From Times OnlineNovember 7, 2008

From Times OnlineNovember 7, 2008

Life imitates West Wing for Obama's attack dog Rahm Emanuel
(Charles Rex Arbogast/AP)
Rahm Emanuel agonised over the offer from Barack Obama as he also coveted a top job in Congress
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Hannah Strange
Video: Obama prepares for office

When Sarah Palin vowed that there would soon be a pitbull in the White House, some on the Obama campaign might have allowed themselves a knowing chuckle.

Several weeks of ferocious campaigning later, one is indeed on its way to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. He certainly doesn’t wear lipstick – but has been known to sport a leotard.

Described by those who know him as variously an attack dog, warrior, political gangster – the appointment of Rahm Emanuel as Barack Obama’s chief of staff has sent a shiver of unease through Republicans hoping for a new spirit of conciliation under the newly-elected president.

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Others say the take-no-prisoners partisan nicknamed Rahmbo is a perfect fit for the almost preternaturally serene Mr Obama, who will need political strongmen around him if he is to push through the radical changes he seeks.

The inspiration for The West Wing’s fictional deputy chief-of-staff, Josh Lyman, the most unlikely moments in the character’s story are plucked straight out of Mr Emanuel’s reality.

When Lyman reads a Washington Post profile of him which tells how he sent a congressman a rotting fish in the post, he asks his assistant, Donna, if she was the source. In fact, it was Mr Emanuel – who reportedly once sent a pollster he had fallen out with the same gift – as a warning never to cross him again.

It is not the only episode in Mr Emanuel’s history which reads like a scene from a gangster movie.

At a dinner to celebrate Bill Clinton’s first presidential victory – Mr Emanuel was his chief fundraiser – he began to reel off the names of those who had 'crossed' him. He grabbed a steak knife and began plunging it into the table shouting “Dead! Dead! Dead!” after each name.

“When he was done the table looked like a lunar landscape,” a witness relates. “It was like something out of The Godfather. But that’s Rahm for you.”

Mr Emmanuel became infamous for his cutting manner during the Clinton years, even towards the world’s most powerful leaders.

In 1998, when Tony Blair visited the White House at the height of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, the Prime Minister and Mr Clinton scheduled a public appearance. As he was preparing to walk out, Mr Emanuel cautioned Mr Blair : “This is important. Don’t f*** it up.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article5106463.ece
Rahm Emanuel: A Tough Taskmaster for Obama
By James Carney / Washington Friday, Nov. 07, 2008Rahm Emanuel talks with Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama.
Alex Brandon / AP
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 Facebook Yahoo! Buzz Mixx Permalink Reprints Related Throughout the presidential campaign, Republicans took delight in portraying Barack Obama as all talk and no action. But his naming of Illinois congressman Rahm Emanuel as his White House chief of staff shows that the Democratic President-Elect has no intention of letting that charge stick.

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Obama may speak beautifully and inspirationally about hope and change, about bipartisan cooperation and a better America. But he clearly understands that you just can't sit around talking about all the good things you want to do when you get to the White House and then expect them to happen all by themselves. Which means you can't hire a staff that's going to gather at work every day, hold hands and sing Kumbaya.

Instead, you bring in a guy like Emanuel, the most hard-headed, no-nonsense, foul-mouthed, smart-as-hell, get-it-done-or-get-out-of-my-way Washington insider of his generation. And you put him in charge of a White House staff whose task it is — and this is putting it conservatively — to conceive, propose, promote and somehow push through Congress the most ambitious agenda any President has carried forth at least since Ronald Reagan rode into town with a lopsided grin in January 1981. "Rahm does not sing Kumbaya," laughs an old friend and colleague. "He barks orders." His hometown paper, the Chicago Tribune, calls Emanuel "a brutally effective taskmaster."

Not everyone in Congress, or in Washington, particularly likes Emanuel, 49, the former senior Clinton White House official who just won his fourth term in Congress representing a portion of Chicago and who serves as the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House. Even some members of his own party (including members of the black and Latino caucuses) bear no affection for him, especially those who feel he has run roughshod over their prerogatives in pursuit of some greater goal — like wresting control of the House from the Republicans in 2006, a project Emanuel spearheaded. Others simply fear him. But few people who know and have dealt with Emanuel are not greatly impressed with his energy, intellect and sheer will. "It shows Obama is serious about getting things done, and that he knows he doesn't have a lot of time to do it," says an Obama campaign insider. "And it shows that he realizes that he needs someone to corral the Democrats in Congress. If they're running off in all directions, Obama's agenda will go nowhere."

Some on both the left and right have criticized Obama's choice of a profane Washington insider for chief of staff as evidence that his promise that he wanted to raise the level of civility in our politics was all talk. But those critics misunderstand the nature of the job and the role Emanuel will be playing. Obama will he the public face and voice of his Administration. He'll set the tone. Emanuel will oversee the hard work of running the White House and pushing the agenda in the halls of Congress. "The job now is to translate the dreams into reality," says Paul Begala, a Clinton White House veteran who knows Emanuel well. "Barack will be the inspiration, Rahm will be the perspiration." (See pictures of Barack Obama's campaign behind the scenes.)

That Obama made Emanuel his first White House pick shows how dramatically different he wants his transition to be from the disastrous one of the last incoming Democratic President. In 1992, Bill Clinton took his time in choosing his staff, and he focused much of it on the cabinet, believing the White House staff to be secondary. His eventual selection of personal friends from Arkansas like his first chief of staff Mack McLarty proved that Washington outsiders aren't so good at running Washington.

Emanuel started out with Clinton in the 1992 campaign as a fundraiser. He was relentless, and successful. By January 1993, he'd moved up the ladder in Clinton's world to the point where he was named White House political director. In that job, he offended enough people — in particular Hillary Clinton — that he was demoted and almost fired. But he stuck around, worked hard and ended up being the primary force behind some of the biggest legislative successes of Clinton's presidency: the North American Free Trade Agreement, the so-called crime bill and welfare reform.

It's important to note that none of those bills could be defined as part of a liberal agenda. In fact, by pushing for them, Clinton (and Emanuel) angered large numbers of liberal Democrats. And when he ran the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in the 2006 cycle, he infuriated some liberals by recruiting conservatives and moderate candidates — people who supported gun rights or opposed abortion — to run in red districts. (That anger faded after Emanuel's recruits helped sweep the Democrats into power in the House two years ago.)

All of which explains why the caricature of Emanuel in Congress as a hyper-partisan Democrat is both true and beside the point. He is a partisan, in the sense that he is a tireless advocate — but he is that way whether he's advocating for the Democratic Party in congressional races or for legislation on behalf of his President that many Democrats oppose. (Read "Congressional Races to Watch '08.")

