Southwest Monsoon Vigorous as CPM Vows Not To Allow Strategic Allaince and BJP Plans a Coup.Palash Biswas

Southwest Monsoon Vigorous as CPM Vows Not To Allow Strategic Allaince and BJP Plans a Coup

Global Agenda to Achieve Sustainable Development With Indian business leaders United to Operationalise the Nuke dealPalash Biswas
Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata- 700110, India. Phone: 91-033-25659551
Email: palashbiswaskl@gmail.com

Sunday, September 23, 2007 9:32 PM

BJP to use Ram Setu to revive Hindutva vote bank

With Ayodhya receding to the background, the BJP appears to have found an emotive issue in Ram Setu to revive its Hindutva vote bank as it feels mid-term elections are "imminent". In a clear move, the BJP National Executive passed a resolution on the Ram Setu issue to make it its campaign theme, opposing the Sachar Committee report on the status of Muslims.

Don`t hurry to sign N-deal: Karat
In a veiled threat to the UPA, the CPI(M) today said the Congress should realise it has only 145 MPs and not act in haste on the nuclear deal issue as the government is "running on the Left`s critical support".

http://zeenews.com/index.asp?rep=2&

So, here you are! Floods are so often! Tsunami always threatening. Weather cycle disturbed. Chemical ecology cahnging in Nature as well as in society, economy and polity. Southeast Monsoon is vigorous as CPM vows to stall strategic regrouping in Indian Ocean regio with US Lead while the political face of Nazi Hindutva plans a coup to gain the statepower to implement zionist hindu post modern Manusmriti agenda. Vice President of India , the left candidate also speaks on a global agenda for sustainable development in the same line as West Bengal Marxists Buddhadeb, Nirupam, Biman and Jyoti Basu plead for! The Kulin Brahmin from Kiranhaar, Pranab Mukherjee seems busy as Bee or a spider always weaving the Web.Indian Business community, inspired by Sensex Bltz and neoliberal policy with unbound MNC Promoter Builder Raj, SEZ PCPIR Retail drive stand united rock solid to operationalise the Indo Us Nuke deal.

No element in Indian Polity or society is mobilised to annihilate the Brahminical Hegemony infinite or the Islamophobia or Untouchability.

Plese see the Nation and nationalities from here, from this point!

Incessant overnight rain which started Saturday evening left the city and its adjoining areas waterlogged and threw life out of gear Sunday, while the situation turned "flood-like" in many districts of south Bengal.No untoward incidents have so far been reported in the bordering districts of Burdwan, Purulia and Bankura during the 24-hour bandh called by the Maoists in Jharkhand, Bihar and Chhattisgarh today. Kerala Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran today said the Government would submit a special package of Rs 1,000 crore to include the State in the 'Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana', a Rs 25,000 crore project announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The policy of the Left Democratic Front government in Kerala was to provide houses to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes families in the state, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan said today. Achuthanandan Saturday handed out title deeds to 1,717 tribal families in the Aralam farms. Trouble erupted at the retail giant Spencer's outlet in Kozhikode after local retailers, under the banner of Kerala Vyapari Vywasayi Ekopana Samithi, protested proliferation of retail giants in Kerala. A Central team, led by Union Minister of State for Home Radhika Selvi, today undertook an aerial survey of the flood-ravaged districts of Dharwad, Gadag and Bagalkot in Karnataka.Monsoon was weak over North Interior Karnataka. Karnataka has sought an immediate release of Rs.5 billion from the union government for flood relief in the northern part of the state.

Members of the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu today attacked the offices of the BJP, Hindu Munnani and the VHP to condemn the 'fatwa' issued by a former BJP MP against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M Karunanidhi for his critical remarks on 'Lord Ram'.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M Karunanidhi, welcoming the ''fatwa'' issued against him by VHP leader and former BJP MP Ram Vilas Vedanti for his remarks on 'Lord Ram and Ramayana,' said it showed the precious value of his head and tongue.''

Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari today suggested small countries take advantage of the 'positive dimension' of the global agenda to achieve sustainable development, which includes evolving strategies aiming at reducing import dependence and pressing on export expansion. Despite snowfall on upper reaches and rains in the plains, night in the Kashmir valley remained hot while the day was cold with icy cold winds sweeping the entire region forcing people to wear woollens. On the other hand,the southwest monsoon has been vigorous in Gangetic West Bengal and Orisdsa and active in Jharkhand. It has been subdued in Assam and Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Rayalaseema and interior Karnataka. Seeing the onset of an 'imminent mid-term poll' thrust on the country by an 'unstable and incompetent' UPA government, the Bharatiya Janata Party today vowed to ride back to power on the Hindutva wave on the Ram Sethu plank, gifted by the UPA and cash in on the government's failure to check prices of essential commodities and unabated suicides of farmers. Vice-President Hamid Ansari Sunday inaugurated a conference of small nations of the Commonwealth and underlined the need for more regional and global cooperation to tackle cross-border issues, ranging from terrorism and pandemics to sustainable development and democratic governance.

Three persons were killed, railway tracks blasted and vehicles torched on Sunday by Maoists who went on rampage in their stronghold areas of Bihar, Gaya, Rohtas and Aurangabad districts, to enforce a 24-hour bandh. Maoist insurgents blew up a railway station and tracks in Jharkhand and Bihar on Sunday, severely disrupting the eastern rail network, but a day-long strike called by the rebels had limited impact, officials said.In Bihar, the guerrillas set fire to about a dozen lorries, blocked highways and attacked a police patrol, killing three people, including one officer.Late on Saturday, the rebels had distributed a leaflet announcing a strike in retaliation for the arrest of people police said were connected to the insurgency, but whom the Maoists said were civilians with no ties to the movement.

CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat today asserted the CPM would not support any agreement of the UPA Government that would make India a strategic ally of the United States. The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Sunday said it would take a firm decision and chalk out strategies on the Indo-US nuclear deal during its four-day meet to be held in Kolkata over the next weekend. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will approach the electorate on the issues of national, social, food and economic securities, party president Rajnath Singh said Sunday. The Bihar Government today issued a high alert across the state following a 24-hour shutdown called by CPI-Maoists to register their protest against the arrest of their top leader, Tushar Kant Bhattacharya, and his aide Brajmohan Ram. Terrorist organisations operating from Pakistan and Bangldesh were eyeing the historical Buddha statue at Hussain Sagar lake here after successfully triggering blasts at Mecca Masjid on May 18 and Lumbini park and Gokul chat on August 25, which claimed about 50 lives, intelligence sources said. Claiming that the BJP was in election mode, Party President Rajnath Singh today said recent developments had strengthened the possibility of a mid-term poll and time was ripe to oust the UPA from power. In an attempt to bring the BJP in the election mode, Leader of the Opposition L K Advani today asked the partymen to take advantage of the present internal crisis in UPA andgear themselves to present before the people a "clear, capable and reliable alternative" to the present Government. Denying the allegation that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was interfering in the affairs of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), party President Rajnath Singh today said it welcomed ''the RSS wholetimers to man the organisational positions.'' Accusing the Congress of pushing through the Indo-US nuclear deal without a mandate in Parliament to operationalise it, senior BJP leader L K Advani today charged the ruling party of being hellbent on going ahead with the deal, knowing fully well that the government could fall because of the 'standoff'.

India received recognition as the most advanced nation in nuclear fuel cycle technology at the International Atomic Energy Agency meet and there was greater awareness of the 'larger role' of nuclear power in meeting global energy needs, Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar said on Sunday.Kakodkar, who attended the UN atomic watchdog's 51st General Conference, remained mum on whether there were any discussions with the IAEA on the India-specific safeguards agreement, a pre-requisite for the operationalisation of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal.Left parties, which have been stoutly opposing the deal, have demanded that its operationalisation be put on hold for six months failing which the UPA government will have to face 'grave' consequences.

