Category: Politics & Social Issues Page 6 of 7

Get off your high Horses

On June 7, 2015

From not getting a job to being denied a rented apartment, discrimination in the civil society have existed for ages. The only difference is, victims were not outspoken. To think only the “backward” and not so “broad minded” would do this, was what people who turn a blind eye to issues like these, might have thought or at least portrayed.

Religion, caste, etc apparently are considered something only pushed by the “hardliners”. People with better things to worry about like “development” have bigger things to ponder about, right?

And to think of our cosmopolitan cities being part of pushing religious agendas forward, is something totally absurd. Unfortunately, it isn’t.

Be it directly pointing out, like the incident in Kolkata where a bearded Muslim was termed as “terrorist”, or simply not accepting a job application as the Mumbai Company’s policy is to not accept Muslim candidates, or subtly hinting around responses like these. This mindset is deeply entrenched in our society for long and is passed on from generations like some sort of treasure.

Speaking from personal experience, religious based discrimination have been seen first-hand. Remember this one time in Bangalore, when I was on the lookout for a flat in my bid to move away from the PG. The very cheerful land-lord, a young 30-something guy, told me about the place in a very excited tone. After some five minutes of talk about where I worked and stuff like that, while showing me around he asked my name.

You know how some people are great at hiding their displeasure and keep it to themselves? Well, this one wasn’t the type. Name reveals your religion and asking a name is much easier than asking your religion, right? Not just his tone changed but he also asked me in a very visibly rude tone, “You’ll be cooking Beef here? Because it is not allowed.”

I was glad that I didn’t liked the place. I didn’t made a big fuss out of it that time. Just like I never do when someone from office or during my years at college, wishing Happy Independence day” on 14^th August itself or would jokingly refer as terrorist”, “Jihadi” when wearing anything remotely religious, or even sporting a little stubble. I doubt what will happen when I’ll end up growing a beard!!

It is sad to see people being so openly discriminating others, but governments or laws cannot change the thinking. One cannot blame the change in Government for this scenario completely, this has been here for long. Of course, those voices are more empowered now.

Pointing out mistakes or wrong-doing in others is easy. You can brush this issue under the many rosy carpets of the “Idea of India” where we all live in harmony. Don’t be a defensive Indian in turning a blind eye to these issues. I’m pretty sure you’ll encounter many idiots for whom their religion or caste is supreme. Stop them right there, because the idea of one being superior often leads to looking down others as inferior.

Get off those high horses or religious or caste, and learn to speak up. If you think there won’t come a time when situation is reversed, then you’re seriously mistaken. History bears testimony to this. The oppressor-opressee shifts have went on for ages. Unless this mindset is not changed, expect someone else to use this to oppress you in future. There are no dearth of idiots on either side.

Boats, Terror and Biryani

By farooq

On February 18, 2015

In Politics & Social Issues

Have you ever had the urge to be a terrorist? Leave aside trying to contact ISIS, there is an easy way!!

1. Wriggle around a high-security area acting as if you are carrying something “suspicious”.

2. You can speed up the process by declaring your love for Biryani.

Hawww, you think I’m Joking?

Well, as far as the psych observation of our beloved Defense minister of India, Mr. Manohar Parrikar is concerned Yes, you can.

Let’s get you the details of the “Terror Boat” incident through statements not by me (Not a great “observer” you know)

The “Terror” Boat from Pakistan

On January 3, Kuldip Singh Sheoran, Commander, Indian Coast Guard (North West), Gandhinagar, told The Indian Express: “After we had covered them from the air and the sea, the suspects blew up the boat… suddenly a ball of fire rose into the air and the boat was aflame.”

Something fishy? Of course! What and why they blew up? No, no one has any clue. No proof of anything found.

Our Defense Minister then issues the statement, patting the intelligence and Coasts guard, and at the same time positioning India to be a place where security is taken seriously. At least by this new government.

So on January 5, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said: “A normal boat, even carrying some drugs, can throw away their drugs and surrender. No one is going to be killing himself unless you are motivated enough to do that… As per our information, the boat was under our surveillance for over 12 hours — probably for more than a day — stationed there in one position… (I am) not speculating that it had explosives, but it had some activity in mind that does not fit the description of a smuggling boat. Which smuggler would commit suicide?”

Manohar “keen-observer” parrikar

Mmmm. So, there is no proof that there were explosives but you are speculating (while telling us, you’re not)?

Why cannot this be just a smuggling boat? Because it won’t make a good story to establish India (and more importantly this government) as some “hero”?

Three naval officers told The Indian Express it was inconceivable that Pakistani fishing boats — typically four-crew vessels, with an average length of fewer than 25 meters and equipped with 80-220 horsepower diesel engines, or smaller mechanized sailboats with 30 horsepower engines — could outrun the Coast Guard’s state-of-the-art ships.

