From page 01 CHANDIGARH: A writer on history, he wants to make his own. One part of it may write itself — in two months, Capt Amarinder Singh would be the longest living descendant of the Patiala royalty!
HT FILEAmarinder’s mother Mohinder Kaur and his son Raninder Singh
Among the princely states of Punjab, Patiala was the only one to enter politics. And Punjab Congress chief Amarinder, who traces his roots as the 13th generation of the first Patiala king, Ala Singh, even went on to be anointed as the state’s chief minister, the only erstwhile royal to become one after former Odisha CM Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo.
He traces it back further. “Our dynasty was setup by Baba Phul Sing hat Jaisalmer in Rajasthan and they then moved towards Bathinda in Punjab. We are his 15th generation.”
“Ala Singh was born in 1691 and died in 1765. Two months from now, I will outlive him. Most others in the dynasty died in their late thirties or forties. My father died at the age of 61 in Holland (Netherlands),” says Amarinder.
At 74, he has announced the 2017 Punjab elections as his last hurrah. It comes after 46 years in politics, 11 parliamentary and state elections. His father, Yadvindra Singh, the last independent head of the princely state of Patiala, did not find politics appetising enough, and resigned as Punjab MLA from Dakala to leave for Holland. It was Amarinder’s mother, Mohinder Kaur, who was nominated as a Rajya Sabha MP by the then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1962, who carried the family legacy until Amarinder took the baton. But he doesn’t just talk of kings and politics.
WHEN THE BUG BIT HIM
“I was an armyman in 1967 when both my parents were contesting elections. I was on leave, and went around meeting people with them. My father won the Dakala assembly seat and my mother, the Patiala parliamentary seat. The bug of politics bit me then, I guess.”
He left the army in 1968 and first contested a bypoll from Dakala after sitting MLA Basant Singh was killed by Naxali-tes in 1970, hereminiscences. Helost that battle. And then couldn’ t redeem himself even from his mother’s parliamentary seat of Patiala in 1977 against Akali heavyweight Gurcharan Singh Tohra.
Chandigarh-based journalist Khushwant Singh, who is penning a biography of Amarinder, says, “Once the princely titles were taken away, royals who wanted to stay relevant, have a leadership role and be centrestage, opted for politics. But they faced a big challenge as they had to now go out to people to seek a mandate. The fact that Amarinder went on to become CM shows his connect with the people.”
DYNASTIC DUTY
Amarinder sees his dynasty’s foray into politics not as quest for power but call of duty. “People have been with our family for centuries. Unless you keep it going, you will get cut off from them. We have responsibility and commitment towards them,” he says.
More than the people, it was proximity to the Gandhis — former PM Rajiv Gandhi studied with him at the Doon School — that saw him script a success story after a losing start. In 1980, he won the Patiala LS seat.
He resigned as MP to protest former PM Indira Gandhi’s decision to allow army into the Golden Temple in Amritsar in 1984 under Operation Bluestar. He dabbled with the Shiromani Akali Dal, quit as agriculture minister after Operation Black Thunder, formed his own party and suffered two more defeats until Rajiv’s wife and Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, passed on the reins of Punjab Congress to him in 1998.
FAMILY FIRST, OR NOT
As Amarinder found his moorings in state politics, wife Preneet Kaur went on to become a three-time MP from Patiala and a Union minister. The family ties also involve radical Sikh leader Simranjit Singh Mann, who is married to Preneet’s sister, Geetinder Kaur Mann. Amarinder’s sister, He minder Kaur, is married to former Union minister K Natwar Singh, who belongs to the erstwhile Dholpur estate in Rajasthan.
But the couple’s dream to see son Raninder Singh carry forward the family legacy has so far been just that — a dream. Raninder lost a prestige battle from Bathinda in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls against CM Parkash Singh Badal’s daughter-in-law, Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
Preneet then attempted to resurrect her son’s political career by getting him the Samana ticket in the 2012 assembly polls, but he failed to win. Preneet too lost the family seat in the 2014 LS polls but was able to retain the Patiala-urban assembly seat in a bypoll after Amarinder became Amritsar MP.
