Poona Pact of 1932: The Beginning of "Caste Reservation Politics" and Part of British "Divide and Rule" Policy

Poona Pact: The beginning of "caste reservation politics". It was part of British govt's "divide and rule" policy. Ambedkar was used as a means to divide Hindus on basis of castes, just like Jinnah was to divide Indians on basis of religion. 

As part of the British policy to "divide and rule" India by dividing Hindus on the lines of castes and hence make them weaker, the British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald had taken a decision to give separate electorates to 'depressed castes' for the Election of members of provincial Legislative Assemblies in British India. Mahatma Gandhi was doing a fast until death to stop this law. The British used Ambedkar as a means to end Gandhi's fast. BR Ambedkar was a known critic and hater of Gandhiji, as it is clear from his writings and speeches. Gandhi finally agreed to Ambedkar and ended his fast. A pact was signed at Yerwada Central Jail in Poona (where Gandhi ji was doing his fast). It was signed by Ambedkar on behalf of the 'depressed castes' and by Madan Mohan Malviya on behalf of the 'other caste Hindus' and Gandhi ji. 

The terms of the Poona Pact were as follows.

• There shall be electoral seats reserved for the Depressed Classes out of general electorate. Seats in the provincial Legislatures were total 147. These figures were based on the total strength of the Provincial Councils announced in Ramsay MacDonald's decision.
• Election to these seats shall be by joint electorates subject (irrespective of castes
• In the Central Legislature, 18% of the seats allotted to the general electorate for British India in the said legislature shall be reserved for the Depressed Classes.
• The system of primary election to a panel of candidates for election to the Central and Provincial Legislatures as hereinbefore mentioned shall come to an end after the first ten years unless terminated sooner by mutual agreement under the provision of clause below.
• The system of representation of Depressed Classes by reserved seats in the Provincial and Central Legislatures as provided for in clauses (1) and (4) shall continue until determined otherwise by mutual agreement between the communities concerned in this settlement.
• In every province out of the educational grant, an adequate sum shall be earmarked for providing educational facilities to the members of Depressed Classes.

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From an article by Source: The Hindu: 

In late September 1932, B.R. Ambedkar negotiated the Poona Pact with Mahatma Gandhi. The background to the Poona Pact was the Communal Award of August 1932, which, among other things, reserved 71 seats in the central legislature for the 'depressed castes'. Gandhi, who was opposed to the Communal Award, saw it as a British attempt to split Hindus, and began a fast unto death to have it repealed.

In a settlement negotiated with Gandhi, Ambedkar agreed for 'depressed castes' candidates to be elected by a joint electorate. However, on his insistence, slightly over twice as many seats (147) were reserved for the 'depressed castes' in the legislature than what had been allotted under the Communal Award. In addition, the Poona Pact assured a bigger representation of the 'depressed castes' in the public services while earmarking a portion of the educational grant for their uplift.

It is also highly unlikely that a clever politician like Ambedkar would not have weighed the consequences of not signing the Poona Pact. It would also not have been lost on him that Muhammad Ali Jinnah, with the Muslims of India strongly backing him, was watching and waiting to take advantage of the evolving situation.

The Poona Pact had several positive outcomes for Ambedkar. It emphatically sealed his leadership of the 'depressed castes' across India. Most of all he succeeded in making the 'depressed castes' a formidable political force for the first time in history.

As Ambedkar remarked in a 1943 address to mark the 101st birthday celebrations of Mahadev Govind Ranade, all he wanted was “a settlement of some sort”; that he was not “prepared to wait for an ideal settlement”. It is very much in this spirit that he affixed his signature to the Poona Pact.

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Reading about it, we can notice that the Poona Pact was 'win-win' for the British Govt and Ambedkar and a 'loss-loss' for Congress and Mahatma Gandhi. Through the Poona Pact, the British Govt got away with their original 'caste-divide plan' and successfully ended Gandhi's fast. BR Ambedkar on the other hand established himself as the prime leader of 'Dalits' and consolidated them into a political force. 

The success of Poona Pact showed that the British could get away dividing Hindus in the lines of castes and they would succeed if they pitted a Hindu against another Hindu, like they did by pitting Ambedkar, a Hindu, against Gandhi or Malaviya, also Hindus. 

