Wise, Brave Initiative of Congress

Communalism, corruption, terrorism and Naxalite (Maoist) violence are issues, which have not only hampered development and prosperity but have also vitiated national integration and unity. A country can be prosperous after passing through the process of development and burning issues like unemployment, poverty and backwardness can be solved when there is peace and fraternity and national unity. We can, in simple terms, call it our utter misfortune that despite the best efforts of the government some corrupt, vested interests and communal elements, are taking advantage of the weaknesses of laws and privileges of democratic rights, and spreading the venom of communalism in the country, which led to anarchy, civil war and disintegration.

Growing Problems
The country, at present, is passing though difficult times. New scandals, corruption, spreading violence and terrorism in the name of religion are coming to light almost every day. All this has not only brought Parliamentary system to an impasse, but has left the people are greatly frustrated and anxious. It is the bounden duty of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to salvage the country from this perilous situation and bring back on the right track, which has brought India a place of pride in the comity of the nations.

Since the present leadership, including the party president, Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, is extremely worried over the current situation, it had accepted the resignations of some ministers and chief ministers. It had even issued orders to get the 2G-spectrum allotment case investigated by the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament under the supervision of the apex court. Yet, the opposition continued to insist on nothing short of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to investigate the issue and continued to create uproar so that Parliament could not transact any business for days.

All this demanded of the ruling party to take major measures. Going by the need of the hour, the ruling party did exactly the same thing. The party at its 83rd plenary session held at Delhi, not only sounded the bugle of war against corruption but accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Sangh Parivar, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its allies of striving to disintegrate the country, appealed to party activists and senior officials to be extra cautious about these forces and take them head on with al the might at their command. Calling for imposing a war on RSS activities, AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh, likened it with Nazis, alleging that it is indulging in massacre of Muslims. A political resolution was also approved at the plenary, which calls upon the government to deal with religious fundamentalism with a strong hand. It also demanded that the likes and relations between the RSS and its affiliated organizations with terrorists, be investigated thoroughly. Digvijay Singh alleged that the Rath yatra (chariot journey) undertaken by a senior BJP leader, L.K. Advani, was the bases of terrorism and accused both the BJP and the RSS that they "hate Muslims as much as Nazis, hates Jews."

Referring to the argument put up by the BJP that all the Muslims are not terrorists, but all the terrorist are Muslims, the AICC general secretary said that this logic can be advanced that all Hindus are not terrorists but all those persons arrested in the case of bomb explosions at various places are activists of the RSS. On Gujarat, the party has called on the government to get exemplary punishments announced in all perpetrators of irreparable genocide during Gujarat riots in 2002. The resolution maintains that the ruling of the high court does not condone those who brought down the Babari mosque in any way. They must be punished by all means.

2G Spectrum Scandals
Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi alluding to the Commonwealth Games, Adarsh Housing Society and the 2G Spectrum scandals, said that Congress President Sonia Gandhi, has motivated us to fight against corruption. He added that any progress becomes meaningless sin, which the person standing at the last end of the queue does not get an opportunity to progress.

Describing the activists of the party as an important bridge between the Congress and the common man, Sonia Gandhi said that whether we are in power at the centre or in the states we must not forget that the government comes into existence through the party. Hence it devolves in the government and the officials in the government to pay greater attention to addressing the complaints of the workers. She maintained that corruption in such a menace, which is eating into the vitals of every section of our society it, is the common man who pays a heavy price for it.

Sonia Gandhi stressed that fast track courts must be set up to get the cases of corruption against politicians and bureaucrats. To bring transparency in contracts, she wanted that effective legislations and a clear line of action should be put in place. Complete security be provided to whistle-blowers in all such cases of corruption. She called on chief ministers and union ministers of the Congress to voluntarily surrender their right to allot land and. The government should fund elections.

Need of Common Man
Rahul Gandhi, general secretary of the party appealed that the party officials should give top priority to the need of the common man and added that the country's progress cannot be completed until we learn to respect the common man.

