You know this more clearly than
anyone else that in the 2014 election, voters voted, in the main, for
Modi or against Modi. It was a case of “Is Narendra Modi the country’s
best guardian — desh ka rakhvala — or is he not?” The BJP has won
the seats it has because you captured the imagination of 31 per cent of
our people (your vote share) as the nation’s best guardian, in fact, as
its saviour. It has also to be noted that 69 per cent of the voters did
not see you as their rakhvala. They also disagreed on what, actually, constitutes our desh. And this — the concept of desh —
is where, Mr. Modi, the Constitution of India, upon the authority of
which you are entering the office of Prime Minister, matters. I urge you
to revisit the idea of desh.
……
Link: http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/an-open-letter-to-narendra-modi/article6022900.ece
…….
regards
What is not on is pictures of the beautiful lady* while smoking. We thought this sort of thinking went out of fashion (for men at least), but apparently if a girl has to be shown as edgy then those little wisps of smoke make all the difference. What a pity.
.
Revolver Rani establishes Kangana Ranaut as the most fearless actress in
Bollywood. After winning our hearts as the achingly naïve dumped bride in
Queen, she does a 360-degree flip in this film. As the psychotic, murderous,
sexually ravenous dacoit turned politician Alka Singh, she is frankly ugly,
literally and figuratively.
…
Alka is the lone woman warrior in the Chambal region, a land overrun by
corruption, misguided machismo and guns. Naturally, she has to shout louder and
shoot harder than the boys. It’s a startling performance that goes almost over
the top, but Kangana reins herself in and expertly balances madness and
vulnerability. She alienates and yet keeps us invested.
…
The people around Alka are nasty too. Quite deliberately, debutant director
Sai Kabir gives us no one to root for. Revolver Rani is co-produced by
Tigmanshu Dhulia and echoes his own films, like Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster, in
which scorpion-like characters try to out-sting each other. On Alka’s team is a
selfish, philandering, greedy boy toy named Rohan, played very well by Vir Das.
….
The performance to watch out for is Piyush Mishra as Alka’s Machiavellian
uncle, a man willing to destroy her life to preserve their power. Kabir, who
has also written the film, piles on the betrayals and counter-betrayals. There
are goon-like politicians, sting operations, a hilariously hyperactive TV news
anchor, and relentless shootouts — just in case you forget that the film was
called Revolver Rani.
…
Some of this works and some of it doesn’t. But what keeps Revolver Rani
together are the performances and the sly humour. I particularly enjoyed the
two testosterone-filled duffer politicians whose only aim is to kill Alka. If
you like uplifting, cheerful cinema, then this isn’t the movie for you. But if,
like me, you can enjoy bad people doing bad things, then Revolver Rani will be
fun.
The people around Alka are nasty too. Quite deliberately,
debutant director Sai Kabir gives us no one to root for. Revolver Rani
is co-produced by Tigmanshu Dhulia and echoes his own films, like Saheb
Biwi Aur Gangster, in which scorpion-like characters try to out-sting
each other. On Alka’s team is a selfish, philandering, greedy boy toy
named Rohan, played very well by Vir Das. The performance to watch out
for is Piyush Mishra as Alka’s Machiavellian uncle, a man willing to
destroy her life to preserve their power. Kabir, who has also written
the film, piles on the betrayals and counter-betrayals. There are
goon-like politicians, sting operations, a hilariously hyperactive TV
news anchor, and relentless shootouts — just in case you forget that the
film was called Revolver Rani.
Some of this works and some of it doesn’t. But what keeps Revolver
Rani together are the performances and the sly humour. I particularly
enjoyed the two testosterone-filled duffer politicians whose only aim is
to kill Alka. If you like uplifting, cheerful cinema, then this isn’t
the movie for you. But if, like me, you can enjoy bad people doing bad
things, then Revolver Rani will be fun.
– See more at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/reviews/movie-review-by-anupama-chopra-revolver-rani-s-sly-humour-is-fun/article1-1212377.aspx#sthash.oghptMS7.dpuf
The people around Alka are nasty too. Quite deliberately,
debutant director Sai Kabir gives us no one to root for. Revolver Rani
is co-produced by Tigmanshu Dhulia and echoes his own films, like Saheb
Biwi Aur Gangster, in which scorpion-like characters try to out-sting
each other. On Alka’s team is a selfish, philandering, greedy boy toy
named Rohan, played very well by Vir Das. The performance to watch out
for is Piyush Mishra as Alka’s Machiavellian uncle, a man willing to
destroy her life to preserve their power. Kabir, who has also written
the film, piles on the betrayals and counter-betrayals. There are
goon-like politicians, sting operations, a hilariously hyperactive TV
news anchor, and relentless shootouts — just in case you forget that the
film was called Revolver Rani.
