has India Failed as a Nation to provide justice to all.

No criminal conspiracy in Mirchpur By Vidya Bhushan Rawat A Delhi court yesterday declared that there was no criminal conspiracy in Mirchpur and therefore it honorably acquitted 82 accused while framing charges against the other 15 accused who were found guilty of not committing murder. Mirchpur incident came into focus when on April 21st, 2010, a father and his disabled girl was brutally burnt by some of the Jat villagers as they refused to toe the line of the powerful Jats and were living a relatively better life much to the envy of the powerful Jats. When the Balmikis became enraged and protested the state government ordered an inquiry to the incident and tried to cover up the case. It was only after the intervention by the Supreme Court that the case was transferred to a Delhi court in Rohini yet the end result remain the same. It would have been the same case had the case been filed in Haryana. Mirchpur incident reflect many thing. That the Balmikis and other Dalits often becomes victim of caste violence in Haryana where caste identities are sharpened and mingling is not allowed, when they assert and have a ‘feel good’ factor for themselves. It means that the upper caste will be angry when a Dalit family is happy despite all their troubles as the Hindus most of the time wants them to stick to their traditional occupation and beg them for honor. Now after much harder work, the Dalits in Haryana and Punjab are not moving to cities and charting a different path for their livelihood much to the discomfort of the powerful caste forces. It is also a fact that Mirchpur violence was not first instance of caste violence in Haryana. Prior to that we had seen many places the violence against Dalit including infamous Jhajjhar where a Dalit was murdered for tanning the skin of a cow. Haryana may be boasting too much for its farmers but it has not been able to develop a modern democratic culture. It may have elected governments like any other state but it is more feudalistic in nature than any other state. The Khap rules Haryana. The Khap is the Panchayat as well as the farmers who have developed their own sense of superiority complex. It is not strange therefore that when I attended a farmer’s protest in Haryana against land acquisition, most of the farmers still wanted to be called as ‘Zamindar’. They felt proud of being so. Haryana has the dominance of Jaats and Gujjars since independence. The change of democratic system which allowed these communities to grow has not percolated further. Any effort to change is resisted violently. Unfortunately, the farmers movement in Haryana has just been reduced to bargain better land price for them and not related to anything with farming. It is most to convert farmers to real estate agents like what has happened in Western Uttar-Pradesh. Haryana never had land reform hence despite so called prosperity; it is a few communities who enjoyed the fruits of suppression of Dalits. Most of the Dalits are in to agrarian work making their livelihood through agricultural labors. Now, the Chamars and Balmikis have delinked themselves from the traditional occupation as they want to get educated and do the work which gives them respect. It is not easy for the upper caste to tolerate the new assertion of a Balmiki in Haryana. As a manual scavenger they were prohibited entering the house but that was not the problem. The Jaat or Gujjar pride is hurt when they see the young boys from Dalit communities doing different work than ‘meant’ for them. Secondly, if a Balmiki has relatively a better house in the village or they are enjoying their life, that too becomes a matter of great ‘concern’ of them. And this anger is reflected somewhere else and on some day when the community is targeted. With political power and sheer number games on their side, Jats know that any action against them would cost the political parties their votes in Western Uttar-Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan. That is why the political parties do not speak. Other than that, there are so-called farmer’s support groups, who would talk about them as if ‘ Zamaindari’ is their fundamental right. Such person glorifies the so called farming even at the cost of human lives and the oppression and ostracisation of Dalits in these villages. Not a single person writing about agricultural labour or agrarian question ever mention the condition of agricultural labour in Haryana who are mostly Dalits. Their marginalization and exploitation is complete yet have not attracted the attention of our friends who are worried about ‘kheti-kisani’. Nothing happened to Mirchpur exploiters. They knew it well that such incidents will never get a witness. When an entire village turns against a community or an individual who will lodge a complaint to the police or authorities? Who will dare to become a witness when faced with deep pressure to save the people who saved their ‘pride’? The ‘pride’ of Jats at that moment was to teach a lesson to asserting Balmikis and hence most of the villagers felt they had not done anything wrong. The best way to tell the authorities is that they saw nobody. When the entire village has turned racist and casteist then talk of sanity is not possible. There the rule of law has to be enforced. No decentralization work here. These are the dangers of decentralization. If the central law is not there then the local feudal lords will not allow the Dalits to flourish. So, despite so-called ‘decentralised democracy’, we are still bound by International and national human rights laws. Unfortunately, those who talk of the so-called decentralization process are glamorizing those Khaps which must be destroyed. There is nothing glamorous in these Khaps which are casteist and are a blot to any civilized society. Mirchpur also reflect the poor state of our governance. The issue of Dalits will only get prominence if they are suitable to the ruling elites. Whenever and wherever the issue of Dalits becomes an obstacle to get sympathy or political benefits the issue will be side tracked. Hence, the Haryana police predominantly a Jat-Gujjar enterprise did not do anything to nab the culprits. It just did everything formally. Their counterparts in Delhi have the same mind. I know once I met a senior officer of Delhi police related to a case against Valmiki family in Narela where the police was openly supporting the Jaats who had joined hand to throw a Valmiki family out of that place yet the officer was showing his helplessness. ‘ You see, I come from JNU and have progressive thoughts but our Jawans and our junior officers hail from Haryana and Western Uttar-Pradesh, who still have the same social and cultural prejudices which existed in the village. So, it is not just a legal problem but greater issue of social change, the officer said. My point was that ofcourse, we have to fight for this and social organizations must do it but then how many of the social organizations will get any support if they start working on Caste and untouchability? Secondly, we know all these realities but the state should also show some spine in this case. Even when Mirchpur case was transferred to Delhi for the reason that the powerful people would not be able to influence the witness, the fact remain the same. Delhi is not different than Haryana. We know it well that such things happen. While our media and ‘social activists’ went in the town and at the India gate with candles in their hand to force the court give a favorable verdict in the case of ‘Jessica Lal’ but the same media do not have time to even give some space to this. Mirchpur is a common failure of Indian democracy. It is failure of our civil society which has no time for it. It is failure of the forces of social justice who are unable to join hand and take it to logical conclusion. Our political parties have always been casteist in nature hence if this matter does not suit them they will avoid it. The administration has no will as it remain an administration to save the powerful. Haryana will continue to have more Mirchpurs and bigger Khap challenging the very democratic set up the country when it does not suit them. Mirchpur’s judgment has shown how helpless the case of justice in India is. The forces of caste are so powerful that they have law, political system and media with their side. It is tragic but truth. How can a country living in so much divisions and prejudices be called a society or a nation. When Jessica Lal’s verdict was delivered by the local court acquitting all the accused the Times of India wrote prominently ‘ No one killed Jessica’ and media went overboard to get ‘Jesica’ justice. Her sister became a ‘social activist’ and many more friends also became ‘social activists’. The upper courts were forced to take a matter seriously. Media pressure, in the name of public pressure, finally brought justice to Jessica. But it is tragic that a case of racial violence, caste prejudice, does not get a single column report in front page in the media. The worst are the TV channels who seem to have become the guardians of our morality. But there was no news. It is a shame that these ‘moral guardians’ sitting in the TV studios have no time to discuss Mirchpur which is not even two hours drive from Delhi. Why are they silent? Indian state is nothing but is controlled by the brahmanical manipulators. Unless, we understand it, nothing will move. These manipulators work in media and in our state apparatus. Through media they change the debate, take you somewhere else. There are those who have taken it to them to be our moral guardians. They want to be looked as ‘conscious keeper’ of the country yet such blatant violations of human rights of people are ignored by them. All the people become one for them. It is easier to abuse politicians and government from the loudspeakers of TV studios but please go beyond it. If your caste prejudices are out, then you will see, the people of India, we appreciate too much, are suffering from a big disease of caste prejudices and hidden apartheid. Unless India addresses this, it will never be a nation. It will be a country of a few power elite while others will suffer without our mind and action going to them. Therefore, Mirchpur case is an example where Indian state should show some spine. Our media should stand with the victims and our social movements must understand that just large number of people for a cause may not necessarily be on the right side. It is time to call these majoritarian forces a bluff. India need protection of the individuals’ right and such tendencies of majoritarianism will demolish a great constitution and our society as a whole. The issue of violence against Dalits is a serious matter and if India fail to provide justice, then it has to be prepared for its repercussion and social unrest. The case is a challenge and test of our democratic set up. The higher courts must take note of it. It should not be left to an unwilling government. Time has come when people must file case on their own so that the complicity of state apparatus is exposed in it.

Planning Commission or Real Estate Agency

Do we need a planning Commission By Vidya Bhushan Rawat Do we really need a planning commission which does not even know the anguish and pains of the country. Such a planning commission is a blot on India. In this age, when corruption in each department has run in billions, when salaries of government staff and their counterparts are zooming up, our planning commission shamelessly tells the Supreme Court that Rs 25 ( not even fifty cent) a day is enough to live a life. When we demand that Rs 100 meant for one day work in the National Rural Employment Generation Scheme is much below the inflationary rates. This sham called Montek Singh Ahaluwalia must be be dismissed immediately. Planning Commission's member who do not toe the Montek line are isolated. If this govt continue to go ahead with such attitude, I am sure people of India will push it to dustbins in the coming days. It is nothing but deeply regrettable that such an idea coming from government's planning commission which is supposed to be understanding the issues of people. Every year, the government of India increase the salaries, Dearness Allowances of its officers. The chairman of the planning commission is a well furnished job. It has power, influence and glamor if you do the work for the companies. Ofcourse, if you promote people's policies then you are bad, jholawala and old communist mind. Montek has completely demolished that old pro people ideas of the planning commission. He can go so harsh because our Prime Minister feel that he has the in his pulse the understanding of the country. It is important that planning commission must be revamped. It must have eminent people from social organisation, political leaders and activists. Planning can not be left to a few individuals of the 'great' quality learnt from Washington DC and in the air conditioned chambers of World Bank and International Monitory Funds. Planners need to understand the pain of Bharat. The people of Bharat are really feeling the pinch whether their land is being acquired or they are pushed to further marginalisation. It is time the prime minister of India think serious and completely revamp the planning commission. We have no faith in such a Commission which is a facilitators for the corporate take over of people's resources. People of India have not voted Montek Singh Ahluwalia to sale India's assets to private corporations. He must be desisted to do so. This farce at the planning commission must stop. The government must withdraw its affidavit from the Supreme Court and apologise from the people of India for insulting them. What is the budget of Montek. His coffee must be costing much more than Rs 25/-. Such shameless commission must be disbanded and its head must be shown the door. India can not afford their luxuries at the cost of its own people. For the past 20 years, the planning commission is just meant to reduce government's burden, by reducing its social responsibility and acting as a 'real estate agent' which has actually resulted in huge corruption as state, centre and each one who enjoyed power began selling India's natural worth to private corporations. While people are dying of hunger, losing their land, water and forest, our netas, bureaucrats, industrial houses multiplied their wealth. This shamelessness has resulted in people losing faith in political system of the country and picking up guns. If a large part of india is witnessing a challenge to its sovereignty, it is because of this Montek Manmohan Chidambaram's shameless agenda of looting people's worth. It is time, such rackless loot of India's resources must be stopped so that people do not resort to desperate violence for their survival. India as a nation has to answer to millions of its people who still remain hungry, who still do not have two time a meal.Vandemataram and mera bharat mahan and big nationalist cries mean nothing to them. India will become great and powerful if each one us have two time meal and a work to contribute to the nation. We all know that depending on government is foolishness. India's Aadivasis were never dependent on the government but it is the otherway round. By sucking their resources, which they nurtured for thousands of year, the government has become looter. And over it, the planners in Delhi feel that by making people landless and workless and suggesting that they can survive just on Rs 25 a day, this government insult the people, their work and worth. Chidambaram will not succeed if his friend in planning commission continue to insult people and their livelihood. If you can not give people dignity and right, you have no right to snatch their life, livelihood and resources. Let the government know it otherwise the government will never be able to do justice anywhere. Let the planning commission be an inclusive body, the voice of the people, for their welfare, and benefit and not a facilitating 'real estate' agency for the national and international private corporations.

