Climate of insecurity
THE current security environment within the country is far from satisfactory. Two factors responsible for the unhappy situation can be identified straightaway.

End of an era in Arunachal
MR GEGONG APANG has lost the chance of being able to replace Mr Jyoti Basu as the longest-serving Chief Minister. He has had to hand over the Chief Ministership of Arunachal Pradesh to one-time confidant, Mr Mukut Mithi, after some inglorious wrangling.

INGLORIOUS PRESIDENCY
by A. N. Dar
PRESIDENT Clinton has two years to go. That is if he is not impeached, in which case he would be immediately thrown out. He could even resign as Richard Nixon did before the process takes its full course. Or, it could fall through because the Senate Republicans in all likelihood may not get the required two-thirds majority for it to be constitutionally passed.

Myth of feeding the world
by Vanaja Ramprasad
ONE of the biggest myths perpetuated by the advocates of modern biotechnologies is that these technologies, and especially genetic engineering, are likely to provide a solution to world hunger. But will they really?

Indian director’s film creates waves in UK
by Reeta Sharma
“MIRROR-MIRROR” was the first-ever Asian film by an Asian director, Yogesh Walia, in a rather snooty British society. The British could not have imagined an Asian directing a film in English, some 18 years ago. Walia’s film deals with Asian women, growing up in UK facing innumerable problems and an uphill struggle coping with a totally alien society. Yogesh had directed the film for the British Film Institute.

High-security cricket!
by Amar Chandel
THIS is Harsha Bhogle from the Army cantonment high-security cricket stadium reporting on the first one-day international between India and Pakistan. The game is all set to start. There is a slight nip in the air, and also several low-flying planes to keep a close watch on the proceedings.

75 Years Ago

Meerut Riots: Municipality’s Resolution
AT a meeting of the Meerut Municipal Board, presided over by Nawab Saifulla Khan, a resolution, expressing regret at the disturbances, strongly sympathising with the wounded and condemning the activities of those who were secretly carrying on propaganda.

Climate of insecurity

THE current security environment within the country is far from satisfactory. Two factors responsible for the unhappy situation can be identified straightaway. One is the attempt by foreign-trained mercenaries to engineer violence across the country and to disrupt the Republic Day celebrations in Delhi on January 26. The other factor which is a source of understandable worry for the security agencies is the sustained hate-campaign of the Shiv Sena against the Pakistan cricket team’s tour. Union Tourism Minister Madan Lal Khurana has added a third dimension to the disquieting scenario by stating at the inaugural function of India Tourism Week in Delhi on Tuesday that most guest houses in the national capital were being used as “terrorist hide-outs”. As far as the security agencies are concerned the threat to the country’s peace from the ISI or the misguided Shiv Sainiks or the terrorists running their operations from guest houses in Delhi deserve equal attention. But they can do little to check the activities of the Shiv Sainiks or the terrorists operating from guest houses in the national capital without clearance from the Centre and the Delhi Government. The fact that the Delhi Police has foiled a sinister plan by the ISI network to blow up the US consulates in Calcutta and Chennai and to disrupt the Republic Day celebrations in Delhi shows that given a free hand to act the security agencies are capable of ensuring internal security to the best of their abilities.

According to the story put out by the Delhi Police, a Bangladeshi mercenary, Sayed Abu Nasir, who was arrested along with three others, is a member of the dreaded Lashkar-e-Toiba (Students Army) and was assigned the task of blowing up the US consulates and disrupting the Republic Day celebrations by international terrorist Osama bin Laden, currently operating from Afghanistan. The police and the intelligence agencies deserve praise for thwarting the diabolical plan by mercenary outfits to disturb the internal security of the country. However, the war against terrorism and insurgency cannot be won without the help of every patriotic Indian. The Shiv Sena must be made to realise by the political leadership that it is only adding to worries of the under-staffed and over-worked security agencies by its irrational agitation against the Pakistan cricket team’s tour of India. It is a tribute to the sane elements among Hindus and Muslims that a row among children over the sharing of a playground in Delhi on Tuesday did not snowball into a major communal incident. Had the situation got out of hand the Shiv Sena and the ISI may have had a common cause to rejoice. If the Shiv Sena really cares for the country, it must give up its violent agitation against the Indo-Pak cricket series so that the security agencies are able to give undivided attention to tackling the threat to the country’s security from outside forces — without having to worry about the safety of the players of both the teams. The Shiv Sainiks must be made to read the details of the ISI engineered plan foiled by the Delhi Police to understand the need for reducing the burden on the security agencies of protecting the country from internal and external threats.

