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Illegal arms manufacturers make hay during elections

     Jehanabad: With the Bihar state polls round the corner, the business in illegal arms in the state is flourishing. Illegal gun factories are common in the state's Jehanabad district but the elections provide an ideal opportunity for the owners to mint money as these arms are in great demand. Bihar, in spite of being one of the poorest and the least developed states in India, has the dubious distinction of witnessing violent elections, marred by clashes between rival political groups and with allegations of rampant rigging taking place. Earlier, last time, gangs of armed men had stormed into the polling stations, stamped ballot papers and stuffed them into the ballot boxes. Illicit use of arms, muscle and money during polls have given the state a dubious distinction. It is among the last few regions of the country not to have implemented land reforms. The resulting social tensions between groups have led to widespread violence, corruption and disorder. An arms manufacturer, who chose to remain unidentified, said that they make good money due to the demand. "During the elections, there is a rise in violence, hence there is a demand for the guns. During this time, we make good profits. Different political parties buy these weapons from us. We easily make a profit of at least 2,000-3,000 rupees per unit. We make different types of guns," he said.

RJD manifesto released; targets MY vote bank (Go To Top)

     Patna: The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav today released his party's manifesto with an eye on his full-proof MY (Muslim Yadav) base. In a manifesto-releasing press conference Lalu talked about his plans of fighting corruption at all levels, strengthening police machinery, providing employment to at least one person in every poor family and setting up a 'Vikas Sena' to accelerate the development works. He made lots of minority-centric announcements including the establishment of an urdu directorate under Raj Bhasha department. Lalu further said, "We have made the study of Urdu mandatory in state schools, and we promise to open special schools for Muslim girls where they can learn Urdu". He advocated for Muslim reservations on the pattern of SC and STs. The manifesto talks about expanding the small-scale industries network and free education for women also. The Muslim votebank has been the key to Lalu's success in holding on to power for last 15 years in Bihar.

Maoist strike disturbs normal life in Andhra (Go To Top)

     Warangal: Life ground to a near halt in large parts of Andhra Pradesh on Thursday after a strike call by a Maoist group following the collapse of peace talks and a seven- month ceasefire. Streets were deserted as buses stayed off the road and schools and businesses were closed from fears of renewed attacks from Communist Party of India (Maoist) rebels who have been waging a low-intensity insurgency for more than three decades over the rights of peasants and landless laborers. Cities were relatively unaffected by the strike but the closure was felt more in vast stretches of the countryside, particularly in 13 Maoist-dominated districts. "We are suffering because of the shutdown. We are unable to do business and feed our families. The problem is between the government and the naxals, why are we suffering in between?" asked Mahar Rao, a resident of rebel infested Warangal district. Panic has gripped Andhra Pradesh since the Maoists called off talks with the state government this week, leading to an exodus of government officials and politicians from the countryside. The talks collapsed after nine rebels were killed in clashes with the police at the weekend. Rebels say that was a violation of the ceasefire, although the government says it was only conducting normal police operations. Violence continued on Thursday when three rebels were killed in a clash with security forces in Karimnagar district, about 210 km from Hyderabad.

     Authorities have tightened security across the state, particularly at airports, railway stations, key government installations and commercial complexes. Police are combing border areas in search of rebel hideouts. "We have deputed police and are doing vehicle checking in important places. So far, no incident has been reported and the situation is peaceful," said KL Meena, the Deputy Inspector- General of Police. Officials say the rebels number around 2,000 and operate in the dense forests of Andhra Pradesh's Telengana region, about 170 km north of Hyderabad. They said the rebels had earlier asked all elected representatives from their strongholds to resign from their posts, accusing the government of failing to live up to promises made during the first round of peace talks last October. During those talks rebels had asked for a written truce, the release of prisoners and redistribution of land to the poor.