THE SHAME AT SHARM-EL-SHEIKH

“Foreign policy,” they say in strategic parlance, “is the art of fighting a war without the firing of bullets.” If this be the case, then India has finally succumbed in the face of Pakistani aggression by the rather pathetic surrender of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the NAM summit at Sharm-el-Sheikh in Egypt. Pakistan for all practical purposes has been given the green signal to continue with its policy “of thousand cuts.”

Hardly had the embers from the Mumbai 26/11 attack died down, when the P.M. in his meeting with Pak P.M Gilani agreed that “Action on terrorism should not be linked to the composite dialogue process and these should not be bracketed.” As if this was not enough, the P.M went a step further and agreed to the notion “that Pakistan has some information on threats in Baluchistan and other areas.”

Therefore my dear friends, in other words, the victim now becomes the accused. Thanks to the ingenuity of the P.M and his team, the biggest casualty of terrorism in the world, stands accused of fomenting unrest in a country which for all practical purposes, is the cradle of terrorism world wide.

The spin doctors of the P.M, who by now must be really tired up of covering up for his gaffes are making their best efforts once again for this misdemeanour. Shiv Shankar Menon, the outgoing Foreign Secretary, has called it a case of ‘poor drafting’.

Come again!!!!

Poor drafting, you say, Mr.Menon! A nation and everything it stands up for is sold off by poor drafters, you say!

Kindly notice the deceit in the fact that news reports now suggest that these two issues were included in the agreement at the insistence of the P.M himself.

Poor drafting, indeed!

Even by the low standards of bureaucrats in India, this is a new low. To think of it, we have still not reached the abyss. It is only in India, where people hardly give a damn for the nation can the P.M and his team of nincompoops get away with an act which ranks at par with treachery.

Treachery!! Harsh word, but justified in the context of things. The P.M seems to be suffering from a chronic case of deciding foreign policy on his own whims and fancies, rather than arriving at a consensus amongst his colleagues in the cabinet atleast, if not in the Parliament. Last month in Russia, he decided impromptu to meet the Pak President Zardari and spoke about the ‘limited mandate’.

The query the nation had for the P.M as to who authorised the limited mandate had still not been answered, when the nation received this shocking news of ‘delinking of terrorism with the dialogue process’.

In effect, the P.M of a nation which has been ravaged by Islamic terrorism for the past 20 years, which has lost thousands of brave soldiers in the face of this brutal form of state policy, a nation which has seen thousands of children orphaned, brother distrusting brother, goes to the country which is progenitor of this policy of ‘thousand cuts’, and says ‘that you are free to spread this cancer even further, kill, rape and maim people, but we will continue the dialogue process irrespective of the facts.’

BRAVO!!!!

Dialogue about what?

Will it be a dialogue to bring back the Kashmiri Brahmins who have been uprooted from their home and hearth, who live the life of a refugee in their own country? Will it be a dialogue to bring back the dead from the frozen heights of Kargil or the moist corridors of the Taj in Mumbai? Will it be a dialogue to hand over Dawood and his cohorts or the great Hafeez Saeed or Maulana Massod Azhar?

Or on the other hand will it be a dialogue to exchange cultural troupes, permit Pakistani artistes to perform in India (not vice versa), open the route between Srinagar and Muzaffrabad, permit Pervez Musharaf to speak vituperatively about India while standing on Indian soil or grant of the Most Favoured Nation status to Pakistan????

Your guess is as good as mine!

Perhaps somebody should have told late Sandeep Unnikrishnan about this dialogue process when he entered the Taj on that fateful night, or the late Vikram Batra when he inched closer to the enemy before he got hit in Kargil. The train commuters in Mumbai who have stopped taking the locals or are maimed permanently post the bomb blasts should also be invited for this ‘dialogue process.’

That the dialogues since 1947 have not led us anywhere seems to be a trivial to the whole story.

The statements emanating from Egypt are a continuation of a pattern which was set by the P.M a couple of years back, when he proclaimed ‘Pakistan to be a victim of terrorism as much as India.’ The fact that nearly all the terrorists were home-bred in Pakistan was conveniently ignored in the statement. Then came the ‘limited mandate’ stuff in Russia, without as much indicating the authority sanctioning this ‘limited mandate’.

Mumbai 26/11 was an extension of Kargil 1999, with same level of deceit, ruthlessness and same intent to demoralise a nation. General Musharaf, in a recent interview has owned up to Kargil and claimed it to be a victory since it exposed ‘Indian weakness’, and furthermore claims that ‘Kargil forced India to discuss Kashmir’, thereby implying that perhaps Mumbai forced India to accede to its ‘guilt’ in Baluchistan.

Perhaps somebody should have reminded the P.M that since the ascension of I.K.Gujral as P.M in the mid 1990’s, who was similar in his soft approach to Pakistan, RAW was forced to wind up its operations in Pakistan. So much so that in an act of ‘goodwill’ even the identities of the local operatives were leaked out to the ISI. That most of the operatives were either bumped off by the Pak authorities or are languishing in jails without any charges, remains an unfortunate part of the story. History of intelligence agencies is replete with double crosses to protect and propagate one’s interests, but this mass betrayal of one’s interests in order to propagate some woolly eyed principles remains a stand out case. Therefore, even if they wished to, (as they should indeed have) Indians could not foment any trouble in Pakistan, given their lack of local operatives. But given the propensity of the Indian bureaucrat to feather one’s own nest at the cost of the nation, it is not surprising that they perhaps have not read up on their own history.

Whatever the contention of the spin doctors (including most of the newspaper editorials) about the shrewdness and sagacity of the P.M, the fact remains that he has scored an own goal, if one can borrow from sporting parlance. The unfortunate part is that unlike in the sporting field, the repercussions of this ‘own goal’ are catastrophic.

The statement about Baluchistan has ensured that India from being a victim of terrorism has been converted into a propagator of terrorism.

India has let a glorious opportunity to corner an errant neighbour slip out off its hand. Rather than questioning the Pak authorities on the farcical let off of Hafeez Saeed in the Pak courts (apparently the state government of Punjab in Pakistan is fighting the case and not the federal govt), pressurising the government to hand over the fugitives, we have let them off the hook.

At a time when the country is witnessing the tenth year of the bitter victory in Kargil, and on an occasion when the government is apathetic towards its brave sons, the least the nation deserved was a reaffirmation that the sacrifices will not go in vain. The least the leaders could have done was to assure the country that India will not revive any contact with Pakistan till the terror camps are closed down and the wanted fugitives handed over to face justice in this country.

What we received was a self defeating approach towards national matters with no clarity and with different heads looking in different direction, which is worsened by the attempts to defend a mistake of monstrous magnitude whose damage only history will reveal.

The nation deserves an explanation

RULER OF THE AIRCRAFT

Old Habits, they say, Die Hard.

The veracity of the old adage was again proved by the Prime Minister, when the journalists on board the special prime ministerial aircraft enroute to Russia to attend the SCO summit were shocked to see a meeting scheduled between the Prime Minister and Asif Ali Zardari, the President of Pakistan, on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Yekaterinberg, Russia.

Shocked because no mention of this tete-a-tete was made in the country prior to this press release on board the special aircraft.

The Prime Minister has ostensibly mastered this art of ‘Aircraft being Sovereign territory,’ fit to make announcements, which might have adverse political repercussions in the country. Remember the image of a combative Prime Minister when he took on the Comrades over the Nuclear Energy deal from the safe confines of his aircraft, enroute to Tokyo, only last year. So much so for political propriety and ethics. The fact that the institution of Parliament is dead and buried couldn’t have been emphasised any further. There was a time when major policy decisions were not taken without the approval or knowledge of the representatives of the people. But the fact that the Government is headed by a person who is not elected by the people, but selected by a family tells a story in itself.

So with the P.M’s aircraft and its relationship with Indian sovereignty, it would be advisable to close down the Parliament lock stock and barrel. It would save the Indian exchequer a lot off money. As it is the worthies do everything but formulate policy and combined with important decisions being taken by a family, and announced on aircrafts, who needs the parliament anyway!

