It has been one big leap for BSP leader Mayawati. From an MP in 2004, she has become Chief Minister of the largest state. Over the same period, her assets have grown more than 30 times - from a little over Rs 1.67 crore to Rs 52 crore. These are the figures Mayawati herself has provided in affidavits filed with her election nominations, the first for the Akbarpur Lok Sabha seat and the latest one for the UP Legislative Council. On Wednesday, Mayawati offered an interesting explanation for the quantum jump in her assets: these were acquired with money given by her party workers who were agitated after she was "framed" by the BJP in the Taj Corridor and the disproportionate assets case. She said her new acquisitions were in the record of the Income-Tax Department. And she thanked the BJP for her new-found wealth: "In 2003, I had nothing and today I have so much. For this, the credit goes to the BJP."

Mayawati's assets in 2004 included Rs 42.44 lakh in cash, bank balance and ornaments, plus residential buildings worth Rs 1.25 crore. These buildings are all in Inderpuri colony of Delhi where her parents live. In her latest affidavit, filed on June 25, she has admitted owning properties worth Rs 37.82 crore, Rs 50.27 lakh in cash, Rs 12.88 lakh in deposits in banks, financial and non-financial institutions, gold and diamond jewellery worth Rs 49.75 lakh, silverware worth Rs 1,12,480 and murals worth Rs 15 lakh. Her new properties are all in posh areas. Two in New Delhi's commercial hotspot Connaught Place, another commercial property in Okhla, one house on New Delhi's Sardar Patel Marg, and another on Nehru Road in Lucknow. The actual worth of these properties may be much more than that shown in the affidavit. Incidently, when Mayawati admitted having assets worth Rs 1.67 crore, the CBI had, in a status report to the Supreme Court in the disproportionate assets case, stated that she actually owned assets worth Rs 28 crore. The case is alive and the CBI is yet to apply for permission to prosecute her. According to Mayawati, the BJP got her framed in the Taj case and for owning assets disproportionate to her known sources of income because they "wanted to keep 60 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats which I refused to accept". The BJP's action "agitated my party worker who decided to give me money", and authorised her to use it in whatever way she liked. "They said you buy bungalows in Delhi and Lucknow which I did, and now all this property is in the open and it is listed with the Income-Tax Department," she said. Mayawati's property in Lucknow - 3, Nehru Road - is spread over 1,200 sq m. It was bought by Mayawati in 2005 from an Army personnel Gullu Chandani for Rs 97.42 lakh. Today, it is worth more than Rs 2 crore. The building is being renovated, and work has been going on for the last one-and-a-half year.

Courtesy: Indian Express, June 28, 2007

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In revelations that could inject new mistrust between India and China and their efforts to resolve a long standing border issue, declassified CIA documents released this week extensively detail what the US saw as Chinese perfidy and Indian naivete that led to the 1962 war between the two sides. Three sets of documents on the Sino-Indian border dispute has been declassified by the CIA as part of new transparency efforts that also involved disclosing what has been dubbed "family jewels," describing covert CIA operations at home and abroad. One set of documents called the Caesar-Polo-Esau papers deal extensively with the communist regimes in the former Soviet Union and China, and the American reading of their policies. In the three chapters dealing with the India-China border spat, CIA analysts suggest that Beijing and its them premier Zhou en Lai (the old spellings Peiping and Chou are used in the paper) consistently fooled Nehru and India through procrastination and dissembling.

