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Stakes are high as rich Karnataka casts vote

Sat, 10 May 2008 18:52:57 -0400

By Neena Gopal

Bangalore: It may not be caste as much as cash that's going to impact Karnataka in these elections. But while cash may be much more of a sweetener in the Karnataka pie than other states, it's the growing dichotomy between India and Bharat as played out in urban Bangalore and the hinterland, both marching to a different political drumbeat that makes this election stand out from the ones that have gone before.

So will we see Bangalore, which has 28 of the 89 seats that went to polls on Saturday, pull in a different direction from the rest of the Cauvery basin and the key districts of Mysore, Mandya, Chamarajnagar and Hassan in the southern belt? Will urban Bangalore pencil in the BJP's promise of better governance and rural Karnataka grapple as always with issues of family and camp followers as it descends into the cauldron of caste and sub-caste?

Without doubt, the first phase of this three-phase staggered election will sink or resurrect the fortunes of the leaders of the two main parties - the Congress' S.M. Krishna and the JD-S' H.D. Deve Gowda. The south has remained the traditional stronghold of both and the prevailing dictum was that whoever wins the south will take the election away from the rest. Both parties had dominated the state until 2004, but found the earth cut from under their feet by brash new entrant, the BJP, and the brasher still, Ms Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party, four years ago.

For the Congress, everything rests on whether former chief minister S.M. Krishna, the poster boy of the IT-infrastructure development brigade and to a lesser extent hometown boy from Old Mysore and parachuted back into enemy territory, has been able to hammer home the message that only under him did Brand Bangalore gather steam.

But the Congress has had to factor in several key changes to the once predominantly urban constituency which had its own unique melting pot footprint. Post-delimitation, rural areas like Anekal, Dasarahalli, Mahadevpura and Yelahanka, previously outside the urban-centric Krishna's ambit, are now part of the greater Bangalore, bringing with it some of the caste/class characteristics of its rural cousins.

Equally, while a questionmark hangs over which way Bangalore's 28 seats will swing, the interior is no cakewalk either. The tough-talking Ms Mayawati won no seat in 2004. But the BSP ate into the Congress' voteshare in at least 40 per cent of the constituencies with a remarkable four per cent of the voteshare, robbing the Congress of its edge in the final tally. Analysts within the Congress, who bitterly regret allowing Ms Mayawati to creep up on them in a state they have long taken for granted, believe she could go one better and win a seat this time if the BSP's voteshare goes up by even two per cent.

Led by the former Janata Dal(S) leader P.G.R. Sindhia, the BSP's state unit plays the caste card with aplomb, appealing to the same voter base of minorities and SC-OBCs that were once loyal to the faction-ridden Congress and to a lesser extent Deve Gowda's JD-S.

This is the arithmetic of caste which pitches the Congress' Vokkaliga (i.e. Krishna) against JD-S Vokkaliga (Deve Gowda and sons), the Congress' Vokkaliga against the BJP's Lingayat (B.S. Yeddyurappa), the BSP's OBC (P.G.R. Sindhia) against the Congress' Kuruba (Siddaramaiah), the Congress minority vote (Jaffer Sharief) against that of the BSP or the JD-S.

For the BJP, it is the second phase that will test whether it can take its 2004 performance forward. Traditionally strong in the coastal areas and northern Karnataka, it opened its southern account with a remarkable 79 seats out of 224 in 2004. But the factionalism that has torn the Congress apart can be seen in a microcosm within the saffron party. Campaign in-charge Arun Jaitley says it had been contained but party insiders insist the rivalry between Ananth Kumar and chief ministerial aspirant B.S. Yeddyurappa, the only Lingayat leader around whom those votes will coalesce, is intense. Equally potent is the role that the RSS plays in the BJP's victory. There are whispers that while the RSS is beavering away in the capital Bangalore, it has been less than enthusiastic in the coastal districts and the Northern Hyderabad Karnataka region where Mr Yeddyurappa, seen as cleaner than most Congress and JD-S politicians, is hoping to make history. The loss to the BJP of the pro-Congress leaning Eedigga leader S. Bangarappa in coastal Karnataka from where the saffron party won the most seats in 2004 with his backing is expected to somewhat blunt the BJP's upward trajectory.

