Thursday, April 28, 2011

Purulia armsdrop case: 'Indian Government involved'!Foreign powers tried to destabilise the Left Front government in West Bengal, while there were forces within the country also which tried to do the same thing!

Purulia armsdrop case: 'Indian Government involved'

Foreign powers tried to destabilise the Left Front government in West Bengal, while there were forces within the country also which tried to do the same thing



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


Palash Biswas

http://indianholocaustmyfatherslifeandtime.blogspot.com/

http://basantipurtimes.blogspot.com/


Purulia arms drop case:Has India been deceived?

http://youtu.be/bLVNsBVBCxc

Sensational disclosure: Purulia accused says Indian Govt planned armsdrop, worked with british intelligence to destabilise Jjyoti Basu led Marxist govt in West Bengal. Catch the entire interviews on TIMES NOW tonight at 8pm & 11pm. It is quite tricky why the information was hold back until the Third Phase of Benagl Elections was complete. The Left may not use this for electoral gain as the fate of almost Two Hundred seats have been already decided.


However,the lid has been blown off the best kept secret in India's internal security circles, the Purulia armsdrop case of 1995. Prime accused Kim Davy and Peter Bleach have revealed for the first time that the entire operation was masterminded not by mysterious and unknown gun runners but by elements in the then Narasimha Rao government. The motive they say was to "target the government of West Bengal". The whole objective "was to destabilize the government of West Bengal so that President's rule could be declared and the CPM government disposed".

I have been dealing the issue relating Communist, Marxist and Maoist Movements in India! I have dealt with the Purulia Arms drop case in my Novel AMERICA Se Savdhan. The Bengali Brahmins have been leding all factions of Brahaminical politics. They hijacked the Communist, Marxist and Maoist Movements to sustain Manusmrti Rule as they partitioned India for Demographic readjustment in Continuous Holocaust and Ethnic Cleansing. I have been writing all this in my writings. The Brahamin Marxist held Political Power for Brahamins enveloping and enslaving Bengal with Genocide Culture  executed by Regimented Gestapo. It Climaxed with throwing away the achievement of Land reforms and RUNNING Blind on the Highway of Capitalist Market Economy of Corporate and Foreign Funding. The forces which FAILED again and again in the LEFT CITADEL of Bengal, REUNITED supported by India Incs, MNCs and Foreign Forces and used MASS Movement in Nandigarm and Singur to KILL the MARXIST Monopoly in Bengal. They Projected new HEGEMONY Leader  Mamata Banerjee and MEDIA, CIVIL Society and Intelligentsia hitherto supporting the Marxists just CROSSED the FENCES as PRO US PRO MARKET PRO REFORMS Democratic Movement is branded as PARIBARTAN which neverthe less SUSTAINS Brahaminical Rule and EXCLUSION of Majority Inidgenous Aboriginal SC, ST, OBC and Muslim Communities!

Purulia Arms Drop as well as maoist Menace Countrywide have been tools to undermine Sovereignty and Freedom of the Nation as these tools ACTIVATED all TOOLs of ethnic Cleansing and Mass Destruction in Indigenous Aboriginal rural landscape of India. The Government with a US Planted Finance Minister headed BY CONGRESS Leader NARSIMHA Rao who INTRODUCED Market Economy in India, had been DIRECTLY involved in Purulia Arrms drop and then Ms Mamata Banerjee was in the CONGRESS trying its best to overthorow the Marxist . The episode is relevant as it had a DEFINITE STIMULUS in yet another GENOCIDE. The Mass Killing of ANANDMARG Sadhus on BIJON Setu!


While Kim Davy, who has broken his silence for the first time to an Indian news network, said "Of course there were Indians involved. There were political forces in the Centre" he said. When asked why he was revealing all this now, Kim Davy said that he feared getting extradited to India and wanted to reveal the truth, to "set the record straight" after 15 years.

Foreign powers tried to destabilise the Left Front government in West Bengal, while there were forces within the country also which tried to do the same thing, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said today."Foreign powers have tried to dislodge the Left Front government in the past and the conspiracy is still continuing," the chief minister told an election rally here in Hooghly district.Stating that foreign powers had made an attempt to dislodge the government by dropping arms in Purulia district on December 17, 1995, he claimed that 'the conspiracy was continuing'.He also said there were many forces in the country bent upon dislodging the Left Front government.The chief minister raked up Trinamool Congress' 'huge poll expenditure' and said "full bench of Election Commission has arrived in Kolkata and our views have been submitted before it."The Trinamool Congress has been spending huge sums of money and we want to know from where it has come," he said.Pointing out that the Trinamool used helicopters in election campaign, Bhattacharjee said "Our party is not in a position to hire helicopters for such purposes." Bhattacharjee asserted he was confident the eighth Left Front government would be a reality.

he CPI(M) has alleged that the latest revelations on the arms drop in Purulia in December 1995 are further confirmation of the fact that there was a well planned conspiracy to use violence to destabilize the Left Front government in West Bengal. A statement issued by the Polit Bureau said that the Centre should explain why it failed to act on the information given by the British Intelligence.

The CPI has also demanded that the UPA government should immediately order a thorough probe into the whole issue.

Both the parties were reacting to an interview given to a private TV channel by Kim Davy, the prime accused and Peter Bleach who was sentenced in the case.

Purulia armsdrop case: 'Indian Government involved'
28 Apr 2011, 1255 hrs IST, AGENCIES

It's the second stunning disclosure in the 1995 Purulia arms drop case. Peter Bleach, a British citizen who served a sentence for his role in the arms drop has spoken to TIMES NOW. Bleach not only confirms that Indian politicians were involved, but also makes more startling revelations about what happened in the wee hours of December 18 1995.


TIMES NOW: First question is why are you speaking out now?


PETER BLEACH: Well because after so many years I thought this was all finished and done and I wasn’t happy about the outcome. But suddenly, out of the blue, India seems to want Neils Christien Neilsen or Kim Davy or Neils Holck or whatever his true name is, they seem to want him back in India. So all of a sudden, this has come back and my life has been disrupted yet again. It is high time the truth was told.


TIMES NOW: How will your life get disrupted if Kim Davy is extradited to India?


PETER BLEACH: Well good example ..Were talking together now and instead of me being at work, Im talking to you on Skype about this. It is a thing that doesn’t get left alone by the Press. You know, there is not a country in the world that hasn’t printed my photograph with a label of terrorist underneath it. Now I have never been a terrorist. Most people don’t believe that. So time has come to clear my name. It is not a funny label to have against you after the events of 9/11 and things like that.


TIMES NOW: What was your role in the Purulia arms drop?


PETER BLEACH: I was approached as a businessman. It is common knowledge that I was in the defence industry. I was approached to sell somebody some arms and ammunition and when I discovered this was an illegal deal, this was supporting a terrorist group in India, I immediately reported that to the British Government. And I was interviewed by the MI5 who passed all the information back to India. I was told that the Indian Government wanted the guns delivered into India so they could arrest the people concerned and find out who the guns were for.


TIMES NOW: SO you’re saying you told the local police, they informed the MI5, which is the British intelligence agency. In other words, the British Government knew about it and yet you came along with this plane. And you’re saying this was some sort of sting operation that you were trying to carry out, that you would come on the plane and help authorities catch the other people red handed. Now that’s a fairly long winded explanation Mr. Bleach.


PETER BLEACH: Well, you might say so. I have to say that it was never part of the plan that I would have been on that aircraft. That was due to circumstances beyond anybody’s control much later on. But I’ve got a copy of all the notes taken by the MI5 officer and the special branch officer who visited me and it contains the full details they passed to India. SO whether or not I ended up on the place is one aspect. Of course I wish I hadn’t been, but I couldn’t do anything about that. But that doesn’t alter the fact that the Indian Government had absolute full and detailed knowledge of every part of this. And my understanding is, in fact, the Indian Government actually supported the whole thing. It was an Indian Government job.


TIMES NOW: If it was an Indian Government job and the Indian Government supported it, why would anyone in the Indian government allow the dropping of such a large cache of arms in Indian Territory in such an illegal manner? Whats the motive?


PETER BLEACH: To understand that you have to stop thinking of Indian territory. This wasn’t dropped so much in Indian territory as in Bengali territory. The target here was the Government of West Bengal. At that time, Jyoti Basu was the Chief Minister and the CPIM Government was in power. The whole objective, my understanding was to destabilize the Government of West Bengal so that Presidents rule could be declared in terms of the Constitution and the state would have been ruled directly from Delhi. That could have disposed the CPIM Government and that was the entire purpose of the job as I understand it now. I didnt understand it at that time and I have to stress that.


http://www.timesnow.tv/Purulia-arms-drop-case-Indian-Government-involved/articleshow/4371699.cms

Purulia Exposé: India's best kept secret

Times Now | Apr 28, 2011, 01.22pm IST


Purulia Expose: India's best kept secret


In the wee hours of December 18 1995 a mysterious weapon consignment was dropped from the sky over Joupur Jhalda area under Purulia district of West Bengal. The consignment was discovered the next morning. Until now nobody knew what really happened. Today Kim Davy the seventh man and the leader of the operation reveals everything to TIMES NOW.   

My first question to you Niels Christian Nielsen, alias Kim Davy, Why are you choosing to speak out now?   

Davy: I am under the danger of being extradited to Indiaas a terrorist, I don't feel I am a terrorist; I have not done anything to harm anyone. On the contrary I have done things to protect people from Communist terror, state sponsored terror and I kept my silence in all those years, 15 years. But now political forces in India are coming out to reach me again as they did 15 years ago and I feel its time to set the record straight.   

I will call you Kim Davy because you are known as Kim Davy across the country. Tell me who were these arms meant for and for what purpose, who commissioned this armsdrop?   

Davy: The arms were meant for self-protection. It is my complete conviction that if I was tried in a court of law about the legality of dropping arms to protect people against state sponsored Communist terror, I would clear my name because it was legal defence against decades of murder, torture, rape by the CPI(M) in West Bengal. I have seen friends being butchered in front of my eyes for so many years and all I did was to work for the betterment of the rural people of West Bengal. For 15 years, I worked to better the circumstances of the poorest of the poor in West Bengal, but the atrocities committed by the Communist simply became too much when too many friends were tortured to death so we had to defend ourselves against these attacks and that was the whole background of the Purulia arms drop.   

Well I don't know if everyone is going to buy that argument but tell me who sent you? My question to you was who commissioned this arms drop and were there any Indians involved?   

Davy: Of course there were Indians involved. There were political forces at the centre. There have been for years MPs who had seen the atrocities committed against the people of Purulia district and 24 MPs had signed the petition to the President to intervene to try to protect these people, nothing happened. And finally central government saw and approved the plans to arm the defence of these innocent people.   

