Targeting left parties for INDIA Alliance failure is dangerous and detrimental for Congress

Vidya Bhushan  Rawat 

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi remains in the news all the time. The 'experts' are divided between his adversaries or supporters and there seems to be no space for any one who disagree with both. Long back, Congress Party was accused of creating a situation where all the non BJP forces had to ultimately come to it in the name of threat from 'Hindutva'. Now the netas decided to do away with it and BJP seems softer option for many. Ultimately, power means everything for the society where people have been subguated and oppressed in the name of their identity for centuries.

Anyway, a couple of comments raised outrage recently. One was made by Ramchandra Guha who had been a critique of Gandhi family and felt they are responsible for everything that India is today. He felt that Rahul Gandhi is not 'qualified' to become India's prime minister. Now, we know very well that there is nothing called qualification in politics particularly in democracies and that is why we get clowns to lead us. It is not merely an Indian crisis. Democracy is throwing highly undemocratic people and mediocres to lead and I have mentioned it many time that today this Westminster model of government is now basically corporate control and ensure that corporate gains from this model. It has resulted in degenration of leadership in the name of people's choice. The result is Russia, China, Iran, North Korea are showcasing better diplomacy and democratic practices than these so called democcracies. You agree with Rahul Gandhi or not but he is certainly qualified to become Prime Minister of India if people elect him. Nehru was in the nationalist movement since 1912 after his return and then joined Home rule league in 1916. He became an active part of Gandhi's movement after 1920. From 1912 to finally 1947 took Nehru almost 35 years to become prime minister of India. Back home, Atal Bihari Vajpayee contested in 1957 but he became prime minister in 1996, almost after 40 years of being in public life. Similar thing happened with Chandrashekhar. Many illustrious leaders such as Ram Manohar Lohia, Acharya Narendra Dev, Jai Prakash Narayan, K Kamraj, E M S Namoodaripad, Jyoti Basu could never become prime minister of India but that does not mean they did not exists or have not contributed for the growth of India. So, nobody has a right to give this sermon to any one whether one can become prime minister or even minister of India.

One can agree and disagree with political leaders, their ideological positions and working pattern but personally it is unprofessional to suggest one can become or not become the prime minister. After all, we are the 'speical' qualifications of those who have become Prime Minister. Let us see what is special about Narendra Modi ? Yes, his critique will only emerge after him and not during this period and it indicate unambiguously how India's is enjoying 'press freedom' as well as 'intellectual autonomy'. The fact is that Modi and BJP's criticism is 'acceptable' if you hit Congress particularly Rahul Gandhi and Gandhi family crudely and humiliate them in the name of humour and criticism. Whether one agree or not, Rahul Gandhi is the biggest challenge to BJP and RSS and they know that is just the Gandhis who keep Congress going and once they are humiliated and kept out of the power structure of the party, it would be easier for the BJP to fulfill its dream. The entire project to defame Nehru and Gandhis actually have the simple idea to disorient Congress party which still have its presence all over the country. The RSS knows well that no other party is in a position to challenge its hegemony except Congress which still has a huge network in almost every state of the country. It is another factor that Congress leadership today is unable to renergise those Congress people so far who are by heart congress men for generations and have not joined it merely for the sake of power.

Rahul Gandhi is trying to experiment new things in the party which make him different than other politicians. It shows his sensitivity too. Meeting people, giving them comfort or raising the issues of different sectors is good but how much will they succeed, will have to be seen in future. It is true that a huge number of youngsters who used to mock at him earlier have realised that they were wrong. The video that Rahul Gandhi posted related to 'Great Nicobar' Project on the World Environment Day was simply superb and made this issue international as millions of people watched it on youtube and other social media networks. Whether Ram Guha or Shekhar Suman, finally their humour and 'criticism' will attempt to damage the opposition more than the ruling party.

After the recent elections, there is a new 'energy' in the Congress and the regional forces seems to be down. INDIA alliance organsied its meeting and Rahul Gandhi gave a 'historic' speech. There are several serious questions emerging from this. The first one is that the Institutions that ensure free and fair polls and level playing field essential for a democracy dont exists today or are thoroughly compromised. Rahul has raised this issue in the past also particularly related to SiR and how the electoral roles have been manipulated. It is a fact that he said it about Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Bihar. It is also a darker reality that INDIA alliance members actually did not take this issue seriously. Even the Bengal Bihar Yatra that Rahul Gandhi undertook before the Bihar polls focussing on Vote-Chori never got support either from Mamta Banerjee or RJD and Tejasvi Yadav. Everyone felt that Rahul Gandhi and Congress was unable to defeat BJP hence making all these noises. The fact is that in the INDIA alliance most of the leaders felt that Congress was the 'weakest link' in their fight against BJP but now the results of the recently concluded elections have hit TMC and DMK the most. Everyone was sure of their returning to power. Most importantly, the crisis in Bengal is more serious as it is just a month and Mamata has lost some of her closest colleagues. The party is on the verge of division. DMK has a historic legacy of Periyar's Self Respect Movement hence it will not get wipe out as it has seen such ups and downs but it too became over confident about its victory resulting the massive defeat that it faced. TVK seems to be following MGR mantra of involving Dalits, minorities and Brahmins in his fold apart from targetting Periyarists and backward communities.

