Absolutely true. In fact, the truth quotient makes it even scarier!
Friday, May 31, 2013
Sunday, November 4, 2012
How to get even with Idiots!
(Please note that this is not an original piece)
One morning, after her husband returned from fishing and had decided to take a nap, the wife thought of taking the boat out for a little ride of her own. Although not very familiar with the topography of the lake, as she was visiting the the camping cum fishing site for the first time, she motored out to a short distance, anchored and started reading the newly released, claimed to be a novel by E.L. James, which she had picked up at the airport.
One morning, after her husband returned from fishing and had decided to take a nap, the wife thought of taking the boat out for a little ride of her own. Although not very familiar with the topography of the lake, as she was visiting the the camping cum fishing site for the first time, she motored out to a short distance, anchored and started reading the newly released, claimed to be a novel by E.L. James, which she had picked up at the airport.
gap
Barely five minutes had passed, when, out of nowhere, popped up a Game Warden in his boat. He pulled up alongside the lady and told her in a matter of fact manner, “Good morning, Ma’am. What are you doing?”
gap
“Reading a book,” she replied, while keeping to herself, the next part that almost slipped out, “Isn’t that obvious?”
gap
The warden did not seem to be impressed. “You’re in a restricted fishing area”, he informed her in a gravely tone.
gap
“I’m sorry, officer, but I’m not fishing. I’m reading a book!”
gap
“Yes, I can see that. But, you have all the equipment. For all I know, you could start at any moment. I’ll have to take you in and write you up.” The warden, evidently, had an unrelenting attitude.
gap
“For reading a book?”, she exasperatedly asked!
gap
“You’re in a restricted fishing area ….”, he droned on, like a robot. The lady, this time, enraged, cut him off sharply, “I’m sorry, officer, but I’m not fishing. For your kind information, I’m reading!” The warden, clearly in a league of his own, brushed aside the angry tone in her speech and repeated, “Yes, but you have all the equipment. For all I know, you could start at any moment. I’ll have to take you in and write you up.”
gap
By this time, she had already had enough, and decided to strike back. “If you do that, I’ll have to charge you with sexual assault”, says the woman, in a calm voice.
gap
“But, but..”, stumbled the warden, “I haven’t even touched you”! He was clearly perplexed.
gap
“That’s true, but you have all the necessary equipment. For all I know, you could start at any moment”, the lady replied in an even calmer voice.
gap
“Have a nice day Ma’am”, that was all, the warden could mutter, before he hurriedly left the place. :-)
gap
gap
gap
gap
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Operation (Flood) Accomplished - Rest In Peace Verghese Kurien
 |
| Amul Girl cries for the first time, since her appearance in 1960s. Image Source: Amul Website |
shovon chakraborty
If there's one single person ever, who has changed the entire landscape of a whole region, thorough his sheer persistence and relentless pursuits of the vision, which he believed in, here was the man. He took on the middlemen - the wholesalers, the moneylenders, and even the age-old feudal structure, present in the villages, in and around Anand. Nobody, from the moneyed classes, were happy with him. But his efforts resulted in the flowing of not red blood, but white milk, and led to a historic revolution among the local untouchables and the economically backward communities. Dr. Kurien lead from the front to create iconic institutions, such as, Amul, Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), Institute of Rural Management - Anand (IRMA) and many more. His open brief to Sylvester daCunha resulted in the creation of the "Amul Baby" or "Amul Girl", perhaps the most iconic Indian brand symbols.
shovon chakraborty
When Dr. Kurien landed at Anand, the situation was bleak. But, his vision, coupled with the guts to walk the talk, started a chain reaction, which has been variously termed as Operation Flood and White Revolution of India. As Mr. R.P. Aneja, the former Managing Director of National Dairy Development Board and a colleague of Kurien for 24 years, recounted in The Hindu Business Line, "Before the IT industry made India matter in the world, the biggest success story of the country was its dairy sector." "Who was responsible for this revolution? One person who more or less single-handedly organised millions of small and marginal farmers into very successful organisations was Verghese Kurien." he went on to declare.
shovon chakraborty
In the decades immediately after the independence, India was hugely dependent on imports of milk powder for meeting its nutritional needs. After, Dr. Kurien's efforts bore fruit, India became self-sufficient in milk and even started exporting milk powder and other milk products. Its annual milk production increased from 20 million tonnes in the 1970s to 80 million tonnes in the 1990s and 122 million tonnes by 2010, earning the title of World's topmost milk producer in the process. Amul, which began its journey with just two village dairy co-operative societies and 247 litres of milk, has grown to be a Rs. 11,668 crore brand with milk collection of 3.88 billion litres in 2011-12. Today, GCMMF, which markets its dairy products under the Amul brand name, has emerged as India's largest integrated dairy products manufacturing and marketing organisation.