Several days passed after word that Obama wanted Emanuel as his chief of staff before Emanuel actually "accepted" the job. Some observers expressed frustration that he seemed to be dragging out the first high-profile hire of an incoming Administration whose campaign had been respected for its notable lack of drama; others speculated that Emanuel was torn, because he had spoken openly of following Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House. But Emanuel's path to the Speakership wasn't guaranteed. More importantly, his wife and three children live in Chicago. Friends say Emanuel struggled with the idea that he'd have to move his family to Washington, and that his family is reluctant to do it. In the end, Emanuel said yes. "A new President, a person you know well and respect immensely, asks you to be White House chief of staff for the most historic presidency of your lifetime?" says an Emanuel friend who worked with him in the Clinton White House. "And you say no? In the end, I don't think so."

"Rahm's impatient. He's been in Congress five and a half years. How long can he wait?" jokes another friend. "He's aggressive and creates his own weather. He's always pushing the envelope: 'What's the next thing?'" (See the next President's to-do list.)

Does hiring Emanuel mean Obama will be bringing in mostly old Clinton hands to populate offices in the West Wing and Cabinet agencies? Not necessarily. The Democratic bench is deep, but it is deep in large part because so many Democrats earned executive branch experience during the eight years of the Clinton presidency. It would be absurd to imagine Obama bypassing all the experience in the name of bringing in only fresh blood. Undoubtedly, Obama will also bring in loyal campaign staffers and advisers who are not Clinton-era veterans. But installing someone like Emanuel to anchor the White House staff makes eminent sense. As Begala says, "It helps to shave someone around who knows where the Situation Room is."

—With reporting by Karen Tumulty

See pictures of the world reacting to Obama's win.)

(See pictures from the historic Election Day.)
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1857368,00.html?imw=Y

Clinton: Obama made good choice for chief of staff
By ADAM GOLDMAN – 13 hours ago

NEW YORK (AP) — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, in her first public appearance since former rival Barack Obama was elected president, praised his choice for White House chief of staff, a former top aide to her husband.

"President-elect Obama made an excellent choice," she said of Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel, adding that he "understands both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue."

"He gets things done," she said at a news conference Thursday night before she and former President Clinton were honored at a gala at the newly refurbished Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. "Rahm is determined and effective."

She also called on Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, the Senate's longest-serving Republican, to resign after he was convicted of corruption charges.

The event at which the Clintons spoke kicked off the opening weekend of the Intrepid after a nearly two-year restoration. President Bush next week will deliver a Veterans Day address on the famous World War II aircraft carrier.

Clinton, a New York Democrat, said she talked with Obama after his historic victory, which made the Illinois senator the first African-American elected to the White House, and promised to work with him as he faces challenging times taking office.

"I want to be a good partner with him in the Senate," said Clinton, his former rival for their party's presidential nomination. "The Senate is going to be the place that determines whether his agenda is successful. We are going to work together. We are going to work across the aisle."

Clinton said that Obama has to move quickly on national security and the economy. He was wise to begin preparing for his transition into the White House, she said.

"I give him credit for being ahead of the curve," she said. "I think he'll put together a good team."

Asked whether she would join an Obama administration, Clinton said: "I want to be the best senator I can be from New York."

Stevens, who has secured billions of dollars in federal funds for his state, was clinging to a narrow lead in a re-election bid after being found guilty of lying on Senate records to hide hundreds of thousands of dollars in home renovations and gifts he received from a millionaire businessman. He is appealing and told voters he's not a convicted felon — at least not until the appeal process is over.

But Stevens, Clinton said, has to go.

"I think that he should step down, and I think that we may actually win that seat still," she said.

An exit poll and incomplete ballot results had Stevens, a 40-year incumbent, with a very slight lead over Democratic rival Mark Begich, the mayor of Anchorage. More than 60,000 absentee and questioned ballots remained to be counted Thursday, so the outcome may be days in coming.

 
   Democrats jockeying for top Obama Cabinet posts

From Ed Henry
CNN White House Correspondent

    
(CNN) -- To the victor belong the spoils, and after eight years out of the White House, Democrats want to be spoiled with high-profile jobs.

Senior Democrats say Sen. John Kerry is gunning to be the next secretary of state.

 "For every senior job, there is probably 10 qualified people, and it's hard to be the person to tell the nine that they are not the number one pick," said former Clinton White House press secretary Joe Lockhart.

Senior Democrats say Sen. John Kerry is jockeying to be secretary of state -- and has a good case after endorsing President-elect Barack Obama over Sen. Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primaries.

But some Democrats worry he can veer off message, just like Vice President-elect Joe Biden.

And that notion keeps New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel in the hunt.  Watch more on the Obama transition to power »

Health care is another top priority, and a natural fit in the Cabinet would be well-respected former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle.

But Democratic sources say Howard Dean, a doctor who had a strong run as the Democratic National Committee chairman, is hungry for the job.

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Speculation about Obama's treasury secretary has centered on Lawrence Summers, though he's faced controversy for sexist comments he made while serving as president of Harvard University.

Another name being mentioned? Former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker.

"Though he's not a person who would stay four or eight years, given his age, but to get things started, [he] would be a fabulous choice," said Alan Blinder, the former vice chairman of the Fed.

Plugged-in Democrats say there's also serious talk of Obama briefly keeping Robert Gates, President Bush's defense secretary, on board to show that the new president is not just looking for "yes men."

"I think you need a mixture of loyalists, people that President Obama trusts and works with, and people from the outside who bring a different perspective, who can question his decision, question his judgment," Lockhart said.  Watch more on whether Gates will stay on »

One advantage Gates may have is that he's not lobbying for the job. Oftentimes, insiders who lobby too hard for Cabinet posts end up not getting them.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/07/dems.position/

Vanishing jobs, stressed consumers in US feed downturn
WASHINGTON (AP): The unemployment rate has bolted to a 14-year high and Ford Motor announced plans on Friday for more layoffs, the latest in a vicious cycle of vanishing jobs and stresses on American consumers that is spelling deeper trouble for the already sinking U.S. economy.

The Labor Department said that another 240,000 jobs were cut last month, as the jobless rate zoomed to 6.5 percent in October from 6.1 percent in September. Last month's total matches the rate in March 1994.

Meanwhile, Ford Motor Co. provided further evidence of the weakening economy, saying it plans to cut about 2,260 more jobs and that it burned through $7.7 billion in cash in the third quarter.

