Khaleequr Rahman: Congress Ready to make a comeback in Rajasthan

Khaleequr Rahman: Congress Ready to make a comeback in Rajasthan:  Ashok Gehlot ji casting his vote The Congress and the BJP are locked in a straight contest in Rajasthan, where 199 constituencies...

Congress Ready to make a comeback in Rajasthan

 Ashok Gehlot ji casting his vote

The Congress and the BJP are locked in a straight contest in Rajasthan, where 199 constituencies that will seal the fate of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and state BJP chief Vasundhara Raje. Counting of votes will take place on December 8.

Today, Rajasthan went to polls and a record 72.49 per cent turnout was registered in the Rajasthan Assembly elections on Sunday. It was attributed to increased voter awareness through efforts of the Election Commission and security personnel and appeals by media. Elections to 199 constituencies out of the total 200 were conducted peacefully, barring a few minor incidents. Disturbances were witnessed at Saleempur in Dausa, at Rein in Alwar and near Deeg-Kumher in Bharatpur, where police fired in the air to disperse a group of persons trying to disturb polling. 

The minorities are solidly with the congress and the schemes what Gehlot ji launched and implemented in Rajasthan for minorities is something which no government in Rajasthan did so far.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot of the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party president Vasundhara Raje thanked people for their cooperation in the peaceful conduct of the elections.

Election to Churu, which was postponed after the death of the Bahujan Samaj Party candidate, will be held on December 13.

The turnout in 2008 stood at 67.5 per cent.

A total of 4,08,29,330 people cast their votes at 47,223 polling stations through 53,045 Electronic Voting Machines, sealing the fate of 2096 candidates, including 166 women candidates.

I am hopeful that with the brilliant performance of Ashok Gehlot ji, the people of Rajasthan will bring him back to power....best of luck Gehlot saheb and Congress....my party

Khaleequr Rahman: No need for legal expatriates to worry in Saudi Ar...

Khaleequr Rahman: No need for legal expatriates to worry in Saudi Ar...: No need for legal expatriates to worry Courtesy: ABDULLATEEF AL-MULHIM The author writes for arab news Published in Arab...

No need for legal expatriates to worry in Saudi Arabia

No need for legal expatriates to worry

Courtesy: ABDULLATEEF AL-MULHIM

The author writes for arab news

Published in Arab News — Tuesday 2 November 2010

These days the media is abuzz with stories about illegal expatriates and the action taken against them. Many are led to believe that Saudi Arabia or Saudis are against the presence of expatriate population in the Kingdom. This is not true.

Since 1973, Saudi Arabia has been playing host to millions of expatriates from various countries across the globe. The contribution of the expat community to the development of the Kingdom is duly recognized and appreciated by all. 

Due to the influx of expatriates, the Kingdom has become a melting pot of various cultures. Saudis and expats have learned a great deal from one another. I personally know many expatriates who have spent most of their lives in the Kingdom and consider Saudi Arabia their second home. We, Saudis, respect all such expats. However, in every country non-residents have duties and obligations toward the host country and must obey the law of the land.

The ongoing measures are only directed against people who flout the laws and exploit loopholes in the system. Expatriates who respect the law and are residing in the Kingdom legally have nothing to worry about. 

It is true that unlike in the past, more and more young educated Saudis are entering the job market. This does not mean that we don’t want foreign workers anymore. We believe that Saudis and expatriates will work side by side for the progress of the country.

People must understand that the action against illegal expatriates is the need of the hour. In fact, the illegal status of these expatriates make them more vulnerable to abuses at the hands of their sponsors. These illegal expats cannot report any matter to the authorities and continue to brave inhuman treatment. 

Moreover, the presence of illegal expats is also detrimental to the interests of foreigners who are residing in the Kingdom legally. These illegal workers take up all sorts of jobs at much lower salaries, which consequently affect the job market and create problems for both Saudis and legal expats.

The current phenomenon is not Saudi specific as many countries across the world are taking stern actions against illegal population by implementing harsh laws. It won’t be an exaggeration to claim that the Kingdom has been kind to the illegals as well as they have been given ample time to correct their status. But, it turned out that the number of illegal workforce is much higher than the expectations of many. 

Apart from the huge numbers of illegal workers, various factors have further complicated the situation, but at the end of the day, a country will do whatever it can to protect its national interests.

During the past few weeks we have been reading about panic-stricken workers scrambling to get their status corrected. The government departments are working at full capacity to deal with a deluge of illegal expats. A careful analysis of the situation will reveal that many Saudis are also to be blamed for this situation. Why did they hire illegal workers in the first place?

One should realize that by taking action against the illegal expats, the authorities would be in a better position to do planning for the benefit of Saudis and legal foreigner workforce. 

Many of the expatriates who would leave the Kingdom after correcting their will have a chance to return and prove to be valuable asset to the Kingdom. But at this stage the Kingdom has the right to review the presence of hundreds of thousands of illegal workers. This will benefit both the Saudis and the legal expats. 

Khaleequr Rahman: Andhra Pradesh Government launches the web portal ...

Khaleequr Rahman: Andhra Pradesh Government launches the web portal ...: http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20131128187949

Andhra Pradesh Government launches the web portal for AP NRIs

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20131128187949

Khaleequr Rahman in an exclusive Inamur Rahman Ghayyur on Ruby TV..