Saturday, September 3, 2011

[ZESTCaste] ‘First Lady’ Teacher of India: Savitribai Phule

 

'First Lady' Teacher of India: Savitribai Phule




 

Know Buddha, Know Life

No Buddha, No Life..!



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[ZESTCaste] Dalit groups submit their version of Lokpal bill

 

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/dalit-groups-submit-their-version-of-lokpal-bill/articleshow/9839248.cms

2 Sep, 2011, 09.43PM IST, IANS
Dalit groups submit their version of Lokpal bill

NEW DELHI: Representatives of Dalit, tribal and minority groups Friday
submitted a draft of what they called the Bahujan Lokpal bill to
Parliamentary standing committee chairman Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

They have been protesting their lack of representation in both the
government and civil society versions of the Lokpal bill.

"There are differences on certain points of the Jan Lokpall bill and
also the methodology adopted by Anna Hazare and his team," All India
Confederation of SC/ST Organisations chairman Udit Raj said.

"Because of the composition of Hazare's team, Dalits, tribals and
minorities were left with no option but to float their own version,"
he added.

According to Udit Raj, the Indian society is not only caste-ridden but
multi-cultural and multi-religious too, and so each community needs to
be represented.

"We support the bill prepared by Aruna Roy and also demand that
corporate houses, NGOs and the media be brought under the ambit of the
Lokpal bill," Udit Raj said.

Their version of the bill, according to him, would also ensure that
enquiry proceedings against these groups are monitored by government
commissions.

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[ZESTCaste] Dalit's murder sparks outrage

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Dalit%27s+murder+sparks++outrage&NewsID=301465

Dalit's murder sparks outrage

Added At: 2011-09-02 11:22 PM

Last Updated At: 2011-09-02 11:22 PM

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: The National Dalit Commission and various organisations
working for Dalit rights have condemned murder of Sete Damai (50) over
his son's marriage with an 'upper caste' girl on Tuesday.

A press statement issued by NDC today said a mob led by Krishna
Bahadur Khatri — bride's kin — attacked Sete with a khukuri in his
house at Dhanigaun, Toli- 2, at around 9 pm. Sete's 20-year-old son
Sante and Raj Kumari Shahi (20), had tied the knot on August 13.

"A group of 20 persons led by Krishna Bahadur attacked Sete. The
victim died while being treated at Mid-Western Regional Hospital in
Surkhet. We strongly condemn the cold-blooded murder," NDC said.

NDC has demanded that the government form a high-level commission to
investigate the incident, bring all guilty to book, ensure security
for victim's family and provide compensation to them. NDC said it had
also formed a probe team led by Govinda Nepal.

Meanwhile, Dalit NGO Federation and UCPN-Maoist-aligned National Dalit
Liberation Front of Nepal said they were shocked by the murder. "The
incident reflects the horrible situation of Dalit communities in
today's society," said NDLFN.

"It is a mockery of the Caste-based Discrimination and Untouchability
Act (Crime and Punishment) passed by the government in May 2011."

The law prohibits caste-based discrimination in both public and
private spheres. Further, the Act requires perpetrators of caste-based
discrimination to provide compensation.

DNF, an umbrella organisation of 300 Dalit-based NGOs, has called on
the government, rights activists and journalists to help deliver
justice to the victim's family.


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[ZESTCaste] OBC forum to press for representation on Lokpal

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/OBC-forum-to-press-for-representation-on-Lokpal/articleshow/9842925.cms

OBC forum to press for representation on Lokpal
TNN | Sep 3, 2011, 04.14AM IST
NEW DELHI: The parliamentary forum of OBC MPs is likely to discuss the
demand for representation for weaker sections on the multi-member
Lokpal being considered by the government.

The forum will meet at the residence of its convenor Congress MP V
Hanumantha Rao and although the agenda listed does not deal with the
Lokpal bill now being examined by a parliamentary standing committee,
it is expected to be discussed.

