Tibetan blunder

China's dam plan will hit north-east, says Gogoi
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Tuesday expressed concern at media reports of Beijing's plan to construct a dam on part of the Brahmaputra flowing in China and divert about 200 billion cubic metres of water to feed the Yellow River.

CBCNN refers to Brahmaputra flowing in Tibet as part of China. Cant really blame them when Government of India itself refuses to recognize Tibet autonomy here. Call it the legacy of the "useful idiot".

In a statement here, Mr. Gogoi said the Brahmaputra-Barak-Meghna river system contributed almost one-third of the total surface water resources of the country and any large-scale diversion would have serious repercussions for the northeast and the country as a whole.
One-third of the total surface water resource of the country is coming from Tibet. And we kept quiet when China invaded Tibet. Talk about short-sighted leaders.

Chinese Water wars on NE

China's dam plan will hit north-east, says Gogoi

Core values and Quality standards of CBCNN

CBCNN has on several occassions proclaimed its high standards of journalism. Evaluating the 125 years of its existence here, CBCNN says:
Over the decades, The Hindu has been striving to continuously uphold and practice the highest standards in journalism. It has tried unwaveringly to adhere to the core journalistic values, of pursuit of truth without fear or favour, fairness, objectivity, authenticity, independence and a sense of balance.

The Hindu's independent editorial stand and its reliable and balanced presentation of news have won for it the serious attention and regard of the discriminating sections of the people over the years. The tradition of The Hindu, built over 125 years, is the tradition of dependability. Its national perceptive and outlook have made it a national institution spanning several generations. A leading commentator even described it as "a national voice with a southern accent".


Compare this with what old, long-time readers say.
The common thread in many of these messages is that The Hindu is partisan and prejudiced. Some of the points they make are:

The paper has turned into an ideological document; there is disproportionate coverage to CPI(M) Polit Bureau members wherever they speak; a mindset prejudiced against all right-wing people; obsession for Muslims and their welfare; an anti-American bias. The demand is made that the paper should present "both sides of the ideological coin so that the readers would decide the merits and demerits of the issue." While conceding the paper's "entitlement to have its own ideology, prejudices, biases, etc.," a reader says it cannot have "pretensions of adherence to core values."

CBCNN made no attempt to contradict these statements by old, long-time readers. No more comments.

CPI all excited about Hu Jintao's visit

CPI(M) urges China to take confidence-building steps

Mr. Yechury, who is leading a high-level party delegation to China at the invitation of the ruling Communist Party of China, told his interlocutors that China should take steps to prevent recurrent flooding in the north-east region, including the Brahmaputra river, as well as avoid flash floods in Himachal Pradesh due to break-up of artificial lakes in Tibet.

Comrade Yechury is acknowledging that the Chinese experiments in Tibet are causing flash floods in India. The Tibetian ghost, created by Comrade Nehru, will haunt us for a long time.

CPI and CBCNN actively support Chinese invasion of Tibet.

Another irrelevant Xinhua article

English lessons
Some 1500 drivers getting English lessons. What relevance has this got for Indians.

France too rules out comparion between India and N.Korea

France too rules out comparison

France on Tuesday joined the United States and Britain in rejecting a comparison between the nuclear programmes of India and North Korea.

However, CBCNN insists on clubbing the two under the same banner.

China's land usage policy - do you care?

China to conserve land

CHINA'S ministry of Land and Resources is trying to conserve arable land in China and not India. Why should an average Indian be concerned about China's domestic issues?
The Tibet support group, Friends of Tibet, has rightly accused CBCNN of being a mouthpiece of the Xinhua News Agency, run by the Chinese Communist Party. Have a look at http://www.friendsoftibet.org/save/ for more details.

More polluted Beijing better than Delhi

A tale of two cities - Harish Chandola

Harish Chandola is on a visit to Beijing, most probably on a business trip to the corporate headquarters of CBCNN or Beijing is trying to keep its foot soldiers in India happy by sponsoring pleasure trips to a few.

