Nirmal, We Wanted a Better World

Nirmal, We Wanted a Better World

Indian Holocaust My Father`s Life and Time- SEVENTY SIX

Palash Biswas


Medha patekar went to nandigram today and blamed CPI-M for the Genocide.

and I have to write on my friend.

Nirmal. Nirmal joshi, a friend , a comrade is no more. He died on 24 October. He was sick for long time. My sweet home Nainital is situated perhaps in another galaxy. We have so many E-Groups, mobiles and net, but we did not know the news. I had to attend the birthday party of Golu, the lovely small boy , my friend film director Rajiv Kumar`s son last Sunday. We met in south kolkata in his new flat. Director Joshy Joseph and a bunch of young filmmakers and technitians were present. We discussed nandigram, Singur, Bangladesh, Refugee movement, my father, globalisation and American corporate Imperialism. But we could not discuss on our home Nainital or Uttrakhand. We have no news, no feedback, no phonecall from Nainital. No body informed us that Nirmal is not there to participate in any hot debate on our favourite topics as he used to do in seventies during our collegedays, during emergency and Chipko Andolan, during Nasha nahee Rozgar do. He won`t be there to enact again , `Thank You Mr Glad’.
On monday only, I recieved a copy of Nainital samachar and got the news. I informed rajiv. We were stunned that a friend born in 1956 went away for ever so silently. Nirmal was never silent. We shared a single quilt in Girda`s room with Girda, Mohan, Prim, Pushpa and Nirmal. We shared single cup of tea during rehersals of Yugmanch. We shared a bottle of wine in chilly night in Nainital.Everyone had to have a chuski. We discussed the world strolling on Malroad beside the splendid Naini Lake in winter nights amid snowfall. We discussed Marx and Mao, Gandhi and Lohia, Classics written worldwide and the contemporary world. We discussed our dreams. We discussed every moment a better uttarakhand , a better india and a better world.
What Uttarakhand we have got! What a world is this!

During emergency, we were students in degree classes in Nainital. Mohan alias Kapilesh Bhoj and me went to Mathura and Kota during winter vacation to attend writers` secret meetings. We used to have our study circles on Snow Peak or Tiffin Top. Nainital samchar was yet to publish. In DSB college we had Mahendra Singh Pal, the students` Union President, Raja Bahuguna, Sher Singh Naulia, Bhagirath Lal, the most versatile actor Zahoor Alam, Suresh Arya, Kashi Singh Airy and many more who represent Uttarakhand assembly nowadays.Pradip Tamta, now a Congress MLA , was our ideological leader.He was most agressive. Mohan and me were considerd intellectuals in the group as we used to write regularly.At that time we were room partners in Bengal Hotel Nainital as we left the house of Tara Chandra tripathi, our guide and teacher.

We knew Girda as a poet and a very good director actor.We had no interaction with Rajiv Lochan sah or Shekhar Pathak at that time. DD Pant was our Vice chacellor who launched Uttarakhand Kranti Dal later and kash emerged the leader.

Tamta came to our room and introduced Nirmal, an MA student in political science.His father was the head clerk in our DSB college and we had serious doubts about Nirmal`s commitment. Very soon he proved to be more committed. We had secret meetings in Kashipur, Gularbhoj and Dineshpur in terai. We had regular study circles. We were fighting against emergency. Raja Bahuguna joined us at this point. He shifted to new founded Uttaraghand Sangharsh Vahini with us from Janata Dal. Earlier he had been Nainital district Youth Congress President. He left Congress during May, 1977 elections.

During Chipko movement and just after Nainital Club Fire, the entire group was together with Almora friends Vipin Tripathi, shamsher singh Bisht and chandra Sekhar Bhatt, PC Tiwari and many more. nirmal was most active among us.nainital samachar, Nainital, Ramje Inter College Almora, Someshwar, Dwarahat, Tehri, Uttarkashi and the toatl Uttarakhan along with terai became our centres of activity. We often were involved in heated discussion. Niramal, Girda, Vipin Chacha and Me were the most vocal. Harish Pant, Zahoor Alam, Shamsher, Rajiv Lochan, Pawan Rakesh, Shekhar Pathak, dr Ajay rawat and Dr Chandresh Shastri were very logical. We always dominated.