Bitter at not being able to steer his party to victory in last two elections, Amarinder has this time tried to lead by example. Notwithstanding that his own dynasty will also be a casualty, he has imposed a ‘one family, one ticket’ rule. “We cannot give others a chance till we have only sons, brothers and wives in the contesting list,” he says.
But, in doing so, he has put Preneet, Raninder and his brother, Malwinder Singh, out of the race. This raises questions on who will take the family legacy forward.
HEIR AND HOPE
A winner of five state elections and two parliamentary polls, Amarinder is more proud of his son’ s accomplishments. “Raninder is the president of the National Rifle Association of India. Youngsters who represented India in the Olympics have been coached by him in Patiala. He won the national championship without practice himself,” he says.
But is Raninder a reluctant politician? “No, he is not. But politics is not something that can be done parttime. I hope Raninder will consider getting back into politics after his stint as the president of the rifle association is over. After all, both I and his mother are on the verge of retirement.”
On why not his grandsons and granddaughters, he says, “Of my daughter Jai Inder Kaur’s two sons, the younger, Nirvan Singh, is working with me closely in this election. But he is not interested in politics. He is one chap who doesn’t speak much. He is not cut out for politics. He wants to get into a job at the UN.”
Raninder’s son is still in high school. “One of his daughters has completed college and the other too will be completing this year. But the girls are not interested in politics either,” he adds.
As for his own last election, Amarinder is no more the ‘maharaja’, and that’s by design.
Congress poll strategist Prashant Kishor has centred the campaign around ‘Captain’, a catchword that fits into the bid to woo young voters. The royal tag, for once, has been shed.
There is a new belligerence in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public pronouncements. Not quite prime ministerial. The old traditionalists would have quite a mouthful to say about the language and tone of his last two speeches, one in Gujarat on Saturday and the second on Sunday in Uttar Pradesh. The note of bellicosity is perhaps understandable in the context of the nation-wide dismay and discontent over “note-bandi”. It is reasonable to presume that the Prime Minister and his advisers have been informed by the “agencies” as well as by the BJP’s own political networks that “note-bandi” has caused havoc in the countryside and dislocation in urban India. The BJP ministers and legislators throughout the country are avoiding stepping out as they have a reasonably good idea of public mood of anger. Even the Prime Minister’s apologists are having a difficult time in finding merit in the poorly conceived and equally poorly implemented scheme. Even if the Opposition parties can be accused of disrupting Parliament, it is difficult to avoid the impression that the Prime Minister has been reluctant to face criticism in the House. He is not used to taking criticism easily. His preferred style is to use the public platform and social media to make his argument and debunk his opponents. But as Prime Minister, Narendra Modi does not have the liberty of avoiding facing Parliament. For him to call his parliamentary rivals names is going a bit too far. The onus is always on the ruling party to ensure that the House functions effectively, as LK Advani had reminded the BJP’s parliamentary managers the other day. These managers have not done their job.Given the scale of dislocation that the botched-up “note-bandi” has inflicted on the country, the political argument between a very nervous government and a very determined Opposition will get only more acrimonious. The next few weeks could prove a defining period. It is important that the Prime Minister keeps his cool. A special responsibility dwells on the Prime Minister’s senior colleagues to advise him to be restrained and responsible, at least in his public utterances.
