While High-tech India flourishes Ministers and Politicians buy votes openly in the daylight and young girls get sold in rural areas
Sudhir Chadda, Special Correspondent
December 21, 2004

The contemporary India is strange. On one side India is speeding high-tech bandwagon towards an economic super power, while on the other darker side Ministers and Politicians in India are buying votes openly and young girls are sold in rural sectors.

Bangalore and Hyderabad are going to get international quality airports. Pune is negotiating the same. High-tech boom with outsourcing contracts is increasing per capita income in India by leaps and bounds. The educated elite is ready to make it to the new millennium with spend and live attitude.  dominate a major part of Asia.

But that is not the whole story. There is a darker side of deprived and poor where people get exploited every day. 

Opposition in the Indian Parliament raised in the Himachal assembly the issue of alleged sale of young girls from Sirmaur district under the garb of marrying them to old and disabled persons even as Chief Minister V B Singh described the news reports in this regard as "highly exaggerated". Though the Chief Minister, replying to a calling attention motion moved by Congress MLA Vijay Singh Mankotia admitted there were some "isolated incidents", he said "a mountain is being made out of a mole hill. The news reports are highly exaggerated". The Chief Minister regretted that the "image of entire Sirmaur district is being sullied and image of daughters and wives of Sirmaur was being tarnished on the basis of some isolated incidents. He said the government had taken prompt action in the alleged incidents mentioned in the news reports and three persons were arrested in one case while it was informed by the father of another girl that his daughter was happily married. Despite of this the police had been asked to look into the matter, he said.

Opposition raised in the Himachal assembly the issue of alleged sale of young girls from Sirmaur district under the garb of marrying them to old and disabled persons even as Chief Minister V B Singh described the news reports in this regard as "highly exaggerated". Though the Chief Minister, replying to a calling attention motion moved by Congress MLA Vijay Singh Mankotia admitted there were some "isolated incidents", he said "a mountain is being made out of a mole hill. The news reports are highly exaggerated". The Chief Minister regretted that the "image of entire Sirmaur district is being sullied and image of daughters and wives of Sirmaur was being tarnished on the basis of some isolated incidents. He said the government had taken prompt action in the alleged incidents mentioned in the news reports and three persons were arrested in one case while it was informed by the father of another girl that his daughter was happily married. Despite of this the police had been asked to look into the matter, he said.