Rural storm over SEZs exposes chinks in the ruling system
By P. Raman
The ever deepening confusion about the special economic zones clearly reflects the state of affairs in which the nation finds itself. When the bill to set up the SEZs was adopted no one had anticipated it will lead to such massive protests across the country. It was virtually a unanimous passage with the Left expressing reservations over the possible curbs on labour rights within SEZ. Some members did talk about the need for taking care of the farmers’ rights. But it was so casual and general.
Now every political party, every player in the whole game, feels they have been taken unawares by the sudden show of protests from almost everywhere. The commerce ministry, which had initiated the grandiose programme, suddenly climbs down to rewrite the rule book, and asserts no fertile land will be acquired for setting up SEZs.
Instead of protesting, even the business bodies now endorse the suggestion that the land owners should get adequate compensation and three-crop land should not be used for the purpose. Two aspects of the SEZ muddle the widening cleavage between political bosses and the masses and the executive’s despotic style of decision making are worth noting. When the SEZ bill was passed the general expectation was that a couple of zones would be opened in each state.
More would be launched after assessing their performance. No one had thought that as many as 225 SEZs or is it over 350? will be allowed at one stroke on well over 80,000 to one lakh hectares.
The turn of events has made the Congress establishment bitter about what some of them describe its government’s brinkmanship. There is lot of difference between coping with the farmers’ problems with a couple of SEZs and facing the embarrassment of agitations in such a large number of places. This was what had made Sonia Gandhi (who is now increasingly opening her own direct channels with the party’s grassroots leaders) to come out with her snowballing declaration on the non-use of fertile land for SEZs.
Those close to the party establishment say that Kamal Nath, himself a seasoned politician, should not have lost balance. He should have anticipated a severe rural backlash. A little interaction with those outside the bureaucracy and economic technocracy might have convinced him about the pitfalls ahead.
Instead, he and the omnipresent Montek Singh Ahluwalia took the SEZ-in-eachblock idea as a great economic revolution on which the Congress Party could sweep the polls. It was similar to the NDA’s `golden triangle’ highway and Promod Mahajan’s `Shine India’ dream.
Before the Sonia snap came, hardly did they recognize that it was the greed for cheap land under the Land Acquisition Act that had led to the SEZ revolution. Even the leading industrial houses had taken into account the windfall land gain while working out the cost. Such strategic miscalculations do happen in an atmosphere of isolated government functioning.
Ministerial bureaucracy under the post-reform era has been part of the belief that a government’s job is to enforce the globally ordained economic prescriptions.
Under this concept, dialogue with the opposition or own party establishment will only delay the reform schedule. The more the cleavage between the party establishment and a globally committed ministerial bureaucracy, the more the government gets distanced from the mass of voters. This has been the experience of Tony Blair to Atal Behari Vajpayee.
Political mishaps could be avoided only when the party establishment which is normally less prone to global pressures, is able to strike a fair balance between the governmental action and voting public’s responses. The party establishment as a watch dog account for the long survival of the Left government in West Bengal.
The other factor the growing disconnect between the political parties and the people they represent has its origin in the bureaucratic style of political functioning. In the present case, even the Left has got it off-guard despite their preoccupation with the Tata unit in West Bengal.
In each case, the SEZ protests had come from the affected farmers and landowners. The political class realized the `potential’ only when gram sabhas passed resolutions and put up their own resistance.
Incidentally, some politicians made quick balance sheets of farmers’ vote strength and the industry contributions and the complexion of the new SEZ population. Spontaneous protests came from Raigad (Maharashtra), Ekvira Zmin Bachao Andolan in Pune, Gujars and Jats in Dadri and several parts of Haryana. The magnitude of the rural storm in terms of voter power is really startling.
For Realiance’s Mumbai SEZ alone, acquisition notices have been issued to one lakh land owners. On this basis, the number of affected land owners for the already approved 280 SEZs will be 2.80 crores. Total vote strength of these families will be more than 8.5 crores. Adding the farm labour and other dependents, it is going to be a huge disgruntled block which no political party can ignore.
Incidentally, the first target of the farm protest has been the Left government in West Bengal where initially even the front partners joined the protests. Even the Congress Party has joined hands with Mamata against the Tata land purchase. The Brand Buddha had to retreat and new incentives were to be offered to the farmers and farm labour. In UP, the upsurge is both against the SEZs and Ambani’s power plant.
Raj Babbar’s Jan Morcha led by V.P. Singh and supported by such parties as the CPI, Ajit Singh, is competing with JD(U) president Sharad Yadav’s new front. Yadav has the support of Apna Dal and Akalis. Sonia Gandhi’s sudden fatwa on the SEZs has been the direct consequence of the popular ire in the poll-bound UP where Rahul Gandhi is set to lead the Congress.
Sharad Yadav has also contacted the Left and BJP for a wider national front against the SEZ misuse. He will organize a bandh on October 12. Medha Patkar is organizing a `JanAndolan’ under the banner of National Alliance of People’s Movements. A large number of intellectuals, including Arundhati Roy, attended her conclave.
The SEZ protests have raised certain valid questions. Why should the government acquire land at a cheap rate for private owned projects? How can the government prevent misuse of the land for multiplexes, malls, entertainment parks and housing complexs which have nothing to do with exports?
Can the farmers and farm labour expect jobs in the SEZs when more competent workers claim the posts under the competitive ambience? Lack of firm answers to such valid questions provide more grit to the protests.
Acknowledgment : www.samachar.com , October, 14th, 2006
Saturday, October 14, 2006
India's Shame : Children Continue to die of Hunger
India ranks 3rd from bottom of the world on malnourished kids
Sonu Jain
Posted online: Saturday, October 14, 2006 at 0000 hrs Print Email
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 13: Yet another report confirms India’s losing battle against hunger. In the Global Hunger Index, India ranks 117th for the prevalence of underweight children. Only Bangladesh and Nepal are worse-off.