End of an era in Arunachal

MR GEGONG APANG has lost the chance of being able to replace Mr Jyoti Basu as the longest-serving Chief Minister. He has had to hand over the Chief Ministership of Arunachal Pradesh to one-time confidant, Mr Mukut Mithi, after some inglorious wrangling. That brings to an end a 19-year reign, which has witnessed many ups and downs. Wholesale change of party labels is nothing new in North-Eastern States. Most groups prefer to align with the party ruling at the Centre. Mr Apang himself used this tactic in 1996 when he, along with the entire Congress Legislature Party left to join the new regional outfit floated by him. When the BJP came to power at the Centre last year, Mr Apang formed a ruling coalition in Arunachal Pradesh with the help of smaller parties. This time, Mr Mithi has pulled the rug from under his feet. Mr Apang should have treated the constant resignation of his Ministers as a warning signal against his “autocratic style of governance” but he did not take the threat seriously enough. His attempt to dissolve the Assembly was a clear-cut sign that the game was up. His last-ditch bid to appeal to the High Court and even the Supreme Court against the trial of strength proved desperate and futile.

Accusations and counter-accusations are an inevitable part of every such change of government. But things have been murkier in this sensitive State. There have been allegations of the use of muscle and money power from both sides. Mr Apang’s group has gone to the extent of alleging that a self-styled Lt-Colonel of the NSCN had coerced certain MLAs from Tirap and Changlang districts to change sides. The role of the Speaker has also been criticised severely. Such wrangling is unwanted in any State, more so in a border State like Arunachal Pradesh. Now that the change is a fait accompli, what is noticeable is the jumbo size of the new Ministry. There are as many as 29 Ministers in the 60-member House. Nineteen of these are Ministers of Cabinet rank and 10 are Ministers of State. Six of the eight Independents, who have become associate members of the Arunachal Congress (M), have been made Ministers. Can the poor State bear the burden of this battalion? The accusation against Mr Apang was that he was more concerned with looking after the interests of those comprising his inner circle than safeguarding the interests of the State. Now that almost everybody supporting the government of Mr Mithi has been made a Minister, will someone really have the time to look after the State? The situation is such that it should not be difficult for him to prove his majority. Dissension will emerge when it comes to allotting portfolios. Just as the Railway Ministry is the bone of contention at the Centre, there are many claimants to lucrative portfolios in Arunachal Pradesh as well. Except for 10 new faces, all those who have now been made Ministers were there in the Apang Ministry too. Many of them are certain that they deserve “upgradation”. Mr Mithi will have a tough task keeping the flock happy, and together.

INGLORIOUS PRESIDENCY
After Clinton, who?
by A. N. Dar

PRESIDENT Clinton has two years to go. That is if he is not impeached, in which case he would be immediately thrown out. He could even resign as Richard Nixon did before the process takes its full course. Or, it could fall through because the Senate Republicans in all likelihood may not get the required two-thirds majority for it to be constitutionally passed. It could also be that instead of impeachment Bill Clinton would negotiate for and accept a resolution of censure from the American Congress. The Senate process has just started and no one at present knows how it will turn. All that one can say is that either he will go in a few weeks or he will falter through the next two years when his term will finally end. Whatever, it could be an inglorious exit.

Talk has started on who will replace him. If he is impeached or resigns now, the present Vice-President, Al Gore, will automatically take over as President. At the time of writing Clinton has made it known that he will continue till his term is over, depending on how the Senate will deal with the case.

In any case, the next presidential election is two years away. The race is not yet on but the first moves have been made. The Republicans are to drive the Democrats out of the White House from where the most powerful man in the world functions. The world wants to know who it will be. India must try to find out with whom it will be most comfortable.

Bill Clinton would be forced to walk out of the American history a sadder and chastened man. According to him, he sinned against his family, his colleagues and friends, including the woman who tickled his sexual vanity and brought him shame. He said: “I don’t think there is a fancy way to say that I have sinned. It is important for me that everybody who has been hurt knows that the sorrow I feel is genuine —- first and most important my family, also my friends, my staff, my Cabinet, Monica Lewinsky and her family, and the American people. I have asked all for their forgiveness”.