"I will not say anything on that," Kakodkar said, shortly before his departure when asked about his informal discussions with IAEA Director General Mohammed ElBaradei.

On the other hand, Indian business leaders see the civilian nuclear deal with the US as a treaty to increase American investments back home, but said political change will not shake investors' confidence.Reports rediff.com:Had the civil nuclear agreement not sailed into a political storm, it would have lent a different charm to the Indian industry's efforts to promote the country as a brand!The UPA government faces stiff opposition on the nuclear deal from the Left allies, which wants the agreement to be put on hold and not be operationalised for six months. However, the Bush administration is understood to be keen that India should complete the process this year.

Four Indian Americans have made it to the Forbes list of richest Americans this year. They are acoustics pioneer Amar Bose, Google founder director Kavitark Shriram, venture capitalist Vinod Khosla and Bharat Desai, CEO of an info-tech outsourcing firm.The 77-year-old Sultan of sound, Amar Bose, shares the 271st place in the list with the founder director of Google Kavitark Shriram, with a net worth of US$ 1.8 billion.Both Bose and Shriram shared the 242nd spot last year. Though they rank lower on the list this year, their personal fortunes have gone up from US$ 1.5 billion to US$ 1.8 billion.Bose, an acoustics pioneer, formed his firm 43 years ago, which today thrives on the latest in iPod speaker docks, home theatre systems, noise-killing headphones, with a sale of US$ 2 billion.Fifty-one-year-old Kavitark Shriram, an India-born financier, is an early investor and a board member of Google who owns 1.7 million shares worth US$ 870 million. Another NRI Bharat Desai and his wife Neerja Sethi, founders of an info-tech outsourcing firm Syntel, have been ranked 286th with a fortune of US$1.7 billion in the list.Venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, who has appeared in the list frequently, is ranked 317th this year with a net worth of US$ 1.5 billion.

"If this (123 Agreement) was to go through, this will be a very big signal... It will enhance US investments into India. Not only US but also other countries like France [Images], Germany [Images]... We are very hopeful that this will go through," said Nandan Nilekani, who is steering the 'Incredible India@60' brand building event in New York from Sunday.

Richard Stratford, Director, US Nuclear Energy, Safety and Security said he was hopeful that India will get a 'clean, unconditional exemption' from NSG.

"Since we have a timeframe, we want India also to complete the process of safeguards before the deal is placed for Congressional vote," Stratford told PTI.

'Incredible India@60' is an event celebrating the 60th year of India's independence.The CII along with the Ministries of Tourism and Culture is organising the week-long event that seeks to sell the story of the 'new India' to Americans and the rest of the world on the sidelines of the 62nd session of the UN General Assembly.

"This country works on signals...that will generate a lot of movement...this event if nothing else will generate a great amount of positive signal," said Confederation of Indian Industry President Sunil Mittal, who is also the chairman of Bharti Enterprises. Both Nilekani as well as Mittal admitted that India still faced a lot of challenges in winning investors' confidence, but said the difficulty quotient of doing business in the sub-continent nation was getting lesser and lesser.

To a specific question on whether the thought of political change bothered investors, Kakodkar told reporters: "It is not an issue (for the investing community)."India also has to secure changes in the guidelines of the Nuclear Suppliers' Group to gain access to nuclear commerce.Describing the week-long IAEA meet as 'successful,' Kakodkar told PTI it was so particularly this year because of the 'greater awareness of the larger role of nuclear energy in meeting the global energy needs.'He said the meet was important for several reasons 'particularly India's recognition as the most advanced nation in nuclear fuel cycle technology by the world leaders.'