Name the people, can you name the people?   

Davy: I can tell you as much as RAW was informed by external forces and approved of the arms drop months in advance of the arms drop.   

Which external forces?   

Davy: The communication was between the British intelligence MI5 and RAW. There was a British ex-intelligence officer on board the plane. The Indian authorities knew the flight plan, the people on board, the cargo, the drop zone -- everything was known well in advance and approved well in advance.

You are saying that the Indian government knew and authorised these arms drop over Indian territory by you?   

Davy: I am saying that there were political forces in the centre in Delhi who saw it as an opportune way to further their political agenda. You must remember that we are talking ancient history here, but in 1988 centre introduced Presidential rule in Tripura after engaging in supplying arms to different rebel groups there. The same strategy was announced publicly in the beginning of the 90's that there was a decision to introduce Presidential rule in West Bengal and therefore it was seen as a furthering of this agenda that arms were procured to protect local people.   

What was your role? You were working with the British and American intelligence officials, were there American intelligence officials also involved or only British?   

Davy: To my knowledge there were no Americans involved.   

So these were British MI5 which was involved in this and you are saying they told the India's external intelligence agency RAW about it?   

Davy: No I am not telling that. This is a well published fact -- go to their webpage and you will see the exact date when MI5 conferred this whole matter to RAW. It is a matter of public knowledge that this coordination was taking place.   

This is the reason you are saying that you were able to slip in that night, in 1995? You flew into Indian territory, you are saying you were allowed to fly in, the movement was facilitated and you are saying the Indian government was told about it?   

Davy: Well look at the zest of this. It is a matter of public record that RAW was informed on three defined dates by MI5 about the arms drop, the people on board the plane, the drop zone everything was informed. This is a matter of public record. I don't know who in their right mind would fly a plane from the arch enemy of Pakistan into Indian airspace with a load of clandestine weapons without having it cleared by with the Indian authorities. It is unthinkable to do that.   

So tell me what happened after that? If you managed to come in, tell me about that flight, where you took it from, how you got the clearances, what assurances you had if you are saying you had some assurances from the Indian side? Who were those assurances coming from?   

Davy: That was a lot of questions, can we take them one at a time   

Sure, where were the assurances coming from?   

Davy: You were saying how did the flight happen, how did I get away afterwards, what did you ask?   

No tell me about the first part on how the flight happened, who gave you the assurances that you would be allowed to come in?   

Davy: Well, I was in direct contact with an MP who told me that he was in further contact with the Prime Minister's office and on the 16th of December I was called in Karachi by these people who told me that I had to finish the job within 48 hours otherwise the window that they had opened for me would be closed down again. So it was very clear that the communication was on time and clearly it was also defined. It was proven in the court case that the radar station concerned, the Military radar that could have detected this was turned off, was switched off and the order for this came from RAW. So don't take my word for it is what I am saying   

Can you name the Member of Parliament. Please?   

Davy: We will do that live   

Why should we not believe that this is a tall claim?   

Davy: Well, I can only repeat that, please verify the facts that I am putting forward for you. Please verify that these contacts between MI5 and RAW did take place, please verify the fact that the radar was turned off, please verify all these external facts and you will see that what I am saying is the only logical explanation of what happened that time   

Neils, you just said that you had been called in by some people in Karachi and set about finishing this job in 48 hours. Who are these people? When you mention these people, who are these people?   

Davy: Well I can only say to you that immediately after the arms drop went wrong and crew and Peter Bleachwas caught, there was an investigation going into a Bihari political connection into the arms drop. And that line of investigation was curiously enough, closed down very shortly afterwards and throughout these 15 years that has passed since, three Parliamentary Commissions in India have been commissioned. Nobody has ever seen the result of those. Though it is a matter of public record outside India that there was this communication between MI5 and RAW it has never been discussed in the Indian public, so everytime that the real story has tried to sneak its way forward in this, it has been clamped down and stopped. For obvious reasons because in the Central government in India it is only to turn a couple of pages and one will know who was behind and why, it is a matter of knowledge, it is not a matter of guesswork.   


What about you leaving? In what circumstances did you leave the country? There have been different reports about that, can you elaborate a little bit on that please?   

Davy: Well, first I was helped out of the airport in Mumbai and after that I was smuggled out of India to Nepalon the backseat of an MP's car. I can give you the full details and the latest dates when we talk again but it was very clear that those forces that had approved the arms drop did not want me to be interrogated by the CBI or anybody because the story that I can tell, would not have been convenient. Obviously today there must be political forces in India who see it as an opportune time for me to tell the full story and that's why I think the extradition is now on the table.   

Neils...in this period when you were, before you disappeared, you vanished from Mumbai airport from what we know, in this period when you were held, were you in touch with the people , like you mentioned the Member of Parliament, were you in touch with those people in this period?   

Davy: Before leaving the country you mean?   

Yes   

Davy: Yes, I was in their care   

Where   

Davy: First in Delhi, Mumbai, Delhi and then over the border, land border to Nepal   

And you were taken in an MP's car into Nepal through the land route   

Davy- Right   

And there were officials with you?   

Davy: I don't know what officials they were. But there was a car in front, a car behind with AK-47 holding guard, the whole way. I obviously did not ask people's name and what there duty was but it was obvious to me that I was being whisked out of the country by people who had the power and the ability to do it   


What is your link with the Anandmarg?   

Davy- Well, you see for 15 years I worked with development work in Africa, in Central America and especially in India. I worked with the Catholic Church, I worked with Anandmarg. I worked with Greenpeace, with different organizations through these 15 years. The project in Purulia was reference project for all NGO's around the world that I worked with. Everybody referred to the development project of Purulia as the light and the way to do things. To develop grassroots up with local resources with local people. So this project caught the imagination of not only me, but thousands around the world and when we continuously got these reports of people, even an Australian women who was almost killed by the Communist goondas, her name was Patricia. When we saw our volunteers ending up like you see in these pictures here, butchered by the Communists. This made an enormous impression, you must remember that I as a young 19 year old came to Kolkata for the first time, coming from one of the most affluent corners of the world and I saw the suffering in Kolkata and it moved my heart to do something. I had to work tirelessly for 15 years.

28 APR, 2011, 02.33PM IST,TIMES NOW

Purulia arms drop: Leader of the operation reveals the best kept secret

In the wee hours of December 18 1995 a mysterious weapon consignment was dropped from the sky over Joupur Jhalda area under Purulia district of West Bengal. The consignment was discovered the next morning. Until now nobody knew what really happened. Today Kim Davy the seventh man and the leader of the operation reveals everything to TIMES NOW.

My first question to you Niels Christian Nielsen , alias Kim Davy, Why are you choosing to speak out now?

Davy: I am under the danger of being extradited to India as a terrorist, I don't feel I am a terrorist; I have not done anything to harm anyone. On the contrary I have done things to protect people from Communist terror, state sponsored terror and I kept my silence in all those years, 15 years. But now political forces in India are coming out to reach me again as they did 15 years ago and I feel its time to set the record straight.

I will call you Kim Davy because you are known as Kim Davy across the country. Tell me who were these arms meant for and for what purpose, who commissioned this armsdrop?

Davy: The arms were meant for self-protection. It is my complete conviction that if I was tried in a court of law about the legality of dropping arms to protect people against state sponsored Communist terror, I would clear my name because it was legal defence against decades of murder, torture, rape by the CPI(M) in West Bengal. I have seen friends being butchered in front of my eyes for so many years and all I did was to work for the betterment of the rural people of West Bengal. For 15 years, I worked to better the circumstances of the poorest of the poor in West Bengal, but the atrocities committed by the Communist simply became too much when too many friends were tortured to death so we had to defend ourselves against these attacks and that was the whole background of the Purulia arms drop.

Well I don't know if everyone is going to buy that argument but tell me who sent you? My question to you was who commissioned this arms drop and were there any Indians involved?

Davy: Of course there were Indians involved. There were political forces at the centre. There have been for years MPs who had seen the atrocities committed against the people of Purulia district and 24 MPs had signed the petition to the President to intervene to try to protect these people, nothing happened. And finally central government saw and approved the plans to arm the defence of these innocent people.

Name the people, can you name the people?

Davy: I can tell you as much as RAW was informed by external forces and approved of the arms drop months in advance of the arms drop.

Which external forces?

Davy: The communication was between the British intelligence MI5 and RAW. There was a British ex-intelligence officer on board the plane. The Indian authorities knew the flight plan, the people on board, the cargo, the drop zone -- everything was known well in advance and approved well in advance.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/interviews/purulia-arms-drop-leader-of-the-operation-reveals-the-best-kept-secret/articleshow/8107147.cms

Purulia probe had almost come to a standstill
28 Apr 2011, 1421 hrs IST, TIMES NOW

JK Dutt, the former Deputy Director of CBI, has reacted to the TIMES NOW expose on the 1995 Purulia arms drop case, saying that Peter Bleach, a British citizen, who served a sentence for his role in the arms drop, did not have the opportunity to make a statement before the judge.


TIMES NOW: You were seen at the Mumbai airport, Sahara Airport immediately after Peter Bleach and his crew were caught there. At that point the case was with CID West Bengal, what was CBI doing there?


JK DUTT: I think you are refering to the Purulia arms drop case. The case had been registered by the CID of West Bengal at that time and the Director CBI had asked me to proceed to Mumbai just to oversee the investigations that were taking place over there, because this case was expected to be handed over to the CBI. And we wanted to make sure that was nothing was missed out in the initial stages. So only to make sure that CID did a comprehensive job and no line of investigation or evidence was missed out at that stage, so that is why I was in Mumbai.


TIMES NOW: Peter Bleach during the investigation gave a written statement that ran into pages, more than 30 pages in all. Why was it not part of the Chargesheet, when CBI filed it?


JK DUTT: When an accused person is examined, he can be examined at different times to help the investigation progess further. In this particular case, between Peter Bleach's apprehension in Mumbai and he was taken to Kolkata, produced in a court in Purulia and brought back and taken into custody, during that period he had given about 6 statements. These statements were studied very seriously by investigating officers in the CBI because the case by then had been handed over to the organization. We found that there were some very important leads that could only be done by coordinating certain facts. From one of the information that he has revealed in his statement, when we worked on that it was almost like the investigation had come to a stand still. Apart from that we sent Letter Rogatories to Latvia and UK in connection with Peter Bleach.


But beyond that we still didn't know who the other people involved in the case were. Peter Bleach's statement helped us with our investigation and we were able to get Satyanarayan Gouda who was an Anandmargi. And the investigation then from Kolkata and Purulia had moved to B'lore where he had bought his passport. So these statements are recorded and if the statements of the accused are to be produced in court, then they will be. He made these statements to an investigating officer, it is not a confession, it is not an admission of anything. The admission may be to the police, but in the court itself, Peter Bleach did have an opportunity to make a statement before the judge.


