The Sri Lankan government yesterday announced it was ending the use of air and artillery strikes in its war with the Tamil Tigers, after weeks of denying that it was using such tactics.
Under intense international pressure to end the fighting, the government claimed combat operations had reached their conclusion and it would now concentrate on rescuing civilians. However, there was no sign of an end to the fighting, which has claimed the lives of at least 6,000 civilians in the last three months.
The statement appeared to contradict previous claims by the military that it had not been using heavy weapons.
It came a day after the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) announced a unilateral ceasefire, allegedly to allow civilians to leave the no-fire zone, a tiny coastal strip no larger than four square miles, where tens of thousands of people remain trapped by the fighting.
With the UN's top humanitarian official, John Holmes, already in the country and Britain's foreign minister, David Miliband, expected tomorrow, along with his French and Swedish counterparts, both sides appear keen to secure a propaganda advantage. But reports from the ground suggested the statements had little impact on the conduct of the war. The military said it was continuing to pursue the LTTE and heavy fighting was reported inside the no-fire zone.
A doctor working in the zone, Thangamutha Sathiyamoorthy, said there had been air strikes on the south Mullivaikkal area around 12.40pm and 1.10pm and artillery fired into the north Mullivaikkal area at around 5.40pm. Both areas are inside the no-fire zone. The government has accused Sathiyamoorthy of acting as a mouthpiece for the LTTE.
In a statement, the government said: "Our security forces have been instructed to end the use of heavy calibre guns, combat aircraft and aerial weapons which could cause civilian casualties."
John Holmes, the UN undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs, said: "I hope that the idea of not using heavy weapons will genuinely be respected, which I am afraid has not been the case in the past."
He also criticised the LTTE, saying it had given no indication that it would allow civilians to leave the area. "These people are in mortal danger," he said.
A government spokesman said that the decision signalled "the nearing victory of one of the world's most successful battles against terrorism". He said: "It is a decision that displays the genuine will of the Sri Lankan government to rescue its citizens from terrorism."
A military spokesman, Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, later insisted that air strikes and artillery had not been directed at areas in which civilians had taken shelter. But he did confirm for the first time that those weapons had been used against the LTTE during the fighting in recent weeks. "We have been using them outside the safety zone," he said.
Pictures have shown large plumes of smoke rising from inside the no-fire zone, consistent with the use of high explosives. Brigadier Nanayakkara said the smoke could have been the result of the LTTE setting fire to civilians' tents. "Smoke can come from anything," he said.
The government claims that no more than 20,000 civilians remained inside the no-fire zone, although UN officials have suggested that the true figure could be as many as 150,000.
The reports can not be verified because journalists and humanitarian staff have been denied independent access to the area where the fighting is taking place.
EU foreign ministers yesterday urged Sri Lanka's government and the LTTE to agree an immediate ceasefire to allow the UN to organise an evacuation of the remaining civilians. "It is very, very important that we follow through on the government's welcome announcement," Miliband said. "This is a humanitarian crisis that needs to be tackled with real urgency."
Gordon Brown was reported to have telephoned the Sri Lankan president, Mahinda Rajapakse, on Sunday to pledge £2.5m for humanitarian assistance for the displaced civilians.
Monday, April 27, 2009
FBI monitored members of O.C. mosques at gyms, alleged informant says
As part of their anti-terrorism efforts, FBI agents monitored popular gyms throughout Orange County to gather intelligence on members of several local mosques, according to a man who claims to have been a key informant in the operation.
Sal Hernandez, director of the FBI's Los Angeles office, declined comment on the matter Monday. Another law enforcement source, however, confirmed that the surveillance occurred, but emphasized that it was a narrowly focused operation targeting people whom the informant had already implicated in alleged crimes.
The informant is Craig Monteilh, who said he posed as a Muslim convert at the request of the FBI to gather intelligence that might aid anti-terrorism investigators.
Monteilh, a muscular man with a background as a personal trainer, said he was instructed to lure mosque members to work out with him at local gyms. FBI agents, he said, later would obtain security camera footage from the gyms and ask him to identify the people on the tapes and to provide additional information about them. He said he was told that the agents then conducted background checks on the men, looking for anything that could be used to pressure them to become informants.
Disclosures of the FBI's tactics have angered some leaders in the Muslim community in Orange County who saw it as a betrayal of their efforts to assist law enforcement after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The issue has reverberated nationwide.
Last week, a coalition of the nation's largest Muslim organizations, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Muslim Public Affairs Council and the Islamic Society of North America, issued a statement demanding that the Obama administration address FBI actions, including what they described as the "infiltration of mosques," the use of "agent provocateurs to trap unsuspecting Muslim youth" and the "deliberate vilification" of the council.
"While the FBI does not comment on investigative techniques, it's absurd to suggest that FBI agents are randomly targeting Middle Eastern men or any other ethnic group for investigation," said FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.
Monteilh, 46, is a twice convicted felon who says he was recruited by the FBI in 2006 to go undercover in the Islamic Center of Irvine, where he said he pretended to be Farouk Al-Aziz, a Syrian-French American searching for his Islamic roots. He says he surreptitiously recorded conversations with members of several mosques and provided the recordings to the FBI.
Though FBI officials have declined to discuss Monteilh's alleged role in any investigation, a law enforcement source confirmed that he worked as an informant.
Monteilh (whose name is pronounced Mahn-Tay) said the FBI stopped using him as an informant in 2007 when a supervisor questioned his credibility. He has since filed a legal claim against the bureau, accusing officials of reneging on promises to pay him $100,000 and place him in a witness protection program.
In several recent interviews with The Times, the 6-foot-2, 260-pound Monteilh said he was encouraged to invite members of several mosques to join him for workouts at various fitness centers in Irvine, Tustin, Laguna Niguel and Costa Mesa. Monteilh said he would routinely lead between eight and 15 men in a regimen of weightlifting and cardiovascular exercise. He said a car key operating as an electronic recording device was capturing whatever he and the men talked about.
About a month after the workouts began, Monteilh said one his "handlers" at the FBI started showing him photos that he was told were still shots taken by video surveillance cameras at the gyms. He said the agent would typically show him between 75 and 100 photos per meeting, which he said were usually at various Starbucks in Orange County.