The important point here. Our Coast guard can’t even outrun those fishing boats. Is it?

“I’ve been talking to our people in the area”, said Narsibhai Jungi Jadeja, the head of the Porbandar fishing boat owners’ association, “and everyone insists they didn’t see a thing. That surprises me because a fire at night would be visible many nautical miles away”. “I just hope the government clears up the mystery over this because if any Pakistani fishermen have been killed, the Pakistan navy will take vengeance on us,” he said.

Now, amid all this boat blowing itself up and calling it a terror boat even without any proof, comes a shocking statement from Coast Guard official DIG B K Loshali. He said, “I said at night, blow the boat off…We don’t want to serve them biryani…”

Indian Coast Guard DIG B K Loshali on the terror boat incident

Indian Coast Guard DIG B K Loshali boasting about the terror boat incident

Okay, so the boat was blown off by Coast Guard, while the ministry issued the statement that the “terrorists” blew themselves? And all this because they didn’t want to serve Biryani?

Kaunsi aisi biryani khilate ho bhai aap log ?

It is not as if the smugglers’ good people or they should be treated with “biryani” (If that is the worry). But imagine when the same happens when our fishermen wander into their territory too? If fabricating a war-like situation to divert the attention of people and keep your government intact is the “big picture” you are thinking of, then well you are going in the right direction.

This Manish Tewary tweet throws up an interesting similarity between the Gujarat Fake encounters and the terror boat incident.

Contd. them out of water Uncanny similarities to similar modus operandi the fake encounter syndrome to bolster machismo & build Alpha image

— Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) February 18, 2015

It would be commendable if it was indeed a terror boat, but why should such contradictory statements arise? It’s a matter of serious introspection. I Hope, the ministry discusses the issue and probes the matter over biryani. Or even a “chai pe charcha” would do.

Freedom of speech ?

By farooq

On January 23, 2015

In Politics & Social Issues

Have you ever wondered how families of criminals, murderers, rapists feel when one of their own gets arrested for their crimes, or it comes out that one has done any crimes ?

When terror attacks happen (which, apparently only Muslims commit), we get the exact same feeling. The feeling that someone from our extended Islamic community did the horrifying act. We feel hurt, just like anyone else. To tell you the truth, we feel more hurt than anyone else. Its understood that some of you, who would be reading this will have their own notions about Islam and Muslims, notions which are largely part of how you see us painted by Media.

Picture this, “a shooter opens fire in a school in London”

and this, “A jihadi-militant opens fire in a school in london”

I don’t even have to tell you, to create opinions on your own about Muslims and Islam, as you already might have.

I don’t want to make this another “justification”, which we have to do after every attack and that is partly why I didn’t even made a statement condemning it. Why, you ask ?

Well, because that is what we do. It is as if to tell the world that we didn’t do that, there were some nut-heads at work, so please don’t brand us along with them.

Being branded is not new to us, we have grown accustomed to it. We have to carry an additional baggage of feeling hurt and guilty that there are people who wouldn’t blink an eye before blaming Islam for everything that happens by the acts of a few. I’m tired. Actually, we are tired. But then, there is always this hope that people will understand this, someday.

We are questioned for everything.

There’s Bakried (Eid-ul-Azha), and a whole lot of organisations up in arms telling the world about so many animals being sacrificed in the name of religion. Yes, we do sacrifice animals in the name of our religion, we eat the meat, distribute it among the poor and even revere that meat for days and not waste it.

Media brings out topics on terrorism and asking us views of Muslims on that. Please keep a note, we condemn every one of those attacks. We also condemn all attacks on our religion. We also condemn derogatory speeches or cartoons which violate our religious practices. We, also condemn the attacks on people in the name of our religion or Prophet. We don’t want to kill people who don’t agree with us, but then what you can do about some crazy ones ?

We are responsible for so many things. All the problems in the world is just because of us. Right ?

Someone even filed a petition to stop the morning azaan (early morning call to prayer) as it disturbs sleep. Talk about freedom of speech. Irony, anyone ?

I’m all okay, and so would other Muslims be, with the idea of freedom of speech. But don’t be selective in that. The daily, which was hell-bent on publishing offensive Islamic cartoons, rejected a few cartoons publications as they were antisemitism. Yeah, right freedom of speech!!

I’m okay, sad but okay, to see people use their freedom of speech. But it is very difficult to digest the hypocrisy. Just don’t support Freedom of speech for your convenience.

For the record, I don’t like Tasleema Nasreen or Salman Rushdie, because their idea of Islam is wrong. I won’t go and kill them or issue fatwas against them. I didn’t liked MF hussain too, I wouldn’t have let him leave India too.

This quote, sums up my Idea of Free speech perfectly

Don’t blow the horn of Freedom of speech when you are the one speaking.

PK: The Muslim Story

By farooq

On December 29, 2014

In Movies & Entertainment, Politics & Social Issues

PK.

