MINORITIES - 2002 - Indian Social Institute

He claims in his testimony that a fracas broke out on the platform be cause the kar sevaks had a payment
dispute with a tea vendor, Siddique Bakr and also beat up a rickshaw-puller. Times of India, 28.8.2002)
29 th Aug
Opposition to unite against BJP in Gujarat (7)
New Delhi: In a politically significant decision, the Con gress and most of the Oppo sition parties have
agreed to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unitedly in Gujarat, ensuring straight con tests in the
assembly elec tions. Meeting over dinner on Tuesday, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, CPM veteran
Jyoti Basu, RJD chief Laloo Yadav. former Prime Minis ters V P Singh, H D Deve Gowda and I K Gujral
came to an agreement that to meet the BJP challenge in the vio lence- scarred state, it was of utmost
importance for the secular forces to unite. "We are of the view that the secular parties will have to unite to
fight the BJP on a one-on-one basis," Congress leader Manmohan Singh lat er said. The dinner, hosted by
CPM parliamentary party leader Somnath Chatterjee at the behest of Basu, marked the first step towards
Opposition consolidation before a string of state assembly elections leading to the 2004 general elections.
However, the absence of Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh as well as representatives of Left
Front partners RSP and Forward Bloc raised doubts about the resolve of the Opposition to build a grand
alliance. (Times of India 29.8.02)
29th Aug
BJP losing grip over Gujarat, says study (7)
NEW DELHI, AUGUST28 : A RECENT sur vey, commis sioned by the BJP leadership, pre dicts only
a simple majority for the party if immediate Assem bly polls were held in Gujarat. The survey gives the
party 96 out of 182 seats—a majority of only five — and cautions it against an erosion in its sup port base
hereafter. This is not the first time the BJP has commissioned such a survey. It carried out one in April in
the state besides one in Goa before Assembly polls. A Delhi-based company commis sioned for the
exercise inter viewed 11,700 odd voters in the state between August 17- 20. The survey claims that polls in
April would have enabled the party to repeat its 1998 perfor mance, when it bagged 117 seats, compared
to 53 of the Congress. However, the Con gress is catching up fast and is currently tipped to get 77 seats
with others getting seven. The BJP share in the vote would be 48.1 per cent, com pared to 42.5 per cent of
the Congress and 9.4 pc of Independents and others, it claims. (Indian Exp 29.8.02)
2 nd Aug
BJP loses link to Rajasthan minorities (7)
Jaipur, Aug. 5: Mr Bhairon Singh Shekhawat's departure from Rajasthan's political scene will be a great
setback to the BJP as far as its rela tions with the minority com munity is concerned. Mr Shekhawat was the
only leader in that party whom Muslims would trust without any reservation. During his three tenures as
chief minister of the state, he had endeared himself to Mus lims by his actions and made a large number of
friends within the minority communi ty. After the swearing-in cere mony as chief minister during his second
tenure, a journalist had asked Mr Shekhawat how he would carry the minorities with him in the backdrop
of the fact that he belonged to a party whom Muslims could hardly trust. Mr Shekhawat had then said that
every citi zen was equal. His subse quent actions proved that he religiously followed the Raj Dharam
without fear and favour. (Asian Age 2.8.020)
3 rd Aug
Cases on minority institutions and syllabus. Two verdicts on hold Delhi, (7)
New Delhi, Aug. 2: The Supreme Court today reserved "judgments' in two cases: minority Educational
institutions and proposed changes in textbooks. The 11-member Constitution bench of the Supreme Court
the largest ever in 30 years - reserved judgment after the conclusion of a marathon argument on whether
the "absolute right" of management of minority institutions lies with their respective bodies. The bench,
presided over by Chief Justice of India B.N. Kirpal, has heard arguments for about three months on over
200 different petitions from almost every part of the country. (Telegraph, 03.08.2002)
20th Aug
Conversion rattles Sikhs (7)