P Sainath and the Faremer Suicide Debate

I have always admired the writings of Shri P Sainath, a distinguished journalist and an internationally acclaimed critic of Indian social and economic policies. His book Everbody Loves a Good Drought is a scathing indictment of the policies initiated and implemented at the block level both by the State and Central Government. He is able to show that the elected representatives of the people make money out of the misery people face and the Governments are only colluding with the rich and the powerful. We have seen pictures of rotting grain in the godowns forcing the Supreme Court to order its distribution. Sainath is a very good speaker and he was in a local University the other day and I happened to listen his key note address to an International Seminar on Farmers's Suicides in India. Sainath was perhaps too politie to point out the irony in the very topic of the seminar.
Being a student of History, an MA from JNU, New Delhi, Sainath began by pointing out that in Western Maharashtra in the late nineteenth century, farmers were out protesing against the agrarian policies that were pursued by the then British Government. Now in the 21st century they are committing suicide in large numbers. Sainath is a master both of statistics and rhetoric and he deployed both with devastating effect. At a time when according to the Census figures, the farmring population is showing signs of decline, the number of suicides is increasing. Hearing Shri P Sainath remined me of the great Victorian public figure and chronicler, Digby who wrote a 2 volume book on the Great Famine of 1877-79. Trenchent criticism without any alowance for intellectual sloppiness.

Sainath blames the Government policies for the present crisis. He draws attention to the fact that Aurangabad which has the largest number of Mercedes Benz cars, located in the very heart of darkness as it were, people are able to get State Bank of India loans for 7% while farmers get koans fopr 12.5%, a rate that is unsustainable as far as farm income is concerned. He also drew attention to the fact that farm subsidies in the form of electricity, fertilizer and seed, hels only the rich farmer and the irony is that the farmers with around 10 acres of land end up killing themselves because the rural credit mechnism has broken down. Sainath mentioned the tragic incident of a farmer in Vidhrbaha who killed himself with pestticides bought on loan.

I was very happy that a critic of government policies was invited and I hope the students of the University learn something from such personalities. In India all too often educational institutions paly it safe and invite sarkari intellectuals who give bland and insipid analysis of the situation. Sainath, like William Digby is a socially motivated critic and he said very poignantly that mothers in Western Maharashtra want double rations for the mid day meal progrm because the child has staved for two days over the weekend. A very moving statement.

Liberal critics have termed the farmer suicide and the increasing numbers as state genocide. Though Sainath did not use this term, it can be said that the wrong policies forced down the rural economy has led to such a situation. Sainath says that as India is increasing its GDP together with the rising income the rate of farmer suicide is also increasing. Gujarat under Narendar Modi seems to have devised policies that are more successful as that state has not withessed the same rash of suicides. The reasons must be probed and lessons drawn.

A Raja, the Telecom Scandal and Political Corruption in India

Today A Raja, the former Telecom Minister is languishing in jail and both his own so-called Backward class dominated DMK and the Congress had absolutely no hesitation in making an example out of him. A few months back the former Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Madhu Koda was arrested and thrown into prison. In my blogs I have dealt extensively with both issues. It seems that the law has arms long enough only for dalits and tribal. Not a single backward class politician who in this madalised polity of ours have captured political power have been arrested and punished. My point is simple: Raja may be corrupt but so are 99% of the political personalities in India. The NDA Government headed by Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee was certainly a dedicated and fairly honest Government, but the people voted for the criminals who are now ruling India. Only Gujarat has shown native wisdom and had repeatedly voted for good governance in spite of sustained and motivated campaigns against the Hon'ble Chief Minister, Narendar Modi.

It is impossible to imagine a scandal of this magnitude without the active connivance of the higher ups in the UPA government and yet we have a Prime Minister who like Gandhi's monkeys believes that he saw no evil, spoke no evil and heard no evil. In short he was a silent spectator or worse an active abettor in the crime. It is high time the people of this dynasty obsessed country realise that as long as they vote for political parties that promote family and dynastic rule they are promoting corruption and nepotism. In a recent book on India Patrick French has shown that 100% of the younger members of Parliament are scions of political families and the woman's reservation bill in this situation will only enable daughters and daughters in law to enter the political fray.