To take the message of PK (or even OMG!!, which was a far better film than PK) in the context of just one religion is confining it to a tiny circle.

True that the movie focused mainly on how Hinduism has been ransacked by Godmen and traditions which are more aimed at money-making than spiritual, but look closely and you find it in every religion.

All religions in their most authentic forms without the time-induced “traditions” being added for the sake of uniformity, for politicization, and more importantly, convenience has diluted them. To speak about any other religion other than Islam would be wrong. First, because of the ideological difference and second, because I know comparatively more about my religion than the rest. Comparatively, is the word here.

When you notice people thronging mazaars (Sufi Shrines like Ajmer), it is the general tendency to associate it with Muslims and Islam. The question arises, whether it actually is or not?

Islam is a monotheistic religion. Muslims only believe in the concept of One True God, i.e. Allah and any associations or comparison is not part of it. So, to put it just, you are to ask for all your needs from Allah. Through all your prayers, you communicate with Allah, place your needs and desires before him, and expect him and only him to fulfill it. It is that belief, a true connection gets established. Everything depends on your intention and your belief that it is only Allah who can fulfill it.

There is a sizable chunk of Muslims, who visits mazaars, (Indian Subcontinent) and tries to bridge the connection through the saints to speedily make their desires and needs fulfilled. I have heard many Muslims term this as zarriya (pathway) to Allah, and the saints do sifarish (recommendation) for these prayers.

Now, many (includes many of my close relatives who might frown upon me saying this) follow this path. While there are others, who consider this as shirk (Establishing partners with Allah). I can go and express my views on this, but for now, it is not relevant, and for many, it will be difficult to comprehend.

These mazaars are a place where you buy some sweets to be put up for niyaaz (or fateha) inside mazaars. Practices range from placing a chaadar (piece of cloth) over their mausoleum (burying place of the saint). Some even say, they are not dead and have just put up a veil from the world. Although Islam clearly mentions “Kullu nafsin, zaikatul maut” meaning every living being has to taste death.

Now, are these part of Islam? In my opinion, it is not. But people still do it. Muslims still always follow these practices.

I don’t even want to add about terrorism and its misinterpretation of Jihaad.

As a Muslim and a believer, should I not try to bring out these practices which are not part of my religion but are being followed or people are being made to follow by the so-called moulanas ??

Now, consider the same situation for the plot of the movie PK, which focuses largely on the Hindu side of the story. Of how the religion has ended up being connected to a “wrong number” by these babas.

Is your protest driven by the fact that it is a Muslim Aamir khan portraying PK. Why single out PK, when you had Paresh Rawal playing almost the same and even more serious character in OMG!!?

Believe me, writing this line about Aamir sounded ridiculous to me. But then have heard many points to this very angle for the film’s plot.

If you protest that your religious belief about Hinduism has been hurt, then I’ll stand by you to make sure that PK or for that matter any other movie doesn’t do so again. But if your protest is based on why Only Hinduism, then please little re-think and view the whole issue in the larger context.

Religion doesn’t need Godmen but people who become men of God and form a connection with the Almighty. Who is it in your case? The God or these Babas or maulanas?

Hypocrisy of the Indian Political Times!!

By farooq

On July 2, 2014

In Politics & Social Issues

Hypocrisy in our political times

2014 has been an eventful year in terms of politics. The last 2-3 years, especially, have been all over the news, social media and on every Indians’ mouth(that includes a chaiwala to a BMW driving executive).

Battle lines which were blurred from ages got clear. Camps began showcasing their arsenals and firing on all cylinders. Politics was the buzzword and rightly so, India seemed finally awake to issues like corruption, rape, inability of ministers to deliver. All the moves by the politicians were under the radar.

This was the part, of which every Indian should be really proud about. Indian youth finally had a vision of development and was willing to fight for his right. After all he is a citizen of the World’s largest democracy.

But here’s the catch. (There’s always a catch when it comes to politics).

The battle lines, the camps and ideological battles got more and more specific, targeted and got spread from being just display of point of views to becoming hardcore “fan boys” (even more than what Rajni fans claim to be) and believe me it wasn’t limited to just one side.

The idea of democracy keeps getting challenged every now and then, but the campaigning around this time actually redefined a lot of these parameters.

The government ruling the country was challenged, shouted and even abused for each of their wrong-doings, which are far too many to be listed. Every move was put under scanner, skeletons were dug up and a lot of political gimmick took centre stage. All of this was done by each of the opposing forces and highlighted by the media. Some even pointed out biases by each of the media houses as well to describe their innocence and adding another excuse to the ill treatment meted out by the media to them.

Time went on, elections became more of a marketing promotion scheme, where one brand scored over the other by winning more number of votes. And a new government was formed.

So, if you wonder what has changed ? Except new faces and names of politicians, nothing has changed.

