The real culture of the 'culture police' exposed!

I don't think many would have forgotten about the infamous pub attack in Mangalore. The men who were invovled in the attack were some goons claiming to be members of Sri Ram Sene. To some extent, the real culture of these 'culture police' was revealed in the way they ill-treated, assaulted and molested those hapless women but now their real culture has been further exposed. Two senior functionaries of SRS, Prasad Attavar and Arun Puthila, have been arrested for their alleged links with anti-national underworld elements!

There is yet another report which states that Arunkumar Puthila has been arrested in connection with incidents of desecration of Gandhi Statue and gutting petty shops in Puttur.

Moreover, there is also the allegation that Mr Prasad Attavar was 'helping' many young men in getting jobs and in return demanding their 'services' for various anti-social activities.

Now that the real culture of these men has been exposed, it remains to be seen whether my Hindu brethren get convinced and enlightened that these men are merely extortionists and cultural goondas and have absolutely scant respect for any religious practices or would their 'hindutva mask' be too deep for my Hindu brethren to recognize the real culture of these 'culture police'?

An Open Letter to the Home Minister of Karnataka, Mr Acharya

In the wake of frequent attacks on churches in Karnataka the home minister has come out with a master plan. He has suggested that the managements of religious institutions make their own security arrangements. In this open letter to the home minister I wish to mention how and why he has got it wrong.

Dear Home Minister, Mr Acharya,

I hope that you don’t need to be reminded of the fact that you are not the first home minister of this State. Many have preceded you and many will succeed you. But you would go down in history as the first home minister of Karnataka to make such an irresponsible and insensitive statement. My question is ‘what would have been your reaction if there were repeated attacks on Hindu temples?’ I don’t intend to say that temples should have been attacked or desecrated. But my point is whether your reaction would have been the same if there were repeated attacks on temples? I am highly inclined to think, therefore, that probably your RSS links have blinded you to such a degree that you are no longer capable of making responsible statements!

Perhaps you will remember that there have been many attacks on churches already. But sadly and strangely you have been consistently downplaying such attacks and declaring them as nothing more than robbery cases. But why would a robber break those religious idols/statues into pieces if his/her sole intention was theft?

It is good to know that you are aware of the number of police personnel in the state and the number of religious institutions. As you say ‘There are 1.25 crore houses, 43,000 temples, 3,000 mosques and churches in the State. The State has only 90,000 police personnel and it is difficult to provide security to all places of worship’. But more importantly are you aware of the number of attacks on churches ever since you became the home minister of this State? Are you aware that there haven’t been any arrests of those involved in these attacks?

I would like to bring to your kind attention, in case you are not aware of this, that some sangh parivar groups like Bajrangdal, Sri Ram Sene etc have attributed these attacks to activities like conversion and attacks on Indians in Australia. In Batkal, for example, some members of Sri Ram Sene had even threatened to attack all the churches if violence against Indians was not stopped in Australia (Varthabharati, January 21, 2010 pg 3). So your argument that these attacks are only instances of robbery carries no weight.

One of the major achievements of the BJP government in Karnataka has been the budgetary support to religious mutts. With that support, mutts are definitely in a better position to provide adequate security arrangements for their religious structures. Why are mosques and churches deprived of such support? Isn’t it only fair to extend such budgetary support to mosques and churches to help them in their security arrangements? With that support, I am sure, they would be happy to accept your suggestion.

It appears that you are not very serious about your job as home minister. As you are a doctor by profession, the State would indeed be better off if you are relieved from your present responsibility to allow you to carry on with your practice as a physician. In fact some say that you did a lot of good as a physician.

Therefore, in the greater interest of the State, Mr Acharya, shouldn’t you quit as home minister and listen to those who say ‘physician heal thyself’?

Church attacks in Karnataka- Oh CM and HM when will you stop it?