Modi's Fast or Farce

Looking for a Messiah: Are the Indian elite desperately searching for a Savior? By Vidya Bhushan Rawat It is disappointing and shameful the way BJP and some of its allies have exhibited their support for Narendra Modi’s fast for ‘atma shuddhi’ and ‘sadbhavna’. Gujarat Congress leader Shankar Singh Vaghela has also gone on fast though without much notice of the media. Vaghela comes from the Hindutva background and understand very well the tricks of the game. Those who have read the Supreme Court order know it well that it has given instruction to authorities to file cases as per the SIT report. There is every option for the people to again go the court and seek justice if the local authorities in Gujarat again try to subvert justice. However, the issue here is much bigger and the way the entire game is being played, it has wider political repercussions too and need political understanding of the entire game. While every political party is free to go for its political campaign and can approach any community in India, however there are a few questions before that. In a democratic society there is no space for fasting which is nothing but an act of blackmail and side tracking the real issues. Therefore political battles have to be fought politically and not through apolitical blackmails. Fasting is nothing but re-imposition of the brahmanical values on India. Right from the period of Gandhi all the symbols adopted and exhibited for fasting are brahmanical and widely open to interpretation without saying directly. The war cries during these fasts are so loud that any one who oppose them genuinely face threat of physical intimidation. So, the non violent fasts are actually more violent than the physical violence as they expose your vulnerability. Anyone who has seen the ‘progress’ and ‘peace’ in Gujarat can vouch for Narendra Modi. Gujarat is a very prosperous state and there is little doubt about that. But this is also a fact that it was so much before Narendra Modi as dominant Gujaratis are business mind and they have succeeded in their business world over. But has the business mind in Gujarat really brought a change in the ‘mindset’ of common Gujarati which Narendra Modi and others in the Sangh Parivar boast so much? Can we say that Gujarat is a state which has no discrimination and every body live in peace? Yes, because the Gujarat which Narendra Modi boast and develop actually is a Gujarat of Varna Vyavastha, of caste system and none of them have the courage to stand against that. If we ask these questions and make a checklist then the reality would exactly the opposite. Are inter caste marriages common in Gujarat and the answer is a big no. Similarly, we all know the fate of people marrying beyond their religious identity. So what has changed in Gujrat Mr Modi? Yes, all the Babas, and Sadhus are more popular than ever in Gujarat. The sas-bahus idiocies are too popular in Gujarat and therefore bollywood jump in that market. If you compare Gujarat with Punjab then the differences will be sharp. Gujarati’s are businessmen but by heart not as open as the Sikhs. Sikhs also prospered and traveled world over like Gujaratis have much wider community sense than Gujaratis. They have also developed business and entrepreneurship. But see the difference. The progress in Punjab is over all and inclusive while in Gujarat it is exclusive and those living in margins are still living the same way. Today, the Dalits in Punjab whether it is the Mazhabis or Ravidasis are much better and liberated than their counterparts in Gujarat. Go to any Dalit basti in Gujarat particularly the Valmikis and you can hear the story of the racial prejudices in Gujarat. In Punjab too they face discrimination against the vary tenants of Guru Granth Saheb yet Dalits retaliate in Punjab. They have their own Gurudwaras and strong community leadership has emerged. Gujarat is not just Anand, Ahmedabad, Baroda or Surat. Gujarat is also Kheda, Porbandar, Kutchch and other tribal regions. Ask those regions about the changes and you will realize it. Narendra Modi claims that there were no communal riots in Gujarat since 2002. Yes, there could not have been as the entire state machinery was used so much against the minorities that their life became hell and economy totally collapsed. It take time to rebuild in a state where a complete economic embargo was put on Muslims and Christians. Don’t we know that before the Muslim became direct target of the Hindutva brigade, it were the Christians, their churches and institutions that came under sharp attack from the Hindutva gangs who had clearly got state patronage. Gujarat is very unfortunate in many way. Unfortunate because the cocktail of corporate and religion is working wonder in Gujarat. The powerful upper castes in Gujarat are more than ever powerful. They have migrated abroad. The condition of Dalits and tribal is so bad that none of them have power to stand up at the moment. Most of them have either state government jobs or at maximum private jobs owned by Patels, Sidhis and Jains whose political sympathies with Hindutva are well known to be described here. The Dalits even if they want to revolt may not be able to do so under the grave economic pressure. That has happened in a very systematic way. Whenever the Dalits organize their rallies and programme, their activities are watched and observed and later they are isolated. The economic dependency has hampered their movement for a different political understanding other than the upper caste parties of Congress and BJP. Muslims in Gujarat seems not to have any other option than switching their loyalty here and there as their condition is the worst. Modi’s supporters are proposing Gujarat model for development. One does not know in which world they love. Can Gujarat be really called a developed state? A good state for investment and a better governed state are two different dynamics. If Gujarat is so good that every international company are vying to be here then why the Gujaratis living in Africa, Europe and Americas come back to their original land and restrengthen it. Why they still need to go abroad to earn much. Gujarat riots were engineered to break the backbone of Muslim business. It is the basic tendency of the Hindutva protagonists to engineer riots where the Muslims had a sizeable business presence and the result from various communal riots reflect that. The isolation of Muslims in Gujarat was complete. If peace comes at the cost of leaving in submission and subjugation then Modi and his fanatic friends must understand that it will not be. Injustice anywhere is a threat to peace. If people are unable to get justice in the political set up then obviously it breed communalism on both the sides. Today, Narendra Modi condemns communalism and caste-ism. He blames the policy of appeasement in the past sixty years. The fact is that India has been ruled by the upper caste upper elite during all these years Mr. Modi. And if he means that Indian state has appeased Muslims and given some thing special then Modi must understand that Muslims face the worst form of discrimination in the government jobs and private corporations. Even taking a house on rent is difficult to get and finally the person has to find the ‘Muslim’ locality’. Such ghettosiation helps the communal politicians and their leaders as the more the communication gap between the two communities the bigger the business of these loud mouths who shout at each other posing a threat from the opposing sides. There is no denying the fact that India need to move forward. And for it the shortsighted policies must go. For this, the tamasha of fasting must stop. All these fast are meant against some one. Most of these fast are done by the caste Hindus to regain and retain their leadership and stop the others from gaining any right. Gandhi’s fast against untouchability was a betrayal to Ambedkar’s struggle for social justice and Dalits which he so valiantly fought. Anna’s fast looked intimidating to the Dalits, OBCs, and Muslims of India. Now Modi is fasting to cleanse himself while Congress too is fasting. The political battles are to be fought politically but when the politics is just an adjustment and calculation then we can expect anything sincere from the political class which has become expert in saying things according to its convenience. In the Gujarat University campus, sharing platform with Modi were various political leaders. Modi say ‘ India is run through constitution’, now this is another statement. Why any one has to host tricolor in India or say Vandemataram. While Modi’s supporters have not started following Anna, but such tactics are clear enough in projecting one particular community or people who disagree as traitors. When you say that India is run through constitution, it is because you want to communicate that you have been exonerated by the highest court of the land which is absolutely farcical. The Supreme Court’s Judgment has not exonerated Modi. In fact, Supreme Court must take a suo moto cognigence of such blatant lies and misinterpretations of its order. We all know the agenda of the Hindutva protagonists. Most of them do not have faith in the constitution of India. Modi feel that the past 60 years India appeased to different castes and religion. Modi hate castes because it is obstructing his way. May be true because he is not a powerful Patel of Gujarat and at the initial phase the Patel lobby had actually tried to overthrow him. Gujarat may be having a high growth rates but Gujarat’s Dalits and Adivasis too want Gujarati’s to leave their caste mind. The narrowness of Gujarat’s caste mindset can not be matched to openness in Punjab which a Dalit can feel. And in Punjab the Dalits too retaliate and react if they are under assault. We can not expect that in Gujarat at the moment. The openness that the Muslims have in Uttar-Pradesh and Bihar is much bigger than the peace of Gujarat. The blending of Muslims in the Ganga Jamuni culture is tremendous and despite all problems they too can retaliate when time comes. If Modi say that there were no curfew in Gujarat it is because the social ostracisation of marginalized communities in Gujarat completed with Modi. Along with Modi all the Gujaratis should atone for their caste mind. Gujarati’s want to enjoy liberty and freedom elsewhere but they do not want to give the same in their own state Mr Modi. So, these tamasha being oraganised in Gujarat will serve little purpose. The problem of Gujarat is multifold. The oppression and control of the poor of Gujarat is complete. They will revolt against the elite of Gujarat who have Modi as their hero. That day is not far over. The so-called governance will then crumble. As far as the media is concern, the least say about them is the best. They were the most fascinating observer of YSR Rajshekar Reddy, the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and today they can see YSR and his corrupt regime. So, Modi is good for them as he serves their interest. Let us ask a question to Modi what radical changes has he made in the lives of a common Gujarati? What is the standard of an ordinary road transport bus of Gujarat? Is it a better transport service than Rajasthan or Haryana? What about the college education in Gujarat? Is it providing better research than others? Yes, Gujarat is have business mind and that is why they can claim to have an IIM in Ahemdabad and one for the rural development in Anand. But what about the common education in school? What about the Panchayats in Gujarat? Finally, Mr Modi, so many people were arrested under POTA in Gujrat, particularly in Godhra. I have visited those families and seen their pain. Old, young, visually impaired, we have seen people virtually living in deep dejection and isolation. How will they get justices who are in jail without any trial? How will people react if so many people without trials are in your jails on the one side while on the other side those who should have been behind the bar, are enjoying the fruits of power. Yes, Mr Modi, caste was not discovered sixty years ago. It is a heritage that you feel proud. All those rishis, munis, sadhus and sanyasis that you bring on your stage and shout Bharat Mata ki Jaya are afraid of caste. They know it better that today thank to constitution of India these people are now standing up and reacting. Yes, Ambedkar’s constitution have given them power, understanding that in democracy number matters and it is here all the good friends of Narendra Modi are afraid of. Not of Modi but so-called opponents are also afraid of that weapon as the real threat to India according to them, does not come from Pakistan but the assertion of Dalit Bahujan. It is actually this feeling which is disturbing India’s ruling elite whether it is Kapil Sibol or Chidambaram or Jayalalitha-Advani and Modi. In this historic war, Muslims are simply becoming the tool to be used. They have to decide which side of the war are they on. It is not a war between Congress or BJP. It is actually a war between India’s minority upper caste elite and those who have suffered India caste based hidden apartheid. The power elite in India is desperate at the moment and looking for some savior such as Anna Hazare or Narendra Modi. Fortunately, India is such a diverse and huge country that despite all the propaganda material at their disposal they know it well, things are not that simple which our news channels want us to believe. Yes, India’s poor understand all these forces much better than those who make their opinion through TV channels. This desperation will not work. The upper caste upper elite in India need to believe in democratic set up and not try to subvert it through desperate means as end of democracy will only open caste anarchy in India. Let us not allow India to go the Afghanistan way by such short sighted policies of ignoring important division and genuinely addressing those issues. For the sake of a few leaders, a country’s unity cannot be put on stake. Coming days are more challenging for India as we need to see whether the perpetrators of crime will be punished as per law of the land or will they use this opportunity to take power in their own hands in the name of people’s verdict by creating hysterical situation and total polarization on religious line. The idea of India is under the threat.