The forum has articulated OBC issues and has been agitating for the
formation of a formal parliamentary committee for backward castes. It
also wants constitutional powers for the National Commission for
Backward Classes.

In the past, the forum has supported extension of backward quotas to
central educational institutions and draws on support across party
lines.

Rao has also written to the standing committee on law and justice
calling for representation to dalits, tribals and backward castes up
to 50% of the Lokpal's strength in keeping with the court-mandated
ceiling on reservation.

He has called for representation to minorities and women as this would
convince these sections that their interests would be protected. Rao
has said the bill should bring private sector, NGOs, religious trusts
and media within the Lokpal's ambit.

The proposed anti-corruption ombudsman is likely to see intensely
political arguments in the weeks ahead. Backward and dalit leaders
like Lalu Prasad and Ramvilas Paswan, who are on the standing
committee, have already said they will press for quotas in the
selection committee and the Lokpal.

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[ZESTCaste] No Lokpal, says Kancha Ilaiah

http://roundtableindia.co.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3606:no-lokpal-says-kancha-ilaiah&catid=119:feature&Itemid=132

No Lokpal, says Kancha Ilaiah
Tuesday, 30 August 2011 22:34 Written by kuffir

[ A Round Table India report]

August 30: At a public meeting at the Hyderabad Press Club today,
Kancha Ilaiah emphasized that the Team Anna sponsored Jan Lokpal bill
was a direct attack on representative democracy and the constitution
and it should be opposed vigorously. 'No Lokpal' should be the
Dalit-Bahujan demand, he said.

The well attended meeting, organized by the Andhra Pradesh Scheduled
Castes Welfare Association and Andhra Pradesh Ambedkar Yuvajana
Sangham, to discuss 'Caste, Corruption, Constitution' threw up a wide
range of dissenting views on the proposed Lokpal bill, particularly
the Jan Lokpal version. Bojja Tharakam, senior advocate, human rights
activist and Dalit intellectual, G. Shankar and Bharat Bhushan of the
Andhra Pradesh Scheduled Castes Welfare Association, D.C.Rosaiah,
retired IAS officer, Asifuddin Mohammed of the Islamic Academy for
Comparative Religion (IACR) apart from Prof.Kancha Ilaiah, were among
the key speakers at the meeting. Present at the meeting were many
activists, students, employees and others.IMG_2457_copy

G.Shankar, General Secretary, Andhra Pradesh Scheduled Castes Welfare
Association, questioned the rationale behind the proposal of the
Lokpal legislation, and analysed the many ways in which it could be
employed to target and victimise SC/ST employees in the government and
various public sector undertakings. Pointing out that Dalits and
Adivasis already form the overwhelming majority of employees in
government who face charges of graft, he added that the new
legislation could possibly aggravate the situation further.

It's Ekpal, not Lokpal

Expressing sharp criticism about the way in which Team Anna tried to
impose Jan Lokpal on the parliament; Bojja Tharakam cautioned the
Dalitbahujans that they need to prepare themselves to launch a
movement to protect the constitution and representative democracy.

Bojja Tharakam said the intention behind the whole Hazare led movement
against corruption was to install an 'Ekpal', a single supreme
authority that reigned over the parliament, the executive and the
judiciary, answerable to no one but itself. He said it was an old
ploy, a much used tactic in Hindu history to invoke and invent an
avatar, vest him with a divine aura and use that invention to serve
their narrow parochial interests.

He said the campaign to project Hazare as an ultra-clean new Gandhi, a
superhuman personality of impeachable integrity and honesty, was part
of the plan to produce a new Vishnu, an Ekpal who would decimate the
forces of corruption, which in the eyes of the Hindus means only SCs,
STs, OBCs and Muslims.IMG_2471

He asked what exactly was wrong with the existing laws and
institutions that such unreasonable new demands are being made. He
said that laws and regulations such as the Prevention of Corruption
Act, the CCA rules, and institutions such as the ACBs and Vigilance
departments and the CBI etc are quite adequate to handle all kinds of
graft and misconduct, so where was the need for a new legislation and
framework.