TIMES NOW: How did you get hold of Kim Davy's photograph. You had not details, no idea of a location?


JK DUTT: Peter Bleach told us that Kim Davy did not allow himself to be photographed. And when i was in Kolkata, I realised there were a number of cameras and film rolls lying. So I asked the officer in Bombay to get hold of all the camera rolls and have those films developed. Out of the 1200 photographs, we had 30 rolls, there was only one picture of Kim Davy in which he has put his hand up asking the photographer not to click, but the photo had been taken. That is the only pic of Kim Davy that existed with any of the investigating agencies. And that is the pic that was put in the RCN and was on our records. If we had not developed those films we wouldn’t have got that picture.


In a stunning disclosure in the 1995 Purulia arms drop case, Peter Bleach, has spoken to TIMES NOW. Bleach not only confirms that Indian politicians were involved, but also makes more startling revelations about what happened in the wee hours of December 18 1995.


http://www.timesnow.tv/Purulia-probe-had-almost-come-to-a-standstill/articleshow/4371713.cms
Purulia arms drop case:Has India been deceived?
28 Apr 2011, 1056 hrs IST

In the wee hours of December 18, 1995 a mysterious weapon consignment was dropped from the sky over Joupur Jhalda area under Purulia Disctrict of West Bengal. The consignment was discovered the next morning. Until now nobody knew what really happened.


December 17, 1995


An Antonov AN 26 Latvian Aircraft carrying Peter Bleach, Kim Peter Davy, a five-member Latvian crew and a still-at-large South African - Daya M. Anand alias Deepak, flies into India from Karachi . The plane lands at Varanasi airport and refuels.


The Aircraft stays parked at Varanasi Airport for over seven hours while Davy, Deepak and Latvian cargo handler tie the crates containing weapons to cargo parachutes.


Mysteriously there is no move to seize the plane despite intelligence from Britain on three occasions of an imminent arms drop


The early hours of December 18, 1995


The plane digresses from an approved flight path and drops its deadly cargo over Jhalda in Purulia district.


Strangely the Radar at a local IAF air base doesnt catch the straying plane. Some say the radar was switched off. The Plane then rejoins the approved flight path and lands for refueling at Calcutta Airport. Mysteriously there is no move to seize it despite prior information


December 19-21, 1995


Over the next three days Kim Davy and the others stay in Puket in Thailand. While there they get approval for return flight to Karachi flying over Indian Air space touching at Calcutta. This despite an IB Alert at all Indian Airports detailing call sign and description of the aircraft


December 22, 1995

It’s early morning. A Cyclone over the Bay of Bengal prompts Davy and Company to file new flight plan. The New plan is to refuel in what was still Madras then. Strangely Madras Airport fails to inform Delhi which has the original approved flight plan. There is no move to seize the aircraft.


It is by chance that Sahar Airport ATC is alerted by the Air Force in Delhi that a plane is flying over its territory without authorization. Fear of collision with incoming aircraft prompts ATC Sahar to ask the AN-26B to land.


The Customs, ignorant of the Purulia case, nab Bleach and five others on charges of hiding the seventh person - Kim Davy, who is named in the flight manifest but is already missing. Davy claims he had jumped the wall of the airport and made a break.


This is where one on the biggest mysteries of the Purlia Arms Drop Ended. There were no answers on whom these arms meant for. Who paid for the arms. What was the bigger conspiracy behind the consignment?


http://www.timesnow.tv/Purulia-arms-drop-caseHas-India-been-deceived/articleshow/4371690.cms

Kolkata: West Bengal minister Gautam Deb on Thursday met the full bench of the Election Commission to submit "evidence" to substantiate the ruling Left's allegations that the Trinamool Congress was using black money in the ongoing assembly polls.
The housing minister and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) leader said, "I have submitted some evidence to substantiate my allegation that TMC has used black money worth Rs 33.90 crore during the assembly polls."
Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi and the other two Election Commissioners – V S Sampath and H S Brahma - were in Kolkata for a day-long visit to assess poll preparedness for the remaining three phases of the West Bengal elections.
Deb had alleged earlier this month that the opposition TMC had given Rs 15 lakh in cash to all but one of its 226 candidates. It also gave them coupons of the same amount to show that the money was collected from the public. Showing pictures of some burnt documents, he had claimed that the part of the coupons to be given to the public was burnt in the Trinamool office.
"I have already given them the damaged part of the coupon counterfoils that was purportedly issued to prove that the money was collected from public," the minister told mediapersons on Thursday.
"I have also given them details of the bank accounts of the TMC candidates mentioning how much cash was deposited in that account on some particular dates," said Deb.
"My evidence would be enough for the Election Commission to carry out the investigation. And I have full faith that the Election Commission will look into the matter. I have said that if you seek more evidence from us, I will provide it."
Deb also told the poll panel that the TMC was using huge amounts of money for hiring helicopters for poll campaigns. He has asked the panel to inquire how much money the TMC had paid the television channels that were constantly airing its advertisements. "We will also collect information on our own," said Deb.
Deb said he was even prepared to go to the Supreme Court if the matter was not resolved in the lower courts.
Senior TMC leader Mukul Roy dismissed the allegations and said the CPM's only aim was to malign the Trinamool leadership. "They continuously indulge in making false allegations against us. We have met the Election Commission and we too have some coupons which Deb has used to collect money from the public."
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/cpm-claims-having-evidence-of-tmc-black-money/150664-37-64.html

Fresh Kim Davy revelations rock India

India Blooms News Service



Kolkata/New Delhi, Apr 28 (IBNS): New disclosures from the two key people implicated in the 1995 operation to air-drop arms and ammunition in West Bengal to allegedly throw over the communist government in the state, rattled India on Thursday.


In an interview to news channel Times Now, Danish citizen and the main accused in the case Niels Christian Nielsen a.k.a. Kim Peter Davy, alleged that the entire operation was done with the implicit involvement of top powerbrokers of the then Congress-led government at the Centre.


He said the aim was to create an armed resistance in West Bengal against the 'atrocities' of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) against certain sections of people in the state and eventually overthrow them by imposing the President's rule.



STORY SO FAR


On the night of December 17, 1995 in West Bengal's Purulia district, a large consignment of arms, including several hundred AK-47 rifles, anti-tank weapons and ammunition were dropped from a Latvian aircraft coming from Bulgaria through Pakistan.


The small aircraft, which needs refuelling after about every 1,000 kms with full payload, managed to fly in and out of the country but was then intercepted by the Indian Air Force a few days later as it attempted to fly back through India and was forced to land in Mumbai.


Five Lativian citizens and British arms dealer Peter Bleach was arrested but Kim Davy managed to mysteriously escape, even as a national brouhaha followed over the unsettling incident.


The arrested were tried in courts and sentenced to life terms, but eventually let out. Bleach was extradited to England in 2004 during the regime of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition government at the Centre, purportedly under British pressure.


Meanwhile, Davy who was located in Denmark, could not be extradited to India as the Danish court said he was unlikely to get a fair trial and would possibly face a threat to his life in West Bengal, where the CPI-M government was still in power.


However, in television interviews and other public statements Davy had claimed the arms and ammunition were meant for members of a socio-religious organisation Ananda Marga, who had faced years of persecution from the communist government.


Also, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe ordered into the incident, which has been since then been widely panned as a 'cover up', too charged the Ananda Marga of being directly involved in the incident with plans to overthrow the state government.


But in its verdict in 2002, the Trial Court in West Bengal trashed the agency's charges as they couldn't be proved. It specifically said the Ananda Marga was not involved the incident.




THE 'EXPLOSIVE' INTERVIEW


Years later, in interviews telecast on Thursday, Davy and Bleach implicated the top honchos of the then Congress-led government in the case, without naming them. The operation couldn't have been possible without their implicit approval, Davy said.


He said the India's foreign intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), was aware of all the details of the operation and worked in close partnership with Birtish secret service MI5 to ensure it proceeded unobstructed.


"Who will fly to India from Pakistan without clearance? It is unthinkable," Davy said, asserting that he was revealing the details now because the possibility of being extradited to India, labelled as a terrorist, loomed large and he "wanted to come clean".


Speaking to Times Now, Davy said, "There was communication between RAW and MI5. RAW knew everything. The cargo, the drop plan, the location."


He said that he had been called to Karachi, Pakistan on the night before the drop and was told the job needed to be done within 48 hours or else the "window" would get closed. He pointed out that it was later found that the military radar in the Purulia was mysteriously turned off on the night of Dec. 17, 1995.




INDIAN LAWMAKERS INVOLVED?


Davy also said that he was in touch with ruling MPs from India, who had assured him that the even the Congress' Prime Minsiter P V Narasimha Rao's 'office' was in the loop. It was also an Indian MP who had helped him escape through Nepal.


"I was helped out of the Mumbai airport. Then I was brought to Delhi and then over the land border to Nepal in the back seat of a MP's car. I was taken in a convoy; people with AK-47s were in cars in front and the rear. I was being whisked away by people who had the power to do it," he said.



ARMS AGAINST ATROCITIES


According to Davy, the arms were dropped to create a 'security force' against the 'atrocities' of the CPI-M-led communist government in West Bengal which rampantly butchered certain sections of the state's people.


"The arms were for self protection. It was against state sponsored communist terror and violence perpetrated by CPI-M," he said.


"I came from an affluent part of the world and on visiting West Bengal was touched by the poverty and appalling conditions. I worked 15 years for the poor people of West Bengal…I saw my own friends being killed…we had to defend ourselves that was the whole background," he said.


Davy also added there were people in New Delhi who shared the common interest of rooting out the reds from West Bengal. It was under their supervision and explicit knowledge that the operation was carried out.


"There were political forces in Delhi who wanted to further their political interest. The design was to ensure President's Rule in West Bengal. So people were armed," he said.




THE BEACH FACTOR


Peter Beach, the other key figure in the entire incident, too spoke to the channel. He almost entirely corroborated Davy's story adding the Central Bureau of Investigation brazenly tried to cover up the entire New Delhi angle.


"Immediately after I was arrested, I provided the CBI a 30-page written statement, with every detail of the operation, which I had typed out myself. However, later in the trials they completely denied that I had made any such statement," he said.



THE ELECTION ISSUE


West Bengal is midway through a six-phase state election where the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), challenged by the Congress-Trinamool Congress, alliance is facing its most difficult poll battle of its over-three-decade long tenure.