During the two-day scientific meet, an integral part of the General Conference of the IAEA that was attended by about 500 participants, the importance of 'closed nuclear fuel cycle' was widely discussed by scientists as also India's expertise in the field.Experts were curious to know about India's thorium-based power plant and fast-breeder reactors.

"We were also the first to pilot a resolution on the development and deployment of Small and medium reactors supported by several countries and passed unanimously at the general conference," Kakodkar said.

Making a strong pitch for international nuclear energy cooperation with India at the forum, Kakodkar while addressing the forum had made it clear that nuclear power was an 'inevitable option' and pressed for 'reformation' of global thinking on it.Kakodkar favoured a closed fuel cycle to reduce the risk of proliferation of fissile material, a proposal backed by several countries.Currently, the spent fuel from atomic power plants is stocked in high security facilities. This fuel can be reprocessed to extract plutonium, which can be used to create nuclear weapons.

Kakodkar also emphasised that in order to meet the huge energy demands of the world community it was important to have inclusive partnership and make sure that those countries, which are keen to develop nuclear power for the first time should have basic minimum infrastructure and human resource needed for it.

Russia's Atomic Energy Agency chief Kirienko Sergeit said he would like India to have a waiver from NSG, which would enable the two countries to have nuclear trade.

India was also the first country to ratify the amendments that were negotiated at the IAEA conference for the convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials that concluded in Vienna on Friday.

India donated a teletherapy machine Bhabhatron's latest version developed by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre to IAEA which in turn handed it over to Vietnam. A tripartite agreement was signed in this regard during the conference.

From: Carl Date: Sep 22, 2007 7:45 PM
Subject: [SECULARHUMANIST] CIA Trained 9/11 Pilots at Florida School
To: Air America <air_america@ yahoogroups. com>

This is at least one reason why GW and Dicky boy refused to testify under oath concerning 9/11 because they did not want to reveal this and if they denied it under oath they could be brought up on charges of perjury.

CIA links to "terrorist" flight training
by Jerry Russell
According to some reports, the airliners that struck the WTC towers and the Pentagon were flown with exquisite skill, executing maneuvers that you might see at an aerobatic exhibition or flight show. These feats could well have been impossible for typical general aviation pilots with low flight hours. But there is reason to believe that the "terrorist" pilots could have received the very best of training, courtesy of the US government.
Various records and testimony show that two of the alleged hijackers, Mohamed Atta and Marwan Alshehri, took flight training at Rudi Dekkers' Huffman Aviation flight school in Venice, Florida. Investigator Daniel Hopsicker, following the funding trail, found that Huffman Aviation is closely linked to Brittania Aviation and Caribe Air. Brittania had no visible assets or qualifications other than its association with Caribe Air, but was awarded a massive regional service center contract by the US government. Caribe Air, in turn, has a long history of association with CIA drug-running operations out of Mena, Arkansas, and is also allegedly linked to fraudulent Enron-funded offshore investment partnerships.
Hopsicker also notes that according to reports from Newsweek, three alleged terrorist pilots trained at the Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida, while Knight Ridder stated that suspects Mohamed Atta, Abdulaziz Alomari, and Saeed Alghamdi had attended various other prestigious military exchange officer's training programs. These reports were never categorically denied by US government sources.
Certain unnamed flight instructors told Washington Post reporters that the alleged hijackers had very poor flying skills. This is self-serving testimony, considering other stories that the "suicide pilots" also had a peculiar lack of interest in landings.
Why weren't these suspicious characters reported to the proper authorities? According to their flight instructors, the "terrorists" were such terrible pilots, they probably couldn't hit the side of a mountain, much less a New York skyscraper. That's why they weren't more concerned.
But with the understanding that these flight instructors could well have been funded through CIA channels, in order to pay for the training of these pilots, it becomes clear that the "terrorists" may have had very solid flying skills indeed.
UPDATE 9/28/2002:
I have become aware of additional, well-sourced accounts detailing the poor flying skills of some of the "terrorists", especially Hani Hanjour who allegedly piloted the flight which struck the Pentagon. Also, even in the reports from Hopsicker, there is no information indicating specifically that the terrorists had aerobatic training in jet aircraft.

