I haven’t had much time to follow the Amarnath shrine trust land controversy so I quickly went to Google news to check what’s going on. The shrine trust was allocated the forest land to build the premises, and I thought the Kashmiris were against that particular point; the forest land must be protected at all costs and no religious activity should interfere with that. How secular and progressive, I thought.
I discovered they give two hoots about the destruction of their forests; they are agitated over the Indian government’s "conspiracy" to settle Hindu population in Kashmir.
Fair enough; Raj Thakare wants Maharashtra for the Marathas and the Kasmiris want their land just for the Kashmiris (even the local dog population manifests similar proclivities). But do they remember that millions of pundits who had to become refugees in their own country were Kashmiris too? Why didn’t their heart bleed when their fellow Kashmiris had to leave the valley? They are outraged at the very thought of outsider Hindus coming to the valley and settling there, but they didn’t even bat an eyelid when millions of Hindus who had been living in the valley for 100s of years had to abandon their homes and move to other parts of India; talk of blatant double standards.
And this is when the trust premises is just being built to create a resting place for the pilgrims heading to the Amarnath cave. Height of religious intolerance. Move the same people (OK, well, Muslims I mean) to some other democracy and even slightest incidents infringe upon their fundamental human rights.
The Hindu reactionary parties like the VHP, the Bajrang Dal and to an extent the BJP too are not doing what they should be doing, and as always are doing something that they should avoid. I call them reactionary parties because they only react, they never really do something good for the country. Isn’t it simply insane to burn down and destroy local properties for whatever is happening in Kashmir? If the government is giving forest lands to various trusts, irrespective of what religion the trusts represent, shouldn’t their main worry be that the forest land of the country is being destroyed? Instead of asking for the same piece of land, shouldn’t they ask for a place that does not belong to the forest? Forget about Kashmiris Muslims, aren’t they too fighting against the interests of the country?
Solution? Instead of the piece of land that belongs to the forest, the trust should be allotted another piece, of course somewhere in Kashmir, and at a place that should be convenient to the pilgrims. If the Kashmiris still protest? Well, too bad, the government will have to deal with it just like Putin deals with such problems and shows a finger if the other countries protest. And if the Hindus still protest, demanding for the same piece of the forest land? They should be treated in the same manner.
Oh! This is wishful thinking. The buggers in the government rarely do something that is good for the country as a whole; they are more worried about vote bank politics.
Arjun Singh has really gone bonkers. After the recent gaffe in which he claimed that the Congress party was freer during the days of emergency, he has been desperate to placate the miffed chairperson by claiming his loyalty in ridiculous proportions. And during the function organized to commemorate the 17th death anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi, he said:
Rajiv Gandhi itne mahan vyakti the ki unhone apni ma ke hatyaron ko bhi rashtra ki mukhya dhaara mein shamil karne ka prayas kiya (Rajiv Gandhi was such a great man that he even tried to bring the killers of his mother into the mainstream). Link.
What killers was he talking about? Because if he was talking about Beant Singh and Satwant Singh (the bodyguards who assassinated Indira Gandhi) they were both hanged for the crime a long time back, and even the other conspirators were not spared. If he is not talking about them, does he mean that the entire Sikh community was to blame, and despite that Rajiv Gandhi helped the entire "murderous" community to come into the mainstream? Were the Sikhs an insolated, marginalized community before the blessing of RG fell upon it like a bolt?
Interestingly, the views of both Rajiv Gandhi and Arjun Singh cannot be disputed and if his recent statement repulses you you run the risk if negating the dastardly pogrom the party unleashed upon the community. Of course Rajiv Gandhi was so "mahan" (great) that he thought the entire community was blamable and that’s why the Congress party organized the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in which thousands of Sikhs were massacred by the Congress-instigated goons. Of course nobody was punished for the riots and in fact the ministers who actively instigated the crowds are occupying high posts in the current cabinet as a reward for their "loyalty" to the family (it sounds like the Godfather family).
Arjun’s attitude towards the Sikh community only gets re-affirmed with this statement. When I say he has gone bonkers I don’t mean he is going mad because he is making such statements, he is going mad because he is spilling the beans, he has given us a glimpse of the evil side of the party, he is showing the true nature of the party and if he is not expelled from the party for this gaffe, he really must have some strong hold over something in the party.
It’s stupid to wonder how the PM thinks of this thing.
Technorati Tags: 84 riots, anti sikh riots
most of its members are "loyal" to the Gandhi family and not to the party, or the country. Yesterday I was watching Arjun Singh’s (he is the HRD minister in the current cabinet) statement on TV where he said that back in 1960 or something he had pledged his loyalty to Jawaharlal Nehru and his family, the scion of the current Congress party, and the illustrious architect of most the economic woes India faces today.