The same opposition party (which is now in the government) now continues to toe the same lines when it comes to price rise. Ironically, the highlight of their campaign was the same price rise issue against the ruling party.

Nothing changed. Even the sight of a suffering common man.

Sadly, this remains out of bounds for the fan boys, who continue to dream of a changing India and are now busy propagating the line that “country needs development and for that price rise is essential”. Wow!! So much understanding??!!

Where was this when the previous government was making similar decisions?

Anyways, if this understanding does not highlight the kind of hypocrisy that these followers (aka fanboys) have, then nothing else will.

Everyone was right to blame the previous government for price-rise, but this government which “promised” to change it all, now has the right to do it all?

I haven’t used names anywhere in the article. Of course, it is no-brainer to whom I’m referring to. The main reason is, now even my thought process or criticism would be questioned. The same set of people who would abuse other politicians, are now ridiculing any criticisms regarding the “government”.

Hypocrisy could not have had a better example.

With an eye on 2014: Expectations

By farooq

On September 13, 2013

In Politics & Social Issues

The wait for 2014 General elections is now ON.

The battle lines are now clear. BJP couldn’t have got any better day than Friday, the 13^th, to announce its poster boy, Narendra Modi as the PM candidate. Yes, even symbolically, it goes to show what their candidate stands for. They said, it’s the general mood of the country, some sort of “wave” which is engulfing the length and breadth of our country to accept the Vibrant Gujarat CM as the next Prime Minister of a Democratic, Secular, Republic India, a country, whose fabric is intrinsically carved and filled, with the diversified elements from extremes spanning all across its geographical identity.

Without using too many clichés, like what our beloved politicians read out from their speeches, prepared by professional teams specializing in churning out many of them to appease the masses. The requirement is of course due to the buoyancy that speeches bring, figurative promises, enthusiastic approaches and the charismatic appeals that the politicians try to imbibe in the hordes of listeners, gathered around to see their neta. It’s altogether a different story as to how sometimes crowd in rallies; protests, etc come in full support. To be brutally honest, what materialistic gain one can get by participating in one, is what determines the strength of the bheed.

To come back to the point, which I was trying to make, rather than confuse the limited readers by essaying my journey into political practices being followed by our “leaders”, is regarding my expectations on the 2014 general elections. It would be naïve to say that my expectations are in sync with the mood of the country, because there is not any one mood that our country can put up. No matter how clear cut the choice is, there will be certainty, there will be confusion and there will always be an uncertainty as to what is certain and what is uncertain. Confused ?

Well, that is what the political system; a multi-party political system actually ends up being. Ideological modifications coupled with failed promises, results in either giving rise to something new or an alignment with an existential opposition. One small deviation from the ideology, if not controlled can give rise to an increased consensus of similar-breeding-yet-different-ideas. When these ideas collaborate, the end result may turn out to be completely different from what the original deviation actually stood out for. Finally, two opposing forces, which were previously within the purview of one, now stand battling one-on-one.

Picture the above hypothesis with our political system. The grand old parties’ continued hunger for power, gave rise to these deviations which resulted in what we now see as totally opposing forces standing before it. Some of them show stark resemblance to what it originally stood for once.

It would be illogical to assign these deviations only to the Grand Old party, as the forces which we now see, the opposing forces, were active even then. But, never before they could be termed as the general mood of a region, city, let alone be called as the mood of the nation.

What has changed?

One’s inability adds onto the strength of another. Mistakes, blunders, complacency, carelessness, hunger for power, have all contributed to what changed things. Keeping hands clean when job of doing the dirty job of politics was too difficult for them. Corruption proved to be the termite, which has been biting the chairs of power, for them to realize it when it has broken down already.

“Choosing the lesser evil” is what had made them sit on a makeshift chair for a while, but have they learnt anything from the downfall? From being the supreme to being made to keep up their place, have they learnt anything?

Tough for me to answer, as examples show otherwise, Scams are mere words that are part of everyday vocabulary of every newspaper!!!

Coming onto the opposing forces, or a “force to reckon with”, as is being positioned. While talking about the Grand Old party, the ideals that they stood for, how deviations happened and how the continued mockery of our system with repeated blows of scams, has stamped their current status was mentioned elaborately.

But what these opposing forces stand on?

Do they stand on undoing the ill-effects of what has been done on the system for a long time? Keeping a check on corrupt practices? Making development their sole agenda and seeking to transform the economic well being of the nation?

Is your answer yes? And is it based on the Ideals that these parties stand on or the promises they are making?

What matter to people now? The promises or the Ideals it stands for?

Talking of ideals, formations, and the track record, where do they actually stand when it comes to stitching the social fabric of the nation. Forgetting what the Idea of India stands for, is like betraying the motherland which we are part of.