Unemployment has now surpassed the high seen after the last recession in 2001. The jobless rate peaked at 6.3 percent in June 2003.

October's decline marked the 10th straight month of payroll reductions, and government revisions showed that job losses in August and September turned out to be much deeper. Employers cut 127,000 positions in August, compared with 73,000 previously reported. A whopping 284,000 jobs were axed in September, compared with the 159,000 jobs first reported.

So far this year, a staggering 1.2 million jobs have disappeared.

Ford said it lost $129 million in the third quarter and went through $7.7 billion in cash. The company said it will cut another 10 percent of its North American salaried work force costs as it tries to weather the worst economic downturn in decades.

And more ominous news was looming Friday as General Motors Corp. was expected to release a gloomy earnings report for the third quarter.

Racing to assemble his new Democratic Cabinet, President-elect Barack Obama will huddle with economic advisers later on Friday. His team has been in close contact with the Bush administration to pave the way for a smooth hand-off of power.

On the crucial jobs front, the situation is likely to move from bad to worse next year. Many expect the jobless rate to climb to 8 percent, possibly higher, next year. In the 1980-1982 recession, the unemployment rate rose as high as 10.8 percent before inching down.

Stressed consumers are cutting back on their shopping and trying to trim their debt. Economists believe consumers cut back on borrowing in September, as another report to be released Friday is expected to show.

Nearly half a million Americans filed new claims for unemployment benefits in the last week alone, and skittish shoppers handed many retailers their weakest sales since 1969, government reports out Thursday showed.

The Labor Department said new filings for jobless benefits clocked in at 481,000, a dip from the previous week but a still-elevated level that suggests companies are resorting to big layoffs to cope with the economy's downturn.

Hartford Financial Services Group Inc., Circuit City Stores Inc., drug maker GlaxoSmithKline PLC, chip maker Advanced Micro Devices Inc., auto parts maker Dana Holding Corp., cable operators Comcast Corp. and Cox Communications Inc. and Fidelity Investments are among the companies that recently have announced layoffs.

To provide fresh relief, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Democrats, in a lame-duck session later this month, would push to enact another round of economic stimulus to provide more relief, which could include extending jobless benefits.

A $168 billion package, including tax rebates for people and tax breaks for businesses, was rolled out earlier this year. Short of a package of $100 billion or more, the House could press the Senate to pass a smaller $61 billion measure that would bankroll public works projects to help generate new jobs and would extend unemployment benefits.

Companies are begging for help, too. The leaders of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler and the president of the United Auto Workers union came to Capitol Hill to discuss billions of dollars more in financial help.

Reeling from layoffs and watching their wealth shrink as home values and nest eggs have been clobbered, shoppers turned extra frugal last month and sent sales at many retailers down sharply.

Michael P. Niemira, chief economist at the International Council of Shopping Centers, summed up the situation as ``awful.''

According to the ICSC-Goldman Sachs index, sales fell 1 percent, the weakest October performance since at least 1969 when the index began.

Target Corp. and Costco were among the many retailers reporting sales declines last month. Even teens stayed away from malls. American Eagle Outfitters Inc. and Abercrombie & Fitch Co. reported drops in sales. But Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, logged a sales gain as shoppers hunted for bargains.

The Federal Reserve ratcheted down interest rates last week to 1 percent and left the door open to further reductions in a bid to prevent a drawn out recession in the United States.

The country's economic state has rapidly deteriorated in just a few months. The economy contracted at a 0.3 percent pace in the July-September quarter, signaling the onset of a likely recession. It was the worst showing since 2001 recession, and reflected a massive pullback by consumers.

As U.S. consumers watch jobs disappear, they'll probably retrench even further.

That's why analysts predict the economy is still shrinking in the current October-December quarter and will contract further in the first quarter of next year. All that more than fulfills a classic definition of a recession: two straight quarters of contracting economic activity.

Rich nations should abandon 'unsustainable' lifestyle: Wen
Beijing (PTI): Appealing to the developed world to abandon their unsustainable and lavish lifestyle, Chinese Premier Wen Jibao on Friday said that global financial crisis should not be allowed to undermine climate change efforts. "The developed countries have a responsibility and an obligation to respond to global climate change by altering their unsustainable way of life," the official Xinhua news agency quoted him as saying.

Addressing a high-level conference on climate change jointly hosted by China and United Nations today he made these remarks and said that his government has always "laid great importance" to climate change. Representatives of governments, international and non-governmental organisations from nearly 100 countries are taking part in the conference that focuses on technology development and transfer.

Premier Wen also urged developed nations to help developing countries to cope with the global climate change. The meet brainstormed on the international negotiation process on climate change.

The conference will cover a wide array of topics including the current status of technology transfer and best practices, mechanism for overcoming barriers to technology transfer, roles and potential collaboration of public and private sectors, among others.

The Chinese government has set a target of reducing energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) by 20 per cent and major pollutant emissions by 10 per cent from the 2005 levels by 2010 to protect environment, save energy and ensure a sustainable development.

Wen said at the conference that China "has confidence to fulfill this goal".
'Surcharged emotions' of 'patriotic' students: BJP on ABVP protest
New Delhi (PTI): A day after ABVP activists protested against S A R Geelani at a seminar, the BJP on Friday termed it as an expression of "surcharged emotions" by "patriotic" students.

"The surcharged emotions of patriotic students can't be simply ignored," party spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy told reporters here today reacting to the incident.

A group of ABVP activists yesterday went on a rampage at Delhi University, vandalising the venue of a seminar in protest against presence of S A R Geelani, acquitted in the Parliament attack case and spat on him.

Around 50 youths damaged property and hurled abuses on Geelani at the seminar on 'Communalism, Fascism and Democracy, Rhetoric and Reality', disrupting the programme briefly.

"His (S A R Geelani) association with militants can't be denied and one can simply say that he was just saved by the skin and the shroud of mistrust still prevails about him," Rudy added.

He alleged that the coming together of pseudo-secular sympathisers and certain radical groups had emerged in the university community meeting.

The party, however, said that the protest by the student body could have been "more hygienic."

"The Bharitiya Janata Party has taken note of the protest by ABVP activists at a Delhi University seminar and we certainly feel that the nature of protest should be more hygienic," Rudy said.

'Obama's presidential acceptance speech partly written in London'
London (PTI): Barack Obama's electrifying presidential acceptance speech in Chicago in the US, widely lauded all over the globe, was partly written by a Liberal Democrat tax lobbyist in a London flat in Notting Hill.

Obama's speech to hundreds of thousands of supporters in Chicago on Tuesday night was one of the most widely-watched and repeated political addresses in recent history.