Anyway the matter gets still interesting. After the usual introductions, and before the media personnel could be shooed away, the Prime Minster, quite uncharacteristically informed President Zardari, that he had come with a limited mandate of telling him to stop allowing terrorism against India to emanate from Pakistani territory. An embarrassed President Zardari had to literally plead to allow the Press personnel to leave before the conversation could begin. Point made, the media personnel were asked to leave before the talks could begin.

As expected, Pakistan has lodged a protest against this approach, calling it ‘unacceptable’.

Wonder who had authorised the P.M with this limited mandate? Not the people, we are sure, who have still not recovered from the ghastly images of 26/11. Will somebody ask the P.M to please clarify on this ‘mandate’ and more so on who authorised this meeting. Would this meeting have still been scheduled if 26/11 had claimed (God Forbid) the life of some V.I.P, and why was this meeting kept a secret from the people of this country?

Perhaps he might do it the next time he boards his aircraft for the next meeting with the Pakistanis which we are told is scheduled in mid July. I wonder what the response of the P.M will be around that time because rest assured that no efforts will be made to stop ‘emanation of terrorism’ from across the border. Pakistan will never change its policy of ‘bleeding India through a thousand cuts’.

Also rest assured that the so called leaders of the country will never stand up for the people of this country. For if that had been the intention, the P.M would have never resorted to deceit while meeting President Zardari. The message is loud and clear, ‘Let the Karkares, Amtes, Onkules and numerous others die, we will do what we please.’

Anyway, the result of the closed door meeting, which was the first taking place after the Mumbai 26/11 attack- The Foreign Secretaries of the two countries to begin ‘talks’ regarding steps to combat terrorism, further, these talks should not be construed as resumption of confidence building measures which have been suspended post 26/11.

Pray tell us, then what are they supposed to mean?

The role of American arm twisting is evident from the response of State department spokesman Ian Kelly, “A resumption of such high-level engagement in the aftermath of the November Mumbai attacks is encouraging. We have said before that India and Pakistan need to continue their dialogue to find joint solutions against terrorism and to promote regional stability."

Perhaps one day we will be strong enough to ‘encourage the Americans to forget 9/11 and initiate dialogue with theBin- Ladens and the Zawahiris!

The American policy subsequent to the elevation of Barack Obama as President has been quite clear, albeit it is not as clear to the mandarins in New Delhi. The Americans have outsourced the war in Afghanistan to the Pakistani army and is willing to go the whole hog in order to please the Generals. This is corroborated by the evidence adduced from the Pakistan Enduring Assistance and co-operation enhancement act 2009,(PEACE), which enhances the civilian aid to Pakistan to thrice its original figure. The U.S. senate has recently passed the Act after dropping all references to eliminating terrorism and nuclear non proliferation.

If this is not enough, sample the statement of US under secretary of state for political affairs, William Burns, who chose Delhi as the venue for a categorical message designed to please the Generals, when he said, "Any resolution of Kashmir has to take into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people".

Wonder whether the displaced Kashmiri Pandits are included in the ambit of the Kashmiri people.

Even given the chicanery of the Americans and their art of ‘Self First’concept, this is a new one.

The American game is out in the open. Only if the ‘Family’ and the ‘Rulers of the Aircraft’ had the eye to see it. The Americans cannot afford to let the body bags from Afghanistan keep coming as it has the potential of building up adverse public pressure in their country. The democracy in the U.S works at a different level than the Democracy in India you see! Therefore the war against the jihadis is outsourced to mother of all jihadis, the Pakistanis. The fact that jihad as a policy of state is an offspring of union between the U.S and the Pakistanis, to counter the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in 1980, ensures that the Pakistanis demand their share of the pie.

The share of the pie is uninhibited U.S military Aid, increased civilian Aid which naturally flows into the pocket of the Generals and the constant pressure on India through the façade of the K issue.

India on its part, plays the role of the poodle to perfection. A poodle who will bark a lot, but will never ever bite. So the P.M will berate President Zardari for public consumption but will immediately make up in another manner. Rest assured that the Confidence Building Measures will be initiated sooner than later, the Cricket team (whoever amongst them can walk after IPL) will tour Pakistan, Pakistani singers will come to India and talk of ‘tahjeeb’ and common culture, and we will be pals again.

Till another Mumbai happens.

The lack of a uniform national foreign policy free from external influence is hurting the country badly. But who cares? We keep on blowing hot and cold, but nothing more.

So Hafeez Saeed, chief of Jamaat-ud-dawah walks freely from a sham of a custody, apparently because the Pakistani government did not build up a strong case against him, with India protesting in a whimper. Notice the change from the time India demanded the extradition of Hafeez Saeed, post 26/11 to the time when his release raises no hackles in our country. A man with an avowed mission to finish off India and Indians, roams freely, while we announce a meeting with the President of Pakistan through an act of deceit, while flying around 30,000 feet in the air.


The opposition in the country is no less to blame for this. With all the infighting they hardly have the time to think of the nation. Or perhaps they realise that the issue of national interest or terrorism is not a vote catcher, as exhibited in this election, so they might start concentrating in spending a night in a poor man’s hut. Apparently, the ills in the poor man’s life vanishes after the great one spends a night in his cottage with his foreign friends. Since the great one has succeeded in the election, perhaps every leader worth his starched kurta will follow suit. That the poor remain as good or as bad after this act of benevolence is a trivial off course.

Let the Hafeez Saeeds of the world roam free!

Who bothers??

CHALLENGES

May 21st, 2009 was a day of contradictory events for the country and its polity. On a day when the Gandhi family (there is only one Gandhi family in the country after the results of the recent elections) paid its homage to the late Rajiv Gandhi on his death anniversary, the Congress party took a pledge to counter terrorism, the Naxals killed 16 policemen in Congress ruled Maharashtra and in the U.S. a key Congressional committee approved a law tripling U.S. non-military aid to Pakistan to $1.5 billion annually.

The events of the day indicate some of the challenges being faced by the government and should be used as a barometer for the performance of the government after it is sworn in, after the swearing for grab of plum ministerial posts is over. A news report has suggested that there are hardly any takers for the social sector ministries, for instance none of our ‘public servants’ and ‘dedicated for the social upliftment’ leaders would like to become the rural development or agriculture minister, given an option. But then that is another story! Let us stay focused at some of the challenges which require immediate attention.

The Pakistan Enduring assistance and Co-operation Enhancement act 2009, ironically referred to as the (PEACE) Act, enhances the U.S. non military aid to Pakistan to $ 1.5 billion per year which is a three fold increase over the previous aid, comes within less than a year of the Indo-US Nuclear energy Deal for which the venerable Manmohan Singh staked his political career, the Communists walked out of the Govt. and M.P’s displayed wads of currency notes in the Parliament, notes which ostensibly were paid as bribes to bail out the Govt. Those were the days when the establishment went to town about the ‘special’ Indo-U.S relationship.

So what has changed within a year that the Obama administration agreed to a change in the original proposal, which linked aid to Pakistan on it not letting its territory to be used for launching terror attacks against India and that it would also not support any group that indulged in terrorist activities against India. The modified act now talks about stopping cross border attacks into neighbouring countries, only, and the India specific references have been dropped.

Semantics has a strong role to play in international relations, my dear friends!

Although both the proposal would appear to mean the same thing, but in reality the U.S has again made it amply clear that it would not let its interest be superseded by any ‘special relationship’, as the P.M called Indo-U.S relations at the time of the Indo-U.S nuclear deal. For them, U.S interests come before anything.

Terrorism which confronts India like the veritable Demon has to be tackled alone and tackled fast. Although the Indian establishment is acting smug and as is its wont, patting itself on the back with no major terror strikes after 26/11, it is time we realized that it is in no way related to any proactive Indian policy, but the simple fact that the ‘hand which rocked the cradle’ i.e. the ISI, has been twisted by the ‘hand that fed the baby’ i.e. the U.S.A, for the simple reason that the Obama administration was concentrating on its new Af-Pak policy, and Pakistani military establishment needed to act like a good baby. But now with the policy back to its old surge in Afghanistan phase, which is not much different from the much reviled George Bush’s policy in Iraq, and with the pressure off the Pakistani back , we can safely expect the ISI to resort to its policy of ‘bleeding India through a thousand cuts’. Afterall, they have blackmailed the Americans into looking the other way.