The analysis says that Zhou repeatedly conned Nehru by telling him that there was really no border problem except for some "petty issues" which could be resolved by officials at lower levels. He also disarmed Nehru by pleading that Communist China had not had the time to revise maps from the old Kuomintang regime (which claimed areas that belonged to India.) At the same time, the documents also paint a picture of India's first prime minister Nehru as a naïve, romantic statesman who was gullible enough to be taken for a ride by the Chinese. Nehru, say the first set of documents, even kept border incidents and rising disagreement with China out of Indian public domain in order to contain public opinion and to maintain his relationship with Zhou. "The Chinese diplomatic effort was a five year masterpiece of guile, executed -- and probably planned in large part by Chou en Lai," the CIA analysis says. "Chou played on Nehru's Asian, anti-imperialist mental attitude, his proclivity to temporize, and his sincere desire for an amicable Sino-Indian relationship." Such was Nehru's trust of China and Zhou, the CIA says, that he dismissed a letter from then Burmese premier Ba Swe, warning him to be cautious in dealing with Zhou. Nehru declared Zhou to be an honourable man. The analysis goes on to say, "The Indians later complained, in pathetic terms, of the Chinese practice of deceit." But in a later analysis, the CIA also suggests that Nehru himself became intransigent and backed himself into a corner because of adverse public opinion and opposition criticism of his soft stance on Chinese incursions. This dynamic of Indian democracy -- of leaders having to respond to the mood of the country and be accountable to parliament -- is something the Chinese failed to understand. Eventually, the CIA analysis says, Beijing had to give up the idea of making a deal with India because "the only carrot acceptable to Nehru was the entire plain (Aksai Chin)." They were, therefore, left with various sticks of various sizes, and "when they used even a small one the Indians winced." Although there is nothing new in the CIA analyses and the India-China spat has been examined from every angle by military and diplomatic historians, the timing of the new disclosures are sure to embarrass New Delhi and Beijing and re-open a few old wounds and suspicions.

Courtesy: Times of India, June 28, 2007

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Taking a serious note of the series of unsavoury incidents that occurred at Moreh a few days before and after June 9 this year, the Indian Army has categorically asked its Myanmarese counter part to pull up its socks and not allow such incidents to be carried out 'from across the border'. Speaking to The Sangai Express, a well placed source said that Delhi has categorically told Yangon that it would be held responsible if such ugly incidents occur in the future. The basic objective of the tough talk adopted by Delhi is to convey the message that it wants the neighbouring country not to offer shelter to any of the militant groups active in the North East region of India, added the source. India had earlier asked Myanmar to clear the camps of the North East militant groups and reports had come in that efforts were on to identify the exact location of the camps so that operations could be launched. At least 11 persons were killed on June 9 this year triggering a fear psychosis amongst the people of Moreh.

A good number of people at the border town also deserted their homesteads and took refuge at Myanmar in the days that followed the June 9 killings. Charges and counter charges between the proscribed UNLF and KNO/KNA followed the Moreh killings with each accusing the other of triggering the spate of killings. Normalcy returned to the border town days later. On the other hand with the larger objective of boosting the border trade and in the backdrop of the proposed Trans-Asian Highways and Trans-Asian Railways as part of the Look East Policy of the Government of India, Delhi has decided to train Myanmarese Army on Indian soil. The training is likely to start from next month, said the source further. The decision of Delhi to train Myanmarese Army on Indian soil has already been intimated to Yangon, said the source. This comes close on the heels of the efforts taken up by the Government of India to persuade the neighbouring country to allow it to open a training centre to impart military training to Myanmarese Army by 'Team India' at Mandalay. With a view to improve bilateral ties and strengthen diplomatic relations, India has also decided to gift one Russia made chopper (AL-72) to the Myanmarese authority. This is in addition to four Indian choppers to be given. The four Indian choppers were developed by the Hindustan Aeronauticals Limited. To help the Myanmarese Army, the Government of India had also last year supplied a huge consignments of artillery guns as one time grant. The shipments of arms made their way through the border at Moreh. The relationship between the Government of India and the military junta of Myanmar has been a tenuous one and only recently, the Myanmarese army had tacitly implied that the Indian security forces were behind the bomb blast at Namphalong where one person was killed. Significantly, the Assam Rifles at Moreh have been accused by many of offering a safe haven to the cadres of the Kuki National Army, which is banned in Myanmar. Despite this, efforts have been taken up in the recent past to improve bilateral ties and boost trade and commerce across the border. Some time back, the Indo-Myanmar car rally was staged from Delhi to Yangon. Apart from the need to strengthen diplomatic ties, the recent initiatives taken up by both countries are seen as measures to check drug trafficking as well as to check arms smuggling.

