespondentsGUJARATSuccess of Krishi Mahotsavshattered illusions of manyregarding agriculturalgrowth of Gujarat : ModiGujarat Chief Minister ShriNarendra Modi kicked off themonth long Krishi Mahotsav atManavadar in Junagadhdistrict. He said that thesuccess of the KrishiMahotsav has shatteredillusions of thosewho misleadfarmers regardingGujarat’sagriculturegrowth.Speaking on the occasion Shri Modi said thatwhen he had visited Junagadh for Sadbhavanafast, people from Manavadar had requested him tovisit them the next time he comes. ‘Today I havekept that promise’, Shri Modi said.Shri Modi said that the times are such that thegains from Krishi Mahotsav no longer need to beexplained- the farmers are well versed with it now.He said earlier people had some strong clichésabout what ‘Utsavs’ were. ‘Utsavs’ were supposedto be casual fairs but Gujarat had successfullytransformed ‘Utsavs’ to ‘Karm Mahotsav’. He saidthat in Gujarat, it is no longer the case that plansand schemes remain stuck to their files or inGandhinagar. The Gujarat government has takenevery scheme to the doorstep of the beneficiary; theChief Minister pointed adding that gone are thedays when schemes for widows and the poorremained merely on paper.Shri Modi pointed out that earlier manyfarmers did not even know that there is anagriculture department to provide help duringtimes of need. Krishi Mahotsav has changed thatpractice. Today, farmers are interacting withagriculture universities and agriculture scientistswhenever they feel the need. This is unprecedentedin Gujarat’s history. Through Gujarat’s efforts evendairy production has received an impetus inGujarat.June 16-30, 2012 27On the occasion, the Chief Minister pointedout that Gujarat has maintained a growth rate ofaround 11% whereas the nation’s agriculturalgrowth rate is mere 2.5%. Centre should competewith Gujarat on the front of development, ratherthan entering into conflicts with it, he said. TheChief Minister expressed dissatisfaction overCentre’s disapproval for putting gates on SardarSarovar dam. He said that there was a time whenthe issue of Dark Zone confronted Gujarat whenground water levels went down. But because ofthe massive water conservation efforts the waterlevels have increased by 3 to 13 meter. And so, thestate government has lifted the Dark Zonerestrictions from 57 talukas, he said.Along with this eighth consecutive KrishiMahotsav, the Statewide cattle health fairs havealso begun. The krishi-raths will move across allthe 224 seats of Taluka Panchayat of the State. Ateam of 90,000, comprising officials of Agriculturaldepartment and Agriculture scientists will meetlakhs of farmers and provide them informationand guidance about latest technology and methodsin the field of agriculture. Speaking about State’swater conservation initiatives and promotion ofmodern methods of farming the Chief Ministersaid, “Only the use of drip irrigation and theapproach of ‘more crop per drop’ will make thefarmers prosperous”, he said. Shri Modi said thatin 50 years only 10,000 hectares of land had comeunder drip irrigation whereas in the last sevenyears, 4.5 lakh hectares were brought under dripirrigation.CHHATTISGARHFive million families underfree health insurancescheme soon : Dr. Raman SinghThe Chhattisgarh Government has begunprocess to bring about five million families underthe ambitious free health insurance scheme to helpout poor people in the State, Chief Minister Dr.Raman Singh announced this project on 03 June2012 in Raipur.Addressing the inaugural ceremony of a twodayconvention of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sanghthat witnessed a turnout of thousands of people,

Dr. Singh said the schemewould prove a boon for thefamilies in the State as itwould provide healthbenefits up to 30,000 familiesper annum.The Chief Minister saidthat workers’ interests aretop priority of hisGovernment, adding that the State Governmentwould provide smart cards under the scheme tothe beneficiaries which will help them avail theservices at the Government listed hospitals.Officials said that the State Government has tiedup with dozens of the private hospitals across 27districts to make the scheme a huge success.Dr. Raman Singh said that workerscommunity has a great role in development of Stateand the country and the Chhattisgarh Governmentwas committed to take care of their interests. HomeMinister Shri Nankiram Kanwar, Agriculture andLabour Minister Shri Chandrasekhar Sahu and agalaxy of the key leaders from the Bharatiya MazdoorSangh addressed the function.MADHYA PRADESHDeveloped nations exploitednature : Shivraj Singh ChouhanDeveloped countriesare exploiting nature,which is leading to itsimbalance. We will have toconserve the environment tosave the