DELHI DIARY, FEBRUARY 14-27, 2009

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. WHITE