WORSHIP OF SRI BHARATAMATA - Contd.

Worship of Sri Bharatamata - By Sadhu Prof. V. Rangarajan

And what is adoration and worship of Sri Bharatamata? It is not in performing Abhisheka and Arati to the idol, showing Dhoopa and Deepa and offering flowers, fruits and prasad, but loving and serving the children of Mother Bharat, irrespective of their caste, creed or community. The great King Ranti Deva prays in the Srimad Bhagavata,

Na twaham kaamaye raajyam, na sukham na apunarbhavam,
Kaamaye dukha taptaanaam praaninaam aarti naashanam

—"I do not aspire for kingdom, comforts, not even Immortality; all that I aspire for is the removal of the pain and agony of all beings afflicted with sorrow."

Sri Ramakrishna while on a pilgrimage to Kashi found poor and downtrodden people on the way and asked his patron Mathur Babu who was accompanying him to distribute all the money they had to the suffering people, declaring that he saw his Shiva in them only. Swami Vivekananda, on the eve of his historic voyage to America to attend the Parliament of Religions, found on the Marina Beach of Madras, some fishermen children with emaciated faces and empty stomachs, afflicted by poverty and suffering. He cried aloud, " Oh God! Why you have created such suffering beings?" and distributed among the poor all the money that some enthusiastic youth of Madras had collected for his voyage. And on his triumphant return from abroad, in the course of his grand journey from Colombo to Almora, he called out to the Bharatiya youth to worship the Virat, the poor and downtrodden of the land, and gave out his message, "Serve man, serve God!" How many of the so called Hindu brethren follow his advice and translate his message into action?

India that is Bharat will emerge as a powerful nation in the world, the day Hindus in this country and those abroad, who consider the land of their forefathers as a holy land that has given to them the most sacred values of life evolved by the ancient sages and seers, start worshipping the Divine Mother in the form of Sri Bharatamata and celebrate the Akshaya Triteeya as the day most auspicious to worship Her. When they start doing this in congregation and sing the eternal song, Vande Mataram as the hymn addressed to the divine Mother, this land of Bharatavarsha will become a becon shedding the light of eternal knowledge about the meaning and purpose of human life to the entire world.

Our hard won freedom is at stake. The enemies on our borders are just waiting for the moment of betrayal of our nation by the unpatriotic, corrupt and selfish politicians who are prepared to sell their mothers and motherland for the sake of material comforts and fortunes. We need Parashuramas, Vidyaranyas and Samarth Ramdass to create once again a new class of warriors and heroes who will sacrifice their everything at the altar of the Motherland and raise Her once again to Her pristine glory. Today the time has come for us to consecrate the temple of Sri Bharatamata with our own blood and flesh through acts of supreme self-sacrifice. Those who are unable to stand up to protect the honour and dignity of the motherhood of the nation and our sacred Motherland are mlechchas of the modern period irrespective of the religion that they profess or practise.

Let us celebrate the Akshaya Tritiya in every hearth and home of the Hindus in India and outside the country. Let the prayer room in every Hindu home be adorned with the picture of Bharatamata. Sri Bharatamta Mandir at Srinivasanagar in Krishnarajapuram of Bangalore is a sacred abode where Sri Bharatamata is installed as Bharata Bhavani with Chandi Homa, pooja and abhisheka etc, and the Prana Pratishtha of the temple was attended by H.H. Sri Vishwesha Teertha of Udipi Pejawar Mutt on December 8, 2004. We invoke the Divine Grace of Sri Bharatamata on all Her children in India and abroad, and also on all beings in the world as She is the Vishwa Maataa too. May all live in peace and bliss!

Vande Mataram! Bharatmata ki jai!

WORSHIP OF SRI BHARATAMATA - Contd.