Harish is describing his visit by comparing Beijing to New Delhi and you can see him looking through the proverbial coloured glasses. Harish is absolutely captivated by the "rising moon" in the early morning. He says, Beijing, being more polluted than Delhi, has a grey curtain of smog, making the sun look like a moon. Greater pollution in Beijing makes the sun look more beautiful here than in Delhi. Comrade Harish Chandola is so blinded with prejudice, he does not need the smog to make Beijing look more beautiful.

Another article suspecting the police

Facts, fiction or the fog of drugs? - Praveen Swami

"IT is far pleasanter to sit comfortably in the shade rubbing red pepper in a poor devil's eyes," wrote James Stephen in his 1883 classic, The History of Criminal Law, "than to go about in the sun hunting up evidence."

Stephen's wry commentary on colonial Indian police practices offers a prism through which to examine the Mumbai Police's investigation of the July 11 serial bombing of suburban trains.
Swami's opening statements set the tone for the rest of the article. He straight away starts with the assumption that the Mumbai police have not spent time on the investigation and are forcing confessions out of innocents. CBCNN rejects any direct evidence indicting Pakistan, saying it is so obvious Pak wont do it. CBCNN rejects any circumstantial evidence saying it is not solid evidence. CBCNN calls any time taken for the investigations as police ineffeciency. The police have no escape. The CBCNN is always lashing out at them. In total contrast, CBCNN is always considerate when it comes to Islamic terrorism. Also, look at how it went to the extent of supporting nuclear tests by blaming America. The Indian police get no such sympathy from CBCNN.

Another article suspecting the police

Facts, fiction or the fog of drugs? - Praveen Swami

"IT is far pleasanter to sit comfortably in the shade rubbing red pepper in a poor devil's eyes," wrote James Stephen in his 1883 classic, The History of Criminal Law, "than to go about in the sun hunting up evidence."

Stephen's wry commentary on colonial Indian police practices offers a prism through which to examine the Mumbai Police's investigation of the July 11 serial bombing of suburban trains.
Swami's opening statements set the tone for the rest of the article. He straight away starts with the assumption that the Mumbai police have not spent time on the investigation and are forcing confessions out of innocents. CBCNN rejects any direct evidence indicting Pakistan, saying it is so obvious Pak wont do it. CBCNN rejects any circumstantial evidence saying it is not solid evidence. CBCNN calls any time taken for the investigations as police ineffeciency. The police have no escape. The CBCNN is always lashing out at them. In total contrast, CBCNN is always considerate when it comes to Islamic terrorism. Also, look at how it went to the extent of supporting nuclear tests by blaming America. The Indian police get no such sympathy from CBCNN.

Continuing support for Afzal

Intellectuals rally behind Afzal

The same old mafia network of muslims and jholawallas are being peddled as intellectuals by CBCNN. CBCNN is trying its best to give prominent coverage to all those fringe elements and extremists supporting Afzal.

A party politburo member's opinion

Protect Parliament prestige: Brinda Karat

Why does some politburo member's opinion get so much prominence in CBCNN? It is because she happens to be the wife of Prakash Karat, who is a good friend of the editor-in-chief of CBCNN, N.Ram. The next time you hear about ethics from CBCNN, remember it is hypocrisy, which the communists have mastered so well.

Brinda Karat fights for the wrong causes once again. Legistlature questioning the Parliament is not undermining its prestige. Both of them have to uphold the constitutional law. If parliament thinks of itself as the supreme authority and acts with impunity and disregard for the law, a responsible legistlature must react to the situation. A legistlature acts on the parliament as a check in such cases.

In both instances that the legistlature pulled up the parliament, the parliament has violated the stipulated guidelines. In both cases, the violator is congress party, the unethical bed-partner of the communists. Karat, once again, is supporting an unconstitutional act for political purposes.