We decided the layout and content of Nainital Samachar and tyhe editorial team had to surrender. Outsiders like Naveen Joshi from Lucknow were the regular visitors. Pankaj Bisht, Biren dangwal, kunwar Prasoon, sundar Lal Bahuguna, jawaqhar Lal kaul, Anand swaroop Verma, himanshu Joshi, Diva Bhatt and others interupted us sometimes.
Uma Bahtt was married to Shekhar and she became the most silent and active worker. She played the host role for us the anarchists. We danced together on the occassion of Rajiv`s marriage. We may not forget all those days. rajiv Kumar came from Pantnagar and became a part of us. We played dramas by Badal Sarkar and the director was BB karanth. We played Trishanku with BM shah.

During Thank You Mr Glad our team was attacked in Ramje college by RSS goons. Nirmal was thrashed. He played the patnaik role in the play. He was not an actor as zahoor and our Yugmanch friends were. But he acted very well. The wife of Patnaik was enacted by Pushpa. Nirmal`s father was not ready to agree their marriage as Nirmal was a Kumauni Brahmin and Pushpa , a Thakur titled Bisht. Bua Pushpa and Nirmal passed those challanges very well. both of them were established lawyers in Nainital Highcourt.
Me and savita went to Nainital just after our marraige. We met Nirmal and Pushpa for the last time then in May, 1983.
Nirmal changed a lot. He was drinking too muich and was availabl only in the Boat club. thus, I could not meet him for years. same was the case with friends in Nainital. We listened that Nirmal is changing once again. he is prepared to play a second innings in the mass movement.

We needed you so much.
As we discussed so much, here are some updates worldwide.

U'Khand: Min, MLA violate code of conduct

Dehradun, Jan 12: With the issuing of notification for the Assembly polls in Uttarakhand, model code of conduct has been implemented in the hilly state to ensure free and fair elections.

According to the Sahara Samay channel, as many as three cases of violation of code of conduct have been registered. One state minister and an MLA have also been found involved in it.Police sources told Sahara Samay that chargesheet has been prepared in two such cases of violation.

Meanwhile, legal professionals opine that chargesheet can't bar the political leaders from contesting the polls.

U.S. Embassy in Athens Is Attacked
ATHENS, Jan. 12 — Shortly before sunrise today, a missile ripped through the United States embassy here, causing minor damage to the building but no injuries. The missile was fired from the street over a 10-foot high security wall, smashing the glass in front of the embassy and spraying debris inside.

An investigator, seen through broken glass, looked for evidence inside the embassy.
“We have yet to locate the staging area of this rocket attack,” said Assimakis Golfas, the head police chief of the greater Athens area. “We are scouring the region, mainly buildings across from the embassy.”

Vyron Polydoras, the public order minister, said an anonymous caller, claiming to be a member of the Revolutionary Struggle terror group, had telephoned a local security company to claim responsibility for the attack, which occurred just before 6:00 a.m.

“We’re investigating whether in fact this claim is true,” Mr. Polydoras said after visiting the site.

Charles Ries, the American ambassador, said this morning that the embassy had not been warned of an attack.“We can’t speculate who’s behind this,” Mr. Ries told reporters. “Still, treat it as a very serious attack. There can be no justification for such a senseless act of violence.”

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in Washington, was awakened to the news that the embassy in Greece “was under attack,” an embassy official said.

The embassy said in a statement that it was hit by a missile. Mr. Ries said that the site was not occupied at the time of the attack and that it was now a crime scene under investigation by Greek authorities.Revolutionary Struggle, a Marxist group with strong anti-American sentiments, emerged in 2003, bombing an Athens courthouse complex.