This is the backdrop in which the next presidential elections will be held in America. Half way through, while the Lewinsky controversy was at its height and the House of Representatives was discussing whether Clinton should be impeached, mid-term Congressional elections were held in November last year. Most Democratic candidates were not keen to have President Clinton canvass for them. But the First Lady, Hillary, went to the hustings. She was warmly received, giving rise to the talk that in the next election, Hillary could be a presidential candidate. If not presidential, at least a vice-presidential candidate, said certain observers.

Speculation has not stopped. It has led to many offshoots. One of these is that if Hillary does not get a nomination, she could opt for a seat in the Senate. From New York the Senate seat will be vacated by Daniel Patrick Moynihan, incidentally, a former Ambassador to India. During the mid-term elections Hillary had created a good impact by her appearance in New York. This made Democrats believe that she might like to stand for the Senate from there.

But what would she do in the Senate? Obviously, her first preference would be to get a presidential or vice-presidential nomination. In the Lewinsky episode she has been named as a woman who has been wronged. This has won her sympathy. She has conducted herself in a manner that has strengthened and not weakened her family. Whatever her feelings, she has outwardly stood by her husband, who has confessed to have been a sinner and a liar. Against an adulterous husband, she has held her family together. This weighs with the Americans.

She has held her temper. Newspaper and television watchers have been subjecting her to close scrutiny. How often has she held his hand when they appeared in public? Didn’t she turn away when he tried to extend his hand when they were standing at a memorial function in Israel? People look for these signs. There is a great deal of theatre wherever they go. Has she not adequately protected her daughter Chelsea? While the American public estimation of Bill Clinton has been high (above 60 per cent in the polls), the Americans care about whether the family has stood up to the tension. For this much of the credit goes to Hillary.

It is too early to say whether Hillary would finally stand for the election. She is certainly said to be ambitious but will she have the nerve to go through an election? She is a good campaigner. Her campaign in favour of a new health insurance legislation was said to be worthy of a hard-nosed politician.

Before Hillary could make her intentions known, Elizabeth Dole has more or less made her intentions clear. She is the wife of Bob Dole, whom Bill Clinton defeated in the last presidential election. Dole was prosaic and dull as compared to the free-flowing Clinton. Clinton has the gift of the gab. He is a great public speaker. In his first election he defeated George Bush by the sheer power of his public speaking. Much after that election at a function where both Clinton and Bush spoke, Bush was overwhelmed by the new President as he honestly confessed that he now knew why Clinton was in the White House and he out in the cold.

Elizabeth Dole too has created an excellent impression in the American public. She has been the President of the American Red Cross. She has been a minister in the Cabinets of Ronald Reagan and George Bush. The Republican Party thinks highly of her. Is she paving the way for America’s first woman President?

The Republican Party, which has been in the forefront of the campaign against Clinton over the Lewinsky scandal, thought that it would have a field day in the last November mid-term elections but it could not. The mid-term Congressional election showed that the American voters were not too taken up with its campaign. They thought that it had over-done the tirade against Clinton. In job rating polls Clinton consistently scored more that 60 per cent. This is one of the amazing facets of American public opinion. A person who confessed that he had been a sinner got over 60 per cent vote. This showed in the better performance the Democrats scored in the mid-term election.

One of the casualties of the Republican campaign and its poor showing in the election was the one who could otherwise have run for President, Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives. The man who was said to have revolutionised the Republican Party was blamed for the Grand Old Party’s poor electoral showing. A man who claimed to know the pulse of the people but ironically not the electoral mind, resigned from the Speakership although he had been easily elected as a member of the House in the very same election. Had this not happened he could have been the Republican Party’s main hope in the next presidential election. During the post nuclear weapon controversy, he spoke sympathetically for India.

Another leader who in the last election was said to be the only Republican candidate who could defeat Clinton was the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Colin Powell. He has a high standing but has preferred to stand away from political controversy of any kind. In the last election the Democrats wanted him to be second in command to Clinton and the Republicans were for recruiting him as the presidential candidate. He has confessed to be closer to Republicans. He could still be a formidable candidate, whichever party wants him, but he does not seem to be interested. If he ever stands and is elected, he would be the first Black President America would have. White or Black, he is the “Golden Boy” of American society, respected equally by all.