Some of this works and some of it doesn’t. But what keeps Revolver
Rani together are the performances and the sly humour. I particularly
enjoyed the two testosterone-filled duffer politicians whose only aim is
to kill Alka. If you like uplifting, cheerful cinema, then this isn’t
the movie for you. But if, like me, you can enjoy bad people doing bad
things, then Revolver Rani will be fun.
– See more at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/reviews/movie-review-by-anupama-chopra-revolver-rani-s-sly-humour-is-fun/article1-1212377.aspx#sthash.oghptMS7.dpuf
The people around Alka are nasty too. Quite deliberately,
debutant director Sai Kabir gives us no one to root for. Revolver Rani
is co-produced by Tigmanshu Dhulia and echoes his own films, like Saheb
Biwi Aur Gangster, in which scorpion-like characters try to out-sting
each other. On Alka’s team is a selfish, philandering, greedy boy toy
named Rohan, played very well by Vir Das. The performance to watch out
for is Piyush Mishra as Alka’s Machiavellian uncle, a man willing to
destroy her life to preserve their power. Kabir, who has also written
the film, piles on the betrayals and counter-betrayals. There are
goon-like politicians, sting operations, a hilariously hyperactive TV
news anchor, and relentless shootouts — just in case you forget that the
film was called Revolver Rani.
Some of this works and some of it doesn’t. But what keeps Revolver
Rani together are the performances and the sly humour. I particularly
enjoyed the two testosterone-filled duffer politicians whose only aim is
to kill Alka. If you like uplifting, cheerful cinema, then this isn’t
the movie for you. But if, like me, you can enjoy bad people doing bad
things, then Revolver Rani will be fun.
– See more at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/reviews/movie-review-by-anupama-chopra-revolver-rani-s-sly-humour-is-fun/article1-1212377.aspx#sthash.oghptMS7.dpuf
…………
regards
Full credit for the first ever BJP victory in Tamil Nadu goes to a Bengali Kayastha named Narendra Nath Datta (who shares the same first name as the new Badshah of HINDU-stan).
Now we know why Pankaj Mishra has been so much up in arms about the rise of the neo-Hindus, by which he means the Shudras and the Dalits who have voted for the Party of Manu and against their co-brothers (muslims). Normally such behavior makes no sense – as per the traditional Hindu rule book these folks are considered as lowly people. In Marxist lingo this is explained by the theory of false consciousness, whereby poor, deluded people vote against their self-interests.
Except that this is only a partial truth (and Pankaj knows it). The deeper picture is that the super-castes have lost control of both RSS and the BJP and it is the Shudras who are on the ascendant. The Shudras voted for their maximum leader (who relentlessly claimed his OBC status in public). The Dalits voted against Mayawati because she gave support to the Congress/UPA (this explanation according to Mayawati herself). The rejection was so utterly-butterly complete that the BSP was completely wiped out. The middle class voted against Congress because of the taint of corruption.
As far as the effect of polarization is concerned, yes, it was very much on evidence…on both sides. The neo-Hindus mobilized against the neo-Muslims (who threatened that another partition is forthcoming if Modi comes to power). So who is going to lead the new movement of Mohajirs and where are they going to go? Pakistan has (for decades) steadfastly refused to absorb a (relatively) small population of Bihari muslims from Bangladesh, who still languish in ghettos and are despised by their fellow Bengali muslims as quislings and traitors. We should ask these poor souls if the golden dreams of ideological movements have been worth the personal sacrifice that they have made. If they are also infected by the virus of false consciousness, they will probably reply in the affirmative. Thus it is necessary to destroy (muslim) villages to preserve the (muslim) nation, a direct message from the Bhagavad Gita (Pankaj can check this out).
So, what explains then the victory of the BJP in Kanniyakumari? We have several friends from Thirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, which is about 100 km away from Vavathurai (land’s end). Our friends used to be staunch DMK voters, this time to a man they have voted for Amma. But things are different in Kanniyakumari. For the RSS this place is holy land, in line with the wishes of Swami Vivekananda (PM duly fingers him as a major villain) and in opposition to the Christian fishermen who populate the area. The back-story from Wiki is excerpted below.