Digital India
Sushma Ramachandran
Mere slogan won’t work; both government and banks need attitudinal shift
THE demonetisation programme has put the spotlight on an area that has been growing very slowly in this country. This is the need for a shift to digital payments by reducing the role of cash in the economy. Recognising the need for this change, an expert committee headed by a former Finance Secretary has just presented a report on ways to make India a digital payment economy. The measures proposed may not eliminate the need for cash but are bound to make it easier and cheaper to go for digital payments. A host of much-needed incentives have also been announced by the government to give a push to digital transactions.In this context, one must reflect on the fact that certain segments of this country’s economy have simply refused to opt for electronic transactions. The reasons are various, including the need to evade or avoid taxes and also to wriggle out of other regulatory norms. At the same time, one need not be unduly harsh on such an approach, especially in the area of small business. In this country any link with government authorities necessarily implies harassment of the highest order. No wonder then that small entrepreneurs prefer to avoid brushes with officialdom and carry out their business unhindered through the cash route. In fact, one of the major hurdles in implementing the proposed Goods and Services Tax (GST) will be compliance at the retail level. The argument so far has been that since it is an easy and painless way of taxation, it will be adopted without any problems. Currently, however, the government has already launched a series of income tax raids following demonetisation. This is not likely to inspire much confidence in the small business owner who has been used to view tax officials with the utmost dread, and with reason. Tax terrorism is the right phrase for the attitude of the revenue authorities even towards regular taxpayers. Apart from this aversion to paying taxes, the small businessperson also finds it more expensive to carry out transactions via the digital route. The merchant discount rate, as it is called, is being applied in an arbitrary manner by the banking system. The RBI has fixed a cap on this merchant charge for debit cards but there is none for credit cards. The cap for debit cards was fixed at 1 per cent for transactions above Rs 2,000 and 0.75 per cent for those below this level. The latter has now been waived in the recent round of incentives. In reality, many banks charge higher than the cap for debit cards and even higher for credit cards. Despite all the drives being made in the past for financial inclusion, the banking system has continued to levy these unjustified charges to ensure higher revenues for itself. Till now, neither the RBI nor the Finance Ministry have been able to discipline banks to reduce these charges so that digital transactions become attractive for merchants as well as customers. In actual fact, there is no reason for such charges which have been imposed on an arbitrary basis, making digital transactions cumbersome for merchants and customers alike.Apart from these issues, the spread of digital payments to the rural economy is going to take a long time. The lack of infrastructure, including bank branches and ATMs, has ensured that most people in rural areas do not have bank accounts. A system of banking correspondents has been introduced but there is no data on the success or otherwise of these agents. Besides, retailers in these areas mostly lack point of sale (POS) machines. The new incentives for cashless transactions have set a target of two such devices in villages of up to 10,000 residents, but it is doubtful that those living there will have debit or credit cards to use on these machines. As for e-wallets which are now taking centre stage, the issue of interoperability is critical as otherwise the smaller e-wallets will not be viable. Unless transactions can be made from one e-wallet to another as well as from e-wallets to banks, benefits will not accrue to the customers. The actual purpose of an e-wallet is to enable a customer to move funds to any other entity, whether it be another e-wallet, banks or commercial establishments. The other issue here too is that of transaction costs which need to be reduced substantially.At the same time, it is encouraging that the process of bringing electronic transactions to the poor has finally begun in this country. Digital payments will make life easier even for the poorest of the poor if these can be adapted to their needs. It will only be possible, however, when teledensity improves in this country. Currently, only 50 per cent of rural India has access to mobile phones. Unless this infrastructure increases rapidly, it will not be possible to extend digitalisation in a big way in the short run.Even as one writes about the government’s push towards electronic transactions, it is disheartening to hear that its own departments do not seem to have heard Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clarion call to move away from cash. The Regional Passport Office based in the Capital, it is learnt, is insisting on cash in new notes, not old currency, before handing out new passports. No debit or credit card swipe machine has reached this office which comes under the External Affairs Ministry, nor have they heard of e-wallets. This cannot be an isolated instance. There must be many other official departments that are functioning in the same old way even in the backdrop of the cash crunch following demonetisation.It is this desultory approach of government agencies that has ensured that digital transactions have grown at a snail’s pace over the years. The disruptive impact of demonetisation has forced these agencies and also the public sector banking system to finally make a push towards electronic transactions in a big way. It will thus need a huge attitudinal change in both government organisations and the banking system before any real progress is made in the arena of digital payments, in spite of the many incentives announced recently.
Mining tycoon G Janardhan Reddy (C) is seen on a big screen as he poses with his daughter Bramhani (2R) and son-in-law Rajeev Reddy (2L) during their wedding at the Bangalore Palace Grounds in Bangalore. — AFP
New Delhi, December 12
With demonetisation affecting weddings at large across the country with a Rs 2,50,000 cap on withdrawal for weddings, a former bureaucrat has questioned VVIP wedding extravaganzas.
E.A.S. Sarma, a bureaucrat who retired as a secretary to Government of India, shot letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and also the Enforcement Directorate.
He pointed out the lavish spending at several weddings, including those of daughters of Union Ministers Mahesh Sharma, Nitin Gadkari, and Karnataka politician G. Janardhana Reddy.