By Sadhu Prof. V. Rangarajan

Motherland--The Living God

Let us leave out these hypocrites and look at those who call themselves devout Hindus. How many of them qualify to be called really Hindus? Displaying religious marks like Vibhuti, Chandan, Kumkum and Naamam on the forehead, performing rites and rituals according to Hindu traditions and going to the temples in the hope of getting mundane material benefits, and running after spiritual leaders in the belief that by offering donations and purchasing their blessings and grace, the worldly problems could be solved, do not make one a real Hindu. We see everyday, among people who do all such things, such utterly selfish brutes who leave even their aged parents in lurch or send them to old age homes so that they can live comfortably with their beloved wife and children, amassing as much bank balance as possible by hook or crook, and prepared even to desert their Motherland and settle down in distant lands if they could easily make fortunes there. Lord Sri Rama declared, "Jananee janmabhoomischa swargaadapi gareeyasi"—"Mother and Motherland are greater than the Heaven". We see the so called Hindus who adore thirty three crores of Gods and Goddesses, but express their stupidity by asking a silly question whether Sri Bharatamata is a Goddess or Deity to be worshipped. There are some among them who are even well educated! In how many Hindu homes do you find the portrait or picture of Sri Bharatamata as Simhavaahini Durga with the Bhagava Dwaja in Her hand? In many temples, you find many Parivaara Devataas apart from the main deity, but in how many temples do you find a sanctum sanctorum for Sri Bharata Bhavani?

Now, let us for a moment forget about these rubbish heaps that have been making the Hindu society stink, and take the case of those handful of Hindus who claim to adore and worship Mother Bharat as the Mother of the whole universe, and who are proud to call themselves the descendants of the great sages and seers of this land, Bharatavarsha--the Preceptor of the World—Loka Guru. Do they really see themselves as the real sons of the Divine Mother Bharatamata? If they see themselves so, then there would definitely spring up in their bosom a feeling of unity and brotherhood with all those who think like them as children of Mother Bharat. However, we find everywhere a thick wall of egoism and ego-centric desires separating these children from each other. For ages, efforts have been made by great men and women to bring these children together to build up a strong and well-integrated Hindu society, but every effort has been proved to be short-lived or unsuccessful. The reason is that though these Hindu brethren intellectually understand the oneness of the Hindu nation and fraternity of the Hindu race, they are not able to translate that intellectual understanding into a spiritual realization of the oneness of the Self—the Asmita or Chiti—of the Hindu society and nation by destroying their ego and seeking the identity with the Nation's Self—the Deshaatmabodh. Therefore they are not able to stand together and worship their common Mother—Sri Bharatamata. The bloated ego makes each one of them to be one's own leader and not to submit oneself to another's leadership for the cause of the country and Dharma. The result is that they have proved themselves to be impotent eunuchs facing the onslaught of anti-Hindu and anti-national forces in their very Motherland. The salvation to the Hindu society, the re-establishment of the glorious Hindu Nation and the ascendance of Sri Bharatamata once again to the throne of Loka Guru is possible only when all the true Hindus stand together under one banner, worship the Mother Sri Bharataamba devotedly and sing Her praise in one voice.

AKSHAYA TRITEEYA--THE DAY OF WORSHIP OF SRI BHARATAMATA

Sadhu Prof. V. Rangarajan


Vaishaaka Shukla Triteeya, the third day of the bright fortnight of the month Vaishakh of Vasanta Ritu (Spring Season) according to Hindu calender, known as Akshaya Triteeya, falling on April 30, 2006, is a day auspicious for the worship of Sri Bharatamata. Mother Earth is productivity and plenty incarnate and the Spring season is resplendent with the natural glory of Mother Earth.

The mark of a true Hindu is not whether he worships any god or goddess in the Hindu pantheon, follows any system of Hindu philosophy, cult or guru, practises Hindu rites, traditions or rituals and visits Hindu temples, Maths and pilgrim centers, but whether he adores and worships his mother and Motherland that are greater than heaven. If he is not, he is a mlechcha – a non-Hindu and an outcaste. The word mlechcha was used in the past to denote those who came from outside India, who had no loyalty to this nation and to those who accepted the culture and religion of the aliens and gave up the precious cultural and spiritual heritage of the Motherland.

Rishi Bankim Chandra eulogizes Sri Bharata Bhavani in his famous Vande Mataram song with the words: "Mother I bow to Thee! Rich with thy hurrying streams, bright with Thy orchard gleams, cool with Thy winds of delight, dark fields waving, Mother of Might, Mother free". This is the Spring Glory of our Motherland. "Life on this earth, to be prosperous and happy, needs a suitable mental outlook. Such an outlook is said to dawn upon humanity with every glimpse of the slender moonlight of the crescent moon that appears on the third lunar day of each bright fortnight (shukla triteeya). Hence the selection of this tithi for the worship of the Mother", says Skandanarayan, a renowned scholar and writer on Hindu scriptures and astrology. This day is also auspicious because it is the day of the commencement of Treta Yuga which saw the advent of Maryaadaa Purushottama Sri Ramachandra. It is also the auspicious day of Sri Parasurama Jayanti. The womenfolk of Bharat adore the Divine Mother in the form of Saraswati, Lakshmi and Kali and go in for purchase of ornaments etc., which mark the prosperity of the family.