What I am hopeful of 2014 is that it will give me the clear answer to my question to what India stands for. Will it sacrifice the social fabric that it has build through participation of its’ diversified culture to bring upon itself a dominant rule of One section of society to rule over the others? Will I be calling my country secular just for namesake or there is hope left still?

I don’t like to end on a question, but an answer won’t be possible as yet.

Without an identity :The nomadic tribes

By farooq

On July 30, 2013

In Politics & Social Issues

The 29^th state of India got the light of the day; all thanks to the UPA government, by keeping an eye on the upcoming polls has started developing the vote bank that will help it come back to power yet again. Call it “tokenism” or “appeasement”, one thing is certain over here, you only get something from the government if you fall under their definition of a vote bank. Be it the Muslims getting poll-sops or SCs/STs/OBCs getting reservations in every other thing. It is all done with an eye on that elusive seat at the centre or in the respective states, which added another name to its numbers, also opening gates for similar demands to rise soon.

Now, when we are part of such a system moves in and around power politics and people who would be only help their cause to get to that elusive dream of ruling the population. Imagine being a small community (small in terms of comparative analysis over the entire 1.2+ billion population), living in the remotest part of the country. Do you think, the whole brass of politicians would ever arrive at your doorstep??

Can you imagine a certain Rahul Gandhi coming to your house to “enjoy” a meal at your house ?? Or Narendra Modi coming and talking about all the “development” he could bring to you ??

It would be naïve of you to even think of doing that.

Meet this community of “nomads” or de-notified tribes who are just nowhere in the picture all thanks to being not in the voters’ list. They are not in the interest of your Modi or your Rahul. They don’t have any address and for the same reason that they don’t possess any Voter Id card. Now, when you don’t have that, or more so, when the whole community doesn’t have any, then you are just a nobody.

There is a village in Gujarat, wadia tribe, where women are forced to enter prostitution just to make ends meet. Even the male members of this community have to become the pimps for them!!!

There are many of these tribes, suffering from not being able to continue their age-old trade of entertainment in the form of roadside shows, snake charmers, puppet shows, etc. but with new-age entertainment and regulations that stop them from continuing with their profession. For example the age old snake charmer has to stop it all, due to the law prohibiting him in doing that. But what about any alternate source for their income?? Many of them are forced to either beg or enter into a life of misery doing work that they are not accustomed to.

But yes, even with all this darkness flowing in and around the poor and helpless nomads, there are people who go out of their way to change things. Their efforts are what fill in your life with optimism, and you start believing that there is light at the end of the tunnel of this darkness.

One such woman is Mittal Patel, who has been a pillar of strength to communities like these by bringing their names in the electoral lists (from that of the police records, where they have been stereotyped as criminals from the time of British rule) helping 30,000 people get their voting cards, trying to get girls in the wadia tribe get married, marrying off 8 girls and engagement in March 12 in 2012, in order to stop them from entering into the ill-trade of prostitution, running 26 schools all around for the tribes.

There is a foundation established named VSSM in order to carry out the work, which has affected 9 districts helping people all around the state of Gujarat. Here’s how Mittal Patel describes about the problems faced by people and her efforts in the same direction.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=w8cZ2iJARPM]

She is just 30 and her works speaks for itself. Hats off to her ever growing dedication to help the people who figure nowhere in any political parties’ manifesto.

Dreams will become a reality, is what the vision of Mittal patel is. The community of Nomads or de-notified tribes constitute of 10% of the population, scattered all around.

To Modi, without Love

By farooq

On June 9, 2013

In Politics & Social Issues

I chanced upon this article in Firstpost via a friend, which is a backlash on the detractors of Modi. Well, it appeared more like a Bhakts’ outburst on the people who continue to criticize his hero of “growth and development”. The hero, popularly known as Feku Modi.

First of all the writer starts off pretty philosophically, when we are polarizing Modi, we are hypocrites who have given “normal” human being his “controversial” image, which caused by the people who dislike him.

Fair enough, but like many other ModiBhakts, they simply forget mention the reasons for the hate towards Modi?

Anyways, the article, tries to ‘logically” defend the detractors’ claims by citing three reasons for the criticism and explaining why it is NOT so.

Now, there seems to be numerous allegations that the Gujarat CM has been accused of, not just the ones pending in the judicial courts or even the doubts on the “clean chits”. But then if you’re a Bhakt, does any of it matter ?

Modi not apologizing after the riots is the first allegation that the haters blame Modi for.

The writer cites the examples of other riots taking place in India from the time of Independence and none of the “accused parties” apologizing for it. Be it the riots of ’84 or the numerous state riots. But lest he forgot, that here Modi was the only one who had been implicated in this manner and one of the rarest distinctions for a Chief Minister. Not only “N” number of cases were registered against him, but he has been made to appear before committees put up for criminal investigations.