The group remains the most active Greek terror organization since the downfall of the country’s most deadly urban guerrilla group, November 17, blamed for killing 23 people — including American, British and Turkish officials — and for dozens of bomb attacks.

Today’s hit against the United States mission was not unprecedented.

On Feb. 15, 1996, an anti-tank rocket hit an outside wall of the embassy, damaging three diplomatic vehicles. While no group claimed responsibility, American officials believe the attack was committed by November 17.The November 17 guerrilla group was dismantled in 2002. Since then, however, a string of copycat terror cells have emerged, striking government buildings and foreign business interests.

This morning’s attack forced the embassy to re-evaluate its security, already among the tightest at American diplomatic missions.The mission is surrounded by a high steel fence. Guards are posted at every entrance and at street corners around it.

Authorities this morning were searching apartment buildings near the embassy, a hospital and a nearby construction site for evidence that could explain how terrorists managed to penetrate the capital’s most guarded district and attack the mission.Local residents called in to state television saying they had felt the powerful explosion, which shattered windows in the front of the building.

This morning’s explosion snarled traffic for more than three hours, as scores of policemen cordoned off streets around the embassy. Police helicopters monitored the sky, circling over the building.

A strong anti-American sentiment runs through a segment of the Greek population. Still, senior Greek government officials condemned the attack.

“Such actions in the past have had a very heavy cost for the country — moral, financial and for the international standing of the country,” said Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis, who visited the embassy after the blast. “The Greek government is determined to undertake every effort to not allow such phenomena to be repeated in the future.”

Bangladeshi president swears in successor
By Peter Fosterand Matthew Moore
Bangladesh's president has appointed a former central bank governor to succeed him as leader of the country's interim administration, in a further effort to curb the political revolt destabilising the country.Iajuddin Ahmed has also lifted a night curfew imposed yesterday, when he agreed to postpone this month's general election in the face of international diplomatic pressure. But a state of emergency remains in place across the country, with 60,000 troops patrolling the streets. Media freedom is restricted, and people are banned from criticising the government and its activities.

The Foreign Office has warned Britons not to travel to the country unless absolutely necessary.

The election postponement came after three weeks of intensifying street clashes during which more than 40 people have died as Bangladesh's main opposition parties accuse the outgoing administration of attempting to rig the election.

Mr Ahmed's resignation as head of the administration yesterday has been seen as a much-needed effort to halt the violence and reach out to political groups opposed to him.

Today he swore in Fakhruddin Ahmed, a former central bank governor, to succeed him, in a ceremony broadcast live on state television.

For the past four months the outgoing prime minister, Khaleda Zia, has been locked in a bitter face-off with her long-time rival Sheikh Hasina, herself a former prime minister, who leads the 19-party opposition alliance.

The two women bear a deep personal animosity, which diplomats blame for the increasing impasse that has paralysed Bangladesh since Mrs Zia's term of office expired last October.

Last month in an exclusive interview with The Daily Telegraph, Anwar Choudhury, Britain's High Commissioner to Bangladesh, raised the spectre of "unconstitutional intervention" by the army in a country which has had 19 assorted coups since it gained independence from Pakistan in 1971.

Leader quits as poll stalls in Bangladesh
Bruce Loudon
BANGLADESH was plunged into turmoil last night as President Iajuddin Ahmed declared a state of emergency, quit as head of the interim Government and postponed elections that have sparked months of violence and scores of deaths.While more than 60,000 troops fanned out across the country to enforce a night curfew and tough media curbs were introduced, there were fears of a military coup.
But the 19-party opposition Awami League, which has led massive street protests, proclaimed Mr Ahmed's U-turn "a victory for the people" -- promoting hope of peaceful, fair polls. "That is certainly the optimistic view and it may be the case. But there are plenty of reasons to be more pessimistic. The road ahead is full of stumbling blocks," an analyst in Dhaka said.