During the struggle for India’s freedom, Mahayogi Sri Aurobindo who dreamt of setting up a Bhavani Mandir, a temple dedicated to Bharatamata, presented his ideal in inspiring words:

“We cannot get strength unless we adore the Mother of Strength. We will therefore build a temple to the white Bhavani, the Mother of Strength, the Mother of India. This temple will be the centre from which Her worship is to flow over the whole country…. This is also what the Mother has commanded.”

“The Shakti we call India, Bhavani Bharati, is a living unity of the Shaktis of 300 million people (then in about 1907). It is not a piece of earth, nor a figure of speech, nor a fiction of the mind. This is our mother country.”

“Adoration will be dead and ineffective unless it is transmuted into Karma (action). We will have, therefore, a Math with a new Order of Karmayogins attached to the temple, men who have renounced all in order to work for the Mother.”

Who is a True Hindu?

Hiranmayena paatrena satyasyaapihitam mukham
Tattvam pooshan apaavrunu satya dharmaaya drishthaye!

"The face of Truth is covered with a golden chalice! Oh Nourisher of the world, please unveil it so that we shall see the face of Truth-Righteousness!!"—This is the fervent prayer of the Vedic Rishi in the Kathopanishad. We too have to cry out and pray earnestly to the Divine Mother if we have to see the true face of the Hindu. And when the Mother unveils for us the true face of the Hindu, we will be shell shocked to realize that Hindus are an insignificant minority in this very land of Bharatavarsha.

If we go by the definition of the word Hindu—

Aasindhu sindhuparyetaa yasya Bhaarata bhoomikaa,
Pitrubhoo, punyabhoo sa vai Hinduriti smritah

—"All those who adore and worship this Bharatavarsha extending from the River Sindhu in the north to the Sindhu, that is Hindumahasagar or Indian Ocean, in the south, as the land of their forefathers and the holy land, alone are Hindus"—then the majority of the people living in this country do not qualify themselves to be called Hindus. How many of the Hindus in our land today adore and worship the Motherland every day? Breaking a coconut while doing bhumi pooja once or twice in a lifetime, on occasions like laying of foundation for a house or shop, is not adoration or worship of the Motherland. It is an utterly selfish act prompted by a superstitious belief that something will happen to the structure if it is not built after bhoomipooja. How many of the so called Hindus touch the Mother Earth every morning when they get up from the bed, uttering the traditional prayer to the Mother to forgive them for the sacrilege of placing their feet on Her holy dust—

Samudravasane devi, parvata sthanamandale
Vishnupatnee namastubhyam paadasparsham kshamaswa me—

"Oh Mother Bhudevi, the Divine Consort of Lord Vishnu, who wears the oceans as cloth, whose breasts are the mighty mountains, salutations unto You; please forgive me for the sin of placing my legs on you"

—and touch the sacred dust of Motherland with both the hands and place them with all reverence on their heads and hearts?

The great Tamil poet-philosopher, Mahakavi C. Subramania Bharati, addressing the little kids of his Motherland, sang:--

Chedamillaata Hindusthaanam
Atai deivamenru kumbidadi paappaa—

"Oh little child, adore and worship the Undivided Hindustan—Akhanda Bharat—as your Goddess."

Gadar Party of San Francisco

An interesting link on the Indian consulate General web-site about the Gadar party. To be honest, I never had an opportunity to read about the Gadar movement and their sacrifices in the history textbooks when I was in school.

There are so many such unsung and unwept heroes with just one party taking all the credit for the independence of our nation.

As a nation we failed to respect our own heroes.

Update: California Textbook Lawsuit Moves Ahead in Court

From Hindu Press International
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HPI

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, April 21, 2006: The California Superior Court ordered an expedited schedule be determined in the lawsuit of the Hindu American Foundation against the California State Board of Education over the adoption of sixth grade social studies' books for next school year. The lawsuit was brought when Hindus were dissatisfied with the book review process which left in place inaccuracies, distortions and an unbalanced presentation of Hinduism vis-a-vis other religions. See HPI, March 18, for a summary of the lawsuit issues: here.