Overall, India is ranked 96th out of 119 countries covered by the index, which doesn’t paint a rosy picture per se. But India comes off far worse in its record for malnutrition in children, as measured by body weight.
The proportion of children found underweight in India, according to the latest figures is 47.5 per cent, which makes it worse than conflict-plagued, drought-stricken Sub-Saharan Africa, where the figure is some 30 per cent on average. India’s figure is also worse than that of individual Sub-Saharan countries.
These findings are from a report released globally today by the Washington-based International Food Policy Institute (IFPRI). The Global Hunger Index combines three indicators: child malnutrition, child mortality, and estimates of the proportion of people who are calorie-deficient.
The index has been calculated for 1981, 1992, 1997, and 2003. The latest round ranks 119 countries, of which 97 are deemed “developing” and 22 “in transition.” Speaking to The Indian Express on phone from Washington, the report’s lead author Doris Wiesmann said the two major factors for India’s low ranking were that per capita food availability did not increase from 1997 onward, and that child malnutrition rates remained at very high levels, with more than 46 per cent of children under five years being underweight.
India is a different story from Sub-Saharan Africa. A higher proportion of the population (33 per cent) is calorie-deficient there than in India (21 per cent) or South Asia as a whole (22 per cent). The sub-text to India’s dismal showing is malnutrition in children under five. “Mothers, who are usually children’s primary caretakers, and their education, nutritional knowledge, well-being and status in families and communities are particularly important in this respect,” said Wiesmann. The results are a direct fallout of the low status of women in Indian society, several earlier studies have pointed out. “In India, women eat the last and the least, increasing the chances of anaemia,” she explained. This practice partly explain why 83 percent of women in India suffer from iron deficiency anaemia, as opposed to about 40 percent in sub-Saharan Africa.
Not surprisingly, one-third of the babies born in India are born with low birth weight, compared to one-sixth in sub-Saharan Africa. “It has been observed that the women who have a say in the family, allocate more resources to their children’s nutritional needs. Men have other priorities,” she said. There have been other studies that have explained India’s presence as a hotspot despite its growing GDP. Lisa Smith, a IFPRI research fellow, and Usha Ramakrishnan, Associate Professor at Emory University, identified three factors contributing to the nutritional status gap between South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa in a recent study.
The first, making by far the greatest contribution among the three, is women’s status, followed by sanitation and urbanization. The implication for policy is clear: in the interests of improving child nutrition, women’s status should be raised.
The study also concluded that in regions where women’s status is low, programmes to improve child nutritional status would have more lasting impact when combined with efforts to improve women’s status. India has a large programme that aims to provide supplementary nutrition for children called the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).
Studies have shown that preventing child malnutrition in the most critical phase of child development between six months and two years is more effective than targeting children under the age of five once they have become malnourished. By the time a child has developed signs of malnutrition, the damage may already be irreversible.
Curtsy : Indian Express, New Delhi, October 14th, 2005
Sonu Jain
Posted online: Saturday, October 14, 2006 at 0000 hrs Print Email
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 13: Yet another report confirms India’s losing battle against hunger. In the Global Hunger Index, India ranks 117th for the prevalence of underweight children. Only Bangladesh and Nepal are worse-off.
Overall, India is ranked 96th out of 119 countries covered by the index, which doesn’t paint a rosy picture per se. But India comes off far worse in its record for malnutrition in children, as measured by body weight.
The proportion of children found underweight in India, according to the latest figures is 47.5 per cent, which makes it worse than conflict-plagued, drought-stricken Sub-Saharan Africa, where the figure is some 30 per cent on average. India’s figure is also worse than that of individual Sub-Saharan countries.
These findings are from a report released globally today by the Washington-based International Food Policy Institute (IFPRI). The Global Hunger Index combines three indicators: child malnutrition, child mortality, and estimates of the proportion of people who are calorie-deficient.
The index has been calculated for 1981, 1992, 1997, and 2003. The latest round ranks 119 countries, of which 97 are deemed “developing” and 22 “in transition.” Speaking to The Indian Express on phone from Washington, the report’s lead author Doris Wiesmann said the two major factors for India’s low ranking were that per capita food availability did not increase from 1997 onward, and that child malnutrition rates remained at very high levels, with more than 46 per cent of children under five years being underweight.
India is a different story from Sub-Saharan Africa. A higher proportion of the population (33 per cent) is calorie-deficient there than in India (21 per cent) or South Asia as a whole (22 per cent). The sub-text to India’s dismal showing is malnutrition in children under five. “Mothers, who are usually children’s primary caretakers, and their education, nutritional knowledge, well-being and status in families and communities are particularly important in this respect,” said Wiesmann. The results are a direct fallout of the low status of women in Indian society, several earlier studies have pointed out. “In India, women eat the last and the least, increasing the chances of anaemia,” she explained. This practice partly explain why 83 percent of women in India suffer from iron deficiency anaemia, as opposed to about 40 percent in sub-Saharan Africa.
Not surprisingly, one-third of the babies born in India are born with low birth weight, compared to one-sixth in sub-Saharan Africa. “It has been observed that the women who have a say in the family, allocate more resources to their children’s nutritional needs. Men have other priorities,” she said. There have been other studies that have explained India’s presence as a hotspot despite its growing GDP. Lisa Smith, a IFPRI research fellow, and Usha Ramakrishnan, Associate Professor at Emory University, identified three factors contributing to the nutritional status gap between South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa in a recent study.
The first, making by far the greatest contribution among the three, is women’s status, followed by sanitation and urbanization. The implication for policy is clear: in the interests of improving child nutrition, women’s status should be raised.
The study also concluded that in regions where women’s status is low, programmes to improve child nutritional status would have more lasting impact when combined with efforts to improve women’s status. India has a large programme that aims to provide supplementary nutrition for children called the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).