According to 'The Daily Telegraph', parts of the speech were crafted by Jacob Rigg, 27, a volunteer adviser to the Obama campaign, in his flat in Notting Hill, west London.

Rigg works for 'The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners', which lobbies and advises on tax issues.

Rigg said the inspiration for the Chicago speech was the most celebrated piece of oratory in American history, Abraham Lincoln's 1863 address at Gettysburg.

Lincoln's speech, made two years before the end of the American Civil War, spoke of the "unfinished work" and the "great task remaining" of building a democratic republic.

In his speech, Obama had said: "The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there."

Having worked in Washington as a lobbyist, Rigg has links with some of Obama's Senate staff, the report said.

Working from home in his own time, Rigg was involved in writing the President-elect's speech, contributing via phone, e-mail and video conferences.

Rigg said he had also drafted a significant speech the world will never hear, the one that Obama would have given if he had lost the election, according to the daily.

Rizwanur Rehman case: SC to hear Todi's plea on Nov. 10
New Delhi (PTI): Industrialist Ashok Todi, who is fearing arrest in the Rizwanur Rehman case, on Friday moved the Supreme Court challenging the order of a Kolkata trial court issuing non-bailable warrant against him and other accused for their failure to appear before it.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan posted the matter for hearing on November 10 after Todi's counsel said that his surrender would lead to his arrest and therefore the petition should be heard on an urgent basis.

Senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for Todi, who has been chargesheeted for alleged abetment of suicide of his son-in-law Rehman, said that despite the October 13 order of the apex court there was no protection to the industrialist.

The apex court had earlier said that trial in the case would not commence till the Calcutta High Court decides a petition filed by Todi challenging CBI's decision to chargesheet him in the case.

Todi, along with six others, was chargesheeted by the CBI on September 22 for alleged abetment of Rizwanur's suicide. A Metropolitan Magistrate in Kolkata has asked the accused to appear before it on October 27 but they had failed to abide by the order leading to the issuance of NBW.

In the beginning of the matter, when Salve mentioned the petition, the Bench said the accused can cooperate in the proceedings related to the case.

However, Salve said the arrest warrant was coming in the way and the surrender of the accused would lead to his arrest and the previous order of the apex court would become meaningless.

The senior advocate gave another dimension to the case saying that it has acquired a communal tinge in West Bengal.

Obama's victory a vote for engagement and dialogue: Rehman
Islamabad (PTI): Americans have backed an international order that focuses on engagement and dialogue for resolving global challenges by voting for President-elect Barack Obama, a Pakistani minister said on Friday.

Obama's victory is a triumph of multilateralism as an international order and the US polls have shown significant changes in voters' preferences that reflect the future President's vision for America's role vis-a-vis the rest of the world, Information Minister Sherry Rehman said. "By voting for Mr Obama, Americans have placed a seal of approval on an international order that puts primacy on engagement and dialogue for resolving global challenges," she said.

Rehman's comments came in the wake of Pakistan's call for the US to end missile strikes in its tribal areas and to back efforts to engage the Taliban and other militant groups in dialogue to end violence. "We look forward to the opportunity of working with the new US administration that has positively reciprocated to our desire for a partnership that works for world peace and regional stability," said Rehman.

"Obama's victory is inspiring for proponents of democracy and reinforces their firm belief in democracy's power to bring about a definitive change in leadership and policy through genuine participatory processes," she said in a statement.

The President-elect's campaign slogan for change has "created a new set of global expectations about the US, which will be a major challenge for its new administration. Yet, it also presents an opportunity for bringing about qualitative policy changes that can create enduring global peace and economic security," she said.

Antigua wants to rename highest peak 'Mount Obama'
St John's (Antigua) (AP): Antigua's Prime Minister wants to rename the island's highest mountain peak "Mount Obama" in honor of the US president-elect.

"Boggy Peak", as it is currently known, soars more than 396 meters over the island's southern point and serves as a transmission site for broadcast and telecommunication providers. It also is a popular hiking spot.

Political analyst Avel Grant says the name change could draw more tourists to the island.

Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer announced the plans Wednesday in a congratulatory letter to President-elect Barack Obama.

Attorney General Justin Simon said on Thursday he will research if parliament needs to approve the name change.

Pre-poll survey predicts Congress victory in Delhi
New Delhi (PTI): Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit might return to power for the third consecutive term in Delhi, a pre-poll survey on Friday claimed, predicting a scrape through for the Congress in the coming Assembly polls.

The survey conducted by Star TV claimed that ruling Congress, which has 47 MLAs in the present assembly, will get 38 seats in the 70-member assembly while opposition BJP will improve its tally from 20 to 29 in this election.

However, according to the survey, BSP will not get any seats despite an increase in its vote share from 2003's 5.76 per cent to 10 per cent projected this time.

In what could be bad news for BJP's Chief Ministerial candidate Malhotra, Dikshit is way ahead of the South Delhi MP in popularity with 37 per cent of the 6,248 respondents favouring the Congress veteran. Malhotra polled 14 per cent.

The survey, which was conducted between October 27 and November 1, claimed that Congress will lose its vote share by 6.1 per cent from 2003's 48.13 per cent.

The BJP is also poised to increase their vote share with 39.5 per cent votes as against last time's 35.33 per cent.

On the performance of the Dikshit government, 46 per cent of the respondents termed it "good" or "very good" while 24 per cent termed it "bad" or "worse".

Forty-eight per cent was of the view that the individual performance of the Chief Minister was "good" while 20 per cent rated it bad.

Only 31 per cent rated BJP's performance as "good" while 22 per cent termed it either bad or worse.

VHP accuses Orissa govt. of inaction on Laxmanananda murder
New Delhi (PTI): Accusing the Orissa Government of not taking any action, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Friday demanded immediate arrest of those involved in the killing of Swami Laxmanananda in Kandhamal district of the state.

VHP leader Pravin Togadia said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has been "surprisingly inactive" in taking action against the accused as he did not want to offend "certain people."

"The Orissa Government failed miserably to take action against the killers of Swamiji. We will not tolerate this," he said addressing a rally here to pay tribute to those killed in police firing on this day in 1966 while demonstrating near the Parliament against cow slaughter.

Togadia also demanded immediate arrest of all those involved in the killing of the VHP leader.

Kandhamal district witnessed widespread violence after the assassination of the VHP leader on August 23.

The VHP leader also criticised the Maharashtra government for arresting Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Srikant Prasad Purohit in connection with the Malegaon blasts.