Though the top leadership of the Congress has strived to defuse the demand and the mood in the country on the demand of a JPC investigation it he case of recent corruption it remains a matter of conjecture as to how the union ministers, state ministers and others who are at the helm of affairs, succeed in implementing these directions and what stand does the opposition adopt in Parliament on the 2G Spectrum and other scandals.

Wen Jiabao's India Visit

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had recently said that one can change one's friends, but one cannot change one's neighbors. He had said this in relation to India's neighbors with common borders, which cannot be changed geographically. He had further said it in connection with strengthening India's relations and creation of an atmosphere of goodwill and friendship with neighboring countries.

Border Dispute
India attaches great importance to its relations with all its neighbors; yet having cordial relations with Pakistan and China, with which we have had wars also, assumes greater significance. It needs sheer grit and wisdom to have cordial relations with these neighbors.

Reports of bitter relations between India and China have appeared during recent couple of years because of the border dispute, violation of India's borders by Chinese troops, China's claim on Tawang District and other places in Arunachal Pradesh, issuance of stapled visas to residents of Indian Kashmir, refusal to issue visas to Indian Army generals and commanders posted in Jammu and Kashmir, construction of dam on Brahmaputra River, presence of Chinese workers and officers in occupied Kashmir, and supply of nuclear reactors to Pakistan. These are issues that have been souring relations at almost regular intervals. At the same time, immediate measures to get these issues addressed through mutual dialogues continued. Leaders of the two countries have also visited each other's country to augment bilateral trade and commerce, and expand their sphere.

Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao's India visit is indication of the efforts in this direction by leadership of the two countries. Fourteen rounds of talks have so far taken place between the sides to resolve all these issues. It is hoped that the two prime ministers would discuss almost all issues, including the Chinese claim on northeastern states.

Fresh Avenues of Trade
The Chinese prime minister is accompanied by a 400-strong group of Chinese traders, which reflects that the main aim of his visit is to explore fresh avenues of trade, and expand and extend existing deals. It was for this purpose that Indian and Chinese companies have inked 48 fresh agreements worth $16 billion. Leading companies of both India and China dealing in electricity, telecommunication, steel, wind energy, food and seafood sectors finalized these deals.

Wen Jiabao has asserted that he did not believe the theory that India-China relations are akin to a competition between a dragon and an elephant. Addressing a meeting of traders, he asserted that China-India relations are not based on business rivalry but on collaboration and cooperative partnership. Wen added that he takes the trade imbalance between the countries seriously, and desires that India's IT and pharmaceuticals sectors have access to Chinese markets.

Creating for Investment
Addressing a meeting of corporate organizations, the Chinese prime minister stressed the need of speeding up approval of investments and easing norms of visits by people, so that a conducive atmosphere may be created for investment. It is expected that current trade between the countries would touch $ 60 billion. During 2009, India's export to China was 2.46 percent of its total exports.

During the current year, Indian imports from China remained at 1.37 percent. China imports consist more of precious stones, jewelry, and machinery and metals, while India imports electronic goods, organic chemicals, iron and steel, coke and fertilizers. The Chinese economy is said to be worth $4.98 trillion while that of India is a mere $1.31 trillion.Meanwhile, no sooner than the Chinese prime minister reached India on a three-day visit, a report appeared that Chinese engineers have succeeded in blowing a hillock with dynamite near Arunachal Pradesh border at a place called Metok located in the autonomous area in Tibet. The hillock has been blown to dig a tunnel to join Metok with the rest of China.

It may be mentioned that Metok is not only the last end of the border, but is also the same place fro m where Brahmaputra River enters India. The Indian Government has already expressed its grave concern at the proposal of construction of a dam by China in this area. China has already spent a huge amount of $20 billion on construction of infrastructure in Tibet. India is worried over this because China can deploy its armed forces in a short time at India's borders. It is yet to be seen how India protects its interest along with strengthening its relations with this neighbor.