Studies have shown that preventing child malnutrition in the most critical phase of child development between six months and two years is more effective than targeting children under the age of five once they have become malnourished. By the time a child has developed signs of malnutrition, the damage may already be irreversible.
Curtsy : Indian Express, New Delhi, October 14th, 2005
Friday, October 13, 2006
Release Bhupendra Singh Rawat from detention
Stop treating dissenters as criminals by Vidya Bhushan Rawat
Hundreds of activist joined in a symbolic protest in the Uttar-Pradesh Bhavan, Delhi against the illegal detentian of Shri Bhupendra Singh Rawat, a farmer leader and member of National Alliance of People's Movement. Bhupendra Rawat was very active in the movement for creation of separate state of Uttaranchal. Lately Bhupendra has been working in Delhi's slum againast their eviction.
Bhupendra was the main force behind the farmer's uprising against Reliance Industries. He initially went there on a fact finding team to investigate into the matter of police manhandling of sitution on the previous night of Shri V.P.Singh's visit to the area and later decided that the people would have to be organised to protest against this loot of national resources.
The result was that the people's protest against the illegal grabbing the most fertile land of INdia by one of the most notorious industrial houses in India got momentum. After former Prime minister V.P.Singh took up the issue, the issue of Special Economic Zone ( SEZ) has now acquired importance in public debate. Dadari today symoblised farmers resistance against the onslaught of the looters, builders and leaders together.
Fearing this, the Muluam Singh Yadav government of Uttar-Pradesh unleashed a rein of terror in village Bajhara Khurd. Farmers are not allowed to even venture out of their houses. PAC has surrounded the villages. Even the children are not spared.
Yesterday's protest at UP Bhavan was symbolic and as Medha Patakar rightly moaned how a person who publicly spoke against WTO at the anti WTO platform, Mulayam Singh yadav's socialist credentials are now questioned. Ambanis, Amitabh Bachchans and Subroto Roy will not bring socialism to Uttar-Pradesh. It is more ironical that on the birthday of Jai Prakash Narayan (11th october), who fought for democracy against the tyranny of Indira Gandhi's authoritarian regime, the Samajwadi workers in Uttar-Pradesh were celebrating the birthday of the new mascot of their party Shri Amitabh Bachchan. There cannot be a bigger irony than this that the current Samajwadi regime in Uttar-Pradesh is a blot on the very word of Samajwadi.
It is not just Mulayam Singh Yadav but all those in power have put their conscious aside and are selling the precious land of the farmers to new thugs, who have media on their side. The middle classes who dream of having their children working in UK and US give a shit to this. Their only concern about India comes through the idiotic mumbai movies. When the farmers die or tribals are killed, that hurt their national pride because in this age of lobbying and India shining.' we only want to listen good news'. People like us who have such news are considered 'persona non grata'. why the hell we always get depressing news.Unfortunately, the political class does not want to bring cheers to all of us. They are surrounded by the self serving bureaucrats, India\'s servile class which looted the people and robbed them from their resources. If Dadari like situation are not tackled properly and if the looters continue to act on their fency, government will not be able to keep this country united. Already there are revolt every where. From Kalinganagar in Orissa to Maharastra, Chhatisgarh to Jharkhand, people are rising in protest against this onslaught which will ultimately rock India.We all have seen the tragedy that happeend to not only Enron but a number of companies which never fulfilled their promises. Ultimately people threw them away. Enron's director became bankrupt and the company was unable to pay its debt. For the people of Maharastra, Enron's promises could never fulfilled. Instead, the electricity crisis worsened in the state.Behind these great malls, dams and buildings are displacement of millions of poor people, Dalits and Adivasis. They will rise and demolish the structure of this nation if it failed to address their concern. We will only have to blame to ourselves and not to the others. Time for the government not to treat the activists who do not confirm to a particular ideology and those who raise their voice against the terror or police or injustice done to people, as criminals. Unfortunately, can we expect it from those in power who give z plus security to criminals and where the policemen behave like goats in front of these criminals masqurading as leaders?
Details of cases against Bhupendra Singh Rawat and other farmer activists
Update-1
October 7, 2006
Anti-Eviction Activists in Jail for the past 10 days;UP Government and Reliance resort to violent repressions and Goonda Raj Senior activists raising the social and economic issues of Special Economic Zone (SEZ) are in Ghaziabad District Jail (UP) jail for the last 10 days. They were fighting against the illegal land grab by Reliance India in the Dadri area after Ghaziabad (30 kms from Delhi) The Dadri Kisan Union Activists Bhupendra Singh Rawat, Jagmohan Rawat, Ompal Singh Bachoda, Sonu Bachoda, Charan Singh, Satpal Singh and two women Vimalesh and Veeru were arrested by unidentified policemen from the Uttar Pradesh Police force on 27th September 2006, while they were travelling to meet the Union Minister Jairam Ramesh and attend a press conference in Delhi. They were to join a delegation comprising of Medha Patkar, Prashant Bhushan, Rajendra Ravi, Arun Kumar, Sanjay Sangvai and Rifat Mumtaz. Mr. Bhupendra Rawat, a farmer leader and an active member of National Alliance of People's Movements, has been part of the struggle fighting against the illegal capture of farmers' land by the Reliance in the nearby villages. The police had resorted to extreme violence against the farmers, including women and children in many instances during the first week of July 2006. Against this a mass action and rally was organised by the movement on 9th July. The police retorted with brutal violence and mass arrests. They also filed many \nfalse and fictitious cases against the leaders of the movement including Mr. Rawat. There are reports that these activists were manhandled badly and did not spare even the women. Women were beaten by men police and they were misbehaved too.These activists have been in jail for the past 10 days . The UP police arrested them on charges including attempt to murder, rioting and violence against police personnel on duty. They have already secured bail under three cases they have been charged under. However, as they get bail on some cases, the police are \nclamping new fabricated charges on these activists to deter their release from the Jail. This has been happening for the past 7 days. A team of activists including Adv. Prashant Bhaushan, Prof. Ajit Jha, Joe Athialy, Shree Prakash and Vijayan MJ along with villagers from Dadri had tried to visit the activists in jail on October 6, but were denied permission to meet any of those in prison on flimsy technical grounds. The police denied permission for even the senior Supreme Court Lawyer in the team.