Imagine a chief minister coming out with a statement like, “Every action has a reaction”!! His love for Newton in comparing the Laws of Motion, with the riots of this magnitude, where the people of one community were made to suffer, is in itself sad when a CM is seen justifying the act. The riots happened in times of 24×7 news channels and to be insensitive to what message people would get from it, and to try and win the “Hindu pride” throughout was what remains etched in people’s mind and not JUST the fact that he showed no remorse or apology.

Besides, there have been numerous accounts where he has been famously accused of allowing the police to let loose the mob and avenge the lives of the Sabarmati express victims. Policeman, itself helping the mob in clearing away Muslim dominated regions, killing, rapes, burning of whole colonies, were all done with the help of the Police force. Officials from the police forces have even gone on to give statements against Modi accusing that it all happened at the behest of him. And to think, that a CM did nothing to stop this brutality.

Modi’s false Developmental claims

Well, you don’t earn a tag of “feku” just without doing anything.

Why Modi is called feku ?

The term “feku” is derived from “Phenku” which means to throw. Usually used for people who lie often. Narendra Modi is called feku because of his false development claims, making up facts which do not exist and even claiming accolades for work he has not done. He has strengthened this image by saying wrong names, incorrect historical information and irrelevant comparisons in his speeches.

When people accuse Modi of claiming all the development works as his own, where it goes like many of the projects that were started by Chimanbhai Patel, the CM of the congress government and which got completed under Modi’s tenure luckily, they refute back with the statement that even the UPA government at the centre enjoys the fruits of 5 YEARS OF NDA RULE!!! Well , even assuming that they do, should we assume that there ain’t any difference between both the centre and the state governments. And that you are taking credit of others’ work like the other governments are doing. Wo kare to main kyun nahi ??

But then, your story does not end there. You not only claim of what you have NOT DONE but also things that are YET TO BE DONE!!

The Gujarat Model that is very much part of your propaganda is not a model of Growth and development but pure industrialization where your industrialist friends have benefited.

To throw some light on your “feku” developmental speeches, there will be a whole lot of things that would be lighted and the shadow of darkness on your followers who never fail to tow your “Vibrant Gujarat” lines. Although, I doubt that anything will help them in realizing this.

Hub for Investors: An RTI data had blasted Modi’s claims of 63.5 per cent implementation of memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed during 2003, 2005 and 2007 vibrant Gujarat summits, which is a platform for Modi to highlight the state’s “growth”. Reports say that only 25.25 per cent of MoUs signed during these summits were implemented. And figures available from union commerce ministry say that only 16 to 17 per cent of MoUs signed in Gujarat were implemented.–

2. Growth across Gujarat: Even the development of Gujarat is not uniformly distributed, the Eastern belt fares as the worst in terms of development. Farmer’s committing suicide is a regular scenario. According to RBI, Gujarat ranked 17 among the 18 largest states in India about spending on social sector which was just 31.6 per cent of the budgetary expenditure in Gujarat, much less than other states.

3. Happy Minorties: When it comes to development, the Muslim pockets fare even worse. Many of them having been reduced to slums, and there has been a growing fear among the community of similar backlash like 2002. There had been leaflets flowing during the time of riots to not do business with the community, and although that fear might have slowly been reduced yet the situation isn’t any good at all to talk about.

Gujarat happens to be one state which didn’t implement the minority scholarship schemes for students from low income Muslim community citing lack of funds, where the central government spends half of the money. And it is only that money (the 50% coming from the centre) which is being used. There is no cooperation from the Gujarat government

4. Handsome earning: According to NSSO 2011 figures, the average daily wage a labourer in the informal sector in urban areas can expect in Gujarat is Rs.106 against Rs.218 in Kerala (which ranks first). In rural areas, Punjab ranks the highest at Rs.152 a day while Gujarat stands 12th at Rs.83.

5. Healthy Children: Human Development Report 2011 said around half of Gujarat’s children were malnourished. The United Nation’s Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said, “Almost every second child in Gujarat under the age of five years is undernourished and three out of four are anemic. Infant and maternal mortality rates have reduced very slowly in the last decade…. One mother in three in Gujarat struggles with acute under-nutrition….”

How can one forget that, “Girls malnourished due to being beauty conscious” said by the Guj CM.

6. Educated Gujarat: The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) election manifesto claimed to have achieved 100 per cent enrolment in primary schools and reduced the overall dropout rate by 2 per cent. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) statistics show that Gujarat ranks 18th when it comes to success in keeping children in schools!!!

7. Wealthy Gujarat: Statistics of the NSSO show that the percentage of reduction of poverty between 2004 and 2010 was the highest in Odisha at 20.2 per cent, and the lowest in Gujarat, at 8.6 per cent. Even though the per capita income is higher than the national average, the per capita monthly expenditure in both rural and urban areas is low when compared with other States and the national average.

