NEWS BRIEFS AND COMMENTS
UNITED GOVERNMENT EFFORTS GREATLY MINIMIZE CYCLONE EFFECT
Timely warning, evacuation of nearly one million people and deployment of rescue teams by the provincial and central governments reduced death toll from cyclone Phailin to 23. The cyclone mainly hit coastal Andhra Pradesh and Odisha (former Orissa).
STAMPEDE KILLS MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED IN BJP-RULED M.P.
Stampede deaths at major religious gatherings are not uncommon in India. It is expected that the administration would take every precaution to prevent any mishap.
Over 100,000 people visited, as they have done n the past, the Ratnagarh Mata Temple in Datta district of BJP ruled state of Madhya Pradesh on the occasion of Navatri and Bhai Dooj.
According to Indian newspapers the stampede was caused by a rumor of the collapse of a connecting bridge and police negligence. This though is not certain. Whatever the cause, authorities were unprepared for a mishap like this which often happens at Hindu religious gatherings..
HINDU RAKSHAK SAMITI PREVENTS HINDU-MUSLIM MARRIAGES
The agenda of Hindu Rakshak Samiti (HRS, Hindu Protection Group) based in Maharashtra near Nasik is to “save” Hindu women from Muslim men. They harass Hindu women engaged to Muslims and their parents. HRS claims to have prevented fifteen relationships between Hindu women and Muslim men and gets support from local authorities. (Source: the Hindu Oct 14, 201)
HURDLES AGAINST MINORITIES AND WOMEN IN PAKISTAN ELECTIONS
A pamphlet was circulated in the constituency of Tharparkar in Sindh Province against voting for infidels; no action was taken says I.A. Rehman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. The government has reserved certain number of seats for minorities but most of these remain empty.
SAMAJWADI PARTY AND BJP AGAINST SHARIF-MANMOHAN SINGH MEET
On the eve of the proposed meeting between the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan in New York on the occasion of UN General Assembly meeting in September 2013, Jihadists attacked Indian troops on the Line of Control to forestall any rapprochement between India and Pakistan. They had done it in the past and as usual certain political circles in India demanded cancellation of the meeting between the two prime ministers. Surprisingly Mulayam Singh, the leader of the Samajwadi Party who had in the past advocated dialogue between India and Pakistan joined BJP and demanded cancellation of the proposed meeting. It will not be surprising if Samajwadi Party (SP) allies with BJP in the forthcoming general elections.
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PRE-POLL ANTI-BJP, NON-CONGRESS STRATEGY of CPM
Prakash Karat, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPM] has been for ever agitating for a third front opposed to both BJP and Congress. More recently Mulayam Singh Yadav, the leader of Samajwadi Party (SP), which is in power in India’s most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, also talked about non-Congress, non-BJP front. Nitish Kumar was a key partner of BJP-led NDA; he too is now for secularism and potential member of CPM, CPI, SP (of Mulayam Singh) and Janata Dal (United) [JDU] front against BJP and Congress.
However, this anti-BJP, non-Congress front will be formed after and not before the 2014 parliamentary elections. This way SP and JDU do not have to accommodate CPM and CPI in seat allocation during the lection.
The chances of CPM, CPI winning many seats are remote. If so, the terms of this front will be dictated by JDU and SP.
RAMPANT MALNUTRITION IN GUJARAT
According to a report in the Indian newspaper The Hindu (Oct 5, 2013), the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), found that malnutrition and the number of underweight children is astonishingly high in Gujarat.
The Women and Child Development Minister of Gujarat admitted that there were at least 613,000 malnourished children in 14 Gujarat districts; figures for other 14 districts were not available. In Ahmedabad district, the commercial center of Gujarat, there were over 85,000 “malnourished or extremely malnourished children”.
ANTI-MUSLIM THEME OF BJP ELECTION MANIFESTO
According to a report in the Hindu (Oct. 19, 2013), the key provisions in the BJP election manifesto for the 2014 parliamentary elections are expected to be:
A. Abrogation of article 370 of the Constitution (this article gives especial status for Kashmir.
B. Building Ram Temple (the existing provision is to maintain status quo at Ayodhya.
C. Uniform civil code (this will eliminate certain especial rights of Muslims).
INDIA AND BANGLADESH DO NOT SIGN GLOBAL RESOULTION AGAINST CHILD MARRIAGE
There are many countries in the Third World where child girl marriage is common. India accounts for about 24 million child brides. While many countries including those where child marriage is common including many Islamic and African countries signed the recent Global Resolution Against Child Marriage, India and Bangladesh did not.
For many reasons including high pregnancy risk below the age of eighteen to twenty, many women’s organizations have been demanding a legal ban on child marriage. However, child marriage reflects social backwardness and is common among poor people. Making child marriage illegal might not reduce the practice but would lead to the harassment of defaulters by the state and police.
EXPLAINED SERIES: BOOKS AND EXHIBITION ON COMMUNALISM EXPLAINED AND TERRORISM EXPLAINED
Violence under the garb of religion has been the major expression of the politics in current times. To explain the causes of this phenomenon, Sharad Sharma and Ram Punyani are working on ‘Explained Series’. The aim of the series is to present the phenomenon in the form of graphic presentations, Comic Books. Two books in this series are already out: 1. Communalism Explained: Outlines the rise of Communal politics in India, The communal violence, Mumbai and Gujarat as case studies, India’s syncretic traditions, the distortions in history done by British, Communal Historiography, The values of Freedom movement, the agenda of communal politics-Muslim and Hindu, Impact of communal agenda on the human rights of workers, women, Dalits, Adivasis and religious minorities, the struggle for democratic society and tasks for secular movement (Rs. 300). 2. Terrorism Explained: This book is in the background of 9/11 2001 WTC tragedy and goes on to unravel the politics of control of oil wells, the setting up of Madrassas in Pakistan by US for creation of Al Qaeda, The Terror attacks in India, 26/11 2008, The Hindutva terror, path for Peace. (Rs. 200)
Both these are available on www.explainedseries.com.
POSTERS IN TRAINS LEAVING FOR GUJARAT
Ram Punyani
Posters of Hindu “saints”, who have faced and are facing action for different crimes, appeared in different compartments of trains leaving for Gujarat. The “saints” shown in the poster are Shankaracharya (Shankar Raman murder case), Swami Nityanand (Sex scandals) Baba Ramdev (mixing bone powder in medicines), Asaram Bapu (rape molestation), Kripaluji Maharaj (Molestation). The text says that Hindu society is under siege and the guides of Hindu society are being harassed. In the posters Subramaniam Swami of BJP is quoted as saying that as per the verdict of his legal team Asaram Bapu is innocent. The poster says that there is a conspiracy against Hindu society; its saints are being hounded. This is an attack on Hindu culture. This poster is very inflammatory and divisive. All the citizens of the country have to follow the laws of the land. Asaram’s son Narayan Sai is absconding from last several days. Nobody can be above law. The police authorities must get the posters removed and take immediate action against those who have put up these posters.
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