In recent years the state has experienced heightened dissent over the industrialisation and land acquisition of the communist government, which have spurred violent uprisings in Singur and Nandigram and led to a series of poll debacles for the reds over the last four years.


The Left has been accused by the Opposition of "inventing" issues to try and pull it down. However, Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee is being credited with pulling together a formidable opposition to the communists for the first time in recent memory.


With the crucial elections for West Bengal's 294-seat Assembly standing exactly at midway and polling for roughly half the districts, many of them deemed 'sensitive', yet to happen, the timing of the 'expose' has raised questions among several political analysts.



COMMUNISTS' EARLY CHRISTMAS


For the CPI-M, which has largely based its poll campaigns so far on promises of 'rectification' and alleging that the opposition was funding its canvassing with illicit funds, the new revelations which purport a conspiracy against it, has come as a windfall gain.


CPI-M stalwarts quickly got to brandishing the issue at election rallies on Thursday. Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and state housing minister Gautam Deb lambasted the TMC's ally Congress for cooking up the elaborate conspiracy to throw it out of the state.


In a news release, seeking answers from the Central government, it said, "The Purulia arms drop was a serious assault on India's sovereignty and a diabolical plot against an elected government and the constitution."


However, the communists claims were dented a little as, soon after the interview, a letter from the then federal government addressed to the state government emerged.


While Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had claimed the Centre had not notified them till seven days had passed after the arms drop, the letter from the Union Home Ministry to the state government showed they had been intimated five days beforehand based on intelligence inputs.



CONGRESS' LIABILITY


Thursday's revelations have also raised serious questions over the then Congress-led Central government's liability. Davy and Bleach's statements have put the party in a serious fix with the opposition parties likely to raise the issue when the parliament reopens for the Monsoon session.


The fact that the Indian Air Force radar was supposedly turned off for that very night and also the Home Ministry's letter which showed it had intelligence of the incident at least five days beforehand are definitely not going to win Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government, already battered by corruption allegations, any brownie points.



CONGRESS-BJP BICKER


Meanwhile the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attacked the Congress also seeking an explanation over Davy's statements. The Congress on its part pointed out that it was the BJP regime that had extradited Peter Bleach when they could have interrogated them further.



FROM HERE


Speaking to the television channel, Davy promised more shocking revelations in the days to come. Also, in light of the new evidence and ample media attention the pressure on the Central government to up its efforts for his extradition have also increased.


(Reporting by Divyanshu Dutta Roy)

http://www.indiablooms.com/NewsDetailsPage/newsDetails280411y.php

CPI(M)'s Complaints Not Conclusive Evidence: Quraishi

Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi today said he received some fresh complaints from West Bengal Housing Minister Gautam Deb on alleged illegal money used by the Trinamool Congress in poll campaigns, but said it was not conclusive evidence.

"Gautam Deb has given me a complaint, but the documents submitted are not signed and there is no conclusive evidence," Quraishi told a press conference here.

Earlier, Deb today met the full bench of the Election Commission headed by Quraishi with the complaints.

Asked if he would take cognizance of such documents, the CEC said "we take cognizance of everything, including suspicion."

To another question whether the Commission would take penal action if Deb's evidence was found to be conclusive, he said, "we (EC) have no power to deregister any party. This power the Election Commission wants to have."

Stating that it was not the EC's responsibility to monitor the source of funding, but whether the expenditure of the contestants was within EC rules, Quraishi said "a candidate has to submit to the EC account of his election expenses within 30 days of polling and for political parties 70 days."

There were other agencies to find out the source of funding, he said.

Quraishi said that for the first time, funding issues were directly taken up by the EC through an expenditure observer. "We hope that flow of illegal money will be further checked."

Asked if he has referred Deb's earlier complaint against the Trinamool Congress to the Central Board of Direct Taxes, Quraishi said, "we have... We served notices to two banks named in the complaint. They will send a reply by April 29. Trinamool Congress will reply to us by April 30."

To an another question, the CEC said to check the flow of black money, the Commission has put into focus whether expenditure was within the ceiling. "Legitimate money should not be used illegitimately and that is our focus."

He said that the I-T seized unaccounted money of Rs 6.21 crore and EC's flying squad Rs 1.11 crore in West Bengal.

About personal attacks in poll campaigns, he said complaints of using filthy language were taken note of and the Commission serves notice to those against whom complaints had been lodged.

"If the EC is not satisfied with the reply from those against whom notice is served, an FIR will be lodged by the Commission," he said.

"You may note that hate speech on caste and communal lines has come down," he said, adding that "whenever the Commission receives such complaints, it issues notices and takes action within the guidelines of model code of conduct because we want to ensure a level playing field."

"Now, booth capturing has become a thing of the past. Hopefully the flow of illegal money too," Quraishi said.

The CEC said that the Commission's full bench had come here to see the poll preparedness in next three phases in the state.

"We are absolutely satisfied with the polling held in the last three phases in the state," he said.

The first phase of polling recorded 83.75 pc as against 82.5 pc, the second phase 86.5 pc as against 85 pc and the third phase 78.3 pc as against 77.9 pc in 2006 assembly elections, Quraishi said.

Nandigram Will Spearhead Change in Bengal: Mamata
Nandigram, the site of anti-land acquisition movement, will spearhead change from three decades of Left Front rule in West Bengal, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee claimed today.

"Nandigram will be the turning point for change for the ouster of the CPI(M) from power after 35 years of misrule," Banerjee told an election rally here in East Midnapore district.

"I've decided to begin my poll campaigning for East Midnapore from here where hundreds of people fought against the atrocities of CPI(M) cadres," Banerjee said while referring to the death of 14 persons in East Midnapore district in police firing on March 14, 2007.

"The fight of the people of Nandigram against the injustices committed by the Left Front government is an example before the entire world. It has become an example for fight against the forcible land acquisition," she said.

"The people of Nandigram have shown how to fight peacefully against guns," she said.

Reiterating that farmland would not be acquired forcibly if her party came to power, she said a ship building unit would be set up at Jelingham, near here.

Similarly, at Nayachar where the state government has decided to set up the chemical hub after the Nandigram fiasco, Banerjee said an eco-park would be built.

She said if voted to power the party would create 10,000 jobs in the area, a school and a hospital.

Referring to the recent demand of Left parties to the Election Commission for executing non-bailable warrants against those terrorizing people ahead of elections, she alleged that local Trinamool Congress leaders were being implicated for the movement in support of farmers.

"Does one have to go to jail for agitating against the government? I challenge the CPI(M) to fight our candidates democratically in East Midnapore district. How long will they threaten the people?" she asked.

She said that all political cases would be withdrawn if the Trinamool Congress and Congress alliance came to power.

Apparently referring to the CPI(M)'s charges that her party had used black money to fund the elections, she said, "No amount of calumny and character assassination will stop change that is coming to Bengal."

Polling will be held in Nandigram in the fourth phase of the elections on May 3


Mamata Opposed to Chemical Hub at Nayachar
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee today stuck to her opposition to the proposed chemical hub at Nayachar in East Midnapur district and rooted for any eco-friendly industry instead.

"There will be no chemical hub at Nayachar. We will build an eco-friendly industry there if the opposition alliance comes to power," Mamata said while addressing an election meeting at Khejuri adjoining Nandigram.

She said the alliance government, if formed, would take up projects in the region to boost industry and thereby generate employment.

The railway minister also announced that a coach factory would be set up at Haldia and a rail industrial park at Jellingham near Nandigram.

She promised an industrial revolution in Haldia in East Midnapore district in the event of the alliance coming to power, but said a balance would be maintained between industry and agriculture while going in for industrialization.

"We want industry to develop, but at the same time we are opposed to forcible acquisition of land for industry," she said.

Nayachar, around 40 km from Nandigram, was chosen as the site for the chemical hub after the West Bengal government relocated the project from Nandigram following a violent agitation against land acquisition led by Trinamool Congress.

Nayachar happens to be a part of the Tamluk Lok Sabha constituency which Trinamool Congress won in 2009.

Fighter jet rebuff, Roemer exit, signal US-India distance

Times of India - Chidanand Rajghatta - ‎1 hour ago‎
WASHINGTON: In an alphabet soup of acronyms that spell informal diplomatic tie-ups featuring India, there's the newbie BRICS, the neighbourhood SAARC, the spread-out IBSA, the under-stated BIMSTEC, the formidable ASEAN, and the hoary NAM, ...

US 'Deeply Disappointed' by Indian Fighter Deal Setback

Voice of America - Kurt Achin - ‎1 hour ago‎
Photo: AP US efforts to forge defense industry links with India have been handed a major setback: the Indian air force has eliminated American aviation companies from the competition to supply India with a new generation of fighter jets. ...

Pentagon disappointed at fighter jet news from India

IBNLive.com - ‎1 hour ago‎
PTI | 10:04 PM,Apr 28,2011 Lalit K Jha Washington, Apr 28 (PTI) The Pentagon is deeply disappointed at India''s decision to exclude two American companies � Boeing and Lockheed martin � from its multi-billion fighter jet purchase order. ...

Boeing, Lockheed ruled out for $11-billion fighter jet order

Financial Express - ‎1 hour ago‎
New Delhi: Boeing and Lockheed Martin have been told that their fighter jets will not be considered for a $11-billion order and India is restricting its choice to two European-made planes. India was only considering France's Dassault Rafale and the...

Timothy Roemer resigns as US ambassador to India

Los Angeles Times - Mark Magnier - ‎3 hours ago‎
Saying he wants to spend more time with his family, Timothy Roemer expects to leave his post in New Delhi in June. There is speculation that the move is linked to India's decision to exclude 2 US companies from an $11-billion fighter-jet deal. ...

US lobbying fails to mask fighters' flaws

Financial Times - Amy KazminJames Lamont - ‎4 hours ago‎
When US President Barack Obama visited India in November, strengthening defence ties with the world's largest democracy was at the heart of his agenda. Billions of dollars worth of defence deals, ...

Timothy Roemer announces resignation

The Hindu - ‎12 hours ago‎
PTI PTI US Ambassador Timothy J. Roemer. File Photo US Ambassador Timothy Roemer on Thursday announced his resignation from the key diplomatic post citing personal commitments. The 54-year-old Mr. Roemer, a political appointee, said he has accomplished ...

India rules out Boeing, Lockheed for $11 bln fighter jet order-source

Reuters - Anurag KotokyMatthias Williams - ‎11 hours ago‎
NEW DELHI, April 28 (Reuters) - India has told Boeing and Lockheed Martin it will not consider their fighter jets for a $11 billion order and is restricting its choice to two European-made planes, a source said on Thursday. India was only considering ...