earth,” MadhyaPradesh Chief Minister ShriShivraj Singh Chouhan saidwhile addressing aworkshop organized by JanAbhiyan Parishad to mark the World EnvironmentDay on June 05 in Bhopal.Shri Chouhan said that cycle of nature haschanged as a result of felling of trees anddestruction of forests and the world is facingproblems like global warming. He said that it isthe priority of the State Government to conserveplantations and rivers. A campaign is beinglaunched to make Madhya Pradesh’s lifelineNarmada River pollution-free. Every section ofsociety should cooperate in this campaign, he said.June 16-30, 2012 28Country’s first cow sanctuary is beingdeveloped in Shajapur district. Society should linkwith such programmes for conserving water asJalabhishek Abhiyan and Hariyali Mahotsav. TheGovernment and society will develop goldenMadhya Pradesh only through joint efforts.The Chief Minister said that conservation ofenvironment and global welfare are enshrined inour culture for thousands of years. It has been saidin our culture that nature should be tapped andnot exploited. There is also a tradition ofworshipping flora, fauna and rivers in our country.At the programme, Shri Chouhan released aCD of Parishad’s Song and special issue of itsmonthly magazine focused on agriculture. He alsohonoured Parishad’s Prasphutan Samitis whichperformed excellently towards environmentalconservation.MP State Forest Minister Shri Sartaj Singh, BJPNational Mahila Morcha President and Memberof Parliament Smt. Smriti Irani, Jan-AbhiyanParishad vice-chairmen Shri Ajay Shankar Mehtaand Shri Pradesh Pandey were also present on theoccasion.WEST BENGALTrinamool Congress-led governmentpracticing a policy of politicalvindictiveness : Tathagata RoyFormer BJP StatePresident and nationalexecutive member ShriTathagata Roy hascharged the TrinamoolCongress-led governmentof practicing a policy ofpolitical vindictiveness.Interacting with media persons in Kolkata ShriRoy said, “This was amply evident during therecent all-India Bandh called by the NationalDemocratic Alliance”. Shri Roy, along with someother senior BJP State leaders, also met West BengalHome Secretary, in this regard, he informed.The party has also placed its grievances inthis respect before the State Human RightsCommission, bringing to the Commission’s noticethe death of Shri Rambrij Chowdhury, a 68-yearoldparty worker, a day after the Bandh. “He, alongwith 90 party supporters was crammed into a small

lockup at the police headquarters on the day of theBandh, with very few amenities. He fell ill anddied a day later,” Shri Roy said.Shri Roy further said the police picked up thegroup while they were assembling, before takingout a procession on Bandh-day, at a busy junctionin South Kolkata. He also said that 29 personshave been arrested under non-bailable sections,and even the BJP State president Shri Rahul Sinha,wasn’t allowed to meet them in custody.“We have held many Bandhs in this state inthe past, but this attitude reeks of politicalvindictiveness,” Shri Roy said.UTTARAKHANDKhanduri criticizes Congress Govt.for abolishing Transfer ActSharpening its attackon the Vijay BahugunaledCongressGovernment, former StateChief Minister Maj GenBhuwan ChandraKhanduri alleged that the‘Uttarakhand TransferAct’ was formed to weedoutcorruption andmanipulation in the interest of the employees andthe people of the State but incumbent Governmenthas abolished the Act. He said by abolishing theAct, the Congress Government has sent a messageto the effect that it would promote corruption whilehapless employees who don’t have any politicallink, will suffer and will have no option but tocontinue working in the remote areas.He also asked the Congress, which did notraise any question while the bill was being passedin the Vidhan Sabha in September 2011, how theyhave abolished the Act within two months of itsinception. Besides this, State Government is goingto sell off free power, which State Government getsfrom power Generation Company in lieu of Stateland. He said that the decision of the StateGovernment to sell the power to outside agenciesinstead of its own UJVN Limited would also costthe consumers in the State dear, because if UPCLdoes not get free power then it will have to buymore power from Power trading corporation atmarket rate and ultimately the corporation willJune 16-30, 2012 29pass its monetary loss over to the consumers byraising power tariff.Gen Khanduri said the State Governmentshould tell the people what errors in the transferact forced the Government to cancel it and replaceit with a new policy.Shri Khanduri also expressed his surprise overthe fact that the act which was replaced had alsoreceived tremendous support from the CongressMLAs and it was passed unanimously by the