THE TIMES OF INDIA, MUMBAI 10 TIMES NATION | Politics & Policy TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2015 Pinarayi gets India counters Obama’s religious CPM averts immediate crisis, a proxy, VS but VS keeps party on toes now history intolerance jibe with figures [email protected] Akshaya.Mukul @timesgroup.com Alappuzha: The 21st state confer- Tells US Secular HOW TO INTEGRATE MINORITIES New Delhi: CPM leadership ence of the CPM ended here on INDIAN LESSONS FOR AMERICA is relieved after managing to Monday, and with it the more than Democracy Is India’s response avert the bigger crisis of vet- seven-decade po- ➤ Higher population growth Usual notions of minorities to violent eran V S Achuthanandan litical career of V Nation’s Core of smaller communities is and their alienation not valid extremism is quitting the party, but the re- S Achuthanan- an indicator of their ease and in the Indian context. Gong by calibrated in a verberations of the open sho- dan. The party’s Strength sense of stake in a happy the usual definition of minority, way that prevents wdown will be felt for much new state com- co-existence with the rest their population is over 260 disproportionate longer. The party though is mittee, as expect- [email protected] not sure of his next move and ed, elected polit- ➤ Recently held elections million, i.e over 21% of India’s use of force by the population. There are over 180 apprehends he might resign buro member Kodiyeri New Delhi: in J&K is a testimony of the state Strongly counter- million Muslims in India as leader of the opposition Balakrishnan as its secretary to re- ing US President Barack Oba- success story of integrating and become a rallying point. place Pinarayi Vijayan who was at Muslims into the mainstream ma’s charge of “religious intol- India’s NSG, the nodal But CPM is unlikely to take END OF AN ERA: CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan (L) the helm for 16 years. erance” in India, the Modi ➤ India has never used air counter-terrorism force, is a any disciplinary action with Pinarayi Vijayan (R) and V S Achuthanandan at the party meet VS’s name didn’t figure in the government has conveyed to power or any area weapon in police organization. against him. He has already 88-member state committee, which Washington that the usual no- combating violent extremism. ➤ Even in areas where been excluded from the new His bête noire Pinarayi Vi- the party was either to listen has 15 new faces, but a seat in the tion of alienation of minori- Indian Army is deployed state committee. jayan will most likely be par- to him or tread a middle path. committee was left vacant for him ties is not valid in the Indian for combating A senior party leader ty’s chief ministerial candi- Party resolution has merely in case he chose to come out of context as the government has Despite being terrorism, it is subject said, “VS has calmed down a date now. Considered close to referred to his anti-party his self-imposed exile. Meant as a ensured their socio-economic home to 180 million to the Indian civil laws bit but he is still angry. He Vijayan, Balakrishnan will activities, not called him symbolic gesture, and a half-heart- and political integration with ed move by central leaders to Muslims, there is and functions as an wants that his grievances have to do the nearly impossi- anti-party man,” a senior the mainstream. sent to general secretary Pra- ble balancing act of keeping leader said, adding that he mollify the recalcitrant veteran, hardly any case of empowered police. Addressing the White recruitment of Indian kash Karat should be ad- Achutanandan in good hu- will fight till even that refer- there was no need to second-guess ➤ House summit in Washington Muslims to any pan- Terrorism faced dressed fully. He does not mour and not treading into ence is removed. its real import. DC last week on Countering Vi- Islamist groups by India has their want the ‘anti-party’ label in the shoes of Vijayan. “Achu- Achuthanandan rejected Despite placatory phone olent Extremism, chief of of In- source outside the last stage of his career. tanandan has divisive tend- the central leadership’s de- calls from party general secreta- dia’s Joint Intelligence Com- the country Exclusion from the state com- encies. He can even open mand to attend the party con- ry Prakash Karat and PB mem- mittee R N Ravi reeled off facts mittee on grounds of ad- front against Balakrishnan. ference on the last day and ber Sitaram Yechury on Sunday, and figures relating to minori- Ban-ki-Moon — that this credi- vent disproportionate use of India took pride in the fact vanced age has not convinced At one point he