Addressing the gathering, RSS Chief K S Sudarshan demanded framing of a law to ban cow slaughter and appealed to the gathering to strengthen the movement for cow protection.

BJP's Chief Ministerial candidate in Delhi V K Malhotra said if voted to power he will take stringent measures to stop cow slaughter in the city.

He said no hotels in the city will be allowed to serve beef.

Various speakers from religious bodies also addressed the rally organised by 'Rastriya Godhan Mahasangha' and demanded complete ban on cow slaughter and a separate ministry for cow protection.

The high barriers facing foreign workers

7 Nov, 2008, 1320 hrs IST, BusinessWeek

Moira Herbst
 
From technology giants like Microsoft (MSFT) to agricultural employers such as New York State's Torrey Farms, businesses tend to have a pretty straightforward take on immigration policy: If workers from other countries want to come to the US, government should let them in. This is a controversial stance among Americans who fear losing their jobs. But companies say the economy overall will be stronger with more workers, whether they're designing software, milking cows, or performing other tasks that Americans can't or won't do.

Technology companies have pushed for years to let in more skilled workers. The easiest place to start, they say, is by granting green cards for permanent residence to students from overseas who get advanced degrees at US universities, especially in fields such as science, math, and engineering. Today, these students need to apply for residence along with everyone else, and many can't get the papers to stay. "Over half of our PhDs are foreign-born students, and we won't even give them a green card," says William D. Watkins, chief executive of storage equipment maker Seagate Technology (STX). "So we educate them at our universities, which are the best in the world, and then we send them back home. It's crazy."

Tech companies would like to see more experienced workers from overseas, too, both on a temporary and permanent basis. Under the current system, the number of high-skill workers allowed in each year on temporary work visas is capped at 65,000 (with a further 20,000 for those with advanced degrees). Compete America, a lobbying group representing Intel (INTC), Google (GOOG), Oracle (ORCL), and others, wants the cap increased to at least 115,000. Tech companies have many Washington supporters on the issue, but their efforts have been turned back by critics who say the work visa program is subject to misuse and fraud.
Waiting Game

Technology companies also want additional green cards for skilled workers from abroad. The number of so-called "employment-based green cards" is capped at 140,000 per year now, and only 7% of those, or 9,800, can go to workers from any one country. That cap has had the affect of making immigrants from populous countries such as India and China wait five or more years for their green cards, even after the U. S. government decides to approve their applications.

Complete America would like the overall green card cap to be raised and the 7% restriction for each country to be lifted. In addition, the group has asked for green cards that went unused in years past to be reauthorized so they could be issued in the future. This "green-card recapture" would free up 200,000 to 300,000 green cards for current immigrants. James Goodnight, CEO and founder of Cary (N.C.)-based software maker SAS, says the US risks losing talented workers to Canada and Europe if it doesn't adopt more accommodating policies. "They have a policy of welcoming foreign people with PhDs and highly trained workers, whereas for some reason our country doesn't want them anymore," says Goodnight.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/The_high_barriers_facing_foreign_workers_in_US/articleshow/3684802.cms

Americans losing confidence in the Fed: Survey

7 Nov 2008, 2043 hrs IST, REUTERS
NEW YORK: Most Americans say the country's financial crisis has hurt their confidence in the Federal Reserve, according to a Reuters/University of 
Michigan survey released on Friday. The poll found sentiment toward banks and other financial institutions, like insurance firms and mutual funds, has also deteriorated.

At the same time, the economic downturn has dented trust in the nation's financial authorities. Twenty-six percent of Americans said they were "a lot less" confident in the Fed, which is the U.S. central bank, now than five years ago. That was up from 7 percent back in 1987, before Greenspan began his 18-1/2-year term at the helm of the Fed.

An additional 29 percent said they were "a little less" confident in monetary policy-makers. "The loss of confidence in both fiscal and monetary authorities was associated with less favorable levels of consumer sentiment," said Richard Curtin, director of the Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers.

The data suggested that, while consumer confidence may experience a momentary rebound from the results of the presidential election, such a bounce will likely be fleeting. "These honeymoons are based on the promise for improvement, more about people feeling better about the future policy than actually doing better," Curtin said.

US jobless rate at 14-year high of 6.5%

7 Nov 2008, 1907 hrs IST, AGENCIES
WASHINGTON: The government says the nation's unemployment rate bolted to a 14-year high of 6.5 percent in October as employers slashed 240,000 Right approach for different stages of career
jobs. It was stark proof the economy is almost certainly in a recession.

The new snapshot, released by the Labor Department, shows the crucial jobs market deteriorating at an alarmingly rapid pace.

The jobless rate zoomed to 6.5 percent in October from 6.1 percent in September, matching the unemployment rate in March 1994. Employers have cut jobs each month this year.

The struggling US economy had lost 159,000 jobs in September as the credit crunch hit a broad swath of industries.

When people lose their jobs, they tend to pare back family budgets and fall behind on their debt - not a good prospect for an economy suffering a simultaneous credit crisis and spending slowdown.

Buffett, Google's Schmidt in Obama's adviser team

7 Nov 2008, 1742 hrs IST, AGENCIES

LONDON: US President-elect Barack Obama has appointed a 17-member high-level team of advisers including billionaire investor Warren Buffett and 
Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt to guide him in channelising the economy, a media report says.

"US President-elect Barack Obama has appointed a team of high-level advisers including billionaire investor Warren Buffett and Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt to guide his thoughts on the economy ahead of taking office on January 20," the Telegraph report stated.

The team, to be called the Transition Economic Advisory Board (TEAB), will meet for the first time in Chicago today to discuss the state of the economy and the prospect of taking early action.

Warren Buffett, Chairman and CEO, Berkshire Hathaway, would participate through speakerphone in the meeting.
Further, the report stated that Obama might use this opportunity to appoint his first Treasury Secretary.
The advisory board has 17 members including former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker, whose name has also been connected with the Treasury job, and former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, who would also be at the meeting at the Chicago Hilton today, the daily said.

At present, Robert Rubin is Chairman and Director of the Executive Committee of global financial services major Citigroup. Besides, corporate America is also well represented in the team, with Time Warner Chairman Dick Parsons and Xerox Chairman Anne Mulcahy and Schmidt, who was a loyal supporter of Obama during his election campaign, it added.

Other members of the board comprise Laura Tyson, one of Obama's key economic aides, former House of Representatives member David Bonior, two former SEC Commissioners Roel Campos and William Donaldson, and Chairman of the Midwest JP Morgan Chase William Daley, the Telegraph report said.