Looking beyond Anna..

Need to shift political system which work collectively By Vidya Bhushan Rawat India at the moment is at the cross roads. Anna Hazare and his team have presented a Janlokpal bill which according to them will wipe out corruption from India. They feel that corruption is the root cause of all our evils. Now, one does not know whether they consider the caste system, untouchability, dowry as corruption or not. We do not know whether billions of rupees of cash, Gold and other treasure in our religious institutions are corruption free or meant for something else. Anna seems to have caught the fancy of India’s upper caste upper elite and middle classes. Right from the film stars to our business tycoons every one is taking oath to fight against corruption. The local businessmen, dibbawallahs, auto-drivers, taxi unions, doctors and government servants also seem to agree with Anna and want that corruption should be ended. The Prime Minister of India also want the corruption should go. Advani and Gadkari want to hang the corrupt except Yadurappa. Anna wants to hang them but do not have the courage to ask the same treatment for Ramdev and Ravishankar or any other religious guru or corporate leader if they are found guilty. He also wants to keep safe the ‘civil society’ from any charges of corruption. This seems to be well planned exercise with solid backing from India’s corporate. Now, it is coming to lime light and sources are alleging that the Tatas and Anil Ambani group may be behind the campaign. Both of them are resourceful and can make our media men and TV anchors workless hence the TV cameras have to be there all the time and make it a truly ‘national event’. The number of people in the ground was never twenty thousand as Times of India describe. It could be around 5000 to 10,000 at the peak hour. Anyway, political rallies have always been huge and to compare it with the political movement lead by either JP or VP would be too naïve. At least VP and JP had an open agenda and asked people to vote. Anna seems to be working on a hidden agenda and that is the real cause of worry. The Lokpal bill that is produced by Anna’s team has positive side but the one important draw back is a super structure which is unaccountable to Parliament. We want balance between different power structures who compliment each other and do not pull leg of each other. We want a Lokpal who can seek responses from officers for their failure. I completely agree that this government had tried to shield corrupt officers. The bill presented by the Central government in Parliament is a betrayal in fact. It punishes the whistleblowers and save the corrupt officials. May be, because the ministers and officials are normally hand in glove together in the corruption cases and know the history of their cases. The question is not of including prime minister or judiciary into the Lokpal bill but we do not want another department harassing and exploiting people. Therefore, a bill need to be prepared after due consultation. Anna’s civil society never bothered to speak to others and take opinion of diverse sections of civil society, social movements in the country. It was the case basically that Sonia Gandhi appointed one set of high profile ‘civil society’ to National Advisory Council which was a ‘super cabinet’ and therefore those who have been left behind in that must have felt that it is time we must have ‘super duper cabinet’ which has ‘people’s mandate. And that is why such a big ‘reality’ show being organized in Delhi. Sonia’s advisory council have elite ‘social activists’ and Anna’s team too had the same criteria. So, there is nothing wrong to say if you call it upper caste upper elite clash of interests. Not every crowd turns into a revolution. We want to look this event as revolution and the reason is that Gandhi, India’s fading icon, must be placed on top despite the known facts that the same upper caste actually hated him and killed him. Gandhi and Gandhisim are the best way to control our mind, preach us fictitious morality of the barbaric age which none of these ‘revolutionaries’ will ever agree in their own personal lives. The caste and religious character of the entire protest is well known to be described here. As reported in many dailies, the main organizers of this crowd management team are not just the corporate jars, former anchors and reporters of television channels who are producing Anna package to the country but the micro level management is also being taken care of by the religious fanatics who have deep rooted hatred towards the Dalits and minorities of the country. It is this class of people who have no interest in India and who are ready to ditch the country for their profits and benefits which are swearing by the tricolor and raising hatred towards the Dalits. Many of my friends have actually disagreed with my contention that Anna’s movement has caste and communal contours but they too agreed that some of the people might take benefit of it. But facts are not that simple. Neither is history that evaporated from us when we have seen the Sangh parivar and its elements intruded in the mainstream politics and got legitimized through electoral alignments in 1975 and 1989. That an organization such as Youth for Equality which has been spreading continuous hatred towards the Dalits and OBC in the name of opposing their legitimate quota in AIIMS and other institutions is a shocking reminder of the nature of the politics being played at Anna’s August Kranti. To add further salt to injury is another hate monger organization called Krantikari Manuwadi Morcha. One can understand from the very ideological ground of this organization how they continue to think that there will not be an India with equality as even today they continue to believe in inequality. How have those who used to clean our shoes are ruling us is a common refrain for the political system. The egalitarian political system is the bone of contention for these caste minds. Anna’s movement actually exposes openly the hidden apartheid of India. If you see the crowd and many of those who are speaking you can find their arrogance and feeling that this country is ‘theirs’ and now they have found Anna who will not allow these politicians to do ‘corruption’ which in other way means ‘vote bank politics’. My fears have always been that the Lokpal case would have more cases against the reservation and if Lokpal is not accountable to Parliament then he is bound to indulge in notoriety which would attract appreciation of the upper castes but would definitely be against the interest of the Dalitsand particularly against OBCs. Lot of anecdotes about Anna’s greatness are being talked about. Anna himself glorified himself and his ‘sacrifices’ for the nation. He said ‘I did not marry for the shake of country.’ Most of those who are there at the Ramleela ground, are using this as a point to promote Narendra Modi, who is not married. Question is if the Indians think that marriage is bad for the country then why are we over one and a half billion. All this could not have happened without marriages as living with out marriage is still not an acceptable idea in this country and children out of wedlock will never be accepted here. Another question is if being unmarried is greatness then why the same upper caste do not respect Uttar-Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati and her mentor Kanshi Ram? There is no law, no rule for these forces of stats quo. They only have their interests and hence can bend their ideological positions to suit their interests. And you can see this during the current campaign. Anna’s many formulations are flawed. There is no doubt that the Congress party behaved in an arrogant way and political leaders claims that they only speak for the people is blunted by Anna’s campaign yet we can not mock at the form of democracy which Anna and his team is indulging. As a civil society you can suggest to the government various points and do things but did Anna and his team ever spoke to any other fellow civil society people. Or this was an attempt to hijack the entire issues of civil society and become their leader. Today, the corporate has provided space for the likes of those who were supporters of civil society as leaders of civil society. That is the danger of the new economic disorder, which claims to makes and unmake leaders. It creates mass hysteria, create news through these histrionics’ and paralyze the administration. It blocks the opposite views as it is an embedded journalism. It is an activist journalism which can not be accepted. Such brand of journalism with hidden agenda and deep rooted caste prejudices exist in the shining India and promote ideas which are detrimental to the interest of India. It is surprising that none talked about the issue as how is this big movement being funded. Who are the forces supporting it from the back? Has any one tried to find out? Yes, an Indian Express story exposed many chinks. So much so that Anna and his team continuously talks about corruption of political class but refrained from talking about the corrupt corporate and the corrupt religious gurus who are happily sitting with Anna and claiming high moral ground. How is this none of us ever think of challenging those who are becoming our moral guardians. The big land owning Babas and Sanyasis and hugely corrupted corporate who were responsible for most of the corruption in the post liberlisation phase remain untouched by our elites. It is because, in today’s packaging, these corporate are required for running a middle class movement which is essentially against government and all praise for the likes of Ambanis who never hesitated in saying that they used the loopholes of the government institutions to promote themselves. Such hysteria on a particular issue is dangerous. Times of India reported that the only solution is to ask for referendum. The Times forgot that there is no difference in the government and opposition on Lokpal at the moment. And you can not discuss nitty-gritty’s of the bill in the referendum. Secondly, if the government is accepting the demand for referendum then there are major issues in the country and many states who want it. Whether it is Kashmir, Nagaland, Manipur or Telengana, the government must listen to people’s voice and come to a conclusion or organize referendum if the demand of Times of India and those who are calling for it, is accepted. India’s problems can not be resolved through a Lokpal or more bureaucrats. The failure of Indian political leadership is happening because our parliamentary system is actually based on a minority voting pattern. First past the Post system is the weakest link of our democracy. You can win election through cobbling together a few people and dividing the other votes. Therefore, India need to switch to Proportionate Electorate System, so that its diversity is represented in is Parliament and assemblies. That will pave the way for state funding and reduce the burden. The current form of democracy is giving way to individualism and any system which is based on individualism is going to be fatalistic. The fancy of an individual become the root cause of our evils. Therefore, it is important that India’s minorities, the Dalits, OBCs, the Aadivasis and other communities get fair representation in it. Unless that is done, these issues raised by certain group of people would snow ball into bigger threat for those who disagree with it. Anna may say that his Lokpal is to cleanse the system but a majority of Dalits, Aadivasis, Muslims, other minorities and OBCs have growing fear of that this campaign is fast turning into a caste-ist campaign whose agenda is not corruption but reestablish the supremacy of the erstwhile ruling elites of India who are losing their grip over power in the parliamentary process and who are looking to control levers of power through non parliamentary process. Such a thought would be dangerous and will be responsible for a caste war in India.