The RSS mobilized in Kanniyakumari in a way it was unable to achieve right next door in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala (see comments below). That is in part because the Left did not lose control over their OBC vote-bank (Ezhavas) in the way Mayawati lost her flock. But the Left is dying and the time will come when the neo-Hindus make their mark in Kerala as well. It is just a matter of time (and being patient).
………..
Vivekananda Rock Memorial is a monument and it is a popular tourist attraction in Vavathurai, Kanyakumari, India. The memorial stands on one of two rocks located about 500 meters east off mainland of Vavathurai, India’s southernmost tip. It was built in 1970 by the Vivekananda Rock Memorial Committee in honour of the visit of the Hindu spiritual teacher Swami Vivekananda to Shripada Parai during the month of December 1892.
It is claimed that he swam to this rock and meditated. It is said that
he attained enlightenment on the rock, and henceforth became a reformer
and philosopher.
A meditation hall (Dhyana Mandapam)
is also attached to the memorial for visitors to meditate. The design
of the mandapa incorporates different styles of temple architecture from
all over India. It houses a statue of Vivekananda. The merger of three
seas – Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean can be seen from these rocks.
…..
In January 1962, on the occasion of Swami Vivekananda’s birth centenary,
a group of people formed the Kanyakumari Committee whose objective was
to put up a memorial on the rock and a pedestrian bridge leading to the
rock. Almost simultaneously, the Ramakrishna Mission in Madras had
similar thoughts.
……
However, this news was not taken in good taste, by a sizable
population of the local Catholic fishermen. They put up a big Cross on
the Rock, visible from the shore.
This led to protests by the Hindu population who said the Rock was a
place of worship for Hindus. A judicial probe ordered by the Madras (now
Tamil Nadu) government stated in unequivocal terms that the rock was
Vivekananda Rock, and that the Cross was a trespass. Amid all this
acrimony, the Cross was removed secretly in the night. The situation
turned volatile and the Rock was declared a prohibited area with armed
guards patrolling it.
The Government realised that the Rock was turning into an area of
dispute with Hindus claiming it to be the Vivekananda Rock and
Christians that it was St. Xavier’s Rock. It decreed that although the
rock was Vivekananda Rock, there would be no memorial constructed on it.
The then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Shri M. Bhaktavatsalam, said
that only a tablet declaring that the rock was associated with Swami
Vivekananda could be put up, and nothing else.
With government permission, the tablet was installed on the Rock on
17 January 1963. But the voices clamoring for a full-fledged Memorial
on the Rock did not die. In May that year, those seeking vengeance for
the removal of the Cross, demolished and threw away the tablet into the
sea.
….
The immediate obstacles were Shri Bhaktavatsalam’s stand that he
would not allow the memorial to come up as Shri Humayun Kabir, the Union
Minister for Cultural Affairs, had said that the natural beauty of the
Rock would be spoiled. Shri Kabir’s constituency was Calcutta. When Shri Ekanth Ranade
publicised in Calcutta, that it was Shri Kabir who was against the
creation of Memorial of one of the greatest sons of Bengal, there was
such a hue and cry that Shri Kabir had to do a volte-face.
However, to
prevail over Shri Bhaktavatsalam, only the Prime Minister Jawaharlal
Nehru’s support would do. To that end, on Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri’s advice, Shri Eknath Ranade
camped in Delhi. In three days, he collected the signatures of 323
Members of Parliament in a show of all-round support for the Vivekananda
Rock Memorial, which was presented to the Prime Minister.
Shri
Bhaktavatsalam had no option now but to allow the construction of the
Rock Memorial.
Shri Bhaktavatsalam had given permission only for a small 15’ x 15’
shrine. Knowing his reverence for the Paramacharya of Kanchi Kamakoti
Peetham, Shri Eknath Ranade approached the latter for suggesting the
design of the Rock Memorial. Shri Bhaktavatsalam unhesitatingly agreed
to the larger design (130’-1½” x 56’) approved by the Paramacharya!
….
Once all the political hurdles were removed, construction was
underway.
The biggest and ever present challenge, however, was that of financing
the whole operation.
Shri Eknath Ranade believed that as the Vivekananda Rock Memorial was
a national monument, every Indian should be invited to contribute to
its construction. He approached (and succeeded) almost every State
government and asked for their contribution, making a special effort to
go to the north-eastern states of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh so that
they could also feel a part of the national endeavour.