27th September 2006, while they were travelling to meet the Union Minister Jairam Ramesh and attend a press conference in Delhi. They were to join a delegation comprising of Medha Patkar, Prashant Bhushan, Rajendra Ravi, Arun Kumar, Sanjay Sangvai and Rifat Mumtaz. Mr. Bhupendra Rawat, a farmer leader and an active member of National Alliance of People's Movements, has been part of the struggle fighting against the illegal capture of farmers' land by the Reliance in the nearby villages. The police had resorted to extreme violence against the farmers, including women and children in many instances during the first week of July 2006. Against this a mass action and rally was organised by the movement on 9th July. The police retorted with brutal violence and mass arrests. They also filed many false and fictitious cases against the leaders of the movement including Mr. Rawat. There are reports that these activists were manhandled badly and did not spare even the women . Women were beaten by men police and they were misbehaved too.These activists have been in jail for the past 10 days . The UP police arrested them on charges including attempt to murder, rioting and violence against police personnel on duty. They have already secured bail under three cases they have been charged under. However, as they get bail on some cases, the police are clamping new fabricated charges on these activists to deter their release from the Jail. This has been happening for the past 7 days. A team of activists including Adv. Prashant Bhaushan, Prof. Ajit Jha, Joe Athialy, Shree Prakash and Vijayan MJ along with villagers from Dadri had tried to visit the activists in jail on October 6, but were denied permission to meet any of those in prison on flimsy technical grounds. The police denied permission for even the senior Supreme Court Lawyer in the team.
We are trying to get more details about the case and the charges levelled against them by the police. Once we get that we will send you all an action alert, requesting to write to the Chief Minister, NHRC and so on. Please extend your support to the people who are in jail by mobilising faxes, phone calls etc to the concerned.
Ajit Jha, Vijayan MJ, Joe Athyali, Vimalbhai, Shivani Chaudhry
(011-26680883/26680914 Mobiles: 9868165471/9891814707)\n \n \nUpdate – 2\n9th October 2006.
Update – 2
9th October 2006
Privatisation of India - Kar Lo Duniya Muthie Main
Kar Lo duniya muthie Main, this slogan of late dhiru bhai Ambani seems to have worked as miracle motto on U. P. administration that is going out of the way to imbibe this motto in letter and spirit and leaving no stone unturned in falsely implicating the social activists in various police cases filed on the behest of reliance industries. The ghost ofcapitalism, let loose by reliance in the state of U. P. seems to have completely infected the entire apparatus of government machinery to the extent that it seems to have turned the police staff into robots whose mechanical actions are visible in the form of false cases registered against the social activist Bhupendra Singh Rawat and Jagmohan Singh Rawat of Delhi.
The ordeal of these two social activists began on 27 September 2006 while they were on their way to Delhiin a Maruti van after having spoken to the villagers of village Bejghera khurd. These social activists along with satpal singh sisodia, Charan Singh, Sonu Rana, Ompal Singh and two women who had taken lift in their Maruti van were on their way to Delhiwhile they were intercepted near khera More and taken to police station pilkhuwa. On reaching police station, the two women were let of but at the police station a senior police officer who was not wearing any name plate on uniform asked , Bhupendra Singh Rawat to ensure that henceforth, there should not be any participation on his part in the protest activities of"Bejhera Khurd. In relation to the impending issues for which villagers have been protesting or else case will be registered against him to teachhim a lesson. However, the explanations of Bhupendra Singh Rawat could not yield anything except the following police cases against him and his Co- passengers of Maruti van and his neighbour Jagmohan Singh Rawat who had fated himself to accompany Bhupendra Singh Rawat that day. (1)Police Station Dhaulana,Crime No.108,FIR No.84 dated 15/09/06 U/S 147/323/342/504/506 IPC against 1) Shankar singh 2)Rohtash 3)Yudhister\n 4)Jagdish 5)Bhupendar Rawat 6)Rakesh 7)Rajender 8) Dharampal 9) Jaipal 10)\n Sher Singh 11) Ompal 12) Devendra 13) Rudey Singh 14) Rampahl 15) Dharampal 16) Kamal Singh 17) Puran Sing 18) Ratiram 19) Babu 20)\n Kishanpal and 50-60 unidentified persons.\nIn this case the arrestees of 27 September 2006 have already been granted ", bail by the honourable court. (2) Police Station Dhaulana, crime No 200 FIR No. 76 dated 25/8/06 U/S 147/148/149/332/353/504/506 IPC against yudishter Singh, Rakesh Rana, Shankar Singh Rana and 400-500 unidentified personsIn this case also the arrestees of 27 September 2006 have already been granted bail by the honourable court(3) Police Station Pilkhua, crime No 168, FIR No 114 dated 08/7/06 149/307/332/336/353/504/506 IPC against 1) Anil Bhardwaj 2) Major Himanshu singh 3) Somveer Singh 4) Subash 5) Chander 6) Satyapaul 7) Ram Kishan 8) Dhanna 9) Buddha 10) bhojraj and 100 unidentified persons
In this case the hearing against the arrestees of 27 September 2006 is fixed for 9 October 2006(4) Police Station Pilkhuwa, crime No 167, FIR NO 113 dated 7 July 2006\n under section 1\n47/148/149/307/332/333/353/435/224/225/504/506 IPC and 7 \ncriminal law amendment act against 1) Manoj Bhardwaj 2) Satish 3) Prem 5) Tookey 6) Sunil Giri 7) Monu 8) Begu 9) yudishter 10) Rakesh 11) Sanjay 12) Jaipal and a list of 100 names mentioned on the plain paper and enclosed.In this case also hearing has been fixed for the arrestees of 27 September 2006 for 9 October 2006The arrestees of 27 September 2006 were again produced in the court of \ngaziabad on 6 October 2006 in connection with three fresh cases that have ",1] in Mussoorie with case No 151/06 under section 147/504/506/120B of IPC And case No 168/06 under section 147/148/149/307/506 of IPC and case No 231/06 \nunder section 147/148/149/307/332/353/336 IPC against Bhupendra Singh Rawat.The prejudice of the police is very much evident against the 06 persons\n who are being detained in custody with fresh cases cropping up everyday\n and it is violative of all the democratic norms of a civilised society. It may not be out of place to mention here the case of Deepak Gupta alias\n bittoo son of Rajendra kumar Gupta resident of Hapur who was not even\n remotely connected with this protest of the farmers of village Bejhera \nKhurd.He is into the business of construction material and had come to", Pilkhuwa to collect the pending payments from his clients.During the course of dealing with the clients on the issue of pending payments,he had an altercation with a police official who was supporting the defaulter of pending payment and to settle the score the police official got him\n arrested in connection with the farmers protest cases and hehad to spend 15 days in jail before being bailed out.