There are other hopefuls. One of them is Dan Quayle, who has already served as Vice-President to George Bush. But he never caught the American fancy. In office he became the butt of many jokes, beginning with his name. As a Vice-President at the time of George Bush, he came to India to represent his country at the funeral of Rajiv Gandhi.

For the Democrats, if Hillary Clinton is not going to be there, Gore is likely to get the nomination. If Clinton has a say, Clinton would throw all his weight for Gore, his steadfast and silent lieutenant.

Others in the wings. One of them is Steve Forbes, publisher of the Forbes magazine and one of American millionaires. He tried for the Republican nomination last time but did not get it. Two of George Bush’s sons are now Governors, Jeb Bush of Florida and George Bush Jr of Texas. George Bush Jr’s election as Governor was said to have been a stepping stone for a presidential nomination. He is at present a first-runner, even ahead of Elizabeth Dole.

What about Ross Perot and his Reform Party? He tried in two elections and failed. Many thought that he has given up. But in the mid-term election, one of his candidates, Jesse Ventura, surprised everyone when he was elected Governor of Minnesota. He says that he might run for presidentship too. He might be in the race. After all he is a prize wrestler.

Myth of feeding the world
by Vanaja Ramprasad

ONE of the biggest myths perpetuated by the advocates of modern biotechnologies is that these technologies, and especially genetic engineering, are likely to provide a solution to world hunger. But will they really?

While technology per se is lauded as bringing relief to life’s drudgery, it also carries social, economic and ecological costs. These side effects of technological development have become obvious with the failure of the Green Revolution which has led to a decrease in biodiversity and an increase in pesticide use. As the miracle of stability in food production is fading out, biotechnology and genetic engineering are heralded as chemical free solutions to the problems created by the technology of the Green Revolution.

The long history of fermented foods in various parts of the world proves that biotechnology is not a recent science. The same holds true for the application of microorganisms such as symbiotic nitrogen fixing bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi in biofertilisers. Farmers have been using compost, waste material that is degraded by microorganisms, as fertilisers for centuries. However, one has to distinguish clearly such age old methods that are now classified under biotechnology and the new genetic engineering derived from disciplines such as biology, biochemistry and genetics. Yet another area in which biotechnology plays a major role is in the selection and breeding of crops. But while the basic need is to conserve and improve hardiness, nutritional value and yield of diverse crops used by the poor, the dominant research focuses on, for instance, gene transfer for pesticide resistance.

Herbicide resistance furthermore excludes the possibility of rotational and mixed cropping that are the basis of sustainable and ecologically balanced forms of agriculture and food security. These traditional cropping patterns have also helped in pest control. Since many of the pests are specific to particular plants, planting different crops in different seasons and different years causes large reductions in pest populations. Such cropping systems require less irrigation, which has been found to prevent the spread of the pests.

Biotechnocrats talk about drought tolerant varieties which could be developed through biotechnology. On the other hand farmers have contributed to the genetic diversity and the dynamic conservation of land races. The informal system has relied on the skills of farmers in maintaining, enriching and utilising crop diversity. The main selection criteria are yield and yield stability, risk avoidance, low dependence on external inputs and a range of factors associated with shortage, cooking and taste.

There are several other reasons why organic agriculture should be free of genetic engineering. This technology basically changes the genetic makeup of plants and animals within the confines of a laboratory. The transgenic experiments involve the transfer of genes from one species to another, which is not the normal process in their natural environment. If genetically engineered food is offered as chemical-free and therefore organic, it will undermine the very concept of organic agriculture.

One of the several arguments against genetic engineering clearly points out that a gene is not an easily identifiable and tangible object. It is not only the DNA sequence which determines its functions in the organism, but also its location in a specific chromosomal, cellular, physiological and evolutionary context. It is therefore difficult to predict the impact of genetic material transfer on the functioning of the extremely tightly controlled, integrated and balanced functioning of all the tens of thousands of structures and processes that make up the body of any complex organism.

With this view one has to take stock of the basic difference in the approach of the old biotechnologies versus the new genetic engineering and the outcome thereof. Understanding the original and the new biotechnologies gives rise to two different paradigms.