verghese kurien milkman of india amul baby shed tears
But, Dr. Verghese Kurien's achievements and impacts are not merely measured by numbers or revenues in Rs . His actual impact can be gauged from the empowerment of millions of people, both from India and abroad, and who came largely from the so called lower strata of the society. Kurien emphasised that democracy in Delhi needed to be underpinned by democracy in the villages. He was a firm believer in the unmatched combination of farmers and professionals working together to serve the rural areas. And, the institutions set up by him have visibly demonstrated that cooperatives do work as democratic institutions in India. His efforts not only helped the marginalized people to gain their rightful place in the society, but also ensured that, unlike communist ideologies, all sections were part of the growth and the development process.
shovon obituary dr. verghese kurien
Especially, in today's political atmosphere, vitiated by increasing levels of hatred and intolerance, Dr. Kurien's ideas of empowering the masses at the root, through the cooperatives model, and heralding in an era of inclusive development, stand tall.
obituary dr. verghese kurien
A truly remarkable man, among the very best, India has ever given birth to, Dr. Kurien, the Milkman of India, lived to fulfill a dream, which he had. There will never be another like him and his 58 years old "baby daughter", the Amul Girl, has actually personified the grief of the entire nation. We can only salute you Dr. Kurien, and thank you for the real-life lessons! Rest In Peace Sir!
shovon obituary dr. verghese kurien
shovon obituary dr. verghese kurien
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Chinese Copy - Indian Maoists and their supporters
(Since CPI - Maoist is the dominant Maoist group in India, I have used the term Maoist and CPI - Maoist interchangeably. Some information have been cited from sources collected through Wikipedia. - Shovon Chakraborty)
Lenin had used the term "useful idiots", to describe the romantic liberals of Russia, whose hearts had been bleeding for his Bolshevik comrades. Although, Lenin and his comrades had only one agenda, that of a violent uprising against what they viewed as corrupt and the rotten system, these romantic at heart, social activists, eulogized their "ism" and ultimately helped them in putting in place, a dictatorial "party-cracy". It took the people of Russia and its colonies, 73 more years to break free from the shackles of communism.
gap
Jump cut to India, circa 2012. Do we see a similar pattern emerging? Although, no Azad or Kishenda or Ganapathy or Kishenji has ever said something even remotely resembling Lenin's assertion, the laptop-totting, can't live without air-conditioning, armchair revolutionaries have been supporting the Maoists in exactly the same manner, as their Vodka gulping counterparts had done some 100 years ago. The so called intelligentsia do claim to have some kind of justification and logical arguments for their continued support of the self-styled "revolutionaries", the "Maoists", but those are hard to understand.
gap
The stock responses from these so called activists, start with some high pitch sounds against brahminism and manuvad (whatever those may mean), followed by pointing out how Maoists are pro-poor and fight for the oppressed massed and ultimately ending with the "excesses" committed by the people in power and the capitalist juggernaut. Radicals among these have even called the Maoist cadres, "Gandhian with a gun", probably, the best example of an oxymoron!
Lenin had used the term "useful idiots", to describe the romantic liberals of Russia, whose hearts had been bleeding for his Bolshevik comrades. Although, Lenin and his comrades had only one agenda, that of a violent uprising against what they viewed as corrupt and the rotten system, these romantic at heart, social activists, eulogized their "ism" and ultimately helped them in putting in place, a dictatorial "party-cracy". It took the people of Russia and its colonies, 73 more years to break free from the shackles of communism.
gap
Jump cut to India, circa 2012. Do we see a similar pattern emerging? Although, no Azad or Kishenda or Ganapathy or Kishenji has ever said something even remotely resembling Lenin's assertion, the laptop-totting, can't live without air-conditioning, armchair revolutionaries have been supporting the Maoists in exactly the same manner, as their Vodka gulping counterparts had done some 100 years ago. The so called intelligentsia do claim to have some kind of justification and logical arguments for their continued support of the self-styled "revolutionaries", the "Maoists", but those are hard to understand.
gap
The stock responses from these so called activists, start with some high pitch sounds against brahminism and manuvad (whatever those may mean), followed by pointing out how Maoists are pro-poor and fight for the oppressed massed and ultimately ending with the "excesses" committed by the people in power and the capitalist juggernaut. Radicals among these have even called the Maoist cadres, "Gandhian with a gun", probably, the best example of an oxymoron!
gap
All of these, lead me to ask the question - Are there really any substance in those logical (at least, according to the claims) arguments? Or, the intelligentsia, as usual, merely playing with words to pull a fast one over the general population of the country and ensure in the process, headline hogging sensational news-stories on themselves? There are also the added incentives in the form of lucrative speaking and writing assignments in foreign countries.