Monteilh identified the agent by name, but his identity is being withheld by The Times at the request of an FBI official who cited his involvement in covert activities unrelated to the case that Monteilh said he was involved in.
Monteilh said the agent would ask him to write down the name of the person in each photo, the mosque they attend, their nationality and the names of their associates. He estimated that he identified several hundred men, the majority of them between the ages of 18 and 50. Many were professionals, including doctors and lawyers, he said. Most were students.
Monteilh said he broached the topic of racial profiling, but was rebuffed.
"White little old ladies aren't blowing up buildings and planes," Monteilh quoted one agent as saying. "We're looking at these people based on the fact that there's a terrorist threat in the Islamic community . . . there's no other way."
He said the project was working so well that his handlers were given clearance to use him to open a gym that would cater to men in the Islamic community. It was supposed to have a prayer room next to the workout area and the entire place was going to be wired for audio and video surveillance, Monteilh said. He said the project was scrapped after his cover was blown.
A spokesman for one of the fitness centers where the activities allegedly occurred said the company had no knowledge of the FBI probe. Representatives from other gyms did not respond to inquiries from The Times.
Gyms have played a role in the formation of terrorist cells, experts said. According to the British government's report on the bombings in London on July 2005, three of four terrorists became connected at gyms. One of the British gyms was dubbed the "Al Qaeda gym" because it was known as a hotbed for extremists, the report stated. The 9/11 terrorists and Madrid bombers also bonded at gyms.
Monteilh's role as a government informant seemed to be supported by the testimony of an FBI agent in February.
The agent, Thomas J. Ropel III, was testifying at a bail hearing in the case of Ahmadullah Sais Niazi, who is charged with perjury, naturalization fraud and making a false statement to a federal agency for, among other things, not disclosing that his brother-in-law is Osama bin Laden's alleged security coordinator.
Ropel told the judge in the case that Niazi had been secretly recorded by an informant as he threatened to blow up abandoned buildings. The agent did not name Monteilh but testified that the informant was the same man Muslims had reported to the FBI as an extremist two years earlier.
Monteilh was reported to the FBI in June 2007 after members of the Islamic Center of Irvine alleged that he was promoting terrorist plots and trying to recruit others to join him.Monteilh denies being a terrorist and said anything he said or did at the mosque was in his capacity as an informant for the FBI. He said he was given permission by authorities to engage in terrorist rhetoric, planning and "pretty much anything short of an actual attack" as part of his assignment.
Sal Hernandez, director of the FBI's Los Angeles office, declined comment on the matter Monday. Another law enforcement source, however, confirmed that the surveillance occurred, but emphasized that it was a narrowly focused operation targeting people whom the informant had already implicated in alleged crimes.
The informant is Craig Monteilh, who said he posed as a Muslim convert at the request of the FBI to gather intelligence that might aid anti-terrorism investigators.
Monteilh, a muscular man with a background as a personal trainer, said he was instructed to lure mosque members to work out with him at local gyms. FBI agents, he said, later would obtain security camera footage from the gyms and ask him to identify the people on the tapes and to provide additional information about them. He said he was told that the agents then conducted background checks on the men, looking for anything that could be used to pressure them to become informants.
Disclosures of the FBI's tactics have angered some leaders in the Muslim community in Orange County who saw it as a betrayal of their efforts to assist law enforcement after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The issue has reverberated nationwide.
Last week, a coalition of the nation's largest Muslim organizations, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Muslim Public Affairs Council and the Islamic Society of North America, issued a statement demanding that the Obama administration address FBI actions, including what they described as the "infiltration of mosques," the use of "agent provocateurs to trap unsuspecting Muslim youth" and the "deliberate vilification" of the council.
"While the FBI does not comment on investigative techniques, it's absurd to suggest that FBI agents are randomly targeting Middle Eastern men or any other ethnic group for investigation," said FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.
Monteilh, 46, is a twice convicted felon who says he was recruited by the FBI in 2006 to go undercover in the Islamic Center of Irvine, where he said he pretended to be Farouk Al-Aziz, a Syrian-French American searching for his Islamic roots. He says he surreptitiously recorded conversations with members of several mosques and provided the recordings to the FBI.
Though FBI officials have declined to discuss Monteilh's alleged role in any investigation, a law enforcement source confirmed that he worked as an informant.
Monteilh (whose name is pronounced Mahn-Tay) said the FBI stopped using him as an informant in 2007 when a supervisor questioned his credibility. He has since filed a legal claim against the bureau, accusing officials of reneging on promises to pay him $100,000 and place him in a witness protection program.
In several recent interviews with The Times, the 6-foot-2, 260-pound Monteilh said he was encouraged to invite members of several mosques to join him for workouts at various fitness centers in Irvine, Tustin, Laguna Niguel and Costa Mesa. Monteilh said he would routinely lead between eight and 15 men in a regimen of weightlifting and cardiovascular exercise. He said a car key operating as an electronic recording device was capturing whatever he and the men talked about.
About a month after the workouts began, Monteilh said one his "handlers" at the FBI started showing him photos that he was told were still shots taken by video surveillance cameras at the gyms. He said the agent would typically show him between 75 and 100 photos per meeting, which he said were usually at various Starbucks in Orange County.
Monteilh identified the agent by name, but his identity is being withheld by The Times at the request of an FBI official who cited his involvement in covert activities unrelated to the case that Monteilh said he was involved in.
Monteilh said the agent would ask him to write down the name of the person in each photo, the mosque they attend, their nationality and the names of their associates. He estimated that he identified several hundred men, the majority of them between the ages of 18 and 50. Many were professionals, including doctors and lawyers, he said. Most were students.
Monteilh said he broached the topic of racial profiling, but was rebuffed.
"White little old ladies aren't blowing up buildings and planes," Monteilh quoted one agent as saying. "We're looking at these people based on the fact that there's a terrorist threat in the Islamic community . . . there's no other way."
He said the project was working so well that his handlers were given clearance to use him to open a gym that would cater to men in the Islamic community. It was supposed to have a prayer room next to the workout area and the entire place was going to be wired for audio and video surveillance, Monteilh said. He said the project was scrapped after his cover was blown.
A spokesman for one of the fitness centers where the activities allegedly occurred said the company had no knowledge of the FBI probe. Representatives from other gyms did not respond to inquiries from The Times.