A senior diplomat at a Western embassy said: "The army could move, who knows? But on balance, ironically, things probably look a bit better today than they did yesterday."

Lurking in the shadows are Islamic fundamentalist groups that support al-Qa'ida, and which many see as the potential beneficiaries of disruption to Bangladesh's democratic institutions.

Mr Ahmed, a white-haired former judge who has been Bangladesh's ribbon-cutting head of state since 2002, appointed himself at the end of October to head of the supposedly non-partisan caretaker Government, which is constitutionally required 90 days before a general election is held.

This followed the failure of the governing Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, and the Awami League, led by her arch-rival, Sheik Hasina Wajid, to agree on someone to head the interim administration or the Electoral Commission, which runs the polling.

The pressure on Mr Ahmed intensified this week when the Awami League announced it would boycott the January 22 poll. Mr Ahmed tried to tough it out. But after a meeting with thecommanders of the three branches of the armed forces, he declared a state of emergency and resigned.

Talks fail, fear reigns in Nandigram

Nandigram (West Bengal): Even while West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee plans the road ahead, the people of Nandigram continue to live in camps and in fear of displacement.
For instance, a waiter in a hotel in Haldia, Lalmohan Pramanik, lives 50 kilometre away in Nandigram. Until a couple of months ago, he used to commute from home everyday but now he doesn't dare to go to his family."I can't go home because of the unrest there. I'm the sole bread earner in my family and if I get killed my family will be in deep trouble," he says.


There were obvious signs of people of Nandigram planning an upheaval, but the police chose to ignore them till January 3.And now even by engaging all political parties in peace talks, the administration can't make headway.


The last round of negotiations failed because farmers felt that the administration wouldn't go half way, so repair of roads and bridges has been pushed back by a few more days."We have lost faith in the Police and the administration because we are being attacked by CPI-M cadres in police uniform. It's for them that so many peasants have lost their lives," said a resident of the village, Sheikh Farooq Abdullah.Such is the threat perception that a makeshift public announcement system is being set up to warn villagers of a possible police entry.


And though the Chief Minister has admitted to an administrative blunder in Nandigram and put land acquisition there on hold, farmers are not yet sure about the government's intentions.


Thanks to the failed talks at the all-party meeting, restoration of civic infrastructure still remains a far cry in Nandigram. With villagers constantly living in the fear of losing their lives, the Chief Minister needs to do much more than give out assurances of tearing up notices to restore some faith among the peasants in Nandigram.


Child soldiers in hiding in Somalia after recent violence

MOGADISHU, Somalia: Adirisaq Khalid Ahmed was shining shoes in Mogadishu's labyrinthine marketplace when a soldier from Islamic movement approached, asking him to join up.

Ahmed, all of 16 years old, said yes.

Two months later, the Islamic militia has been driven from power and an unknown number of young soldiers like Ahmed are hiding in and around the capital, some of them wounded and too frightened to leave their homes.

Interviews with several boys as young as 14 who said they fought in the recent weeks of violence in Somalia lend credence to accusations that children have been recruited for battle in this chaotic Horn of Africa nation. The government and the Islamic movement have denied recruiting child soldiers, but Christian Balslev-Olesen, UNICEF's Somalia representative, said Friday that witness accounts suggest otherwise.

"I fought with the enemy and was shot," Ahmed told The Associated Press from his home, where his uncle is helping him recover from gunshots to his back and thigh. He spoke on condition that he not be photographed for fear of reprisals from the government, which with the help of Ethiopian troops drove the Islamic movement fighters out of Mogadishu and much of southern Somalia two weeks ago. He also fears Somalis who resent the strict interpretation of Islam that had been imposed by the Islamic movement, known as the Council of Islamic Courts .