What’s this business of being "loyal to the family"? Does he mean even if some Nehru-Gandhi family-member turns out to be a traitor, or joins the underworld, he will remain loyal to that person? If this is the psychology of an average congressman, then we can easily deduct what sort of people rule the country and formulate policies that define our lives.
For congressmen, it seems India is still ruled by a dynasty, and not by a democracy.
Dr. Venugopal
It is heartening to see Dr. Venugopal re-instated by the Supreme Court; he shouldn’t have been removed in the first place. There is still hope for India it seems and justice does exist, even if for a selected few.
The Pioneer has published a trenchant commentary on the utter lack of conscience in Ramadoss, the union (unhealthy) health minister. Ever since he joined the office all he has done is bother people with his nonsensical egotism. You won’t find even a single constructive step he has taken in the area of health.
This affair is also a statement on our public consciousness. Such an eminent cardiologist is harassed by an imbecile politician and no large-scale protests take place. It was a lone battle for the doctor, although high-profiled attorneys like Arun Jaitley fought for him. I wonder if there was even a PIL filed again the infamous ouster. Millions of people throng at the gates of AIIMS every year for treatment, and none of them spoke up for Dr. Venugopal.
Government hospitals like AIIMS and Safdarjung, although world-class, are known for their unhygienic conditions and shabby treatment to the patients. This was the right time for the patients to show that they could put up a joint front with the doctors.
Millions face death and starvation in Mayanmar
Repressive regimes never stop their games. For a long time Alka has been urging me to read "Reading Lolita in Tehran" in which the author has written how the government men used to surround the site where a bomb had dropped, during the Iran-Iraq war so that people couldn’t help each other and consequently, develop a bonding for each other and an opposition to the ongoing war.
The military junta in Mayanmar is not allowing foreign aid workers to come and help their own people. How diabolical can a government become? During natural calamities of such humongous proportions every single hour counts. The international aid that could have reached the flooded regions is being stopped by the authorities that are supposed to help their own people. These are the times when such countries should be taken over by an international agency. Just a thought, because I know realistically this is not possible.
People in Cuba can use PCs at home now. If you think this is the news from the early 90s you are mistaken. The communist government in Cuba never allowed its citizens to use computers. The Internet is still banned there. Empowerment and access to information are the most scary things for such regimes. Sometimes I feel certain people deserve such Draconian governments; they are too lazy or laid-back to overthrow their governments.
A couple of days ago I was reading in a forum that countries like India, China, Saudi Arabia, etc. don’t allow their citizens to use VoIP services like Skype because this will give them unrestricted power to communicate. Actually, Skype has many wonderful subscription features that allow you to make unlimited calls to landline phones as well as cellphones all over the world for a fixed, nominal, monthly fee. Only recently having a telephone itself was a luxury in India.
I was going through Time’s The World’s Most Influential people of 2008 and among The Dalai Lama, Miley Cyrus, Vladimir Putin and Aung San Suu Kyi I noticed our very own Soniaji ebulliently smiling at number 16. Incidentally, Aung San Suu Kyi appears at number 37. Mercifully, The Dalai Lama appears at the first spot.
I was wondering what our own madam ji was doing in the list and what feat she has achieved but then I thought of Paris Hilton and said, "Well, why not?!" If she can become a celebrity without doing anything, why can’t Sonia Gandhi appear in the list of top hundred influential people of the world? After all she wields lots of influence among the army of sycophants she has gathered around her. By the way I don’t loath Paris Hilton so much that I’d compare her to Sonia Gandhi.
Due to work I don’t get to watch TV these days, not even news channels, but Alka was telling me that NDTV was hosting a debate on whether LK Advani has the ability to become the prime minister of the country. These "secular" (tedious sarcasm, I know) channels never hold debates on the capabilities of Sonia ji and Rahul baba and the inabilities of Man(?)mohan Singh. Even our lazy maid will do a better job than him.
Mob justice in Bihar
Watching a crowd of people practically killing a prisoner was shocking. They had smashed the guy’s face and the news channel had to blur that part of the body. Barbarindian says that the secular news channels over-hype every kind of big and small mob violence occurring in the non-Congress states and very conveniently overlook whatever happens in the Congress-ruled states. Although this is true it does not mitigate the gravity of the situation. I won’t jump to a conclusion and brand the people of a particular region barbaric and subhuman; this is all an indication of utter lawlessness in the country. Such incidents of mob justice happen because people
- don’t have faith in the law of the land
- don’t have fear of the law of the land
This is not a Bihar-specific problem; mobs are running amok all over the country. See what is happening in Maharashtra where people are being threatened by goons and the police is claiming totally contradictory facts. Even in Delhi people openly flaunt laws and then brag about their deeds to their friends and family.