8. Fresh Air: When, Modi talks about Growth and development, one should read it as Industrialization, industrialization at the cost of the environment. The industrially developed South belt actually boasts of environmentally dead zones, if these stats are to be believed. The Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI) where the levels of air, land and water pollution measurement technique and according to statistics from the Central Pollution Control Board, Ankleshwar and Vapi in Gujarat top the list of 88 severely polluted industrial areas in India. Ankleshwar has a CEPI rating of 88.50 while Vapi’s is 88.09. Of the 88 areas, eight are in Gujarat. Even Dhanbad in Jharkhand, with its intensive coal mining and a longer history of pollution than the Gujarat centres, ranks only 13th on the list. Anything over 70 on this index is considered to have crossed critical levels, that is, the pollution exceeds the capacity of the environment to handle it and it becomes a dangerous health hazard, but then that is what Gujarat’s development and growth is all about.

Being at the rejecting end of United States:

Well, imagine a Prime Minister not getting a US visa??!!

His supporters may definitely say, the US approval is not required, although the same ones were jubilant when their hero was seen on the TIMES cover!! Boasting, as to how even the US accepts his authority!! Wow, hypocrisy on display for you.

And the last point of being arrogant and authoritative

Having an image larger than the party, he fits quite perfectly in the mindsets of the “polarized” community for whom he happens to be the hope.

What recent example can one cite then the one displayed just yesterday, a mob, calling itself Narendra Modi Army protested outside Advani’s house, so that he paves the way for NaMo to become PM. This was fuelled by the fact that Advani didn’t went to the Goa party meet. Goa, one of the few states left under the BJP leadership, a state having nominal population. Imagine the supporters doing all this to their own senior leader. Especially of the magnitude of Advani, because of him Vajpayee didn’t take any harsh steps against Modi after 2002 riots.

If this does not scare you enough, one should just look at the kind of language Modi supporters speak in the online media. Hatred spews from each of their words, your one statement against Modi may invite ten abuses from each of the hundreds of Modi-fied fans available there. Bashing the minority religion, their religious leaders, mocking their religion, culture, etc isn’t a new thing.

And if this is the trailer which Modi wants to show us, at least I don’t want to watch the whole movie.

Sources: NSSO, Central polution Control Board, and images from Google

Bias and the Media

By farooq

On May 14, 2013

In Politics & Social Issues

Shivraj singh chauhan, the Madhya Pradesh CM, being accused of allotting land to RSS and BJP close aide’s and institutions at throwaway prices, something similar on the lines of Yeddyurappa , the former BJP CM of Karnataka.

Rajdeep sardesai, the editor-in-chief of CNN-IBN, the channel which broke the story today, has already started being at the receiving end of hate tweets from the huge Sanghi/BJP/MODIfied online population. Most of them saying Media is biased, when it comes to the saffron brigade!!!

Right from the time, when the CWG scam came into light, there have been numerous scams being unearthed from time to time. Not that there weren’t any before, but CWG brought with it a series of scams more on the lines of sequels of Bollywood movies, each different from its predecessor, yet maintaining the old flavour intact. Here the flavour was of course, scams!!

Naming all of the scams, would tend to become an exhaustive list of scams which we would be tired of reading. Of course, the politicians and bureaucrats, involved in them would never ever be tired of being in the limelight of those scams.

bias and the media

Back to where I started, about the “biased media”, the degree of biasness shifts varying degrees depending from which base camp you are looking at them. A media house may be ridiculed one day for bringing to light any corruption/criminal charges that may be involve the party whose ideology you follow or the community you represent and would be hailed for exposing the scam, the other day.

I was recently having a chat with a school friend of mine, who like many in this part of Jamshedpur is a Muslim like me. Times are such, that a discussion on politics is inevitable. In one of the discussions, he said, “Media is biased towards Muslims” which made me ask, the reasons for that statement. It was not the first time that I had heard a Muslim complaining about this, but he being a dear friend, I had no qualms throwing that question back at him. He says, “Look at the way, Modi is being branded in the media, as if he is some sort of messiah of development. How can one forget what happened in Gujarat? Those many lives lost just because of him neglecting and allowing everything to happen and now media says, that guy could be our PM??

“I just smiled and replied,” That day, when Modi will become PM will never come my friend.”

Anyways, this was his view of how media is being biased towards his community.

Time and again, whenever some news channels or some news reporters air a program or even their views against the Saffron brigade, they end up being termed as “pseudo-seculars”, “sickulars” terms one can hear, if the troll is being easy on them. There are of course other terminologies that they are subjected to, which I better not jot down here.

For the trolls, this media or section of media is biased.

When it comes to the Israel-Palestinian issue, many feel that Israel is the one at blame, while others justify it by blaming that the terrorists at work in Palestine are to be blamed for the whole fiasco. Certain sections of media use one view, while some air the other as per their choice.

And here also, lies the Biasness that people talk about.

What really is this biasness that each of them talks about??