Corruption is endemic in India and the system has failed to even identify the corrupt let alone punish them. The vast sums of money stashed away in foreign accounts only goes to prove that Indian politicians have systematically looted the country. In the 200 years of British loot the amount taken out of India was only a small fraction of the 1.3 trillion dollars which the politicians have looted from the Indian people. However, I will venture to add that the Indian Electorate will forget all this and will raise its hooves silently in favor of the criminals who govern India. In this context effort must be made to eliminate the criminals who masquerade as elected representatives of the people.

In MP the IAS couple the Joshis were found with 330 crores of ill gotten wealth. Sukh Ram was found with 3 crores in his puja room. Khetan Deasi, the Chairman of the Medical Council of India was found with 1 tonne of gold. My question is what action was taken. All these criminals are roaming free, while a dalit politician is in jail. It appears that the backward mandalised political groups have made a mockery of both democracy as well as rule of law. Who can forget the criminal misdeed of the Yadava chieftains, Mulayam, Pappu, Laloo etc.

Salman Taseer's Killing in Kasaabistan

think the holy land of Pakistan can be rechristened, at least by those living in India as Kasaabistan. After all the holy warrior who killed 186 people on 26/11/2008 came from there. I have decided to call Pakistan as Kasaabistan and I would urge all like mined people to rename Pakistan as Kasaabistan. They are obviously proud of his heroics in India that they are unable or unwilling to bring the perpetrators of that horrific crime to justice. In fact the gunning down of the Governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer has been hailed as an act of a Gazi by the Kasaabistan press and I would like to reflect on that killing.

The civil society in Kasaabistan has disintegrated under the twin pressures of religious militancy and political and ethnic tension. If you remember what I had written when Benazir Bhutto was killed, I had said then and I repeat now that civilian rule will only make things worse in the country. The politicians do not enjoy any credibility in Kasaabistan and hence the Army has to step in. Even now the country is run by the military with Mr 10% and his gang from the PPP acting as frontmen. It is in India's interest to help the country along the path of total civil and economic chaos. Unfortunately the Indian Government has no long term plan except provide some guns and training to Baluchi terrorist who have turned to India not out of love for India but out of hatred for the mohajirs and Punjabis who actually run Kasaabistan.

The country was founded on the premise of religious identity and so for the Indian media to go looking for secular liberals in Kasaabistan is an absurdity. Salman Taseer was the darling of the Indian media. He courted and abandoned an Indian woman who very bravely went on to bear his child. How did Salman Taseer treat the young man when he tried to meet up with him in Rawalpindi. Read Stranger to History and find out for yourself.

I do not think that a country like Kasaabistasn can call itself a civilised society with men armed with guns killing each other and women in burqas blowing themselves up as suicide bombers. As long as religion dominates their thinking they will remain barbarous and violent and we should help them achieve extinction. Sooner the better.

WikiLeaks and the Freedom of Expression

One of the fundamental values that USA and the West propounded in its sustained campaign against the erstwhile USSR was the fact that dissent and freedom of expression is regarded as sacrosant in Western society. Now the fact that the Chinese dissedent who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this year is regarded as a hero by large sections of world public opinion is a tribute to the propaganda machinery that worked overtime to impress upon the world that dissent is not tolerated in the People's Republic of China and all totalitarian regimes stifle dissent using state power and the administrrative machinery.

Now compare the plight of Julian Assange the whistle blower who has exposed a large number of US diplomatic cables on his website. I do not think that the US foreign policy has been in any way undermined by the disclosures made by WiliLeaks. On the contrary, the world has only learnt to appreciate US statecraft in a difficult period in international, affairs. The fact that the Sunnis of Saudi Arabia are edginmg the USA to bomb the Iranians does not come as a surprise to anyone as the Saudis are known for their duplicity and perfidy. The fact that Saudis are finacing terror networks wedded to the Sunni cause is again no great revalationmmas the we were aware of this all through. Yes, the fact that the Yemenis are willing to lie to their Parliament about the USA bombing and taking "credit" for using the airforce against their own people, came as a nig surprise even by the street smart logic of the Middle East. So far it was Israel which aws held up as the sole reason for all the unrest in the region. WikiLeaks has abundantly exposed the fact that the Sunni rtegimes of the region are also contributing in no small measure to the destablisation in the Middle East. Cynicism is OK provided it is backed by realpolitik.