India Rebuffs Boeing, Lockheed Bids in $11 Billion Warplane Deal

Bloomberg - James Rupert - ‎4 hours ago‎
Lockheed's F-16 was "not selected for procurement" by the Indian Defense Ministry, the US Embassy in New Dehli said. Source: Boeing A Dassault Rafale fighter jet flies during a demonstration in France. ...

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Fighter jet rebuff, Roemer exit, signal US-India distance
‎1 hour ago‎ - Times of India
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‎8 hours ago‎ - Daily News & Analysis
Full transcript: Timothy Roemer speaks to NDTV
‎16 hours ago‎ - NDTV.com

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Though the Indian intelligence agencies were tipped off that the consignment of arms and ammunition would be dropped in Purulia, West Bengal [ Images ] they failed to avert the incident. Both the R&AW and Intelligence Bureau approached it as a routine case making it one of the most shameful episodes in the history of Indian intelligence, writes senior analyst B Raman.

The clandestine Purulia arms drop of December 1995, in which an aircraft piloted by a group of mercenaries hired by an unidentified extremist organidation -- suspected to be the Anand Marg -- managed to fly right across the Indian air space to Purulia in West Bengal, air drop a consignment of arms and ammunition to a collecting party on the ground and fly to Pattaya in Thailand unintercepted by the Indian intelligence and security agencies and the air force. This, despite the availability of precise advance intelligence is a shameful episode in the history of Indian intelligence.

A few weeks before the actual incident, the extremist organisation, which had procured the arms and ammunition, had approached a retired pilot of the British Air Force and offered to pay him handsomely if he organised the air drop successfully. Even though tempted by the sum offered, he did not initially agree to carry out the operation. He asked for time to think over it. He then contacted an official of the British defence ministry and told him about the offer made to him by the extremists. The official advised him not to reject the offer and wait for further instructions.

The defence ministry official then told MI-5, the British security service, about the conspiracy. The MI-5 immediately informed the Research & Analysis Wing with which it had a liaison relationship. The R&AW, after examining the matter, asked MI-5 to advise the pilot to accept the task and to keep the security service informed of all his meetings with the extremist organisation and the detailed plans for the air drop including the date and time, the place of the air drop and the flight path.

The pilot faithfully carried out the instructions and kept the MI-5 informed of all the details at every stage. These details were passed on by the MI-5 to the R&AW, which in turn passed them on to the Intelligence Bureau that was responsible for follow-up action. It was reported that R&AW passed on the details given by the pilot through MI-5 to the IB as if it had collected them on its own from one of its sources instead of specifying that the details were coming from the pilot himself. If R&AW had taken the IB into confidence and told it that the details were coming from the pilot himself through MI-5, the IB might have taken the episode more seriously.

Normally, in such cases, if the matter had been handled professionally, the R&AW would have taken the clearance of the prime minister for flying out a team of officers of the IB and the R&AW to the United Kingdom to meet the pilot secretly with the help of MI-5 and the British defence ministry. It would take his co-operation for organising a trap so that the party could have been arrested while collecting the air dropped arms and ammunition and the identity of the extremist organisation established.

Nothing of that sort was done. The R&AW passed on the information in a routine manner to the IB without specifying that it was coming from the pilot through MI-5. The IB, instead of organising the follow-up action, passed it on to the West Bengal police in an equally routine manner. The then chief secretary of the West Bengal government later complained that the IB had sent the information by registered post and that it was received after the air drop had taken place and the aircraft had flown out of India [ Images ].

One does not know whether the R&AW and the IB kept the Indian Air Force in the picture so that the IAF could have kept track of the plane and made sure that the pilot did not play any tricks. The plane entered the air space over Mumbai [ Images ] from Pakistan, flew to the air space over Purulia, air dropped the arms and ammunition and then flew to Pattaya in Thailand.

In the meanwhile, most of the air dropped arms and ammunition had been removed by unidentified elements. The IB issued an alert to all concerned to look for the plane if it flew over the Indian air space again while flying back to the UK. After a couple of days, the British pilot and his Latvian crew took off from Pattaya, flew to Chennai, landed at the airport, got the aircraft refuelled and then took off.

Only after the aircraft had taken off from Chennai did the intelligence and airport officials realise that it was the same plane that had air dropped the arms and ammunition.


The Indian Air Force intercepted the aircraft before it could leave the Indian air space and forced it to land at Mumbai. One person on board the plane, who reportedly belonged to the extremist organisation, managed to quietly walk out of the airport without being stopped by the security and the immigration. The British pilot and crew were arrested. Sections of the media had reported that the pilot was in a very violent mood and abused the police and intelligence officials.


No wonder. He had taken the initiative in alerting the intelligence agencies and keeping them informed of all the details. He expected that he would be honoured and rewarded. Instead, he was allegedly treated roughly, prosecuted and jailed.


A few weeks after this incident, the then British home secretary had come to India on a scheduled visit. In his interaction with our local media, he pointed out how the British intelligence had kept its Indian counterpart informed.


I have been writing about this shameful episode off and on since 1996. In my book 'Intelligence -- Past, Present and Future' published in 2001 I had stated, "The normal response of any professional counter-terrorism agency, on the receipt of such precise information, would have been to organise a trap in co-operation with the pilot who had reportedly volunteered the information, for catching the terrorists on the ground while they were collecting the arms and ammunition after the air drop. Till now, no satisfactory explanation has been forthcoming from the security agencies as to why this was not done."


We do not know the answer to this even today.

http://www.rediff.com/news/column/purulia-arms-drop-an-embarrassment-to-indian-intel/20110428.htm



WB: EC to review preparedness for next 3 phases

IBNLive.com - ‎9 hours ago‎
Kolkata: The full bench of the Election Commission arrived Kolkata on Thursday for a daylong visit to oversee preparedness for the last three phases of the West Bengal assembly elections. Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi and the other two ...

EC meets top Bengal officials to oversee poll preparedness

DailyIndia.com - ‎2 hours ago‎
Kolkata, Apr 28: The full bench of the Election Commission met top officials of the West Bengal Government on Thursday to discuss the poll preparedness for the last three phases of assembly polls. Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi and the other ...

Full EC in Kolkata to review preparedness for remaining phases of polls

All India Radio - ‎9 hours ago‎
The full Election Commission led by Chief Election Commissioner Mr. SY Quraishi has arrived in Kolkatta to oversee the poll preparedness for last three phases of the Assembly Elections in West Bengal. After reaching the city, the Chief Election ...
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India Looks to the States

While New Delhi idles, India's large and diverse states are competing for growth and investment.

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Five states in India are going to the polls this month, highlighting the political competition in the world's most populous democracy. In West Bengal, for instance, observers expect a 13-year-old political party, the Trinamool Congress, to end 34 years of Communist Party rule. Voters will have to wait till next month for the election results, but it's already clear that robust political contests help some parts of India develop faster than others.

A new report "Economic Freedom of the States of India, 2011," published last month in association with libertarian-leaning organizations, takes a look at this state-level phenomenon. The authors rank 20 of India's 28 states on criteria such as the size of government, legal structure and regulations, using 2005-09 data.

Tamil Nadu, with a politically conscious electorate that keeps turning regional parties in and out of power and ensures property-rights protection, ranks as the freest state in India. The western state of Gujarat, whose chief minister Narendra Modi of the Bharatiya Janata Party has earned plaudits from businessmen for his efficient governance and minimal regulations, comes second. Both states have been growing at or near double digit rates.

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Narendra Modi

The role of politics in promoting growth is evident, both from the data and from recent experience. Andhra Pradesh in the south improved the fastest among the 20 surveyed states, surging from seventh place in 2005 to third in 2009, because its chief minister trimmed waste, brought in the private sector for infrastructure projects and tackled security threats from Maoists. Better governed states will steal ahead, judging by the way the Tata conglomerate moved its car factory from West Bengal to Gujarat in 2008. The north-central state of Bihar, hitherto considered the backwater of India, has begun to attract investment under the leadership of Nitish Kumar, who hails from a local party.

Of course, political decision-making isn't the only determinant for the wealth of states; accidents of history and other larger forces matter too. Gujarat has been blessed with natural harbors and a pro-business culture, while the ferment in Tamil Nadu's politics can be traced back to pre-independence social movements. One factor outside states' control is national-level policy: West Bengal and Gujarat wouldn't be jostling for investment if New Delhi hadn't liberalized in the 1990s.

Nevertheless, it's an underappreciated fact that once New Delhi embarked on the first generation of reforms within its purview—opening up to external trade and capital—some of the burden of liberalizing domestic markets has fallen on state governments. As the authors note, states can do a lot when it comes to land and labor.

Witness Gujarat, where last week, Mr. Modi launched a voucher program targeted at vocational training, a missing piece in India's education jigsaw puzzle. Both Gujarat and the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal are now floating new ideas on land acquisition, the third rail of Indian politics. If they succeed, these states could turn out to be laboratories for India-wide policy.

All of this underscores the importance of—and scope for—decentralization by New Delhi. This means allowing states a greater share of tax revenue to build rural roads, and not interfering in the way they develop their natural resources. In the past year, the national government has meddled with the Orissa state government's mining decisions and is now contemplating a new country-wide mining bill.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government has been stalling on national-level reforms, and has looked weak battling graft allegations. If New Delhi is unable to be the standard-bearer of reforms, it should at least let states compete among themselves for that title.

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Ananda Marga

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ananda Margas nine headquarters around the world.

Ananda Marga, organizationally known as Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha (AMPS), meaning the samgha (organization) for the propagation of the marga (path) of ananda (bliss), is a social and spiritual movement[1] founded in Jamalpur, BiharIndia in 1955 by Shrii Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar (1921–1990).

Ánanda Márga followers describe Ánanda Márga as a practical philosophy for personal developmentsocial service and all around transformation of society. Through its meditation centers and service projects around the world, Ananda Marga offers instruction in meditationyogaand other self-development practices on a non-commercial basis.

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[edit]History

In 1939 P.R. Sarkar initiated Kalicharan Bandyopadhyay into meditation, this was the start of Sarkar's spiritual teaching at the early age of 17. From 1941 until the early 1950s Sarkar worked as an accountant at the Indian railways headquarters in Jamalpur, Bihar. He taught the techniques of ancient tantra meditation to a select number of his colleagues and gradually more and more people were drawn to the spiritual practices he taught.

On November 7, 1955, at the first gathering of meditators, Sarkar officially inaugurated Ananda Marga Pracharaka Samgha (the Organization to Propagate the Path of Bliss). The first volumes of Sarkar's writings were published, including Guide to Human ConductAnanda Marga Elementary Philosophy and Problem of the Day.

In 1959 Sarkar propounded Progressive Utilization Theory (PROUT), a socioeconomic theory that is based on Neo-humanism and cardinal human values.