Gyms have played a role in the formation of terrorist cells, experts said. According to the British government's report on the bombings in London on July 2005, three of four terrorists became connected at gyms. One of the British gyms was dubbed the "Al Qaeda gym" because it was known as a hotbed for extremists, the report stated. The 9/11 terrorists and Madrid bombers also bonded at gyms.
Monteilh's role as a government informant seemed to be supported by the testimony of an FBI agent in February.
The agent, Thomas J. Ropel III, was testifying at a bail hearing in the case of Ahmadullah Sais Niazi, who is charged with perjury, naturalization fraud and making a false statement to a federal agency for, among other things, not disclosing that his brother-in-law is Osama bin Laden's alleged security coordinator.
Ropel told the judge in the case that Niazi had been secretly recorded by an informant as he threatened to blow up abandoned buildings. The agent did not name Monteilh but testified that the informant was the same man Muslims had reported to the FBI as an extremist two years earlier.
Monteilh was reported to the FBI in June 2007 after members of the Islamic Center of Irvine alleged that he was promoting terrorist plots and trying to recruit others to join him.Monteilh denies being a terrorist and said anything he said or did at the mosque was in his capacity as an informant for the FBI. He said he was given permission by authorities to engage in terrorist rhetoric, planning and "pretty much anything short of an actual attack" as part of his assignment.
Poll Suggests Obama’s Term Is Altering Views on Race
Barack Obama’s presidency seems to be altering the public perception of race relations in the United States. Two-thirds of Americans now say race relations are generally good and the percentage of blacks who say so has doubled since last July, according to the latest New York Times/ CBS News poll.
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Despite that, half of blacks still say whites have a better chance of getting ahead in American society, the poll found. Black Americans remain among the president’s staunchest supporters; 70 percent of black respondents now say the country is headed in the right direction, compared to 34 percent of whites.
The poll found broad support for Mr. Obama’s approach on a variety of issues, including one of the most contentious on his plate right now: whether Congress should investigate the harsh interrogation tactics authorized by his predecessor, George W. Bush. Sixty-two percent of Americans share Mr. Obama’s view that hearings are unnecessary.
As Mr. Obama approaches the 100th day of his presidency, Americans seem to have high hopes for him; 72 percent said they are optimistic about the next four years. By and large, Americans expect the president to make significant progress in revamping health care, energy and immigration policy, issues central to his ambitious domestic agenda.
But the optimism is tempered by a feeling of resignation about two of the most difficult challenges the president faces: reviving the economy and ending United States military involvement in Iraq. Most Americans say Mr. Obama has begun to make progress on both fronts, but many do not expect either the recession or the war to be over by the end of his term.
It is not unusual for new presidents to enjoy substantial public support at this point in their terms. But Mr. Obama’s 68 percent job approval rating is higher than that of any recent president at the 100-day mark. Former President George W. Bush had the approval of 56 percent of the public at this juncture.
But while Americans clearly have faith in Mr. Obama, the poll revealed something of a disconnect between what the public thinks the president has already accomplished, and what it expects him to achieve.
Fewer than half of those surveyed, 48 percent, said Mr. Obama had begun to make progress on one of his major campaign promises, changing the way business is conducted in Washington. And just 39 percent said Mr. Obama had begun to make progress on another major promise, cutting taxes for middle-class Americans, even though the stimulus bill he signed into law does include a middle class tax cut.
Mr. Obama will mark his 100th day in office on Wednesday with a trip to St. Louis and a prime time news conference, where aides say he will make the case that he has made ‘’a down payment” on fixing the nation’s biggest problems. The poll found Americans seem to share that view, suggesting the White House has been effective at casting Mr. Obama as an agent of change, while persuading the public that change will take time.
“With all Obama wants to do and all he’s got going, it’s going to take more than four years,” said Larry Gibbons, 58, a retired restaurant manager and Republican in Phoenix who voted for Mr. Obama’s opponent, John McCain. Speaking in a follow-up interview, he added, “Obama is attacking everything at once and I do approve of that.”
Throughout Mr. Obama’s candidacy and his young presidency, race has loomed as an undercurrent to his message of change. Yet the president shies away from talking about it. In response to a question at his last press conference, Mr. Obama conceded that his election had created ‘’justifiable pride on the part of the country,” but quickly shifted gears, adding, “That lasted about a day.”
But Americans do feel differently about race and race relations with Mr. Obama in the White House, according to poll respondents who spoke in follow-up interviews. Some, like Jacqueline Luster, a 60-year-old retired bank employee in Macedonia, Ohio, say the times are changing, but that Mr. Obama seems to be speeding that change.
“With him as president, people seem to be working together toward the same goals and that has helped race relations,” she said. “Before there was more of a separation, blacks working for black goals and whites for white goals. Obama has helped change the perception of blacks in a positive way, but it’s also the times. ‘’
Another Democrat, Lisa Fleming, 49, who is white, said that even in the small Illinois town, Potomac, where she lives, she notices ‘’people of different races being kinder to each other” since Mr. Obama’s election. A white Republican homemaker in Kansas City, Mary Robertson, 78, said Mr. Obama’s ‘’openness and acceptance have helped others be more open and accepting.”
The nationwide telephone survey was conducted Wednesday through Sunday with 973 adults. For purposes of analysis, blacks were oversampled in this poll, for a total of 212, who were then weighted back to their proper proportion in the poll, according to the Census. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points for all adults, and plus or minus 7 percentage points for blacks.
After nearly 100 days of watching Mr. Obama conduct the affairs of state, more than two-thirds of Americans say he is not a typical politician, though most say he is set apart more by his style and his personal qualities than his policies.
For instance, the poll found the public appears divided over whether the Obama administration has broken with the Bush administration in its overall foreign policy. Forty-three percent of respondents said there had been some change in foreign policy since Mr. Obama took office, the poll found, while 44 percent said there had been no change and 13 percent did not have an opinion.
Yet the public does give Mr. Obama credit for improving the image of the United States with the rest of the world. And the poll found support for Mr. Obama’s overtures to Iran and Cuba; a majority, 53 percent, said they favor establishing diplomatic relations with Iran, while two thirds favor Mr. Obama’s plans to thaw relations with Cuba.
Skip to next paragraph
Despite that, half of blacks still say whites have a better chance of getting ahead in American society, the poll found. Black Americans remain among the president’s staunchest supporters; 70 percent of black respondents now say the country is headed in the right direction, compared to 34 percent of whites.