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“I have written three letters to the Prime Minister, one to Finance Minister (Arun Jaitley) and to Rahul Gandhi. I have not got any reply yet,” Sarma told IANS.
He said he had sought a probe into the source of money for Reddy’s daughter’s wedding before it took place but it was not carried out.
“There was no investigation, and after the marriage was over, a junior team went but it gave a clean chit to Reddy,” Sarma said.
A twist in the tale came when a 30-year-old driver of a Special Land Acquisition Officer (SLAO) of Bengaluru committed suicide accusing in his suicide note that the officer had helped Reddy convert old notes into new currency ahead of his daughter’s wedding.
According to Sarma, around Rs 100 crore was converted.
“They have arrested the officer who colluded with Reddy, but they should have probed it before the wedding took place,” he said.
Sarma, a 1965 batch IAS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, who got 26 transfers in his 35-year tenure, in his different letters pointed out at the lavish weddings, comparing them with those of common citizen.
Hundreds of commoners were compelled to cancel weddings following the note ban due to cash shortage.
“Apparently, there is one set of rules and standards for NDA ministers and another set for the common man on the street,” Sarma said in one of his letter to the Prime Minister.
“As a result of the prevailing cash crisis, many families have put off their scheduled weddings. Many other weddings have broken down. But, Gali Janardhana Reddy, Mahesh Sharma and Gadkari feel no crisis whatsoever, as they seem to have the blessings of bigwigs from both BJP and the NDA,” the letter said.
“While your ministers are indulging in such unhealthy extravagance, is it not ironic that you yourself should exhort the common man to stand in queues to uphold your grandiose mission to fight against black money?” the letter said.
In another letter to the Prime Minister, Sarma mentioned the suicide by the driver and said: ” What distresses me is that, despite my cautionary letters addressed to you, the Finance Minister, the Union Revenue Secretary, the Enforcement Director and CBI Director, all the central agencies seem to have deferred raids on Reddy’s premises till he had successfully laundered the black cash holdings and allowed the local officers to give him a “clean” chit.”
“Modiji, while the demonetisation mission launched by you is a commendable step forward, if it is established that your government is complicit in letting the money launderers off the hook, the credibility of what you have done in the name of demonetisation will certainly come under public scrutiny,” Sarma said.
Seeking a full-fledged investigation, the former bureaucrat also said that if the government does not act, he will seek “judicial intervention”.
“If you do not act quickly and firmly on these letters of mine, I will be constrained to seek judicial intervention, as every citizen in this country has the right to question the basics of governance,” he said.
In his letter to Rahul Gandhi, the former bureaucrat pointed out at the presence of Congress leaders at the wedding.
Known as an honest and upright bureaucrat, Sarma, while serving in Andhra Pradesh in 1994-95, had opposed Telugu Desam Party government’s plan to set up power plants without any competitive bidding.
When he could not overrule the government, he went on leave and later applied for a central posting.
A post-graduate in nuclear physics from the Andhra University and in public administration from the Harvard University, Sarma, in 2000, quit the finance ministry over differences in the public policy issues with the Atal Behari Vajpayee-led NDA government.
Post demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes announced by the Prime Minister on November 8, limits were imposed on cash withdrawals from ATMs and banks.
At present there is a limit of Rs 2,500 for ATM withdrawals per day and Rs 24,000 for bank withdrawals per week.
For families with weddings, the withdrawal limit is Rs 2,50,000.
However, there were reports of weddings being cancelled across the country due to the cash crunch.
—IANS
Modi a ‘tyrant’ who has caused havoc: Owaisi on note ban
Says will take a year to bring thing back to normal.
Hyderabad, December 12
In a harsh criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over demonetisation, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday called him “a tyrant” who has caused havoc in every house to satisfy his ego.
Owaisi said the revolution, which Modi was dreaming to bring about with the November 8 demonetisation would never come as it had pushed people into distress.
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Stating that in one stroke the Prime Minister virtually destroyed the livelihood of the poor and deprived sections, the MP said he should remember that those standing in queues at banks and ATMs today will stand in queues on the polling day to vote him out.
“You are in power today, but tomorrow you will not be there. Many Prime Ministers came and left. You will also go,” Owaisi told a public meeting here.
Thousands attended the meeting at the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) headquarters to mark ‘Milad-un-Nabi’. The meeting, which began Sunday night, continued till the early hours of Monday.