Medha Patkar now heads for Nandigram


Kolkata, Jan 12 (IANS) Social activist Medha Patkar left for Nandigram in West Bengal Friday to address people resisting land acquisition for a special economic zone (SEZ).Patkar was freed on bail Thursday after she was arrested a day earlier for trying to visit Singur, the focal point of mass protests against a car project.The Narmada Bachao Andolan leader also filed a petition against the West Bengal Police for her arrest besides a defamation suit against Left Front leader Biman Bose for linking her to the Nandigram flare up.


Medha Patkar, produced in Alipore police court here Thursday, was released on unconditional bail.


Even as no untoward incident has been reported from Nandigram for the past two days, after days of clashes and deaths, the situation remained tense in the area where an all-party meeting on peace efforts had failed Thursday.

Land acquisition: LR Act to be applied at Nandigram

Express News Service

Kolkata, January 11: The state government will no longer apply the West Bengal Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (WBIIDC) Act of 1974 at Nandigram where the government faced stiff opposition from local farmers after Haldia Development Authority (HDA) issued notices to acquire land for a proposed SEZ. The Act empowers WBIIDC to acquire land at any place for setting up industries. WBIIDC on its part can empower any state agency to acquire land for the same purpose. According to this Act, the government can acquire land anywhere for public purpose within 15 days. The Salim Group of Indonesia is setting up a multi-product SEZ at Nandigram and a chemical hub at Haldia in a total area of 22,500 acres of land.

The government instead is going to apply the land acquisition Act of 1894, called Act One, for acquiring the land at Nandigram. According to this Act, notice for land acquisition can be issued only by the district magistrate. ‘‘Act One (the LR Act) is more transparent and there is more scope for the redressal of people’s grievances,’’ Abdur Rezaq Mollah, minister for land and land reforms, today said. He also said that the people of Nandigram panicked after they saw what happened at Singur. ‘‘People were tense when they saw the turn of events at Singur and they panicked when they saw the notices,’’ the minister said.

Four people died when clashes erupted last week between the CPI-M supporters and those who were opposed to land acquisition there. The chief minister later admitted that the government’s decision was a hasty one and they had made a mistake by doing so. He also said that the government would go in for the land acquisition process only after consulting people at all levels, even if it takes months.

West Bengal set to welcome mega investments from Bhushan
PRINCE MATHEWS THOMAS

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 2007 03:35:35 AM]

MUMBAI: New Delhi-based Bhushan Steel and Strips (BSSL) plans to set up a 2 million tonne per annum (mtpa) steel plant in West Bengal to cash in on the growing demand for steel in India. The company is in talks with the state government and expects to sign the memorandum of understanding within a couple of months, MD Neeraj Singal told ET.

The talks also include plans to set up a thermal power project of 1,000 MW. The project will be implemented by the company’s unlisted subsidiary Bhushan Energy.

“We have identified the location for the projects and it will be near a coal pit-head. Talks are also on for a captive coal block,” added Mr Singal. Though he declined to disclose the amount of investment, industry estimates put the total investment at about Rs 10,000 crore. “About Rs 4,000 crore of investment is needed for each 1,000 MW of power,” said an analyst.

The company is at present, implementing a 2.2 million tonne steel project in Orissa with an investment of Rs 5,000 crore. “The first phase of the Orissa project, with a capacity of 500,000 tonnes, will be completed by March this year. The whole project should be completed by 2009,” said CFO Nittin Johari. The company’s stock rose 3.6% to Rs 395 on the BSE on Thursday. The metal index on the exchange was up 1.9%.

Incidentally, JSW Steel, the second-largest private steel manufacturer in the country on Thursday announced a “Development Agreement” with the West Bengal government for setting up a 10 million tonne steel plant in the state at an investment of Rs 35,000 crore. The project will be implemented by a special purpose joint venture company, with the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation and the West Bengal Mineral Development and Trading Corporation. The Sajjan Jindal-company will hold 89% stake in the JV.

The two developments, according to industry experts, indicates that West Bengal following in the footsteps of Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand who have signed a slew of MoUs. BSSL’s project in Orissa is credited to be the first to be signed by the Orissa government.

