Sri Lankan Navy acting with greater impunity

Calling upon Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to intervene personally for ensuring the release of 121 Tamil Nadu fishermen in Sri Lankan custody, including 29 who were apprehended, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said the hostile actions of the neighbouring country’s Navy had intensified after the fishermen-level talks in Chennai.

Describing the actions as extremely disheartening, Ms. Jayalalithaa, in a letter to Dr.Singh on Friday, said the talks between the fishermen of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, with the support of their governments, represented a positive step forward to resolve the livelihood issues through mutual agreement. Details of the letter were released to the media on Saturday.

Pointing out the 29 fishermen apprehended in Palk Bay had set sail to fish from Rameswaram, Mandapam (North) and Jagathapattinam bases, she said that, every fishing voyage of Tamil Nadu fishermen is now laden with danger and the anxiety of possible attack, harassment, apprehension and custodial detention by the Sri Lankan authorities.

She added that, the Sri Lankan Navy is now acting with greater impunity and effectively thwarting Indian fishermen coming from the coastal districts of Tamil Nadu from peacefully pursuing their livelihood in their traditional fishing waters in the Palk Bay.

Ms. Jayalalithaa blamed the Centre for “treating the livelihood issue of lakhs of fishermen of Tamil Nadu with inexplicable insensitivity. Strong diplomatic action is not being taken by the Government of India to curb such repeated instances of attack, apprehension and unlawful detention of our fishermen.” She said that, the matter should be taken up at the highest diplomatic level for the immediate release of the 121 fishermen and their 26 fishing boats.

Chennai Metro Train

A metro rail train decked with marigold garlands and roses rolled out of the Koyambedu depot  – for its longest trial run. The four-coach rake, looking dusty, came out of the depot around noon and was greeted by shutterbugs who had placed themselves on top of buildings to get a glimpse of the future of urban transportation.

Three years in construction, eight years since the first feasibility study was done and more than 10 years since the idea of a metro rail for the city was mooted in 2003, the trial run on Friday was a coming together of technology, bureaucratic processes and coordination between agencies.

Enduring traffic congestion and bad roads, commuters did not know what was happening overhead. While the trains’ headlights and blaring horn failed to catch the attention of commuters below, construction workers on top of buildings stopped work to watch the train.

Metro rail has lined up more trials. The first time the train was taken out of the Koyambedu depot, the operator did not go faster than 5 kmph. The train made three trips (Feb 14, 2014) . Once fully functional, these trains will have an average speed of 35 kmph and a top speed of 85 kmph. This trial run was basic. The automatic signalling system will be tested in later trials.

WHAT LIES AHEAD: Koyambedu-St Thomas Mount line likely to be complete by October; Saidapet-Airport elevated line to be finished by early 2015; Underground line to be complete by end of 2015

Tamil Nadu Budget 2014 - 2015

Elections 2014:

The BJP-led NDA is projected to get 227 seats in the coming Lok Sabha polls, while the Congress will be reduced to 84, according to an opinion poll. The survey, conducted by India TV, Times Now and CVoter, projects the worst-ever performance by the Congress-led UPA, a better show by regional parties such as the YSR Congress, the Trinamool Congress and the AIADMK, and the emergence of the Aam Aadmi Party.

According to the projection, the BJP alone will get 202 out of the total 543 seats. The Congress is projected to get only 84 — 117 less than its 2009 tally.

While the poll projects 217-237 seats to the NDA, it gives only 91-111 to the UPA.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP is projected to get 7 seats in its maiden Lok Sabha battle. The survey shows Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool getting 24 seats — five more than its 2009 position.

Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK is projected to emerge as the top non-UPA, non-NDA party with 27 seats. Its existing strength in the Lok Sabha is 9. The Left Front is projected to improve its position from the present 24 to 27. Mulayam Singh’s Samajwadi Party is projected to get 20 seats — three less than its existing strength. Mayawati’s BSP is projected to retain its 2009 strength — 21 — in the 16th Lok Sabha. The survey gives the Jaganmohan Reddy-headed YSR Congress 13 seats.

A possible third alternative, consisting of 16 parties including the Left Front and the AIADMK, is projected to get 128 seats.

A possible fourth front consisting of 15 regional forces including the Trinamool, the BSP, the TRS and the YSR Congress is projected to get 87 seats. According to a release, the CVoter study was based on a national representative sample of 14,142 randomly selected respondents across all 28 States during January 15-February 8.