The first one is based on the broad and holistic approach to a specific agronomic and socio-economic situation while the latter tends to search for a universal solution at the molecular level. The fact that the new biotechnologies have taken off from the original is obvious. In trying to answer how the new biotechnology could benefit rural poor, a lot of work needs to be done. Research that is people oriented should strive to enhance multiple cropping and rotation techniques, rationalisation of the use of wild plants in local diets and the upgrading of traditional crop protection practices. Using science in general to enhance the sustainable production systems is more important than offering miracle solutions with a reductionist approach. (TWNF)

High-security cricket!
by Amar Chandel

THIS is Harsha Bhogle from the Army cantonment high-security cricket stadium reporting on the first one-day international between India and Pakistan. The game is all set to start. There is a slight nip in the air, and also several low-flying planes to keep a close watch on the proceedings. The dense fog is yet to lift after this morning’s tear-gassing of the protesters near the stadium. The stadium is nearly full, with about 7,000 spectators and 14,000 security personnel. The Prime Minister has personally ordered man to man marking. The pitch is freshly dug and freshly laid.

The Pakistani batsmen have just walked in after a thorough frisking. I am afraid their names cannot be revealed because of security reasons. On the pavilion end is their captain in a trendy bulletproof jacket. On the other side is player number two, rumoured to be an Afghanistan war veteran, in full combat gear.

The Indian team, as you know, is led by someone called K.P.S.Gill Jr. He is limbering up at first slip, next to a fast bowler, Julio Ribeiro Jr. The rest of the team comprises the cream of young Intelligence Bureau officers in mufti.

The match has not started yet because of an anonymous call that a hand-grenade has been camouflaged as a cricket ball. The balls are now being checked by explosives experts who are also acting as umpires.

Fortunately, the call has proved to be a hoax. The play begins. The Pakistani captain takes guard. So do his security guards. The Indian bowler bowls a perfect quickie. The over-pitched delivery shatters the bulletproof glass placed before the batsman and the game has been held up.

The second ball is a bouncer. The Pakistani security adviser protests against such warlike gestures and demands confidence-building measures.

Third ball, and the captain opens his account with quick running between the wickets. His four bodyguards huff and puff to keep pace with him, with their paunches throbbing.

Thriving on the inexperience of the Indian fielders — who have also been reporting to their headquarters about the situation on a ball to ball basis through their tiny mikes — the Pakistani batsmen cut loose, hitting the ropes repeatedly. There is commotion in the stands following the bashing up of two spectators who had dared to cheer them. The suspects are immediately whisked out of the stadium and sent to Maharashtra for official felicitation.

Amidst the chaotic scenes, an early drinks interval is declared. The drinks tank is on the ground. The players hide under it and quench their thirst.

The game resumes finally. Player Number Two twirls his moustaches and sends a straight six into the pavilion. The spectators sitting there shout anti-Pakistani slogans saying that this type of aggressive batting was anti-India.

Here is an important announcement. Violent clashes have been reported from the city. There is no cause for concern though. Section 144 has been imposed as a precautionary measure. The stadium has been cordoned off and the match will go on as scheduled. Police vans will be available to take the spectators back home. Fighter jets have been pressed into service to fly the players to the next venue.

Indian director’s film creates waves in UK
by Reeta Sharma

“MIRROR-MIRROR” was the first-ever Asian film by an Asian director, Yogesh Walia, in a rather snooty British society. The British could not have imagined an Asian directing a film in English, some 18 years ago. Walia’s film deals with Asian women, growing up in UK facing innumerable problems and an uphill struggle coping with a totally alien society. Yogesh had directed the film for the British Film Institute. Perhaps because of the response to the film, the Edinburgh Film Festival was quick to pick it up. Close on the heels came an invitation from the London Film Festival. From then there was no looking back for Yogesh, who was soon joined his brother, Sunandan, in making films there. With their creativity they invaded the world of film-making, till then reserved for the British.

“At that time Channel IV was catering to the minorities in UK, though on a small scale. They also flocked to this film. Gradually this channel became popular and effective, primarily because of the Asians’ response. This brought in a major change in the BBC’s policy. They had to create a separate department to cater to a multi-cultural society. Can you imagine that they were concentrating on Asian programmes such as learning to speak English.