Aridaman/Ajeet Jha,
Hundreds of activist joined in a symbolic protest in the Uttar-Pradesh Bhavan, Delhi against the illegal detentian of Shri Bhupendra Singh Rawat, a farmer leader and member of National Alliance of People's Movement. Bhupendra Rawat was very active in the movement for creation of separate state of Uttaranchal. Lately Bhupendra has been working in Delhi's slum againast their eviction.
Bhupendra was the main force behind the farmer's uprising against Reliance Industries. He initially went there on a fact finding team to investigate into the matter of police manhandling of sitution on the previous night of Shri V.P.Singh's visit to the area and later decided that the people would have to be organised to protest against this loot of national resources.
The result was that the people's protest against the illegal grabbing the most fertile land of INdia by one of the most notorious industrial houses in India got momentum. After former Prime minister V.P.Singh took up the issue, the issue of Special Economic Zone ( SEZ) has now acquired importance in public debate. Dadari today symoblised farmers resistance against the onslaught of the looters, builders and leaders together.
Fearing this, the Muluam Singh Yadav government of Uttar-Pradesh unleashed a rein of terror in village Bajhara Khurd. Farmers are not allowed to even venture out of their houses. PAC has surrounded the villages. Even the children are not spared.
Yesterday's protest at UP Bhavan was symbolic and as Medha Patakar rightly moaned how a person who publicly spoke against WTO at the anti WTO platform, Mulayam Singh yadav's socialist credentials are now questioned. Ambanis, Amitabh Bachchans and Subroto Roy will not bring socialism to Uttar-Pradesh. It is more ironical that on the birthday of Jai Prakash Narayan (11th october), who fought for democracy against the tyranny of Indira Gandhi's authoritarian regime, the Samajwadi workers in Uttar-Pradesh were celebrating the birthday of the new mascot of their party Shri Amitabh Bachchan. There cannot be a bigger irony than this that the current Samajwadi regime in Uttar-Pradesh is a blot on the very word of Samajwadi.
It is not just Mulayam Singh Yadav but all those in power have put their conscious aside and are selling the precious land of the farmers to new thugs, who have media on their side. The middle classes who dream of having their children working in UK and US give a shit to this. Their only concern about India comes through the idiotic mumbai movies. When the farmers die or tribals are killed, that hurt their national pride because in this age of lobbying and India shining.' we only want to listen good news'. People like us who have such news are considered 'persona non grata'. why the hell we always get depressing news.Unfortunately, the political class does not want to bring cheers to all of us. They are surrounded by the self serving bureaucrats, India\'s servile class which looted the people and robbed them from their resources. If Dadari like situation are not tackled properly and if the looters continue to act on their fency, government will not be able to keep this country united. Already there are revolt every where. From Kalinganagar in Orissa to Maharastra, Chhatisgarh to Jharkhand, people are rising in protest against this onslaught which will ultimately rock India.We all have seen the tragedy that happeend to not only Enron but a number of companies which never fulfilled their promises. Ultimately people threw them away. Enron's director became bankrupt and the company was unable to pay its debt. For the people of Maharastra, Enron's promises could never fulfilled. Instead, the electricity crisis worsened in the state.Behind these great malls, dams and buildings are displacement of millions of poor people, Dalits and Adivasis. They will rise and demolish the structure of this nation if it failed to address their concern. We will only have to blame to ourselves and not to the others. Time for the government not to treat the activists who do not confirm to a particular ideology and those who raise their voice against the terror or police or injustice done to people, as criminals. Unfortunately, can we expect it from those in power who give z plus security to criminals and where the policemen behave like goats in front of these criminals masqurading as leaders?