He outlined the partisan application of anti-corruption law and
machinery until now: while at the level of the bureaucracy and in the
PSUs, thousands of employees of Dalit, Adivasi and other marginalized
backgrounds have become almost exclusive targets of investigations and
inquiries, more often than not, on questionable grounds, politicians
of lower caste backgrounds weren't spared either. When A.Raja, the
former Telecom Minister, followed the same procedure in granting
licenses to telecom companies as his predecessors, Dayanidhi Maran and
Arun Shourie, why was only he in jail, and not the other two?

Raja had made it very clear that he had kept the Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and the Finance Minister P.Chidambaram informed on all
his decisions, Tharakam pointed out, so why are the Prime Minister and
Chidambaram not being touched? Similarly, why was only Mayawati's
decision to expand or widen the road from Delhi to Agra, known as the
Taj Corridor, being questioned while similar decisions were taken by
many chief ministers and state governments across the country in the
recent past?

In the Judiciary, he asked, why were only K.G. Balakrishnan and
Dinakaran being targeted when key members of Team Anna themselves, the
Bhushans, had raised questions about the integrity of 16 justices? Why
was Justice Anand spared when senior lawyer Ram Jethmalani had
produced evidence that the judge had submitted a false birth
certificate to get his job?

He questioned the undemocratic, coercive methods employed by Team Anna
and their contempt for the principle of representation: from the
drafting panel to the proposed Jan Lokpal, was there any place in
their vision for any Dalitbahujan representation? How can two persons
from one family be chosen for the drafting panel? Why doesn't Hazare
question that kind of nepotism, he asked. Doesn't he see all the plush
arrangements made for his fast—from the pandal to the tents to food—
and the funds that went into making all that possible, as corruption?

He raised some very fundamental questions about the probity of the
self-appointed anti-corruption crusaders: when Dalits and other
marginalized groups find it so hard to mobilize even a few thousand
rupees—for even the most basic expenses as hiring charges for the
venue, loudspeakers and lighting, for handbills-- to hold a public
meeting and still attract large crowds but ultimately get only paltry
media attention, how did Team Anna manage to find the resources for
such lavish arrangements and bag the attention of hundreds of cameras
and reporters, for 13 whole days?

'Who paid for the 24x13 media coverage of the Anna Hazare fast?' Isn't
that corruption, he asked.

He commended Bahujan political leaders like Laloo Yadav and Sharad
Yadav for upholding the idea of the 'supremacy of parliament', and its
credibility as the foremost legitimate public forum in the country. He
said meetings such as this should be held in every district, village
and town in the state and country, on the same subject
('Caste-Corruption-Constitution') so that awareness about the issues
involved could be raised, and Dalitbahujans be prepared to protect the
constitution and their rights.

Have Dalits ever been treated with anything but corruption?

IMG_2475

Retired IAS officer, D.C.Rosaiah wanted to know if the Dalits in the
country have ever been treated with anything but 'aviniiti'
(immorality or corruption)? If there was any community that had a
legitimate right to raise a banner against corruption in the country,
it was the Dalits, he said.

He warned that the Dalits, Adivasis and after them the Backward
Classes and minorities would be the primary targets of the proposed
Jan Lokpal Bill.

Bharat Bhushan asked: what would the Dalits, the great majority of
whom who earn less than Rs.100 a day, know about corruption? The only
issue that's relevant for them is social justice, he emphasized.

'No Lokpal'

Prof.Kancha Ilaiah called upon all the Dalitbahujans to oppose Jan
Lokpal in one voice. 'No Lokpal should be our demand', he said.

