U.S. cannot impose itself on Indo-Pak dialogue: Obama

The Hindu U.S. President Barack Obama during an interaction with the students of St. Xavier's College in Mumbai on Sunday. He expressed hope that over time, trust develops between India and Pakistan and dialogue begins perhaps on “less controversial issues building upto more controversial issues“. 

President Barack Obama on Sunday made it clear that the United States “cannot impose” itself on Indo-Pak relations and called for a “military response” in a "significant ongoing way” against those who perpetrated terror attacks in Mumbai and New York.

Mr. Obama avoided any reference to Kashmir but, endorsing India’s stand, said that less contentious issues should be taken up first in an Indo-Pak dialogue process.

India has been persistently suggesting to Pakistan that less contentious issues could be taken up for bilateral talks before the two countries move on to discussing thorny issues like Kashmir.

Interacting with students of St Xaviers College here in a typical U.S. town-hall style meeting for nearly an hour, Mr. Obama expressed hope that over time, trust develops between India and Pakistan and dialogue begins perhaps on “less controversial issues building upto more controversial issues“.

He said the progress made by Pakistan in fighting terrorism was not quick as “we would like” and asserted that they were working with Islamabad to eradicate extremism which is a “cancer” that has the potential to engulf the entire country.

“There are going to be some elements in that are affiliated to the Taliban, that are also affiliated to the al-Qaeda or LeT. These are the organisations, these extremists, they are irreconcilable. They will be there and there will need to be a military response to those who would perpetrate the kind of violence that we saw here in Mumbai in a significant, ongoing way or the kind of one we saw in 9/11 in New york city,” he said.

Mr. Obama also observed that it would surprise Indians when he says this that it is in India’s interest that Pakistan remains “peaceful, stable and prosperous” and that the US will work with Islamabad to reject extremism which is a “cancer” which threatens to engulf it.

The U.S. President made these comments when a girl student asked why Pakistan was not being declared a terrorist state by the U.S. Mr. Obama reacted that it was a good question and said, “I must admit that I was expecting it“.

“India and Pakistan can prosper and live side by side, this will not happen tomorrow but needs to be the ultimate goal. The US can be a partner but cannot impose this process. India and Pakistan have their own understanding,” he said.

U.S. cannot impose itself on Indo-Pak dialogue: Obama

The Hindu U.S. President Barack Obama during an interaction with the students of St. Xavier's College in Mumbai on Sunday. He expressed hope that over time, trust develops between India and Pakistan and dialogue begins perhaps on “less controversial issues building upto more controversial issues“. 

President Barack Obama on Sunday made it clear that the United States “cannot impose” itself on Indo-Pak relations and called for a “military response” in a "significant ongoing way” against those who perpetrated terror attacks in Mumbai and New York.

Mr. Obama avoided any reference to Kashmir but, endorsing India’s stand, said that less contentious issues should be taken up first in an Indo-Pak dialogue process.

India has been persistently suggesting to Pakistan that less contentious issues could be taken up for bilateral talks before the two countries move on to discussing thorny issues like Kashmir.

Interacting with students of St Xaviers College here in a typical U.S. town-hall style meeting for nearly an hour, Mr. Obama expressed hope that over time, trust develops between India and Pakistan and dialogue begins perhaps on “less controversial issues building upto more controversial issues“.

He said the progress made by Pakistan in fighting terrorism was not quick as “we would like” and asserted that they were working with Islamabad to eradicate extremism which is a “cancer” that has the potential to engulf the entire country.

“There are going to be some elements in that are affiliated to the Taliban, that are also affiliated to the al-Qaeda or LeT. These are the organisations, these extremists, they are irreconcilable. They will be there and there will need to be a military response to those who would perpetrate the kind of violence that we saw here in Mumbai in a significant, ongoing way or the kind of one we saw in 9/11 in New york city,” he said.

Mr. Obama also observed that it would surprise Indians when he says this that it is in India’s interest that Pakistan remains “peaceful, stable and prosperous” and that the US will work with Islamabad to reject extremism which is a “cancer” which threatens to engulf it.

The U.S. President made these comments when a girl student asked why Pakistan was not being declared a terrorist state by the U.S. Mr. Obama reacted that it was a good question and said, “I must admit that I was expecting it“.

“India and Pakistan can prosper and live side by side, this will not happen tomorrow but needs to be the ultimate goal. The US can be a partner but cannot impose this process. India and Pakistan have their own understanding,” he said.

Obama a symbol of social justice: BJP

PATNA: US President Barack H Obama's India visit has put the RSS, BJP and JD(U) in Bihar in a paradoxical situation. The RSS here has been critical of Obama for not mentioning Pakistan in his address to the survivors of 26\11 at the Hotel Taj in Mumbai on Saturday.

On the other hand, a section of the state JD(U) leadership is critical of Obama's visit because former defence minister George Fernandes had been frisked during his visit to the US. In contrast, the BJP parliamentarians seem to have taken no note of the RSS's critical stance towards the Obama visit and would attend the joint session of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha that the US president is scheduled to address on Monday.

"President Obama is our state guest. He will address the joint session of the Parliament on Monday. I have been an MP for three terms. It is my responsibility to hear the US president when he addresses the joint session of the Parliament," said BJP national spokesman and the party's Bhagalpur MP Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, adding: "I have decided to hear his address not because his middle name carries Hussain, but because he is a symbol of something bigger than that."

For Shahnawaz, Obama is a person who was born in a poor Black family, and yet, by the virtue of his geniality, affable nature, education and inborn leadership qualities, rose to become the US president by people's choice. "He is a symbol of social justice," Shahnawaz said.