Further, TIAA-CREF President and CEO Roger Ferguson, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Classic Residence by Hyatt CEO Penny Pritzker, Robert Reich and Laura Tyson from the University of California and DE Shaw Managing Director Lawrence Summers are on the board, it added.

Saudi Arabia agrees to bail out cash-trapped Pak

7 Nov, 2008, 1505 hrs IST, AGENCIES

LAHORE: Saudi Arabia has reportedly agreed to bail out cash-strapped Pakistan with 'substantial oil supply' on deferred payment and cash assistance. 

Saudi Arabia has agreed to provide 'tangible assistance' to "ease" Pakistan's balance of payment pressure' and assured the visiting Pakistani delegation of investing more than one billion dollars in the livestock and agricultural sectors.

"Foreign Minister Shah Mehmoud Qureshi is expected to announce the Saudi package in Islamabad on Friday," the Dawn News reported.

The Saudi leadership also said that they would increase hiring of Pakistani labour and would provide more financial assistance through the Friends of Pakistan initiative.

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Saudi King Abdullah decided to expand the volume of mutual trade from 5.7 billion dollars to 7 billion dollars. They stressed long-term strategic mutual ties and enhanced defence co-operation

ADB says slowdown could turn into global recession

7 Nov, 2008, 1227 hrs IST, AGENCIES

SINGAPORE: The world could easily slide into a global recession, the Asian Development Bank warned on Friday, adding that growth in Asian economies w
ill slow further next year amid weaker demand for their exports.

Recent dismal trade, employment and manufacturing data all point to a shrinking international economy and falling consumer demand for products made in Asia, said ADB Managing Director General Rajat Nag.

``The global slowdown could easily turn into a global recession,'' Nag said in a speech in Singapore. ``Growth in developing Asia will likely slow further in 2009.''

Governments across the region have slashed growth forecasts this year as a credit crisis that began last year in the U.S. spreads across the globe, battering investor and consumer confidence.

``Asia's economic and financial systems will likely come under increased pressure,'' Nag said. ``Asia's export-dependent economies also face a sharp slowdown as global demand weakens.''

Citi readies for another round of layoffs: Sources

7 Nov 2008, 1059 hrs IST, REUTERS

NEW YORK: Citigroup is drawing up lists of employees in a division including investment banking who will be let go in another round of layoffs, 
people with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Thursday.

The layoffs are part of Citigroup's previously announced plans to reduce headcount by about 9,100 across the company by next October. The second-largest US bank by assets has already eliminated about 23,000 positions this year.

Details of the upcoming round of layoffs in the institutional clients group have not been announced.

Some cuts will be in sales and trading and investment banking, and will be announced in coming weeks.

Reductions are expected in areas ranging from prime brokerage to structured finance to investment banking, according to people familiar with the matter.

Citigroup spokesman Dan Noonan declined to comment.

Citigroup has had several rounds of layoffs this year, and has cut positions outside these broader waves as well.
In the middle of October, 11 US equity research analysts were laid off.

Citigroup had about 352,000 employees as of the end of September, about 58,000 of whom were in the institutional clients group, which includes alternative investments, global transaction services, capital markets and global banking.

At the end of 2007, the bank employed 375,000 people.

Eurozone "very probably" in recession in 2009: Juncker

7 Nov 2008, 2209 hrs IST, AGENCIES

BRUSSELS: The economy of the 15 nations sharing the euro will "very probably" be in recession next year, the chairman of the eurozone finance 
ministers, Jean-Claude Juncker, said on Friday.

"Europe will very probably be in recession in 2009," said Juncker, who is also Luxembourg's finance minister and premier.

Speaking on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels, Juncker said he expected the eurozone economy to show growth or contraction somewhere between a European Commission forecast for 0.1 percent expansion in 2009 and an IMF estimate for shrinkage of 0.5 per cent.

 

GM warns of cash crisis next year

7 Nov 2008, 2225 hrs IST, AGENCIES
NEW YORK: US car maker General Motors warned on Friday that it would run out of cash in the first half of next year unless economic and market conditions "significantly improve."

Genocide in India:
A Planned Program

It all began in Godhra - or so the right-wing saffron combine (Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)and Bajrang Dal) and its government in Gujarat maintain.

On February 27, the coach of a train carrying 'kar sevaks' (religious workers) was set on fire by a mob, killing 58 of them. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, calling this a "terrorist attack", dubbed the carnage that ensued from the next day as a justified "reaction". It left more than 700 killed, with the numbers still mounting, and tens of thousands homeless.

However, investigation reveals that what happened did not have its genesis in Godhra -- it lay in the long-term plan to cleanse Gujarat state of its 8.73 per cent Muslim population. As part of its game plan, the VHP had even issued pamphlets calling for the economic boycott of Muslims. And no one was spared - not even judges, police officers, Members of Parliament, pregnant women, infants, children, young men, greying older men and women, teenaged girls, mothers.

These events are memorable for the intensity of the violence, the brutality and meticulous manner of destruction. Muslims were attacked in cities and villages across the state, their property burnt or looted and their houses and business establishments reduced to ashes. Entire Muslim localities have been reduced to rubble, mosques all over the state have been burnt, Korans reduced to ashes and temples have started sprouting in impromptu places where there were shops or mosques.

All this while law enforcing agencies watched and took part actively along with politicians, peoples' representatives and professionals from all walks of life in utterly destroying the foundation of civil society.

Everywhere in capital Ahmedabad and in smaller towns and villages, refugees of this carnage now live in camps, schools or people's houses. The numbers could be about 35,000 or more in Ahmedabad alone. In rural areas like Sardarpura in Mehsana district, the victims have shifted to other villages which are more friendly. Though they have been given clothes, food and shelter, toilet facilities are non-existent and bathing a forgotten luxury.

Only a small Citizen's Initiative (a loose grouping of concerned individuals and non-government organisations) is distributing relief supplies. This Initiative has also started building toilets apart from providing desperately needed psychiatric counselling services. But there is a lot more that needs to be done. The task is not easy; at least in Mumbai, during the post-Babri Masjid demolition riots in 1992-93, there was a massive outpouring of relief from all sections of society, which is absent in Gujarat. The contrast is more marked as there was such an outpouring of  relief after last year's earthquake in the state.

For the survivors of the genocide at Naroda near Ahmedabad, justice and sanity are now alien. "Why don't you export Muslims to another country?" asked Iqbal Malik, an auto rickshaw driver from Naroda, where the carnage claimed over 20 lives.

Shah Alam mosque, a historic symbol of religious unity, is now a refuge for over 6,000 people. Community leaders are providing food, and even clothes and people live under large tents. "Only Allah is our protector. We have no one else now," said greying Zubeidabibi Ahmed Mia, who escaped with her life.