Garibi hatao

Back to garibi hatao

Three-and-a-half decades ought to have been long enough for India to make a massive dent on poverty. During the same period, by all accounts, China, embarking on a new economic path, has succeeded in raising hundreds of millions of its citizens out of mass poverty comparable with India's. However, in the new millennium, more than 350 million Indians remain desperately poor by any international norm.
At the slightest available opportunity, CBCNN praises the fatherland, China. Have to acknowledge the Chinese experiment as a great success, if only one can ignore the tens of millions of poor farmers who have been sacrificed for the purpose.

CBCNN is soft and considerate while evaluating the debilitating effects of Nehruvian-Stalinism, and its associated phony ideals of socialism and equality, or the trickery, opportunism and deceit of Indira Gandhi when she used the "garibi hatao" as only a slogan, while further shackling the free enteprise.

This being CBCNN, you dont expect them to rip apart the duplicity of Indira Gandhi's "garibi hatao". And when Saint Gandhi is using the same slogan a few decades later, CBCNN is curious about the political advantage it will fetch her, not the poverty alleviation that can be affected.

Xinhua drum-beating in CBCNN

China's urbanisation gains momentum

Cant find much difference between Xinhua, China's national newspaper controlled by the national party, and CBCNN, another China's national newspaper, but operating out of Chennai. The both collaborated to provide us, the hapless readers in India, the great things that are going on in the fatherland of China.

Population in towns is increasing in China because of the desertification of rural areas, in terms of population and landscape. The disastrous consequences of China's economic policies is something you cannot hope to hear from either Xinhua or CBCNN.

Pak's Daily Times indicts Musharraf but not CBCNN

Seven years and counting - Nirupama Subramanian

But the question his moderate critics are asking is, if he is so "all right" what prevented President Musharraf from doing anything for this vision in these last seven years. After all, he first spoke of enlightened moderation six years ago. If in this time, religious extremist forces have gained political power, it is thanks to his sidelining of mainstream political parties, and the backlash from the decision to unquestioningly back the U.S. `war on terror.' They are asking why, if he claims to be a champion of moderation, did he succumb just last month to Islamist forces that opposed amending the anti-women Hudood ordinances. And why, as the Daily Times, asked in an editorial, does he continue to retain jihadi options in Kashmir and Afghanistan?

The Daily Times editorial asks Musharraf why he is continuing to retain jihadi options in Kashmir but CBCNN, in this editorial, tells its readers Musharraf has nothing to do with jihad in Kashmir.

Another editorial supporting N.Korea nuclear tests

Unhelpful step

In yet another article supporting the N.Korean nuclear tests, CBCNN clubs North Korea with India and Pakistan. CBCNN strongly condemns the imperialist US imposing sanctions on communist North Korea.

CPI blames US for N.Korea nuclear tests

Korean nuclear test unfortunate, says CPI (M)

We heard it all in an earlier editorial on this topic by CBCNN.

CPI-M held the U.S. "singularly responsible" for N.Korea's nuclear tests.

"After declaring itself a nuclear weapons state, India's stand that other countries should not acquire nuclear weapons does not carry much conviction. Likewise, if Israel can stockpile 200-plus nuclear weapons, how can India argue against Iran exercising its legitimate right as the signatory of the NPT to conduct uranium enrichment?"
North Korean case different from India's, says Tony Blair because India is strong on counter-proliferation. But CPI(M), and CBCNN, choose not to see the distinction.

Bannerjee Committee illegal: High Court

Bannerjee Committee illegal: High Court


The Gujarat High Court on Friday held the constitution of the U. C. Bannerjee Committee by the Railway Ministry to probe the Godhra train carnage illegal and unconstitutional.

It restrained the Centre from tabling the committee report in Parliament or taking any further action on it.

Allowing a petition filed on March 28, 2005 by Neelkanth Tulsidas Bhatia, one of those injured in the February 27, 2002 carnage on the outskirts of the Godhra railway station, Justice D. N. Patel held that the Ministry and the Centre had no jurisdiction to issue the September 2, 2004 notification appointing the committee. Its constitution was "unconstitutional, illegal and null and void.''