As for the JD-S, it has poured all its energies into deflecting criticism, it is little more than a family firm for father and sons, backed by contractors intent on bleeding the state exchequer. Together with the loss of several major stalwarts, Mr Deve Gowda's party may find that its 57-seat haul in 2004 will be the highest it may ever manage in the electoral sweepstakes.

As attempts to make price rise and the so-called "betrayal" of the BJP and the mishandling of Bangalore airport are raised and die as poll issues, the one constant factor in this election remains money. In a state awash with funds, the liquor lobby now competes for influence with the mining industry. Ranged against it is the hugely powerful land mafia which has dictated the choice of candidates in all the parties this time with many of the Assembly aspirants being businessmen or backed by businessmen rather than the politicians of yore.

Will 2008 be a repeat of 2004? Or will the voter decide that the three-way break-up of the voteshare that gave the BJP 79 seats, the Congress 65 and the JD-S 57 and the attendant instability that goes with that kind of an arrangement, be altered once and for all to a two-party dispensation?

Stakes are high as rich Karnataka casts vote

Sat, 10 May 2008 18:52:57 -0400

By Neena Gopal

Tiger killed in poacher’s trap

Sat, 10 May 2008 18:57:49 -0400

Bettiah (Bihar), May 10: A tiger which was injured after being ensnared by poachers, on Saturday succumbed to his injuries at Valmikinagar Tiger Reserve in East Champaran district.

The adult tiger got entangled in an iron trap laid by poachers in Madanpur range compartment 16 of the Valmikinagar Reserve close to the Chitwan National Park in Nepal, Bharat Joshi, Chief conservator of forests, Valmiki Tiger Project, said. The tiger, one of the nearly 40 big cats inhabiting the reserve, got caught in the iron mesh on Friday. Forest officials came to know of the incident on Saturday morning. (PTI)

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8 killed in 2 road mishaps in J&K

By OUR SPECIAL

CORRESPONDENT

Srinagar, May 10: More people are being killed in road mishaps and man-animal conflict than in militancy related violence in Jammu and Kashmir nowadays, official statistics point out.

Eight people lost their lives in a road mishap on Saturday. The police said that four persons died and 23 were injured in different road accidents across Kashmir valley on Saturday. Another four persons were killed and 18 wounded in Doda area of Jammu region. A mini-bus on way to Sopore turned turtle, resulting in the death of four.

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Human bones near nominee’s residence

Burdwan (West Bengal), May 10: Human bones and skulls were found on Saturday near the residences of a CPI(M) candidate in panchayat election and two party leaders at Baikunthapur near Burdwan town in West Bengal.

Burdwan deputy superintendent of police Jane Alam said a skull was found lying before the residence of panchayat candidate Archana Roy’s house and human bones were strewn near the houses of the two other leaders.

After the finding the human bones, the police were posted before Mr Roy’s residence and the other leaders.

The district will go to panchayat poll on Sunday. (PTI)

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25 injured in UP cylinder blast

By OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Lucknow, May 10: Nearly 25 persons were injured in a gas cylinder explosion in Kanpur late on Friday night. The blast occurred at Jaghaipurwa locality, under Chakeri police station, when a woman tried to replace an empty cylinder with a fresh one.

Seven members of the family of Nawal Kishore — where the blast took place — were seriously injured.

The blast was so powerful that it threw the women inmates out of the kitchen. Eighteen passers-by also suffered injuries. While 15 injured persons were rushed to the Ursula Horseman hospital, 10 others were undergoing treatment at various private hospitals and nursing homes.

Windowpanes of nearby houses were shattered following the blast. Three other houses in the vicinity suffered partial damage. The impact of the blast was felt over a radius of 300 metres.

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Inspector sent to judicial custody

Ahmedabad, May 10: Another accused in the Soharabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case was sent to judicial custody by a metropolitan court here on Saturday.

The fourteenth accused policeman in the case, inspector V.A. Rathod, appeared before the court of chief metropolitan magistrate K.J. Upadhayay and sent to judicial custody.