But the bulk of the contributions came from the general public. Shri
Eknath Ranade launched the campaign of one-rupee folders throughout the
nation, which were used to mobilise the donations of the common man,
starting from as tiny an amount as a rupee. Thus so many people visiting
the Rock Memorial could feel with justified pride that they too had
contributed to that monument.
Ultimately, within the unbelievably short period of six years, the
Vivekananda Rock Memorial was inaugurated in 1970, and dedicated to the
nation. Without the leading role of Shri Eknath Ranade, it is extremely
doubtful that this grand national monument could have been built.
……..
regards
In brief: switch off the religious talk (it has served its purpose), now concentrate on the economics. We are cautiously hopeful that this will be the case, though we cant be sure. Some weapons (polarizing people for material gain) are too good to be left unused. Also, there are too many elections to be won down the road, starting with the most important ones in Uttar Pradesh and in Bihar.
That brings us back to how exactly it was possible for the British empire to rule India for two centuries with (mostly) enthusiastic native support. The divide and rule policy worked because Indians were hugely divided to begin with. It only required a few subtle tricks to raise the issue of sub-nationalism(s) which diluted the case for freedom from the British (they were just standing by in order to protect the minorities from the majority).
It would seem that the only divide in India worth talking about is the Hindu-Muslim divide or the Upper caste – OBC – Dalit one. Not so. There is huge on-going acrimony between Hindu Bengalis and Hindu Nepalis over formation of a new state in Darjeeling. In Telengana, the fight is between Telegu speakers (mostly Hindu) from two regions (Andhra, Telengana). The fight over water between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu is probably more bitter (if it was possible) than between India and Pakistan.
There is however an advantage in reducing every problem to a Hindu: Muslim issue- advantage for the Hindus. Given the demographics in India/South Asia and also in the west – Gujaratis are 45% of all Indians in the UK and close to 50% in the USA – and taking geo-politics into account, the Hindus will lose a few battles but win the war.
Take a trivial example (not so for many millions of fans). The top three cricketing powers- India, UK and Australia have now joined hands to ensure that all power is concentrated in their hands. This sort of OPEC cartel like behavior should be normally unacceptable (especially for people who are supposedly from democratic traditions). But it looks as if all the small countries are sort of OK with this arrangement (money talks). So what is the chance of Pakistan getting a fair shake from this gang? Will any of the highly talented Pakistani players ever get to play for IPL (where you can earn real money)? Will the ban on playing international cricket inside Pakistan be ever lifted? Some people will say that this is what payback looks like – if people are prepared to live by the sword, then they should be prepared to die by it as well. But amidst all this back-stabbing a beautiful game is lost and that is a real tragedy.
Moving on to larger issues on the global stage, it is quite true that Hindus (and Jews) are not considered a threat by the people who are in charge- the West and now China. And while the Islamic civilization is certainly a formidable super-power (by the numbers as well by wealth), it will not be able to shake-off a pincer attack from the two dominant power centers, as is about to happen in Nigeria.
……………….
Britain’s
foreign minister for India Hugo Swire has said India’s new Prime
Minister Narendra Modi’s biggest challenge will be to prove “that he is
the prime minister of the whole of India and of people of all faiths”.
Calling Modi “a man we can surely do business with”, Swire said, “Modi
will have to silence critics and shrug off the anti-secular image. By
the numbers it is clear that Modi has been voted into office by people
of all faiths and religions in the biggest ever electoral exercise in
the world. He has now the enormous task of being a leader for every
faith.”
Swire admitted that Modi’s “enormous victory” took Britain by surprise.
“Our initial analysis was that Modi will do extremely well. But in the
initial stages of the elections, his support looked strong though
lacking in some parts of India. However the sheer size of the mandate
has caught us by surprise. It’s been a unanimous victory,” Swire said.
Talking about the debacle of the Congress party, Swire said “The
Congress has been in power for a long time. Political parties get tired.
Indians wanted change and they showed that in overwhelming numbers.” He added that since BJP has now got the majority “a single party government is always ideal”.
Swire said, “It’s almost in over three decades that India will have a single party government which is always ideal.” He added, “A decisive election is always good. We went into coalition
in Britain because we did not get a majority and our country was on dire
economic states. We are fighting the elections and intend to win by a
large margin as a single party government is ideally better.”
In March 2013, Swire had met Modi in Ahmedabad to sign a 20-year deal to supply liquefied natural gas to Gujarat.