Taking note of the existence of the G.T. Nanavati and K.G. Shah judicial inquiry commission appointed by the Gujarat Government earlier to go into the carnage and the post-Godhra communal riots, the court said that neither under the Commission of Inquiry Act nor under the Indian Railways Act, the Railway Ministry was authorised to appoint a committee to probe the same matter.

On the plea by railway advocate Nirupam Nanavati that the Centre had jurisdiction in any inter-State matter as the Sabarmati Express had passed through more than one State before the incident occurred at Godhra, the court said such powers were vested in the Centre in appointing an inquiry commission and not a high-level committee.

The court viewed with apprehension the Ministry's attempt to upgrade the committee vesting it with powers of a judicial commission. This was a "colourable exercise of power with mala fide intentions.''

Justice Patel also took exception to the appointment of the committee two years and seven months after the incident had occurred, the way its interim report was submitted just two days before the Bihar elections and the publicity given to it for apparent political advantages.

The court flayed the committee's interim report, which was later confirmed in its final report, describing the fire in coach S6 as "accidental, possibly caused by short circuiting.''

The Bannerjee report was "contrary'' to the "facts'' available to the court and also the "admission'' by the Railway Accident Claim Tribunal which, in the event of the petitioner's claim, clearly mentioned that "it is an admitted fact that he sustained injury in coach S6, which was set on fire by a mob.''

The Bannerjee Committee "propounding the theory of accidental fire is just opposite to what the facts are," observed the judge.

Voluminous verdict

Justice Patel, who took more than four hours to read out the voluminous judgment, also rejected the Railways' argument that the petitioner had no locus standi to file the petition. He was a "victim and had the right to a fair trial and the Bannerjee report, "contrary to the facts of the records of the case," would be violative of Article 21 of the Constitution giving all citizens equal rights for justice.

Chief Minister Narendra Modi, welcoming the judgment, said the "justice loving people of the country and of the State" would be happy over the court's stand.

The appointment of the Bannerjee Committee was a "conspiracy" by the UPA Government at the Centre and all other "anti-Gujarat forces'' as part of the "minority vote-bank politics'' and to "save those accused of the train carnage."

Taliban in Kashmir

Fear stalks north Kashmir mountains Praveen Swami

Few interesting points from the article:

... cities across the country grapple with the worst year of Islamist terrorism India has ever faced

In June, Naima Waza, 21, and her sister Salima, 23, were tonsured in full public view for having defied a Lashkar ban on the use of cellular phones. Their father, Abdul Aziz Waza, was shot through the legs. According to the Lashkar, mobile phones encouraged immorality. A powerful Sopore religious figure, Ahad Ba'b Sopore, was targeted for assassination by the Lashkar earlier this year, on the grounds that his syncretic religious practices constituted heresy.
Islamists are turning Kashmir into another Talibani Afghanistan.

... several key terrorist leaders in the area, including the Lashkar's Deputy Division Commander, a Pakistani national
Trust N.Ram when he tells you Pakistan has nothing to do with terrorism.

Passes the verdict on George Fernandes

Tehelka, run by ex-editor of a porn magazine, conducts sting operations to uncover corruption and scandals, mostly involving politicians. It is interesting to note that most of the targets of Tehelka belong to one particular political party. When Congress was neck-deep in Oil-for-food scam, Tehelka ran a sting operation exposing BJP MPs collecting bribes to ask questions in Parliament. The focus of corrupt politicians has shifted from Congress to BJP. It appeared as if Tehelka was acting as an extension of the Congress government, just as CBCNN is an extension of communists.

Once again, Congress government is an obvious beneficiary of Tehelka's investigation of Barak deal. Congress government is also known for its politics of vengeance. Given that both, Tehelka and Congress, are acting in nexus with dubious intentions, the FIR could well be a political drama. CBCNN is overly enthusiastic in passing a verdict that George Fernandes is guilty.
At the very least, the lack of transparency and the haste with which the procurement was pushed through show that the Barak deal was not at all kosher.
CBCNN is just another yellow rag, letting its political affiliations permeate its pages.