On the eve of India’s 61st Republic Day, as the Nation was preparing to celebrate the 60 years of its Constitution, some goons in Karnataka engage in ‘celebrating’ this event by vandalizing two churches. Though a shame and disgrace to the nation’s constitution, such attacks/vandalism have become a regular feature, ever since the BJP has come to power in Karnataka. It’s a great mystery that on the one hand we have ever increasing attacks on churches and on the other we don’t have a single instance of any arrests relating to these attacks! No doubt our chief minister and home minister deserve special mention for promising that the guilty will be punished! At least they have been gracious in making those ‘promises’. One must really admire their great capacity to make such promises in abundance!

Though there have been promises by CM (Chief Minister) and HM (Home Minister) of arresting the culprits, strangely there have also been attempts to downplay these attacks. The cops consider it robbery and Chief Minister thinks some outsiders are behind these attacks. But A. K Subbaiah, former MLC, has termed these attacks as sponsored offence.

This is really scary- rising attacks, absence of any arrests and empty (but unlimited) promises by the leaders!  Add to this the recent appointment of Mr Eashwarappa, allegedly a hardcore RSS man, as the state BJP chief. Well, it can’t get worse as some think!

Yet another development in the state has been the rise in Hindutva conventions (though they are called Hindu conventions actually they are Hindutva conventions). What is the real purpose behind these conventions? To further polarize the people along religious lines or to promote peaceful coexistence? Unfortunately the focus seems to be the former with many speakers at these conventions making inflammatory speeches.

So the important question is whether the CM and HM are really serious about establishing peace, religious harmony and unity in this state? If yes, they should immediately arrest the persons responsible for church attacks and those who vitiate the peaceful atmosphere by making inflammatory/derogatory speeches.

On Republic Day, though the Governor has sought stringent action against the people responsible for church attacks will the CM and HM act responsibly and soon?

New Year Wish-list!

The year 2009 was pretty bad on many counts. The list of things that we would like to forget is definitely large, if not endless! But the question is ‘have we learnt any lessons from our mistakes?’ Joseph Stiglitz says that ‘the best that can be said for 2009 is that it could have been worse’! But he thinks that the world has learnt some important lessons. Well, is it optimism at its best? After all, economists are fond of assumptions!

Coming to India, the country has had many highs n lows in the year 2009. Among the lows, most distressing is the report of increase in poverty levels. According to the Tendulkar committee report, which was established to make a realistic assessment of poverty after the government faced criticism about its official estimates, poverty levels are 37.2 % which is much more than the official figures of 27.5 %. (some articles relating to this report are here and here.) We must not forget that even this report is faulty and therefore, the actual poverty rates would be much beyond 50 %.

Coming to Karnataka, I wonder if there are any great achievements to boast about. A peaceful state till recent times has sadly witnessed a steady growth in communal riots ever since BJP government has come to power. The recent data suggests that Karnataka has the dubious distinction of topping the list of communal clashes in South India. It has even overtaken Gujarat at the national level. No doubt a distressing trend. 

So, would 2010 go down in history as a year of great achievements- demonstrated by decrease in both poverty levels and communal riots?

Decoding Daijiworld's loyalty to MSEZ!

Time and again I have been baffled by daijiworld's style of reporting on the controversial MSEZ. It appears as though the daijiworld is blind to the excesses, read abuses/highhandedness, of MSEZ. If not, how else would one explain the selective reporting on the MSEZ that (so easily and frequently!) gets squeezed into daijiworld's pages? 

Let me elaborate. Lets take for example the very recent public audit of the MSEZ. This was indeed 'newsworthy' for Deccan Herald and mangalorean.com among others and not for daijiworld, even when people like Aruna Roy and Medha Patkar were part of the programme! But strangely (or selectively) daijiworld reported the disrtribution of property title deeds just a day prior to this public audit. Its not that this didn't deserve publicity. But my point is why daijiworld attempted to be selective in its reporting on the MSEZ? Now if daijiworld were to be fair and unbiased in its reporting, what prevented it from reporting on the public audit of MSEZ? Is it because the audit took place on a sunday (read holiday) and therefore daijiworld didnt have men/women to cover the event? 