Remembering Shehla

Woman with conviction and Courage By Vidya Bhushan Rawat Shehla Masood became the latest victim of the corrupt Indian system which is unable to defend those who are trying to expose the corrupted. On August 16th, she fell to the bullets of an unidentified assailant near house in Bhopal. The police in Bhopal are on a hunt to nab the killers but have not been able to do so. We do not know whether they would be able to do so or not as the perpetrators of this ghastly crime may have their access to high and mighty. I came to know Shehla several years back and developed an instant rapport with her as she was very keen to do things. She asked me to contribute for her blog ‘Miracles’. She was a curious student to know new things and wanted to do things differently. She has been interested to build a strong organization for wild life and actually discussed with me in April. She shared her frustration also particularly when the state authorities never took action against the police officer she complained. She wrote a letter to home ministry about the said officer and there was no response from the ministry she said. Though she ran a company yet her intention were to build up an international organization for wild life. She called me and we met in Delhi to discuss things further to do our work. She was very happy to inform me that she had now shifted to Delhi and that we would be able to work together. Unfortunately, April and May had been quite engaged tour for me and we spoke once after that when she was in Bhopal. I saw Shehla as a dynamic woman and a role model. In a country where there is a dearth of such strong personalities, I felt she was not utilizing her worth and could really be a source of inspiration of thousands of women in the country in general and Muslim women in particular. And we spoke passionately how Muslim women should be united and organized in their struggle. She had desired to organize something for them in Bhopal. She felt that political interventions are necessary for the empowerment of women and that they must get reservation in Parliament and Assemblies. Last time when we met in Delhi, she was a bit hurt and displayed a sense of betrayal from her erstwhile colleagues. She felt that some of them were using the information collected under RTI to strike a deal. She was very disturbed with it. When I met her in Bhopal to discuss things which we could work together, she was very eager yet I found some thing was missing. The problem I felt was that she lacked some of the friends who had same passion as she had. She realized that some of the friends might be using her and may be leaking some of the information. We all know that she was living in Madhya Pradesh and had to depend a lot on the people who might not have liked her ideological positions or efforts to nail those who were close to power. That was actually her frustration when we met in Delhi and she asked me to do something together particularly on the issues of wild life and forest conversation. She was all appreciation for the then environment minister Jai Ram Ramesh and often talked about her meeting with him related to Bandavgarh Tiger range about which she complained to Ministry of Environment and Forest. Shehla became fifth victim of the mafias who are afraid of getting exposed. But at the same point of time, her brutal murder also reflect how much threat we face in the streets if we raise the issue of corruption in public life and on particular individual issues. Her death also shows how individual activists face threat to life and need to be more careful. There is a growing temptation for media coverage in the individual cases which has made the lives of activists threatening. These issues need the getting of like minded individuals who do not compete with each other for publicity but compliment the work and also keep each other updated about their activities and complains so that in case of difficult time they can be supported. We know that work on human rights is very tough and each of the human rights activist need protection for their life. While we demand protection from the government, we also know that such theoretical formulas do not solve the issue as a society which is deep nick in corruption can not protect individuals fighting against corruption. Therefore we need to be more vigilant and work together. The tragedy of the RTI is that every individual is filing cases and publicizing them and before things are taken to a conclusion he or she become the victim of it. Local media blow issue out of proportion and make the lives of these individuals more dangerous. Therefore, it is essential for all those who are fighting against this to address the issue in broader term and not become a kind of ‘tu-tu main main’. The individual fight would always result in chaos and make life of the complainants more vulnerable. Shehla was bold and daring. She wanted to do things differently. She had passion. And she wanted to do things. I am extremely disturbed and pained at her untimely death. We wanted to do things together and I was more than happy when she said that she was shifting to Delhi. I felt, I will have a friend who is daring to fight against system and have new ideas. Alas, that was not to be. The brutal murder of Shehla has taken her away from us but the ideas always remain. She will always remain a shining star, a woman who fought passionately and with great courage. She will remain a role model for many. Those who killed her must understand that by killing a person they can not kill the ideas, they can not kill the power of people. Shehla had dream. Dream of a society where men and women are equal and complete harmony with nature. She dared to do things differently and I can say she became immortal her death. We salute the spirit Shehla and hope that youngsters who dream for the society will take some lesson from her life. At the end, I am demanding a thorough investigation into the probe of Shehla Masood. The perpetrators must be brought to the books. Madhya Pradesh government should form a special task force to investigate the matter or if they are unable to find anything must hand over the inquiry to CBI. The role of the officials against who she filed cases must be investigated. These officials include forest and police department. Maybe, the information could be gathered from office in Bhopal and the colleagues who were working with her on RTI. While I deeply moan her death, I hope the real tribute to Shehla would be when the people who she filed complaint against, goes to bar and face the court. It is time that the government must ensure protection to the activists. It is equally important for the activists too to take enough precaution in their battle against the corrupt. There is no place for a Dharnaa or protest. There are no TV cameras. There are no newspapers when you are vulnerable. The tragedy is that you become news only after death. The issue raised by Shehla could have been used by media but it did not do that. Today, she has herself become news. That is the biggest irony of people who work for the rights of others. They bring out news but that is rarely used by the media. They become news once they are killed. It would be advisable to all our friends to please take care of yourself and work in unison with others and share your information with friends and organization. We do not want to lose you dear friends. Each life is important and lives of those who live for others is more precious. That is what I would speak to each one of them. The loss of Shehla is tremendous and will be felt by all of us in the coming days. Let us hope that her sacrifice is honored by the government once it is able to reach the culprit and provide her justice.

Need new words for expressions...

Mind your Language By Vidya Bhushan Rawat The feudal caste values of our subcontinent often reflect in our expressions. One of the reasons for the usage of these terminologies is the ‘feeling’ of ‘empowerment’ in our heart. How can a ‘helpless’ or a powerful person shows his empowerment. The powerful can abuse and be violent but a ‘helpless’ has only abuses. And interestingly these abuses get more contemptuous in descending order of our society. It means they are hurled more at the most marginalized and physically weak one. Why should we abuse to the others ? And the answer is provided in the various terminologies of our society which have stereotyped these and justify their aggression or failures in doing so. So, there is a blame game through these abuses and terminologies. Police did not act in Mumbai as it was ‘Napunsak’ i.e. impotent or people saw fellow citizen dying on the street because there was no ‘mard ka bachcha’ ( son of MAN), as if women can not save or have not saved any one. Why is, the non functionality of our governments termed as ‘lame duck’. They call proudly ‘yeh langdi sarkar hai’. How does it feel when a person suffering from physical disability and trying to walk as fast as so-called ‘able’ people do, listens to these ‘macho’ dialogues? Have we tried to understand that? Do the people suffering from physical disability not work efficiently? Can they never be efficient and equal like ‘others’? Often in our political platforms the leaders abuse the government saying ‘yeh sarkar bahri and andhi ho gayee hai’. I don’t know but what that means is that all the men and women who are unable to hear and see are incapable. The other day, I had objection to the terminology of ‘kaladhan’ or ‘black money’ for the illicit or ill-gotten money. Why do we use this terminology? Why is black that bad that all the bad things are linked to it. For me black remains the most beautiful color, a color of change. What will we call to the money obtained by the people whose color are not fare as white skinned. I also maintained that most of this ‘so-called’ black money is actually not owned by the ‘black people’ hence why to defame an entire race. Our society is racist in nature. Not all will realize that what the reason of Mahabharata was. While we all condemn the ‘cheer- haran’ of Draupadi, (if that is a true story), but we should also remember how contemptuously she laughed at Duryodhan when he falls in to pool assuming that a glass floor. And the comment that followed was ‘andhe ka beta agar andha nahee hoga to kya hoga’ (the son of a blind will only be a blind, what else he could be). Actually, this reflects the psychology of Indians. The feeling that we can not change and we must do what we are parents and forefathers have been doing for generations. So, a person whose father was a cobbler must do the same work and not think of change. That is the reason of why people hate reservation because they feel that these children who should have been doing menial work are actually now thinking of coming to power. How can the children of cobblers, goldsmiths, iron smiths, farmers, workers, laborers be allowed to rule the country? What will they bring to us except misfortune? It is this very reason, why our middle classes get very reactive of corruption among Dalits and OBCs. Oh, how have these guys got so much of wealth? Why don’t they go back to the community? But the same questions are not asked as where from Anna Hazare got the money to sit on fast and why were businessmen so concern about ‘corruption’ and were donating handsomely to Baba Ramdev. If the same funds are given by some Christians and Muslims, immediately the question would arise, as why are they interested in our cause? Why can’t we ask the question as why the tax evading class is interested in fighting against corruption? If that fast and crowd was mobilized by Udit Raj, everyone would have been asking where the money has come from. Nobody ask the ‘polite’ upper caste about this. It is assumed that they have it for generations and hence nobody needs to question it. So, the donation to the high quality people is on ‘will’ and for a cause and for the others it is meant for ‘corruption’ and ‘conversion’. One of the biggest comments in our films and political circle is made on the inability or inefficiency of a person or a government is ‘yeh napunsak hai. This is an impotent government. ‘Be man’. What will happen if the government is headed by a woman? So any leader who is involved in all kind of misbehavior is termed as ‘impotent’ as if all the bad deeds and sexual abuse are carried over by the sexually inactive persons. Many sexual scandals of our political leaders are getting exposed these days. Should we call them ‘impotent’ or sexually pervert? It not that just physicality matters in our society. Gender and caste abuses are often part of our discourse. It is shocking to see them being used by the caste Hindus. Some of them are often used by even the ‘so-called’ revolutionaries to score a point and degrade some one’s caste. These are part of our rural culture and their daily language. Aamir Khan’s Bosedeeke is nothing but justifying these stereotype where abuses are hurled at regular basis on gender basis (most of the indigenous abuses are caste and gender biased) and cowardliness and betrayal are related to particular communities. Most of our idioms and local sayings are actually based on deep gender and caste prejudices. These idioms are nothing but glorification of our false caste pride and promote macho values which are anti woman. You can always find dialogues of Hindi films saying ‘are koi mard ka bachcha jo mujhse bhide.’ (Is there any son of a MAN who can fight me?. Often the ‘Mard’ i.e. MAN word has used in the bollywood films to degrade woman and promote patriarchical values. I do not think if there is any English equivalent to this word except MAN with a big ego in heart. This has virtually degenerated our entire system. In the 21st century India, the empowerment of communities and societies will happen through a change in our culture and not through guns and bombs. We all know society can not change over night but at least those who claim for it, work for it and want to change it must change themselves. For a healthy society we need a healthy vocabulary and not rhetoric based on prejudices towards the marginalized and physically challenged people.