Details of cases against Bhupendra Singh Rawat and other farmer activists
Update-1
October 7, 2006
Anti-Eviction Activists in Jail for the past 10 days;UP Government and Reliance resort to violent repressions and Goonda Raj Senior activists raising the social and economic issues of Special Economic Zone (SEZ) are in Ghaziabad District Jail (UP) jail for the last 10 days. They were fighting against the illegal land grab by Reliance India in the Dadri area after Ghaziabad (30 kms from Delhi) The Dadri Kisan Union Activists Bhupendra Singh Rawat, Jagmohan Rawat, Ompal Singh Bachoda, Sonu Bachoda, Charan Singh, Satpal Singh and two women Vimalesh and Veeru were arrested by unidentified policemen from the Uttar Pradesh Police force on 27th September 2006, while they were travelling to meet the Union Minister Jairam Ramesh and attend a press conference in Delhi. They were to join a delegation comprising of Medha Patkar, Prashant Bhushan, Rajendra Ravi, Arun Kumar, Sanjay Sangvai and Rifat Mumtaz. Mr. Bhupendra Rawat, a farmer leader and an active member of National Alliance of People's Movements, has been part of the struggle fighting against the illegal capture of farmers' land by the Reliance in the nearby villages. The police had resorted to extreme violence against the farmers, including women and children in many instances during the first week of July 2006. Against this a mass action and rally was organised by the movement on 9th July. The police retorted with brutal violence and mass arrests. They also filed many \nfalse and fictitious cases against the leaders of the movement including Mr. Rawat. There are reports that these activists were manhandled badly and did not spare even the women. Women were beaten by men police and they were misbehaved too.These activists have been in jail for the past 10 days . The UP police arrested them on charges including attempt to murder, rioting and violence against police personnel on duty. They have already secured bail under three cases they have been charged under. However, as they get bail on some cases, the police are \nclamping new fabricated charges on these activists to deter their release from the Jail. This has been happening for the past 7 days. A team of activists including Adv. Prashant Bhaushan, Prof. Ajit Jha, Joe Athialy, Shree Prakash and Vijayan MJ along with villagers from Dadri had tried to visit the activists in jail on October 6, but were denied permission to meet any of those in prison on flimsy technical grounds. The police denied permission for even the senior Supreme Court Lawyer in the team.
27th September 2006, while they were travelling to meet the Union Minister Jairam Ramesh and attend a press conference in Delhi. They were to join a delegation comprising of Medha Patkar, Prashant Bhushan, Rajendra Ravi, Arun Kumar, Sanjay Sangvai and Rifat Mumtaz. Mr. Bhupendra Rawat, a farmer leader and an active member of National Alliance of People's Movements, has been part of the struggle fighting against the illegal capture of farmers' land by the Reliance in the nearby villages. The police had resorted to extreme violence against the farmers, including women and children in many instances during the first week of July 2006. Against this a mass action and rally was organised by the movement on 9th July. The police retorted with brutal violence and mass arrests. They also filed many false and fictitious cases against the leaders of the movement including Mr. Rawat. There are reports that these activists were manhandled badly and did not spare even the women . Women were beaten by men police and they were misbehaved too.These activists have been in jail for the past 10 days . The UP police arrested them on charges including attempt to murder, rioting and violence against police personnel on duty. They have already secured bail under three cases they have been charged under. However, as they get bail on some cases, the police are clamping new fabricated charges on these activists to deter their release from the Jail. This has been happening for the past 7 days. A team of activists including Adv. Prashant Bhaushan, Prof. Ajit Jha, Joe Athialy, Shree Prakash and Vijayan MJ along with villagers from Dadri had tried to visit the activists in jail on October 6, but were denied permission to meet any of those in prison on flimsy technical grounds. The police denied permission for even the senior Supreme Court Lawyer in the team.
We are trying to get more details about the case and the charges levelled against them by the police. Once we get that we will send you all an action alert, requesting to write to the Chief Minister, NHRC and so on. Please extend your support to the people who are in jail by mobilising faxes, phone calls etc to the concerned.
Ajit Jha, Vijayan MJ, Joe Athyali, Vimalbhai, Shivani Chaudhry
(011-26680883/26680914 Mobiles: 9868165471/9891814707)\n \n \nUpdate – 2\n9th October 2006.
Update – 2
9th October 2006
Privatisation of India - Kar Lo Duniya Muthie Main
Kar Lo duniya muthie Main, this slogan of late dhiru bhai Ambani seems to have worked as miracle motto on U. P. administration that is going out of the way to imbibe this motto in letter and spirit and leaving no stone unturned in falsely implicating the social activists in various police cases filed on the behest of reliance industries. The ghost ofcapitalism, let loose by reliance in the state of U. P. seems to have completely infected the entire apparatus of government machinery to the extent that it seems to have turned the police staff into robots whose mechanical actions are visible in the form of false cases registered against the social activist Bhupendra Singh Rawat and Jagmohan Singh Rawat of Delhi.
The ordeal of these two social activists began on 27 September 2006 while they were on their way to Delhiin a Maruti van after having spoken to the villagers of village Bejghera khurd. These social activists along with satpal singh sisodia, Charan Singh, Sonu Rana, Ompal Singh and two women who had taken lift in their Maruti van were on their way to Delhiwhile they were intercepted near khera More and taken to police station pilkhuwa. On reaching police station, the two women were let of but at the police station a senior police officer who was not wearing any name plate on uniform asked , Bhupendra Singh Rawat to ensure that henceforth, there should not be any participation on his part in the protest activities of"Bejhera Khurd. In relation to the impending issues for which villagers have been protesting or else case will be registered against him to teachhim a lesson. However, the explanations of Bhupendra Singh Rawat could not yield anything except the following police cases against him and his Co- passengers of Maruti van and his neighbour Jagmohan Singh Rawat who had fated himself to accompany Bhupendra Singh Rawat that day. (1)Police Station Dhaulana,Crime No.108,FIR No.84 dated 15/09/06 U/S 147/323/342/504/506 IPC against 1) Shankar singh 2)Rohtash 3)Yudhister\n 4)Jagdish 5)Bhupendar Rawat 6)Rakesh 7)Rajender 8) Dharampal 9) Jaipal 10)\n Sher Singh 11) Ompal 12) Devendra 13) Rudey Singh 14) Rampahl 15) Dharampal 16) Kamal Singh 17) Puran Sing 18) Ratiram 19) Babu 20)\n Kishanpal and 50-60 unidentified persons.\nIn this case the arrestees of 27 September 2006 have already been granted ", bail by the honourable court. (2) Police Station Dhaulana, crime No 200 FIR No. 76 dated 25/8/06 U/S 147/148/149/332/353/504/506 IPC against yudishter Singh, Rakesh Rana, Shankar Singh Rana and 400-500 unidentified personsIn this case also the arrestees of 27 September 2006 have already been granted bail by the honourable court(3) Police Station Pilkhua, crime No 168, FIR No 114 dated 08/7/06 149/307/332/336/353/504/506 IPC against 1) Anil Bhardwaj 2) Major Himanshu singh 3) Somveer Singh 4) Subash 5) Chander 6) Satyapaul 7) Ram Kishan 8) Dhanna 9) Buddha 10) bhojraj and 100 unidentified persons