Well, if I had to say, it’s nothing but the idea that whatever we feel like, i.e. our ideology is, correct and others are wrong. And if the media highlight the other camp, then it becomes a bias for them.

I recall, just when Afzal Guru was hanged, I shared a letter that his wife wrote around the time of his death. And just after the judgement of Supreme Court, that the “collective conscience” of the society, required this judgement. What I deemed was, this trend of the SC giving judgements on such matters is scary and may have future repercussions as well.

What followed on facebook was a long argument which solely focussed on terrorists should be treated like that and just because a few have a “back story” to end up like this, doesn’t justify it. Agreed, but then for people of the valley or even the North east, where there are numerous cases of injustice meted out by our very own Indian army, things like these are bias as well.

They assume they don’t exist for the media at all!!!

Strange are the laws of biasness!! Maybe, many would find this post to be biased as well.

The idea lies in understanding each other’s point of view and unless we try understanding that of others, this chain of blame games on being biased is going to continue.

But then there are questions on that as well. Someone said, “One man’s medicine is another man’s poison”, and looking at all of this in the same wavelength, it would take a lot to find something that isn’t poisonous if not a medicine!!

But then, living in a country like India, is that too much to ask??

Earthquake, Riots and Modi

By farooq

On March 21, 2013

In Politics & Social Issues

2001, just when the Earthquake happened in Gujarat, I was just a 10-year old. It was really sad to see all those people, their houses, shops being in that terrible condition as they were. Earthquake, from what we read in one chapter in a social science book some days back, was there to show me what it actually is, and how damaging it can be. But, who knew, there were more socially damaging things waiting to happen.

The very next Friday, the mosque’s moulvi requested each of us to pray for the souls of the deceased in the zalzala and help to the needful over there in Gujarat. Also, lined up were various people looking for donations for Gujarat victims outside the masjid. Schools, colleges everywhere people were kind enough to give away some of their stuffs for the needful.

It was the time, when we had only Doordarshan, unlike many in our neighborhood, and they had started these 2-minute news updates every hour. And every time there was a Gujarat earthquake related news coming, so it had become some sort of a routine to see Gujarat out there. The only things I knew about Gujarat were the earthquake and Amul, about which I had heard sometime from my dada.

I can’t gather the details now, but I am not pretty sure, as to what happened in almost a year. Whether DD continued to show its monotonous news stories only about earthquake, or not. But that image was still there. But then another incident happened, something related to train burning. As far as I remember, and there were riots.

Things started to come together, all those previous talks that used to happen in between conversations’ in dada’s oldie-addas or even sometimes when dadi used to tell some small stray incidents of chousath (’64) or Tiraasi(’83) ke riots. (Although, when she used to say it, it used to sound like Right). So, now, again another Riot had happened, and this time in Gujarat. I believe I didn’t understood most of the stuff that time, only thing that went in my head was the bafflement as to how and why certain people behave like that.

There were lots of things that were buzzing my little and yet-to-turn-teenager head at that time. I had already started thinking of myself as someone who is not a kid anymore. But then, I guess, most of us used to think like that. Suddenly, it struck as to why our relatives from the other part of the city, mainly around the industrial part of Sakchi( Where Tata Steel, or TISCO as it used to be called then was) to our locality Mango(where there was hardly any development at that time, and situation is not much different even now) which is a fully muslim-populated area to take a casual and safety refuge at every Ram navmi. The real reason, as I asked and could know was, about the fear of riots that they had.

With years passing by, my tiny little head becoming big, things were somewhat becoming clearer. Although, I must say, there are still little things that are not. Actually, there was just a little question, WHO are these people make these riots happen?? And WHY do they do that??

Going back to Gujarat, and the reason I had this long prologue to what I actually wanted to say.

Putting this one question of Why and who, which I mentioned above, I somehow got the answer.

The answer is not something to be said in mere words, because this is a perspectivial thought that came from this. And this answer didn’t come from asking that question just once, not twice but numerous times. I do advice, if you don’t have the answer, then please keep asking yourself.

“Shri Narendra Modi” once said something about action-reaction, displaying his immense knowledge about Newton’s law of motion. Not to forget his made-to-woo oratory skills, which he can use to talk about in colleges (where there might be protests outside the premises, but then his “intellectual” fans don’t mind that), or he can go globe-trotting to tell about it (provided he gets the visa, Oops).

I would just like to say, to him, the action that your government did, or didn’t do for some reason about which everyone knows and some try to act as if they don’t, will always have a reaction waiting for you someday. Not exactly in the manner that you made people of your own state to go through, but at least in making you get rejected for a visa (First CM to do that, Record!!), maybe getting “disinvited” to events, and more importantly getting the mandate of the people of secular India, where people have the guts tell it to you that what you did will always remain in their memories. And you will know about it soon. Kyunki bhai, 2014 door nahi.