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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 002234 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS, DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL PINR KDEM IN
SUBJECT: DELHI DIARY, AUGUST 11-14 
 
REF: A. 2005 KOLKATA 107 
     ¶B. KOLKATA 229 
 
¶1.  (U)  Below is a complilation of political highlights from 
Embassy New Delhi for August 11-14, 2008, that did not 
feature in our other reporting, including: 
 
--  September 6 Deadline for Poll Schedules 
--  Congress Dilemma in Jharkhand 
--  No Change in Uttarakhand Leadership 
--  Women Turn Career Soldiers 
--  "Give Gays a Break," Says Health Minister Ramadoss 
 
September 6 Deadline for Poll Schedules 
--- 
 
¶2.  (U)  The Election Commission (EC) will announce the 
precise schedule for Assembly elections in Delhi, Rajasthan, 
Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram by September 6.  The 
EC on August 11 delayed the decision on Jammu and Kashmir 
Assembly elections citing central government concerns about 
the deteriorating law and order situation.  The EC continues 
to work closely with Jammu and Kashmir state government 
officials, the Home Ministry and the Intelligence Bureau to 
assess the political and security environment.  General 
consensus was that Jammu and Kashmir would go to polls in 
October and the other states in November.  With the current 
unrest in Jammu and Kashmir, the GOI may be forced to 
postpone elections.  For the other states, the expectation is 
still for November polls. 
 
Congress Dilemma in Jharkhand 
--- 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  Former Congress Party M.P. and political advisor 
to the Gandhi family N.D. Patodia told us on August 14 that 
political infighting in Jharkhand presents serious challenges 
for the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) ahead 
of national elections next year. According to Patodia, the 
Jharkhand Mukti Marcha (JMM) chief Shibu Soren faces local 
resistance from independents and other party factions that 
oppose JMM's demands for additional state and national level 
positions (reftels).  Moreover, the UPA would have to remove 
a Congress Party person from power in order to accommodate an 
additional JMM cabinet member which would anger the political 
base, Patodia said.  The UPA faces a tricky political 
challenge in satisfying both JMM and independent camps, while 
retaining its slender majority (reftels).  One school of 
thought is that the independents will be compelled to fall in 
line if UPA leadership decides to replace Koda with Soren as 
Chief Minister. 
 
No Change in Uttarakhand Leadership 
--- 
 
¶4.  (U)  In a bid to keep controversy at bay ahead of 
Panchayat (local) and national elections, Bharatiya Janata 
Party (BJP) leadership on August 11 ruled out change of 
leadership in Uttarakhand.  25 out of 36 BJP MLAs, with the 
support of seven state ministers, met BJP President Rajnath 
Singh August 10 urging the removal of Uttarakhand Chief 
Minister B.C. Khanduri.  The dissidents, led by former Chief 
Minister Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, complained of CM Khanduri's 
"autocratic" leadership that excluded MLAs and senior 
leadership from government decisions.  They warned that the 
"power vacuum" would negatively affect the BJP in upcoming 
Panchayat elections next month and national elections due by 
May 2009. 
 
¶5.  (U)  Following two days of heated negotiations, state BJP 
president Bachi Singh Rawat on August 11 told reporters that 
the party should focus on elections, not political 
in-fighting, and urged Koshiyari and Khanduri to sort out 
differences.  The Khanduri-Koshiyari rivalry is long-standing 
 
NEW DELHI 00002234  002 OF 002 
 
 
and well-known.  Each aspires to be the Chief Minister. 
 
Women Turn Career Soldiers 
--- 
 
¶6.  (U)  On August 11, the Indian armed forces' Chief of 
Staff Committee broke an age-old tradition when it announced 
that women will be eligible for permanent commission. 
Previously, the tenure for servicewomen was limited from five 
to 14 years, excluding the Army Medical Corps.  This historic 
development resulted from two years of behind-the-scenes 
consensus-building and negotiations, thanks in large part to 
Defense Minister A.K. Antony, who has argued that the 
military should increase the participation of women in the 
forces to 20 percent.  Moving forward, the military must 
fine-tune the details and identify positions for women 
officers, who currently comprise only 2.7 percent of the 
armed forces and are not allowed to serve in combat. 
Permanent commission will allow women greater access to 
promotion opportunities and increased responsibilities not 
possible during a limited tenure.  Additionally, the National 
Defense Academy (NDA) and similar training institutions will 
open their doors to women, providing the opportunity to earn 
a degree, as well as to become a commissioned officer. 
Ranjana Kumari, a noted women's rights activist, welcomed the 
announcement; however, she argued the military should go a 
step further, "(women) should be treated as equals and should 
be included in combat positions." 
 
¶7.  (U)  Fifteen years after being first allowed into the 
armed services, women finally have the opportunity to pursue 
a career as permanent commissioned officers in the 
traditionally male-dominated military.  The recent trend of 
women officers quitting the military in favor of private 
sector careers with more promotion potential likely 
contributed to the decision. 
 
"Give Gays a Break," Says Health Minister Ramadoss 
--- 
 
¶8.  (U)  Speaking at the 17th International Conference on 
AIDS in Mexico City on August 8, Union Health Minister 
Anbumani Ramadoss advocated legalizing homosexuality in 
India.  Ramadoss asserted, "Section 377 of the Indian Penal 
Code (IPC), which criminalizes men who have sex with men, 
must go."  He warned, "structural discrimination against 
those who are vulnerable to HIV, such as sex workers and men 
who have sex with men, must be removed if our prevention, 
care, and treatment programs are to succeed."  In a 
conversation with POL FSN, Shivangi Rai, a lawyer with the 
HIV Section of the Lawyers Collective, confirmed that the 
Health Ministry has consistently supported disposing of 
Article 377 as it impeded efforts to reduce the prevalence of 
HIV in India.  Ramadoss will face opposition from the 
Ministry of Home Affairs, which argues that abolishing 
Section 377 would somehow weaken Indian culture and morality. 
 The Delhi High Court has asked the Central Government to 
issue a decision on Section 377 by September 8. 
 
¶9.  (U)  Minister Ramadoss' statement, the first at such a 
high level forum, was a huge victory for India's gay 
community.  While legal hurdles remain, Ramadoss successfully 
focused the world's attention on the GOI's handling of gay 
rights. 
WHITE