Such acts also manifest a deep sense of frustration and anger against the state of affairs. Very rarely things are right for the common man. Even affording food is becoming uphill by the day. This is all due to corruption. I read in the newspaper that although India is an agriculture-based economy, most of the food we eat is being imported. Our very own production rots in the go-downs. When there is no electricity, no food, no shelter, no health, no education, no clean drinking water, no justice and opportunity, and no means to live a decent life it comes out as mad anger, bordering savagery.
Raj Thackeray
The problem of Raj Thackeray is not social it is political. As Alok mentioned in the comment section of a previous post that it is all being done to break the Shiv Sena and the greatest beneficiary of this anti-north Indian wave is going to be Sharad Pawar because his is the only party who has little stake currently. If the Shiv Sena keeps mum Raj Thackeray will become the hero of the Marathi population. If it joins cause with him it will have to antagonize the BJP because the BJP understandably has national aspirations. If the Congress supports Raj Thackeray it will help to bear the consequences all over India and if it tries to lock horns with him it antagonizes the Marathi votes. Actually it has become a political comedy (with due respect and sympathy to the people who are the targets).
Had the government been really serious about finding a solution it would have quietly dispatched this socio-political villain to some undisclosed location and would have kept him there for a few months until things had cooled down. But then who wants that?
Whatever is happening in Mumbai is sad as well as shocking. If you can be attacked and bullied like this in your own country where are you safe then? The recent violence against north Indians in Mumbai is nothing unique; it mostly happens against communities and now it is happening against people belonging to a different region. This whole mess was started by Bala Saheb Thakarey a few decades ago and this political minion called Raj Thackery is trying to re-ignite the old hatred against non-Maharashtrians. This happens when unjust, misguided political issues are not suppressed with brute legal force.
Many years ago immediately after the independence Sardar Vallabhai Patel consolidated various wayward states and helped build a unified India. Ever since then every Indian is free to go anywhere for the purpose of living and occupation and it is one of the fundamental rights given by our constitution. If a few Maharashtrians don’t like people from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh or for that matter Punjab coming to Mumbai and settling down there, well too bad; nothing can stop them as long as Mumbai doesn’t become a part of some other country.
I read on the Internet that the entire Mumbai film industry was wallowing in financial doldrums and it was only Amitabh Bachchan who gave hits after hits and secured the jobs of so many technicians and other workers belonging to Maharastra. What has Raj Thackeray done for Maharastra except for instigating people to commit violence and destruction? His political career in Shiv Sena took a nosedive when he allegedly got involved in a political murder. So what has he done for the betterment of Maharashtra in general and Mumbai in particular? Whatever Mumbai is today it owes everything to people from all the states.
Actually, migration happens everywhere. People move from city to city, state to state, and even country to country to seek better prospects. He says that the states from where the migrants are coming should develop enough so that the migration is reduced. Whereas it is true that Uttar Pradesh and Bihar must develop, migration to other cities and states is a natural phenomena. There are certain commercial activities that only happen in Mumbai. For instance, if a person wants to work in movies, he or she will have to go to Mumbai because the film industry is there. All major companies have set up their offices in Mumbai and when they hire people from other states those people have to come to Mumbai. So it has got nothing to do with just development; there are many other factors involved. It’s like, there are many Maharashtrians who go to the USA and other countries.
How should Raj Thackeray be treated, we were discussing this at home and Alka rightly said that he shouldn’t be arrested because then he will needlessly become a “martyr” and this will give him political advantage. Rather he should be allowed to become obscure. Violence, of course should be controlled but it should be tackled as a law and order problem and not a political problem. Calling it a political problem will needlessly make the issue important.
Personally I would suggest that the people being targeted should get together and put up a joint front. Running and cowering will get them nowhere and it will only embolden the goons. Instead they should fight back. This will not result in more violence; the threat of retaliation often maintains peace. Communities are only targeted when they seem vulnerable. You won’t find Raj Thackeray coming to Delhi or Lucknow and giving inflammatory speeches against north Indians because he knows that there people will beat the shit out of him.
Apparently the people in Uttar Pradesh are retaliating in a very novel way; they check all the trains coming from Maharastra and when they find Maharashtrian passengers in the trains they garland them, hug them and offer them sweets.
Technorati Tags: mumbai violence, raj thakeray
I generally don’t use such expressions on my blog but this is a clear case of mutual ass-licking. First NDTV declares Manmohan Singh the leader of the year and then sycophant journalists like Rajdeep Sardesia, Barkha Dutt and Vinod Dua are conferred Padma Sri, one of the highest civilian awards in India. It is anybody’s guess why these three journalists got the award.