Courtesy: www.e-pao.net, June 25, 2007

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India has bolstered security on its border with Nepal and Bhutan in order to check the "possible influx" of Bhutanese refugees and Nepali Maoists into India territory. Press Trust of India (PTI), India's official news agency, quoted Inspector-General of Police (North Bengal) R.J.S. Nawla as saying that reinforcements of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), in charge of guarding the borders with Nepal and Bhutan, and the West Bengal police, which provides back-up to the force, had been deployed to increase "vigil along borders with Nepal and Bhutan." "SSB reinforcements would help restrict the entry of the Bhutanese of Nepali origin and Maoists from Nepal through non-conventional routes," IGP Nawla said. He also informed that more personnel had been posted in the Indian police stations along the borders. PTI reported that India had adopted a stern security policy along its border with Nepal and Bhutan as "the Maoists of Nepal were of late trying to increase their presence in Bhutan,which would soon become a democracy". IGP Nawla said quoting intelligence sources that 14 suspected Maoists were arrested in Bhutan recently. Earlier on Friday, India had closed three border points in the eastern part of Ilam district of Nepal citing possibility of Bhutanese refugees using the Indian corridor to get across to Bhutan.

Courtesy: nepalnews.com, June 18, 2007

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Majority of the Nepali citizens want the monarchy to be abolished and the Himalayan nation be declared a Hindu state, a survey has said. In the survey conducted by the Nepal chapter of South Asia Democracy Study Group, about 59% of the respondents favoured a republic, which was far ahead of the 15% who favoured the idea in the 2004 survey. "During the first survey in 2004, the idea of a republic was favoured by only 15% of respondents," the South Asia Democracy Group noted in a summary of the new poll. The survey conducted between March and April in over 41 parliamentary constituencies of 40 districts, showed that the vast majority of the respondents (68.8%) supported Nepal as a Hindu state, with only 39.2% backing the parliamentary proclamation of a secular state, the Himalayan Times Online said.Presenting the findings of the survey yesterday, political analyst Krishna Hachhethu expressed optimism about the expansion and deepening of democracy in Nepal due to increased political awareness and participation in the political process. Over two-thirds of the respondents said "democracy is preferable to any other kind of government". A majority of respondents (92%) believe that "democracy is suitable for nepal".Though 59% of the respondents were unclear about the role of the constituent assembly, 62 per cent of them believed that assembly polls to frame a new constitution can be held in a fair and free manner.Majority of the people were upbeat over the peace process, with 67% believing that the Maoists would not return to war.

Courtesy: www.zeenews.com, June 8, 2007

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Former Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalitha yesterday announced the formation of a new eight-party front in Indian politics, as a viable alternative to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance.Jayalalitha told reporters here that the grouping would consist of her AIADMK, Samajwadi Party, Telugu Desam Party (TDP), MDMK, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), Kerala Congress and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM).She made the announcement after a meeting of the leaders of seven of the parties and said the Kerala Congress had sent a letter agreeing to join the front.Those who attended the meeting at TDP chief and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu's residence were Jayalalitha, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Amar Singh (Samajwadi party), Babulal Marandi (JVM), Vaiko (MDMK), Brindavan Goswami (AGP) and Om Prakash Chautala (INLD).Of these, Jayalalitha, Naidu, Mulayam Singh, Marandi and Chautala are all former chief ministers.Jayalalitha said more parties would join the front during the next meeting, to be held in Chennai later this month, but declined to name them. The meeting will chalk out the front's strategy for the ensuing presidential and vice-presidential elections."It is a front of secular parties interested in secular parties," she said. When asked whether the Left parties would be invited to joint the front, she said it depends on the Left parties. "Our front is open for all secular parties interested in national building," she said."All the leaders who were present here today had very wide-ranging and fruitful discussions on several issues of national importance. We have all resolved to firmly oppose the Indo-US nuclear deal which, we feel, is totally detrimental to India's interests," said Jayalalitha after the three-hour long meeting."We have also discussed new economic policy which has to be taken up and implemented by the central government. Very recently, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has admitted that even though India's growth rate has been quite impressive, yet real benefits have not reached the common man.The conclave, the second after the April 23 meeting at Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh, has attracted participation from two more parties - JVM and MDMK - compared to the earlier meeting….

Courtesy: www.khaleejtimes.com, June 7, 2007

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