While one may agree with various points raised by Rahul Gandhi, the speech look preachy too. To tell that only Congress is fighting or is 'resistence' movment simply ignore the grave realities of the party. It is a fact that during the freedom movement, Gandhi ji made Congress a national movement. Gandhi succeeded in unifying India because he had huge number of leaders with him, extremely capable and committed. Right from Nehru, Subhas, Patel, Maulana Azad, Rajendra Prasad to numerous others Congress that time did not have dearth of leaders who were committed to not only India's freedom but also social reform. I am calling Gandhi's Social reform because to be candid, Gandhi and Congress people were not revolutionaries. In fact, a large number of them were reactionaries too but they were still honest people despite being socially conservatives. The real down fall of Congress organisational structure started initially in the 1974 onwards when Sanjay Gandhi dominated the political scene. Congress started drifting from its secular idealism and started promoting 'managers'. When Indira Gandhi returned to power in 1980, the party had the managers but loyalty was always acknowledged which was important but it also created a new age of what late kansiram once described 'Chamcha Age'. Loyalty to the leader and the party is important but converting it to create Chamcha stuff will only endanger party as Chamchas will be available only when the party is in power or they are benefitted from the system. As long as they realise that there is no chance or monetary benefit being with the leader or the party they shift.

The managers and loyalists of the party are useful when the party is in the power but it is the 'ideological' people who remain with the party during its toughest moment and Congress lost its ideological part. Since 1980s after Indira Gandhi's return and then when Rajiv Gandhi became prime minister, Congress followed the soft Hindutva track. The mistake that Rajiv made speaking of Ramrajya from Ayodhya and then his flip flop on Shahbano resulted in strengthening the BJP. Congress never wanted secular forces to be its main opposition rival as BJP suited it well. The result was Congress fought more against the secular parties then the BJP.

The third disaster that Congress did during this period was when BJP withdrew support from V P Singh's government. Everybody knew that the withdrawal of support was to stall the Mandal Commission report which the government had accepted but Rajiv Gandhi spoke against the Mandal report in Parliament and was happy for the fall of the government. If he had guts and politicall understanding, he should have supported VP Singh and India would not have seen this day. Installing a Chandrashekar government which did not have enough members of Parliament only gave opportunity to BJP to mock at all the secular parties.

Both Narsimharao and ManMohan Singh promoted the liberalisation policies and destroyed all the public sector that Nehru and Indira Gandhi had built. Both of them were soft on taking on Hindutva. In fact, Narsimharao's action took congress to ICU particularly in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Had Congress supported Mandal Commission Report, it would not have faced such a crisis in both Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The economic policies pursued by Manmohan, Chidambaram and Montek Singh Ahluwallia were least helping the Adivasis and Dalits. Congress's puppet intellectuals misguided and made NREGA as the answer for all the problems of India. Hence Congress focussed on MNREGA but actively supported SEZs in different parts of the country resulting in displacement of Adivasis and other forest dwelling communities. The alienation of Dalits, adivasis and Muslims was complete from the party as they did nothing to win them over. The managers were not keen.

The most outstanding minister during first UPA was Mr Arjun Singh but Sonia Gandhin despised him. He was never made a minister again and corrupt Pranab Mukherjee was promoted. I am still shocked to see Rahul Gandhi speak so loudly on Social Justice yet never bother to even mention about V P Singh or Arjun Singh. Why ? These days, he take the name of late kanshiram ji as well as Ms Mayawati too but not the people who were Congress person. Both VP and Arjun Singh were Chief minister during Indira ji's period and were extremely loyal to her.

Even today, the Congress has left out leaders like Digvijay Singh who started the diversity debate during his chief ministership and has been a secular liberal leader committed to the cause of social justice. Digvijay Singh is actually one of the most well connected and thoughtful leaders of the party even today but Congress High Command always look the otherway round. One does not know why ?

So it is simply not ideological politics when Rahul Gandhi was saying that CPI ( M) should not complain to him if he is not ready to hug Pinyari Vijayan. Rahul Gandhi must understand that the left parties and I have critiqued them but their role on raising the issues off workers, privatisation, violence against dalits and minorities is simply much bigger than the Congress party. It is the left trade unions, left parties student wings who have been more actives in the campuses and in the street on important issues facing the nation and not really the Congress party. Ofcourse, we are seeing Congress party protesting these days and NSUI too working harder and it is a good thing but that does not delete the work done by the left parties. Can he ever think of how simple the left leaders have been. Congress and Rahul cant do that even today. We have seen comrade Indrajeet Gupta, A B Bardhan, Sitaram Yechury as well as socialist icons like Madhu Dandvate, Surendra Mohan and others walking at the Constituent Club lawns, waiting for local transport for commuting. Even today, Comrade Deepankar Bhattacharya use the public transport for travelling most of the time but his party has been extremely active in Bihar with the most marginalised raising their issues of land and livelihood. Congress's pampered workers would not go to work with landless Dalits, adivasis and marginalised.

My point is not deny Rahul Gandhi what he is doing. He has brought Congress back in action. It is energised and raising people's issue but it still need a lot. Yes, it is a fact that Congress need to be strengthened to defeat the BJP. There is no second thought on it but Rahul Gandhi must not make statement which look more preachy and hurtful. Among all the current parties, left parties despite alll criticism are still committed to the cause. Congresss attitude towards DMK was highly questionable. While none deny the fact that Rahul acted fast so that BJP could not intervene in Tamilnadu, it could have done in a better way and not by abusing each other who had been your partner. DMK after all remain a secular liberal party committed to the ideals of Periyar and has a history no less than Congress Party.