Tales of horror abound. Said Salimbhai from Naroda, "We saw young women being raped and killed, pregnant women speared to death with their unborn children. People came with petrol cans, they exploded cooking gas cylinders in our houses. The police watched and when we pleaded for help, they told us to run away or we would be shot."

Rehmanbhai Shakhubhai, admitted in the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital said he lost three children in the attack and only his daughter, who was to get married on March 18, survived. "The Bajrang Dal came shouting 'Jai Sri Ram'. They burnt everything. Only my wife and daughter are alive," he said. Afsana, his daughter, sits on the bed, her head shaved, her hands burnt and her torso covered in bandages. "They set fire to my brothers after dousing them with petrol. I tried to save them but the mob surrounded me and I had to run away. Who will marry me now," she asked?

"I saw Jaideep Patel with a revolver, inciting crowds," said Mansuri Yusuf, an employee of the Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Services. "He said 'finish all the Muslims'. There were two Ahmedabad municipal corporators with him and a local criminal." Dr Patel, the Gujarat state VHP President has since denied this allegation.

"Even 10 days after the carnage, there was no help from the government. It is the Muslim community which has given us clothes food and shelter," said Yusuf.

Similarly, at the municipal school at Dariyakhan Gummat, survivors of another carnage say that only the Muslim community is helping the 5,000 people in the camp.

In Mora village, all 106 homes belonging to members of the Bohra community have been destroyed. "A mob looted my father's cycle shop and burnt my husband's tailoring shop. I managed to break the window of my house and run out. My family of 14 stayed in a small bathroom for three days. We had no food or water. I used to hit my children and tell them to stay quiet. I refuse to go back there -- we will be killed. What will we do now?" wept Farida Abbasi Boliwalla, whose family has incurred a loss of Rs 900,000 (1US$=Rs 48).

Another woman, preferring anonymity said that in the Godhra GIDC area, all factories of Muslims were burnt and looted in the presence of the police. There are several Bohra settlements in all parts of Panchmahals district where Godhra is located and the entire losses could amount to Rs 200 million, she said.

"The VHP also threatened the convoys which were escorting Muslims and tried to attack them. They threw stones and chased the trucks. They tried to burn my grandchildren but we managed to rescue them. They kept saying "Yahan se Muslim hatao" (Drive out all Muslims)," said 35-year-old Miriam Yakub Sayed.

The long-term plan to decimate the Muslim population is now becoming clear. A resident of Dekwa village of Halol taluka, a store owner, said three months ago meetings were held near Pawagadh, under the guise of social upliftment by the VHP and the Bajrang Dal. "Even at mohallas (street corners), secret meetings were held to tell people that the Muslims were their enemies," he said.

The Bajrang Dal has been paying people and giving them trishuls (tridents) to kill Muslims, adds the resident. "They tell Muslims that they will pay them Rs 5,000 not to offer namaz (prayers). Voters' lists have been used to identify and kill our people," he added.

Thirty km from Godhra, Sofia (name changed) had gone to celebrate Bakri Id at her mother's house in Randhikpur village. Their homes were burnt and a large group fled the village. They travelled from village to village and on the way to Panivela, the group, which had eight women including Sofia, were assaulted by upper caste people from her village who then gang raped her and other girls and left them on the road. She could name the perpetrators - they include a doctor, a lawyer and a local sarpanch (elected village head). She sat on the road for a day and a night before the police found her.

"When I recovered I was the only one alive, there was no one else. My mother was killed as well," she said. The 22-year-old can barely articulate her experience and she is in desperate need of counselling and help to recover from her trauma.

Sundarpur village in Mehsana district, has 700 homes of Muslims in a population of 3,500. The mob came on the evening of February 28 and started burning houses. "By the time the police came, everything was burnt. Their plan was very clear," said residents.

While the death toll is still mounting, there are three major questions which need to be addressed from a long-term point of view -- security, sanity and justice.

Most people don't want to return to their homes - who will guarantee their safety? There is a terrible sense of loss, that no justice will ever be done and the perpetrators of these events will go scot-free.

Moreover, the rural areas are being totally neglected and there are no interventions. People don't have any money and are dependent on relief only from the Muslim community. Understandably, there is a tremendous sense of isolation.

Women, especially those who have seen the violence and have been sexually assaulted, are bereft of any specialised interventions. Some women have lost their entire families. Older women and men too have been assaulted and in some cases, have no one left. Many children have been attacked and their future seems forever tainted by these incidents. This is a major area where some intervention is necessary. Reaching out to the people is important as also providing some cash allowance.

The government's lack of interest and justification of this violence is compounding the situation. The important thing now is to reach out and let those affected know that all of us care deeply about what has happened and help them to fight for justice as well.  

– It all began in Godhra - or so the right-wing saffron combine (Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)and Bajrang Dal) and its government in Gujarat maintain.

On February 27, the coach of a train carrying 'kar sevaks' (religious workers) was set on fire by a mob, killing 58 of them. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, calling this a "terrorist attack", dubbed the carnage that ensued from the next day as a justified "reaction". It left more than 700 killed, with the numbers still mounting, and tens of thousands homeless.

However, investigation reveals that what happened did not have its genesis in Godhra -- it lay in the long-term plan to cleanse Gujarat state of its 8.73 per cent Muslim population. As part of its game plan, the VHP had even issued pamphlets calling for the economic boycott of Muslims. And no one was spared - not even judges, police officers, Members of Parliament, pregnant women, infants, children, young men, greying older men and women, teenaged girls, mothers.

These events are memorable for the intensity of the violence, the brutality and meticulous manner of destruction. Muslims were attacked in cities and villages across the state, their property burnt or looted and their houses and business establishments reduced to ashes. Entire Muslim localities have been reduced to rubble, mosques all over the state have been burnt, Korans reduced to ashes and temples have started sprouting in impromptu places where there were shops or mosques.

All this while law enforcing agencies watched and took part actively along with politicians, peoples' representatives and professionals from all walks of life in utterly destroying the foundation of civil society.

Everywhere in capital Ahmedabad and in smaller towns and villages, refugees of this carnage now live in camps, schools or people's houses. The numbers could be about 35,000 or more in Ahmedabad alone. In rural areas like Sardarpura in Mehsana district, the victims have shifted to other villages which are more friendly. Though they have been given clothes, food and shelter, toilet facilities are non-existent and bathing a forgotten luxury.