In his ruling, Superior court Judge Patrick Marlette stated twice that he was "troubled" by the SBE review process in adopting the books. HAF had charged that what is supposed to be a documented and transparent system of review actually progressed through 2005 and 2006 in a haphazard manner. Parts of the review, HAF contends, were contrary to California State law.

The preliminary injunction was rejected by Marlette in favor of a speedy schedule to resolve the complex case prior to the school year. It would be rare for a preliminary injunction to be issued against a state government. He could have dismissed the case, if he felt it had no merit, but did not. He has instead ordered the SBE and HAF to confer and provide a schedule for hearing the case expeditiously, before the textbooks in question are distributed this fall. He also recommended the two parties explore any possible resolution of the issues between them.

One surprising testimony in the case is that of Stan Metzenberg, a member of the Curriculum Commission whose December 2 decision on the Hindu issues with the textbooks -- and supposed to be the final recommendation -- was tossed out by subsequent SBE actions. The SBE contended the Curriculum Commission failed to follow the guidelines laid out for it in reviewing the proposed Hindu "edits" (as the changes are called). As a result, the SBE held a separate, closed door meeting on January 6 to again review the edits, and arrived at a different set of recommendations less acceptable to Hindus.

Metzenberg, a professor at Northridge University in the California system argues in his testimony that the Commission did indeed follow the Board's instructions. He is no stranger to textbook issues, having been involved in improving the science curriculum in California and testifying before the US Congress on the same issue. During the December 2 meeting, Metzenberg, a molecular biologist, took issue with the claims that there was an "Aryan Invasion" in ancient times in India -- one of the main points of dispute with the texts. He took it upon himself to read the studies that had been done on the genetic makeup of individuals of the Indian subcontinent, and reviewed them with his wife, also a professor at Northridge and an expert in human genetics. At the meeting, he sided with the Hindus against the recommendation of several Western non-Hindu Indologists. In his testimony, he states, "My opinion as a scientist, and what I recommended to my fellow commissioners on December 2, was that Aryan Invasion Theory is not easily supported by genetic evidence, and in fact the preponderance of more recent genetic evidence would tend to rule out a major invasion of Europeans. This is why I believe that it would be inaccurate to portray Aryan Invasion Theory as a fact in California textbooks. Our [the Commission's] addition of a qualified statement, 'Aryan invasion theory has been contradicted by some scholarly evidence,' is a sensible solution."

Metzenberg's testimony carries special weight as he was part of the process of textbook adoption and is supporting the Hindu contention that the Curriculum Commission had followed proper procedure in considering the edits. The Board's contention that the Commission did not proper procedure is a major part of their defense.

Another declaration submitted is that of Dr. Shiva Bajpai, who was hired by the Board as an expert in Indian history to review the proposed edits. Upon the entry of the non-Hindu Indologists in December, he was sidelined in the process. At the critical January 6 meeting in which all contested edits were reviewed again, he was told that changes would only be made if he and Dr. Witzel of Harvard, leader of the non-Hindu Indologist group, agreed. This effectively gave veto power over the edits to Dr. Witzel, with the result that significant edits Hindus sought were not made. Bajpai concludes in his testimony, "It is my view and opinion that if the textbooks reflect only the edits recommended by the subcommittee [mostly the results of the January 6 meeting], those texts will portray Hinduism and Indian history inaccurately and in a manner that puts Hinduism in a rather unfavorable light. It is my view and opinion that the texts continue to require changes to make them comply with the Standards imposed by law for textbooks in California."

Also of interest in the court documents is an Amici Curiae Brief submitted by a group of political and social activist organization including The Ambedkar Center for Justice and Peace and the Friends of South Asia. An Amici Curiae Brief is one filed by persons or organizations not directly part of the court case, but who wish to provide input. Most of the Brief is spent critiquing the edits still sought by the Hindu groups, attacking the same groups as "politically motivated," including a flow chart connecting all of them to the RSS in India, even though HAF and the Vedic Foundation -- two key players -- have no organization ties with the RSS, and the association of most others in the chart is tenuous as best.

Toward the end, their Brief states, "Indeed, 126 south Asia faculty and scholars have unequivocally stated that the edits approved by the SBE are an 'important and positive step in providing California school children with more accurate information on Hinduism and Indian history than in the current textbooks.' These faculty and scholars have reached consensus that the textbook edits approved by the SBE are 'a sizeable improvement over the earlier texts in attempting to present responsible scholarship that is sensitive to and respectful of religious and cultural difference.' "

The irony here is that the praised "edits approved by the SBE" are those 75% or so of the edits proposed by the Hindu groups and accepted. There was no input to the edit process by the groups submitting the brief.