INDIA alliance should grow and develop a strategy and Rahul Gandhi remain an important part of it but Congress also must realise that whereever it is in power it should not try to eliminate foces of secularism, social justice from the opposition space. I want a strong Congress but at the same point of time, I would always say parties like DMK, left parties, SP BSP must also flourish. This is what VP Singh used to suggest that opposition spaces should also be occupied by the secular parties but then when Congress was in power it eliminated them and the result is what we are facing today. However, this is a historic opportunity for all to look whereever they are powerful and decide your candidates well in advance. Do not provide space for friendly fight. Focus on common agenda and try not to give 'off the record' byte to the media people. There are many who continue to encourage these gossips which ultimately hurt all. India need a stronger and vibrant Congress but it also need strengthening of all the political parties who believe in democracy, secularism and social justice. Single party hegemony must be opposed as it is the biggest threat to our democracy.

Obsession with Nehru will only magnify the first prime minister of India

 Nehru remains India's first democratically elected prime minister and none can snatch that title from him

Vidya Bhushan Rawat

The American forces attacked Indian sailers killing several of them in the Persian Gulf yet the government of India and its prime time loudspeakers and 'devotees' have remained completely silent. There is not even a word of condemnation of the US government. Rather, we are being told about the 'international law' and 'legality' of the issue. Ironically, Iran has condemned this act and called US as international pirate.

Actually, India is 'reinventing' varnashramdharma at the moment. The government does not bother about the things which concern people. It is more focussed on temple hopping, name changing, renovating Ghats and demolishing historical buildings so that everything in India can be painted and rebuild in the saffron of Gujarat style. They haave converted the entire beautiful Lutyen's Zone into obscene Gujarati style structure. Yes, each stone in India everywhere right from our historical places at Badrinath, Kedarnath, Kashi Vishwanath or historical buildings in Delhi must now have a Gujarati imprint. And obviously, all this is not free of cost. Huge funds have been provided for demolition and then a separate fund will be made available for construction everywhere. This is the government, which create news to manage things. It might not have created any 'employment' but it finds ways and means to create 'opportunities' and 'employment' for the 'cronies'.

Now, three days have passed yet there is no condemnation of the US action. The tame press release by the Ministry of External Affairs show how this government function. It is the Varna order or what Baba Saheb Ambedkar said ascending order of reverence and descending order of contempt. It means that behave spinelessly before the powerful adversary but become a lion or tiger if the adversary is deemed to be not so powerful. If this was a case of Pakistan, Bangladesh etc, these loudspeakers would have made a 'speakrfod' performance on their prime time but they remain shamelessly silent.

But that is the compulsion of all this and one must understand how capitalism and imperialism function. Most of our opinion makers, our politicians, bureacrates, militarymen, lawyers or judges, business leaders have their wards or families studying or working/living in the USA and other western countries. That is the reason that they are habitual of looking everything around us from a western perspective. The hyper active Bhakts are silent and unable to condemn the absolutely unlawful American attack on Indian citizens. The Bhakts are ignorant about international politics like their Gurus and hence are desperate to keep their 'Greencard' safe from the wrath of Trump administration.

Donald Trump 'congratulated' Narendra Modi for becoming the 'largest serving' 'democratically elected' prime minister. Now, Modi and his government was busy celebrating the biggest 'achievement' of becoming India's largest serving prime minister. I felt that Narendra Modi will have to be the prime minister of India beyond 2031 to cross over the 17 years stint of Jawahar Lal Nehru and till 2030 to pass through the almost 16 years period of Mrs Indira Gandhi. Narendra Modi is not satisfied with merely that. He want all the memories and historical facts about Nehru be erased.

But what about media. This is the month of June and we will have a rituals of 'remembering' 'emergency'. Ramanath Goenka's bravery will be 'celebrated' along with others vastly ignoring the dirty reality that Indian Express today is nothing but a propaganda paper of the government in Power and spread the lies of the government.

Why is the BJP and its shameless promoters denigrading the historical nationalist movement ? A Constituent Assembly of Indian came into being from the vast mandate of the people. It was not merely Nehru who got elected here. Sardar Patel, Dr Ambedkar, M L Jayakar, Syama Prasad Mukherjee, Maulana Azad, Dr Rajendra Prasad, C Rajagopalachari, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur and many more leaders got elected for the constituent assembly. It was a people's mandate to make a decide a Constitution for India which was drafted by Baba Saheb Ambedkar taking into account all those intricacies in debates and discussion which happened in the Constituent Assembly. Does the BJP want to tell us that this Constitution was not made by the people of India and was gifted to us by the British ? In the Nehru cabinet, which has wider representation from across the political parties. Sardar Patel was the deputy Prime Minister and among the non Congress stalwarts were Syama Prasad Mukherje, Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Sardar Baldev Singh, R K Shanmukham Chetty, John M Matthai. This representation was meant to make the cabinet look wider and inclusive. So Hindu Mahasabha, Scheduled Caste Federation, Justice Party, Akali Dal and independent candidate formed part of the first Cabinet on August 15, 1947 apart from Congress Party which has a huge presence because of the largest number of elected representatives.

One may have differences of opinion with leaders. Nehru is not beyond criticism and for that matter nobody is above criticism. We must understand that the process of political democracy and devising a system is an ongoing process. That was the time, when things were just taking shape and Constituent Assembly guided the fate of India. The first Lok Sabha elections were held between October 25th, 1951 till February 21st, 1952 and Congress won with a huge mandate with 45% vote and 364 seats. Unfortunately, Sardar Patel has passed away on December 15th, 1950 so he could not become part of the election campaign or new government but he will always be called India's first Deputy Prime Minister and to say that he was not elected is a blatant lie and mean disgracing our national leaders of the freedom movement. The process of election might have been different that time as democratic system was still evolving and we must give credit to our constitutional forefathers for evolving a system which fuctioned efficiently till date to make us the biggest democracy of the world though assault on that system has now taken place systematically.