Why Manu excites our academic institutions?

A certificate course in racism By Vidya Bhushan Rawat Several years ago, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, in New Delhi became the heart of ‘agitation’ against discrimination in government services. The Hindu students of medical sciences there were perturbed as why the shudras and ati shudras were getting into this institution which was the sole preserve of the high caste Hindus. The media gave lot of stories of them and the ‘poor’ doctors forgot their basic duty of looking after the patience. Instead they were raising slogan for ‘equality’ and started an organisation called ‘Youth for Equality’. Interestingly, these youth for equality do not know the meaning of equality. Equality for them is only possible when we maintain the varna dharma which is based on ‘purity’ of ‘soul’ and ‘merit’ of human being. To strengthen their point they say that they are not against ‘poor’. That the basis of reservation should be ‘economic’ and not ‘ caste’. Unfortunately, the basis of reservation is the social identity of the person and not economic but even for a moment we accept their argument even then it will go to the same people who are getting due to their caste. Anyway, this ‘youth of equality’ was nothing but a tool to maintain the status quo ante and suppress the voices of the Dalits and OBCs. Unfortunately, OBCs are unable to even fight their battle so Dalits took up the lead and also became target of insinuation by the caste forces. OBCs reserved their energy to hit the Dalits in the villages which they are quite expert in and providing fodder to Hindutva’s street thugs against Muslims. The issue of reservation in India has always been burning heart of our friends for years. Unfortunately, none of them raise their voice against the reservation for Brahmins who control our temples and ashrams and which is absolutely birth based, as well as reservation for manual scavengers who hail from a particular community. We still have not been able to eliminate the manual scavenging. Those champions of equality actually usually protest in the street sweeping and polishing shoes which means that if they are not there in the AIIMS, they would have to do such work which is not meant for them. Our students feel it the same way. That cleaning, sweeping, scavenging, farming are not their work. It is the duty for those which is prescribed by Lord Manu. Therefore none should be surprised what IIT Delhi is proposing in terms of ‘educating’ the Dalit students. It is simply following what AIIMS student started several years back. We all know its director Indrasen has been notoriously writing against reservation and has filed a case in the Supreme Court related to OBC quota. Indian Institute of Technology is a brand name world over for high quality technical education. Unfortunately, these institutions surviving on the extraordinary budget of the government do not provide people who have not only quality and ability but also a commitment to India. Today, these institutions have become den of the forces who look down upon anything which reflect diversity of India and fair play. The issue of reservations of seats for Scheduled Castes and other groups like the Scheduled Tribe and OBCs has been powerfully resisted by the IITians of different hues in the name of merit. One can not ignore the fact that merit is important in our life but the basic point is how do you estimate merit? Is there any criterion which can judge merit in India which suffers from Dronacharya syndrome and where academics are turning worst than the former Guru of Mahabharata who created all kind of obstacles for Eklavya, a tribal boy, to become numerouno archer of the world? One does not need to repeat this mythological story as how Dronacharya in his attempt to foil the hard work of Eklavya used his devotion to him as a tool to promote his favourite Arjuna as the number one archer of the world, asked Eklavya to offer him his thumb. So, one can not believe in such teachers for evaluating the merit of those who they feel suffer from inferiority. These are the academics who have not been able to clean their mind and heart. The issue of reservation has to be seen in wider context of respecting diversity of communities at all the level of our academic institutions and governance structure. Unfortunately, it seems, that the caste Hindus feel that merit and nationalism is their domain and therefore they have got the fundamental right to rule and lord over the country. It is an unfortunate situation. Definitely one of the issue is that every one want to be part of these institutions and hence government must increase the strength also but that apart a diverse country like India can not survive if our places of learning do not have space for the vast variety of ethnic, linguistic, religious and caste groups in these institutions. In the absence of the presence of these groups, we only create stereotypes about them. It is more than shocking to hear the circular of IIT Delhi for the Dalit-OBC students to learn etiquettes and manners. What does it mean? Do the students hailing from these categories suffer from cultural inadequacies? Can we really call it like that? What are the learned professors of our IITs going to teach to these students? Why are such classes necessary for the Dalits, tribal and OBCs only? Why the University and these ‘meritorious’ institutions not offer these classes of manners and etiquettes for the so-called upper caste Hindus too. IITs and other such institutions have been domain of caste based discrimination in India. The Dalit students and the students from OBC community face discrimination at every phase right from their admission till evaluation. The female students opting for Ph.Ds often face the sexual harassment. Many of these students were compelled to commit suicide. The dirt in India’s academic world need to be cleaned and it is only possible with diverse participation these institutions. Today, these institutions have high level of nepotism and corruption which is not exposed so far. The links matter a lot in India and particularly in bureaucracy and academics. Better assignment, good postings and wonderful evaluation are hallmark of our wonder world. In such a scenario when these institutions want special training to learn etiquette for the Dalits and OBCs then we have to seriously think of the merit of these teachers and other academic staff. It clearly envisage that the Dalit and others who are not really caste Hindus suffer from lack of etiquettes and hence need to be ‘educated’ for that too. Should we call it a new ‘sansrktisation’ process where students may be asked to condemn themselves rather than questioning the wrong? Indians grow in their caste and have never allowed developing linkages and friendship beyond their caste. The beyond caste friendship is just due to some compulsion otherwise we would not be happy in exploring that. When you grow up in hearing things about the glories of your caste and contempt of others, you only develop a false notion about others. Our academic institutions actually suffer from that as they were educating just one kind of people there. They should understand that thousands of Dalit OBC students are now challenging the status quo and coming up with flying colors. If they do not know, I would like to emphasize that 10 years down the line, the maximum competition and merit would come from the Dalit students. So the education sector is witnessing the biggest change and that is the participation of Dalit-OBC-tribal students and Universities, colleges and other academic institutions need to understand that. It is not scenario of 1980s when they would say that in the absence of ‘eligible’ students they recruited the ‘others’. Today, there is no dearth of students from these communities who have come up and performed much better than others. Hence the institutions have to prepare them to face new realities and not re-impose their outdated caste mind on the young mind. They do not realize that they are living in 21st century and for this they need 21st century ideas. On the one side we want to claim that we have highly talented young minds coming from these ‘prestigious’ institutions but the darker side is that they are churning pathetic caste mindsets who have nothing to with India and mostly who are looking for greener pastures. IITs and academics should come out of their isolated megalomaniac world and face the realities of the 21st century where their act may be pursued as violation of fundamental rights of individuals. They need to learn from the world that there are UN Declaration of human rights and India is signatory to all this. They should also know the political changes in the country. These teachers are a shame to India who suffers from Dronacharya syndrome. In today’s world Dronacharya would not only have been suspended from the job but would have faced prosecution in the court of the law. One sincerely hope that the decision of Delhi IIT and any other institution will be taken back otherwise it will amount to racial and caste based discrimination and the director or Vice chancellor of such institutions must be prosecuted for that. Those champions of ‘merit’ who oppose reservation for Dalits and OBCs keep mum on when their friends buy seats in the technical institutions. They pay money and get admission abroad too. None of them ever raised a slogan against private colleges which levy huge capitation fees or when they can buy ticket for anything by just paying a few bucks extra. Issue of merit is often repeated and Dalit-OBC-Muslim question can not be related to that. It is the question of share in power structure. If the government is so afraid, then we will need more AMUs, more Jamias and more the likes that for the Dalits and OBCs too. If the caste based discrimination against them continue, there is nothing wrong in demanding special universities for each segments of our society. We have seen how the students are bringing fictitious certificates of different categories to get admission in the university and we have plenty of information related to that in the past also. The only point, I wish to make is that the student do not know what to do for the admission. It is there ‘meritorious’ teachers who must have told them to get these fake certificates. What could be the ‘merit’ of these goons who are ready throw away lakhs of rupees to get admission into these ‘prestigious’ colleges. It would be better to rename AIIMS as All India Institute of Manuwadi Studies which actually would really reflect the nature of the institution. Already, we have the statue of Manu inside the campus of Jaipur High Court and nobody dare to remove that. It would be good to install these statues at other places such as IITs and AIIMS so that people world over could know what is the importance of this man Manu. In fact, government of India, should also help strengthen Manuwad all over the country by printing original Manu smriti in all the languages of India so that people could know why Manu excites so much to our academic institutions and IITs.

