Loss of making ‘Desh’

In a very positive note, government of Bangladesh has decided to honor 226 Indians for their crucial support to the country during 1971 Liberation War. As this TOI news tells:
 

Bangladesh to honour 226 Indians for role in 1971 ‘Liberation War’
 

Bangladesh will honour some 500 foreigners, including 226 Indians, for their crucial support to the country’s 1971 ‘Liberation War’, as it marks the 40th Victory Day anniversary next year.
 

Former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi would be conferred with a special honour for her “immense” support for Bangladesh’s independence, officials earlier said.
 

Apart from the late Indian Prime Minister, then Indian army chief, Field Marshal S.H.F.J. Manekshaw and the army commander in India’s eastern theatre, Lt. Gen. Jagjit Singh Aurora, figure in a list of eminent people to be honoured by Bangladesh.
 

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Bangladesh-to-honour-226-Indians-for-role-in-1971-Liberation-War/articleshow/7100272.cms#ixzz18GcilMme
 

At the same time, I am horrified to read the concluding part of the article:
 

On March 26, 1971, Bangladesh – then East Pakistan – declared its independence from West Pakistan.
 

According to official figures, Pakistani troops, aided by local collaborators, killed an estimated 3 million people, raped about 200,000 women and forced millions more to leave their homes during the bloody nine-month guerrilla war.
 

Now this is shocking and completes the story of Division of India in 1947. I don’t know how many men and women would have died if there was no division of India, but certainly ‘a lot’ suffered due to it; be it in 1947, or 1971. All those who died or suffered, were sons and daughters of the same soil.
 

While sons and daughters of soil suffered in all three artificially created nations of India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, interestingly, three dynasties grabbed power in the three respective nations, for decades. Nehru/Gandhi in India, Sheikh Hasina (daughter of BD’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman) and Bhuttos in Pakistan, these are strong dynasties which have survived and thrived. Their tales are full of ups and downs, with some members of dynasties paying price by their lives. In any case, I think situations with less separate “Desh”s would have been better and bigger.

Creamy Layer Income Limit

Caste Politics is perhaps the ugliest part of Indian democracy. Those leaders who claim to be supporting the weakest, often are those who grab their opportunities away, all in the name of political vote banks.
 

Caste based reservations in jobs and in schools and colleges was a very bad idea to start with. That is why it was planned to be applicable for a limited period of 10 years. But the corrupt politicians made the policy become an eternity – as they secured them strong vote banks from amongst beneficiary castes. The list of so called ‘lower’ castes was regularly enlarged in order to attract votes from maximum castes possible, and even those castes which took pride in being ‘upper’ are now fighting for a ‘lower’ tag. It is indeed a race towards the bottom. To ensure the politicians get patronage of maximum voters; they expanded the bracket of ‘Creamy Layer’ income limit. Therefore, today the poorest among the benefitting castes (from reservation policy) remain in oblivion while richest among the same benefitting castes (covered under quota) grab and swallow all the seats meant for the poor.
 

In a very welcome move the Supreme Court has allowed a petition which challenges this unfair raise in Creamy Layer income limit:
 

Creamy layer income: SC admits plea
 

TNN, Dec 13, 2010, 08.51pm IST
 

NEW DELHI: The SC on Monday admitted educationist P V Indiresan’s petition challenging the legality of the UPA government’s decision to raise the creamy layer income limit from Rs 2.50 lakh to Rs 4.50 lakh per year for OBCs.
 

Appearing for the petitioner, senior advocate K K Venugopal said that by this increase, the poor among OBCs would be pushed out of reservation benefits by the rich among the backward classes.
 

The government had defended the decision saying it was a reasonable increase despite many elected representatives demanding raising it to Rs 25 lakh.
 

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Creamy-layer-income-SC-admits-plea/articleshow/7094417.cms#ixzz185NDq94Q 

This is good news. I believed Creamy Layer limit has been hiked for political aspirations of corrupt leaders. It should be set at 1 Lakh maximum, otherwise the rich among the OBCs swallow the seats meant for really poor. Let us hope some sense prevails in the “mad rush to the bottom”.