On the other hand, Congress and Gandhi ji had to concede from their earlier position of protesting against the  Ramsay MacDonald's decision of caste reservation in legislative assemblies. But we can understand that Gandhi ji and Congress did not have much choice than to concede. If they did not agree, India's independence movement would have degenerated into an internal mess with Hindu castes fighting against each other. In order to focus on our freedom movement, they would have given away their position, from which Ambedkar, a Gandhi-hater and who also made his followers quit Hinduism later on, gained prominence. 

New Farm Bills by Modi Govt are Good and Punjab Needs to Set Its Priorities Right

 

Rich Educated Muslims Joining IS and Influencing Others In India

At the beginning of the "Islamic State" wave, there were reports of large scale radicalization of Muslim youth all across the world including India. At that time it was widely said by media and poverty and lack of education was causing Muslims to get radicalized and join the IS. Although the profiles of the men who carried out 9/11 attacks or the attack on Indian parliament had proved this theory wrong, still, due to being repeated so many times, this theory had remained stuck in public imagination. 

But time and again, new facts have been proving this theory wrong. Highly educated and rich Muslims have not only been radicalized and went on to join the IS in Syria/Iraq, they have also influenced more Muslims to join them and become terrorists. 

Here is a latest news related to this which caused my thoughts to trigger:

Missing Bengaluru youth helped many join IS, killed in Syria

A business management graduate belonging to a wealthy Bengaluru family who has been missing for around seven years and was suspected to have joined the Islamic State is now known to have been killed in Syria.

Sources said the death of Faiz Masood had been confirmed by a doctor arrested in Bengaluru recently by the NIA in connection with an Islamic State Khorasan Province case. Abdur Rahman, an opthalmologist, was among the Bengaluru youths who travelled to Syria in 2013-14 to join the IS.

Investigations have revealed that Masood, then 27, who left behind his parents, wife and two young children, was closely associated with the IS in Syria and Iraq and was a key contact in Syria for Bengaluru youths trying to join the terror outfit.

Questioning by the NIA, other central and state agencies of Rahman and an alleged associate — a fellow doctor, also from Bengaluru — has reportedly revealed that the two of them had met Masood at the Syrian border town of Atme, when they crossed over from a Turkey refugee camp in end 2013.

Rahman and his associate, both 22 and medical students at the time, said Masood died in an attack on a camp that left one of them with minor injuries. This prompted them to give up plans of joining the IS and return within days of making it to Syria, seeking financial help of their parents, officials said.

Investigators claimed Rahman and his associate, who went to become doctors after returning to India, admitted that Masood’s death, the injury to one of them, as well as the serious infighting they saw among IS cadre had disillusioned them. Another alleged associate of Rahman, an aeronautical engineer, has reportedly also told investigators that Masood had facilitated his travel to Syria to join the IS. He left before the two medical students and stayed longer before suffering an injury to his arm and returning.

Masood had left for Qatar in September 2013 and disappeared soon after. His disappearance was not reported to the police by his family. Security agencies stumbled upon his name in 2014-15, as being one of those from India possibly killed in fighting in Syria, when they began looking closely at identities of IS recruits from India.

Masood was part of a group of wealthy Muslim youths from east Bengaluru who met often in 2012-13 and discussed religion. Several from the group later left to join the IS when it was established around mid-2013.

The Syria trip in 2013-14 of Rahman and others was also facilitated by a dentist and a computer applications graduate who earlier lived in Bengaluru and are currently working in Saudi Arabia.

Rahman was arrested on August 17 by the NIA on charges of conspiring with Jahanazaib Wani and his wife, held from New Delhi in March, to carry out activities of the Islamic State of Khorasan Province unit in India. In its statement, the NIA said Rahman was “in the process of developing a medical application for helping injured ISIS cadres in conflict-zones and a weaponry-related application for the benefit of ISIS fighters”.

In the first charge sheet filed in the case last week, the NIA alleged that Wani, who belongs to Kashmir, and others “were also provoking some gullible youth to participate in anti-CAA protests actively”. “In case these protests failed to provoke the Muslims, they were planning for arsoning of Government buildings & public property so that riots could happen and they could exploit the sentiments of Muslims,” the NIA said.

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/missing-bengaluru-youth-helped-many-join-is-killed-in-syria-says-probe-6593768/

Can Rhea Get Away from Drug Case Putting All Blame On Sushant?

