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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 000367 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS, DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KISL PINR PTER MOPS IN
SUBJECT: DELHI DIARY, FEBRUARY 14-27, 2009 
 
REF: A. NEW DELHI 353 
     ¶B. NEW DELHI 292 
 
¶1. (U)  Below is a compilation of political highlights from 
Embassy New Delhi for February 14-27, 2009, that did not 
feature in our other reporting: 
 
-- 14th Lok Sabha Ends Respectfully, 
   But No Election Dates Yet 
 
-- Parliamentary Committee Calls for 
   Better Military/Intel Coordination 
 
-- Deoband Reiterates Stance Against Violence 
 
14th Lok Sabha Ends Respectfully, 
But No Election Dates Yet 
------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) In contrast to the acrimony that normally fills most 
parliamentary sessions, the 14th Lok Sabha (lower house) 
ended on a cordial, nostalgic note.  This last session before 
polls saw the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) initially 
issue a relatively modest interim budget, only to add the 
expected sops a few days later (reftels).  Earlier in the 
week, rumors circulated that Prime Minister Singh, still 
convalescing after heart surgery, would appear for the final 
day.  Instead, Foreign Minister Mukherjee read a statement 
from the PM, in which he referred to Leader of the Opposition 
L.K. Advani as "constructive."  Advani wished the PM a speedy 
recovery.  The session also marked the retirement of Speaker 
Somnath Chatterjee, who was expelled from the Communist Party 
of India (Marxist) for not following party orders during the 
July 2008 confidence vote over the U.S.-India Civil Nuclear 
Initiative. 
 
¶3. (U) The generosity only lasted until the members exited 
the building. Addressing the press after the session, Advani 
termed the UPA an "all round failure."  He accused the ruling 
coalition of "criminalizing" the Cabinet.  He also called for 
an amendment to the Constitution requiring the PM to be a 
member of the Lok Sabha.  With Parliament adjourned, the 
national campaign can begin in earnest. 
 
¶4. (U) The Election Commission is expected to announce the 
polling schedule for the new parliament in the next few days. 
 Elections will likely take place in four to six stages from 
mid-April to mid-May.  After results are announced, it will 
likely take several days of negotiations amongst the parties 
to form a new government.  The next parliament must be seated 
by June 6. 
 
Parliamentary Committee Calls for 
Better Military/Intel Coordination 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) In a report submitted this week to the Lok Sabha, the 
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defense put forth a list 
of security recommendations to be considered in light of the 
Mumbai attacks.  Referring to the attacks, the Committee 
asserted that recent events had highlighted the lack of 
coordination among the different branches of the military. 
In its view, a unified federal intelligence agency is 
urgently needed to integrate the various intelligence 
networks, and the government should take immediate steps to 
constitute a federal central intelligence agency covering 
under its umbrella even the tri-service intelligence 
gathering network.  In addition, the Committee concluded, the 
current senior post of Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee 
(COSC) should be replaced by a Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), 
a post originally proposed back in 1999 by the Kargil Review 
Committee.  In the interim period, however, the government 
should give "appropriate authority to the existing COSC to 
command and control the resources of the Defense Service when 
 
NEW DELHI 00000367  002 OF 002 
 
 
the situation so demanded." 
 
¶6. (U) Also in the Committee's recommendations were several 
proposals to increase "joint-ness" within India's military. 
The Committee asserted that the lack of coordination between 
the Army, Navy and the Coast Guard had "resulted in a 
catastrophe."  It called the renaming of the Army and Naval 
headquarters as Integrated Headquarters "merely cosmetic." 
The Committee suggested that the Defense Ministry attend 
training sessions in foreign military academies for senior 
Service officers to improve coordinated operational and 
planning capabilities.  It also urged the government to 
expedite the establishment of the Indian National Defense 
University in Haryana. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Comment: These recommendations by a parliamentary 
committee are not binding on the government, and there is no 
indication that they will be implemented anytime soon.  But 
the call for a unified intelligence structure is a concept 
with growing momentum in Delhi, and the inclusion of the 
separate branches of military intelligence would go a long 
way toward streamlining India's counter-terrorism intel 
gathering.  The call for cooperation within the military is a 
rehash of an idea everyone agrees is overdue but, like many 
of the GOI's good ideas, awaits action. 
 
Deoband Reiterates Stance Against Violence 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶8. (U) Right-wing Hindu nationalist group Vishwa Hindu 
Parishad (VHP) sent a letter to the conservative madrassa 
Darul Uloom Deoband, demanding it issue a fatwa calling India 
a "friend of Islam to end religious inspired violence." 
Deoband did not respond directly to the letter, but Vice 
Rector Abdul Khaleque Madrasi told the press, "We have 
already said conditions for jihad don't exist (in India)." 
Since independence, Deobandi clerics have considered India 
"Dar al-Aman," (abode of peace) a state not under Islamic law 
but one in which Muslims are free to worship.  In this 
instance, Deoband did not issue an actual fatwa, since the 
VHP did not follow the proper procedure for obtaining a 
religious edict.  In 2008, clerics from Deoband held a series 
of anti-terrorism conferences and issued a full fledged fatwa 
against terrorism. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Comment: The VHP's letter represents a minor 
election-time stunt and little else.  Deoband's clerics 
wisely refused to be drawn into a futile "prove your 
secularism/patriotism" debate with the Hindu chauvinist 
group.  Vice Rector Madrasi acknowledged the question just 
enough to dismiss its premise.  He did state that should the 
VHP go through the proper channel to receive a fatwa, 
Deobandi clerics would formally re-affirm India as Dar 
al-Aman.  End Comment. 
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