The poll found broad support for Mr. Obama’s approach on a variety of issues, including one of the most contentious on his plate right now: whether Congress should investigate the harsh interrogation tactics authorized by his predecessor, George W. Bush. Sixty-two percent of Americans share Mr. Obama’s view that hearings are unnecessary.
As Mr. Obama approaches the 100th day of his presidency, Americans seem to have high hopes for him; 72 percent said they are optimistic about the next four years. By and large, Americans expect the president to make significant progress in revamping health care, energy and immigration policy, issues central to his ambitious domestic agenda.
But the optimism is tempered by a feeling of resignation about two of the most difficult challenges the president faces: reviving the economy and ending United States military involvement in Iraq. Most Americans say Mr. Obama has begun to make progress on both fronts, but many do not expect either the recession or the war to be over by the end of his term.
It is not unusual for new presidents to enjoy substantial public support at this point in their terms. But Mr. Obama’s 68 percent job approval rating is higher than that of any recent president at the 100-day mark. Former President George W. Bush had the approval of 56 percent of the public at this juncture.
But while Americans clearly have faith in Mr. Obama, the poll revealed something of a disconnect between what the public thinks the president has already accomplished, and what it expects him to achieve.
Fewer than half of those surveyed, 48 percent, said Mr. Obama had begun to make progress on one of his major campaign promises, changing the way business is conducted in Washington. And just 39 percent said Mr. Obama had begun to make progress on another major promise, cutting taxes for middle-class Americans, even though the stimulus bill he signed into law does include a middle class tax cut.
Mr. Obama will mark his 100th day in office on Wednesday with a trip to St. Louis and a prime time news conference, where aides say he will make the case that he has made ‘’a down payment” on fixing the nation’s biggest problems. The poll found Americans seem to share that view, suggesting the White House has been effective at casting Mr. Obama as an agent of change, while persuading the public that change will take time.
“With all Obama wants to do and all he’s got going, it’s going to take more than four years,” said Larry Gibbons, 58, a retired restaurant manager and Republican in Phoenix who voted for Mr. Obama’s opponent, John McCain. Speaking in a follow-up interview, he added, “Obama is attacking everything at once and I do approve of that.”
Throughout Mr. Obama’s candidacy and his young presidency, race has loomed as an undercurrent to his message of change. Yet the president shies away from talking about it. In response to a question at his last press conference, Mr. Obama conceded that his election had created ‘’justifiable pride on the part of the country,” but quickly shifted gears, adding, “That lasted about a day.”
But Americans do feel differently about race and race relations with Mr. Obama in the White House, according to poll respondents who spoke in follow-up interviews. Some, like Jacqueline Luster, a 60-year-old retired bank employee in Macedonia, Ohio, say the times are changing, but that Mr. Obama seems to be speeding that change.
“With him as president, people seem to be working together toward the same goals and that has helped race relations,” she said. “Before there was more of a separation, blacks working for black goals and whites for white goals. Obama has helped change the perception of blacks in a positive way, but it’s also the times. ‘’
Another Democrat, Lisa Fleming, 49, who is white, said that even in the small Illinois town, Potomac, where she lives, she notices ‘’people of different races being kinder to each other” since Mr. Obama’s election. A white Republican homemaker in Kansas City, Mary Robertson, 78, said Mr. Obama’s ‘’openness and acceptance have helped others be more open and accepting.”
The nationwide telephone survey was conducted Wednesday through Sunday with 973 adults. For purposes of analysis, blacks were oversampled in this poll, for a total of 212, who were then weighted back to their proper proportion in the poll, according to the Census. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points for all adults, and plus or minus 7 percentage points for blacks.
After nearly 100 days of watching Mr. Obama conduct the affairs of state, more than two-thirds of Americans say he is not a typical politician, though most say he is set apart more by his style and his personal qualities than his policies.
For instance, the poll found the public appears divided over whether the Obama administration has broken with the Bush administration in its overall foreign policy. Forty-three percent of respondents said there had been some change in foreign policy since Mr. Obama took office, the poll found, while 44 percent said there had been no change and 13 percent did not have an opinion.
Yet the public does give Mr. Obama credit for improving the image of the United States with the rest of the world. And the poll found support for Mr. Obama’s overtures to Iran and Cuba; a majority, 53 percent, said they favor establishing diplomatic relations with Iran, while two thirds favor Mr. Obama’s plans to thaw relations with Cuba.
Gujarat Muslims the 'living dead'
Muslims in India's Gujarat state who bore the burnt of religious riots in 2002 say they have been abandoned by the political parties. The BBC's Soutik Biswas met some riot victims ahead of the general election in the state.
The acrid smell of burning oil singes your nose and eyes as you walk into Bombay Hotel, a sprawling ghetto of Muslim-owned homes on the eastern flank of Ahmedabad, the main city in western Gujarat state.
A pall of black factory smoke hangs over this untidy patchwork of squat, ugly houses. Residents pay 150 rupees ($3) a month to a private contractor who supplies yellow-coloured drinking water through dirty garden pipes. Sewage flows out into the street.
Bombay Hotel, which takes it name after a local roadside eatery, is one of the places where many Muslims displaced by the 2002 Gujarat riots moved to. Over the past seven years, it has transformed from a remote industrial colony to become a busy refugee settlement.
The anti-Muslim riots, sparked off by the death of Hindu pilgrims in the firebombing of a train, led to the death of 1,392 people in five districts, according to official records. NGOs say the toll is closer to 2,000.
Shambolic
The riots also left some 140,000 people homeless. They were put up in camps and given 2,500 rupees by the government - the majority of the displaced were in Ahmedabad city.
Thirty-six-year-old Meraz Ahmad Jalaluddin Ansari is one of them.
Bombay Hotel is a Muslim ghetto which lacks basic amenities
He was lucky that he did not lose any relatives in the riots. He and his family fled their home in the Chamanpura area after Hindu neighbours warned them that the rioters were closing in.
But he did lose his home and livelihood.
He had hired a dozen workers and owned 15 sewing machines. He would make, he says, 15,000 to 20,000 rupees a month from embroidery work.
After fleeing the riots and panic-selling his house to a local Hindu neighbour for 275,000 rupees, Mr Ansari moved into Bombay Hotel.