S.P.Singh : Icon of Hindi media

Tribute SP : Legacy of Ethics and courage in the media By Vidya Bhushan Rawat Surendra Pratap Singh or SP as he was popularly known was one of the most iconic journalists of Hindi media at the time when it was opening up to new realities of television journalism. At the time when media particularly the vernacular media and its journalists were openly hobnobbing with the Hindutva lobby in the corporate and enjoyed the patronage, he was sharply different and committed to the profession of journalism. Yes, unlike many other veterans in the Hindi world, who crossed the thin line between journalism and politics, SP was clear about his motive and work. He never pretended to be a mass leader, nor was he a preacher. Those were the days of Indian media when many of the editors had the habit of coming to the front page under their by-line yet these temptations did not attract SP. He was happy with his contents and stood with the ethics of journalism. We all know that the vernacular journalists are habitual of political patronage and feel proud of their linkages. At the time when Hindi newspapers converted themselves to Hindu newspapers and the way they reported the entire Ramjanmbhumi-babari masjid controversy to say the least was shocking. The newspapers baron was playing tricks. Most of them owned both vernacular and English dailies and hence they cleverly allowed ‘freedom’ to their editors. So that was an interesting phase when the owners put different breed of Secularists and Hindutva sympathisers for their Hindi and English News papers. Many brought them in the name of literature. SP was not enamoured by literary figures. The fact is that after the demise of Rajendra Mathur, perhaps the most respected editors of his time, who actually was editor in chief of Navbharat Times when SP was editor, the Times Management brought a veteran Brahmin Vidya Niwas Mishra as the Editor in Chief of the newspaper and that brought a complete down fall of Navbharat Times, a newspaper who every body would subscribe. He knew how the journalists have openly joined hand with political parties and later Rajya Sabha seat was not a far away job but it was not surprising for him. He always mentioned that this has been happening since independence and journalists and writers were always ‘Promoted’ and ‘awarded’ the state for their own purposes. However, in the Ramjanmbhumi-Ayodhya matter even the owners of various newspapers jumped in and became ‘writers and journalists’. Their writing was completely irrational and unethical. They forced their reporters to twist the facts and distort the news. Even the press council reprimanded many of these newspapers. The Hinduisation or brahmanisation of Indian media is a continuation process with SP a victim of it. He stood against it and provided opportunities to budding journalists in his institution. He had faith in the youths and was that way an iconoclast who never believed in big names of the literature to be the best journalists. He always said that one can be a good writer but may not be a great journalist. And it proved when Vidya Niwas Mishra proved to be disastrous for Navbharat Times, which was a great institution before SP left it. SP continued with his writings and many of them appeared in English press also. However, his best days were yet to come. As Doordarshan allowed a half an hour news based programme Aaj Tak to India Today group with SP its head, the meaning of news changed for many of us. It was a sharply different news style than the boring faces of Doordarshan who would only report about the inauguration and death ceremonies of the political leaders and ministers. (Today, doordarshan seems to be better option than our preachy and self conscious anchors of the private channels). Aaj tak became very popular and SP synonymous to it. People would wait every night to here his voice and analysis. The best quality in him was that he was not judgemental and always left to his viewers to decide. As he said many time, his did not do journalism to fulfil any fixed agenda. He was committed to journalism and its ethics. For him, news should be ethical and should not promote mass hysteria. At a time when the entire country witness the ‘drinking of milk’ by Ganesha, SP had the capacity to send his reporter to a very ordinary shoemaker in Delhi and seek his opinion and explain the science behind the Ganesha drinking milk. He never appreciated such acts which were being promoted in the name of news. Upahar cinema tragedy in June, 1997 at Delhi, shook every one of us. We waited that night to listen to him. As he started speaking and narrating the entire sequence and we saw dead bodies, burnt corpus of young old being taken, people in distress, SP’s voice was choked on TV. He became philosophical too how the administration could be so callous that such kind of things can happen in the capital city of the country. The trauma of the cries of people was too much for him to bear. He struggled for life many days and finally succumbed to it on June 27th. SP is not there but his smiling face always remind us that news can not be just for sale or production. News must be ethical. One important point that our friends must learn from his experience is that not everything that brings crowd is great. It can make great news but there must be news behind the news too. Therefore, he not only showed the news of people queuing up to offer Ganesha milk but also exposed it showing how a common Dalit does not believe in all these miracles by showing an interview of a shoemaker. When Delhi was burning against Mandal Commission report, SP stood strong and refused to toe line of his peers in the media who came out openly asking students to come on the street and immolate themselves. Today, when we remember SP for his immense contribution to India media and how he changed the perception of media and how important it is for the budding journalists not to worship their elders but believe in getting into the depth of the news. He started various products right from Ravivar from Kolkata to Aaj Tak in Delhi and converted them into credible brands. People read him and watched his channel out of deep respect for him and credibility that he brought. You can not build credibility on compromise. It is built on ethics. Nobody ask you to have a particular ideology but commitment to truth and values and SP believed in it. Yes, whatever one say, he proved with his hard work that nothing is invincible and age does not matter. At a young age his left behind a credible legacy to us and hope those who worked with him or read him will actually take forward his legacy of commitment and impartiality to the news.

Why they still hate him...

Relevance of V.P.Singh and his politics Vidya Bhushan Rawat Today, we remember V.P.Singh on his birthday. We know that on his death anniversary our friends do not have time except to shout loud of the hotel Taj and how India was attacked that day. The forces of status quoists always find ways and means to undo everything that comes in the way of social justice and social change. I did not intend to write this article today but somewhere I always felt that we have done great injustice to the man himself. Even when the forces of hatred continue to speak loudly and in deepest condemnable term, we keep quiet or just listen to it. We may not be VP Singh’s fan but definitely we must understand why he is being abused even today by the caste forces, most of them, who would happily go at Ramdev’s fast or Anna’s tamasha at the Rajghat. It brings us to the question that the caste Hindus always suffer from the disease of ‘merit’. This merit which has not brought any laurel to India, no invention except the caste system and its worst form. It is a unique country where majority suffer and minority rules. It is a unique country where the participation of the marginalized is resisted powerfully. If you understand, please note the point of convergence between Anna Hazare and Kapil Sibbol-Chidambaram-Pranab Mukherjee gang. Despite their differences, they share common hatred towards the Dalits and the OBCs. They want to be the leaders of every Indian but just get panicky when the issue of reservation is raised. Whenever the issue of marginalized comes up, our political leadership buckled under the pressure and became media savvy. Those of us, who have followed the heady days of anti mandal agitation in Delhi and other parts of North India, know well how much courage it needed for a prime minister to face an adverse atmosphere. We know every suicide that time was glamorized by media, supported by editors as fight against injustice. The whole story cooked up by the crooked editors as if the High Caste Hindus are facing the discrimination at the hands of ‘Dalits and OBCs’. It needed lot of courage to implement such a path breaking decision whether knowingly or unknowingly, which actually cost him his own government. Why did the National Front government fell? It fell for two important causes of India. One for the implementation of Mandal Commission Recommendation and secondly and more importantly protecting shrines which the Hindutva forces were ready to destroy and celebrate. Yes, V.P.Singh did not allow the Babari mosque to be demolished yet years after when Narsimharao connived with the Sangh Parivar in destroying the mosque at Ayodhya, nothing happened to him. He still remains a ‘pratasmaraniya’. Those who say that equity has been achieved will not get shocked when the Chair person of National Commission for Scheduled Caste is denied entry in temple in Orissa simply because he happen to be a Dalit. Many meritorious Dalit students are forced to commit suicide because the academics have clearly shown their caste character in most of our academic institutions. But the caste Hindus have kept their eyes shut. Today, when Anna Hazare is claiming to fight against corruption. None of his colleagues ever remember V.P.Singh because they fear the caste Hindus. Why ? Why do the castes Hindus not want to remember his anti corruption campaign? Is it so because they are afraid of even the ghost of V P Singh? He was the cleanest among his peers, honest than any other prime minister India has so far and was involved in direct interaction with people. There was no ego when any body went to meet him. He was ready to go to the hunger strike, sitting, dharanas and even fight with police. We all know how he reached village Bajhera Khurd one early morning and ploughed the land acquired by Reliance Power Plant. This was time when Mulayam Singh Yadav had handed over three thousand hectare land to Anil Ambani for a Gas based power plant in Dadri, near Noida, much against the wishes of the farmers. To understand V.P.Singh, one needs to see his campaign and political strategies. He might have weakness like any other politician but he had conviction. At this moment, when we suffer from the hyper Hindutva and an aggressive upper caste lead Congress Party, we really miss this space of opposition which V.P. had the capacity to unite and organize. He was an elderly statesman who could have united the forces of social justice and secularism. India needed him more at this moment. We miss him because we see the two upper caste parties sucking India’s blood and undoing everything that has happened since 1989 with massive participation of Dalit-OBC-Adivasi-Muslims political leadership. That leadership needs a statesman today who could bring them together and fight against this Hindutva corporate nexus. The war is put on us. Our land is being acquired in the name of ‘development’ and our jobs in the name of ‘merit’. Let us be clear, it is not time to pitch one against other. Reservations provide us opportunity to be in power structure and land reforms are important point of entry to attain social justice. Well, the caste Hindus want to grab everything in the name of their own constructed theories. They are active every where to cry against everything. Whatever, they may claim and spread, the fire that V P burnt has ignited all those who aspire to change and fight against this corrupted system. A small effort of a man in power can change many things so V P might not be an ideologue but he stood with his convictions and always remained with people’s movement till his death. The abuse hurled at him shows his strength and relevance to the polity of social justice.