Incidentally, JD(U) national spokesman and Rajya Sabha member Shivanand Tiwari has his own reservations about Obama's visit, though he qualified it as his personal opinion and not that of his party. He would not attend the joint session of the Parliament that the US president would address.

Incidentally, the Left parties took out a rally in Delhi on Saturday. They carried posters and placards that said "Obama Go Back". Observers here felt that in the state that is having elections for the assembly, the Left legislators, if elected to the House in a significant number, could play an important role in government formation, and, therefore, a section of the JD(U), by criticizing the Obama visit, is keeping the windows to the Left open.

Still more curiously, on Sunday, state Sanghachalak of the RSS Shatrughan Prasad saw in the Obama visit a renewal of the pre-1946 "convergence of western imperialism, Muslim League", since the US President, in his address to the survivors of the 26\11 terror attack in Mumbai, had not mentioned Pakistan as a sponsor of the cross-border terrorism into India. He said that the Left too had supported the pre-1946 "convergence" of the imperialist powers that ultimately led to the division of the country.

"We have been facing such attacks since 1989-90. Terrorists have formed an all-India network in India. Pakistan should have been mentioned," the senior RSS functionary of the state said. Incidentally, the RSS has planned to organize state-wide sit-in protests on November 16 against the use of words and phrases like "saffron terror" and "Hindu terror".

"The use of such words is aimed at maligning the RSS, which is the biggest social and cultural organisation in the country," Prasad said.

Obama a symbol of social justice: BJP

PATNA: US President Barack H Obama's India visit has put the RSS, BJP and JD(U) in Bihar in a paradoxical situation. The RSS here has been critical of Obama for not mentioning Pakistan in his address to the survivors of 26\11 at the Hotel Taj in Mumbai on Saturday.

On the other hand, a section of the state JD(U) leadership is critical of Obama's visit because former defence minister George Fernandes had been frisked during his visit to the US. In contrast, the BJP parliamentarians seem to have taken no note of the RSS's critical stance towards the Obama visit and would attend the joint session of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha that the US president is scheduled to address on Monday.

"President Obama is our state guest. He will address the joint session of the Parliament on Monday. I have been an MP for three terms. It is my responsibility to hear the US president when he addresses the joint session of the Parliament," said BJP national spokesman and the party's Bhagalpur MP Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, adding: "I have decided to hear his address not because his middle name carries Hussain, but because he is a symbol of something bigger than that."

For Shahnawaz, Obama is a person who was born in a poor Black family, and yet, by the virtue of his geniality, affable nature, education and inborn leadership qualities, rose to become the US president by people's choice. "He is a symbol of social justice," Shahnawaz said.

Incidentally, JD(U) national spokesman and Rajya Sabha member Shivanand Tiwari has his own reservations about Obama's visit, though he qualified it as his personal opinion and not that of his party. He would not attend the joint session of the Parliament that the US president would address.

Incidentally, the Left parties took out a rally in Delhi on Saturday. They carried posters and placards that said "Obama Go Back". Observers here felt that in the state that is having elections for the assembly, the Left legislators, if elected to the House in a significant number, could play an important role in government formation, and, therefore, a section of the JD(U), by criticizing the Obama visit, is keeping the windows to the Left open.

Still more curiously, on Sunday, state Sanghachalak of the RSS Shatrughan Prasad saw in the Obama visit a renewal of the pre-1946 "convergence of western imperialism, Muslim League", since the US President, in his address to the survivors of the 26\11 terror attack in Mumbai, had not mentioned Pakistan as a sponsor of the cross-border terrorism into India. He said that the Left too had supported the pre-1946 "convergence" of the imperialist powers that ultimately led to the division of the country.

"We have been facing such attacks since 1989-90. Terrorists have formed an all-India network in India. Pakistan should have been mentioned," the senior RSS functionary of the state said. Incidentally, the RSS has planned to organize state-wide sit-in protests on November 16 against the use of words and phrases like "saffron terror" and "Hindu terror".

"The use of such words is aimed at maligning the RSS, which is the biggest social and cultural organisation in the country," Prasad said.

Left parties hold demonstration Puducherry against Obama's visit to India

Leaders and volunteers of the Left parties today held a demonstration near the head post office in Puducherry protesting against the visit of the US President Barack Obama to India.
Leaders of Puducherry unit of CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML), All India Forward Bloc and RSP addressed the volunteers.
They alleged that the US was adopting policies that were against India and other countries.

Left parties hold demonstration Puducherry against Obama's visit to India

Leaders and volunteers of the Left parties today held a demonstration near the head post office in Puducherry protesting against the visit of the US President Barack Obama to India.
Leaders of Puducherry unit of CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML), All India Forward Bloc and RSP addressed the volunteers.
They alleged that the US was adopting policies that were against India and other countries.

Maoists blow up school to protest Obama visit

Bhubaneswar, Nov 8 (IANS) Maoist guerrillas Monday blew up a newly constructed school building in Orissa's Malkangiri district to protest US President Barack Obama's India visit, police said. No one was injured.
Around 30-40 rebels blew up the double-storey school building at Gomphakunda village, some 55 km from the district headquarters of Malkangiri. No one was inside the building at the time of the attack.

'The building was recently constructed. The rebels blasted it using landmines,' inspector Debashis Mishra, in charge of the police station there, told IANS.

Maoist posters found from nearby areas indicated that they triggered the blast to protest Obama's visit to India, he said.

The rebels have also felled trees in several places on the highway connecting Tanginiguda and Gobindapali village, affecting vehicular movement on the route, he ssaid.

Malkangiri district, over 600 km from Bhubaneswar, is considered a Maoist stronghold.