But is the Indian system any more ready than it was on 26/11?

Look around and we can see that the guard has already been dropped. Even private security in hotels and malls which had reached paranoid levels immediately after 26/11 has slackened, the Government was not interested in protecting its citizens anyway. Furthermore, with the message that the voter is not concerned with the issue of terrorism and is much more concerned about voting for his/her own caste, why should the politician bother!

Poor Shivraj Patil must be ruing his luck! He could have still been the Home Minister, if……..

The hippies who came out with candles after 26/11, did not take the pain to vote. Only Shivraj Patil and VilasRao lost their jobs!!

The trial of Kasab is an indicator of the deficiency in Indian laws while confronting a state of War. Kasab had to be booked under 11 different acts of the IPC, ostensibly because he could not be kept behind bars for the sufficient period of time under any one act of the IPC.

So much so for fighting terror.

The way Kasab and his lawyer are taking the court for a ride is a reminder of the fact that we as a nation are indeed a ‘soft state’. Someday the lawyer wants to have a look at the MV Kuber( the boat which brought the terrorists to Mumbai), someday Kasab becomes a juvenile and therefore the request to try him under the juvenile act. Kasab then desires to have a look at the daily newspapers. And all this after he individually committed WAR on the country, which was well documented.

Since the repeal of POTA,which apparently was anti-minority (why and how? Well don’t ask!). The country does not have a proper anti terror law, and we are making do with IPC or the NSA. This after the fact that we are the second most terror hit country after probably Iraq. We come back to the argument of the apologists that POTA did not prevent terror attacks, with the logic that no law on the face of the earth prevents crime, but then it does deter some from venturing into this profession. Furthermore, with a firm law in place we are saved from the mockery of a terrorist who was caught in action from feigning ignorance and his lawyer taking advantage of the loopholes which normal law possesses.

And please do not forget nor let the government forget that Afzal Guru still awaits his punishment.

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.

The challenges thrown up by the Naxals in various parts of the country also portend a very serious threat for the unity and integrity of the country. The attack in Maharashtra on the 21st of May, which killed 16 policemen including 4 female police personnel, can only be taken lightly at our own peril. But then the Indian establishment’s attitude of ‘chalta hai’ has serious repercussions. The mindless attacks by the naxals on the days of polling in the recent elections has thrown up a challenge which needs to be countered on an immediate basis. The audacity of these attacks can be judged from the fact that perhaps for the first time the BSF personnel were targeted, while earlier it was the hapless Police which remained the targets.

The Naxals have grown into a threat whose importance is in no way less than the friends from across the border, because they are utilising the anger against the inequitable Indian economic system which lets wealth and prosperity remain in the hands of the select few, while the rest wallow in poverty and lack of fair opportunity. The anger in the tribal and rural India against an urban and elitist India is being exploited to the hilt, with the Christian missionaries playing their part in fanning the fire. The foreign policy bungling in Nepal which has further exacerbated the situation with India letting the Maoists take control without as much as a whimper needs to reversed. We simply cannot permit an hostile ideology to rule in our backyard, can we?

National interests should supersede any hollow moral or ethical questions. Realpolitik has no scope for platitudes or homilies, which are best suited to text-books, class rooms and inane TV discussions.

But it is high time the government stops treating the naxal threat as a law and order problem only. The indifference of the Indian state towards the agricultural sector is also one of the problems which lies at the root of this sudden growth in the cadre of the naxals. After the Ist Green revolution in the late 60’s no government of the day has really cared to look beyond the cities. Agriculture in India is still dependent on the Monsoon as it was hundreds of years ago, agricultural growth has stagnated, no new technology has been implemented for decades now, the rural poor are neck deep in debt and migrating in hordes towards the cities, which with its problems of infrastructure treats them like dirt. Schemes like the Kisan Credit card and the NREGA, though well intentioned are still way short of the requirement. Last but not the least, the farce played out by the Finance Minister in the 2008 budget, with his so called loan waiver has acted as the straw that broke the camel’s back. Although the spin doctors of the Fin. Min.still potray the loan waiver as a gift from God, the fact remains that it was targeted for the agriculturists in the constituency of the Agriculture Minister only.

Vidarbha continues to burn, both literally and figuratively, Telanganga, Rayalseema are no better. The worst news comes from Punjab, the so called agriculture heaven, where only the large land owners flourish, by resorting to commercial farming. The divide between the urban and the rural and more so between the rural poor and the rural rich, is only increasing the cadre strength of the Naxals, as the resentment is spilling out onto the streets.

But does New Delhi really care????

Perhaps the real challenge for this government at this moment lies in the fact as to whether we will finally have a P.M who will stand up and be counted and not let his ministers like Veerapa Moily state publicly that “Mrs. Sonia Gandhi will decide on the allocation of the portfolios”.

Will this country see the so called young man stand up and take responsibility rather than stay in the background and enjoy power without responsibility. Let us judge people by their actions rather than their lineage, shall we?

"You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today."
ABRAHAM LINCOLN

SHELTER

भेद हमार लेन सथ आवा . राखिय बाँधी मोहि अस भावा.
सखा निति तुम नीकी विचारी . मम पन सरनागत भयहारी.
(सुन्दरकाण्ड: राम चरितमानस) (तुलसीदास)
(It appears that this fool has come to take our secrets, therefore he should be bound down. Then (Lord Ram said) : What you have said is good policy, but I have taken a pledge to remove the fears of the person who comes to take shelter.)

The above was the conversation between Lord Ram and Sugreeva when Demon King Ravana's brother, Vibhishana had sought refuge with Ram after being driven away from the palace by his elder brother. Sugreeva was apprehensive of the intentions of Vibhishana, apprehensions which were allayed by Ram, who had taken a pledge to give shelter to anybody who approached him in distress. The conversation proceeds, as Ram comforts his councillors,

सरनागत कहूं जे तजहि निज अनहित अनुमानी,
ते नर पावर पापमय तीनही बिलोकत हानि.
(Those who desert the persons seeking refuge by considering their own loss, are mean and low people and it is a sin to even look at them.)

The practice of giving refuge to the distressed and the needy is therefore engrained in the Indian psyche, and was particularly strong in the Rajputs of Rajasthan who dared to face the displeasure of the Mughal emperors by giving shelter to defeated Kings who were sought for by the mighty emperors.

Guru Tegh Bahadur approached Emperor Aurangajeb on behalf of the Kashmiri Brahmins, with the request to stop their religious persecution. The result: He was cut into two through a saw. But not for a moment did he back down.

Now cut to 2009, and the news report that the Government of India had extended the visa of Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin but had refused her permission to stay on in the country, and further advised her to come back after the 31st of May, i.e. after the general elections.

This my friends, is present day India....Refuge, shelter, mercy can take a walk, since it is election time, and apparently the minority votes might be difficult to obtain if a helpless and defenceless lady is given shelter in the country.

But expecting anything else would have a folly in view of the fact that only about a year ago, the government produced an affidavit in Court in the Sethusamudram issue wherein Ram was depicted as a 'mythological figure'. Therefore the teachings are also supposed to be part of folklore only.

Indian culture and values be damned.

Now let us delve into the heinous crimes committed by Taslima Nasrin due to which the Govt. Of India is refusing to protect her.

After the demolition of the disputed structure of the Babri Masjid in 1992, Bangladesh was rocked by an anti Hindu pogrom which was characterised by rape of Hindu womenfolk and destruction and plunder of Hindu places of worship. The government of Narsimha Rao, as if to atone for their 'mistake' did not as much raise a whimper. Furthermore no vote bank was involved in speaking up for these hapless people, so why bother?

Taslima in her novel, 'Lajja', published in 1993 wrote elaborately about this wanton acts of destruction heaped on the Hindus and was immediately ostracised by the fundamentalist mullahs in Bangladesh. The Islamists called her novel 'blasphemous' and passed the 'death sentence' on her. Nobody cared or bothered to point out the blasphemous portion in the novel which was a simple fictional narration of the acts of violence in 1993. Fearing for her life, she sought refuge in India in 1994.