Rathod, who allegedly had a role in disposing of the body of Kausar Bi, wife of Soharabuddin, was shown as a witness by the investigating agency CID (Crime). (PTI)

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Orissa medical body to agitate

By RABINDRA NATH

CHOUDHURY

Bhubaneswar, May 10: The Orissa medical service association on Saturday threatened to revive its agitation if the state government failed to fulfil their demand by May 20.

The association, having a membership of 3000 doctors working under the Orissa government, said all its members would resign en mass on May 20 if no steps are taken to meet their demands.

The doctors had tendered resignation en mass on March 1 to press their demands. However, they withdrew their agitation on March 12.

Tiger killed in poacher’s trap

Sat, 10 May 2008 18:57:49 -0400

Bettiah (Bihar), May 10: A tiger which was injured after being ensnared by poachers, on Saturday succumbed to his injuries at Valmikinagar Tiger Reserve in East Champaran district.

***

8 killed in 2 road mishaps in J&K

By OUR SPECIAL

CORRESPONDENT

Srinagar, May 10: More people are being killed in road mishaps and man-animal conflict than in militancy related violence in Jammu and Kashmir nowadays, official statistics point out.

***

Human bones near nominee’s residence

After the finding the human bones, the police were posted before Mr Roy’s residence and the other leaders.

The district will go to panchayat poll on Sunday. (PTI)

***

25 injured in UP cylinder blast

By OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Seven members of the family of Nawal Kishore — where the blast took place — were seriously injured.

Windowpanes of nearby houses were shattered following the blast. Three other houses in the vicinity suffered partial damage. The impact of the blast was felt over a radius of 300 metres.

***

Inspector sent to judicial custody

Ahmedabad, May 10: Another accused in the Soharabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case was sent to judicial custody by a metropolitan court here on Saturday.

The fourteenth accused policeman in the case, inspector V.A. Rathod, appeared before the court of chief metropolitan magistrate K.J. Upadhayay and sent to judicial custody.

Rathod, who allegedly had a role in disposing of the body of Kausar Bi, wife of Soharabuddin, was shown as a witness by the investigating agency CID (Crime). (PTI)

***

Orissa medical body to agitate

By RABINDRA NATH

CHOUDHURY

Bhubaneswar, May 10: The Orissa medical service association on Saturday threatened to revive its agitation if the state government failed to fulfil their demand by May 20.

The association, having a membership of 3000 doctors working under the Orissa government, said all its members would resign en mass on May 20 if no steps are taken to meet their demands.

The doctors had tendered resignation en mass on March 1 to press their demands. However, they withdrew their agitation on March 12.

US tries to placate India on comments

Sat, 10 May 2008 18:58:06 -0400

By ARUN KUMAR

Washington, May 10: The US has asked Indians not to look at its leaders’ comments about the growing prosperity of their middle class contributing to the rise in global food prices in a negative fashion.

Commenting on angry public reaction to a statement by US secretary of state Condoleeza Rice, state department spokesperson Sean McCormack said on Friday "I think the statement just gets to the basic fact that the world and the international system is changing."

"Certainly, nobody in the US is trying to single out a government or nobody in the United States is expressing the sentiment that it is not a good thing that there is greater calorie intake among more people around the world than ever before," he said. "That is a positive thing."

"And the fact that you have greater economic prosperity around the world, whether it’s in India or China or elsewhere around the world, and as a result, there are different standards of living, a positive sense, that is good for the international system.

That really speaks to some of the goals that were expressed at the inception of the current international financial, economic, and political system when you look back to the immediate post-war period. It’s a positive thing." "So again, I’m not sure what prism people are viewing the remarks through, but I would encourage them to not look at them in a way that is intended to single out, in a negative fashion," Mr McCormack said. (IANS)

US tries to placate India on comments

Sat, 10 May 2008 18:58:06 -0400

By ARUN KUMAR

Buddhadeb calls PM, says regrets remarks

Sat, 10 May 2008 18:58:21 -0400

By OUR CORRESPONDENTS

Kolkata/New Delhi, May 10: In a bid to make peace with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee called him up and expressed regret if he had caused him any hurt. Mr Bhattacharjee had on Friday said that the Prime Minister has failed on all fronts.