In 1962 Sarkar created the order of monks and nuns (renunciate ministers or acaryas) and eventually training centers (Prashiksana Matha) were established in different parts of the world: Ydrefors (Sweden)[1], Davao (Philippines), Varanasi and Bangalore (India) and Ghana (Africa). These ácáryas are "wholetime workers" and fully ordained ministers. The juniors, known as brahmachariis and brahmacariniisrespectively, are dressed in a saffron-coloured top and white bottom, while the seniors, known as avadhutas and avadhutikas, dressed in full saffron attire.

In 1963 the Education, Relief, and Tribal and Women's Welfare Section (ERAWS) of Ananda Marga was founded. The service activities, such as schools, orphanages and emergency relief work, that had started from the inception of Ananda Marga were now managed by ERAWS. Ananda Marga registered its headquarters at Anandanagar, West Bengal.

In 1967 the first acaryas left the Indian subcontinent to propagate Ananda Marga spiritual philosophy and practices worldwide throughout the nine sectors in the world. The first Ananda Marga New York Sectorial office (whose jurisdiction is North and Central America and the Caribbean) was opened in Carbondale, Illinois, USA in 1969, and by 1973 had established approximately 100 local centers teaching yoga, meditation, spiritual and social philosophies to thousands.[2][3]

In 1971 Sarkar was imprisoned without a trial for allegedly conspiring to murder several former members of the organization. Under declared opposition from the Indian government, Sarkar received a life sentence (Barker 1989: 168), which was overturned in a re-trial in 1978. On Feb. 12, 1973 he was poisoned in Bankipur Central Jail, Patna. His demand for judicial investigation into his poisoning symptoms were not granted by the authorities and consequently from April 1, 1973 he started fasting on one glass of yoghurt water until his release, five years and four months later.

From 1975–77 Ananda Marga was banned under the state of emergency imposed by the Indian government of Indira Gandhi. Over 400 of its schools in India were closed down, and numerous ministers and adherents were imprisoned.

Sarkar's imprisonment led to a global campaign of protests by followers, while Margiis maintained his innocence and said an attempt was made to poison him in prison that severely damaged his health and temporarily affected his sight. As a political protest against the imprisonment of their guru, a few members of Ananda Marga committed self-immolation in the late 1970s.[4] (Barker 1989: 168, see also 54-5)

In 1978 three Margiis were found guilty of conspiring to murder the Indian High Commissioner in London the previous year and were sentenced to a total of 12 years. As part of their investigations the anti-terrorist squad discovered bomb-making instructions and a copy ofThe Anarchist Cookbook at the organization's London headquarters. Three weeks prior to the attack one of the plotters had thrown a brick through the window of the New Bond Street office of Air India. The attached note called on Moraji Desai, the Indian Prime Minister, to release Sarkar or have "blood on his hands". The initial plan was to shoot the High Commissioner in his car, but this was abandoned for security reasons. Next they decided to stab the Commission's commercial counsellor, but that failed when the would-be assassin couldn't go through with the attack. Finally one of the other plotters stabbed a junior Indian government employee in mistake for the commercial counsellor. The victim suffered a punctured lung and internal bleeding, but recovered with medical help.[5]

On July 4, 1978, after the end of the emergency period in India, Sarkar's conviction was overturned on appeal and he was exonerated of all charges.[citation needed]

In 1979 Sarkar traveled overseas, invited by practitioners of Ananda Marga in various countries around the world. In April 1979 he was banned from entering the USA by the State Department, due to having spoken out against corruption in the government of India. Therefore, he instead went to Jamaica in September 1979 for a gathering of Ananda Marga practitioners in North and Central America.[6]

In 1982 he introduced the philosophy of Neohumanism and several volumes on philology. Throughout his life he gave thousands of speeches on various themes which were further transcribed and published by his disciples. The topics included spiritual philosophy, cosmology, history, anthropology, bio-psychology, farming, naturopathy, education, socioeconomic liberation, among other literary works. He also began to compose what later would total 5,018 songs collectively called Prabhata Samgiita (Songs of the New Dawn). His last song composition was on the establishment of Gurukul (University) which he had founded on September 7, 1990 in order to carry on his legacy through education and research.

In 1986 Sarkar began to propound the theory of Microvita, small, subtle entities which he said are the foundation of all existence. Research on the field has begun by the Microvita Research Institute, but their progress and findings are still in the developmental stage.

P.R. Sarkar died on 21 October 1990 at 3:10 pm.

In 1991 Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team received recognition as an NGO by the United Nations.

In 1996 the Supreme Court of India lifted the ban on government employees to be members of Ananda Marga, started by opposition governments in the emergency period, and affirmed the legal status of the organization.

[edit]Organization

Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha (AMPS) is a hierarchical organization led mainly by senior Wholetime ministers. The Global Office is the main representative organ of AMPS, led by the General Secretary. Globally the organization is divided into 9 sectors, each named after a primary city in the sector:

  1. Delhi Sector – the Indian sub-continent
  2. Hong Kong Sector – North-East Asia [2]
  3. Manila Sector – South-East Asia [3]
  4. Suva Sector – Australia, Pacific region [4]
  5. New York Sector – North and Central America and the Caribbean [5]
  6. Georgetown Sector – South America [6]
  7. Berlin Sector – Europe [7]
  8. Qahira Sector – Balkans, West Asia, North Africa [8]
  9. Nairobi Sector – Sub-Saharan Africa [9]

All activities are coordinated through the nine Sectorial Offices.

Each sector is further subdivided into regions, which again are further divided as per needs. Each of them is led by a senior official, namely the Sectorial Secretary, Regional Secretary, and so on.

A separate entity of AMPS is the Women's Welfare Department (WWD), established first in 1977. WWD was started to empower women to contribute and alleviate suffering of women in many parts of the world. WWD is designed to be led by women for the service and betterment of women, children and the community at large through education, social work, and local initiatives.

AMPS also strives for development of humanity in all other spheres of life. Renaissance Artists and Writers Association (RAWA) is an organization for the development of the fine arts. RAWA regularly arranges cultural training and events.

The official social welfare and development organization under AMPS is Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team, or AMURT. The joint branch of AMURT run specifically by women is called AMURTEL, or AMURT Lady-Managed. AMURT arranges both emergency relief during disasters, and long term projects such as building of schools, clinics, children's homes and other assets for community development.[7]

The Ananda Marga Association of Yoga Educators (AMAYE)[10] was started in 2006 as a forum for research, discussion and sharing of knowledge about Ananda Marga Yoga & Spiritual practices.The annual conference of AMAYE is coordinated by Prashiksana Matha/CNS-Sweden every year in July from Ydrefors, Sweden.

Ananda Marga Gurukula [11] was founded by Shrii P.R. Sarkar on September 7, 1990 in order to build Ananda Marga University with its headquarters at Anandanagar (India) and to bring together the entire neohumanist education movement under its overall academic guidance and direction. The educational network of Gurukula now runs over 1000 schools in India and other continents.

[edit]Ananda Marga Gurukula

Ánanda Márga Gurukula (AMGK) is engaged in creating a worldwide network of Neohumanist Schools and Institutes to hasten the advent of a society in which there is love, peace, understanding, inspiration, justice and health for all.[8] Reflecting the broadness of Sarkar's universal vision, AMGK has become a multi-faceted organization, with different branches dedicated to the upliftment of humanity through education, relief, welfare, the arts, ecology, intellectual renaissancewomen's emancipation, and humanistic economy. All these institutions are based on neo-humanist educational philosophy.

In 1990, the Ananda Marga "Education Relief and Welfare Section (ERAWS), which grew to an global network of about 1,000 neo-humanist schools and institutes, culminated in the founding of the Ananda Marga Gurukula University, with links to several hundred self-reliant eco-village projects ("Master Units") throughout the world. AMGK is actively engaged in the following projects:

  • building an educational township at Ánanda NagarWest BengalIndia, on a 525 square kilometre campus; and
  • supporting the building of a global eco-village network (Master Units), ranging from 5 acres (20,000 m2) to 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) each, in over 120 countries.

The headquarters of AMGK is in Ánanda Nagar, West Bengal, India. AMGK Inc., is its global liaison office, located in Ithaca, New York. Its Chancellor operates from office located at Ydrefors, Sweden. The "Neo-Humanist Schools and Research Institutes", affiliated with AMGK, publishes a bi-annual newsletter, the Gurukula Network, in May and October.

AMGK is headed by a chancellor (kulapati), who is supported by a steering body (cakradhuri), and an academic council (mahasamiti). AMGK is an autonomous "Board of Education" for all AMGK schools and institutes run as per neohumanist philosophy.NHE-Forum of AMGK deals with K-12 education and CNS-Forum of AMGK concentrates on higher education.

[edit]Disciplines and Practices

[edit]Spiritual Teachings and Practice

Tantra yoga, as interpreted by Shrii Shrii Anandamurti in the books Discourses on Tantra, volumes 1 and 2, is the practical philosophy which serves as foundation of Ananda Marga. ("Tantra" means liberation from darkness, the root "tan" meaning darkness, and "tra" liberation.)

Sensual or erotic tantra, as the term "tantra" is often mistakenly associated to in the West, is not a part of the original tantra nor of the Ananda Marga tantra tradition. Sarkar, in his book on the historical Shiva, Namah Shiváya Shántáya, and on Discourses on Tantra Volume 1, explains the difference between the left path tantra, the right path tantra and the middle path tantra, or the subtle path tantra, by giving a clarification of panchamakara, also known as the 5 Ms.

The practitioner of Ananda Marga tantra yoga sees the nature of the mind as a "trapped monkey" striving to escape from its cage. The tantra path is the path of the brave, because it requires the practitioner to follow strict disciplines as to their spiritual practice. Meditation is the main practice of this tantric tradition, and through it the practitioner struggles to overcome weaknesses and imperfections. Through daily meditation the practitioners face their minds' deepest secrets and contents, and to proceed in the practice s/he must manage to overcome whatever obstacles s/he faces in the path of self emancipation. Because the path may be specially challenging in the beginning, often requiring changes of lifestyle habits and mental breakthroughs that supersede dogmas and ingrained irrational beliefs, many people stray temporarily from the path when not able to succeed in triumphing over the initial difficulties.

The basis of Ananda Marga practice is covered by a set of rules called the Sixteen Points. The Sixteen Points guide the practitioner of the tantric path on both spiritual and social aspects.

[edit]Meditation

In the tantric tradition of Ananda Marga the spiritual aspirant is called a sadhaka, and he practices sadhana. Sadhana signifies the effort through which a person becomes completely realized.