shovon chakraborty writes on maoist terrorism
I would like to believe myself as a casual observer of the Indian political arena. After all, with multiplexes charging a minimum of Rs. 200/- per person, the best form of affordable entertainment is provided, only by the politicians and the assorted activists. Now, with that self-certified tag, I become competent enough to pass judgement on the veracity of the arguments.
salwa judum
Even to a casual observer like me, the argumentative Indian intelligentsia's comments, can only evoke laughter and contempt. The childish attempts at justifying Maoist's actions, are hollow and even the various groups of supporters' comments, contradict one another.
gap
The stated objectives and activities of CPI (Maoist) clearly suggest that there are something more sinister in their scheme of things, than their "masks" in the public, e.g. poets like Gadar and Vara Vara Rao, will openly admit. The diverse mishmash, that constitute the supporter base of the Maoists, try to create an impression, as if the Maoist leaders are all saints and roam around with a halo behind their heads!
gap
A more than disinterested look at the modus operandi of the Maoists will tell anyone, that they are actually fighting the current democratic system of governance. The adivasis and/or the poorest of the poor are merely pawns in their greater scheme of things. The current organization, CPI (Maoist), was formed after the merger of People's War Group (PWG) and Maoist Communist Center (MCC). The merged entity decided to follow "Marxism-Leninism-Maoism" as its "ideological basis guiding its thinking in all spheres of its activities." Included in this ideology is a commitment to continue a "protracted armed struggle" to "undermine and to seize power" from the state. Simply stated, their inherent motive is to overthrow the current democratic disposition and to install a one party dictatorship in its place. What's more interesting is their view on the Islamic terrorism. They view Islamist militancy as a "struggle towards national liberation against imperialism", rather than as a clash of civilizations, and condones it as having parallel goals to the group's own. Now, who in their right frame of mind would like to live in a country or society, where your freedom and rights are either non-existent or severely curtailed? Not me! Probably Ms. Roy, Mr. Sen et al can better answer this.
gap
The Maoist sphere of influence mainly includes the areas, which are the least developed, viz. remote regions of Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh, as well as Bihar and the tribal-dominated areas in the borderlands of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Orissa. The CPI (Maoist) aims to consolidate its power in these areas and establish a "Compact Revolutionary Zone", from which they would advance the people's war in to other parts of India. The highest decision making body of the party is the Politburo, comprising thirteen or fourteen members, seven of whom were either killed or arrested between 2007-11. Central Committee is the second highest body in the party hierarchy, followed - in descending order - by Regional Bureaus, which look after two or three states each, the State Committees, the Zonal Committees, the District Committees, and the "dalams" or armed squads. Apart from these, the party also forces villagers, who have to live in areas under its de facto control, to act as scouts and the first ring of security guards under the sobriquet "People's Militia". This structured set up tells us that the Maoists are no rag tag band of anarchists, but a rather professional outfit.
gap
In their efforts to intimidate and consolidate control, the Maoists tax locals, extort businesses, abduct and kill "class enemies" such as government officials and police officers and have been found to regulate the flow of even aids and necessary goods. To help fill their ranks, the Maoists force each family under their domain to supply one family member and anybody, unfortunate enough to resist, meets a violent end. These terrorists have also been holding kangaroo courts, against their perceived opponents in the areas under their control, and more often than not, the hapless accused's fate is meet a bloodied end. The Maoists have also taken care to demolish government institutions and installations, including schools, communications towers and health centers, citing these as threats to their continued dominance of the regions.
gap
The Maoists reject parliamentary democracy and their stated aim is to capture power through protracted armed struggle based on guerrilla warfare. This strategy entails building up bases in rural and remote areas and transforming them first into guerrilla zones and then into "liberated zones", in addition to "encircling cities". The military hardware used by Maoists, as indicated through a number of seizures, include RDX or Semtex explosives, gelatine sticks, wired and wireless detonators, RPGs, assault rifles like INSAS, AK-47, FN-FAL, country-made weapons and improvised explosive devices. According to reports, total seizures of explosives till date, have been well over 20,000 kg.
gap
The funding for the Maoists comes from abductions, extortion and by collecting protection money, which they call taxes, in rural areas where official government appears to be absent. Poppy cultivation is another major source of funding for Maoists in large tracts of lands in Bihar and Jharkhand. In Orissa, they have been cultivating hemp to help fund their activities. In most of the cases, armed Maoist cadres force the peasants to cultivate these in the place of rice or paddy.