Ever since the Whatsapp chats of Rhea Chakraborty have come out where she is seen sourcing drugs; she has claimed innocence putting entire blame on Sushant Singh Rajput. She mentioned in her famous Aajtak interview that it was Sushant who used to consume drugs and she was only buying it for him. She claimed that she never did drugs herself and neither did her family. All these claims have fallen flat on her face with hard evidences that she was lying. 

First, the Whatsapp chats linking her to drug dealers started from year 2017, long before she had ever met Sushant. This proves that she was linked to drugs much before Sushant came into her life and hence she can't run away putting entire blame on Sushant. 

Second, Central Agnecies have found proof that drugs were procured at the Waterstone Club, and at Rhea’s residence too; apart from Sushant’s residence. It proves that she or her brother were dealing in drugs not only related to Sushant but also for others. 

In the probe, Sushant's staff Samuel Miranda and Dipesh Sawant have also cofirmed that they procured drugs only for Rhea and the timeline also started from September 2019 (much after Rhea came into Sushant's life). 

According to IndiaToday report, Samuel Miranda and Dipesh Sawant named Rhea Chakraborty, the one who was behind the purchase of illegal drugs for Sushant’s home. Samuel Miranda made a confession that he had purchased weed for the late actor from September 2019 to March 2020. He procured weed for Rs 2,500 per packet from Showik Chakraborty’s friend Suryadeep. He further named another drug supplier Kamaljeet (KJ). He further disclosed that Karmajeet used to deliver the weed to Waterstone Club, Prime Rose apartment (Rhea’s residence) and Mount Blanc apartment (Sushant’s residence). [Samuel Miranda, Dipesh Sawant Name Bollywood Celebs Who Attended Drug Parties at Sushant Singh Rajput’s Farmhouse]

It won't be easy for Rhea to just blame Sushant Singh Rajput for her entire involvement with drugs and save herself. Justice needs proofs and the proofs so far indict her and her brother clearly. 

Let us wait for this case closure to be able to know the details of this whole story. 

Did Rhea Really Love Sushant?

There is a news item from NDTV from April this year; it is titled, "Neither Sushant Singh Rajput Nor I Have Ever Admitted That, So It's Not True": Rhea Chakraborty On Rumoured Relationship With The Actor"

Rhea Chakraborty, in a recent interview with ETimes, denied reports about her rumoured relationship with Sushant Singh Rajput and said: "It's not true. Neither Sushant Singh Rajput nor I have ever admitted that, so it's not true. Sushant and I are really good friends. I've known him for eight years now. We were in YRF together and we had the same manager for a long period. Our friendship has evolved over the years. I love all my friends and I don't hide that. I am very public about my love for the people in my life, whether they are girls or boys."

She added that she "doesn't know" what the actor thinks about her. "Whereas Sushant is a concern, he's one of the nicest and the coolest person I know. I don't know about him but to me, he's super cute and attractive. But I don't know what he thinks about me."

It is easy to understand that she was aware of people's suspicion about the couple being in love, and she specifically clarified to remove the doubt. She denied that she and Sushant were in love. 

Does the fact that Rhea and Sushant were not in love contradict the fact that they were living in together? Many people have "no strings attached" affairs and hence we can't say for sure that there is a contradiction. May be Sushant and Rhea were living together without any plan about marriage. Or may be one of them loved the other but the other did not plan to marry. Hence, we can understand that Rhea or Sushant won't be publicly admitting that they were together. 

But once Sushant died, Rhea came out in the open and admitted that they were "a couple". In the famous Aajtak interview, she strongly mentioned that she and Sushant were "living like a couple". And in this news item from June 19th, "Rhea confirmed that the two were indeed dating and were even living together during the lockdown." 

The question is: Why did Rhea deny her relationship with Sushant until he was alive; but admitted that they were in love immediately after he died? Was it because of a "convenience or was there a deeper conspiracy? In June, no one was blaming Rhea for Sushant's death. At that time, it was not necessary for her to disclose her relationship status to the media. It can be understood that she chose to disclose her relationship status soon after Sushant died "in order to make people take her statements seriously and with authenticity!" 

And what were those statements? The statement which solved the Sushant death case even before it made people wonder. She mentioned that Sushant had mental problems and he had stopped taking medicines which explained his death! People can look at it as a very "convenient" act. 

Now that Sushant is not alive, Rhea can speak anything and it will be difficult for people to do "fact checks". All we got are Sushant's roommates, while many of them were Rhea's friends, and hence we shall never be able to trust them fully!