In the tantric tradition the spiritual master, the guru, plays a special role. The guru guides and leads students on the spiritual path that is likened by yogis of knowledge (jinániis) to a sharp razor. Through devotional practices however, the spiritual path is compared to the all-round struggle of a blooming flower. It is also stated in the tantric tradition that the student doesn't find the teacher, but the teacher finds the student.

When the aspirant decides to follow the path of bliss, s/he will be initiated by a qualified meditation teacher called acarya, Sanskrit for "one who teaches through example". An acarya is most commonly a monk or nun, but in the Ananda Marga tradition there are also family acaryas. In the initiation the aspirant makes a commitment to practice meditation and to live in harmony with the universal balance, and is then taught the technique itself. The aspirant is then required to keep the individual lessons personal.

Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrtiiji taught many systems of meditation such as Prárambhika YogaSádharana YogaSahaja Yoga and Vishesha Yoga.[citation needed] In addition, he also taught Kapalika meditation to many sanyásins. His system of yoga can be termed as Rájadhirája Yoga, Tantra Yoga, or simply "Ánanda Márga Yoga". The basic Ánanda Márga meditation system is called Sahaja Yoga, meaning 'simple yoga'. The sahaja system consists of 6 meditation techniques or lessons. The lessons are taught one by one, on a personal basis. There is no specific system as to when one can learn a new technique, but it depends on the level of interest and dedication of the student. Thus some students learn all six lessons in a year or two, while some complete all lessons in over 20 years. There is also a set of higher meditation lessons taught by Ananda Marga to advanced practitioners committed to dedicate more time for spiritual practices and universal service.

[edit]Tantra

The six-pointed star is an ancient tantric symbol

Tantra is established at the roots of the spiritual practices in Ananda Marga, the yogic path propounded by Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti aka Shrii Prabhát Rainjan Sarkár. He has spoken extensively on the topic of Tantra, whose speeches were further published in various volumes.

According to Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti, tantra was first systematized by Lord Shiva, also called Sadashiva, who was an enlightened yogi living in the Himalayas about 7000 years ago. Tantra had its origin in India and South Asia. Tantra in its Káshmiirii and Gaod'iiya Schools did exist before Shiva, but in a scattered and crude form. Shiva was born and brought up in an environment of tantra, although it was not classical tantra. He was the original propounder of tantra, collecting, developing and systematizing all its branches.

Ánandamúrti explains that the practitioners of higher tantra would look upon things from a broader point of view, renouncing all narrow thinking. They would always strive hard to advance the welfare of the masses. Through self-realization and selfless service they would overcome the fetters of the mind, such as hatred and shame. The unprepared practitioners who followed the less-developed or crude Tantra would yet behave in the opposite way, indulging in casteism, superstitions of untouchability, and in manifestations of hatred and envy in relation to other groups.

"A person who, irrespective of caste, creed or religion, aspires for spiritual expansion or does something concrete, is a Tantric. Tantra in itself is neither a religion nor an 'ism'. Tantra is a fundamental spiritual science. So wherever there is any spiritual practice it should be taken for granted that it stands on the Tantric cult. Where there is no spiritual practice, where people pray to God for the fulfilment of narrow worldly desires, where people's only slogan is "Give us this and give us that" – only there do we find that Tantra is discouraged. So only those who do not understand Tantra, or even after understanding Tantra do not want to do any spiritual practice, oppose the cult of Tantra. "

Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar[9]

[edit]Tantra in Ananda Marga

Today's practical philosophy and yogic practices of Ananda Marga are not only deeply rooted in the ancient original Tantra of Shiva, but further develops Tantra to refine it in a system of personal development balanced with two wings of social transformation, Neohumanism andPROUT. Thus Tantra is central in the teachings of Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti. In projecting the future he weaves continuity, infusing the ancient philosophy of Tantra with new insights in human psychology, social theory and in each individuals' roles as spiritual and socio-economico-cultural-political beings.

Ánanda Márga Tantra has a broad metaphysical base which allows for ways of knowing, feeling and processing which go far beyond intelectuality or limited rationality. Priorities are given to the spiritual development, as Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti notes, "spiritual life controls all other arenas of human life." [10]

Ananda Marga Tantra is a principle, a science which if practiced will lead to the desired objective. The essence of Tantra is to awaken the latent spiritual force in the human personality and unify oneself with the Cosmic Consciousness. It is not a religion or empty philosophy which can be confined to the realms of abstract speculation or theoretical debate. Tantra is a process of subjective transformation, which may be practiced by anyone irrespective of gender, cultural background, education, social status or intellectual evolution, as an adequate system of spiritual endeavor is the birthright of all.

Tantra does not discriminate by any racial, genealogical, political, national or economic differences amongst human beings, as the later might form the basis for one human group to assert superiority over another. Tantra does, however, give recognition to individual vigor and the development of latent human potentialities, which make some people outstand in their lives. Consequently Tantra puts greater emphasis on human values than on social values.[11]

[edit]Guru and Disciple

For success on the path of Tantra, the proper preceptor and the proper disciple are both essential. So the first step in Tantra is the selection of a competent preceptor by a worthy disciple. According to Tantra, disciples are of three categories. The first category disciples acquire spiritual knowledge when they are in close contact with the preceptor, but as soon as they are apart from the preceptor they forget all his/her teachings. The second category of disciples learn many things from the preceptor with great hardship, but do not take proper care to preserve those instructions. They lose their hard-earned knowledge out of negligence. The best category of disciples carefully preserves deep in their minds and hearts whatever they have learned from their preceptor by wisely putting those teachings into practice.

[edit]Yoga and Physical Exercises

The physical practice of Ananda Marga comprises yoga ásanas, mudras, bandhas, pranayama, self-massage and two specific dances, kaos'ikii and tandava. Sentient diet and fasting are also considered to be an integral part of yogic practices. Sentient diet is a vegetarian diet which is also devoid of particular vegetables which disturb the mind for spiritual practices, such as onion, garlic, leek, chives, mushroom, etc. Ananda Marga also advocates physical restraint based on a scientific approach which considers the physical, mental and spiritual spheres of life, advising for instance that sexual intercourse more often than four times a month is generally detrimental to a person's overall well being. (CaryaCarya Part 3 – Physical Restraint)

[edit]Yoga Asanas

The Ananda Marga system of yoga comprises 42 yoga ásana postures which were specifically selected by P.R. Sarkar for their complementary benefits to health and for preparing body/mind for meditation. In the Ananda Marga system yoga asanas should be performed at least once a day, but preferably twice, in the morning and in the evening. After the practice a full body massage and final relaxation is performed.

[edit]Kaoshikii

Kaoshikii, the "dance for mental expansion", is a physico-psycho-spiritual exercise which can be performed by all and consists of 18 mudras aligning with 6 physical postures, each associated with a specific idea. The spiritual ideation is carried along with the dance in order to establish a subtle link with the divine, while strengthening body and mind and making them flexible. There is also a claim that the exercise strengthens the nervous and endocrine system to give full body balance.

[edit]Tandava

This is a vigorous dance associated with Shiva in his cosmic dancer image of Nataraja. The name tandava is derived from the Sanskrit word tandu, which means to jump. This dance is only performed by male followers in Ananda Marga because of its testosterone producing effect, which consequently strengthens male characteristics in body and mind. The dance is performed to imbue the practitioner's mind with courage and honour, dispelling all sorts of complexes and fear, even fear of death itself. Thus the dance also has an associated ideation. The dancer starts off with the two arms outstretched, the left arm with an open palm, and the right arm with a clenched fist. The dancer ideates holding a human skull in the left hand, symbolizing death, and ideates on holding a knife in the right, symbolizing the fight for life. The actual objects (human skull and knife) may be also used [12][13] The dance starts with a vigorous jump and landing in a position of bent knees. Another jump follows, and the dance continues in a jumping manner lifting one leg then the other continuously.

[edit]Activities

Ananda Marga runs yoga and meditation centers, schools, children's homes, food distribution centers, disaster relief programs, medical clinics, integral community development projects and other services, carried often through its service branch, the Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team, AMURT & AMURTEL. The AMURT organization, founded in India in 1965, has projects in over 80 countries. Emphasis is placed on solving the problems of the local people, whatever they may be, by empowering them in managing all their personal and social resources for the prosperity of all.

[edit]Spiritual and social philosophy

The philosophy of Ananda Marga is one of universalism. It is a synthetic outlook, recognizing the one limitless supreme consciousness, both transcendental and manifested in all. This universe, having been created by the Supreme Consciousness, is existing in the Supreme Entity, and as such all created beings are children of the Supreme Being, part of the one universal Cosmic family. Thus we are all brothers and sisters, connected in love and consciousness by the bonds of Cosmic fraternity. This world of diversity has evolved out of unity (Supreme Consciousness), and we must continually strive to see the unity within all diversity and act accordingly. Thus, the social outlook of Ananda Marga recognizes that the welfare of the individual is inextricably linked with the welfare of the collective, each relying on the other for its existence and dynamism. Everyone has the right to equal opportunities of life and development and as such there should be no discrimination on the basis of superficial barriers such as race, nationality and religion.

The Spiritual Philosophy of Ananda Marga covers a vast range of topics and can be learned from P.R. Sarkar's publications. A short list of the essential elements of Ananda Marga Spiritual Philosophy: 1) Cosmology 2) Realms of the Mind 3) Biopsychology 4) Life, Death and "Sam'skára".

Ananda Marga advocates a world of justice, security and peace for all. To this end Ananda Marga gives a practical, rational, and systematic way of life for the balanced development of all human potentialities: physical, psychic and spiritual. It is a system that incorporates practices that are beneficial for personal and social upliftment. These range from proper hygiene and diet, yoga postures, to a scientific technique of meditation based on morality and leading to complete peace and inner fulfillment. It recognizes that a balance is needed between the spiritual and mundane aspects of existence, and that neither one should be neglected at the expense of the other. Hence, the goal of Ananda Marga is "self-realization and the welfare of all".

The Social Philosophy of Ananda Marga can be categorized under the topics: 1) Neohumanism 2) Education 3) PROUT (the Progressive Utilization Theory).

[edit]Symbology

[edit]Pratiik – The Symbol of Ananda Marga

The pratiik is a yantra, and summarizes the ideology of Ananda Marga in one image. The pratiik is composed of two interconnected triangles where one points upwards and the other points downwards. In the center of the triangle there is a rising sun, and in the core of the rising sun a swastika.

[edit]Interpretation

  1. Triangle pointing downwards: signifies inner development, knowledge, insight or meditation.
  2. Triangle pointing upwards: signifies external action or service to all.

In one's life the two basic aspects, the inner and outer, need to be continuously balanced. Therefore the inner knowledge without action is meaningless, and the deeds without proper guidance from within are fruitless.