It is equally important to understand that numbers dont make a person great. Gandhi ji did not held any position yet he was much bigger than any Prime Minister of India like Periyar in Tamilnadu was much more powerful and bigger than the chief ministers of the state. Second, prime minister such as V P Singh remained in power for a very short period but he made history by his actions and deeds. Whenever history of social justice and political empowerment of the marginalised will be written, VP Singh will remain the greatest prime minister of India from a social justice narrative or perspective.

People dont become big or small by the position they uphold but it is important to see them from their actions and facts. Narendra Modi can be great and he has been elected by the people of India but for that he does not need to compare with Nehru. You cant get away from the fact that Jawahar Lal Nehru was independent India's first prime minister. Ofcourse, if you want to communicate that Nehru was elected prime minister of India only after 1952 then you should not call Sardar Patel as India's duly elected Deputy Prime minister as he could not participated in 1951-52 general elections.

History is brutal. It will not get reflected today when one is in power. It haunt when you are not there. It brings facts and the facts may not be rosy all the time. The spineless propagandists calling themselves as 'media' are nothing but a big farce and have lost whatever little credibility they had. Nobody can deny the fact that Nehru was India's first Prime minister duly elected by the people of India. It will better for the current regime to foccus on the issues confronting the nation. The more you target Nehru, the bigger will be the interest of people on searching more about the political climate of India in the late 1940s when RSS and Hindu Mahasabha were just chanting Hindu Muslim and terming British as their friend while other nationalists were seeking complete independence and going to jail. Nehru will always remain 'Hind ke Jawahar' for powerfully propagating for the idea of an inclusive, secular and liberal India which is needed so that we are heard globally with respect and admiration.

Love failed to conquer caste barriers in Uttarakhand

Ketan Lal's brutal murder reflect caste realities of 'Devbhumi'

Vidya Bhushan Rawat

The state of Uttarakhand which is known as 'Devbhumi' too means abode of gods, saw a brutal and barbaric murder of a Dalit youth who was in a relationship with a girl happened to belong to a dominant caste girl which is strictly prohibited according to traditional customs and practices. A young boy Ketan Lal aged about 18 years, from Shilpkar community, yes it is the known name for the Dalits in Uttarakhand, was called by his girl friend who happened to belong to a Rajput community, to her home in the middle of night, in Tehri town. Ketan's brahmin friend Diwakar Dimri took him to girl's house on his bike where both were caught by girl's father Yashvir Singh Panwar and his father and locked up in the room. Both were beaten up but the main beating was kept for Ketan. After the brutal and merciless beating. According to a report in the Hindustan Times five important find out of the Ketan's report.

Deep bruises on victim's body, covering his back, chest, and limbs.

Pliers were used to pluck the teenager's fingernails and toenails.

Nails were driven into his feet.

Severe injuries were caused to his genitals.

Both victim and his friend assaulted with sticks

There is outrage everywhere due to the amount of brutality in this case. The police as usual has arrested the accused Yashvir Singh Panwar and his father. It is reported that Ketan's friend Diwakar too has been beaten mercilessly and admitted to the hospital in Rishikesh though many people have doubt about it as they feel Diwakar might have been a conduit of Yashvir Panwar to bring Ketan to his home. Sad part is that caste polarisation is so much that people have lost all their senses. Let the police investigate the case honestly and look at all the angles in it. Diwakar should be provided protection as he is a crucial witness to the incident and must be knowing details of the case.

The problem in Uttarakhand is that the cases filed under the SCST prevention act rarely go till the final stage. This is actually the situation in most of India. I have seen some of the cases in Uttar Pradesh where the attempt of the government and the so called lawyers is to get the family 'compensation'. As the cases move slow the people lose interest and families are destined to accept the dirty reality that everything move slowly.

The violence against Dalits or the caste discrimination in the so called Devbhumi is extremely high and need special attention. I have always mentioned that if Uttarakhand can get rid of the criminal and monsterous caste discrimination, it could really become a 'Devbhumi' but as long as it function proudly on brahmanical docterines of hierarchical system, it would be heading for social unrest in future.

The main issue is how far the Uttarakhand politicians and civil society take interest in it. Will they stand up with candles and come in the street to decry this criminal and barbaric act. We know that violence against Dalits never make a main news in Uttarakhand. Many temples in Jaunsar still dont give entry to them. SC ST act is never implemented in the district as technically entire Jaunsar region is declared as Scheduled Tribe area. So violence in this region against Dalit is extremely high and most of the time never reported in the media.

Political activist Jagadish Chandra who belonged to a Shilpkar community, was murdered by his father in law in Almora who was against his relationship with daughter. The brutal murder took place around 1st September 2022 in Almora but so far we dont know where is the case. This is absolute criminality that there are no special courts in Uttarakhand. It is time government form special courts in the state and give a time frame to finish these cases.

While these cases are not new or surprising as India has not yet become a casteless society. Caste has become the easiest tool for moblisation and the political class find it easier. Inter caste marriages are highly unwanted and most of the time a challenge to purity of the caste system. Baba Saheb Ambedkar actually felt that intercaste marriages could be a way out to strengthen unity among people but today the governments are making laws to ensure people dont challenge caste hierarchy. All laws are being made in such a way that individuals dont have the right to decide about their future. Our marriage system is highly hypocratic and never respect the individuals and their choices.

Ketan is murdered. This is not the first murder for loving a person and it will definitely not be the last. It is not the only case in India. Right from Himalayas till Bay of Bengal and deep down Kanyakumari in Tamilnadu, India has one biggest unainimity in the caste crime against Dalits. I call it hate crime.