The company claims to have one of the largest captive held coal mines in the country with reserves of 330 million tonnes. BSSL is also implementing a 2,000 MW thermal power project in the state. “Work on the first phase of 300 MW has begun and we are nearing financial closure,” said Mr Singal.

Bengal CM takes notes from Singur

West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has learned a tough lesson his state readies to welcome at least Rs25,000 crore in investments. CNBC-TV18 reports.

Resistance from opposition parties and lack of consensus amongst the CPI-M's allies wouldn't come in the way of Bengal's drive for industrialisation. That's what Bhattacharjee said in an exclusive interview to the TV18 Network.

And to overcome farmer resistance of the kind he encountered in Singur and Nandigram, the state government must work in tandem with the CPI-M… that's the lesson the chief minister has learnt from Singur.

Bhattacharjee says, "Of course the government and the party have to work together in one voice. The party is mobilising the local people and trying to persuade them and now 95 per cent of the people have voluntarily given consent. It's a unique thing; it's never happened in any part of the country."

Indeed, landowners of Singur have been compensated well; tenants too have got something. But what happens to agricultural workers? They have got nothing as yet. But the chief minister says they too need not despair.

"The major problem is with agricultural workers. Now we have engaged them in various construction activities like the construction of roads, fencing, and they will also be engaged in the construction of the factory. They will be engaged in the factories, if not the main factory, in the ancillary units," he said.

Bengal, according to Bhattacharjee, would receive at least Rs25,000 crore in investments this year. There are three steel plants and six Special Economic Zones in the pipeline.

But providing land for the proposed projects wouldn't be easy because 62 per cent of the state is under cultivation, and agriculture still accounts for nearly 26 per cent of Bengal's economy.

Asia : Guarded optimism, but no big outcomes expected from Pranab visit

Posted by admin on 2007/1/12 11:33:43
Islamabad, Jan 12 (IANS) Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee arrives on his first official visit to Pakistan Saturday amid guarded optimism on both sides that disputes over the Sir Creek marshland and the Siachen glacier may be resolved in the near future. However, both sides are realistic not to expect any immediate breakthrough on the Kashmir issue.

The ostensible purpose of Mukherjee's visit here is to invite Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to attend the 14th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit to be held in New Delhi in April this year.

But Mukherjee's trip - the first by him to Pakistan - has taken on the dimensions of a diplomatic event that is being keenly watched on both sides of the border with the two sides expected to take their dialogue forward on the contentious issue of Kashmir, that has reportedly made some progress in back-channel talks.

Mukherjee will hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri Saturday to review the third round of composite dialogue between the two countries including security, Kashmir, Siachen, confidence building measures and trade, but from India's point of view the key concern would be continuing cross-border terrorism in which Pakistan is suspected to have a hand.

In the spirit of new realism in their engagement, foreign office officials on both sides have already sounded out that there would be "no breakthroughs or big outcomes" in the talks that Mukherjee will have with the Pakistani leadership here but what is being watched keenly is the creation of positive atmospherics and the bridging of trust deficit to resolve more difficult issues.

Mukherjee, say Indian officials, will use the opportunity to convey concerns over the resurgence of Taliban in Afghanistan and west Pakistan that has links with militancy in India.

This will be in fact the first high-level political contact between the two countries after they set up a trailblazing institutional anti-terror mechanism in November last year in the aftermath of the July 11 multiple bombings in Mumbai that India blamed on Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence.

Sources told IANS that the first meeting of the mechanism will be held in New Delhi shortly and possible dates would be discussed between both sides.

"It is not in anybody's interest to see the rebirth of the Taliban. Obviously a major mindset change is required. And considering that US assistant secretary of state Richard Boucher is in Islamabad today from his trip to Kabul, we will be just reiterating the same points that he would have made," said a senior Indian government source who did not want to be identified.

In a development that is sure to strengthen India's case, the US Senate Select committee on Intelligence dubbed Pakistan a hub of the Al-Qaeda and its global network and said its leaders enjoyed a "secure hideout" in this country.