  1. The rising sun signifies progress or devotional awakening which arises from the balance of inner development and external service.
  2. The swastika represents spiritual victory, the goal of life, which is all-round fulfillment and spiritual emancipation. (Svastika comes from the Sanskrit word sv (good) and asti (to be), literally meaning absolute positivity, goodness, or perfect life.)

[edit]Criticism

[edit]Alleged involvement of Ananda Marga and its members in terrorism in Australia

During the 1970s and 1980s, members of Ananda Marga were alleged to have been involved in terrorist activities in Australia. These primarily involve the bombing of the Sydney Hilton on 13 February 1978 during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Regional Meeting; and, the conspiracy to murder the leader of the Australian National Front, Robert Cameron. While actually separate incidents, the two matters are closely linked due to the two events having common protagonists.

Ananda Marga was implicated in the bombing of the Sydney Hilton which saw two garbage men and a policeman killed. Evidence subsequently produced in court showed that Ananada Marga had been closely watched by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) since the movement arrived in Australia in the early 1970s. This included telephone taps, and other surveillance methods.[14]

In June 1973, three Ananda Marga members were intercepted while driving a car with 10 sticks of gelignite to bomb the house of Australian National Front Leader, Robert Cameron. As a result of this, Timothy Edward Anderson, Ross Anthony Dunn and Paul Shaun Alister were convicted in 1979 of conspiring to murder Cameron.[14] They appealed their conviction to the High Court in 1984. The appeal relied primarily on the claim that they should have been entitled to know details of the ASIO enquiries into the Ananda Marga organisation, although concern was also raised about the nature of the prosecution's cross examination.[15]

At first, Chief Justice Gibbs and Justices Murphy and Brennan were of opinion that the appeal had grounds. Justice Murphy in addition stated that: "I conclude that the highly prejudicial "cross-examination" by the prosecutor and the introduction of inflammatory extraneous material designed to prejudice the accused, caused a substantial miscarriage of justice. On this ground alone all the convictions should be quashed. That there was a miscarriage of justice by prejudiced cross-examination".[16]

The judgment of Justices Wilson and Dawson, however, stated that: "We have come to the firm conclusion that the case put by the applicants is so lacking in substance that the court is not warranted in itself inspecting the documents." [17]

The Court ultimately ruled 4-1 that the convictions should stand because none of the ASIO documents requested for disclosure by appellants was relevant to the issues at the trial, noting, however that the appellants did not lose the chance of an acquittal by the failure to produce the material. The dissenting judge, Justice Murphy, disagreed.[15]

Subsequent to the appeal to the High Court, a judicial inquiry in New South Wales cast doubt over police informer, Richard Seary, a prosecution witness, on whose affidavits was primarily based prosecution, and they were pardoned and released after six years.[14] They each reported to have received $100,000 by way of ex gratia payment from the New South Wales Government for their wrongful convictions and imprisonment for conspiracy to murder and attempted murder.[18]

Anderson was then re-arrested for the Sydney Hilton bombing, but this time he was acquitted in 1991 after the evidence of the main prosecution witness, Evan Pederick, was completely rejected by the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal.[19] Pederick had confessed to the bombing and so was convicted without detailed scrutiny of his confession. However, in the Anderson appeal Chief Justice Gleeson said Pederick's account of the bombing was "clearly unreliable".[19] Pederick's later appeal was rejected when he produced no evidence to explain why he had falsely confessed.[20] Pedderick was released after serving eight years in jail and stated "I guess I was quite unique in the prison system in that I had to keep proving my guilt, whereas everyone else said they were innocent."[21]

The perpertrators have never been found. Evidence that Australian security forces may have been responsible led to the New South Wales parliament unanimously calling for an inquiry in 1991[1] and 1995.[2] The Government of Australia vetoed any inquiry.

[edit]See also

[edit]Footnotes

  1. ^ Hermans, G. Immink, C. A. M.; A. De Jong, J. Van Der Lans (20012001). Social Constructionism and Theology. BRILL. p. 47.ISBN 9004123180.
  2. ^ Ng, Franklin (1995). The Asian American Encyclopedia. Marshall Cavendish. p. 669. ISBN 1854356771.
  3. ^ Miller, Timothy (1999). The 60's Communes: Hippies and Beyond. Syracuse University Press. p. 108. ISBN 081560601X.
  4. ^ Prins, Herschel A. (2005). Offenders, Deviants Or Patients?. Psychology Press. p. 251. ISBN 1583918248.
  5. ^ See Birmingham Evening Mail, Saturday, November 4, 1978
  6. ^ MacDougall, Curtis Daniel (1983). Superstition and the Press. Prometheus Books. p. 446. ISBN 0879752114.
  7. ^ "AMURT Global Network: Disaster Relief, Sustainable Development, Community Service". official website of AMURT U.S.A..
  8. ^ Chryssides, George D. (1999). Exploring New Religions. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 370. ISBN 0826459595.
  9. ^ Tantra and its Effect on Society, 1959, Bhagalpur
  10. ^ Homo Tantricus: Tantra as an Episteme for Future Generations by Marcus Bussey,www.gurukul.edu
  11. ^ From Progressive socialism by Gary Coyle, Proutist Universal Publications, Calcutta, 1985
  12. ^ Tribuneindia.com story
  13. ^ "Religion and Law Consortium: A Research Forum for Legal Developments on International Law and Religion or Belief Topics". Religlaw.org. Retrieved 2011-03-18.
  14. a b c "Hills, Sydney Morning Herald, 12th February, 1998.".
  15. a b "Alister v R ("Hilton Bombing case") [1984 HCA 85."].
  16. ^ "Alister v R ("Hilton Bombing case") per Murphy J (2) para 2 [1984 HCA 85."].
  17. ^ "Alister v R ("Hilton Bombing case") per Wilson & Dawson JJ para 17 [1984 HCA 85."].
  18. ^ "Responding to Custody Levels - Compensation for Miscarriage of Justice".
  19. a b "Parliament Hansard: Hilton Hotel Bombing"Government of New South Wales. December 9, 1991. Retrieved 2008-03-13. (First motion for an inquiry)
  20. ^ Pip Wilson (February 13, 2003). "Lies, spies and the Sydney Hilton bombing". Retrieved 2008-03-16.
  21. ^ Ben Hills. The Hilton Fiasco. SMH 12 Feb 1998, p.11 http://www.benhills.com/articles/articles/SCM38a.html (accessed 6 Sept 2010)

[edit]References

Barker, Eileen (1989) New Religious Movements: A Practical Introduction (London: HMSO). Third impression, with amendments, 1992.

[edit]Further reading

[edit]External links

Left Front

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DSP-meeting in Kolkata
West Bengal Left Front Committee meeting for solidarity with Tripura

The Left Front (Bengali: বাম ফ্রন্ট Bam Frônṭ) is an alliance of Indian leftist parties. In West Bengal andTripura Left Front governments currently rule both of these states.

Contents

 [hide]

[edit]West Bengal Left Front

In West Bengal the following parties are parts of the Left Front:

Communist Revolutionary League of India was a member of the West Bengal LF between 1995 and 2000. Workers Party of India was inducted prior to state elections in 2011.

The convenor of the West Bengal Left Front committee is Biman Bose, a politburo member of the CPI(M).

[edit]Tripura Left Front

In Tripura, the following parties are members of Left Front:

The convenor of the Tripura Left Front committee is Khagen Das, a central committee member of the CPI(M).

[edit]Kerala Left Democratic Front

In Kerala, a formation of left parties led by the CPI(M) called the Left Democratic Front is the governing group in the Kerala State Assembly.

[edit]References


New Delhi link to Purulia, asks CPI-M

Hindustan Times - ‎6 hours ago‎
The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) asked on Thursday if any Indian agency was involved in the 1995 arms drop in Purulia in West Bengal, for which the Ananda Margis were blamed. "The latest revelations on the arms drop are further confirmation ...

Purulia probe had almost come to a standstill

Times Now - ‎6 hours ago‎
JK Dutt the former Deouty Director of CBI has reacted to the TIMES NOW expose.. saying that Bleach did not have the opportunity to make a statement before the judge.

Purulia: 'Indian Government involved' -Part 4

Times Now - ‎6 hours ago‎
It's the second stunning disclosure in the 1995 Purulia Arms drop case. Peter Bleach, a British citizen who served a sentence for his role in the Arms drop has spoken to TIMES NOW. Bleach not only confirms that Indian politicians were involved, ...

Purulia arms drop case:Has India been deceived?

Times Now - ‎8 hours ago‎
April 17th in & in the wee hours of Dec 18 1995 a mysterious weapon consignment was dropped from the sky over Joupur Jhalda area under Purulia Disctrict of West Bengal. The consignment was discovered the next morning.

Purulia Expose: India's best kept secret

Times of India - ‎8 hours ago‎
In the wee hours of December 18 1995 a mysterious weapon consignment was dropped from the sky over Joupur Jhalda area under Purulia district of West Bengal. The consignment was discovered the next morning. Until now nobody knew what really happened. ...

Purulia arms drop: Planned conspiracy to destabilize Left Front govt in Bengal ...

All India Radio - ‎1 hour ago‎
The CPI(M) has alleged that the latest revelations on the arms drop in Purulia in December 1995 are further confirmation of the fact that there was a well planned conspiracy to use violence to destabilize the Left Front government in West Bengal....

Explain role in Purulia arms drop: Left Front to UPA government

TwoCircles.net - ‎1 hour ago‎
By IANS, Kolkata: West Bengal's ruling Left Front Thursday asked the central government to explain why it remained inactive despite having advance information about the massive arms drop in Purulia in 1995. "The latest revelations on the arms drop are ...

Purulia arms drop: BJP awaits Govt's explanation

Times Now.tv - ‎2 hours ago‎
It is an all out political war after the Purulia arms drop kingpin Kim Davy made shocking revelations on TIMES NOW. The BJP has called the revelations shocking and depressing and said the Government owes an explanation to the nation on the ISI link to ...

Purulia armsdrop case sensational disclosure

India Infoline.com - ‎3 hours ago‎
The lid has been blown off the best kept secret in India's internal security circles, the Purulia armsdrop case of 1995. Prime accused Kim Davy and Peter Bleach have revealed for the first time that the entire operation was masterminded not by ...

Purulia arms drop - ISI link?

Times Now.tv - ‎5 hours ago‎
TIMES NOW has exclusive documents that prove that Kim Davy, accused of masterminding Purulia arms drop, run company had MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with Karachi based Shaheen Aviation. Kim Davy's company Carol Air Services owned AN-26 plane that ...
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West Bengal
Purulia
Kim Davy
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
India
Delhi

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