The problem is that one is not sure whether the girl loved him or not as callling him to her house in the mid of night was definitely a trap so she must be investigated. I have seen many places where girls actually compromise with their families. I have tremendous respect for Kowsalya, the brave woman from Coimbatore whose husband Sankar was brutally murdered by her parents because he was Dalit while Kowsalya belonged to powerful backward community. Kowsalya decided to stay with her parents in laws and strengthen them. She fought valiantly and ensured that her parents get the death penlty. She faced ostracisation from society but she challenged the brahmanical patriarchy. Today, she has dedicated her life for the cause of women's rights in Tamilnadu.

Uttarakhand has seen several cases of violence against Dalits in the past too. I mention a few of them here.

1.     1. Jagadish Chandra was a political Activist who married to his friend who was in love with. This is the case from Almora and happened on around September 1^st, 2022. Nobody knows as what is the status of the case in the court and where is the woman who loved him ? You dont hear anything from her.

2.    35 years old Sohan Ram, a Dalit was beheaded by the Brahmin teacher Lalit Karnatak on August 7, 2016 in Pithoragarh. It more than 10 years and we need to know what is the final outcome of this case. Also important to know what rehabilitation methods were adopted for the family of late Shri Sohan Ram.

3. 3.      A Dalit man Jeetendra was murdered in Shrikot Tehri Garhwal for simply eating food at a wedding along with otherupper caste invitees on May 6^th, 2019. It was reported that 7 persons were booked under the SC-ST Prevention of Atrocities act. Where is the case today ? What is the condition of Jeetendra’s family.

Interestingly, a case had come to the Supreme Court last year related to insulting a person from Scheduled Caste community. A Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Hemant Gupta actually declared that if a person from SC community is 'insulted' inside a houses or in the private domain which no outsider has seen or not at public place then it is not fit to be called a caste crime and can not be filed under SCST Prevention of Atrocities Act. The cases popularly known as Hitesh Verma verses State of Uttarakhand, in which the court actually quashed the FIR filed against the accused by the person belonging to the Scheduled Caste community suggesting that a case of insult or intimidation against Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe  cannot be made unless committed in a public space and in public view. The crisis in India is getting much deeper as neither the media nor the judiciary seems to feel the urgency to address the issue of social justice and caste discrimination.

Hence it is important to understand and see whether the girl who called Ketan to her house stand up and speak ? Will the Uttarakhand police act honestly in this case and take it to a logical conclusion. It depend on how Uttarakhand's political parties, civil society and media act on this issue and does not forget it after some time. So far the record of the state apparatus in the matter of violence against Dalits in the state has been extremely poor and does not reflect any hope but we must put pressure. Devbhumi must become an insanbhumi and should not remain caged to the narrow confines of the brutal brahmanical hierarchical caste system. It is time to hit at it and follow the constitutional morality where each individual has a right to have his or her own choice. Will India ever allow this ? Talks of 'biggest' 'democracy' sound too hollow. Let us see how the administration and state government act on this case. Ketan must get justice and we must not hide the names and jaatis of people who do it. If we dont want jaatis to be generalised then the time has come for these jaatis to speak up against this culture of violence and disown such criminal minds from the community.

Dharali exposes the politics of reckless exploitative model of 'development'.

Need to pose uncomfortable questions to the power

 

Vidya Bhushan Rawat

The avalanche that swept away the entire village of Dharali in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand on August 5th, 2025, has exposed the severely polarised Indian opinion making class apart from the political leadership of various parties which actually behave as if it happened for the first time and wont hit again. There are different sides of this being reported to us.  On the one side is the 'national media' which I have always described as Manustream media, a PR agency of the ruling party at the Centre which exploit the event as a 'Pilpli live' as the live stories of the mass destruction too bring TRPs to these profit mongering companies. The propaganda media these days has always been prioritised over the local ones as they go with all the comfort and state apparatus also take care of them so that they can broadcast the 'breaking news'. The focus is mostly to broadcast live the 'action'. Most of the time, we see JCB machine working or army helicopter transporting the people and then people thanking the government and the officials for providing them 'help'. So, everything is made so overwhelming that nobody has time to ask specific questions to the government. It is definitely good that the government is working over time to provide relief to the people but why is the exact number of people missing or dead is still not known. Why is the government not allowing the local media to cover the event. Why it is gladly providing all the 'services' to the 'national' media. In fact, some of the 'local' media based in Dehradun  too got opportunity to take the video shoot from the top but in this entire exercise, the most important role is being played by what we call 'youtubers' who have largely been ignored but it is they who traversed the hard terrain on foot to bring the unheard stories of the entire area. They walked in treacherous circumstances from Uttarkashi to Dharali and reported. Most of these fellows are not even termed as 'journalists'.  They deserve kudos for their brave efforts to reach Dharali on foot from Uttarkashi particularly when it continued to rain and national high way remained 'national' only for the name sake and had just washed away. These social media reporters or influencers have reported far better than the so called national PR agents who had no time to ask uncomfortable questions. Rather, we are told by every media house as how their reporters were the 'first' to reach 'Dharali'. The only uncomfortable question being posed is that locals have occupied the river bed, built houses and hotels and that is why it happened. Nothing about government policies promoting this rabid mass tourism which resulted in this kind of construction. Who is responsible for authorising them. Will there be any action against the authorities who allowed such construction ? Is there any debate in the government circles about the growing threat of climate crisis and how we need climate friendly solutions. Are they ready to discuss their heavy drilling and excavation of the holy mountains ? And what about our rivers ? Where is the 'developmental dirt' going ? Any idea about the limit of infrastructure for the mass bhakt tourism ? How many tonnes of human excreta and other wastes now flows from the Chardham ? Imagine a fair discussion on those. Nobody deny the religious importance of Uttarakhand and Chardham but that need to be respected. Any planning whether religious or non religious, tourism or developmental must include the issues of local traditions, sentiments as well as the climatic issues. You cant promote mass tourism in the name of religion that disturb the already fragile ecology of the region. We must understand that these zones are not merely have the religious importance but also life line of India. Himalayas feed our rivers and Ganga our heritage that link Himalayas to Sundarbans. That apart, Uttarakhand is a border state and not with one but two countries namely China and Nepal. 