A 'RAW' deal with a twist: NDTV
The hunt is on, but for what, no one is quite sure.After booking former RAW and army officer VK Singh for leaking official secrets, CBI officials landed at the publisher's office in the capital.Just a day before, the agency had ruled out booking the publishers saying, only Singh was responsible for India's External Intelligence: Secrets of Raw.But now they aren't willing to take any chances and are thus looking for clues 3 months late.

''What will we have? We've just published it, its between the author and the agency,'' said Vikas Garg, Publisher.

Undeterred, CBI sleuths picked up a CD that contained the first draft of the book and also the agreement Singh had signed with his publishers.An elaborate search at Singh's house on Friday hasn't revealed any official secrets yet, but his computer is still under scrutiny.Legal experts are of the opinion that the move was a futile attempt.

''I think the Official Secrets Act should be buried in history, in these days of modern communication, there is nothing left as a secret,'' said KTS Tulsi, Legal Expert.He also clarified that, usually the OSA is just a weapon to harass those the government doesn't like.After all, a month after Singh's book, RAW veteran B Raman released what many consider a more damaging book in terms of disclosing RAW's secrets.No action has been taken against Raman so far.And in this case it seems, VK Singh is having the last laugh.

''I want to thank the government, this book has nothing and because the government picked it, it has become a hit,'' said Anuj Bahri, Bookseller.

When NDTV spoke to Singh on Friday, he was smiling. The government frowning has meant a jump in sales.

The deadline for the government to come clean on what led to Bofors accused Ottavio Quattrocchi to be released from Argentina was on September 22.

One of the documents the CBI has desperately tried to keep under wraps is the order of the Argentine court, which the Supreme Court now wants to examine following a PIL.

The government has been hiding it in the pretext of translation from Spanish but NDTV has managed to get a copy. The 15-page order makes it clear that:
India did not lose the case because of lack of evidence

The merit of evidence is not even part of its jurisdiction

Argentina turned down Quattrocchi's extradition because the order says there were 'deficiencies in the request for extradition'.For instance, while Quattrocchi was arrested on the basis of the 1997 warrant, India seems to have forgotten to include it as part of their legal caseInstead, they put in a new warrant but its invalid as it does not cite the grounds for the decision.

Quattrocchi may have flown away but the post-mortem is far from over.The issue of Bofors pay-offs case accused Ottavio Quattrocchi walking to freedom created an uproar in Lok Sabha.The BJP-led NDA staged a walkout and Left parties accusing the Government of ''deliberate inaction''

Meanwhile, CBI's Director of Prosecution, SK Sharma became infamous as the man who gave a clean chit to Bofors accused Ottavio Quattrocchi. And now, he seems to have been rewarded.The Government has given Sharma, yet another extension. His term ended on June 30. It is unprecedented for anyone to occupy this position for such a long time especially since his handling of the Bofors case has come under so much fire.Sharma handled the CBI's failed attempt in Argentina to extradite Quattrocchi.In 2005, Sharma had said that it was no use pursuing the Bofors case. That statement was used by Quattrocchi's lawyer to win his case against extradition.Sharma was also part of the team that got a technically weak warrant for Quattrocchi.

The government still has to explain its lack of effort in the extradition case to the Supreme Court.

To add insult, the government is now trying to calculate how much money they have to pay Quattrocchi for his legal expenses. After all, by withdrawing the appeal they have also withdrawn their right to contest paying up to him.

In a veiled threat to the United Progressive Alliance, the Communist Party of India-Marxist on Sunday said the Congress should realise it has only 145 lawmakers and not act in haste on the nuclear deal issue as the government is 'running on the Left's critical support.'It also accused the UPA of not adhering to the Common Minimum Programme chalked out with the allies and 'adopting a US agenda.'