When we dig deeper into the pages of daijiworld, the extensive reporting on MSEZ becomes all the more evident. Thanks to Ms Florine Roche, MSEZ has made it to the pages of daijiworld in diverse ways- interview with the MD and Chief Executive Officer, interview with the Cheif Opearating Officer , report on the R and R colony and many others. At the same time, one wonders why daijiworld has not carried any report on the farmers' struggles/protests, or interviews with the farmers? Even NDTV carried a report on an illustrious farmer from Kalavaru, Mr Gregory Patrao, who has proved to be a real threat for the MSEZ expansion.

Well, it is said that a problem/issue has three sides- the victor's side, victim's side and the right side! Hasn't daijiworld's loyalty to the MSEZ deprived the legitimate space for the other two sides?

Best of Michael Jackson- Heal the World

Is 'love-jihad' the new terror mantra?

I am increasingly excited to know more about this ‘love-jihad’- after a few reports emanating from the coastal belt of Kerala and Karnataka. Whether this is grounded on evidence or not, some HC (Hindu-Christian) groups, looks like the fundamentalist groups from either community, have joined hands to oppose it. In fact there is one report that even calls it the new mantra of terror! Now, it remains to be seen whether this is yet another attempt by the HC fundamentalists to further demonize the Muslim community or a genuine attempt to arrest a very dangerous trend.

Karnataka Ministers get ‘Modi lessons’?

Karnataka has been an exception in many ways. One is immediately reminded of the Loksabha election results that were quite different from the national trends. There is also this feeling that the BJP is growing ‘steady and strong’ in Karnataka though the party is in great disarray at the national level. Add to this list the latest ‘Modi lessons’ for the ministers, even amidst the large-scale opposition. That this government considers it appropriate to get lessons from a man who is accused of ‘riots and encounter deaths’ (and to have those lessons in a religious mutt!) itself speaks loudly of what this government is serious about. Anyways, as we have been told that these were ‘development lessons' one hopes that Modi’s lessons, which took place just a couple of days before the Gandhi Jayanthi celebrations, would make this state more peaceful and non-violent.

Will the BJP rise from the ashes?

The ‘BJP will rise from the ashes’ declared the RSS chief, Mohan Bhagwat, recently. Let us assume that the BJP will rise from the ashes. It should. But the more pertinent question, however, is ‘would this rise turn out to be more beneficial for the nation or would it turn out to be even more dangerous than before?’.

Now, with the RSS being the official boss, and given its too well-known hate ideology, would it be possible to imagine the rise of BJP to be essentially different? Would the leaders within the BJP be able to thwart this RSS wave of hatred and division?

Well, should the BJP call itself the ‘national party’, or the ‘party with a difference’, its rise from the ashes should entail a retreat from its usual anti-minority stand and a noticeable commitment to the pluralist ethos of this nation.

Drought of justice and flood of funds!

Here is a great article by P. Sainath which reviews the misplaced priorities and policies of the government. He brings to light the corporate -friendly policies of the government on the one hand and on the other the sheer neglect of the socially disadvantaged groups .
Well, what happened to the government's promise of inclusive growth?

Should Prohibition Go in Gujarat?

When the hooch tragedy in Gujarat killed over 130 people (several others are under treatment in different hospitals) the liquor baron Vijay Mallya thought he knew the reason behind the hooch tragedy. Mallya blamed prohibition for the tragedy and stated that it was a wake-up call for the political hypocrites. The question is whether Mallya stop hooch tragedies?