Dharali's tragedy has raised various other  issues too.  And foremost one is the forecasting. Though after the Kedarnath catastrophe in 2013, we heard a lot of noise but nothing much happened except a few warning messages regarding weather but why has it failed to warn people in advance about the possible bursting of Glacial lake or cloud burst.  Why has the authorities not been able to gain the information about the possible Glacial Lake formation in the  upper stretches of the Khirgad. Why have the warning by the scientists not responded positively. Definitely, this lake formation was not a one day affair ? Why cann't this be monitored on a regular basis by take a teaming of experts around the Uttarakhand Himalayas, through specialized army helicopters? The satellite images are important but government too need to do it locally. This incident reminded us that of the Rishiganga-Dhauliganga catastrophe in February 2021 which swept away a power project as well as over 200 labours working in it. 

Actually, Dharali was 'waiting' to happen and it is neither the first one nor the last one which means we have learnt no lesson from it and we will learn nothing. As we build more and more structures without any local framework. Everyone want to have a home stay. Resorts have started in large number. It will come when crores of people are thronging the state for the yatra. The way these yatras have been glamorised would only bring disaster to the Himalayas. 

And we don't discuss the causes and solutions for these. Instead, the so called media as well as others  making a grand spectacle of every event where people report the event like heavy machineries, helicopters being used to ferry people, sniffer dogs, big netas visiting and so on. Some of them even ask the people about what happened and who got lost but not about any assistance to them or what will happen to them. These questions are not asked from the Chief Minister as how will people build their life there. Any plan for rehabilitating the people who lost their everything or will government change its industrial, environmental or other policies regarding the hill regions. That is why the media is put in the service of the master so that these uncomfortable questions remain under the wrap. Uttarakhand disasters are not merely natural but also result of the rackless destructive policies being pursued in the name of development. Is that model sustainable ? Should we not think aloud about protecting and respecting our sacred mountains and rivers. I have said it many time and will continue to say, these mountains and rivers, our Pahad, our Ganga-Gad-Gaderas are our identities and our heritage, definitely not a resource to be exploited.  Stop treading them resources and exploiting it for your commercial greed. 

A few days back, the Supreme Court of India, while hearing a petition, issued a stark warning: “The day is not far when the entire state of Himachal Pradesh may vanish from the map of the country.” The court emphasized the Union of India’s obligation to prevent further ecological imbalance and natural calamities in the state, stating, “Earning revenue is not everything. If things proceed as they are, the consequences will be catastrophic” (Indian Express, August 1^st, 2025). This dire observation underscores the escalating crisis in Himachal Pradesh as well as in Uttarakhand, where unchecked tourism, hydropower projects, and environmental degradation are pushing these Himalayan states toward collapse.

Himachal Pradesh has faced heavy losses due to monsoon-related disasters in 2025. According to the State Emergency Operation Centre, the state incurred damages of ₹1,539 crore since the monsoon began on June 20, 2025. The toll includes 94 deaths, 36 missing, and 1,352 houses fully or partially damaged in rain-related incidents (Indian Express, August 2025). A report by NDTV provides a graver picture, noting 173 deaths, 37 missing, and 115 injuries by August 2, 2025, with 23 flash floods and 19 cloudbursts recorded by July 6, 2025 (NDTV, August 2, 2025). Most deaths were rain-related, with Mandi, Kullu, and Kangra districts bearing the brunt, where 243 roads were blocked, 241 electricity transformers disrupted, and 278 water supply schemes rendered non-functional as per a report published by Times of India, July 7, 2025).

Uttarakhand, often competing with Himachal in disaster frequency, recorded 70 deaths by July 4, 2025, including 20 from natural disasters (landslides, cloudbursts, and floods) and 50 from road accidents, with 9 missing (mostly in Uttarkashi) and 177 injured (Times of India, June 29, 2025). Incidents of cloud burst and landslide continue to pour in in the last couple of weeks resulting in disruption in the Chardham yatra for several days but now Dharali disaster has overtaken everything. It is unprecedented but is a wake up call for all of us. So far we don't know the exact number of the people died or missing.

Unregulated Tourism: A Cultural and Ecological Threat

Both Himalayan states, romanticized as Devbhumi, are reeling under the weight of mass tourism. Uttarakhand welcomed 3.96 crore tourists by July 4, 2025, including 3.94 crore domestic and 1.66 lakh international visitors, with 34.07 lakh pilgrims registered for the Chardham Yatra (13.58 lakh to Kedarnath, 11.52 lakh to Badrinath, 4.97 lakh to Gangotri, 3.99 lakh to Yamunotri) (The Hindu, July 3, 2025; Outlook India, May 16, 2025). Himachal Pradesh recorded 1.4 crore tourists by July 2025, driven by hill stations like Shimla and Manali (Hindustan Times, July 2025). While these numbers boost local economies, they strain fragile ecosystems and infrastructure, exacerbating disaster risks.