"The nuclear deal is for 40 years and there should be no haste in signing it... They UPA must remember that Congress has just 145 MPs and the Central government is running on the Left's critical support," CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat said, addressing a convention on Indo-US civilian nuclear deal in Chandigarh.He said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will have to decide whether 'he would like to go with us, his allies and the people of the country, or prefer to toe the US line.'A debate was already on whether the government should sign the deal and it would be better to see what the next dispensation in the US felt about it, he said.

"US President George Bush is himself not popular and only 30 per cent of the people support him. So why should we dance to his tunes," Karat asked.He said the Congress leadership was aware of the Left's opposition to the deal and should not move an inch further.

"Wait for six months and have a detailed debate on the issue in Parliament. Can a minority government deal in such a manner... We have no faith in you. The nuclear deal is not in our interest and we will never accept it," he said.

The CPI-M leader cautioned that the US was trying to get India to become its subordinate ally and criticised the government for its 'clandestine' military alliance with the US.He also questioned the government holding joint military and naval exercises with other countries.

"Basically, the US is preparing to bombard Iraq and Iran and want to get its fighter planes refuelled in India," he said, adding that the entire world was against the policies of the Bush administration.Karat later told media persons that the government should not proceed ahead with its steps in the nuclear deal. "If they do so, we will see."

Good intelligence prevents major calamities

D. Murali and G. Padmanaban

Chennai, Sept. 23: A book that seems to have touched raw nerves is ‘India’s External Intelligence: Secrets of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)’ (www.manaspublications.com) by Major General (Retd) V.K. Singh. It discusses ‘several lacunae in the functioning of the country’s top intelligence agency’ and calls for ‘an increase in accountability of our top intelligence agencies’ since ‘the Indian taxpayer has a right to know how his money is spent’. And, now, the book’s publisher and the author have come under the lens of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

How does the ‘right to know’ work with regard to intelligence? "Most countries have a 30-year period after which all documents are automatically declassified. If this were not so, we would have never come to know about Enigma – the Ultra Secret code being used by Germany in World War II which the Allies had broken," answered Mr Singh, when recently interacting with Business Line, over the email.

"In India, even the 1962 Henderson-Brooks report (about the Sino-Indian War) is still classified, as are the war diaries of 1965 and 1971 wars. Our Army officers still study World War II campaigns, since our own are classified. Most of them, like me, will retire before independent India’s military history is written," he added on a wry note.

Mr Singh, former Chief Signal Officer of the Western Army, with a career spanning 37 years in the Army, served in the Cabinet Secretariat (Research and Analysis Wing) between 2000 and 2004. His current research is on the ‘Contribution of the Armed Forces to the Freedom Movement in India’.

Excerpts from the interview.

What is ‘intelligence’?

Intelligence, in simple terms, means ‘useful’ information. For a company applying for a contract, information about its competitor’s bid becomes intelligence. For a young woman, information about her fiancé’s income, girl friends and drinking/smoking habits becomes intelligence. For a nation, information about an enemy country’s military strength becomes intelligence.

Is there a taxonomy of ‘intelligence’?

Intelligence has two broad divisions – HUMINT (human intelligence) and SIGINT (signals intelligence). HUMINT relies on intelligence obtained from human sources, verbally or in written form. SIGINT can be further divided into COMINT (communication intelligence) and ELINT (electronic intelligence).

COMINT refers to technical and intelligence information derived from foreign communications by other than the intended recipients. ELINT refers to intelligence derived from non-communication electromagnetic radiations from foreign sources.

Another term is IMINT (imagery intelligence), in which the source of intelligence is satellite imagery. In day-to-day working, the term SIGINT is often used for intelligence gained from interception of voice, data or facsimile (fax) signals being transmitted by electronic means, as well as through the Internet.

How has intelligence evolved in India?