Taslima, subsequent to her refuge in India was based in Kolkata, which she referred to as 'her home away from home'. She subsequently published her autobiographical novels, of which 'DWIKHONDITO' again caught the imagination of the Islamist fundamentalists. The novel which purportedly cites the anti-women stance of the Islamists based on their interpretation of the Holy Quran was circulated as 'blasphemy' . Again no reasons were forthcoming. But then these fundamentalists are not prone to reason are they?

However the dramatic turnaround was not the position of the Bangladeshi mullahs, who were atleast categorical in their stand from the very begining, but the response of the 'Secular' dispensation in India which stood by silently as Syed Noorur Rehaman Barkati, the Imam of Kolkata's Tipu Sultan Mosque, admitted offering money to anyone who "blackened" Taslima's face.

In March 2007, the "All India Ittehad Millat Council" of Bareilly U.P. offered 500,000 Rs. for her beheading Taslim. The group's president, Tauqir Raza Khan, said the only way the bounty would be lifted was if Nasreen "apologises, burns her books and leaves."

Taslima was attacked at the Hyderabad Press Club by a crowd of 100 people which included three MLA's of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen party. The attack which was captured on camera by theTV cameraman present there was barbaric. She was physically assaulted and even flower pots were aimed at her. Fortunately, Taslima survived.Akbaruddin Owaisi, also an MLA and MIM floor leader in the Assembly, justified the attacks by saying, "We are not bothered about our MLA status. We are Muslims first. And it's our responsibility to test those who have said anything against Islam in whichever way possible." All this while the police stood by and watched.

The 'liberals' in the country who cry foul of the slightest misdemeanour against people of the minority community, and nowadays initiate the 'pink chaddi' programme, maintained their eerie silence. Obviously the refuge seeker in the present day scenario must have a suitable voting power, which unfortunately for Taslima, she did not have. On the other hand lakhs of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh have that power due to the connivance of the powers that be in India and therefore they are welcome.

'Secularism' and 'liberalism' in the country comes with the condition of that elusive voting rights. Good if you have it by hook or crook. Too bad if you don't.

Incidentally the plea of Taslima Nasrin for Indian citizenship is hanging fire for years, whereas if you have the right credentials, like the ones crossing over illegally, you can have it instantly. Does the name HUJI ring any bells???Obviously with easy citizenship rights, this terrorist organisation is more Indian than Bagladeshi, officially at least!

But the incidence which takes the cake was to come in November 2007, when the city of Kolkata, the so called city of intellectuals and liberals, burnt in broad day light. The occasion was a protest called by a fringe minority organisation to protest against the writings of Taslima. The protest however turned violent. The severity can be judged from the fact that the Army had to be called in to restore normalcy in the city. The flag bearers of 'secularism' remained silent. 'Secularism' was a stick with which to brow beat opponents, not your own vote bank.

But this was not the end of Taslima's travails.

Inspite of Taslima agreeing to remove three pages of her novel 'Dwikhondito' in order to soothen frayed nerves, the fundamentalists had smelt blood and intensified their pressure on the government. Finally, Taslima was literally forced to relocate to Jaipur and finally to New Delhi, where she was kept in a safe house in the NSG quarters.

Imagine, the NSG quarters for 'three pages'.

The response of the 'Bookers' prize winners, the Magasaysay award winners, the film actresses specializing in 'Secular' movies and issues, and all and sundry movie song writers.....................SILENCE.

Taslima Nasrin has been on the move ever since. Knowing fully well that she risks elimination the moment she sets foot in Bagladesh (Naysayers may refer to the recent BDR mutiny), she has been pleading to the Govt. of India for shelter and Indian citizenship. India which prides itself on its culture of giving shelter to the needy has turned its back on a single, defenceless lady. Apparently now the issue has been postponed for the new govt. to take a call on.

If the govt. grants her citizenship, you can side with the Islamists, if it does not, you side with the moderates, and if you come to power...well that's a tricky one.

Or is it??? You can prevaricate, as usual!!!

Talking of Secularism and elections, the revered Tauqir Raza Khan of the "All India Ittehad Millat Council" of Bareilly U.P, remember him?? If you don't, read the portion about beheading Taslima, has recently endorsed the 'Secular' credentials of the ruling party at the party HQ in Lucknow. He further enlightened that his 'Secular' council will fight the next Vidhan Sabha elections in U.P, in alliance with the 'Hand that rocks the cradle rules the world' party. Tauqir Raza Khan has another feather in his distinguished cap, for he had once called for George Bush to be beheaded, for his support of the Danish cartoonist on the grounds of freedom of expression.

If the party which claims itself to be the mother and saviour of 'Secularism' has fallen back on the support of such dangerous people, the signs are ominous for the country.

Elections come and elections go, but the country and its institutions remain.

Today, we as Indians feel a certain bit of smugness when we witness the anarchy being played out in Pakistan. But we must also be aware of the fact that it was incidences like Taslima's and people like Tauqir and Abdul Naseer Madani, capitulation before whom has brought Pakistan to this mess.

Abdul Naseer Madani, the founder of the Islamic Sewak Sangh was the main accused in the Coimbatore blast in 1998, in the rally of L.K.Advani, which claimed the lives of 60 people.Madani who was incarcerated in prison subsequent to the attack was being wooed incessantly by both the Left and the Centre in Kerala.

The Kerala assembly on March 16, 2006 passed a unanimous resolution seeking the release Abdul Nasser Madani, on “humanitarian” grounds.

Never before in the annals of Indian History had such an absurd and patently anti-national resolution been passed. Subsequent to his release, which remained a formality in view of the political support, Madani is back to his usual self, and all the parties are running for his 'support'.

'Support' at what cost? One may ask!! But who will ask?

The failure to curb such atrocious and blatant acts of anti national activity combined with the harsh action of imposing the National Security Act on Varun Gandhi for his alleged hate speech, gives credence to the theory of 'minority pampering'. What Varun said or did not say (as claimed by him) could have been easily dealt by the existing provisions of law in the country. But by invoking the provision of an act, disproportionate to his alleged act raises the conspiracy theories, resulting in further allegations and counter allegations.

Punish the culprit, for heavens sake! But please do not let bigger culprits get away for the sake of votes! You cannot have a Ram Bilas Paswan moving around with an Osama bin Laden lookalike, seeking votes (last Vidhan Sabha elections in Bihar), Tauqir Raza Khan extolling the virtues of 'Secularism', Akbaruddin Owaisi getting elected, the legality of Batla house encounter questioned incessantly, Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid issuing Fatwas in favour of 'X' or 'Y' party and Varun Gandhi in jail under NSA. The same yardsticks need to be applied.

And anyway please do not let people like Mukhtar Ansari, Shahabuddin, Atiq Ahmed, Arun Gawli and people of their ilk or their proxies contest. The story of freedom of this country has been written in the blood of thousands of people who forsaked their home and hearth for the nation.

The country cannot be subjugated by criminals, terrorists and people who fail to stand up.

As Harivansh Rai Bachchan once wrote,

में हूँ उनके साथ सदा जो सीधी रखते अपनी रीढ़.
(I am with those who have a straight spine).

N.B: My apologies for any translation and typing mistake in Awadhi and Hindi.

KAHAANI G-G KI

Many years ago, the forests of 'Secularland' were ruled over by the shrewd White tribe who had entered the forest ostensibly to deal in animal droppings and forest produce, but had slowly played the local tribals, who were not united anyway, against each other and had finally taken over Secularland.

The 'White' tribals exploited the resources of 'Secularland' to their own advantage for a very long period of time. Finally the tribals of 'Secularland' became exasperated of the 'White' tribe as these people would not even let the locals eat fresh fruit, which was meant to be transported to the 'White forest' for commercial utilisation. The local tribals were not permitted to keep weapons to protect themselves from the wild animals inhabiting the forest, let alone keep weapons for hunting. Finally some of the intelligent local tribals who had slowly graduated to know the system of the 'White' tribals by learning their strange language, began to revolt against the oppressive system of the 'Whites'.

One such local tribal leader was PanditG who had even travelled to the far-off 'White' forest to learn their customs and was now more off a 'White' than the 'Whites' themselves. PanditG was extremely popular amongst the people of 'Secularland' who looked at him in awe, for finally one of them had become one of the 'Whites'.