Victory Over Polio

Banners on Jayalalithaa for PM show kneeling Sri Lankan president

In close-up, Jayalalithaa points, signalling the decisiveness of a leader. Three international leaders including President Obama listen deferentially. Kneeling in front of her is Mahinda Rajapakse, the Sri Lankan president, (the man who is famous for alleged atrocities against his island's ethnic Tamils). The tagline: "This is the mark of a Prime Minister." This dream scenario for the Tamil Nadu chief minister's party is mounted on giant billboards in 10 locations in Coimbatore.

          The AIADMK youth wing Ilaignar Mattrum Ilam Pengal Paasarai based in Coimbatore has put up the banners. "India is taken for a ride by many dominant  countries and only Amma can make India a stronger country," says C M Vishnuprabhu, the 31-year-old secretary of the youth wing.

"The Sri Lankan President is seen as a war criminal by Tamils and world nations; that's why I've showed him kneeling down," he adds. But with the national election now just months away, the pitch for the 65-year-old as prime minister is not unexpected.

          Tamil Nadu elects 39 Lok Sabha members. The AIADMK won nine seats in the last general election and has just stitched state-level alliances with the CPM and the CPI. It is also part of the 11-party front that is being cobbled together as an alternative to the ruling coalition and the opposition's equivalent, the NDA.

Elections 2014: III Front

The ranks of the proposed front of non-Congress, non-BJP parties is swelling by the day despite doubts whether it has the cohesion for a sustained political life. As Congress and BJP scout for partners, those behind the effort to engineer a ‘third front’ have been able to find partners in diverse parts.

In Tamil Nadu, AIADMK has already tied up with CPI and CPM.

In Bihar, JD(U) will accommodate the two Left parties to take on BJP and the other formidable alliance of RJD, Congress and LJP of Ramvilas Paswan.

In Odisha, Naveen Patnaik is in touch with Left, JD(U) and others.

According to sources, even YSR Congress has been approached to join the alliance. There is talk of YSR Congress and CPM entering into an alliance in Andhra Pradesh.

And then there is SP and JD (S).

A senior Left leader said that, it is a game-changing combination that is likely to get more than 100 seats. Jayalalithaa is going to sweep Tamil Nadu and if YSR Congress joins, both NDA and UPA will find it difficult to form government.

A few of them — CPM, CPI, JD(U), SP and others — have decided to work as a group and not let UPA-2 pass any big legislation.

However, the accretion of numbers is marred by doubts on longevity. The key to endurance of the experiment is the requirement that its components stay away from both Congress and BJP. However, the options that they may exercise cannot be predicted with certainty, except in the case of Left and perhaps, to a lesser degree, BJD. JD(U), which is at the forefront of the initiative, was in coalition with BJP and intensely flirted with Congress before embracing SP and others in what is called an instance of rebound liaison. JD(S) has partnered both Congress and BJP. Ditto for Jayalalithaa.

Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa has inked a pact with the CPM to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections together roping in another partner for the AIADMK-led alliance that could set the stage for a national third front. The AIADMK supremo had struck a deal with the CPI. Announcing the tie-up, Jayalalithaa ruled out discussions on a prime ministerial candidate ahead of the elections despite some leaders in the state pitching her for the top job.

Leaders of 11 political parties took, what JD(U) president Sharad Yadav called, the second step towards forming a non-Congress, non-BJP group. To begin with, these parties will work together as a bloc and not let government pass legislations to further its election agenda.

These group include the four Left parties, Samajwadi Party, JD(U), AIADMK, AGP, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha, JD(S) and BJD.

Outside Parliament, CPM’s Sitaram Yechury said leaders of the 11 parties will meet soon after the current session and chalk out future programme. It has been decided to hold a joint rally in the capital of one of the states where the constituent party is ruling. Since UP and Bihar will hold the key to who forms the next government, the rally might be held in Lucknow or Patna.

Meanwhile, leaders of these parties are exchanging notes on issues on which they have similar views. JD(S) president H D Deve Gowda has already sent a document and other parties are expected to give their views which will result in some kind of a common minimum programme. A meeting between CPM general secretary Prakash Karat and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is on the cards when the former goes to Patna to attend a party rally later this month. “What we will do outside Parliament we will soon announce,” Yechury said.

CPI’s Gurudas Dasgupta said, “History will not repeat itself” when he and others were asked about differences among the 11 parties on a host of issues like women’s reservation and communal violence bill.

Yechury was also asked about Samajwadi Party’s continuing support to the UPA. Left also wants to paper over the fact that in the past, SP has left them in the lurch in favour of Congress. Yechury said communalism and corruption were the main issues.