His living standards are shambolic, the markets where he can sell his wares are now 10-12km away, and his children are soon going to lose their neighbourhood municipal school. It will be scrapped to make way for a bus lane.
Mr Ansari has picked up the pieces again, built a new home and managed to buy about five sewing machines to start work.
He can no longer afford to employ people. The government, he says, gave him compensation of 300 rupees for the damage to his house in Chamanpura.
"Once I was fairly well to do. Now I work a lot more and just manage," he says. "Life can't come to a halt. But sometimes I feel we are the living dead."
Noor Banu and her husband are still trying to pay back a loan
The riots do not find any echo in the general elections in Gujarat.
Seven years after the incident, both the ruling BJP and Congress party remain silent on the shoddy rehabilitation of the victims or the delay in bringing the culprits to justice.
"We cannot vote for the BJP and the Congress almost has a fixed deposit on our votes. So it's a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea," says Mr Ansari.
There is little talk of the impending polls at Bombay Hotel. When you raise the subject, the residents turn their faces away in disgust.
"Before the 2002 riots, there were just a few houses here. Now there are 15,000 houses and 80,000 people. Muslims have moved in from all over. They feel relatively safe here," says Shabit Ali Ansari, 32, who owns a sweets shop.
"But no party does anything for Muslims. The authorities do nothing for people here unless we raise a storm," he says.
Cynical
Barber shops, groceries, sweets shops and even a photo studio that have sprung up in the grubby lanes do brisk business. But residents work on pitifully low wages.
Riot victims like Noor Banu, 45, and her husband, Ashik Ali Badar Ali, 50, who moved here after their house was attacked in the Saraspur area, are struggling to make ends meet.
The neighbourhood school is being demolished
Mr Ali used to drive an auto rickshaw and bring home up to 150 rupees a day. Now he earns barely 1,800 rupees a month working as a security guard.
Their three daughters chip in making lacquered bangles to help pay back a loan of 70,000 rupees the family borrowed for the two-room hovel in which they live.
Next door, Asiyana Ahmed Sheikh, 12, makes kites. And Zarin Aslambhai Ghanchi gets less than one US cent for cutting and stitching together a campaign banner for a political party.
"Even the political parties exploit us when giving us jobs. This is the state of affairs here," says Zarin.
Ashik Ali Badar Ali says he is going to vote for the Hindu nationalist BJP, which was blamed for inaction during the rioting.
"The BJP is an open enemy of the Muslims, and the Congress is a hidden enemy. I'd rather vote for the open enemy, so I can go to them for protection."
Muslims comprise barely 10% of the population in Gujarat.
"Despite the riots and the headlines, the political parties here feel that they can ignore them, because they don't comprise a decisive vote bank," says analyst Achyut Yagnik.
The acrid smell of burning oil singes your nose and eyes as you walk into Bombay Hotel, a sprawling ghetto of Muslim-owned homes on the eastern flank of Ahmedabad, the main city in western Gujarat state.
A pall of black factory smoke hangs over this untidy patchwork of squat, ugly houses. Residents pay 150 rupees ($3) a month to a private contractor who supplies yellow-coloured drinking water through dirty garden pipes. Sewage flows out into the street.
Bombay Hotel, which takes it name after a local roadside eatery, is one of the places where many Muslims displaced by the 2002 Gujarat riots moved to. Over the past seven years, it has transformed from a remote industrial colony to become a busy refugee settlement.
The anti-Muslim riots, sparked off by the death of Hindu pilgrims in the firebombing of a train, led to the death of 1,392 people in five districts, according to official records. NGOs say the toll is closer to 2,000.
Shambolic
The riots also left some 140,000 people homeless. They were put up in camps and given 2,500 rupees by the government - the majority of the displaced were in Ahmedabad city.
Thirty-six-year-old Meraz Ahmad Jalaluddin Ansari is one of them.
Bombay Hotel is a Muslim ghetto which lacks basic amenities
He was lucky that he did not lose any relatives in the riots. He and his family fled their home in the Chamanpura area after Hindu neighbours warned them that the rioters were closing in.
But he did lose his home and livelihood.
He had hired a dozen workers and owned 15 sewing machines. He would make, he says, 15,000 to 20,000 rupees a month from embroidery work.
After fleeing the riots and panic-selling his house to a local Hindu neighbour for 275,000 rupees, Mr Ansari moved into Bombay Hotel.
His living standards are shambolic, the markets where he can sell his wares are now 10-12km away, and his children are soon going to lose their neighbourhood municipal school. It will be scrapped to make way for a bus lane.
Mr Ansari has picked up the pieces again, built a new home and managed to buy about five sewing machines to start work.
He can no longer afford to employ people. The government, he says, gave him compensation of 300 rupees for the damage to his house in Chamanpura.
"Once I was fairly well to do. Now I work a lot more and just manage," he says. "Life can't come to a halt. But sometimes I feel we are the living dead."
Noor Banu and her husband are still trying to pay back a loan
The riots do not find any echo in the general elections in Gujarat.
Seven years after the incident, both the ruling BJP and Congress party remain silent on the shoddy rehabilitation of the victims or the delay in bringing the culprits to justice.
"We cannot vote for the BJP and the Congress almost has a fixed deposit on our votes. So it's a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea," says Mr Ansari.
There is little talk of the impending polls at Bombay Hotel. When you raise the subject, the residents turn their faces away in disgust.
"Before the 2002 riots, there were just a few houses here. Now there are 15,000 houses and 80,000 people. Muslims have moved in from all over. They feel relatively safe here," says Shabit Ali Ansari, 32, who owns a sweets shop.
"But no party does anything for Muslims. The authorities do nothing for people here unless we raise a storm," he says.
Cynical
Barber shops, groceries, sweets shops and even a photo studio that have sprung up in the grubby lanes do brisk business. But residents work on pitifully low wages.
Riot victims like Noor Banu, 45, and her husband, Ashik Ali Badar Ali, 50, who moved here after their house was attacked in the Saraspur area, are struggling to make ends meet.
The neighbourhood school is being demolished
Mr Ali used to drive an auto rickshaw and bring home up to 150 rupees a day. Now he earns barely 1,800 rupees a month working as a security guard.
Their three daughters chip in making lacquered bangles to help pay back a loan of 70,000 rupees the family borrowed for the two-room hovel in which they live.