The Chardham Yatra, a cornerstone of Uttarakhand’s tourism, has become a symbol of unregulated pilgrimage. By July 2025, 169 pilgrims died due to health issues like cardiac arrest and high blood pressure (78 in Kedarnath, 44 in Badrinath, 24 in Gangotri, 22 in Yamunotri) (Times of India, July 2025). A helicopter crash in April 2025 killed six pilgrims, reflecting the pressure on operators prioritizing profit over safety (The Hindu, July 3, 2025). In Himachal, over-tourism in Kullu-Manali and Shimla has led to traffic congestion and environmental degradation, with tourists littering rivers and flouting local norms (Hindustan Times, June 2025).

As a Pahadi, I see the influx of tourists—often displaying a colonial mindset—threatening our cultural fabric. Young visitors smoke hookahs and drink openly on the banks of the Ganga, while incidents of eve-teasing and disappearances, once rare, are now nightmarish (Deccan Herald, August 2025). The imposition of external cultural practices, including food habits like demanding Maggi, Parathas etc over local delicacies, erodes Pahadi traditions. Some outsiders, backed by political agendas, push a homogenized Hindutva narrative, ignoring the distinct value systems of Himachal and Uttarakhand, where local deities and sustainable practices have long thrived (The Tribune, July 2025). Also it is important to demarcate the religious sentiments from the commercial gains. Actually, last couple of decade, India's ruling elite has exploited religious sentiments for commercial gains. Frankly, india has been converted into a religious economy with flourishing Babas and new places of miracles in the name of devotion and traditions. Himalayan regions are different and you can not treat them with the low line areas where you have huge land track and no issues related to infrastructure development. In the Himalayan regions, these infrastructural development will come at the cost of the Himalayas and their people only. 

Hydropower Projects: Profiting at Nature’s Expense

The Central Government’s push for hydropower, branded as the “potential” of the Himalayas, prioritizes corporate interests over environmental and social costs have been completely exposed now with both the states facing massive disasters though efforts are there to confine the narrative to the 'what happened and when it happened and not why it happened ?  Himachal Pradesh has more than 41 hydropower projects.  A report in Down to Earth Magazine says,

' hydropower projects are being established in high-risk areas of Uttarakhand. These places in the state may fall prey to seismic or climate-related disasters in the coming years. At least 15 such projects with an investment of around Rs 70,000 crore are in high-risk areas of Uttarakhand.

The report by Climate Risk Horizons notes that 81 large hydropower projects of more than 25 MW in Uttarakhand are in the pipeline and 18 projects are in the works. Threats related to extreme climate have created uncertainty over their future.'

(https://www.downtoearth.org.in/dams/extreme-weather-events-can-completely-destroy-hydropower-projects-in-uttarakhand-report)

These projects have destroyed our  rivers as there is no way to keep the muck away from it. Big boulders,stones, concrete everything is silently being thrown into them many times risking the flow of the rivers.  Deforestation, blasting, and sediment disruption  weaken and destabilize the slopes in the high mountains which risk sudden burst resulting in calamities like Dharali.  Have we forgotten what happened in Joshimath where all the structures have faced cracks. The drilling of big mountains for the Hydropower projects is well documented though not much reported now. It seems every one has now forgotten Joshimath. Villagers of Raini had approached the court against threat to their village but no response from the court. In fact, the Uttarakhand High Court even punished the people including the activists with Rupees ten thousand penalty for filing the case. 

Cultural Erosion and “Gujaratification”

The massification of religious tourism has imported lowland practices like Ganga Snan to the Himalayas, where community bathing is rare, and rivers are worshipped, not polluted (The Tribune, July 2025). Loudspeakers, DJs, and drumbeating in Kedarnath disrupt sacred tranquility (The Hindu, July 3, 2025). Cemented structures, mimicking Gujarat’s architectural style, replace Uttarakhand’s unique wooden temples, undermining local craftsmanship and businesses (Deccan Herald, August 2025). The Kanwar Yatra, largely from Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh, further strains Haridwar’s resources, with no roots in hill traditions (Hindustan Times, July 2025). The people including the priests in holy shrines of Badrinath are protesting against the so called master plan which demolished the local shops and houses of the people living there since their birth. Now, the master plan further concretise the region even at the cost of the traditional methods. Why cant we build our structure as per the suitability of the Himalayas which has  traditional Uttarakhandi imprint on it. Is not it an effort to erase our history and traditional system ?

A Call for Sustainable Development

The Supreme Court’s warning demands action. The government’s policies—promoting mass tourism and hydropower for revenue—have fueled this crisis. If the Court is serious, it must regulate tourist inflows, cap pilgrimage numbers, and halt ecologically harmful projects like the Kishau Dam. Sustainable development requires engaging native pahadi communities to preserve local deities, traditions, and ecosystems. The Himalayas are not a colony for exploitation; they are a sacred, fragile region needing protection.

Both Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh need to introspect a lot, develop their own model and stop this import of 'experts' from outside which actually is a threat to the local traditions and cultural practice under the pretext of development that remained exploitative in nature and unsustainable. While, I would not ask for stoppage of all the hydropower projects or existing programme, I would definitely call for a moratorium on any future planning that hurt our rivers and mountains.