opposed EP made it clear that he is firm VS refused to come back to the ty welfare schemes and mea- bly indicated their “ease and force, India highlighted how it that despite a population of 180 him nor will cut much ice Nayanar in alliance with Vi- on his demand to have chang- state conference on Monday or sures undertaken by the gov- sense of stake in a happy co-ex- had never used “air power” million Muslims, there had with public.” Though as jayan and then turned his es in the report of the party to attend the mammoth public ernment, to underline that the istence with the rest”. Pointing or “area weapon” to combat been hardly any case of member of the Central Com- gun against the latter. It state secretariat in which rally. The central leaders’ inter- social, educational and eco- to institutions such as a Union violent extremism. “India’s recruitment of Indian Mul- mittee he can attend state helped that allegations of there are critical remarks vention, however, did restrain nomic empowerment of the ministry for minority affairs National Security Guard, the sims to any of the violent Pan committee meetings, it re- corruption were made against him. VS from going ahead with a smaller communities was tak- and National Commission for nodal counter-terrorism force, Islamist groups. “Terrorism mains to be seen if he finds against Vijayan,” one state However, he decided not planned news conference on en due care of. Minorities, Ravi underlined is a police organization…the that India faces has their place in the new CC that will leader said. to meet the media following Monday where he was expected Drawing attention to the that these were focused on edu- police with its roots in the source often outside the coun- be constituted in the party Even those leaders who the request from politburo to announce his resignation as higher population growth of cational and economic empo- communities deals with vio- try,” declared Ravi. congress in April. think Achuthanandan is a member Sitaram Yechury. In- leader of the opposition in the smaller communities in India werment of smaller communi- lent extremism firmly yet with Even the 65% turnout in Change in the state party chronic public dissenter in a stead he issued a statement in state assembly. over the last six decades, India ties, as well as addressing co- human touch,” Ravi said the recent polls in Jammu & leadership — Kodiyeri Ba- Marxist party solely for self- which he said, “There was no Political observers view Ko- told the three-day summit – at- ncerns relating to their rights. adding that even the Army Kashmir, India’s only Muslim- lakrishnan replacing Pina- image are aware of his huge point in attending the party diyeri as a proxy who could align tended by President Obama, Stating that the govern- was bound by India civil laws majority state, was highlighted rayi Vijayan as the new state public standing and a cult sta- conference when the report the party organization to Pina- US vice-president Joe Biden ment’s response to violent ex- and functioned as “an empo- at the US meet as “a testimony secretary — is also not going tus that no one in the Kerala that termed him as an anti- rayi’s long-cherished ambition and UN Secretary-General tremism was calibrated to pre- wered police”. to its (India’s) success story”. to mollify Achutanandan. unit enjoys. “The choice for party activist still exists.” of becoming Kerala CM. FILEGATE EXPOSÉ ‘We’ll have to 3rd Death Anniversary in Cab secy calls meet loving memory of SMT. RADHAMANI PRABHAKARAN NAIR beg to sustain MARKA DEATH ANNIVERSARY CHAUTHA- UTHAMNA 29.05.63 - 24.02.12 to discuss security ourselves’ SHRI MAGHANLAL Time has not healed our wounds. Your presence Sunderdas Talreja left [email protected] Somreet.Bhattacharya for heavenly abode on will always be missed in @timesgroup.com 21/2/2015. In Greif : our day to day life. New Delhi: Govind & Kalpana Even as Delhi po- Fondly remembered by New Delhi: Talreja, Rahul Talreja, family and friends. lice widens the probe into cor- Lokesh Sharma’s Nikhita & Umesh Chug. porate espionage, Cabinet sec- family has not seen him for five Marka on Tuesday 24/2/2015 bet. 5 & 5.30 retary Ajit Seth has convened a days. Last they heard from him, p.m. at Khatwari Darbar, meeting with secretaries of he was at a party at the Taj on Linking Rd., Khar (W). sensitive ministries like home, Wednesday night. defence and finance and key ec- On Monday, Lokesh, an ener- DEATH onomic ministries on Tuesday gy consultant working for Infra- to discuss how to tighten access line in Noida, became the latest control at their offices and se- arrest in the sensational corpo- cure classified information.