He said, “I have met Modi a few times in India. He has now the enormous
task to translate the magic of Gujarat to the rest of India and bring
it back to the growth rates of 1990s. If he can do so India will be in a
very good place. Britain is home to 1.5 million Indian diaspora of
which 45% are Gujaratis. They will be following the election results
very closely.”
…….
Link: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/UK-minister-Modi-will-have-to-shrug-off-anti-secular-image/articleshow/35316374.cms
…..
regards
The Telegu Rashtriya Samity (TRS), the new ruling party of Telengana are in a fix. If they oppose too strongly then the BJP will strangle them by withholding funds from the center (BJP is a partner of the TDP).
This is another reason India should aim for maximum decentralization as soon as possible and proportional representation for voting. Both are secular demands and both will achieve the desired protection of minorities – in this case Telegu speaking people (from Andhra) from the majoritarian impulses of Telegu speaking people (from Telengana).
We are mostly used to Hindu-Muslim divisions (and talking about it) but the above problem (which seems incomprehensible to an outsider) packs a lethal punch as well.
…..Worried
at the growing bonhomie between the TDP and BJP and fearing that the
new government at the Centre might try to impose restrictions on the
status of Hyderabad, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president K
Chandrasekhar Rao has reportedly asked TJAC to prepare for another
struggle, albeit a different kind this time around.
Sources
close to KCR say the TRS president has “credible information” about TDP
president N Chandrababu Naidu trying to prevail upon New Delhi to make
Hyderabad either a permanent common capital for Seemandhra and
Telangana, or give it a Union Territory status, neither of which is
acceptable to the pink party.
The TDP coming to power in
Seemandhra and BJP getting a thumping majority at the Centre have upset
KCR’s calculations as he was expecting a YSR Congress Party government
in the residuary Andhra Pradesh and a hung Parliament, in which case he
had planned to work in tandem with the YSRCP, experts said.
And
with TDP keeping its stocks even in Telangana has only queered the
pitch further for KCR who has asked his trusted Telangana vanguard, the
Telangana Political Joint Action Committee (TJAC) to meet on Monday and
prepare for some post-bifurcation drama. “The TDP-BJP combine is a cause
of concern as there are many loopholes in the AP State Reorganization
Act, which they might try to tinker with. We are ready to fight it out
in the eventuality of any restrictions imposed on the status of
Hyderabad. And we will back the state government headed by TRS to fight
against the Centre,” said M Kodandaram, TJAC chairman, a day before the
crucial meeting.
Senior TRS leaders said they are wary of the
TDP influence in Telangana as apart from winning Seemandhra, Naidu’s
flock has a strong hold on Hyderabad after winning as many as 9 Assembly
segments of the 24 in Greater Hyderabad.
“We definitely are
concerned about the fact that the party like TDP is in alliance with the
BJP ruling at the Centre. Even people of Telangana are apprehensive
that the Centre might behave in partisan manner. But, we hope the Modi
government would be magnanimous,” said K Kavitha, KCR’s daughter and
newly-elected MP from Nizamabad.
While she said her party was
ready to fight it out in the event of the Centre’s decision going
against the interest of Telangana, Kavitha called upon the Telangana TDP
MPs to ensure their party does not make any such move. “The TDP MLAs
have a great responsibility in this context. They must make sure the TDP
will not act against the interest of the people of Telangana,” Kavitha
added.
But constitution experts do point out that loopholes in
the AP State Reorganization Act 2014, might just get the Centre to seek
fresh amendments and make Hyderabad a Union Territory.
According to K V Dhananjaya, a senior Supreme Court counsel, there is no
provision under the Constitution to extend the status of common capital
to Hyderabad without making it a Union Territory (UT). “If it is
proposed that Hyderabad should act as a common capital to the newly
carved out states, it should be designated as a Union Territory.
Currently, there are seven UTs in India and a new entry at Number eight
will have to be made in the name of Hyderabad,” Dhananjaya said.
The Telangana BJP unit too is watching the developments with
apprehension and party leaders hoped that Narendra Modi would not be
prevailed upon by any anti-Telangana elements. “The TDP might try to do
its bit and be a spoilsport in Telangana. But we are sure that Modi will
not be get carried away when it comes to protecting the interest of
Telangana,” said G Kishan Reddy, Telangana BJP president.
regards
Has established, without any shadow of doubt, that the Quaid, in his infinite wisdom, made the right moves for the Muslims of India.