Interestingly, this is the first high-level visit from India after Musharraf came out with his four-point proposal consisting of a joint supervisory mechanism, self-governance, demilitarisation and making the Line of Control (LoC) irrelevant that fuelled speculation that some sort of understanding or deal on Kashmir might be possible in the future.

In his talks with Musharraf, Mukherjee is also likely to convey India's desire to have a treaty of peace, security and friendship with Pakistan, as articulated by Manmohan Singh recently in his famous speech from the holy city of Amritsar.

Two issues on which there are likely to be forward movement are the demarcation of maritime boundary by resolving Sir Creek and the dispute over the Siachen glacier. Pakistan may hint at accommodating India's demand for authenticating actual ground position line as a precondition for demilitarisation of what is known as the world's highest battlefield.

"The minister's visit is expected to take this matter further and let's see what comes out," said an Indian foreign ministry official.

If there is a breakthrough on any of these issues, it could set the stage for Manmohan Singh's visit to Pakistan later this year.

Trinamool bid to strengthen Left link to fight CPI(M)
Kolkata, Jan. 12 (PTI): The Trinamool Congress is looking forward for support from Left partners, particularly Naxalites, to carry forward its movement against acquisition of agricultural land for industrial purpose.

The Trinamool Congress today felicitated leaders of three Left groups for taking an 'active role' in the programmes of the party-led farmers committee to protest land acquisition at Singur and to 'protect the farmers' cause at Nandigram.

"Our Left partners in the alliance are helping us to overcome our weaknesses," said Trinamool Congress leader Madan Mitra.

"We are gaining from our Left friends to take forward our movement for the farmers' cause," Mitra said.

"A new dimension has been added to the movement because of this partnership. It is a new platform for mass movement which is being spearheaded by the Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee."

Members of the CPI-ML State Organising Committee and CPI-ML New Democracy were felicitated at the function at the compound of the party headquarters.

Among Left partners in the Trinamool Congress-led Singur Krishi Jami Rakshya Committee (Save Farmland Committee) is the Party for Democratic Socialism whose leader Samir Patitunda was also felicitated.

Two other Left parties outside the CPI(M)-led Left Front - SUCI and CPI-ML Liberation have not joined the Mamata-led agitation despite SUCI being the joint convenor of the committee in Singur.

Blair backs Bush's plan

Friday, January 12, 2007 (Lympstone):British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Thursday he supported the US decision to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq, but stressed Britain had no need to deploy additional forces.Blair, speaking in an interview with a local television station in southwestern England, said the United States and Britain remained in step on their policy over Iraq.

"Well, given the conditions in Baghdad at the moment, I think it makes sense for them to increase the number of their forces, provided it's to back up an increasing Iraqi capability.

He further added that increasing capability would not just be in terms of their own armed forces, but also in terms of reconstruction, reconciliation, and development.

Bush's decision and an ongoing joint Iraqi-British operation to tackle insurgents in the southern city of Basra shared the aim of transferring security duties to local forces, Blair added.

"We have a different situation down in Basra, because the conditions are different, we don't have the same type of sectarian fighting, we don't have Al Qaida operating in the same way," Blair said.


NATO troops wound civilian in Afghanistan

NDTV Correspondent

Friday, January 12, 2007 (Kabul):NATO-led troops shot and wounded an Afghan civilian whose vehicle failed to heed warnings to stop as it approached their convoy in southern Afghanistan, the alliance said on Thursday.The troops with NATO's International Stabilisation and Assistance Force in Zabul province "gave clear signals for the driver to stop, including the use of warning shots, however the vehicle refused to halt," the statement said.

"ISAF forces eventually fired upon the vehicle, unfortunately wounding one local national," it said.

The alliance said it regrets the shooting. An investigation into the incident was launched, the statement said.

NATO said last week that it killed too many Afghan civilians during fighting last year.