But not for nothing were the 'Whites' known as master tacticians. Sensing that they would not be able to keep their hold over 'Secularland' for long, they ensured that the fruits of the forest were inequitably distributed amongst the locals. Not only were the fruits inequitably distributed, but the 'Whites' ensured that it was also visible to the people to increase their insecurity. It was as if the 'Whites' were seeking vengeance for the resistance to their rule, “if we don’t get to eat the fruits, we will see to it that even you don’t get it,” seemed to be their objective.

The locals were so desperate to ensure the departure of the 'Whites' that they even agreed to partition off their forest into ‘Secularland’ and ‘Jihadiland’ without even bothering to give its implications any thought. Since this story is restricted to PanditG and his family, we will talk about the great 'Jihadiland' some other time.

The question of the leader of ‘Secularland’ was decided upon not by the local tribals, as was the wont, and decided upon procedure for electing leaders in 'Secularland', but bySantJi, who was so revered by the people that none could say ‘nay’ to his directions. SantJi subtly ensured that the people’s choice themselves proposed the name of PanditG as their leader. This system continues to date in 'Secularland' where leaders nominated by ‘voice of conscience’ continue to rule the roost.

PanditG however was not a bad ‘nomination’ as a leader. He tried his best to revive the failing forests of ‘Secularland’ with his ideas. His advisors devised the ‘Five year plans’ for the economics of the forest. That nobody, not even its inventors understood the ‘Five Year Plans’ was nothing but a trivial aside. But the biggest contribution of PanditG was the introduction of his daughter BetiG to the public life of 'Secularland'. Friends and foes alike thought as BetiG as a ‘Goongi Gudiya’(Dumb Doll) and were very happy to see her as a successor to PanditG when he passed away. Since the ‘voice of conscience’ prevailed over the ‘voice of the people’, the succession was preordained.

Some ‘goongi gudiya’ BetiG turned out to be. Her autocratic and authoritarian disposition soon ensured that the entire tribals of 'Secularland' was prohibited from speaking, soon after her coronation. The old foggies who were smirking at her lack of ability to speak and looked at her as a puppet, soon realized that safety lay in keeping silent before her. The signboard ‘SPEAKING IS INJURIOUS TO HEALTH’ was put up on important trees in the forest.

BetiG had two sons, BadeG and ChoteG, who were subsequently married to BadiG and ChotiG. BadiG belonged to the clan of the Whites whereas ChotiG who had grown up among the animals was the leader of the animals. A female Tarzan, if you please. As per convention of 'Secularland', BadiG and ChotiG were constantly at each others throats. BetiG had an affinity for BadiG and usually sided with her, but could go no further because of the fear of ChoteG, who had built up a nasty reputation for himself as the male Tarzan. No Jane was safe with ChoteG or Tazan around. But what to say of Jane’s, nobody, not even BetiG was safe with ChoteG around.

ChoteG had also picked up the mannerisms of Tarzan in swinging from tree to tree, while hanging on to a vine. One day, the inevitable happened! The vine snapped! ChoteG was no more.

Sensing an opportunity, BadiG cuddled upto BetiG and in no time ensued that ChotiG was thrown out off the tree house of BetiG. As customary, ChotiG swore vengeance. BadiG also cajoled BetiG to anoint BadeG as her successor. BadeG, who was far removed from the politics of 'Secularland', was a reluctant entrant initially. But seeing the fruits of 'Secularland', soon fell to the saying, ‘Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely’.

BetiG also believed in the idiom of ‘divide and rule’ which was the initial policy of the 'Whites'. Obviously, she had learnt her lessons well. In one of the outer regions of ‘Secularland’ which was inhabitated by SardarJi’s who were hostile to her, she encouraged the growth of another group of wild people in order to subdue her opponents. Since the story of Frankenstein had not been written by then, and BetiG had not time for local legends like Bhasmasura, the Junglees were let loose.

The result: Does it need to be told?????

BadeG: “While a big tree like this falls, the earth is bound to shake!”

Shake Secularland did. For days SardarJi’s were slaughtered in the forest, while BadeG stood by ………silently!

This tree falling and earth shaking plea later on became the war cry of all tribal leaders, out to settle scores with their opponents. 'Secularland' has not stopped shaking ever since.

BadeG however became the unopposed leader of 'Secularland'. A man of forward looking ideas, he tried to take the forest forward. But like bad habits reappearing at the wrong time, another White Trader, Kya Karoon Chi (name changed to protect identity) appeared out of the blue. The rest well….. the buying of flame throwers…..the pact with another group of Junglees in a neighbouring forest……..

The History of the demise of BetiG, was unfortunately repeated.

History is a strange subject, as it has a habit of repeating itself the moment you forget it. Apparently, BadeG had a poor memory.

Now the war was out in the open.

BadiG who hardly ever spoke and was a proponent of the theory of ‘you let people think you are a fool by staying silent, rather than open your mouth and confirm it’, slowly gained ground. In true Machiavellian style, she was preparing the ground for the takeover of the throne by her son YuvraajG, by anointing a true follower to warm the throne for YuvraajG. The opponents were fighting amongst themselves, anyway. The only threat came from within the followers which had been negated by the succession by the Sidha Sadha Ji, who stayed within his limits while ruling over 'Secularland'.

The first thing YuvraajG started in preparation for the coronation was to walk with his hands clasped together behind his ‘back’ in the manner the 'White' royalty did. Reading History or economics was for the asses of the forest, you see!

BadiG’s daughter RajkumariG who always walked with her hand on YuvrajG’ s shoulder was initially thought as natural successor of BadeG , but had been sidelined by BadiG due to reaons nobody could fathom, was married to a person who was apparently a trader by profession, but nobody knew what he traded in to maintain his high profile life. BadiG’s son-in-law, ‘Nobody knows what he does for a livinG’ was also exempted from the compulsory security frisking while entering or leaving the forest, something which was compulsory even for the ‘Senapatis’ of 'Secularland'. So much so for equality, but then being a G has its perks, does’nt it?

Meanwhile, ChotiG, who had been sidelined after she was thrown off the tree house, was also making her comeback by collecting the animals and fighting for their rights, rights which even the people in 'Secularland' did not have. ChotiG was the predecessor of J.K.Rowling in the manner she scared children , ‘you will loose your eyesight if you drink Cow’s milk’, ‘rhinos are injected with death inducing medicine to obtain……’. Even the animals were scared off her stories.

ChubbyG, the son of ChotiG started off as a poet (nobody understood his poetry, but the people were Junglees, anyway) and then true to family tradition, entered politics. Nobody could ask of his qualifications for becoming a politician, but then being a G was ample qualification anyway.

The two G’s Badi and Choti were still constantly at each other’s throats. ChotiG was confirmed that she could never become the QueenG , which had been appropriated by BadiG, but she could anyway make life uncomfortable for her.

But then it happened.

ChubbyG who apparently had inherited the Tarzan instincts, suddenly started talking about cutting people’s hands and something more.

The chance had been lost…..

YuvraajG went to town about family traditions and upbringing, conveniently forgetting about ‘the earth shaking’ and the ‘mindless slaughter’. RaajkumariG spoke of ‘getting ChubbyG to read religious scriptures’. Not many were sure as to whether she had read it herself, but then in 'Secularland', you could not raise questions to the G family.

You could not ask why the inalienable right to rule? You could not ask about the strife, the poverty, the rivers getting extinct? Nor about the exodus of the meritorious from the forest in search of a fair opportunity. You could not ask about YuvraajG getting admission in a high profile Gurukul, not because of his academics but because he was purportedly an ace archer, an activity nobody had ever seen him perform, before or after the admission.

All you could do was to sit back and watch the unending saga, the unending soap opera KAHANI G G KI. 'Secularland' be damned!!

Even Ekta Kapoor had to take a break.

JAI HO- THE PREQUEL

Following the astonishing success of the movie ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ at the Oscars, Danny Boyle has decided to make a sequel to the movie, which however should be referred to as a prequel to the ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ since it narrates the story of how the slum in Mumbai, which incidentally is the star of the movie, came into existence.

Since the post has been able to obtain the story of the proposed movie, by means we would not like to disclose, we would like to share it with the readers of the post. This way we get saved from watching the movie once it gets released and therefore do not contribute to making Danny Boyle a Millionaire at the expense of a poor India.