In this case the hearing against the arrestees of 27 September 2006 is fixed for 9 October 2006(4) Police Station Pilkhuwa, crime No 167, FIR NO 113 dated 7 July 2006\n under section 1\n47/148/149/307/332/333/353/435/224/225/504/506 IPC and 7 \ncriminal law amendment act against 1) Manoj Bhardwaj 2) Satish 3) Prem 5) Tookey 6) Sunil Giri 7) Monu 8) Begu 9) yudishter 10) Rakesh 11) Sanjay 12) Jaipal and a list of 100 names mentioned on the plain paper and enclosed.In this case also hearing has been fixed for the arrestees of 27 September 2006 for 9 October 2006The arrestees of 27 September 2006 were again produced in the court of \ngaziabad on 6 October 2006 in connection with three fresh cases that have ",1] in Mussoorie with case No 151/06 under section 147/504/506/120B of IPC And case No 168/06 under section 147/148/149/307/506 of IPC and case No 231/06 \nunder section 147/148/149/307/332/353/336 IPC against Bhupendra Singh Rawat.The prejudice of the police is very much evident against the 06 persons\n who are being detained in custody with fresh cases cropping up everyday\n and it is violative of all the democratic norms of a civilised society. It may not be out of place to mention here the case of Deepak Gupta alias\n bittoo son of Rajendra kumar Gupta resident of Hapur who was not even\n remotely connected with this protest of the farmers of village Bejhera \nKhurd.He is into the business of construction material and had come to", Pilkhuwa to collect the pending payments from his clients.During the course of dealing with the clients on the issue of pending payments,he had an altercation with a police official who was supporting the defaulter of pending payment and to settle the score the police official got him\n arrested in connection with the farmers protest cases and hehad to spend 15 days in jail before being bailed out.
Aridaman/Ajeet Jha,
Monday, October 09, 2006
Life and Time of Kanshi Ram
A Tribute to Kanshiramji
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
BSP's founder President Mr Kanshi Ram died last night out of a heart attack. He was 72. Kanshi Ram's death had been ailing for the past two years and was confined to bed at BSP president Mayawati's house.
If India's politics has grown through a radical change with Dalit becoming the mainstream political force, the one man who made is possible was Kanshi Ram. He worked diligently and religiously to develop a cadre who could bring the party to National mainstream and ultimately to the power in Uttar-Pradesh. In the Indian political scenario, the gap left by Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar was difficult to fill. Ambedkar was a giant, a man of great character and
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
BSP's founder President Mr Kanshi Ram died last night out of a heart attack. He was 72. Kanshi Ram's death had been ailing for the past two years and was confined to bed at BSP president Mayawati's house.
If India's politics has grown through a radical change with Dalit becoming the mainstream political force, the one man who made is possible was Kanshi Ram. He worked diligently and religiously to develop a cadre who could bring the party to National mainstream and ultimately to the power in Uttar-Pradesh. In the Indian political scenario, the gap left by Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar was difficult to fill. Ambedkar was a giant, a man of great character and
quintessentially an ideologue. Kanshiram was a great mobiliser, he understood the issue of self respect and participation of the communities. Those close to him always remember how he worked hard to build up BAMSEF and DS-4. He would cycle down to streets and town, sleep on the floor and converse with the activists. Kanshi Ram understood very well how communities under represented in our Parliamentry system crave for representtion. If in Uttar-Pradesh, communities like Pals ( Shephards), Nishads ( fishermen), Rajbhars have developed highly political thoughts, it is because of the BSP and its strength. Ofcourse, for the Jatavs and Chamars in Uttar-Pradesh, BSP became a 'mission ka kaam'. No other community or political party in India till date can claim such loyal supporters such as BSP, where the workers would go at their own and bring other people to the polling booths. Dalits in Uttar-Pradesh along with most backward communities are today thoroughly politicised, a matter of envy for the South Indian part where the NGOs are working in large number yet they do not enjoy that political power, social dignity as in Uttar-Pradesh.
Therefore, Kanshiram in true sense was a revolutionary who changed the political equations and gave new dimensions to Dalit politics in India in general and UP in particular. Whatever may be his draw backs, Kanshiram revived the strong Ambedkarite sense of dignity, self respect in the masses who had once upon a time became vote bank of the upper caste leadership of different political parties. Kanshiram changed the perception. " Jiski jitni Sankhya Bhari, uski utni bhagidari' and with the concept of Bahujan Samaj, Kanshiram went beyond Ambedkar in political stretagy. He was not confined to Dalits but spread to most backward communities as well as Muslims in India. For the first time, we saw a rainbow coalition of the Bahujan Samaj emerging in the north that shook the power structure. His was a sharp mind. In the initial phase he knew it well that people would always question him as what was the mass base of the party. Yet, BSP would contest all the seats. He remarked once : We may not win all the seats but we are in a position to change the equations and responsible for some one else's defeat'. That stretagy resulted in Congress Party grounded in different elections in Uttar-Pradesh. No talk of developmental drama would take away people from Kanshiram. The parties like BJP would talk of ultra nationalism and Hindutva while Congress talked about secularism but were ultimately decimated in Uttar-Pradesh. Dalit-bahujans of Uttar-Pradesh remained loyal to him. In Kanshiram's UP, Dalit representation became the main issue. It was the struggle between the Manuwadi parties and Dalit representative parties. Ultimately people chose BSP. Today, BSP is growing stronger and stronger in the state and all set to stage a come back. Kanshraim would have been happy to see return of his party. Alas he is no more. Kanshiram's death is a big blow to the Dalit movement. He was icon whom the Dalits of the country looked for guidance. He was down to earth and lived for the society. He kept his words. He life was an example for many other political leaders who amassed huge wealth and are involved in family business and red tapism. Family for Kanshiram was the Dalit samaj. Though in his last days, the issue of his health and confinement was challenge by his family yet one should know that Kanshiram virtually was a man for his society. He rarely talked about his family. Such example are very rare in Indian politics.