The fact is that he can’t because he has no answers for the hooch tragedies in states like Maharashtra, Tamilnadu and Karnataka where his business is thriving! The Gujarat government is right in asking Mallya to mind his own business. (Actually he was minding his ‘business’)

But as Anil Dharker notes in his interesting article there is no rational or moral reason for Gujarat to continue with its prohibition policy. The Father of the Nation would be happier if the State were to practice the ideals of satya and ahimsa (with no prohibition in place!) instead of the practice of prohibition without the ideals of satya and ahimsa!

Heard of Socialism with American Characteristics?

There is an interesting article by Joseph Stiglitz which speaks of American style of Socialism. Its unique features include

- Socialization of losses and privatization of profits

- Equating the bailing out of bankers and their shareholders with bailing out of banks

- Extension of corporate safety net- from commercial banks to investment banks, then insurance banks and automobiles while forgetting the ordinary citizens

- Bailing out the financial institutions which diverted the billions- intended to enable them to revive lending to payments of outsized bonuses and dividends.

As he states the ‘problem with America’s too-big-to-fail, too-big-to-be-restructured banks: they are too politically powerful. Their lobbying efforts worked well, first to deregulate, and then to have taxpayers pay for the cleanup. Their hope is that it will work once again to keep them free to do as they please, regardless of the risks for taxpayers and the economy.’

Is it time to redefine the rivalry of capitalists n socialists???

Monumental Wonder or Blunder?

Ms Mayawati, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (UP), probably thought that erecting huge monuments in UP would bring her accolades and would also give visibility to her concern for ‘Dalit Cause’. But as noted by Amrit Dhillon in The Times of India, has Ms Mayawati squandered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? Read the entire article here.

Surely, this appears to be more of a monumental blunder than a monumental wonder!!

Wondering who is really a Criminal?

The recent cabinet decision to withdraw the criminal cases against the supporters of the Reddy Brothers (RBs) has left the concerned citizens confused and shocked. If you are still asking questions, the home minister Mr Acharya has the answers. Here is what he said about the decision to drop criminal cases against the supporters of the RBs. This in a way sums up the law and order situation in Karnataka.

The Farmers and the Dalits in different parts of this State have been slapped with number of criminal cases. But the pity is that the arms of justice (read as the arms Home Minister and His team) do not reach them as easily as they have reached the RBs and their supporters. Look at the paradox- the farmers have no right to protest against the land acquisition (eg Bellary for Airport, Bangalore for NICE and SEZ, Mangalore for SEZ) or against the inadequate supply of agricultural inputs (eg farmers protests against inadequate supply of fertilizers Haveri) but the supporters of RBs can even destroy a two-century old temple because it came in the way of their mining business.

How can the needs of the Farmers and the Dalits take precedence over the greed of RBs? For the farmers it may be a question of physical survival but for the BJP it is a question of political survival!

Well, it depends who is a criminal in this State and who can get the criminal cases dropped against one’s name....

But Farmers, Dalits and Minorities beware!

Gaon Chodab Nahin- Lovely Satire on the Present Development Model

Welcome to the Sick Capital of Sick State!

‘Health is wealth’ goes a popular saying. Given the present circumstances, the people of Karnataka and more specially the Bangaloreans would not hesitate to go around shouting this slogan. As in the case of money the people realize the importance of health in its absence. ‘Don’t fall sick if you are in Bangalore’ was the headline in one of the dailies. Such is the seriousness of the deteriorating health situation in the capital city.

Recently the World Health Organization declared H1N1 flu as the first pandemic of the 21^st century. The ‘daily dose’ of suspected cases of swine flu being reported in Bangalore makes the situation even more alarming. As if this was not enough some city hospitals have been served closure notices by Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) for failing to set up effluent treatment plants (ETPs) in their premises!

Remember city’s health woes have deeper roots. Swine flu is only a latest entry! Chikungunya has spread its wings to many corners of the city already. There are reports that anybody who goes to a clinic with fever is said to be affected by Chikungunya. Doctors love a sick city.

The questions remain. Don’t the poor deserve better facilities in the hospitals that are supposed to cater to them? How can the ailing healthcare fight swine flu?