Clever! Isn’t it?

The story starts in the year 1757, and the battle of Plassey between nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah and the forces of the East India Company led by Robert Clive.

The British win, as they have applied the time tested formula against the Indians- the formula of stoking the greed of an opponent of the King, who back stabs the king at the crucial moment. Do the name of King Ambhi, Jaichand, Mir Jaffar ring a bell?

What follows is an open plunder of the resources of Bengal.

Robert Clive, who came to India in 1744, at the age of 18, as a ‘writer’ in the East India Company, went back to England in 1760, with a fortune of at least £300,000 and the quit-rent of £27,000 a year. He infact gave his commanding officer in his formative years a stipend of £500 a year for the rest of his life.

Remember we are talking about 1760 A.D!!

Before we begin to wonder what a ‘writer’ was supposed to mean, let me clarify that a ‘writer’ was how a clerk was designated in the East India Company. And no friends, we will not be raising the issue of the contrast of his pay and the disproportionate wealth, since we are narrating the story of a movie and not a documentary.

Anyway life was proceeding smoothly for the English rulers till the battle of Buxar in 1764. Not that it did not proceed smoothly after Buxar, but a war is a war, after all!

The English, glory be to them, won again.

Before 1764, zamindars in Bengal, Bihar & Orissa had been functionaries who merely held the right to collect revenue on behalf of the Mughal emperor and his representative or diwan in Bengal, who in turn would supervise their activity closely and ensure that they were neither lax nor overly stringent.

However, the East India Company, on being awarded the diwani or overlordship of Bengal by the empire following the Battle of Buxar in 1764, found itself short of trained administrators, especially those familiar with local custom and law. As a result, landholders found themselves unsupervised or reporting to officials; consequently the extraction of revenue proceeded unchecked without any regard for future income or local welfare.

The result was that the rulers became detached with the ruled and the intermediaries fattened their bank balance at the expense of the ruler and the ruled. In order to make up for the loss of revenue, the British or the East India Company introduced the Permanent settlement act.

The Permanent settlement act envisaged that the land tax was fixed for perpetuity, irrespective of the vagaries of nature, on which the Indian agriculture was based. So come Rain, famine or high hell, the land holder and the zamindar had to pay the fixed tax. By ensuring that lands were held in perpetuity and with a fixed tax burden, they became a very desirable commodity.

The payment of a fixed tax inspite of the yield from the fields resulted in many zamindars immediately falling into arrears.You could not collect taxes when the flood had washed away everything, could you?

The Company's policy of auction of any zamindari lands deemed to be in arrears created a market for land which previously did not exist. Many of the new purchasers of this land were Indian officials within the East India Company's government. These bureaucrats were ideally placed to purchase lands which they knew to be underassessed, and therefore profitable. In addition their position as officials gave them opportunity to quickly acquire the wealth necessary to purchase land through bribery and corruption. They could also manipulate the system to bring to sale land that they specifically wanted.

Therefore, the Indian farmer who till then produced enough to feed the country and his family, since land was religion and not a commodity, started looking towards avenues other than agriculture. Even the zamindars who had been attached with their lands, started their drift towards other sources of income.

In short, the agricultural land had now become a commodity.

The seed of the Indian slum had been laid.

Slowly but steadily the East India Company spread its tentacles all over the country. Farmers in Bengal were forced to sow Indigo, which although commercially viable for the British industry had no value for the Indian farmer. Untold misery was unleashed on the poor farmer, who was made to work under bondage and forced labour. The cultivation of Indigo ensured that the land was now unfit for any other cultivation.

The farmer who was the backbone of the Indian economy was now under enormous debt. People were looking towards the cities, since at least there could work as menial labors as there was nobody who could recognize them. The question of status and family pride could not be ignored in a status conscious socierty as India.

The coming of industrialization ensured that India from a producer economy, got converted into a supplier economy. Indian cotton fabric, which was renowned for its texture and handwork was surpassed by British machine made goods, which were mass produced and therefore extremely cheap. The British further did not provide a level playing field as unjust duties were introduced on Indian textile articles entering Britain while the British machine made goods were exempted from any duty in India.

The term 'unfair trade practices' was unknown in those days.

The sun was setting for the Indian cotton Industry.

The slums were filling up.

Danny Boyle gets lots of slum shots at this stage. Lots of poor, undernourished children and malnutrition parents.

The Indian economy was reducing the slums in London, and the slums in Mumbai …….well!!!

Dadabhai Naoroji, the great freedom fighter who made the first economic treastise on this drain of Indian money, summed it up presciently, “the English were like the sponge who sucked up the Ganges and let it off on the Thames.”


Wonder whether Danny Boyle knows about Dadabhai Naoroji? But anyway, since this not a documentary, why bother!


Then came the two World wars.

India which never had an option was dragged into a war which was fought far away from its lands and being fought for Imperial purposes. But subservient people don’t have a voice do they?

Men and material were drained away for the purpose of fighting this war. Good that nobody has made a study on the material drain in these two wars, otherwise we might have to traverse the path of documentary.

Kashmir was left as a last act of vengeance by the deceit (or intelligence, depends on your choice, movie or documentary) of the British. An act which keeps two neighbours at the throat of each other and diverts resources which could have stopped further slums from prospering.

Finally the story comes to its climax.

The interplay of greedy politicians, indifferent citizens, insensitive bureaucracy, ensures in the climax of the report of the United Nations World Food Programme in 2009, which states that 230 million people in India are undernourished, malnutrition accounts for nearly 50% of child deaths in India.

The report places India at the 94th place in the Global Hunger Index amongst 119 countries. It further informs that 43% of children (under 5 years) in the country are underweight. The figure is much higher than the global average of 25% and even higher than the sub-Saharan figure of 28%. More than 70% of the children (under 5 years) suffer from anemia.

Imagine the close up shots of under nourished children, their face emaciated, eyes sunk in holes and the standing ovations at the Kodak theatre and the number of Oscars.

The best part for this movie will obviously be the acclaim it receives from the media and the movie stars who starve for six months to get a ‘zero figure’. Unlucky people, these stars I tell you. Imagine starving for six months to get a 'zero figure' whereas a vast majority attains it as a matter of routine(facts above, in case of disbelief)

Slum dog India sells, and sells hot.

And no, we will not tell anybody that Danny Boyle is as British as the East India Company or Robert Clive, since this is not the story of a documentary film where you discuss the origin of a problem, but the story of a commercial film where you simply sell what is being demanded by the audience. Here the story of a sex worker is sold as a voyeuristic thriller.

JAI HO

JAI HO

Congratulations to A.R.Rahman for being nominated to the Oscars after winning numerous international awards for his song JAI HO, from the movie Slum dog Millionaire. That Rahman has innumerable previous songs which are far superior in comparison but did not receive international recognition is besides the point.

JAI HO, Pramod Muthalik and his brave Sri Ram Sene who with their act of chivalry in Mangalore have brought glory to the nation and its culture. This epitomizes everything they claim to represent. They have atleast exposed the farce of women getting respect in this country, where thousands of women face lewd remarks and gestures, sexual harassment, once they leave their home or even at their home. Muthalik’s claim to forcibly marry off couples caught together on the Valentine’s day has ensured that the 14th of February has surpassed the Republic day and the Independence day in terms of preventive security measures. Atleast we can expect to remain safe from terrorist attacks , bomb explosions and stuff on that day, with unprecedented security measures in place. This bunch of goons has also exposed the farce which goes on in the name of governance in this country. Remember MNS and Raj Thackrey! If our government cannot tackle these louts, how do we expect them to save us? JAI HO…….