By 1982 Yogesh got a BBC contract to direct a film on Indian dance. He categorised them into classical and folk. “It hit the jackpot. While on one hand, Indians felt proud because of the display of their country’s rich heritage with a show of Indian dances, on the other Indians’ worth in BBC’s eyes too went up and contracts began flowing...”, he revealed.

This rather quiet but intense and meticulous film director hails from Delhi. His elder brother had supported him when Yogesh had joined a three-year photography course at Birmingham. Their bond as brothers led them to formulate their own company, Endboard, to produce and direct films. Of the series of films that they made for Channel IV, the ones which clicked and broke records of viewership were “The Sikh Festivals” and “Many Happy Returns”.

The latter film dealt with rebirth. The brothers dealt with the story of Titu, a child from Agra, and his Yorkshire counterpart, Nikla, to prove that there was some substance in the rebirth theory. What both children had told about their rebirth was verified from their previous families, leaving the audience amazed.

However, it was the series on “Kabaddi”, which put Yogesh and Sunandan on England’s national scene. Till their series were telecast, a majority of the British population believed that women in India were forbidden from playing games, Sunandan recalled.

The entire process of filming “Kabaddi” unfolds the tremendous detail that the BBC brings in and the personalities of the two brothers behind the show. The idea was mooted by Sunandan while shooting a film on a Kabaddi Tournament being held in South India. The Editor of Channel IV was obviously impressed to such an extent that he provided them funds to hold their own tournament to shoot a series of films on the game.

Both brothers, had over the years forgotten all about red-tapism, corrupt practices, petty vested interests and the inflated egos of people of their own motherland.

Endless obstacles awaited them to test their nerves. Petty officials throwing a spanner in their work, files moving at a snail’s pace, shooting equipment and cameras brought from UK being held up at every possible step, etc all demoralised them from going ahead with their project.

It goes to their credit that both brothers displayed immense patience, perseverance and undeviated desire to carry on with their project despite all obstacles. At last, they succeeded.

Soon they were back in India to do a follow-up film on the Bhopal gas leak, 10 years after the incident. For this project Mark Tully resigned from his regular job with the BBC to work for Endboard. Sunandan and Yogesh after extensive research, found that the victims of Bhopal had not been paid compensation even after 10 years. Endboard’s team also went to Mexico and Brazil to establish the callousness of the people whose negligence caused such tragedies. The film left a deep imprint on the Western audience.

Both Yogesh and Sunandan are by nature concerned with such issues. They have always picked up themes to awaken — be it society or authorities. For instance, they made a film “Tiger Trap” exposing the misuse of funds provided by the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) to ensure that tigers did not perish in India. But what the officials were actually doing was to hold meetings and stay in five-star hotels and fly by air etc instead of spending the money to protect the fast-diminishing species.

Year later, another eye-opening film that they shot was “Singrauli”, a town in Madhya Pradesh on the U.P. border. The World Bank had provided with funds to the National Thermal Power Corporation to expand power stations in the state as it is blessed with coal and water. However, what this corporation had actually done was caused irreparable damage to the fertile land. They had been acquiring land to dump coal ash which caused barrenness. Yet, they were carrying on with the exercise unmindful of the harm, besides displacing hundreds of people.

Yogesh and Sunandan feel that Channel IV has given ample opportunities to many Indians to display their talent. No wonder the two have succeeded in making their mark in England.

Sunandan feels that the racialism in UK cannot be wished away. “It is deep-rooted. However, people, by and large, respond positively. For instance, initially it was rather difficult for the BBC to digest the idea that films on problems and issues related to Indians should be directed by an Indian. Because an Indian would be able to understand the ethos much better and reaching out to the grassroots would be far more easier. Anyway it goes to their credit that finally the BBC accepted the idea”.

75 YEARS AGO

Meerut Riots: Municipality’s Resolution

AT a meeting of the Meerut Municipal Board, presided over by Nawab Saifulla Khan, a resolution, expressing regret at the disturbances, strongly sympathising with the wounded and condemning the activities of those who were secretly carrying on propaganda among the lower classes that led them to violence and also expressing thanks at the prompt aid rendered by the District Magistrate and the authorities, was put from the chair and passed unanimously.

The name of Mr Mehdi Hassan, Dy. Collector, was suggested by one member to be included in the list of persons for whom thanks were expressed, but was dropped out for want of support.

This Board has a majority of Congress nominees as members.