Fight against Corruption can not ignore vital issue of communalism in India

Fight against Corruption: Are we Serious ? By Vidya Bhushan Rawat Those were the years when the people in Uttar-Pradesh and Bihar thought that now the change was about to come. The crowd at his gathering was increasing regularly. The speeches were laced with new adjectives of ‘future of India’. Rajeev’s clean image had taken a beating. The expose had jolted his government. As finance minister, he ordered that the corruption charges against prominent industrialists be probed. Many of them had to go to jails. He selected his officers on the basis of their probity and personal strength. They gave him results. Soon, the ‘best finance minister’ was shunted out of the Ministry to ‘defend’ the country. The Industrialists wanted him out. He ordered an inquiry against corrupt politicians too and they too wanted his exit. No industrial house in India can survive without corruption. Tax evasions were rampant and he was trying to find out the big fishes without understanding that these sharks would connive together and throw him away. He was send to Defense Ministry ignoring big public opinion against him. Government of that day was habitual of such things. Rajeev was surrounded by the coterie and completely ignored saner advises. As he moved to defense ministry, he found that there was a commission paid in HDW Howitzer deal ordered from Germany. The Bofors report also came out and it became difficult for Congress to hide its face. This he that time was V.P.Singh who we all love to hate despite his personal integrity and honesty in political life. Yes, V.P.Singh was dismissed from the primary membership of Congress Party for his fight against corruption. Yet, the successful thing was that he became symbol of fight against corruption in India in the late eighties. The students, middle classes jumped and joined hand. His personal image remained cleaned all the time. The government of the day, started personal vendetta and fictitious reports were created. Editors were hired to write in papers. Some of the biggest name of Indian media jumped into the fray and allowed themselves to be used in a vicious propaganda against Singh. A fake account was opened under his son Ajeya Singh’s name in St. Kitts islands which later turned out to be fictitious. He ancestral property issue also cropped up. Yet, V.P.Singh could survive because he was simply a man of integrity and his life was open for probe. The upper caste middle classes were first to jump on his bandwagon when they realize that he is now ready to overthrow the government. The Brahmins of Varanasi anointed him with title ‘ Rajarshi’ and he developed tremendous good will of the people i.e. upper castes. V.P.Singh came to power in 1989. He ensured that people with integrity take charge of the ministry. The government was functioning well. It started allowing freedom to Doordarshan and all India radio. It was refreshing to see news that time. It was working on labor and election reforms. Lot of other issues including Lokpal was under consideration that time. That apart, the Janata Dal as a political party had promised to fulfill 27% quota for the OBCs. On August 7th, 1990, V.P.Singh announced the acceptance of the Mandal Commission Recommendations in Parliament. Till one month nothing happened and slowly the upper castes realized that their control over power is slipping and unless a slanderous campaign is started, they will be completely out of power. So, not only slander but everything that was available in dictionary was used to defame the Dalits and OBCs. The middle class Hindus were in the streets against OBC quota. V.P.Singh became one of the most hated politicians of our time. So much that none of the Hindu journalists ever want to say few things about him. Today, when we are fighting against corruption, none of these leaders bothers to even mention his name. Why? The answer lies in the upper caste hatred against anything that provides connection of power to the Dalits and marginalized. V.P.Singh was the greatest person as long as he was talking about corruption and everything but he became the worst since he started talking about the Dalits and OBCs. His government not only did the OBC quota but it also provided reservation for Neo Buddhists and the Centenary celebration of Baba Saheb Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar and honoring him with Bharat Ratna. Similarly, Mayawati is not corrupt as long as she placate the upper castes but as soon as she has erected those monuments of Dalit Bahujan icons in the city of Lucknow, we are angry because we feel that the natural inheritor of our roundabouts in the city center, are the Gandhis, Nehrus, and our so many Gods and Goddesses. The upper caste middle class feeling is that Dalit Bahujan icons should remain in the Bastis and dalitwadas When we talk about corruption, how can we ignore the illicit land deals in our country? How can Anna and his team just feel that corruption is just in terms of money? The biggest corruption in today’s India is selling of our natural resources, our land, forest and water. What is their stand on it? What will they do that powerful and well connected people do not buy land just because they have money. Will we put a ceiling on land in India despite people’s purchasing power? When civil Society want to judge every one, who will judge civil society? What is this civil society. Did Anna and his team follow any principle of democracy in forming his team? How does democracy survive? With such blackmailing tactics of Gandhi who used it to foil the separate electorate of Dalits?’ The issue of corruption is not light but then those who want to fight against it should also remain clean. Yes, for people like us, they should not only be clean but also have faith in our secular pluralistic values and can not be hate preachers. How are these multi billionaires who have acquired their property in each state and even outside India interested in fight against corruption? Do Anna and team not know that Baba and his games, his property and his money? Is it a fight among those who say you have grabbed over one hundred million rupees and it is our term to do so? How are we going to talk about individuals? Democracy will have to come out of these individualism and work. Yes, corruption affects us all. So why not we start to work developing a movement from the ground involving those who lands have been grabbed by the local elites who may be donating huge sums to these anti corruption fellows. Should we not see who these forces we want to project an alternative are. Just because there is a crowd does not mean that it has right to do anything. Crowd does not provide legitimacy. Many of our friends actually feel that any one who brings out the crowd is great. Yes, Babas crowd was not a crowd of social justice. Anna’s crowd is similar. The stupidity of the Sangh’s propaganda is that the Ramleela ground incident is being portrayed as Jalianwallah massacre. And see their gleeful faces in Rajghat. Sushma was dancing while Advani was comparing this incident to Jalianwallah Bagh. None ever question about the fictitious land deals of Ram Dev and other Babas. If we ignore the vital corruption in terms of land in the name of mutts, temples, Gurudwaras and mosques, we can not fight against corruption. In fact, we provide legitimacy. We can not start a movement in which India majority population feel isolated, and fearful. The concern of 20% Indian Muslims and other minorities are important and can not be ignored. It is not just corruption but also their place in India and partnership in decision making. How do allow Dalit, Adivasis, Muslims and other partnership in our movement if we allow the entire reactionary forces in our decision making. Just because you want to eliminate Congress Party does not mean you can ally with any one. Yes, if the government and those who claim to work for us, are serious, then they must talk corruption of all kind, in all forms, anywhere. And not talk what is suitable to middle classes who started corruption and want to lead the movement against it too. We want the government to release all the land papers of temples, mutts, Gurudwaras, Churches and Mosques. Let the people know how much money is lying there and who is using it for what purposes. Anna Hazare and his team would do great danger if they do not consider it as corruption. Will they speak on it ? Will they take on the religious thugs sitting on our land and water and preaching us of austerity? The Hindutva forces are working over night on their agenda. They will use all the platforms which brings back power to the bramanical social order. After Ramdev, they want to bring back Uma Bharati to fight against Mayawati. While Congress is shamelessly sticking to Brahmin elite in Uttar-Pradesh, the Hindutva is busy with experimenting and who else can do it better than the Shudras. It is time we understand the dangers of such fight against corruption and expose them tooth and nail. None can be a bigger threat to India than the ascendancy of the Hindutva forces to power. Let us fight against corruption and expose the very source of it.

Hidden entry of the corrupted against corruption

Dangers of Ramdev's rhetorics By Vidya Bhushan Rawat Delhi police in the midnight forcibly evicted the Ramleela ground where Baba Ramdev and his fiftty thousand devotees were fasting against bringing 'black money' from abroad. Baba was over excited. He wanted that he will not sit in AC untill each Indian has an AC. He was in Land Rover and later shifted to Scorpio. I hope he would not say that I would not sit in Land Rover or Scorpio unless each Indian gets one. Baba's rehterics are immense. Once Laloo used to do this but then Laloo really was a great orator and his understanding of Indian masses was too large than Baba Ramdev. Baba, on the other hand know that his clientale is local Marwaris and upper castes who have generously donated for this great campaign. They all want to get India's money back. One must tell Baba that a parellel economy already exists in India itself and most of those who have donated him may not have clean hands yet since anything which is coming to Baba is becoming clean so we must accept that everything Baba does is clean. I had maintained from the very begining that the Varnavadi forces lead by the Sangh Parivar and their Hindutva lampoons are behind Baba. Long back MN Roy wrote that Indian facism may not be violent but it would be cultural fascism. We are witnessing corporate fascism today when our farmers are being brutally beaten up for protesting their land grab, students are beaten up when they ask for their rights and quota but then these are not the issues of Baba. He want justice for farmer but would never ever sit on fasting against illegal land grab. Baba Ram Dev can make some of our issues truely national. When our friend Udit Raj fast unto death for reservation in government services, most of us term it as purely politics and do not even come to support. Why is that Baba Ramdev continue to desist the issue of Dalits and OBCs. Well, he knows that if he raise these issues he will not be able to bring likes of Ashok Singhal, Rithambhara on his platform. Watching them and their faces makes one wonder that what is this hue and cry over corruption. Corruption is not merely in the form of money, in India, it actually exist in our values, our spiritualism and our brahmanical system which created this superficial superstructure called brahmanical social order. What is corruption Babaji. Simply because you belong to a shudra community does not give you a licence to claim that you must be working for their rights. In fact, you are converting the new assertive shudras to again bow to brahmanical Hinduism which is the aim of such forces lead by the Hindutva. They want shudras to forget asking their rights, political and economic power. They want to use Shudra's power to actually hit at the bottom of Dalits. They want to make shudras as the gate keepers of brahmanical system which Ambedkar had long back rightfully commented. You can look who are the people around Baba. and you can undersatnd what do they want. All of them gets fits just hearing the name of reservation and quota for Dalits, Adivasis, backwards and minorities. Yes, Baba want to change our constitution. He want a direct election of prime minister like the presidential form of government. We all know Indira Gandhi started this long back and later Advani also wanted it as they are afraid of the regular coalition governments in India. They are afraid of no stable government. Kanshi Ram used to say that the non stable governments are best suitable for all the Dalit Bahujan masses.They will listen to their voices only then. In the presidential form of the government, it is the politicians, who have media, mafia and money with them, will win the elections. We all know who have these with them. Dalits-Bahujan know it well. But then Baba is working on RSS iagenda who always wanted to scarp our secular constitution. Yesterday baba said that I condemn rape on women when a journalist asked him question. He said that he eat at the homes of Harijans and Balmikis. How great he is. He was actually unable to hide his discomfort on the question itself.He forgot Harijan is a prohibited word and they do not need his 'greatness' to eat at his home. He must know that illicit money can not be black as it is the money of the people who are pushing him. He must know that our temples and muths are dens of corruption. In this country, an average Indian has .6 hectare of land.Most of the Dalits do not possess land but you can have huge track of land in the name of cows and any damn gods. There is a ceiling law where an individual can not procure over 18 acres of land. It is different in different states yet it is not over 18-20 acres of land yet for different Gods, we can have thousands of acres of land. All the corruption in India stem from brahmanical corruption. The illicit money in these temples need to be exposed. We must tax all the money in these temples and mutths. Government must bring out a law to regulate these temples like the SGPC in Punjab and other parts of the country. Baba Ramdev, we just want to know why you need such huge track of land. Why you need a chopper to reach masses. You must get the old Mahabharat or Ramayana time chopper and not the modern day instruments to preach your spiritualism. You speak of rehtrorics. We all want to fight against corruption. It is a serious issue. Do not make it non serious through your antics and oversimplifications. Your donors must be having the interest in the so called black money which exists not just in Mauritius or Switzerland but in India too. Why dont you speak of the illicit money in India itself. The Dalit Bahujan masses do not have it. Even the socalled corrupt leaders of theirs do not have this much of money to send to Swiss Bank. This illicit money and I refuse to say black money as I respect the power of blacks.. I respect the color of black.. and I refuse to call black as the symbol of illicit things. For me black is symbol of revolt.. it is colour of Dalit Bahujan. Do not attack our colours. Ask all your donors who are giving you handsome donation as where is their money coming from. I can vouch that Dalit Bahujan Adivais do not need your Yoga as they are hardworking masses.. and they are not in a position to pay you handsome donation baba. Mahatmas have come and gone, said Dr Ambedkar on Gandhi's fast. He blamed that Gandhi did fasting for everything but not a single fast for the emancipation of Dalits. The only fast Gandhi did related to Dalits was for denying them the rights under seperate electroate. So many years after Gandhi, when our Dalits and OBCs are asserting and seeking their role in power politics and rejecting the castiest Varnashram dharma, the danger of Baba Ramdev is that they try to evade these issues and damage the forces of social justice. We condemn the police brutalities in Ramleela ground. But then dont we know how our police behave. How our governmeent behave. When this police beat up Muslim boys, cook up stories about them, leak them to media, we jump and report those as gospel truth. When they inflict brutalities on the Adivasis in Chhatishgarh and Jharkhand, we keep conspicuous silent and say they deserve it. Why are we so angry. Is it because most of these devotees belong to upper caste middle classes? And finally, if Baba want to do politics, he must join it and claim it. He must clear his agenda. Every one has a right to start a campaign for himself. Dont use your Yoga classes and Vandemataram for politics. This is absolute communal agenda from backroom and again putting the brahmanical agenda on the top of our head. We must be careful.