JAI HO, to the Pink Chaddi campaign, which has been started by some netizens, as they call themselves, to oppose the Sri Ram Sene and its plans to disrupt the great Valentine’s day celebrations. The campaign which apparently is drawing huge response from the netizens, especially the females(how do you know? Well beats me!) calls for the females (or males) to buy pink chaddis at dirt cheap prices and send them to the Sri Ram Sene office and flood the pubs on the Valentine’s day. The idea ostensibly is to spread love. My sources tell me that what of Sri Ram Sene louts, all the great love seeking louts (also known as eve teasers) in the country are out on the streets today, asking the school-college going girls and the office going women or even the women buying vegetables, for the pink….you know what! Great idea netizens, this chaddi bit, especially as it is done from the safety and anonymity of the internet. Let those who go out, face the music. This will definitely go a long way in the emancipation of women in this country. And please do not bother about female foeticide, bride burning, child marriage, high female dropout level in the schools, rapes, harassment at the workplace. Let us ask this harassed lot to spread the pink chaddi campaign whenever some criminal assaults them or take him to a pub and voila the problems will vanish. What an Idea Sirji! as an ad line goes. JAI HO…….

JAI HO, the card companies and some music companies who along with people like Muthalik and the Pink chaddi campaigners have ensured that a non descript event like the Valentine’s day has become a day surpassing the Independence day or the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi in importance. Business like politics, makes for strange partners. At times it appears that we Indians were bereft of love before the arrival of St. Valentine’s day, looking at the manner it is promoted. That the divorce rates have been rising dramatically with the advent of such festivals of love is a trivial for which no social scientist need bother. JAI HO……..

JAI HO, Renuka Chowdhury, the minister for Women and Child development for nearly getting the Karnataka govt. dismissed after the Mangalore incident. That the state govt. belonged to an opposition party is … well… besides the point. What of the fact that only a couple of months ago two girls were burnt in an acid attack in Gulbarga in her home state of Andhra Pradesh, by a jilted lover. One of them later passed away. But then A.P is ruled by her party. So the mute button on madam minister. We cannot blame her for politicizing such issues as they are taking place all over the country without any punishment being meted out to the culprits. Her agenda is to pressurise the opposition govts. and not to improve the safety of the women. That is the job of the Home Minister, you see! And no suggestions asking her to concentrate on any programme to ensure that female dropouts in school are brought down, female child is not killed in the womb itself. Well she is a minister and does not have the time for such unglamourous stuff! No publicity, you see!! JAI HO……..

JAI HO, the women ‘activists’ in the country for the manner in which they take up female issues in the country and talk of the moral brigade (especially the saffron kind), but never ….never talk about Asiya Andrabi and her organization the Dukhtaran-e-Millat (Daughters of the nation) in Jammu and Kashmir, which calls for implementation of strict sharia laws, compulsory wearing of the veil(burqa), support polygamy, prohibit women from visiting beauty parlours because God has created everybody as he wanted them to be, throw acids on anybody defying their edicts. Sample one of Andrabi’s famous assertions- “I would be more than glad to share my house with other wives of Qasim (her husband)”.

Andrabi is even more categorical on national issues, sample another one of her sayings, “I don't believe in Kashmiriyat, I don't believe in nationalism. I believe there are two nations - Muslims and non-Muslims.”

A.K. Hangal summed it up nicely in the movie Sholay, “Yeh itna sannata kyon hai bhai” (Why this silence?) But then Hangal did not know Andrabi, did he? The women activists press their mute button whenever somebody mentions Andrabi, but then getting burnt by acid is also extremely painful. JAI HO……...

JAI HO, Police Commissioner of Hyderabad, who even after Ramalinga Raju of Satyam infamy, owned up to the massive fraud to the tune of Rs.7000/- crores, at a press conference, refused to move in and arrest him for three days after the admission of guilt, ostensibly because “nobody had lodged a complaint against him.” That a few days after his arrest, the public prosecutor prayed before the court to extend Raju’s custody because “he was making vital documents disappear even after his arrest, and therefore it would be detrimental to let him out on the bail”, tells the whole story. JAI HO………..

JAI HO, to the rulers of the day for ensuring that Navin Chawla will become the next election commissioner of the country after the superannuation of N.Gopalaswami. Whatever the technical merits or otherwise of the recommendation of the CEC, N.Gopalaswami under section 324 (5) of the Constitution and the legal interpretation of the word ‘Recommendation’ in the said section of the constitution, qudos should go to the law minister H.R.Bharadwaj for calling the present CEC ‘petty’ and further letting the cat out of the bag by stating that Gopalaswami had ‘spoilt his retirement’. This my friend remains the eternal truth, that a bureaucrat if per chance raises his voice against the system ‘spoils his retirement’ meaning thereby he cannot become a Rajya Sabha M.P, an ambassador or even a governor after his retirement. Look at M.S.Gill the ex CEC who did not spoil his retirement and has been blessed by being appointed the sports minister in the present disposition.

Please also sample the fact that no effort has been made to obtain a presidential reference on the constitutional legality of the recommendation of the CEC from the Supreme Court. The presidential reference is one of the powers of the president by which an opinion can be obtained from the Supreme Court in case of an issue of constitutional propriety.

Let us also doff our caps at the track record of the person who will be our next CEC and thereby conduct the next general election---

Navin Chawla was secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi during the period of emergency (1975-77), and famously remarked, “Let them roast under the asbestos sheets”, when the Supdt. of the Tihar jail objected to the overcrowding of the Tihar jail with political prisoners against all norms of jails. The Shah Commission, which inquired into the excesses during the Emergency, indicted Mr Chawla for having been 'authoritarian and callous' and for gross misuse of power "in cynical disregard of the welfare of citizens". Further, it declared that he was "unfit to hold any public office which demands an attitude of fair play and consideration for others".

The story does not end at this, the Election Commissioner and his wife Rupika ran the Jaipur-based Lala Chaman Lal Education Trust which had secured MPLADS funds from Congress MPs — A.A. Khan, R.P. Goenka, Ambika Soni, Dr Karan Singh and Mr A.R. Kidwai. He accepted funds for private trusts. The trust was allotted six acres of land by the Congress government in Rajasthan when Mr Ashok Gehlot was the Chief Minister in his previous terms. Need we say more, except that Indian democracy is in safe and impartial hands, JAI HO……….

JAI HO, to our law enforcing agencies, for the manner in which they permit lumpen elements like Pramod Muthalik, Raj Thackrey and their ilk run amok and for the manner in which they harass the innocent, defenceless people under any pretext, while at the same time acting servile before the criminals. When they cannot stop Muthalik how do we expect them to face Ajmal Aamir Kasab? But the inside story is that they want the common people to be self sufficient and defend themselves rather than look in askance towards others. JAI HO……..

JAI HO, to Danny Boyle and the Slum dog Millionaire for showing that Indian poverty sells massively in the West and that we Indians go ga ga over anything accepted by the firangs. Not one western movie maker encapsulates anything which is positive in India. For them we remain the land of snake charmers and the magical fakirs, and we remain too happy to oblige. It is fascinating to watch these movie makers rake in billions by selling our poverty and penury. After all, apparently, there are no homeless and naked in New York or London, no beggars, no criminals. Maybe Anil Kapoor will make a fictional movie on the poverty and crime in the ghettos of New York, after he stops counting his billions and the grin on his face while marketing all that is naked about India, subsides. JAI HO……….

And last but not the least, JAI HO, to the common people in this nation, who remain indifferent to our rivers being polluted, our water bodies disappearing by the magicians also known as the real estate developers, our forest vanishing, the corruption which like a demon has engulfed all facets of our lives, the religious fundamentalism, the neglect of primary education, healthcare and the connivance of our leaders and the bureaucrats in making this happen. But the news channels talk of the threat from outside, don’t they???? And we switch off our TV sets and go off to sleep completely oblivious to everything around us, completely immune to the misery, the pain, the lawlessness,the exploitation. JAI HO…………

JAI HO…………

MAYA KI MAYA

AN OPEN LETTER TO MAYAWATI

Respected Behenji,

Namaskar,

Please allow me to introduce myself to you. I am ardent follower of yours and therefore read with great satisfaction the news that M 50 machine guns have been procured for your security personnel in order to protect you. It is a great achievement, for these machine guns are only in the arsenal of the Special Protection Group which protects the President, P.M , ex P.M’s , families of P.M’s and Robert Vadra. I have been getting sleepless nights ever since I heard that only 350 security personnel apart from 100 odd NSG commandos have been assigned to protect your kindself. Only 350 plus the NSG commandos!!! Imagine!! I am sure there was a larger conspiracy behind allotment of this meagre staff for your protection. These NSG commandos! Useless people I tell you! How are they supposed to protect you when they take 60 hours to kill the people who attacked Mumbai?