Speaking in Urdu and liberally using Hyderabadi idioms, Owaisi ridiculed Modi for stating that he was a ‘fakir’.
“Will a fakir wear Rs 15 lakh suit? What kind of fakir you are who wears new clothes and new shawl with new style every day, who wants to inconvenience the poor for 50 days and who is not worried over the loss of 120 lives. You are not fakir, you are zalim (tyrant),” thundered Owaisi.
Owaisi said it would take one year and not 50 days for the post-note ban situation to return to normal.
He pointed out that economic experts have projected a loss of three percent GDP or Rs 4 lakh crore due to demonetization.
Stating that Rs.12.5 lakh crore in Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 denomination notes were deposited in banks till November 30, he asked if this was black money.
He said Modi caused distress to every family at a time when there were good rains after two years and the marriage season had just started.
He claimed that Rs 3.5 lakh crore were deposited in bank accounts between September 15 and 30 while the average deposits for the two weeks was Rs 1.5 lakh crore. “Whose money is this?” he asked.
The MP said Modi failed on all fronts including his promise to control price rise and bring back black money to the country in 100 days.
“He sometimes laughs, sometimes cries. He doesn’t know what he is doing. He says there is threat to his life. We only pray that he live for 150 years,” the AIMIM chief said.
Owaisi said the crisis offer an opportunity to Muslims to show their Islamic character and help the poor and the needy.
He urged people to ensure that no one in their neighborhood, irrespective of his religion or caste, goes hungry.
He said while everybody was facing great difficulty, it was the duty of Muslims to have empathy towards fellow human beings and share with them whatever little they have.
—IANS
DEHRADUN: A total of 401 cadets graduated from Indian Military Academy (IMA) in a colourful passing out parade, as rose petals were showered from a chopper, carpeting the institutes’ tarmac drill square.
VINAY SANTOSH/HTDeputy Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen NPS Hira presenting the sword of honour to Pratyush Kumar Mohanty at the IMA in Dehradun on Saturday, and (below) newly commissioned officers celebrating after the passing out parade.
Academy under officer Pratyush Kumar Mohanty was awarded the academy’s most prestigious ‘sword of honour,’ while the gold medal was awarded to academy cadet adjutant Malla Rajagopal Naidu.
Mohanty’s father, Pavitra Mohan Mohanty, who came to Dehradun from Bhubaneshwar in Odisha to attend the passing out parade at the magnificent Chetwode building, said: “I am one of the happiest fathers in the world…No one in family ever was part of the Armed Forces. Now, he (Pratyush) has to serve the country in the same way as he excelled in the training.”
Silver medalist Suyash Gupta told Hindustan Times: “My only aim in life was to join the Indian Army. This started with selection in Sainik School in Rewa.” Gupta is from Bhillai in Chhattisgarh.
Out of the 401 cadets, the maximum 77 are from Uttar Pradesh, 46 from Haryana, 29 from Uttarakhand, 28 from Bihar and 26 from Rajasthan.
Dehradun lad and academy under officer Anas Mohammed Khan shared: “My only goal was to join the Indian Army…I left a job at State Institute of Urban Planning and Architecture and joined the Officers Training Academy in Chennai and later left it to join the Indian Military Academy.”
His mother, Shakra Praveen, also expressed much joy.
“I am a happy mother. I want my son to serve the nation with honesty.”
Earlier, addressing the cadets after reviewing the passing out parade, deputy chief of army staff Lt Gen Narinder Pal Singh Hira said they were privileged to have trained at the Indian Military Academy, considered the best in the field, and asked them to make optimum use of the skills learnt here in serving the country.