Now, the biggest question: If Rhea loved Sushant, how could she administer him with drugs? How could she procure the drugs putting her own reputation at risk, ask detailed methods about how to give him drugs and then help him get addicted? What kind of a lover would do that? We can understand that may be girlfriends with no commitment to marry someone could do that! Or someone who was using Sushant could do that!

Rhea Chakraborty's last movie was in 2018. She did not have a movie for last 2 years. All she got was a Rumi Jaffrey's proposed film with Sushant; based on her own statements. Can we understand that all she was doing in Sushant's flat was to keep him happy so that she could get one more movie? She claimed in Aajtak interview that the couple were expecting to get Rs 14 Crores from this movie. That would have been perhaps the biggest fee she ever got for her acting. So, is this all? 

Based on all facts and going through above aspects, does it not seem more appropriate that Rhea was with Sushant for a purpose? If she really "loved" Sushant, she would never have given him drugs in the manner she did. And if she was just being friends with Sushant to get her next movie-break, she should have been honest enough to mention it. But since she mentioned that she was Sushant's "lover", that changes everything. People doubt everything about her. 

Which Was More Stupid: The Billboard Or the Billboard Company?

"Justice For SSR" has been a totally organic citizen's campaign to make sure that Sushant Singh Rajput's death is probed fairly and by a competent authority. The campaign started online after Mumbai Police was unable to show progress in the death probe and also a communication gap resulted in a public perception that "something is being hidden". Sushant Singh Rajput's death became a war cry: people exerted their democratic right to demand justice from the government. And Government did pay heed to it. India's top most investigative agency CBI was asked to probe the case and the probe thereafter has been fair and totally up to the mark. The campaign is a proud moment for India's democracy. 

But one thing went wrong in the meanwhile: Several campaigners went "overboard". It is not to undermine the feelings of a sister, but Sushant's USA based sister Shweta Singh Kirti started getting "billboards" arranged all over the USA, writing the campaign slogan: "#JusticeForSSR": 

From the beginning, I thought that the billboards were totally unnecessary because: (1) A campaign in the USA for death case of an Indian actor in India was unnecessary, (2) It created a wrong impression as if our country's legal system was corrupt, (3) The message these billboards sent to unsuspecting Americans was that "until you run a campaign, you won't get justice in India". I found these billboards stupid, because these were made with a good intention but were causing harm to our country's image. 

What is worst than something stupid? Something more stupid than plain stupid! The billboard company walked out of the contract and pulled down the hoardings after terming those as part of a "smear campaign". 

Email shared by Shweta Singh Kirti on Twitter

The fact is that the #JusticeForSSR was never a smear campaign against actress Rhea Chakraborty. It is merely that when a new angle came where Rhea was found to be holding Sushant captive, isolating him from his family and giving him drugs, people had started writing against her. But #JusticeForSSR was not "all about Rhea". #JusticeForSSR had started much before Rhea's involvement came into picture; and would also have gone beyond her with passage of time. 

The Hollywood Billboard company had no right to insult Indian democracy by calling a purely people's campaign as a "smear campaign". 

As if the billboards did not cause enough damage to our country's reputation already, the billboard company's nasty comment defamed our democracy in a worse manner. I wonder if the company had some kind of ideology issue with the campaign, or if its team is merely incompetent. Incompetency can be best excuse in this case because otherwise it looks totally unprofessional to first take money, put billboards and later do a shoddy research on its topic and cancel the contract. 

The billboards and their end, both can be called avoidable side story in the "Justice For SSR" campaign. 

"Middle Class" Drug Dealing Family of Indrajit Chakraborty

Rhea Chakraborty's father Indrajit Chakraborty has made a sarcastic comment on our country after his son's arrest in drug dealing case with NCB. He said, “Congratulations India, you have arrested my son, I’m sure next on the line is my daughter and I don’t know who is next thereafter. You have effectively demolished a middle-class family. ” [HT] [IC]

This comment is in such a bad taste. First of all, he is blaming "India" for what is happening with his family. Let me put a few questions for him: 

1. Where was he, when his son and daughter were buying drugs from drug peddlers?
2. Where was he, when his daughter went on to "live-in" with a movie star without marriage?
3. Where was he, when his son and daughter were living on 5 Star hotels and splurging on Sushant's money?
4. Where was he, when his daughter isolated Sushant from his family; with full consent of him too?
5. Where was he, when his son was buying drugs for him? 
6. Where was he, as a father, when his both children were acting totally moral-less and in an anti-social way?