gap
The Maoists are not at all bothered whether the living conditions of the common people become better or whether they get to eat three square meals in a day or not. In fact, if the conditions become better and the youths get regular works, there will be an acute shortage in the number of armed cadres, the "action-squad" members. After all, with food to eat and job in hand, who would like to live as a hermit in the forests wielding a gun and with a very real threat of being gunned down by the security forces at any time looming over the head?
gap
After going through their activities, any person with a bit of sense prevailing, would have asked a few questions.
gap
Questions like how do the general strikes, which normally lead to a loss of livelihood for the poorest sections, benefit the common man, apart from the show of strength by the terrorists? In what way, the blowing up of schools and health centers help the common people to progress? Why is it that any damn business can operate in the Maoist infested areas, if they pay the required amount of protection money to them? What purposes have been served by sabotaging railway tracks, which have resulted in some of the worst accidents in the history of Indian Railways, with the total death toll running in to thousands? Why were public buses, carrying mostly the common people, blown up to kill, may be, 2 or 3 militias? Do the lives of 50 common people matter less than the death of 2-3 Salwa Judum activists? How do the cultivation and peddling of contraband drugs help the society? How come the Maoists always complain, like a crybaby, whenever one of their rank is killed, when they themselves do not fight following the rules of engagement? Why anyone opposing the Maoists' activities have to killed always? Because the Maoists do not accept the Constitution of India, do any of their captured comrades deserve to be treated according to the laws of the country? And, what about the protection rackets and kidnapping for ransom, which are hallmarks of the petty criminal gangs? Why don't they ever hid to the calls for discussion, when they are not threatened by the security forces?
gap
Have you ever heard any of the intellectuals to ask any of these questions? I haven't, and as such, I doubt their intentions too!
gap
The intellectuals want that there should first be developmental activities for the people living in the Maoist controlled areas. Some of them even contend that the state should improve the condition of the people of the country and the Maoist influence will go away on its own.
gap
Is that assumption correct?
gap
Actually, the Maoists' greatest fear is the implementation of the various development programs at the grass root level. Because, then they would lose whatever support base that they presently enjoy. That's why, they will never allow any kind of developmental activities to happen in the hinterlands controlled by them. And, to maintain their vice like grip over the territories, they can do anything, kill anyone and everyone coming in their way.
gap
The intellectuals are actually playing in to the hands of these terrorists. There are also some hard core believers in the Maoist ideology, who along with these intellectuals justify the terrorist activities by pointing to the so-called violence perpetrated by the state. The irony is the state has to conduct armed campaigns because of the Maoists, and not the other way round.
gap
I really don't know as to what stopped the various state governments and the center to act in unison and ensure that the issue is addressed for once and all. If required, the full might of the armed forces should be unleashed on these terrorists and no mercy should be shown, activists be damned. Without tackling the problem, no government shall be able to implement any developmental activities. Secondly, even if the developmental activities bear their fruit, the Maoists will still remain. Their terrorist activities are not aimed at development of the people, rather they are on a war against the nation, which they view as imperialist and bourgeois. Its trues that their cadre strength will be greatly diminished, but the hardcore members will continue their destructive and terrorist activities. Lastly, a Maoist takeover is bound to push the country towards the same dark days, as experienced by the people of Cambodia under Pol Pot or Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin or the Chinese under Mao himself, the threat should be permanently neutralized at any cost. There is no doubt that the Maoists should also enjoy their human rights, but perhaps, it is important that they common tax-paying, law-abiding citizens are not deprived of their own human rights. May be, the government will show some spine, even if for once.
gap
gap
All of these, lead me to ask the question - Are there really any substance in those logical (at least, according to the claims) arguments? Or, the intelligentsia, as usual, merely playing with words to pull a fast one over the general population of the country and ensure in the process, headline hogging sensational news-stories on themselves? There are also the added incentives in the form of lucrative speaking and writing assignments in foreign countries.
shovon chakraborty writes on maoist terrorism
I would like to believe myself as a casual observer of the Indian political arena. After all, with multiplexes charging a minimum of Rs. 200/- per person, the best form of affordable entertainment is provided, only by the politicians and the assorted activists. Now, with that self-certified tag, I become competent enough to pass judgement on the veracity of the arguments.
salwa judum
Even to a casual observer like me, the argumentative Indian intelligentsia's comments, can only evoke laughter and contempt. The childish attempts at justifying Maoist's actions, are hollow and even the various groups of supporters' comments, contradict one another.
gap
The stated objectives and activities of CPI (Maoist) clearly suggest that there are something more sinister in their scheme of things, than their "masks" in the public, e.g. poets like Gadar and Vara Vara Rao, will openly admit. The diverse mishmash, that constitute the supporter base of the Maoists, try to create an impression, as if the Maoist leaders are all saints and roam around with a halo behind their heads!