Whatever may be his draw backs, Kanshiram revived the strong Ambedkarite sense of dignity, self respect in the masses who had once upon a time became vote bank of the upper caste leadership of different political parties. Kanshiram changed the perception. " Jiski jitni Sankhya Bhari, uski utni bhagidari' and with the concept of Bahujan Samaj, Kanshiram went beyond Ambedkar in political stretagy. He was not confined to Dalits but spread to most backward communities as well as Muslims in India. For the first time, we saw a rainbow coalition of the Bahujan Samaj emerging in the north that shook the power structure.
His was a sharp mind. In the initial phase he knew it well that people would always question him as what was the mass base of the party. Yet, BSP would contest all the seats. He remarked once : We may not win all the seats but we are in a position to change the equations and responsible for some one else's defeat'. That stretagy resulted in Congress Party grounded in different elections in Uttar-Pradesh. No talk of developmental drama would take away people from Kanshiram. The parties like BJP would talk of ultra nationalism and Hindutva while Congress talked about secularism but were ultimately decimated in Uttar-Pradesh. Dalit-bahujans of Uttar-Pradesh remained loyal to him. In Kanshiram's UP, Dalit representation became the main issue. It was the struggle between the Manuwadi parties and Dalit representative parties. Ultimately people chose BSP. Today, BSP is growing stronger and stronger in the state and all set to stage a come back. Kanshraim would have been happy to see return of his party. Alas he is no more.
Kanshiram's death is a big blow to the Dalit movement. He was icon whom the Dalits of the country looked for guidance. He was down to earth and lived for the society. He kept his words. He life was an example for many other political leaders who amassed huge wealth and are involved in family business and red tapism. Family for Kanshiram was the Dalit samaj. Though in his last days, the issue of his health and confinement was challenge by his family yet one should know that Kanshiram virtually was a man for his society. He rarely talked about his family. Such example are very rare in Indian politics.
Whatever may be his draw backs, Kanshiram revived the strong Ambedkarite sense of dignity, self respect in the masses who had once upon a time became vote bank of the upper caste leadership of different political parties. Kanshiram changed the perception. " Jiski jitni Sankhya Bhari, uski utni bhagidari' and with the concept of Bahujan Samaj, Kanshiram went beyond Ambedkar in political stretagy. He was not confined to Dalits but spread to most backward communities as well as Muslims in India. For the first time, we saw a rainbow coalition of the Bahujan Samaj emerging in the north that shook the power structure.
His was a sharp mind. In the initial phase he knew it well that people would always question him as what was the mass base of the party. Yet, BSP would contest all the seats. He remarked once : We may not win all the seats but we are in a position to change the equations and responsible for some one else's defeat'. That stretagy resulted in Congress Party grounded in different elections in Uttar-Pradesh. No talk of developmental drama would take away people from Kanshiram. The parties like BJP would talk of ultra nationalism and Hindutva while Congress talked about secularism but were ultimately decimated in Uttar-Pradesh. Dalit-bahujans of Uttar-Pradesh remained loyal to him. In Kanshiram's UP, Dalit representation became the main issue. It was the struggle between the Manuwadi parties and Dalit representative parties. Ultimately people chose BSP. Today, BSP is growing stronger and stronger in the state and all set to stage a come back. Kanshraim would have been happy to see return of his party. Alas he is no more.
Kanshiram's death is a big blow to the Dalit movement. He was icon whom the Dalits of the country looked for guidance. He was down to earth and lived for the society. He kept his words. He life was an example for many other political leaders who amassed huge wealth and are involved in family business and red tapism. Family for Kanshiram was the Dalit samaj. Though in his last days, the issue of his health and confinement was challenge by his family yet one should know that Kanshiram virtually was a man for his society. He rarely talked about his family. Such example are very rare in Indian politics.
Life of Kanshiramji will always remind the people of India and particularly the Dalits to struggle for their democratic rights by bringing together all the marginalised forces of the country and have their government at the centre. Kanshi ram dreamt of a Dalit prime minister leading the country. One hope that his dream would come true one day. Yes we all need such thinkers and stretagist, honest man who considered the society as their 'parivar' . That Bahujan Samaj has to claim the rightful place in the polity and society of the country and lead it to next century. It is not utopian to say that the next century would be the century of Dalits, the followers of Ambedkar. This dream will definitely be realised and one person who could rightully claim to have changed the entire system and brought us close to realising Baba Saheb dream would always be Kanshiram. For the Dalits all over the country, it is time to rededicate themselves to the cause of Dalit Bahujan Alliance which was perceived by Kanshiram. This Dalit Bahujan Alliance should be led by the Dalits, the follower of Baba Saheb. Ofcourse, there are many contradictions with some of the lathi weilding backward communities who hit the Dalits yet Dalits are in a position to lead the movement and provide a philosophical, cultural leadership to all. India's battle is not just a political battle. It is a fight against the brahmanical socio-cultural values and the Dalits vision is an answer to that. A vision which challenge the sancitity of religion, dogmas, text books and even Gods. No religion has the power to challenge Gods and the books allegedly written by the Gods. It is only the Dalit vision which can rightfully claim to challenge the authority of Gods and Godsons. One hope that in this holy months, which is already being celebrated all over the country as a mark of Dr Ambedkar's conversion, all the followers of Baba Saheb will rededicate themselves to socio cultural empowerment of Dalits in the country. Kanshiramji may not be here physically but his life would always remain a source of inspiration for millions of people who saw him build an organisation and a movement that ultimately changed destiniy of 170 million Dalits in India.
October 9th, 2006
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