New Delhi, December 8In a stinging criticism on the Opposition for having brought Parliament to a standstill, President Pranab Mukherjee said on Thursday that disruption amounted to “gagging of majority”.”Disruption is totally unacceptable in Parliamentary system. People send representatives to speak and not to sit on dharna and not to create any trouble on the floor,” he said speaking on the subject ‘Electoral reforms for a stronger democracy’ at a lecture organised to mark Defence Estates Day.A veteran parliamentarian before he became President, Mukherjee said: “Disruption means you are hurt, you are gagging majority. Majority never participates in this disruption. Only minority comes to the well, shouts slogans, stops the proceedings and creates a situation in which the Chair has no option but to adjourn the House. This is totally unacceptable”.”For demonstration, you can choose any other places. But for God’s sake, do your job. You are meant to transact business. You are meant to devote your time for exercising the authority of members, particularly Lok Sabha members over money and finance,” he said, although he said his criticism was not meant for a single party or individuals.”Fact remains that this (disruption) has become a practice that should not be acceptable at all. Whatever be the differences, we have the opportunity, to speak our mind, to speak freely and no court can interfere in what I say on the floor of the House,” he said.Mukherjee’s sharp remarks come as deadlock over the central government’s decision to invalidate 500 and 1000 rupee notes has paralysed Parliament’s functioning. — PTI
GURGAON: A soldier was arrested and remanded in jail on Tuesday for allegedly threatening a Dalit activist over the phone and asking him to withdraw a police case against Haryanvi singer Sapna Chaudhary.
Chaudhary was booked under the SC/ST Act in July for using derogatory language against some castes in her songs, which she sang and danced to during a function in February in Chakkarpur. Chaudhary, resident of Najafgarh in Delhi, is much followed on the internet.
Her releases are instant hits with the rural populace of Haryana.
The complainant Satpal Tanwar, president of a social front Nigahein, had said the song was leading to disharmony among social groups and action should be taken against the singer.
Tanwar, in the present case, alleged that one Yogender Singh Phogat, a solider posted with the Army’s electronics and mechanical engineers corps in Bhopal, called him on the night of September 4 and threatened him to withdraw his firsth information report against Chaudhary.
“He claimed to be a fan of Sapna’s and asked me to withdraw the case, else face dire consequences. I reported the matter to the police,” Tanwar said.
The police sent summons to Phogat’s father in Dabla village in Jhajjar district. He called his son and asked him to come to Gurgaon and join investigations. Phogat was arrested by Gurgaon police on Monday. He was produced in court on Tuesday and remanded in judicial custody.
The police said Phogat was reportedly in an inebriated condition when he called Tanwar. He used to watch Chaudhary’s performances on YouTube.
JALANDHAR: The regional brigade of the GUARDS officers regimental association (GORA) reunion was held in Jalandhar cantonment on Sunday.
HT PHOTOGUARDS officers regimental association reunion held in Jalandhar on Sunday.
IT IS AN INITIATIVE MADE TO MAXIMISE THE OUTREACH TO THE GUARDS VETERANS AND SERVING OFFICERS RESIDING HERE
The region-wise event of GORA was organised for the first time at Jalandhar to cater the veterans and serving officers of this regiment located in the states of Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttrakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
A large number of veterans including Lt Gen HRS Mann (retd) and ex-colonel of the regiment attended the event. Lt Gen IS Ghuman was the senior most general officer in attendance amongst the serving officers.
It was an initiative made to maximise the outreach to the GUARDS veterans and serving officers residing there. The veterans lauded the efforts of the regiment.
The event also served as a platform to further the camaraderie and spirit-de-corps within the regiment.
ROHTAK/JAMMU: The mortal remains of Major Sanjeev Lathar, who was among three officers killed in an army chopper crash at Sukna military camp near Siliguri in West Bengal on Wednesday, were cremated with full state honours at his native village of Budha Khera in Julana town of Jind district.
MANOJ DHAKA/HTA coffin carrying Major Sanjeev Lathar’s mortal remains arrive at his native village Budha Khera in Julana, Jind, on Friday.
Due to bad weather, his body reached the village a day late on Friday, where all residents gathered for his cremation. Among them were children who skipped school to bid a tearful adieu to their village’s hero by raising slogans feting his bravery.
Major Lathar is survived by his parents, wife Shalini, daughter Suhana, 8, and Pari, 2. They are settled in Bhiwani. “My son was a lion. If I had another son, I would have sent him to the army too to serve the country. I had spoken to Sanjeev a day before the fateful incident. He told me he would be promoted soon,” said Major Lathar’s mother, Santosh.
Major Lathar was in the 54 Gorkha regiment and was presently serving as an aviation instructor at Siliguri. His promotion to lieutenant colonel was due next year. He had joined the NDA in 2000, from where he got commissioned in the army in 2004.