gap
A more than disinterested look at the modus operandi of the Maoists will tell anyone, that they are actually fighting the current democratic system of governance. The adivasis and/or the poorest of the poor are merely pawns in their greater scheme of things. The current organization, CPI (Maoist), was formed after the merger of People's War Group (PWG) and Maoist Communist Center (MCC). The merged entity decided to follow "Marxism-Leninism-Maoism" as its "ideological basis guiding its thinking in all spheres of its activities." Included in this ideology is a commitment to continue a "protracted armed struggle" to "undermine and to seize power" from the state. Simply stated, their inherent motive is to overthrow the current democratic disposition and to install a one party dictatorship in its place. What's more interesting is their view on the Islamic terrorism. They view Islamist militancy as a "struggle towards national liberation against imperialism", rather than as a clash of civilizations, and condones it as having parallel goals to the group's own. Now, who in their right frame of mind would like to live in a country or society, where your freedom and rights are either non-existent or severely curtailed? Not me! Probably Ms. Roy, Mr. Sen et al can better answer this.
gap
The Maoist sphere of influence mainly includes the areas, which are the least developed, viz. remote regions of Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh, as well as Bihar and the tribal-dominated areas in the borderlands of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Orissa. The CPI (Maoist) aims to consolidate its power in these areas and establish a "Compact Revolutionary Zone", from which they would advance the people's war in to other parts of India. The highest decision making body of the party is the Politburo, comprising thirteen or fourteen members, seven of whom were either killed or arrested between 2007-11. Central Committee is the second highest body in the party hierarchy, followed - in descending order - by Regional Bureaus, which look after two or three states each, the State Committees, the Zonal Committees, the District Committees, and the "dalams" or armed squads. Apart from these, the party also forces villagers, who have to live in areas under its de facto control, to act as scouts and the first ring of security guards under the sobriquet "People's Militia". This structured set up tells us that the Maoists are no rag tag band of anarchists, but a rather professional outfit.
gap
In their efforts to intimidate and consolidate control, the Maoists tax locals, extort businesses, abduct and kill "class enemies" such as government officials and police officers and have been found to regulate the flow of even aids and necessary goods. To help fill their ranks, the Maoists force each family under their domain to supply one family member and anybody, unfortunate enough to resist, meets a violent end. These terrorists have also been holding kangaroo courts, against their perceived opponents in the areas under their control, and more often than not, the hapless accused's fate is meet a bloodied end. The Maoists have also taken care to demolish government institutions and installations, including schools, communications towers and health centers, citing these as threats to their continued dominance of the regions.
gap
The Maoists reject parliamentary democracy and their stated aim is to capture power through protracted armed struggle based on guerrilla warfare. This strategy entails building up bases in rural and remote areas and transforming them first into guerrilla zones and then into "liberated zones", in addition to "encircling cities". The military hardware used by Maoists, as indicated through a number of seizures, include RDX or Semtex explosives, gelatine sticks, wired and wireless detonators, RPGs, assault rifles like INSAS, AK-47, FN-FAL, country-made weapons and improvised explosive devices. According to reports, total seizures of explosives till date, have been well over 20,000 kg.
gap
The funding for the Maoists comes from abductions, extortion and by collecting protection money, which they call taxes, in rural areas where official government appears to be absent. Poppy cultivation is another major source of funding for Maoists in large tracts of lands in Bihar and Jharkhand. In Orissa, they have been cultivating hemp to help fund their activities. In most of the cases, armed Maoist cadres force the peasants to cultivate these in the place of rice or paddy.
gap
The Maoists are not at all bothered whether the living conditions of the common people become better or whether they get to eat three square meals in a day or not. In fact, if the conditions become better and the youths get regular works, there will be an acute shortage in the number of armed cadres, the "action-squad" members. After all, with food to eat and job in hand, who would like to live as a hermit in the forests wielding a gun and with a very real threat of being gunned down by the security forces at any time looming over the head?
gap
After going through their activities, any person with a bit of sense prevailing, would have asked a few questions.
gap
Questions like how do the general strikes, which normally lead to a loss of livelihood for the poorest sections, benefit the common man, apart from the show of strength by the terrorists? In what way, the blowing up of schools and health centers help the common people to progress? Why is it that any damn business can operate in the Maoist infested areas, if they pay the required amount of protection money to them? What purposes have been served by sabotaging railway tracks, which have resulted in some of the worst accidents in the history of Indian Railways, with the total death toll running in to thousands? Why were public buses, carrying mostly the common people, blown up to kill, may be, 2 or 3 militias? Do the lives of 50 common people matter less than the death of 2-3 Salwa Judum activists? How do the cultivation and peddling of contraband drugs help the society? How come the Maoists always complain, like a crybaby, whenever one of their rank is killed, when they themselves do not fight following the rules of engagement? Why anyone opposing the Maoists' activities have to killed always? Because the Maoists do not accept the Constitution of India, do any of their captured comrades deserve to be treated according to the laws of the country? And, what about the protection rackets and kidnapping for ransom, which are hallmarks of the petty criminal gangs? Why don't they ever hid to the calls for discussion, when they are not threatened by the security forces?