This nasty UPA govt. refused to provide you SPG cover since they would have to amend the law for providing SPG to you. Arre baba do they realize what they were doing? It was yesterday only that an MBA student was gangraped by 10 people in Noida district of your state. Do they even realize how unsafe it is for women nowadays especially in U.P? Imagine the girl being abducted at 5.00 in the evening, 100 metres away from a plush mall in the most important dist. of your state which you want to project as an alternative to Bangaluru. To top it all she was not alone but accompanied by a male friend.

Good your bodyguards have the M 50’s with them.

These girls nowadays, I tell you, imagine going out at 5.00 in the evening and that too with a male friend! Don’t they have any shame left? What is this America or what? Their parents should be hanged from the nearest pole . Don’t they teach their daughters any sanskars? It appears that these girls are so busy roaming around with their boyfriends that they do not even have the time to read the newspapers and know that it is not safe for males in U.P to go out after sunset, what to say of females. Please get one of your brilliant IPS officers to state that the girl was of loose character and was now crying foul because of monetary reasons and her father was also of a loose character, and arrest him . I still vividly remember that brilliant IG of yours,Gurdarshan Singh who after the Arushi Talwar case proclaimed her being caught in a ‘compromising position’ with her servant and her father himself not being of ‘good character’ and murdering both the girl and the servant. Brilliant wasn’t it? But those CBI fellows sold out and could not produce an iota of evidence regarding all this. Finally all the people are out of jail and the case is now nearly buried. But hats off to the way you supported the great IG of yours. Instead of sacking him as these Women activists demanded you merely transferred him. I am sure he must be somewhere in the state protecting the Aam Aadmi and the Aam Aurats of the state. Your support for such sincere officers gives the people confidence. My request is to get some similar officer to investigate the instant rape case in Noida also. These ‘loose character’ people cannot be allowed to besmirch your fair name. Let these Women activists shout as much as they can about a female Chief Minister repeatedly failing to protect females in the state. Please show these Lipstick-powder ladies that nobody is safe in the state and even you need M 50 machine guns to protect you.

I am sure it was that canny Amar Singh who ensured the SPG cover was not provided to you. I still remember the guest house incident in 1995 when these Samajwadi Party people tried to physically eliminate you inside the state guest house in the state capital, Lucknow. Good that you have one of the prime accused of the guest house incident , Anand Shukla ‘Anna’ in your party now. After all you have moved from Bahujan Hitaya ( benefit of the majority ) to the Sarvajan Hitaya (benefit of all), so why leave any accused outside your party? This way we reduce our potential adversaries, don’t we? This is man management at its best. My salutations!

Speaking of man management, please convey my regards to Shekhar Tiwari, that bold MLA of your party who thrashed that PWD Engineer, Manoj Gupta to death in his own house in Auraiya near Kanpur because he refused to pay Rs. 50 lakhs as donation towards your birthday celebrations. My regards to the policemen also, who refused to take Manoj Gupta’s call and come to his rescue, letting the brave Tiwari ji thrash him for two hours till he passed away.

Imagine that Engineer refusing to pay 50 lakhs for your birthday bash. Who the hell did he think he was? If this malaise of refusing to pay for your party and your birthday increased it would result in utter lawlessness. Today your birthday, tomorrow election funds, arre is desh mein koi kanoon hai ki nahi?( Is there any law in this country) What if the common people refuse to pay up for the rangadari tax, the goonda tax? Good that Mananiya (Hon’ble) Shekhar Tiwariji laid down the law immediately. My request is that please tell me the amount I have to contribute towards your birthday party. Please do not send the Hon’ble to my house.

The contribution of the collection of Hon’bles under you will definitely be remembered by History. The state could have its own hall of fame for these Mananiyas. I mean how many could say what the Minister of state for Animal Husbandary in your govt. Mananiya (Hon’ble) Avadh Pal Singh, said in a press conference yesterday. Addressing the media he said, “ If D.P Yadav is a mafia because a few criminal cases have been registered against him , then Mahatma Gandhi was the first mafia in the country and so were Subhash Chandra Bose and Jawarhal Lal Nehru.”

What brilliant exposition of History, isn’t it? How many of these Historians could arrive at this conclusion ? Arre, what has D.P.Yadav done besides being a strongman in Western U.P apart from being an accused for illicit liquor manufacturing which once killed 350 people in Haryana and murder accused in all and sundry cases? His son Vikas Yadav has only been sentenced for life in the Nitish Katara murder case and has also only been sentenced for four years rigourous imprisonment in the Jessica Lal case( another one of those loose character females). Mind you, only life sentence and not hanging! And besides when you are a strongman these weak people die when you only slap them, you only grab property from the common people. The problem with these common men is that they always remain weak and then cry like a baby when some strong men take away their home and hearth. Now what can strong men do when you remain weak? They cannot be blamed for making you weak.

The achievements by your good and kind self are unmatched in this country. History bears testimony to the fact that nobody before you had thought of erecting their statue in their lifetime, a job which you did with such élan last year. Small people and their small thoughts, raising such hue and cry over such a trivial issue as statues being raised, Ambedkar parks costing 100 crores when there is utter lawlessness, high unemployment, massive electricity crisis in the state, I mean is stuff like employment, education, electricity more important than Ambedkar parks ? Will they ever think big?

I felt proud to be your follower when I saw your name at the 59th number in the Forbes list of powerful women in the world. Let the critics smirk at this but can they point out anybody who has grown so powerful and influential in three years. Yes mam, three years!! I mean the truth can be gauged from the declarations you made in an affidavit before the Election Commission in 2004 Lok Sabha elections and the 2007 Vidhan Sabha elections.

In 2004, according to the affidavit you owned:
Cash- Rs.1.5 lakhs
Bank Deposits- Rs. 9.78 Crores
Jewellery- Rs. 30.94 Lakhs
Property- Rs. 1.25 Crores.

In 2007 the same assets rose to:
Cash- Rs. 50.27 Lakhs
Bank Deposits- Rs. 12.88 Crores
Jewellery- Rs. 50.87 Lakhs
Property- Rs. 36.84 Crores

If this does not symbolize power then what does? And the best part is that during this period you were neither a C.M in Uttar Pradesh nor a part of the ruling disposition at the Centre. I completely agree that it is the love of the people who have made this ‘Gift’ to you which has resulted in the growth in assets. What of the fact that the people whom you claim to represent find it difficult to make two ends meet! Now I know the reason for their poor state! They ‘Gift’ whatever they earn to your coffers. It is only people like that Engineer Manoj Gupta who start whining while making ‘Gifts’. Well why bother since the Mananiya Shekhar Tiwari ji has taken care of him. Greedy people, always wanting everything for themselves!

I feel disgusted when these party poopers say that the it would be better if you had your cabinet meetings in jails, since that is where most of your ministers are. These rascals, I tell you! Since they cannot be strong men they ridicule others. Borrowing from your minister Shri Avadh Pal Singh, I would like to tell them that before 1947 most of the Congress leaders were in Jail only, but nobody makes such cheap remarks about them. Only your predecessor Mananiya Mulayam Singhji comes anywhere close to your achievements in this regard, since the same strong men keep moving from one party to another. No loyalty, I tell you! But the way you have elaborated the Sarvajan Hitaya (benefit of all) your name will be written in golden words in the History of India. Everybody gets his share of the pie. Good fun, isn't it?

I am confident you will come out of the disproportionate assets case, the Taj scam and all other such false cases which have been foisted on you by your opponents, unscathed. Has any politician before you ever been convicted? It is those nasty opponents who want to spoil your fair name.

There is this friend of mine who says, What of Uttar Pradesh and good governance? My answer to him is that Well What of it? I want to give him one tight slap but am scared since he is stronger than me and your police only protects the strong men . Kindly send one of your ministers to teach him etiquettes provided he survives that meeting.

Mam’ I have taken the liberty of slightly altering the slogan of your party, JAI BHARAT, JAI BHIM.

Considering the effort put in by you in furthering the cause of Sarvajan Hitaya, I now call it,

JAI MAYA KI MAYA.

Regards,

Neither a Bahujan or a Sarvajan, but an Aam Jan (common man).