At home we were discussing if such biased people keep on getting such awards then what credibility do such awards carry? Actually these kinds of awards fetch many privileges to the awardees, for instance getting their books published, obtaining lucrative government contracts, getting highly sought-after assignments abroad, and of course, in this twisted case, lots of publicity to the news channels they belong to.
Last year I read Arun Shourie’s “Eminent Historians: Their Technology, Their Line, Their Fraud” in which very laboriously he has explained, taking examples from various texts and other sources, how these “respected” journalists, historians and scholars keep promoting each other’s works and causes and keep getting rewarded in shady manners and then keep getting cushy jobs and assignments and this cycle goes on and on and on. The only difference now is that common people can articulate their thoughts using blogs and other communication means. So at least there is a certain section that can see the truth and talk about it and I think this is an extremely positive development, and this is a reason why conventional journalists dislike new-age media, especially the kind of media that empowers practically everybody to communicate and exchange ideas.
In another diabolical development our Prime Minister declared that the families of jihadis who are killed by the Indian armed forces will receive compensation from the government. Read this satire recently published in The Pioneer. This is like telling them: kill our army men and if they kill you back we will compensate your families. In another right-thinking society such a Prime Minister would have been arrested for abetting terrorism and his or her party would have never been able to form another government. But alas! This is India, the land of million tragedies. And then they wonder why the Indian Army is short of 12,000 officers. Who would like to fight for the government that compensates people who are out to kill them? This is so bizarre.
Andher nagri by the way means a completely chaotic state of affairs where nothing logical happens.
Technorati Tags: barkha dutt, rajdeep sardesai, vinod dua, padam sri
A few days ago I had written that the BJP should dump Narendra Modi for greater national interests. Even at that time I knew that if anybody could win elections for BJP in Gujarat it would be Modi, knowing the communal passions that move the social machinery in the state. Narendra Modi is again going to be Gujarat’s CM. It’s surely a triumph for the BJP but it is a sad commentary on the state of democracy. Sad because considering the kind of political situation we have in the country Modi is the best choice and sad because Modi gets to be the best choice.
In Gujarat you can clearly see the anti-blind-secular wave that has hit the country due to lopsided reporting done by channels like NDTV, CNN-IBN and news portals like Tehelka and all those rubbish newspapers. In fact some are claiming — correctly to a great extent — that Narendra Modi won this time because of the Tehelka exposé on Gujarat riots and Sonia Gandhi recently calling him “the merchant of death” and the so-called “secular” channels endorsing such views with copious coverage. This was so predictable. In fact these morons don’t know that their skewed attitude encourages fundamentalism even among the moderate communities. This election outcome should act as a lesson that unless you portray all the communities fairly you cannot subdue the extreme elements in the society. The verdict perhaps is less in favor of Modi and more against the divisive media propaganda.
I know there are many people — rightly — who detest Modi for his role in the 2002 anti-Muslim riots. But then, in India, there have been practically anti-every-community riots: for instance the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Every community, every religion has borne the brunt of communalism and racialism. 1000s of Hindus have been killed by Islamic terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. 100s of Hindus were butchered by the Sikh terrorists in Punjab. Similarly, big or small, there have been numerous anti-Hindu riots in various Mulsim-majority areas in India. Then why leave other politicians and religious heads and demonize just Modi?
An anti-riots panel should be constituted and it should have members from all communities, religions and castes, and they should investigate the roles of various parties, politicians and religious heads and pursue the matters through law and politics. For instance politicians like HKL Bhagat and Tytles — both belonging to the Congress party — have been implicated but have never stood a complete trial (Bhagat is dead). Similarly, there are many Muslims, many Sikhs, even Christians, who have instigated riots and perpetrated mass killings; they should all be brought to book, and when they are all brought to book only then people like Modi can be stopped and curtailed. Until that happens, it would be highly hypocritical to go on accusing Modi perpetually.
Some people prefer to compare Narendra Modi with Adolf Hitler and our prime minister recently said that it was the Holocaust that happened in Gujarat in 2002 but I think these people have no sense of history. The blogger in the above-mentioned link says that the demonization of Muslims has been happening for a long time now. If this is happening, it is unfortunate and to a great extent Muslims are to be blamed for that because wherever they are and wherever they are not ruling they have a problem, whether in Asia, in Europe, or elsewhere. They always have one gripe or another, and they always have one reason or another to condone violence, bigotry and backwardness. Modi could be a modern-day Aurangzeb but he is a circumstantial Aurangzeb. Just as the Americans support Bush in his war against terrorism the people of Gujarat have supported Modi for his war against fundamentalism. Both the instances are fraught with ill bodings but people are left with no other choice.
Technorati Tags: narendra modi, modi, Gujarat elections
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