Next door, Asiyana Ahmed Sheikh, 12, makes kites. And Zarin Aslambhai Ghanchi gets less than one US cent for cutting and stitching together a campaign banner for a political party.
"Even the political parties exploit us when giving us jobs. This is the state of affairs here," says Zarin.
Ashik Ali Badar Ali says he is going to vote for the Hindu nationalist BJP, which was blamed for inaction during the rioting.
"The BJP is an open enemy of the Muslims, and the Congress is a hidden enemy. I'd rather vote for the open enemy, so I can go to them for protection."
Muslims comprise barely 10% of the population in Gujarat.
"Despite the riots and the headlines, the political parties here feel that they can ignore them, because they don't comprise a decisive vote bank," says analyst Achyut Yagnik.
WHO raises swine flu alert level
The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised its alert level over swine flu from three to four - two steps short of declaring a full pandemic.
WHO Assistant Director General Dr Keiji Fukuda said it signalled a "significant step towards pandemic influenza", but added "we are not there yet".
Mexico earlier said it believed 149 people had now died from the swine flu outbreak - only 20 cases are confirmed.
Other, milder, cases are confirmed in the US, Canada, Spain and Britain.
The WHO's decision to raise the alert level to four came after an emergency meeting of experts, brought forward by a day because of concerns over the outbreak.
WHO PANDEMIC ALERT PHASES
Phase 1: No viruses circulating among animals causing infections in humans
Phase 2: Animal influenza virus causes infection in humans, and is considered potential pandemic threat
Phase 3: Influenza causes sporadic cases in people, but no significant human-to-human transmission
Phase 4: Verified human-to-human transmission able to cause community-level outbreaks. Significant increase in risk of a pandemic
Phase 5: Human-to-human transmission in at least two countries. Strong signal pandemic imminent
Phase 6: Virus spreads to another country in a different region. Global pandemic under way
Life at centre of the outbreak
Swine flu: Your experiences
In pictures: Swine flu
Level four means the virus is showing a sustained ability to pass from human to human, and is able to cause community-level outbreaks.
"What this can really be interpreted as is a significant step towards pandemic influenza. But also, it is a phase that says we are not there yet," Mr Fukuda said.
"In other words, at this time we think we have taken a step in that direction, but a pandemic is not considered inevitable."
He said the virus had become too widespread to make containment a feasible option, and said countries must focus on trying to put measures in place to protect the population.
He also stressed that the experts did not recommend closing borders or restricting travel. "With the virus being widespread... closing borders or restricting travel really has very little effects in stopping the movement of this virus," he said.
The first batches of a swine flu vaccine could be ready between four to six months, but it will take several more months to produce large quantities of it, Mr Fukuda said.
Health experts say the virus comes from the same strain that causes seasonal outbreaks in humans. But they say this newly-detected version contains genetic material from versions of flu which usually affect pigs and birds.
Mexico deaths
Earlier, Mexico's Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said the suspected death toll from swine flu had now risen from just over 100 to 149. Of that number, 20 have been confirmed as swine flu.
All of those who had died were aged between 20 and 50, he said. Infections among young healthy adults was a characteristic of past pandemics.
"We're in the decisive moment of the crisis, the number [of deaths] will continue rising," Mr Codova told a news conference.
He said nearly 2,000 people had been hospitalised since the first case of swine flu was reported on 13 April, but half had now been allowed home.
Schools nationwide are to remain closed until 6 May as the country attempts to grapple with the outbreak.
As Mr Cordova spoke, Mexico City - where the outbreak is centred - was rocked by a 5.6-magnitude earthquake. It shook tall buildings and led to evacuations, but there have been no reports of damage or injuries.
SWINE FLU
Swine flu is a respiratory disease thought to spread through coughing and sneezing
Symptoms mimic those of normal flu
Good hygiene like using a tissue and washing hands thoroughly can help reduce transmission
Swine flu cases confirmed in UK
Q&A: What is swine flu?
'I couldn't get out of bed'
In almost all swine flu cases outside Mexico, people have been only mildly ill and have made a full recovery.
In the US, a further 20 cases of swine flu were confirmed in New York. Cases have also been reported in Ohio, Kansas, Texas and California, bringing the total across the country to more than 40.
It is thought that only person in the US had been hospitalised as a result of contracting the virus, and all had recovered.
Dr Richard Besser, acting director of the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has warned that a new US travel advisory is being prepared suggesting "non-essential travel to Mexico be avoided".
Earlier, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou separately urged caution for those considering travelling to Mexico.
In Canada, six cases have been recorded at opposite ends of the country, in British Columbia and in Nova Scotia.
SPREAD OF VIRUS
Mexico: 26 confirmed cases (Mexico puts suspected deaths at 149)
United States: 40 confirmed cases
Canada: 6 confirmed cases
Spain: 1 confirmed case
UK: Scotland says tests confirm 2 cases
Israel, Brazil, Guatemala, Peru, Australia and New Zealand: Suspected cases being tested
Swine flu officially arrived in Europe on Monday, when tests confirmed that a young man in Spain and two people in Scotland - all of whom had recently returned from Mexico - had the virus. They were said to be recovering well.
Tests are also being carried out on individuals or groups in New Zealand, Australia, Brazil and Israel who fell ill following travel to Mexico.
A number of countries in Asia, Latin America and Europe have begun screening airport passengers for symptoms, while Germany's biggest tour operator has suspended trips to Mexico.
Several countries have banned imports of raw pork and pork products from Mexico and parts of the US, although experts say there is no evidence to link exposure to pork with infection.
Shares in airlines have fallen sharply on fears about the economic impact of the outbreak.
WHO Assistant Director General Dr Keiji Fukuda said it signalled a "significant step towards pandemic influenza", but added "we are not there yet".
Mexico earlier said it believed 149 people had now died from the swine flu outbreak - only 20 cases are confirmed.
Other, milder, cases are confirmed in the US, Canada, Spain and Britain.
The WHO's decision to raise the alert level to four came after an emergency meeting of experts, brought forward by a day because of concerns over the outbreak.