Intelligence is the second oldest profession in the world. India has been a leader in the field, from the time of Chanakya. During the British Raj, the CID (Criminal Investigation Department) in India was rated as among the best intelligence agencies in the World. In 1914-15, over 5,000 Ghadrites were sent to India to foment violence and incite uprisings. Almost all were caught soon after their arrival, some even before they embarked from the US, Canada or Hong Kong. In 1943-45, many intelligence agents were sent by Subhas Chandra Bose’s INA to India, by submarine or boat. All were caught and eliminated by the CID.

Who are the major players in Indian intelligence?

The major players are Research and Analysis Wing, Defence Intelligence Agency, Intelligence Bureau (IB), National Technical Research Organisation, Joint Cipher Bureau, All India Radio Monitoring Service, Joint Intelligence Committee, Signals Intelligence Directorate, Aviation Research Centre, Directorate of Air Intelligence, Directorate of Navy Intelligence, and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence. See also Wikipedia, which lists ‘intelligence agencies’ country-wise.

On the origins of RAW, and its role.

RAW was established on September 21, 1968 as part of the Cabinet Secretariat, reporting directly to the Prime Minister. Rameshwar Nath Kao was the first head of the RAW, with K. Sankaran Nair as his deputy.

The role of RAW is:

· Collection, production, analysis and assessment of all form of external intelligence of interest to India, in political, military, economic, scientific and technological fields.

· Conducting special operations abroad, including psychological warfare.

· Act as nodal agency for counter intelligence operations outside India.

· Liaison with foreign intelligence and security agencies in India and abroad.

Has the organisation become more relevant in today’s context, owing to greater threat perception?

It is difficult to say that there is greater threat perception today than in the past. Within 25 years of gaining independence, India fought four wars – one with China and three with Pakistan. Today, the threat of war appears remote. However, the threat that has increased is of terrorism. Intelligence never becomes irrelevant, in war or peace. To that extent, RAW is as relevant today as it was when it was establishment, nothing more.

What have been the significant milestones in RAW’s evolution?

I cannot think of any milestone. RAW has undergone a process of gradual evolution, increasing in size and reach. When it was established, HUMINT had primacy. Today, TECHINT provides the major share of RAW’s inputs.

How does the Indian outfit compare against similar institutions in other countries?

If you ask RAW officers, they will say they are the best. The best judge is always an adversary. Most Pakistani sources feel RAW is quite good, which is high praise indeed. Similarly, we feel that ISI is good at its job. I would not place RAW in the same class as CIA, MI 6 or Mossad, but it is perhaps better than the intelligence agencies of most developing countries.

Have there been costly mistakes that could have been avoided?

There have been many mistakes, some of which I have mentioned in my book. In fact, B Raman has given details of most of the costly mistakes of RAW. I will list some of them: Kargil, Mujibur Rehman’s assassination in 1975, Arms drop in Purulia, promulgation of Emergency in 1975, Operation Blue Star, support to LTTE leading to IPKF fiasco, and incorrect advice to Rajiv Gandhi in the Bofors cover up.

Can technology be better leveraged by intelligence forces while at the same time assuring individual privacy for the citizen? How?

This is a conundrum that all intelligence agencies face. To collect crucial intelligence, the individual privacy of the citizen often has to be given short shrift. This is applicable mostly to internal intelligence agencies such as IB. RAW collects most of its intelligence abroad, using means that are naturally illegal in those countries. One country that uses technology effectively without trespassing on the citizens’ rights is the US, where the laws in this regard are very strict.

And its resources are extensive?

Yes. The US has resources that are mind-boggling and cannot be matched by other nations. They have hundreds of satellites that cover every part of the globe. This enables them to photograph the area of interest using high-resolution cameras. They can also listen in on almost every radio transmission, any where in the world. Their code breaking capability is phenomenal, by virtue of their computing ability using super computers.

Is the human element still critical?