Haryana cooperation minister Manish Grover announced 50 lakh relief for the family. JAMMU OFFICER CREMATED WITH FULL MILITARY HONOURS
Amid a pall of gloom , Major Arvind Bazala was cremated with full military honours in RS Pura town on Friday.
Major Arvind Bazala died when a Cheetah helicopter crashed at Sukna Military camp in West Bengal on Wednesday.
Amid heart rending scenes and inconsolable family members, Arvind’s pyre was lit by his younger brother Ankush Bazala.
The parents were visibly shocked after hearing the news. It was a distressful moment for all the family members, including the parents, wife and the younger brother.
The final journey of the soldier was attended by a swarm of people from all walks of life that included BJP minister Sham Choudhary, Jammu deputy commissioner Simrandeep Singh and senior army officers.
Major Arvind Bazala was son of TR Bhagat, who is a LIC agent and Santosh Bhagat, who is an assistant manager in J&K Bank. His younger brother, Ankush Bazala is an engineer.
Diplomatically humbled and strategically isolated by the US-Pakistan-China axis, India deepened its relationship with the Soviet Union and ensured…
Sandeep Dikshit
Though all three of India’s wars between 1962 and 1972 bore a heavy imprint of the Cold War, external meddling was at its peak in the Bangladesh war. The US, under President Richard Nixon, ignored media documentation and diplomatic dispatches of Pakistani brutalities because of a seminal event that took place in July that year. America’s foreign policy czar Henry Kissinger suddenly dropped out of sight while on a visit to Islamabad. It was later revealed that the Pakistanis had facilitated a clandestine meeting between Kissinger and China. Following that, he told Indira Gandhi she could not expect US assistance if the Chinese attacked.Amid this US-Pakistan-China axis, India seemed diplomatically humbled and strategically isolated. New Delhi decided to deepen its relationship with the Soviet Union. Their bilateral ties had an uncertain start after the 1962 Sino-India war. They developed firmer roots after the 1965 war when US had cut off all military ties with India as punishment for crossing swords with Pakistan, a vital member of its South East Asia Treaty Organisation.A month after Kissinger read the riot act to Gandhi in July 1971, Delhi also signed the Indo-Soviet Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation. It restored the geopolitical balance tilting against India. Its Article 10 guaranteed that if either of the parties was attacked, both would start mutual consultations to eliminate this threat. The message was not lost on the US, China and Pakistan.Soviet supplies began pouring in for India and the war began. The Soviet Union twice vetoed US resolutions for ceasefire when India had the momentum of the war. US shifted gears from diplomatic to military threats by dispatching warships to intimidate India. But the Soviets sent cruisers and even a nuclear submarine to tail the US fleet. This message was also unambigious; the US stayed away. The war ended the atrocities in Bangladesh, but failed to achieve closure on India’s western front. US looked the other way and Pakistan began making the atomic bomb. The two then collaborated in sending militants to bring down the USSR-backed Afghan government. Later, Pakistan was to replicate the policy in Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir.
SHIMLA: Already running four years behind schedule, the border roads organisation (BRO) has set August 15, 2019 as the fresh deadline for completion of the Rohtang tunnel project, aimed at connecting the strategically important areas of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir.
The two portals of the tunnel—the south portal in Dhundhi and the north portal in Sissu nullah—will be connected by July next year. The BRO engineers have already excavated 3.9 km from the south side and 3.6 km from the north side.
“If we don’t face any other challenge, we hope to connect both ends by July next year,” said Brigadier D N Bhat, chief engineer, BRO (Rohtang Tunnel Project).
The BRO has apprised the cabinet subcommittee about the progress in the tunnel being constructed beneath the 13,051 feet high Rohtang pass.
“If things go the way they are right now, all civil works on the tunnel should complete by August 2019,” says Brigadier D N Bhat, chief engineer, BRO (Rohtang Tunnel Project).
The crucial tunnel is being built in collaboration with Strabag-Afcons, a joint venture between India’s Afcons Infrastructure Limited and Austria’s Strabag SE.
The foundation of the dream project—considered to the one of the engineering marvels in the country—was laid on June 28, 2010 by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. The project was to be completed in 2015. The delay in the completion of the project is being attributed to the geological hurdles in excavation.