WHO PANDEMIC ALERT PHASES
Phase 1: No viruses circulating among animals causing infections in humans
Phase 2: Animal influenza virus causes infection in humans, and is considered potential pandemic threat
Phase 3: Influenza causes sporadic cases in people, but no significant human-to-human transmission
Phase 4: Verified human-to-human transmission able to cause community-level outbreaks. Significant increase in risk of a pandemic
Phase 5: Human-to-human transmission in at least two countries. Strong signal pandemic imminent
Phase 6: Virus spreads to another country in a different region. Global pandemic under way
Life at centre of the outbreak
Swine flu: Your experiences
In pictures: Swine flu
Level four means the virus is showing a sustained ability to pass from human to human, and is able to cause community-level outbreaks.
"What this can really be interpreted as is a significant step towards pandemic influenza. But also, it is a phase that says we are not there yet," Mr Fukuda said.
"In other words, at this time we think we have taken a step in that direction, but a pandemic is not considered inevitable."
He said the virus had become too widespread to make containment a feasible option, and said countries must focus on trying to put measures in place to protect the population.
He also stressed that the experts did not recommend closing borders or restricting travel. "With the virus being widespread... closing borders or restricting travel really has very little effects in stopping the movement of this virus," he said.
The first batches of a swine flu vaccine could be ready between four to six months, but it will take several more months to produce large quantities of it, Mr Fukuda said.
Health experts say the virus comes from the same strain that causes seasonal outbreaks in humans. But they say this newly-detected version contains genetic material from versions of flu which usually affect pigs and birds.
Mexico deaths
Earlier, Mexico's Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said the suspected death toll from swine flu had now risen from just over 100 to 149. Of that number, 20 have been confirmed as swine flu.
All of those who had died were aged between 20 and 50, he said. Infections among young healthy adults was a characteristic of past pandemics.
"We're in the decisive moment of the crisis, the number [of deaths] will continue rising," Mr Codova told a news conference.
He said nearly 2,000 people had been hospitalised since the first case of swine flu was reported on 13 April, but half had now been allowed home.
Schools nationwide are to remain closed until 6 May as the country attempts to grapple with the outbreak.
As Mr Cordova spoke, Mexico City - where the outbreak is centred - was rocked by a 5.6-magnitude earthquake. It shook tall buildings and led to evacuations, but there have been no reports of damage or injuries.
SWINE FLU
Swine flu is a respiratory disease thought to spread through coughing and sneezing
Symptoms mimic those of normal flu
Good hygiene like using a tissue and washing hands thoroughly can help reduce transmission
Swine flu cases confirmed in UK
Q&A: What is swine flu?
'I couldn't get out of bed'
In almost all swine flu cases outside Mexico, people have been only mildly ill and have made a full recovery.
In the US, a further 20 cases of swine flu were confirmed in New York. Cases have also been reported in Ohio, Kansas, Texas and California, bringing the total across the country to more than 40.
It is thought that only person in the US had been hospitalised as a result of contracting the virus, and all had recovered.
Dr Richard Besser, acting director of the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has warned that a new US travel advisory is being prepared suggesting "non-essential travel to Mexico be avoided".
Earlier, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou separately urged caution for those considering travelling to Mexico.
In Canada, six cases have been recorded at opposite ends of the country, in British Columbia and in Nova Scotia.
SPREAD OF VIRUS
Mexico: 26 confirmed cases (Mexico puts suspected deaths at 149)
United States: 40 confirmed cases
Canada: 6 confirmed cases
Spain: 1 confirmed case
UK: Scotland says tests confirm 2 cases
Israel, Brazil, Guatemala, Peru, Australia and New Zealand: Suspected cases being tested
Swine flu officially arrived in Europe on Monday, when tests confirmed that a young man in Spain and two people in Scotland - all of whom had recently returned from Mexico - had the virus. They were said to be recovering well.
Tests are also being carried out on individuals or groups in New Zealand, Australia, Brazil and Israel who fell ill following travel to Mexico.
A number of countries in Asia, Latin America and Europe have begun screening airport passengers for symptoms, while Germany's biggest tour operator has suspended trips to Mexico.
Several countries have banned imports of raw pork and pork products from Mexico and parts of the US, although experts say there is no evidence to link exposure to pork with infection.
Shares in airlines have fallen sharply on fears about the economic impact of the outbreak.
Taliban suspends talks with Pak, won't lay down arms
Taliban on Monday suspended talks with the Pakistani government on the Swat deal to protest against the military operations in Dir, adjoining Swat Valley, in which so far 30 militants and an army officer have been killed.
As the Pakistani forces intensified the operations for second day on Monday, Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariah Muhammadi spokesman Izzat Khan told reporters that no peace talks would be held with the government unless the security forces halted the operations.
Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan also said the militants will not lay down their arms at any cost.
The Swat peace deal stipulated that the militants would lay down their arms once the demand for enforcing Islamic Sharia law in the once Pakistan's famous tourist resort was implemented.
The security forces continued shelling militant hideouts at several places in Dir district.
Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik said security forces had killed at least 30 militants during the operations, which was launched in retaliation to efforts by the Taliban to extend their influence outside Swat.
The Taliban confirmed that commander Maulvi Shahid was among the militants killed on Sunday.
Gunship helicopters targeted militant hideouts, killing and injuring a number of them.
Two personnel of the paramilitary Frontier Corps were also killed and a Major was among five personnel injured in an ambush in Maidan, the hometown of TNSM chief Sufi Muhammad.
Army helicopters airlifted Frontier Corps troops to strategic hilltops in Dir while armoured personnel carriers were seen moving towards the area.
An indefinite curfew was imposed in Lal Qila, Islampura, Kal Kot and several other areas in Dir considered to be strongholds of the Taliban.
Security forces on Sunday took control of Lal Qila after clearing the key area of militants.
Reports from Swat on Monday morning morning said the Taliban had occupied a telephone exchange in Bahrain town.
Security forces arrested four militants with heavy weapons at Khwazakhela in Swat.
Militants in Dir have also taken up positions on hilltops to resist the security forces.
The Inter-Services Public Relations said the operation in Dir was launched on the request of the North West Frontier Province government to rid the area of militants who were threatening peace in the area.
The situation in Maidan, the hometown of Sufi Muhammad, worsened after district police chief Khurshid Khan and local mayor Alamzeb Khan were killed and scores of people were kidnapped in the past few weeks.