Food Crisis in the age of Land Grabbing

Food Crisis an outcome of failed agrarian reforms By Vidya Bhushan Rawat Much before the world could rise about the context of land grabbing, we in India, know it well how people’s land was already grabbed by the ruling Elites. These people who we called as Dalits or most marginalised found that whatever land they had in their possession was annexed by those village elite which claimed itself as ‘farmers’. Farmer in India, is a peculiar term. They too have castes. They too have rigidities of life. They too suffer from a hierarchical value system which considers the most marginalised as subhuman and untouchables. Indian villages live in darkness, in caste system and in nepotism Said Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar who guided our destiny in the post-independent India as he drafted our constitution and became the emancipator and liberator of millions of oppressed communities all over the country. While, we oppose all forms of discrimination by any one, and, all forms of land acquisition, a bit sophisticated terminology for land grabbing, we want to make it clear that we have become habitual of speaking the truth of convenience. Land grab is not just international phenomena but have been used by all the power elite in our societies. So, as I said in my opening statement, I am opposed to all forms of land acquisition including that by my own countrymen inside the country as well as outside it. Let me explain it further. Before 1990, most of the Dalits and Adivasis found their land being annexed by the upper castes and middle castes farmers. In many places, Indian state refused to act as those whose land was annexed did not matter much politically. The government knew it well that a large number of these communities need their protection yet nothing happened. The first generation of land reform failed miserably because inherent racist nature of our society which never considered these issues important. We still know millions of people in India mostly the Dalits, the tribal and the most backward communities, have in their hand, their land entitlement yet they fail to know where that exact portion of land is. Second failure of first generation of land reform was state’s failure to get the land ceiling laws implemented. Without active will of the state Land Ceiling Laws remain redundant. Most of the land still remains in the hands of power brutal village elite. We Know that they have used the Indian courts to make the Indian laws completely redundant. Many people talks about the Bhoodan Movement for land reform which was a complete eye wash actually to deviate people’s demand for land rights. We all know that these ruling elite would not give their own land at their own will that easily. To puncture the land rights movement, these elite trapped the whole social movements for land rights in Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh. We all know the out come of Bhoodan movement and how the land was used. Andhra Pradesh can give a better example of Bhoodan land. Interestingly, Land Ceiling is for 12 acres of irrigated land while 18 acres for semi irrigated land. Land in India, is a state subject hence these criteria’s change accordingly. But the commonality of these things is that you can procure land in the name of gods and goddesses, in the name of church, temple and mosques and no ceiling law would impact you as all these Gods do not live with in the Ceiling act. You can also procure enormous land for your cows. It is only for human being that we have put ceiling laws. To evade the land ceiling laws, the ruling elite turn to religion, use it as a tool to exploit the most marginalised one. Rule of law have failed to protect and honor the most margainslied communities from being exploited. In the post 1990s, when the Indian government went on Structural Adjustment programmes, became part of the WTO regime and abdicated all its responsibilities particularly related to land and agrarian reform, we saw a clamour for land acquisition in the name of ‘public interest’. Now, public interest during the British regime who drafted 1894 Land Acquisition Act, was much more different. At least the British created institutions in India, built our road networks and railways and hospitals were constructed but contrary to that our governments actually became ‘real estate agents’ and started land acquisition and handed them over to private companies. Most of the people who face this challenge are the communities of farmers, tribal and Dalits living in the villages and forest regions. Since 1950s, over 9 million tribal have become landless and displaced completely without rehabilitation. In fact, I call it, the annihilation of tribal culture and their land. It is criminal. Any protest for their rights and livelihood is being treated with much voracious state apparatus which criminalises the social movements and political protests. The tribal land is gone to mining mafias, timber contractors in the forest and then the environmental mafias who feel that the tribal are the biggest threat to environment. It does not care whether the tribal be honourably rehabilitated, or compensated for their sacrifices for making us live our today. The Indian state has failed to honor the tribal autonomy and continue to marginalise them. The second kind of threat today is to the farmers in India through the Land Acquisition for Special Economic Zones ( SEZs), for the big roads, malls, companies. All over the country, the farmers are protesting against this illegal land grab. The state acquires their land threatening them with dire consequences if they try to stop the authorities from acquiring their land. A report in the Times of India suggest that in 17 States of India, 40 districts will lose simply 3,69,000 acres of land for various projects. The fact is the numbers are quite big and I would term it great Indian land robbery much bigger than any bank robbery. And these robbers have not come from out side India, the record of Indian companies is worst than their external counterparts. For us this challenge is big. Though we know a large of number these farmers do not even consider Dalit and Adivasis as human being (caste being an important aspect of their arrogance) yet, if we have to understand the future of India and its food security, we must understand the conspiracy of the ruling elite and the powerful private owners who want to control our agriculture. Yes, India’s communal land is under the grab. It was meant for the communities and their cattle for grazing and sitting and discussing their issues. But it is in the hands of powerful caste forces in the villages. We do not talk about it as it would expose our own imperialist culture. It is easy to fight against an external enemy but very difficult to fight against our ‘own’ people and it is applicable to each one us including the communities who I am talking about. Each one of us is a victim of not only external forces wanting to control us but also our own people wanting to be a stooge in the hands of these forces, to exploit our sentiments. The issue of Food crisis is not just related to Food security. For us Food sovereignty is more important. We are not ready to accept that there is a food crisis and hence we need to import food to give it to our people. Food sovereignty is our food, our land and our farmers. You can not impose your waste food on our people in the name of food security. Food is a culture, it depends on local environment, it is developed over a period of time and hence our concern is food which is culturally conducive for our people. Many Indian companies are procuring land abroad particularly in Africa. I know about the land struggles going on in these countries against this kind of imperialism. That is why I mentioned in my remark that we must oppose all kind of imperialist tendencies and not particular kind. If India indulges in that kind of approach, we must not suffer with a false ‘nationalistic’ sentiment because the same companies are disinheriting our own people from their land and using it for non agricultural purposes and then procuring huge land abroad to get it imported to India. It is a conspiracy to make our farmers workless and complete beggars. We must oppose to it. We must also not lose sight of the fact that the current food crisis is not a day’s work. The issue of subsidy to the farm products and fertilisers are very important. If Europe and Americans are not ready to do away with it, they have no right to impose these conditions on our governments to kill our agriculture. It is because of this, we are witnessing farmers committing suicide as they are unable to face the market pressures. They are unable to produce their crop according to fancies of market. Not able to produce profit as we all know well, market gives you big dreams and yet in reality it works against the most marginalised one. It is monopolised by the big corporations hence how can a common farmer compete with them. The farmers have to procure the hybrid seeds to ‘increase’ their yields which has failed forcing them to commit suicide. Indian farmers’ continuous suicide is a direct out come the ‘green revolution’ where they shunned traditional practices and went following the ‘commercial’ practices. Scientific achievements were converted to commercial greed by the companies and we all know green revolution also undid the agrarian reform. It mocked at small land holding and compelled people to annex the land of the most marginalised. The most powerful regions of India’s ‘green belt’ have the worst record of violence against women and Dalits. It has the worst record of dilapidating our water resources. Today, the same farmers are willingly ready to sale their land for real estate purposes and the only struggle between them and the government is related to monitory compensation and the rehabilitation package. India’s poorest people are living in richest zones. Chhatisgarh, Jharkhand, Oddisha, have rich wealth of natural resources. The companies are venturing there and sucking these resources while the indigenous people are on the road fighting in their own land for their own survival. Is it not an irony that in these rich mineral zones, people are still suffering from hunger? What have we given to them? Except than criminalising them, we have no shame in continuously marginalising and isolating them. A war is growing in the heart of people against this injustice. The state was supposed to protect and fulfil its duties towards its people but it has failed. Civil society failed in its duty. For social movements, it was plainly the issue of land but for millions of people it relate to their continuous marginalisation, cultural annihilation and social ostracisation with the rest of the country. We failed in our duty towards our indigenous people, our most marginalised communities and unable to accept them in our decision making so that they can speak about their issues and plan their future. The crisis is enormous. You can not force an unwilling people to your thought. The efforts to privatise the agrarian system in the name of Food security would not succeed. It is an effort to kill the indigenous system of agriculture. It will ruin millions of farmers, indigenous people from their traditional method of agriculture. Such a food produced by big companies using the most ‘modern’ ‘technology’ might be large in quantity but will never be a qualitative food and will be resulting in annihilating our food culture. If the governments world over have failed to fulfil their duties towards their farmers, their indigenous people then they have no right to seize the resources of people which they have protected, nurtured so beautifully over the years. Do not blame these communities who protected our environment, our natural wealth for your mistakes. It is time, we must apologise to these communities and hand over their land and resources to them so that they are protected better. Let the big companies not worry about our food security. Those corporations can not feed the world who are responsible for killing thousands of farmers, indigenous people on whose ruins they produce their resources. Let us all boycott those corporations and products that are the results of the ruins of the farmers and indigenous people. If people are allowed to access their resources, there would be no hunger deaths. Hunger deaths are the failure of modern states which acquired people’s resources in the name of public interest but could never fulfil those promises to the people it displaced and killed. It is time; we need an informative debate on the issue of Food Security, Food sovereignty and on Land Acquisition. For that, we need to place a complete moratorium on all forms of acquisition that displace people from their natural resources and make them landless and then respect community’s sovereignty over their land and other natural resources.