Will Indrajit Chakraborty ever think about where he himself went wrong as a father or parent; rather than blaming it all on "India" for what happened to his children? 

Plus, I would also challenge his comment on being a "middle class" family. Since when, a doctor living in posh Mumbai locality, whose daughter was a Movie Star, middle class? Which middle class family buys drugs and that also from drug peddlers who supply drugs to the super rich? Has he got any idea what "middle class" means anymore? 

It rather seems that Indrajit Chakraborty is "appealing" to the "middle class" population of India who are demanding "Justice For SSR" and hence his children have got framed. He is angry at the middle class India which is showing its might! When the middle class India rose and demanded "Justice for SSR", Government and the Supreme Court also saw sense in conducting CBI/ED/NCB probe into Sushant's death! Indrajit Chakraborty should rather be proud of the "Middle Class India"; but since he is taking it all "personally", he is choosing to count well being of his family above what is good for India. 

With hope that the Central Agencies will continue to dig the roots of Mumbai's drug cartel and bring all who are involved to justice; and no mercy for being "middle class". 

NCB Taking Action Against Drug Cartel in Mumbai is Good

When Sushant Singh Rajput's death probe had started, no one had dreamed that the probe would lead to drug angle and Mumbai's drug cartel will get exposed. When it started happening, many including me did not believe in it. But with time, drug peddlers were arrested, messages of Rhea Chakraborty and her brother were found which proved that they bought drugs. Drug peddlers like Basit Parihar were arrested and several other names came out. Yesterday, NCB arrested Showik Chakraborty and Samuel Miranda (Sushant's house-manager) related to the drug dealings. 

Rhea Chakraborty said that she bought drugs for Sushant; while Showik is said to be buying drugs for Rhea and their father. If we think about it, entire family's involvement in drugs is sickening. Their father was a doctor with Indian Army; this was supposed to be a good educated family; why were they dealing drugs? Although consuming drugs in small quantity may not be a crime, but looking at the moral aspects of this case disturbs us. 

Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) needs lot of praise for what they are doing. NCB says it is determined to end the "drug cartel" in Mumbai and people will believe their motive as genuine. Arrest of drug peddler Basit Parihar and involvement of two others Vilatra and Kaizan are good leads. 

Arrest of Showik Chakraborty and SSR's house manager Samuel Miranda by NCB changes a lot in Sushant's Death Case. It tells that the Central Agencies are determined to make a real impact. It tells that they won't stop short of anything. And at the moment, it also gives slight legitimacy to the Patna FIR filed by Sushant's father where he blamed Rhea Chakraborty's family for abatement of suicide. Whole truth is yet to come out and we are all waiting for it. But let us praise NCB for its good work at the moment. 

We need good, just, fair, and efficient Govt agencies like NCB to make our society drug free. We owe it to our children and future generation that our society does not have people who buy, sell, transport or procure drugs either for themselves or for others. Whole country is with NCB. Let us hope for more good work like this. 

Abatement of Suicide Theory in Sushant Singh Rajput Death Case

In the ongoing Sushant Singh Rajput Death Case, there is a primary theory which is almost established to be the most popular. The theory originated with the FIR filed by Sushant's father and so far we all have been arguing if it is true or to what extent it is. TV News Channels have championed this theory. The theory goes on like this:

Sushant Singh Rajput was doing very well in his career and he was also attached to his family very well, especially with his four sisters. Then, Rhea Chakraborty came into his life as his girlfriend and they started "living in" together in Sushant's flat. Quickly, Rhea controlled his finances, his major decisions, and then she and her brother started making Sushant a drug addict by giving him drugs! Gradually, Sushant's mental and physical health deteriorated and at this point, Rhea persuaded him that he had some kind of mental illness. Near June, when Sushant realized that Rhea was exploiting him, he sent her back to her home and then Rhea threatened him to defame him in front of the world by showing his medical records related to mental health, and also some other secrets, and ruin his career. Sushant, who was already mentally disturbed due to drugs and other medicines, got an anxiety attack and committed suicide to save himself from the pain. 

Till date, no one has been able to debunk this theory. This theory has matched well with the facts and findings by the CBI and other agencies. Although, it has not been proven that Rhea had taken away Sushant's money in her bank accounts, it has been proven that she and her brother had misused and splurged on his money. The drug angle has been validated with the findings of NCB too. 

Let us see what the future course of investigation mean for this theory.