As the Pakistani forces intensified the operations for second day on Monday, Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariah Muhammadi spokesman Izzat Khan told reporters that no peace talks would be held with the government unless the security forces halted the operations.
Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan also said the militants will not lay down their arms at any cost.
The Swat peace deal stipulated that the militants would lay down their arms once the demand for enforcing Islamic Sharia law in the once Pakistan's famous tourist resort was implemented.
The security forces continued shelling militant hideouts at several places in Dir district.
Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik said security forces had killed at least 30 militants during the operations, which was launched in retaliation to efforts by the Taliban to extend their influence outside Swat.
The Taliban confirmed that commander Maulvi Shahid was among the militants killed on Sunday.
Gunship helicopters targeted militant hideouts, killing and injuring a number of them.
Two personnel of the paramilitary Frontier Corps were also killed and a Major was among five personnel injured in an ambush in Maidan, the hometown of TNSM chief Sufi Muhammad.
Army helicopters airlifted Frontier Corps troops to strategic hilltops in Dir while armoured personnel carriers were seen moving towards the area.
An indefinite curfew was imposed in Lal Qila, Islampura, Kal Kot and several other areas in Dir considered to be strongholds of the Taliban.
Security forces on Sunday took control of Lal Qila after clearing the key area of militants.
Reports from Swat on Monday morning morning said the Taliban had occupied a telephone exchange in Bahrain town.
Security forces arrested four militants with heavy weapons at Khwazakhela in Swat.
Militants in Dir have also taken up positions on hilltops to resist the security forces.
The Inter-Services Public Relations said the operation in Dir was launched on the request of the North West Frontier Province government to rid the area of militants who were threatening peace in the area.
The situation in Maidan, the hometown of Sufi Muhammad, worsened after district police chief Khurshid Khan and local mayor Alamzeb Khan were killed and scores of people were kidnapped in the past few weeks.
Mamata campaigns jointly with Sonia, Pran
Congress and Trinamool Congress are campaigning together for the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal with Sonia Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee sharing the dais after almost 10 years.
Assailing West Bengal's Left Front government for "running a dictatorship", the Congress President expressed concern at the Communist rulers' failure to "improve the lot of the minorities" and the poor.
In a stinging attack on the Left during an election meeting in a remote area of Murshidabad district, she described as a "matter of shame" the state government's inability to provide job cards to hundreds of thousands of poor people under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA).
Referring to the violent incidents in Nandigram and Singur, she said: "These people (the Left) call themselves messiahs and sympathisers of the poor and working classes. We all know how peasants of Nandigram and Singur became victims of violence in their bid to protect their own land. Our Congress party activities had lathis (sticks) rained on them for trying to give a voice to the people."
Addressing the meeting for Minister for External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee, who is contesting from the district's Jangipur constituency, Sonia Gandhi charged the Left Front with running a dictatorship in the name of democracy.
Murshidabad is the only Muslim majority district in the state. Sonia Gandhi gave an account of the welfare schemes launched by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government at the Centre for the minorities, and pilloried the LF for "not doing much" in this regard.
"In West Bengal, what is the social and economic position of the minorities? It is a cause for grave concern. During the long years of Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) rule, I have a feeling nothing much has been done for minorities," she said, during her 12-minute speech in Hindi.
She said despite the Centre sending thousands of crores for welfare schemes to the state, the Left Front rulers had only used the money for benefit of their party activists.
"Ask the state government why funds allocated by the Centre for welfare schemes are not reaching the people. Had it been given to the people and had this government's intention been good, then there would not have been so many poor people in the state, particularly in this area," she said.
"Instead of implementing the central schemes with honesty to benefit the people, they used it to benefit their leaders. Despite being in power for 32 years, they have failed to bring electricity to all the rural areas."
Referring to the Left parties's withdrawal of support to the UPA Government on the India-US civilian nuclear deal, Sonia Gandhi said: "We had signed the deal only to bring electricity to your homes".
She said the peasants were not getting a remunerative price for paddy here, due to the apathy of the state government, while industrial activities had stopped in the last decade.
Expressing happiness at the alliance with Trinamool Congress, she said: "I am happy that Mamata is again with us," and appealed to the people to vote on polling day and not remain in their houses "out of fear".
Assailing West Bengal's Left Front government for "running a dictatorship", the Congress President expressed concern at the Communist rulers' failure to "improve the lot of the minorities" and the poor.
In a stinging attack on the Left during an election meeting in a remote area of Murshidabad district, she described as a "matter of shame" the state government's inability to provide job cards to hundreds of thousands of poor people under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA).
Referring to the violent incidents in Nandigram and Singur, she said: "These people (the Left) call themselves messiahs and sympathisers of the poor and working classes. We all know how peasants of Nandigram and Singur became victims of violence in their bid to protect their own land. Our Congress party activities had lathis (sticks) rained on them for trying to give a voice to the people."
Addressing the meeting for Minister for External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee, who is contesting from the district's Jangipur constituency, Sonia Gandhi charged the Left Front with running a dictatorship in the name of democracy.
Murshidabad is the only Muslim majority district in the state. Sonia Gandhi gave an account of the welfare schemes launched by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government at the Centre for the minorities, and pilloried the LF for "not doing much" in this regard.
"In West Bengal, what is the social and economic position of the minorities? It is a cause for grave concern. During the long years of Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) rule, I have a feeling nothing much has been done for minorities," she said, during her 12-minute speech in Hindi.
She said despite the Centre sending thousands of crores for welfare schemes to the state, the Left Front rulers had only used the money for benefit of their party activists.
"Ask the state government why funds allocated by the Centre for welfare schemes are not reaching the people. Had it been given to the people and had this government's intention been good, then there would not have been so many poor people in the state, particularly in this area," she said.
"Instead of implementing the central schemes with honesty to benefit the people, they used it to benefit their leaders. Despite being in power for 32 years, they have failed to bring electricity to all the rural areas."
Referring to the Left parties's withdrawal of support to the UPA Government on the India-US civilian nuclear deal, Sonia Gandhi said: "We had signed the deal only to bring electricity to your homes".
She said the peasants were not getting a remunerative price for paddy here, due to the apathy of the state government, while industrial activities had stopped in the last decade.
Expressing happiness at the alliance with Trinamool Congress, she said: "I am happy that Mamata is again with us," and appealed to the people to vote on polling day and not remain in their houses "out of fear".
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