Julian Assange has exposed the cables from the field and no more. Like the Pentagon Papers he has put into public domain certain facts and those facts in no way compromise the safety or security of USA. The US right wing aided by some Democrats like Joe Libberman want to impose limits on whitle blowing using the outdated Espionage Act which does not cover the situation being discussed. The US Government has issued a diorective that federal staff cannot even see the wikileak site and some Universities have even blocked access to the site. When the Chinese do such uncivilised things the cry goes up that dissent is not tolerated. Why practice double standards in such fundamental matters as freedom of expression. The USA has mounted a world wide campaign to cut off funding for the site. In what matter is this different from what the Chinese Government did vis a vis Google. Sweden has even filed a case of sexual,assault on Julian Assange. It seems for the USA public enemy number UNO is not OSAMA but Assange

Lobby Girl Journalism of Burkha Dutt and NDTV: Professional Misconduct in evidence

I have always been extremely critical of the kind of phony journalism represented by Burkha Dutt and her ilk who are patronised by NDTV. I have already written about the manner in which Burka Dutt was awarded the Padma Shri by the UPA government and I am sure that the award was for favours rendered to powerful people in the UPA. The fashionably strident line taken against the BJP itself is a dead giveaway. The BJP is not given the same sort of kid glove treatment that the Congress and the Gandhi Dynasty receive. The BJP will have to be portrayed as a wayward party unfit to govern and all the crimes of the Congress including the 1984 massacre of the Sikhs in New Delhi pushed under the carpet. Such lop sided journalism is not what is expected in a country that claims to have a free press. The stranglehold of the corporate interests over NDTV is evident from the fact that its coverage of the Spectrum 2-g scandal was very muted and while politics takes a large share of the time of NDTV, it hardly cares to scrutinise the corporate houses who are probably funding NDTV. I always wonder how NDTV can pay its stable of beauties masquerading as Journalists when for the past 20 years of its existence the TV has been in the red. How does the channel manage its everyday expenses and maintain a staff of white elephants including its "Group Editor" who probably can have a successful career as a corporate lobbyist.

The context of the telephonic conversation between Niira Radia and Burkha Dutt is very clear. There is a stalemate over the choice of candidates for the cabinet especially since T R Baalu's name is unacceptable to the Prime Minister. Burkah Dutt offers to telk to them meaning the Congress and lobby the Congress to get A Raja the post of Telecom Minister. I do know that the vernacular media is deeply embedded in the power structures at the state level. Now it appears that even the so-called English Press which had always fancied itself to be above the "moffusil wallah" is also part and parcel of the embedded "free press". Burkah Dutt's defence that she tweeted is also riven with contradictions. She cannot now claim that she was going along in order to extract information from Niira Radia when in reality Niira is using Burkha Dutt as a conduit to pass on information to the Congress. Jounalists cannot use their previlged position in order to pedal influence. Instead of reporting the story, Burkaha Dutt and NDTV has become part of the story, "in a sense" to use the popular phrase that Burkah drops every now and then.
Such an act of professional misconduct would have resulted in the carreer of any journalist in the western world ending. Bur Burkah Dutts and the call girl journalism of NDYV will certainly survive this and other scandals. When that woman host the popular programme WE THE PEOPLE we must ask what supreme arrogance she has to speak for the people of India. She packages the Congress point of view ans manufactures a spurious consensus for the Congress. I hope the Buck DOES NOT stop at the table of Burkah Dutt but it stops at the table of a honest, decent and law abiding journalist who exposes corruption in high places without fear or favor

Had the Chilean Mining Disaster Happened in India

The Government of Chile,especially the President and the Mining Minister have won the admiration of the world for the dedication with which both of them carried on with the task of rescuing the 39 trapped miners. No histrionics,no loud self congratulations,no obscene back tracking and leg pulling. The two behaved with such grace and dignity that I think the crass, corrupt criminal tribe of Indian politicos can learn a lesson or two from what happened in Chile.