Restoration of Democracy in Myanmar

The multiparty democracy general elections in Myanmar have successfully been held. Voters in the secretive military-ruled nation of Myanmar cast their first ballots in two decades, as slim hopes for democratic reform faced an electoral system engineered to ensure that most power will remain in the hands of the junta and its political proxies. Approximately 29 million people contributed their votes in the elections in Myanmar on 7 November. But the question here has been raised whether it would really get democracy. Many believed that by holding the election in the country, Myanmar stepped towards change in the nation which has been under military dictatorships since 1962.

The voters have elected their representatives freely of their own accord. The election commission and subcommissions at various levels have carried out election processes in line with the election laws, rules and procedures and are announcing the number of votes got by an individual Hluttaw representative.

It is, however, learned that some political parties and foreign media are releasing their statements leveling accusations that there has been disagreement among the public over the election results due to the advance votes.

Landslide Victory for USDP
The pro-junta Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has won Myanmar's elections after gaining 76.5 percent of seats across the three parliaments, according to the country's supreme election authority.

The results arrived 11 days after Burmese went to the polls for the first time in two decades, but come as little surprise: the USDP was the strongest contender by a stretch, and received the tacit support of the ruling junta, who choreographed election conditions that appeared to favor the party.

Trailing the USDP, which won 883 of the total 1,154 seats, is the National Unity Party (NUP), which came runner-up in the last polls. Also holding close ties to the ruling junta, the NUP won only 63 seats, the China-based People's Daily quoted the Election Commission (EC) as saying.
The next four parties all fall within the 'opposition' bracket, despite fears before the polls that any pro-democracy candidates would be altogether sidelined. However, the total amount of seats won by these parties makes up only nine percent of the total.

They are, in order: the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP), with 57 seats; the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party (RNDP) with 35 seats, and the National Democratic Force (NDF) and All Mon Region Democracy Party (AMRDP), each with 16 seats.

The presence of three ethnic-based parties in the top five are a symbolic victory for Myanmar's long-marginalised ethnic groups, although their potential clout in a post-election will likely be very limited.

The three parliaments -- the People's Parliament, the Nationalities Parliament and the Regions and States Parliament -- are set to convene within 90 days of the vote. A quarter of the seats for each had already been reserved for the military prior to the vote.

It is the winner, the USDP, which has been the target of much of the controversy that dogged the polls. A number of parties are weighing up the possibility of making a formal complaint to the EC about the USDP, but that is both expensive and dangerous, with complainants risking jail terms if unsuccessful.

However, Western countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Australia, along with the administrations of the European Union and the United Nations, have joined in saying the junta's elections held on November 7 were neither free nor fair and had failed to meet even the lowest standards outlined by the international community for convening a national vote.

Aung San Suu Kyi Released
Myanmar's democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, freed from seven years of house arrest, told thousands of wildly cheering supporters on Sunday that she would continue to fight for human rights and the rule of law in the military-ruled nation. It was feared that her detention could be extended in view of the pending declaration of the full results of the elections held on November 7 under the new constitution drafted by the military regime. Suu Kyi has completed 15 years of her detention by the military regime since 1989, when she returned from the United Kingdom and won Myanmar’s (then Burma) first democratic elections.

India has broken its deafening silence on Myanmar and welcomed pro-democracy icon and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s release.

Relations With India
The Indian policy in Myanmar has swung from one extreme to another. Initially, India supported the pro-democracy forces led by Aung San Suu Kyi. Subsequently, alarmed by the Chinese inroads into Myanmar, India swung to the other extreme of total support to the military Junta. This meant maintaining a silence on the Junta's suppression of the pro-democracy forces and its arrest and detention of Suu Kyi and its machinations to ensure that she can never come to power.

The time has come for India to adopt a more nuanced political approach while continuing the present policy of economic support to the regime. The objective of the nuanced political approach should be to nudge the Junta to respond positively to Suu Kyi's moves for a national reconciliation and enter into a dialogue with the pro-democracy forces. Another objective should be to persuade the pro-democracy forces to avoid a confrontational situation which could add to the fears of the Junta regarding internal security and stability.