gap
Have you ever heard any of the intellectuals to ask any of these questions? I haven't, and as such, I doubt their intentions too!
gap
The intellectuals want that there should first be developmental activities for the people living in the Maoist controlled areas. Some of them even contend that the state should improve the condition of the people of the country and the Maoist influence will go away on its own.
gap
Is that assumption correct?
gap
Actually, the Maoists' greatest fear is the implementation of the various development programs at the grass root level. Because, then they would lose whatever support base that they presently enjoy. That's why, they will never allow any kind of developmental activities to happen in the hinterlands controlled by them. And, to maintain their vice like grip over the territories, they can do anything, kill anyone and everyone coming in their way.
gap
The intellectuals are actually playing in to the hands of these terrorists. There are also some hard core believers in the Maoist ideology, who along with these intellectuals justify the terrorist activities by pointing to the so-called violence perpetrated by the state. The irony is the state has to conduct armed campaigns because of the Maoists, and not the other way round.
gap
I really don't know as to what stopped the various state governments and the center to act in unison and ensure that the issue is addressed for once and all. If required, the full might of the armed forces should be unleashed on these terrorists and no mercy should be shown, activists be damned. Without tackling the problem, no government shall be able to implement any developmental activities. Secondly, even if the developmental activities bear their fruit, the Maoists will still remain. Their terrorist activities are not aimed at development of the people, rather they are on a war against the nation, which they view as imperialist and bourgeois. Its trues that their cadre strength will be greatly diminished, but the hardcore members will continue their destructive and terrorist activities. Lastly, a Maoist takeover is bound to push the country towards the same dark days, as experienced by the people of Cambodia under Pol Pot or Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin or the Chinese under Mao himself, the threat should be permanently neutralized at any cost. There is no doubt that the Maoists should also enjoy their human rights, but perhaps, it is important that they common tax-paying, law-abiding citizens are not deprived of their own human rights. May be, the government will show some spine, even if for once.
gap
gap
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Assam burns, Chief Minister plays blame game
It is generally believed that when the great city of Rome was burning in 64 AD, the Roman Emperor Nero was playing his fiddle. Although, over the years, many well known historians have questioned the credibility of this account and modern research studies have all but ruled out the possibility of a "fiddling" Nero, the same cannot be said about the present Chief Minister of Assam, Mr. Tarun Gogoi. for quite some time now, Assam has been hogging the headlines for all the wrong reasons. And, the Chief Minister, through his own handling of the media, has created an image of honest but inept administrator.
gap
First, it was one of the legislators from the CM's own party, Rumi Nath, who created quite a stir by eloping with a state government employee named Jakir, after abandoning her husband and a two year old daughter. Her elopement, conversion and illegal marriage to Jakir and the subsequent thrashing, that the pair was subjected to by a mob, catapulted all the actors to national stardom.
gap
Even before the ripples of this incident died down, a girl, barely out of her teens, was brutally molested, beaten up and almost stripped on the main arterial road of Guwahati, the G.S. Road, by a group of 15-20 youths and the whole incident was filmed too! Despite identifying the perpetrators from the video footage, the police simply sat on it and only after national media started highlighting the incident, they woke up. Ultimately, all the perpetrators could be arrested, but not before, the CM himself, created controversy by first disclosing the identity of the victim to the media and then by asking them to ignore it.
gap
Then came the unfortunate murder of a budding research scholar Pritam Bhattacharjee, who was mugged, kidnapped and ultimately murdered at Naugachia station in Bihar. In this case too, both the Bihar police and the Assam government were accused of being inactive by the deceased boy's family members, as well as, by the national media.
gap
And, then came the biggest and baddest of them all, the ethnic riots in Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri districts of Assam, that led to more than 50 persons losing their lives and more than 170,000 persons to take shelter in relief camps after being displaced from their homes. In this instance too, the state government was caught napping.
gap
If we consider the demographic profile of the lower Assam's districts on the north bank of the Brahmaputra, the majority of the population can be divided in to three ethno-linguistic groups - Assamese, Bengali and Bodo. The Bodos, who had been fighting for their own homeland, were granted the status of an autonomous region within Assam, called Bodoland Territorial Areas District (BTAD) administered by the autonomous Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC). The territory came into existence under the BTC Accord and the territories under BTAD overlap with the districts of Kokrajhar, Baksa, Chirang and Udalguri in Assam. These are the very districts, where tensions between the Bodos and Bengali Muslims have been simmering for some time now. The Bodos fear that the continuous influx of Bengali Muslims from Bangladesh will eventually lead to a situation, when Bodos will become marginalized in their own homeland. On the other hand, the non-Bodo communities living in the BTAD territory fear that the Bodos would either deprive them or force them to leave the BTAD areas. This ill feeling between the communities have resulted in clashes earlier too, but those were much smaller in comparison.