This set me thinking. What would have happened if the same had happened in India. The first thing which would have been set afloat are charges and counter charges of corruption. The mining equipment was secured on the basis of a bribe, the newspapers would scream.The CBI and CVC both would have entered the fray. Never mind the men trapped underground are not in anyway helped by such obscene newspaper and jounalistic hype.

Then we have the pretty face,perky Barha Dutt woh would land on the scene "in a sense" and thrust her perky tits and mike in front of the rescuers and ask them the most inane questions, forgetting that there are real human beings involved,she would launch on a calculated tirade against the "callousness of the Indian Establishment" and in the process of humouring this b***h precious time would be lost. I cannot forget or forgive her coverage of the Kargil lWar which was done in a lop sides manner. Or can we forget the manner in which NDTV covered the Mumbai Terror attacks of 26/11when the live, streaming images helped the terrorists holed up in the Taj.

Then will be the turn of the tele intellectuals from JNU to grab the eyeballs of nations.One nattily dressed sociologist will be trotted out and he will fill the air waves with "post colonial"nonsense. The Indian State does not care for the marginalised he will thunder and the rest of us zombies will nod in silent admiration at this great wisdom displayed by this Professor of Sociology of JNU and his elite tribe. If the mining disaster had happened in a tribal area then New Delhi's resident naxalite, Arunaditi Roy will be at her eloquent best.

In the medley of charges and counter charges, allegations and posturing the men will be forgotten and will die.

Thus India will sacrife precious human lives in order to pass the buck.

China outdid itself in the Olympic Games: The Congress Party Heaps Shame on India

It is often said that India and China are rivals both in terms of economic power and soft power. While India has shown impressive growth rate of 8.2 % per annum, its political class is under the delusion that it can rival China in organizational ability and projection of the image of an emerging world power. If China can host the Olympics and make a spectacular spectacle before the wholw world, India can host the Common Wealth Games and earn some brownie points for itself. Unlike China, India has a fractured political system that inibits the delivery of any large scale goals and objectives. The entire political system, particularly the dynastic fascist Congress Party is mired in crime and corruption and India unlike China is termed a "soft power" because of its inability to deliver any of its commitments both legal and constitutional. Vested interests have eroded the very edifice of Indian polity.



The Olympic games in China were so well handled that nearly 3 months before the games were to begin the venues were finished and all facilities were ready and the world was awe struck at the majesty and impressive display of soft power that China put on. Now contrast this with India.



The India way of doing things is to create a multiplicity of agencies and offices to do the same job

and the consequent dilution of both power and responsibility facilitates large scale kickbacks and corruption. Suresh Kalmadi, a low brow politician from the ruling Congress Party was put in change of the Common Wealth Games and the India Olympic Committee was also give line responsibilities, thus both agencies took an intense dislike for each other from day one and both completed with each other to undiermine the strengths and objectives of the other. More than 2 billion US dollars (35,000 thousand crores) have been spent and the manner in which public money was squandered would even put some African kltetocracies to shame. I am not surpirised as the COngress is a Party of crime, corruption and dynasty. Even though the whole copuntry was aware of the venality with which this Kalmadi fellow asdminstered the games, he was not pulled up because he enjoyed the support of the big-wigs in the party.



The games village and other venues have an unfisnished lokk about them and are not of the standard expected of a country hoping to claim the 21st century as its own. Apart from corruption, the absolute lack of tase on the party of the organisere was evident when one Bhanot who glories in the title Secretary General of the Common Wealth Games, gave a banal press conference where he justified the shoddy work in the most barzen style. The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh cannot escape responsibility because he was aware of the deplorable state of affairs but showed no interest in rectifying the situation. His Sports Minister, a formed Chief Election Commissioned Dr M S Gill was busy strutting his hour on the stage instead of ensuring that the country's nose is not ground in the dust.



The Games village is in a shabby state and even a snke has been found in one of the buildings. Many teams are now pulling out and world class atheletes are pulling out of the games.

It is better that India puts its own house in order before taking on such grand projects. The people of India must relaise that if they elect the Congress they will reap humiliation and crime.