PMO sources said Mr Bhattacharjee’s statement had caused "pain" to Dr Singh who had once said that Mr Bhattacharjee was the best chief minister in the country.

Reiterating the Congress’ rejection of the comments made by Mr Bhattacharjee, party spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan said, "The entire nation is aware of the spectacular record of performance of the Manmohan Singh government. The focus of his government has always been the welfare of the aam admi."

She said it was rather surprising that the West Bengal CM should blamed the Prime Minister for non-performance instead of looking to take strong and effective action in his own state. She viewed that the CM made these remarks in view of the forthcoming panchayat elections in the state. She said it is unfortunate that he has chosen to make this unwarranted attack on the leadership of the Prime Minister.

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Raj tirade on despite notice

By OUR CORRESPONDENT

Mumbai, May 10: Despite the notice served to him, Raj Thackeray is unperturbed and relentless in his campaign against migrants, though in a restrained manner.

In his second visit to Thane in the last two days, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief said, "Whatever I felt like saying I said, and whatever I said was true. And if saying the truth is provocative, let them send me notices. I will keep on speaking." Mr Thackeray poked fun on the police notices saying that in some time the wall of his house wouldn’t have space for more. Mr Thackeray, who was in Thane to release a book, also criticised the media and Mr Prakash Ambedkar. He said that if Mr Ambedkar said that his references from Babasaheb Ambedkar’s book were wrong, then he might have not read Babasaheb.

Buddhadeb calls PM, says regrets remarks

Sat, 10 May 2008 18:58:21 -0400

By OUR CORRESPONDENTS

PMO sources said Mr Bhattacharjee’s statement had caused "pain" to Dr Singh who had once said that Mr Bhattacharjee was the best chief minister in the country.

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Raj tirade on despite notice

By OUR CORRESPONDENT

Mumbai, May 10: Despite the notice served to him, Raj Thackeray is unperturbed and relentless in his campaign against migrants, though in a restrained manner.

Two BJP members suspended in Tripura

Sat, 10 May 2008 18:59:22 -0400

By SANJIB DEB

Agartala, May 10: Factional feud in the Tripura unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party took an ugly turn as the official faction suspended two leaders, including vice-president Babul Choudhury, for anti-party activities while the rival faction claming majority support among the state council members formed a new committee.

Both the factions claim to be the real BJP but the Central leadership is yet to acknowledge any dispute over the leadership in the state.

The dispute started since Mr Nilmani Deb was elected president last year when a dissident faction alleged that all norms were not followed for organisational election.

It was escalated when the newly-elected president started reorganising various front organisations, eliminating the dissidents.

The dispute reached into its climax when the dissidents gave notice for a requisition meeting to discuss undemocratic activities of the state president.

D-day came on Thursday when Mr Deb suspended two senior leaders vice-president Babul Choudhury and another state council member Ajoy Majumder on disciplinary grounds and anti-party activities. "They have been suspended after obtaining due approval from the Central leadership," Mr Deb claimed.

Meanwhile, Mr Choudhury in a press conference declared that majority of the state council members in a meeting elected him as new president. "Out of 32 state council members, 17 are firmly behind me," he said.

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12 DHD militants killed in Assam

By MANOJ ANAND

Guwahati, May 10: The Black Widow faction of the Dima Halam Daogah (DHD) claimed that the Army on Saturday gunned down at least 12 of its cadres in a gunbattle near Harelu in Assam’s North Cachar Hills district.

The spokesman of the Army’s 4 Corps headquarters in Tezpur Colonel Rajesh Kalia, however, told this newspaper: "There was an encounter between the Army and militants but the death toll or injury on militant side is yet to be ascertained. There was no casualty or injury on our side so far."

He said: "The area where the encounter took place is dominated by 3 Corps based in Nagaland. The operation is still going on. We have recovered one lethal weapon Lathode launcher with several rounds of ammunition from the area of encounter."

He also clarified that incident took place in deep forest area and without the recovery of body, the death toll cannot be confirmed.

Assam police sources also confirmed that during an operation, a group of the militants exchanged fire along the Assam-Nagaland-Manipur border.