Dharali, Manali, Kulu, Mandi, Reni continues to happen not due to the crisis brought by the local Pahadis but definitely the exploitative nature of developmental model being pursued in the Himalayas by the political elite in connivance with the greedy corporate who shamelessly exploit the religious sentiments of the people, for their personal profiteering even if it damage local ecology and environment. Stop this mindless exploitation of the Himalayas. Perhaps, the only way is now to declare the hill regions under the Schedule V or Schedule VI areas to protect the land being sold to outsiders and stop this commercial greed as well as protect the rights of local communities. A climate friendly solution to this crisis is only possible with inclusive engagement with native people of Uttarakhand and completely halt any future project that endanger Himalayas, its rivers and communities which live around and protect it.

Rahul Gandhi's charges are serious & Election Commission must initiate a dialogue with political parties & act

 By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* 

Rahul Gandhi’s recent exposé on electoral malpractices demands a serious and credible response from the Election Commission of India. It is rare for a mainstream Indian politician to undertake such meticulous research and present it in such detail at a press conference. The issues raised cannot be dismissed as mere allegations.

In fact, this is the kind of work the media should have been doing all along—consistently and as part of a sustained campaign. Unfortunately, much of the Indian media has been reduced to a public relations arm of Hindutva politics. It has become a caricature of itself, with many so-called anchors and reporters functioning primarily to amplify the PR efforts of the BJP.

Manipulation of voter lists is not a new phenomenon in India. However, what is new is the scale and systematic "management" of such manipulation. While the past witnessed booth capturing through muscle power, today we face a more insidious threat: digital manipulation. With access to vast amounts of data, entire communities can be shifted from one constituency to another without their knowledge. Demarcation of constituencies has also changed multiple times, often without voters being informed.

The Congress Party and the INDIA alliance must formally take this matter to the Election Commission. They could also move the Supreme Court, although expectations from the judiciary remain low at present. In such circumstances, public pressure may be the only viable route. Vigilance will be critical—both at polling booths and counting centres. Many polling stations today lack party booth agents, particularly from the Congress, which no longer has a grassroots presence everywhere. The attack on democratic processes is multifaceted, and the entire opposition must unite and coordinate their efforts accordingly.

I do not support electoral boycotts; they are ineffective unless they evolve into a widespread national movement. The BJP still commands a substantial vote share, and not all of it is due to manipulation. Frankly, what we are witnessing is a manipulation of the public mind. Many political leaders lack ideological commitment and can switch to the BJP at any moment. We must not ignore the deep and widespread communal polarisation across the country.

The opposition must therefore contest the upcoming Bihar elections with full strength. Political dialogue among INDIA alliance partners must intensify. This is a political battle. Rahul Gandhi must engage politically, not just as a researcher. While his investigative efforts are commendable, he must also be cautious with his words. He is surrounded by adversaries—within his party, in government, the bureaucracy, and corporate circles—who are waiting to trap him. He is already facing numerous legal cases across various courts, and it's unlikely that the system will support him unconditionally. The BJP appears to be using the legal route to entangle him further.

Despite these challenges, Rahul Gandhi remains the only national leader today who fully understands the economic mismanagement and authoritarian tendencies of the Narendra Modi government. He continues to be a thinking politician, but must remain extremely cautious. His delivery, especially in terms of articulation, often lacks sharpness and precision.

The election study commissioned by Rahul Gandhi must be taken seriously. The Election Commission should independently verify it. The Congress Party should officially submit this data to the Commission and consider moving the Supreme Court. Organisations like the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) could also make use of this data and file petitions in the court.

The issue of electoral rolls, double entries, fake entries, fake addresses etc can be resolved easily if they are digitalised after due process of checking and crosschecking but for that the institution of Election Commission will have to look sacrosanct. Today, there is a serious credibility crisis and the Commission must speak to all the political parties and stop issuing political statements. 

As Rahul Gandhi said that it is not merely the 'addition' of names but they need to now investigate into the 'deletion' part too. That apart, issue of EVM and its functioning has always been a challenge. If the entire electoral process does not satisfy a scrutiny then it would not be good for democracy. It is time when all the stake holders must sit together and speak up. The entire electoral system need a clean up operation and it wont happen if we satisfy ourselves with accusation and counter accusation. BJP has become expert on this. For every issue they bring out the story of 1947 or 1975. They have been in power since 2014 and need to respond to the issues we facing today. Congress and others have got enough punishment by the people and the same people brought them back too but none questioned the process of electoral system. There were issues here and there but broadly people followed the Election Commission but today it is under sharp scrutiny and it need to come out with credible explanations and not merely counter accusations. 

Regarding his remarks on affidavits, Rahul Gandhi was right to point out the hypocrisy. If BJP leaders were made to file affidavits for all their statements about Nehru, Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, and other opponents, they would be forced to account for much of their rhetoric. No one would have dared to challenge Rajiv Gandhi in such a framework if speaking under oath or affidavit had been mandatory.

Rahul Gandhi’s effort is courageous—particularly on a day that holds historical importance for another reason. August 7, 2025, marks the 35th anniversary of the acceptance of the Mandal Commission Report in Parliament by then Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh. Sadly, few remember VP Singh and his landmark decision, which gave political voice to millions of marginalised citizens. Rahul Gandhi’s act today is, in a sense, a reaffirmation of democratic ideals—of governance by, for, and of the people. The Mandal legacy redefined who the "people" of India are, and why they deserve their fair share of power.

Unfortunately, political parties today have forgotten these lessons. Most only glorify their own icons while ignoring pressing people’s issues. Perhaps the public, too, has forgotten—but this collective amnesia is a dangerous sign for our democracy.

Now we must wait and see how political parties, INDIA alliance members, and public institutions respond to Rahul Gandhi’s revelations—and whether they act to address the rot that plagues Indian democracy today.

---