As is clear from his response below, Arun is not prone to “sky is falling” hysterics, he knows that insulting his countrymen by calling them neo-Hindus is unlikely to win any hearts and minds, and he makes a clear case for liberals (and the media) to be calm and vigilant.
A convincing read for un-biased, neutral people (the majority) mostly because Arun’s biases are very well known. Respect where it is due.
……
……
Link: http://liveblogs.indiatimes.com/cursor/when-the-polity-swings-right/
….
regards
The operations are yet to start and already there are pre-emptive complaints from the liberal brigade about “Afghanistan in Nigeria.”
But on careful reading of the situation we see that the Haramis have indeed made a dreadful mistake which they will come to repent very much.
….As the summit took place, reports emerged about the latest apparent Boko Haram attack, this one in Cameroon. Hollande said one Cameroonian soldier was killed in the Friday night
attack against Chinese nationals in northern Cameroon, which is known as
a stronghold for the Islamic extremists. Ten Chinese nationals are missing after the attack, a Chinese official said.
….
The Chicoms killed upwards of 40 million of their own countrymen but they will not stand for kidnapping of 10 citizens by islamists.
It is our considered opinion that Islamist forces will dominate the world (minus the West and East Asia) because of the sheer power of ideology and the unlimited petro-dollars at their disposal. Even parts of Europe will come under islamic domination (as it was the case a few centuries ago). But the problem with confident people is that they tend to over-reach. And China does make a nice target due to its horrible human rights record in Xinjiang.
A fight between Islamists and Chicoms will be something massive, may be something even larger than the horrors faced in World War II (and we really really hope not to see it happen and live through it). But it may be inevitable.
………………
Nigeria
and four neighboring countries have declared a “total war” on Boko
Haram saying the dreaded Islamist militant group holding over 220
schoolgirls must be crushed as it had become a “regional al-Qaida” that
threatened all of them.
Under a “global and regional action
plan” firmed up to face the challenge posed by Boko Haram, the
governments of Nigeria, Benin, Cameroon, Niger and Chad will share
intelligence and border surveillance in the hunt for the girls still
held by the militants.
Western nations will provide technical
expertise and training to the new regional African effort against the
extreme Islamists.
“Boko Haram is no longer a local terror
group. It is clearly operating as an al-Qaida operation” in central
Africa, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan said while speaking at a
summit hosted by French President Hollande in Paris yesterday.
“We have shown our commitment for a regional approach. Without West
African countries coming together we will not be able to crush these
terrorists,” he said amid criticism that his government has done enough
to rescue the schoolgirls abducted last month.
Jonathan said Nigeria has deployed 20,000 troops, aircraft and intelligence sources in areas where Boko Haram is active. “The major challenge that we have faced in our search and rescue
operation so far has been the deluge of misinformation about the
whereabouts of the girls and the circumstances of their disappearance,”
the president said.
Last month, Boko Haram abducted 223
schoolgirls in northeastern Nigeria, where it is based. It released a
video earlier last week showing over 100 of the girls and offering an
exchange for prisoners.
President Jonathan has ruled out negotiations over their possible release, officials say.
Boko Haram’s guerrilla campaign has claimed 12,000 lives, with 8,000
people injured since 2009, Jonathan said at the summit which brought
together Presidents of west African countries of Benin, Cameroon, Niger
and Chad.
Hollande said the “global and regional action plan”
to face the challenge posed by Boko Haram involved “coordinating
intelligence, sharing information … border surveillance, a military
presence notably around Lake Chad and the capacity to intervene in case
of danger”.
Hollande called Boko Haram a “major threat to West
and Central Africa”, and said it had links with al-Qaida’s North-
African arm and “other terrorist organizations”.
Speaking at a press conference, Cameroon’s President Paul Biya said: “We are here to declare war on Boko Haram”. “There is determination to tackle this situation head on … to launch a
war, a total war on Boko Haram,” Chad’s President Idriss Deby said. Representatives from the UK, US and EU also took part in the Paris meeting.
Nigeria will coordinate patrols, pool intelligence and exchange weapons
and human trafficking information with Benin, Cameroon, Chad and Niger,
according to the agreement reached at the summit.
France, the
United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union “will
coordinate their support for this regional cooperation” through
technical expertise, training programs and support for border-area
management programmes, a summit statement said.
……
Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/17/us-nigerian-violence-summit
…..
regards
