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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 001356 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM SCUL IN
SUBJECT: DELHI DIARY, MAY 12-16 
 
REF: A. NEW DELHI 1052 
 
     ¶B. NEW DELHI 160 
 
¶1.  (U) Below is a compilation of political highlights from 
Embassy New Delhi for May 12-16, 2008 that did not feature in 
our other reporting, including: 
 
-- Akali-BJP Deadly Clash During Local Polls in Punjab 
-- Child Laborers Wake Up Parliamentarians 
-- Reservation Policy Hits a Snag 
 
Akali-BJP Deadly Clash During Local Polls in Punjab 
------ 
 
¶2.  (U) Local elections on May 12 in Punjab saw violent 
clashes between political parties, including the ruling 
government coalition partners Shiromani Akali Dal and 
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The media reported that Akali 
workers captured polling stations and were casting ballots 
forcibly or disposing of ballot boxes, with one ballot box 
thrown in the village pond. In one district Akali workers 
stabbed a Congress Party member and in another they attacke 
BJP supporters, setting fire to a BJP legislator's vehicle. 
BJP members fought back, tearing down posters of Akali Chief 
Minister Prakash Singh Badal and his son Akali President 
Sukhbir Singh Badal and damaged two buses owned by the Badal 
family. Verbal duals turned into gun fire fights resulting in 
at least two deaths and dozens of casualties. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Tension between the BJP and Akali's stems from a 
shared sense that the other is encroaching on its traditional 
vote base. The BJP feels that the Akalis are making inroads 
in urban areas, where it typically has a stronghold. 
Likewise, the Akalis feel that the BJP are making inroads in 
rural Punjab, where it has a stronghold. 
 
¶4.  (U) In an effort to defuse tension, Akali Chief Minister 
Badal rushed to a hospital in Amritsar to visit injured BJP 
workers. However, an incensed BJP leadership did not discount 
the notion that the BJP might withdraw support from the 
alliance government. BJP leader in the state assembly 
Manoranjan Kalia and BJP Member of Parliament from Punjab 
Balbir Punj demanded justice from the Akali leadership. 
 
¶5.  (U) On May 13, Akali and BJP leaders met to discuss the 
crisis. An unsatisfactory meeting in the morning with 
President Sukhbir Singh Badal was offset by a better meeting 
in the evening at Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal's 
residence. At the meeting, BJP leaders listed their 
complaints and condemned the manner in which the 
administration treated their complaints. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Comment:  The meeting at the Chief Minister's 
residence apparently appeased BJP leaders sufficiently and 
the issue appears to be resolved for now. The BJP and Akalis 
have been partners for decades, so local level skirmishes 
will cause strain, but will not break the alliance between 
the two parties. It is more likely that BJP and Akali 
leadership will do whatever they can to make sure the 
alliance remains intact. 
 
Child Laborers Wake Up Parliamentarians 
------ 
 
¶7.  (U) In honor of Global Action Week, hundreds of former 
child laborers surprised over 50 Parliamentarians with an 
early-morning reminder of the government's promises for 
educational reform. The children, organized into groups of 
10-15 with the support of Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) and 
the Coalition for Education (NCE), knocked on office doors to 
pressure MP's fulfill the commitments made at Dakar. The 
demands in the children's charter included six percent ofGDP 
spending on education, a redressal system for those excluded 
from mainstream education, regulation of the private school 
system, and compliance with the Millennium Development Goals. 
 
 
NEW DELHI 00001356  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶8.  (U) Despite a few reluctant parliamentarians, most showed 
great interest in hearing the children's grievances and 
appreciated their proactive approach. Current MP's, such as 
Abudullakutty from Kannur, and former MP's, such as Karnendu 
Bhattacharya, Virchandra Paswan, and Vishnu Deo Sai, vowed to 
fully support the children's continued efforts, noting that 
improved education also positively effects like land reform 
and decentralization of power. Other MP's, namely 
Nikhilananda Sar, rejected the Right to Education act, 
insisting it is not the government's responsibility. 
 
¶9.  (U) Comment:  As is typical with India's "soft" issues, 
(most) parliamentarians rally behind education and promise to 
push for better implementation. However, given budget 
constraints and competing priorities, not everyone will put 
their money where their mouth is. Nevertheless, G/TIP-grantee 
BBA demonstrates its political savvy by directly exposing 
Indian politicians to kids with a metaphorical "wake up" call. 
 
Reservation Policy Hits a Snag 
------ 
 
¶10.  (U) In yet another setback to the Human Resources 
Development (HRD) Ministry's attempt to implement a 27 
percent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the 
universities, the Kolkata High Court on May 14 stayed 
implementation at the prestigious Indian Institute of 
Management, Calcutta (IIM-C). While paving the way for more 
litigation and confusion regarding the already controversial 
issue, the court order has put on hold the admission process 
at IIM Calcutta, with potential impact on admission processes 
in other IIMs as well as all other Central educational 
institutions offering postgraduate programs. 
 
¶11.  (U) In a historic verdict on April 10, 2008, a Five 
Member Constitution bench of the Supreme Court of India 
upheld the controversial Central Educational Institutions 
(Reservation in Admissions) Act. The judgment excluded the 
OBC "creamy layer" (those with an annual income ofRs 2.5 lakh 
and above) and favored fixing cut off marks for OBC 
candidates. Three of the five-judge bench were against 
extending the benefits of reservation beyond the 
undergraduate level, generating an interpretation that the 
OBC reservation will not be applicable to Post Graduate 
programs. However, the HRD Ministry has consistently denied 
this interpretation, and urged all the higher educational 
institutions under its command to implement the quota. The 
Ministry's interpretation was challenged in the High Courts 
in India's major Metro cities and the Delhi High Court issued 
notices to the Central Government in response to a petition 
filed by the IIM Alumni Association. On May 14, in response 
to a petition filed by a candidate, the Calcutta High Court 
stayed the implementation of the OBC quota in IIM-C until 
June 9, when the case will be taken up for hearing. 
 
¶12.  (U) While the HRD Ministry insists that the order will 
not impact the admission process in Institutions other than 
IIM-C, certain legal experts point out that the order would 
affect all central institutions, whether inside or outside of 
West Bengal. The Calcutta High Court's order has come at a 
time when most Central educational institutions are in the 
thick of the admission process for the coming academic year. 
The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have added 880 
seats to their capacity to accommodate the first phase (nine 
percent) of the quota. The IIM Ahmadabad has already finished 
provisionally admitting OBC candidates. While the HRD 
Ministry feels confident that it can convince the High Court 
of its interpretation of the judgment, and plans to move the 
Supreme Court for a clarification of the April 10 judgment, 
the legal battle means further delays for the candidates 
awaiting entrance results from these prestigious institutions. 
MULFORD