StateAssembly on September 29. “I am surprised thatthe same Congress party now wants to repeal it,”he added. The former Chief Minister claimed thatthe Congress Government has taken the decisionunder the pressure of some vested interests and 95per cent of Government employees would sufferfor only five per cent of their colleagues, who canmanipulate their transfers by corrupt means.UTTAR PRADESHBJP demands compensation forMathura communal violence victimsInteracting with media persons the BJP statespokesperson Shri Manoj Mishra said thecommunal violence in Kosikalan area of Mathuradistrict showed the ineffectiveness of theSamajwadi Party government in maintaining lawand order in the State. He demanded a high levelinquiry into the incident and stern action againstthe district officials who failed to discharge theirduties. Shri Manoj Mishra said that the communalviolence had shattered the life in Kosikalan. Hesaid due to the minority appeasement policy of theSP government, the district police andadministration were taking action only againstmembers of a particular community. “Onlyinnocent persons are being arrested while the realculprits are at large,” he said.Shri Mishra said that it was shocking that thearsonists kept on torching the businessestablishments of a particular community but thepolice did not intervene. The BJP spokesman saidthe SP government should desist from patting itsown back and concentrate on ensuring that therule of law prevailed in the state without anydiscrimination.Shri Mishra also demanded adequatecompensation for the families of the victims andstern action against the erring officials. •

BJP calls for Jansanghrash Abhiyanand Jail Bharo AndolanBharatiya Janata Party hasgiven a nationwide callfor Jan SanghrashAbhiyan from 7th June to 22ndJune, 2012 which will culminateinto Jail Bharo Andolan on 22 ndJune 2012. The decision wastaken in the meeting of BJPnational office bearers held on31 st May 2012. While BJPNational President Shri NitinGadkari thanked the people fortheir tremendous support inmaking Bharat Band on 31 st June,2012 a huge success, it wasdecided to intensify themovement through nationwideJansanghrash Abhiyan and JailBharo Andolan.The three major demands ofJansangharsh Abhiyan are-(1) Complete roll back of recenthike of Rs 7 in the petrolprice. The Government ofIndia has once again triedto hoodwink the people byreducing the hike by Rs 1.60per liter, but the people ofIndia have now refused tobe misled by this gimmickand are not satisfied withthe partial roll back.(2) In the last seven years ofUPA rule, thenationaleconomy hasbeen incomplete messand theunabated pricerise has madeit extremelydifficult for thecommon manto survive. Thecommon man is sufferingthe inflation and carryingunbearable burden. TheCongress led UPAGovernment shouldimmediately take steps notonly to check this price hikeand inflation but also bringdown the price of essentialcommodities by takingstringent action againstblack marketing and byputting an end on antipeople economic policies.(3) The last 7 years of UPA misgovernancehas been a sadsaga of injustice anddiscrimination to the noncongressgovernment and isa threat to very basis offederal structure of theArticles invitedcountry. It isbecause of the policyof apathy andinequality and stepmotherlytreatmentto the non- CongressState governmentsthat these States arefacing hardship ininfrastructure, ruralpower, irrigationand problems inPDS system.The BJP demands thisdiscrimination and stepmotherly treatment should bestopped and State should gettheir due of natural resources fortheir development. As a part ofJan Sanghrash Abhiyan theparty will organize State andDistrict level meeting in whichNational leaders and Stateleaders will participate. On thefinal day of Jan SangrashAbhiyan, the 22nd June 2012, theparty will hold huge protest anddemonstrations at all levelsacross the country which willculminate into Jail BharoAndolan. The BJP gives a call tothe people of India to participatein this national movement. •“Relevance of Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay and his ideas in present context”Insightful and inspiring articles on the life and great work of Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay ji are invited for a special issueof Kamal Sandesh under the title “Relevance of Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay and his ideas in present context”.Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay remains a source of our inspiration, guiding us in our journey to restore the glory and greatnessof Maa Bharati. We request his associates, co-workers, researchers, writers and journalists to become a part of this vicharayatra of Kamal Sandesh. -Prabhat Jha, EditorJune 16-30, 2012 30