Chidambaram is a Migrant too

One of my colleagues tells his story from the childhood days. He was very bad in studies and when caught to some difficult question, he would become philosophical and would give vaguely thoughtful answers which even the teachers won’t be able to make solve. This strategy of his, worked. The confused teachers often asked him to sit down. I think our Home Minister has reached a stage in life where he is qualifying himself to be incapable of handling really demanding jobs. One can only infer this, if one hears from him his recent remarks:
 

Chidambaram blames migrants for crime in Delhi, Opposition hits back
 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK & AGENCIES, Dec 13, 2010, 02.30pm IST
 

NEW DELHI: Union home minister P Chidambaram on Monday came under heavy fire by the opposition for blaming the spate of crimes in Delhi due to migrant population.
 

Stroking controversy, home minister Chidambaram said, “I condemn the heinous crime of rape. Migrants are behind such crimes in the capital.” “Crime takes place because Delhi attracts a large number of migrants,” said Chidambaram, whose ministry is responsible for law and order in the sprawling city of 14 million people.
 

Chidambaram was reacting after an 18-year-old girl was gangraped on Sunday in a moving car while 600-700 policemen, who were trying to locate the car went in vain. The policemen from the six police stations immediately launched roadblocks after her abduction but failed to save the modesty of the girl.
 

On the other hand, BJP leader Kirti Azad also criticized Chidambaram and said that Congress government has been trying to hide its failure and mistakes by blaming migrants. This was the fourth incident of abduction and gangrape in a span of one month. The rising incident of rapes in the capital have been raising serious question over the safety of women. Around 433 cases of rapes have been reported so far in this year in the capital. According to the statistics, Delhi witnessed one rape each day in the year 2010.
 

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Chidambaram-blames-migrants-for-crime-in-Delhi-Opposition-hits-back/articleshow/7092575.cms#ixzz18GrwZntX 

To find the ‘originals’ in Delhi – a place where almost entire population was butchered by Muslim invaders so many times in its history – is puzzling enough. And then to blame ‘migrants’, as if the ‘locals’ (so called) would never rape a girl – shows one’s own imprudent state of mind.
 

I think it is fine and doable to look at the demographic profile of criminals and make some observations (still, I wonder if Chidambaram could make a comment on ‘religion’ of a lot of criminals). But for a home minister of a country as diverse as ours, it is given that he would see the repercussions of his statements and judge appropriateness to audiences. This is why I strongly feel his statements were very wrong and even ‘evil’ in a sense. As the news arrives, the Thackerays from Maharashtra have expressed their ‘agreement’ over Chidambaram’s statements and went ahead with spreading their ‘divisive’ agendas.
 

In any case, if 700 policemen couldn’t stop a rape, as the case is in this one, I think Chidambaram’s plain ‘philosophical talk’ won’t save him or his government anyhow.

2010 Varanasi Terror Blast

Last weekend, we went to a specialty restaurant near Jama Masjid in Delhi. The restaurant was very close to the Masjid and we could see people on its stairs. Then I noticed something. There were big posters fixed on the walls of the Masjid, which said, “Kahin Hum Bhool Na Jayen (Let us not Forget) – Babri Masjid Demolition”. I remembered the day – it was one day before 6th of December. Those who would have erected the posters, would be feeling great about it – may be they would have raised charity to get the posters printed. And what would the posters achieve? Some hatred and some trouble – for all.
 

On that day, I wondered why not someone printed and erected posters and banners saying, “Kahin Hum Bhool Na Jayen (Let us not Forget) – Babar’s Ram Temple Demolition”. Since Babri Temple was constructed at the ruins of a Hindu Temple, it was an un-Islamic structure – as experts say. But those who want to spread hatred in the society – and claim to hold power among Indian Muslims – hardly care for “righteousness”. All they care about is their own sources of income. A lot would be coming from funds raised from Indian Muslims, and a lot more from across the border.
 

Today’s newspaper tells there was a Blast near a Hindu Temple in the holy city of Varanasi. It was carried out by Indian Muzahiddin to avenge deconstruction of controversial Babri building. A young child has died and dozens are injured. I am not surprised. If our government supports the ‘hatred mongers’ in erecting those avenging posters and banners – a sample of which I saw near Jama Masjid – we would get only such hateful and disastrous incidents in return. When all power in India lies in the hands of a lady which has no accountability, and the man holding responsibility has no real power; our future remains at stake.