gap
Since the partition and independence of India, there has been a steady inflow of illegal immigrants from East Pakistan and then Bangladesh. It has been claimed that this illegal influx is primarily responsible for changing the demographic profiles of different districts in Assam, especially the ones bordering Bangladesh. There have also been multiple agitations in the state demanding the detection and deportation of illegal immigrants.
gap
However, the situation has not changed much, over the years, and the influx continues till date, although at a much reduced scale, as per the claims of government agencies. Not only the Bodos, but Assamese and other indigenous communities also, have been vocal about this problem. Even a barbed wire fencing on the international border seem to have little effect on the illegal infiltration.
gap
The immediate trigger for the latest round of clashes was the news of the murder of 4 ex-Bodo Liberation Tigers rebels, ostensibly at the hands of Bengali Muslims. As the news spread, armed posse of Bodos attacked villages with substantial Bengali Muslim population. Those who could flee, were lucky to have escaped death, but their houses were burnt down. After the first wave of attack, the Bengali Muslims also retaliated in the same manner and the clashes resulted in more than 170,000 people from both the communities to flee their homes and take shelter in the camps set up by the state government. Those who were not lucky enough, were killed and the death toll, according to official estimate, has been put at 58, while unofficial sources point at a much higher figure.
gap
When these clashes started, the state government was conspicuous by its inaction. By the time the state government woke up from its slumber, full scale violence had erupted in Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri districts, with both the communities baying for the other's blood. The Chief Minister, known for keeping a "smiley face" always, came across as an inept administrator, who had no clue whatsoever as to the happenings in his state. His statements lacked conviction and the words were seldom backed up by law and peacekeeping actions by his administration. Instead of mobilizing the central forces, in addition to the state police forces, the government allowed the rioters to have a field day for more than 48 hours. It was only when the central government started to breathe down the state government's neck, the army were called in. Had the Chief Minister and his government been proactive, the situation might not have escalated in to a full blown war between the communities. A timely intervention by the government could have saved many lives. It could also have prevented several thousands of people from suffering the trauma of being displaced from their homes, loss of their properties and livelihoods.
gap
On his part, Tarun Gogoi, the Chief Minister, blamed the Indian Army, claiming that the army top brass had wasted precious time by not taking any action, despite repeated requests from the state government. He also claimed that had the army personnel been deployed in time, the casualties would have been much lower. He also refused to accept that his administration had failed miserably in maintaining the law and order in the state and to protect the lives and properties of innocent citizens.
gap
I understand that as the administrative head of the state, it was and it is, Mr. Gogoi's duty to ensure the safety of life, livelihood and properties of the inhabitants of the state. And, however much he may deny, ultimately the buck stops at his door only. It seems that inaction has become the new mantra for his administration, as has been highlighted repeatedly over the period of last few months. Instead of owning up the responsibility and accepting the mistakes, the CM chose to play a round of blame game. The only parallel that I can think of is that of Nero, as has been outlined in the first paragraph. Perhaps, Mr. Gogoi is serving his last term as the state's CM and when the time for the next assembly election arrives, he will have to pass the mantle of leading the ruling party in to the election, to one of his junior colleagues. Already, the political circles of the state are abuzz with such a possibility and the name of Mr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Education Minister in Gogoi's cabiner, is doing the rounds as the hot favourite to succeed him.
gap
First, it was one of the legislators from the CM's own party, Rumi Nath, who created quite a stir by eloping with a state government employee named Jakir, after abandoning her husband and a two year old daughter. Her elopement, conversion and illegal marriage to Jakir and the subsequent thrashing, that the pair was subjected to by a mob, catapulted all the actors to national stardom.
gap
Even before the ripples of this incident died down, a girl, barely out of her teens, was brutally molested, beaten up and almost stripped on the main arterial road of Guwahati, the G.S. Road, by a group of 15-20 youths and the whole incident was filmed too! Despite identifying the perpetrators from the video footage, the police simply sat on it and only after national media started highlighting the incident, they woke up. Ultimately, all the perpetrators could be arrested, but not before, the CM himself, created controversy by first disclosing the identity of the victim to the media and then by asking them to ignore it.