Only a small Citizen's Initiative (a loose grouping of concerned individuals and non-government organisations) is distributing relief supplies. This Initiative has also started building toilets apart from providing desperately needed psychiatric counselling services. But there is a lot more that needs to be done. The task is not easy; at least in Mumbai, during the post-Babri Masjid demolition riots in 1992-93, there was a massive outpouring of relief from all sections of society, which is absent in Gujarat. The contrast is more marked as there was such an outpouring of
relief after last year's earthquake in the state.

For the survivors of the genocide at Naroda near Ahmedabad, justice and sanity are now alien. "Why don't you export Muslims to another country?" asked Iqbal Malik, an auto rickshaw driver from Naroda, where the carnage claimed over 20 lives.

Shah Alam mosque, a historic symbol of religious unity, is now a refuge for over 6,000 people. Community leaders are providing food, and even clothes and people live under large tents. "Only Allah is our protector. We have no one else now," said greying Zubeidabibi Ahmed Mia, who escaped with her life.

Tales of horror abound. Said Salimbhai from Naroda, "We saw young women being raped and killed, pregnant women speared to death with their unborn children. People came with petrol cans, they exploded cooking gas cylinders in our houses. The police watched and when we pleaded for help, they told us to run away or we would be shot."

Rehmanbhai Shakhubhai, admitted in the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital said he lost three children in the attack and only his daughter, who was to get married on March 18, survived. "The Bajrang Dal came shouting 'Jai Sri Ram'. They burnt everything. Only my wife and daughter are alive," he said. Afsana, his daughter, sits on the bed, her head shaved, her hands burnt and her torso covered in bandages. "They set fire to my brothers after dousing them with petrol. I tried to save them but the mob surrounded me and I had to run away. Who will marry me now," she asked?

"I saw Jaideep Patel with a revolver, inciting crowds," said Mansuri Yusuf, an employee of the Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Services. "He said 'finish all the Muslims'. There were two Ahmedabad municipal corporators with him and a local criminal." Dr Patel, the Gujarat state VHP President has since denied this allegation.

"Even 10 days after the carnage, there was no help from the government. It is the Muslim community which has given us clothes food and shelter," said Yusuf.

Similarly, at the municipal school at Dariyakhan Gummat, survivors of another carnage say that only the Muslim community is helping the 5,000 people in the camp.

In Mora village, all 106 homes belonging to members of the Bohra community have been destroyed. "A mob looted my father's cycle shop and burnt my husband's tailoring shop. I managed to break the window of my house and run out. My family of 14 stayed in a small bathroom for three days. We had no food or water. I used to hit my children and tell them to stay quiet. I refuse to go back there -- we will be killed. What will we do now?" wept Farida Abbasi Boliwalla, whose family has incurred a loss of Rs 900,000 (1US$=Rs 48).

Another woman, preferring anonymity said that in the Godhra GIDC area, all factories of Muslims were burnt and looted in the presence of the police. There are several Bohra settlements in all parts of Panchmahals district where Godhra is located and the entire losses could amount to Rs 200 million, she said.

"The VHP also threatened the convoys which were escorting Muslims and tried to attack them. They threw stones and chased the trucks. They tried to burn my grandchildren but we managed to rescue them. They kept saying "Yahan se Muslim hatao" (Drive out all Muslims)," said 35-year-old Miriam Yakub Sayed.

The long-term plan to decimate the Muslim population is now becoming clear. A resident of Dekwa village of Halol taluka, a store owner, said three months ago meetings were held near Pawagadh, under the guise of social upliftment by the VHP and the Bajrang Dal. "Even at mohallas (street corners), secret meetings were held to tell people that the Muslims were their enemies," he said.

The Bajrang Dal has been paying people and giving them trishuls (tridents) to kill Muslims, adds the resident. "They tell Muslims that they will pay them Rs 5,000 not to offer namaz (prayers). Voters' lists have been used to identify and kill our people," he added.

Thirty km from Godhra, Sofia (name changed) had gone to celebrate Bakri Id at her mother's house in Randhikpur village. Their homes were burnt and a large group fled the village. They travelled from village to village and on the way to Panivela, the group, which had eight women including Sofia, were assaulted by upper caste people from her village who then gang raped her and other girls and left them on the road. She could name the perpetrators - they include a doctor, a lawyer and a local sarpanch (elected village head). She sat on the road for a day and a night before the police found her.

"When I recovered I was the only one alive, there was no one else. My mother was killed as well," she said. The 22-year-old can barely articulate her experience and she is in desperate need of counselling and help to recover from her trauma.

Sundarpur village in Mehsana district, has 700 homes of Muslims in a population of 3,500. The mob came on the evening of February 28 and started burning houses. "By the time the police came, everything was burnt. Their plan was very clear," said residents.

While the death toll is still mounting, there are three major questions which need to be addressed from a long-term point of view -- security, sanity and justice.

Most people don't want to return to their homes - who will guarantee their safety? There is a terrible sense of loss, that no justice will ever be done and the perpetrators of these events will go scot-free.

Moreover, the rural areas are being totally neglected and there are no interventions. People don't have any money and are dependent on relief only from the Muslim community. Understandably, there is a tremendous sense of isolation.

Women, especially those who have seen the violence and have been sexually assaulted, are bereft of any specialised interventions. Some women have lost their entire families. Older women and men too have been assaulted and in some cases, have no one left. Many children have been attacked and their future seems forever tainted by these incidents. This is a major area where some intervention is necessary. Reaching out to the people is important as also providing some cash allowance.

The government's lack of interest and justification of this violence is compounding the situation. The important thing now is to reach out and let those affected know that all of us care deeply about what has happened and help them to fight for justice as well.

– Meena Menon
March 21, 2002

Top 

By arrangement with Womens Feature Service
http://www.boloji.com/wfs/wfs009.htm

Incidents of Genocide in IndiaKrishna Kumari Areti, ICFAI

Abstract
The author jots down the incidents of Genocide in India from the date of independence till date. India witnessed the first genocide at the time of partition immediately after the independence. The two-nation theory led to the division of the country and the Hindus in India and Muslims in Bengal migrated to their destined homelands. In this process several lives were lost on both sides and women were kidnapped and raped and at times murdered. In this article the mass murders and rapes of thousands of women at the time of partition was elaborately discussed. The then Hyderabad State underwent trauma in the hands of the Razakar who had invaded the villages of Telangana and created havoc. Ultimately the problem was solved with the intervention of the then Home Minister. But, Kashmir remained as an unending and unresolved problem between both the nations. The author suggests for a strong domestic law to safeguard the unity in diversity of India

http://works.bepress.com/krishnaareti/1/