Is creation of additional wards for BBMP more important than providing decent healthcare? When will the government wake up to address these pressing issues?

Wealthy God and poor gods!

It has been reported that Mr Janardhan Reddy (now on JR) celebrated his birthday by donating a diamond-studded gold crown estimated to be worth Rs 450 million (45 crore) to the famous Lord Venkateshwara temple at Tirupati. What a noble gesture from a man who is said to be a great devotee of Lord Veknkateshwara and a frequent visitor to the famous place. Apart from being a minister in Karnataka, his mining operations have taken him closer to the neighboring Andhra Pradesh.

See this against the background of the now publicly known cold war between the Chief Minister of Karnataka and the ‘rich and powerful’ Bellary Reddy brothers. The dissatisfaction leading to ‘distancing’ in one state (Karnataka) and the ‘closeness’ driven donation taking place in another state (Andhra Pradesh)! Another factor is the Ministry of Environments and Forestry (MoEF) is conducting a survey of mining lease areas. Would this mean an end of ‘win-win’ situation for these two states? Yes, only Lord Venkateshwara would know it.

Speculations aside, we are bothered by some basic questions. What is the income tax department doing? Are JR and his Reddy brothers paying income tax at all? What are the sources of their income and more particularly what is the source of JR’s 45 crore gift to Lord Venkateshwara in Tirupathi? Would the Lokayukta ever get into the ‘reddy fortress’ in Bellary to expose their ill-gotten assets?

It is one thing to see the rich increasing in number and quite another to see the increase in the riches of a few. Indeed, Lord Vekateshwara would have been happier to see many gods (Human beings) becoming richer than to see the riches of just one God (Lord Venkateshwara)! How can a rich God be happy in a poor country?

Read this related article by Anand Soondas.

Is India a Flailing State??

India is a land of paradoxes! Poverty amidst plenty, high growth rates Vs poor development indicators, surplus food production Vs high starvation deaths, world famous educational institutions Vs pathetic literacy rates and this list is endless. This paradox is captured by well known economist Joan Robinson who said ‘Whatever you can rightly say about India, the opposite is also true’.

In this interesting article Lant Pritchett introduces a new category to refer to India, namely, ‘flailing state’, by which he means “a nation-state where the head, that is, the elite institutions at the national (and in some states) level remain sound and functional but this head is no longer reliably connected via nerves and sinews to its own limbs”.

He refers to the rampant absenteeism, indifference, incompetence, corruption in police, tax collection, education, health, power and water supply- in nearly every routine service!

What shall we say about the move to increase the number of elite institutions like IIMs, IITs in India? Would this bridge the gap between the head and the limbs or would it lead to further alienation of the limbs from the head?

Socio-capitalism as the Latest Economic Mantra

Gone are the times of extremes, or so it seems! Today, there are not many takers for 'either or' positions specially when it comes to say, ‘science and religion’, ‘state and market’ and ‘capitalism and socialism’. For example, the movie ‘Angels and Demons’ speaks of coexistence between science and religion and states that they are not enemies. Here is an interesting essay on the movie.

Today, with the financial crisis there is an increasing skepticism about the infallibility of the ‘invisible hand’, namely, market economy, read capitalism. With many of the high profile capitalist enterprises claiming bankruptcy, the capitalism is in troubled waters. Interestingly, General Motors becomes 'only' the 99th American company to go under!

In such a scenario its goodbye for any talks on exclusive capitalism or exclusive socialism and welcome to ‘socio-capitalism’ or ‘capito-socialism’. R Jagannathan of DNA says that socio-capitalism is an idea whose time has come. 

What do the fundamentalist groups of capitalists and socialists say? 

Fallacies About Voter Turnout

As we know, post elections many theories emerged to explain the voting patterns and voter turnout. But all these theories failed to hold water says Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar in his article on the fallacies about voter turnout.