gap
Then came the unfortunate murder of a budding research scholar Pritam Bhattacharjee, who was mugged, kidnapped and ultimately murdered at Naugachia station in Bihar. In this case too, both the Bihar police and the Assam government were accused of being inactive by the deceased boy's family members, as well as, by the national media.
gap
And, then came the biggest and baddest of them all, the ethnic riots in Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri districts of Assam, that led to more than 50 persons losing their lives and more than 170,000 persons to take shelter in relief camps after being displaced from their homes. In this instance too, the state government was caught napping.
gap
If we consider the demographic profile of the lower Assam's districts on the north bank of the Brahmaputra, the majority of the population can be divided in to three ethno-linguistic groups - Assamese, Bengali and Bodo. The Bodos, who had been fighting for their own homeland, were granted the status of an autonomous region within Assam, called Bodoland Territorial Areas District (BTAD) administered by the autonomous Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC). The territory came into existence under the BTC Accord and the territories under BTAD overlap with the districts of Kokrajhar, Baksa, Chirang and Udalguri in Assam. These are the very districts, where tensions between the Bodos and Bengali Muslims have been simmering for some time now. The Bodos fear that the continuous influx of Bengali Muslims from Bangladesh will eventually lead to a situation, when Bodos will become marginalized in their own homeland. On the other hand, the non-Bodo communities living in the BTAD territory fear that the Bodos would either deprive them or force them to leave the BTAD areas. This ill feeling between the communities have resulted in clashes earlier too, but those were much smaller in comparison.
gap
Since the partition and independence of India, there has been a steady inflow of illegal immigrants from East Pakistan and then Bangladesh. It has been claimed that this illegal influx is primarily responsible for changing the demographic profiles of different districts in Assam, especially the ones bordering Bangladesh. There have also been multiple agitations in the state demanding the detection and deportation of illegal immigrants.
gap
However, the situation has not changed much, over the years, and the influx continues till date, although at a much reduced scale, as per the claims of government agencies. Not only the Bodos, but Assamese and other indigenous communities also, have been vocal about this problem. Even a barbed wire fencing on the international border seem to have little effect on the illegal infiltration.
gap
The immediate trigger for the latest round of clashes was the news of the murder of 4 ex-Bodo Liberation Tigers rebels, ostensibly at the hands of Bengali Muslims. As the news spread, armed posse of Bodos attacked villages with substantial Bengali Muslim population. Those who could flee, were lucky to have escaped death, but their houses were burnt down. After the first wave of attack, the Bengali Muslims also retaliated in the same manner and the clashes resulted in more than 170,000 people from both the communities to flee their homes and take shelter in the camps set up by the state government. Those who were not lucky enough, were killed and the death toll, according to official estimate, has been put at 58, while unofficial sources point at a much higher figure.
gap
When these clashes started, the state government was conspicuous by its inaction. By the time the state government woke up from its slumber, full scale violence had erupted in Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri districts, with both the communities baying for the other's blood. The Chief Minister, known for keeping a "smiley face" always, came across as an inept administrator, who had no clue whatsoever as to the happenings in his state. His statements lacked conviction and the words were seldom backed up by law and peacekeeping actions by his administration. Instead of mobilizing the central forces, in addition to the state police forces, the government allowed the rioters to have a field day for more than 48 hours. It was only when the central government started to breathe down the state government's neck, the army were called in. Had the Chief Minister and his government been proactive, the situation might not have escalated in to a full blown war between the communities. A timely intervention by the government could have saved many lives. It could also have prevented several thousands of people from suffering the trauma of being displaced from their homes, loss of their properties and livelihoods.
gap
On his part, Tarun Gogoi, the Chief Minister, blamed the Indian Army, claiming that the army top brass had wasted precious time by not taking any action, despite repeated requests from the state government. He also claimed that had the army personnel been deployed in time, the casualties would have been much lower. He also refused to accept that his administration had failed miserably in maintaining the law and order in the state and to protect the lives and properties of innocent citizens.
gap
I understand that as the administrative head of the state, it was and it is, Mr. Gogoi's duty to ensure the safety of life, livelihood and properties of the inhabitants of the state. And, however much he may deny, ultimately the buck stops at his door only. It seems that inaction has become the new mantra for his administration, as has been highlighted repeatedly over the period of last few months. Instead of owning up the responsibility and accepting the mistakes, the CM chose to play a round of blame game. The only parallel that I can think of is that of Nero, as has been outlined in the first paragraph. Perhaps, Mr. Gogoi is serving his last term as the state's CM and when the time for the next assembly election arrives, he will have to pass the mantle of leading the ruling party in to the election, to one of his junior colleagues. Already, the political circles of the state are abuzz with such a possibility and the name of Mr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Education Minister in Gogoi's cabiner, is doing the rounds as the hot favourite to succeed him.
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