The judge at the April 21 hearing requested the groups explore a possibility of settlement. The charges brought against the Board by HAF are fairly extensive, ranging from improper process to the specifics of five issues: women's rights, caste and untouchability, theology, comparison with other faiths and Aryan Invasion. Toward the end of January, prior to the final Board decision on the edits, HAF submitted a document with their recommendation on two dozen or so critical edits related these five issues. This proposal was rejected by the Board, which led to HAF filing the lawsuit. The possibility remains that the Board and HAF could revisit this list of edits and try to work out a solution that does not hold up the entire textbook printing process, as a trial might. A solution based on these specific edits would not address the larger problems with the texts, but it would establish the rights of Hindus to at least an equal part in the process with Western non-Hindu Indologist, many of whom appear to regard Hinduism with contempt. If, however, HAF prevails at trial, then court-ordered changes to the books to bring the treatment of Hinduism on par with the other religious would necessarily be quite extensive, as the court would not be limited to the relatively small corrections allowed in the Board's review process.

India Inc opposes quotas, says India would lose its edge

Is Mr Singh listening ? not the PM.

There are many ways of improving socially oppressed as indicated by these organizations. This Govt should shed its vote bank politics and listen to the industrialists.

No room for reservation at Wipro: Premji


From Indiatimes:
NEW DELHI: India's two leading industry lobbies on Thursday came out strongly against job quotas for the underprivileged in the private sector, saying this would adversely affect business.

"Mandatory reservation in any form is not conducive to competitiveness of the industry. It is not acceptable," declared R. Seshasayee, the new president of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), at a press conference here.

Objecting to reservations in jobs, including for Dalits and tribals, he said: "Industry needs to take positive steps to empower the backward classes in terms of education and employment skills to help them join the mainstream."

Seshasayee's remarks followed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's call on Tuesday for job reservations in the private sector.

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) echoed the CII chief's sentiments, suggesting a five-point action agenda as "alternatives" to straightforward reservation in the private sector.

It suggested public-private partnership to empower youths from Dalits, tribals and other backward classes (OBCs) to get a fair deal in the job market.

"The issue will have to be addressed at the root and this cannot be done merely through reservation," observed FICCI president Saroj Kumar Poddar from Shanghai, where he is leading a high-level business delegation.

Poddar emphasised that the underprivileged youths needed assistance to acquire the necessary skills vital for growing economy.

FICCI called for a complete revamp of the exiting Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) network throughout the country so as to equip youngsters from underprivileged communities in various technical trades.

It also demanded financial support for socio-economically backward students who qualify for institutes of higher studies, on the lines of the US model.

There are at least 13.6 million enterprises run and owned by Dalits, tribals and other backward classes, says a FICCI study. For these units, it suggested special incentives to help them grow faster.

"These units alone employ much more than what any reservation scheme can offer," said Poddar.

'My Lord' junked for 'Your Honour'

Appreciate this move, still there are many such Raj related things to get rid of from our country, and a constituitional review is also due, but none of the so called "leaders" has the will.


From TOI:
NEW DELHI: Their Lordships will henceforth just be their Honours. 'My Lord' and 'Your Lordship', the two phrases used since the British Raj by lawyers to address judges of the Supreme Court and high courts, have just been confined to history by the Bar Council of India.

Work on dam should go on, observes SC

Thank God we have a Supreme court in our country !!!

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April 17, 2006 13:12 IST

The Supreme Court on Monday said the construction work on the Sardar Sarovar Project on Narmada river should go on side by side with effective rehabilitation of the affected people.

India rejects US proposal on N-testing

Hmm, Has Delhi woken up after Atalji's comments a couple of weeks before ??

-------------
From Rediff:
April 17, 2006 20:59 IST
Last Updated: April 18, 2006 01:15 IST

India Monday rejected US proposal for a cap on its nuclear testing saying such a provision has no place in a proposed bilateral agreement.

New Delhi, however, made it clear that it was committed to the unilateral moratorium on further tests.

A draft agreement sent by the US stipulated several elements, one of which said cooperation will be discontinued if India were to detonate a nuclear explosive device.

Job scheme blues: Forms guaranteed to those who can pay

Looks like a great progress....
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From daily pioneer:
The much hyped National Rural Employment Guarantee (NREG) scheme of the Union Rural Development Ministry has hit a roadblock even before it reaches out to the needy in rural areas. Too few forms are available and only to those who pay for them.

Against a whopping 2.2 crore households having applied for job registration, only 79 lakh job cards have been issued. "The job cards issued are not proportionate with the registration figure," a review report of the scheme says.

"Adequate number of forms are not available at the gram panchayat level. The beneficiaries are charged money for getting forms, and forms are distributed to the favoured ones. Also the gram panchayat (GP) officials do not know how to register the applicants," the report adds. The ministry recently carried out a review to ascertain the effectiveness of the scheme.

The review revealed how corruption is out to nip the scheme in the bud. "Adequate number of forms are not available at the gram panchayats (GP). Forms are available at a price. These are distributed only to the favoured ones. The place for registration is not accessible. GP officials do not know how to register the applications, and the job card is being provided when the wage earner turns up for work," the report reveals.

Passed unanimously in Parliament, NREG Act 2005 aims at securing livelihood for the people in rural areas by guaranteeing 100 days of employment in a financial year to a rural household. As many as 200 districts are being covered under the first phase of the scheme.

PM washes hands of dam

Wow What a quick turn-around ? I think we've to give him the benefit of doubt this time as well....

Left will take on UPA after polls:

Appears that Mr Karat is not very confident of winning the assembly polls, so prefers to be quiet whatever may the UPA govt do till the polls. As usual a 24-Karat nonsense! (courtesy T V R Shenoy )

'India giving up more, gaining less from N-deal'

There should be a full-scale debate in the Indian parliament on this, there could be more such shocks in the N-Deal. How can we rely on such a deal for our future energy requirements, what will happen if we're not given fuel based on such shocking clauses once we start using N-Power for the civil needs ? We'll be at the mercy of others.

But can we expect such things from the present Govt which had adjourned the parliament sine die just to save one person ?? If this is going to be such an important thing for the future of the country as proclaimed by the Govt, why isn't there a debade on it, why hasn't it introduced a bill in the parliament or taken it to the people of India ? As Atalji rightly pointed out, is the country's future decided by bills or laws in US Congress ??

From Rediff:
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has said that his fears about the Indo-US nuclear deal have come true with the US government arming itself with new laws to force India to give more concessions.

In a statement released to media persons in New Delhi on Thursday, Vajpayee said, "In July last year, I had expressed my reservations about the Indo-US nuclear deal. Many of my fears have unfortunately come true, as the negotiations on this deal have progressed. It is crystal clear that in every round of negotiations with the US, India has ended up giving more and more concessions."

He referred in particular to the latest draft of the Waiver–Authority Bill introduced in the US Congress. "According to this Bill, a waiver will be granted by the President when India meets the seven conditions, which have been mentioned in the Bill. The course of action of the government of India, in future, will thus be determined not by laws passed by the Parliament of India or by international covenants to which we are party, but by the law framed by the US Congress," the former prime minister said.

He expressed the shock over a particular clause, which says that if the US government determines that India exploded a nuclear device, the US president would be empowered to terminate waivers.

"The obligations under this Bill are far more stringent than those under the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. The CTBT cannot come into force until forty odd countries, including, the US, China and Pakistan, adhere to it. The Bill, when passed, will convert a voluntary moratorium on further tests by India into a legally binding commitment, for all times to come, without any possibility of withdrawal under special circumstances, as provided for in the CTBT. This position is not acceptable," he pointed out.

"In case of China, the US government amended the waiver for perpetuity but in case of India it would be reviewed from time to time. It is left to the US President to decide whether India is adhering to its commitments or not. This is not acceptable to us," he said.

"The least the government of India should do is to insist that there should be an all-time waiver by the US President as in the case of China. Further, India should retain the right to conduct nuclear tests if any other country, such as China or Pakistan, were to do so," Vajpayee said.

Assam's prominent voter didn't vote

It seems that the most important voter (by his position), Dr Singh had been too busy to vote in the elections. People are questioning if he had been registered as a voter in Assam just for the sake of getting elected to RS.

Apparently he had not even used the vote-by-mail option available to him. Even if we agree that he is the busiest person in the country and give him the benefit of doubt, the history proves otherwise. Is the question raised by the people valid ?


"Election office sources here said that the Prime Minister, elected to the Rajya Sabha from Assam in 1991, had cast his vote only in the 1998 Lok Sabha elections but did not vote in the 1991, 1996 and 2001 Assembly polls."