He said two recent events underlined the need for Dalitbahujans to
become more aware of concerted assaults being planned on their rights.
The first, the release of the film 'Aarakshan', was an attack on the
'right to life' of the Dalitbahujans and the second, the Jan Lokpal
tamasha, was a direct, more comprehensive attack on the constitution
and parliamentary democracy.

He said the first assault was being defended on the grounds of 'right
to expression' and the second was being hyped-up as a nation-wide
crusade against corruption. He said the media had a big role to play
in lending credibility and support to both arguments. He said the
national media features many 'intellectual thugs' on debates and talk
shows to oppose Dalitbahujan points of view, and tries to present
highly exaggerated accounts of upper caste led movements and crusades.

The familiar tactic of using slick camerawork to present 'tens as
hundreds and hundreds as thousands and thousands as lakhs' was being
used by the media to once again project the India Against Corruption
(IAC) sponsored Hazare agitation as a nationwide, people's movement.
He said the media had perfected this art since the 2007 anti-Mandal
agitation led by 'Youth For Equality', of which Kejriwal and Kiran
Bedi were great sympathizers.

Apart from the fact that it was an attack on representative democracy,
his opposition to the Hazare movement was based on very simple
grounds, he said: what was corruption for the upper castes was
non-corruption for the Dalitbahujans, and what was corruption for the
Dalitbahujans was non-corruption for the upper castes.

IMG_2490_copy

The RSS and Sangh parivar were also key promoters of the Hazare
movement, he felt. All the saffronites had come out in Gandhi topis to
support the movement, he remarked, and if the BJP had the courage, it
should contest the next elections on the issue of Jan Lokpal and
corruption and see if it would win more than 25 seats across the
country.

He said though the Dalitbahujan politicians had stood up against the
bullying tactics of Team Anna, the masses too should gear themselves
up for a prolonged battle. No Lokpal should be the goal, or the Bill
should be put to sleep in the same way as the Women's Reservations
Bill, he said. If Team Anna wanted the Bill to be passed, he
suggested, they should contest the 2014 elections and try to convince
the people of its need, as is the usual democratic practice and not
try to dictate to parliament what it needs to do.

Brother Asifuddin Muhammad of the Islamic Academy of Comparative
Religion said the proposed Jan Lokpal had some fundamental loopholes.
One major problem was with: who would select the Lokpal? The selection
process and committee proposed overruled or left no space for
SC/ST/OBC and minorities representation, and was hence undemocratic
because it also ignored the parliament. Next major problem was: to
whom would the Lokpal be accountable?

IMG_2492

He said it was obvious that the Sangh parivar was supporting the
Hazare movement and this posed a threat to the minorities in the
country. He said he was very glad that the Dalits and Muslims thought
alike on this issue.


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[ZESTCaste] Sensitive cables reveal views that portrayed Indian Dalit groups as threats to US

http://www.tehelka.com/story_main50.asp?filename=Ws020911Sensitive.asp

Posted on 02 September 2011
CURRENT AFFAIRS
WIKILEAKS

Sensitive cables reveal views that portrayed Indian Dalit groups as
threats to US

The Indian census does not ask respondents for caste status, making
any figures an estimate at best: David Mulford (US ambassador to India
January 2005 to February 2009).

Arpit Parashar
New Delhi

"US has a dwarfed understanding of caste system. They look at it from
the prism of racism," says Dalit intellectual Udit Raj
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Back in 2005, the United States recognised that the Dalits in India
were subject to "human rights abuses, including rape, trafficking, and
segregation" and that "widespread prejudice against Dalits in India
will make quick progress difficult". However, it chose to ignore
attempts by Dalit organisations and individuals to globalise support
for Dalits and push for reservations in India's private sector.

An October 25, 2005 cable titled 'India's shame: Lingering bigotry
afflicts 200 million Dalits', an extract of which was released by
WikiLeaks on August 26 and cannot be independently verified, was sent
by the then US ambassador to India David Mulford. It focused on the
testimony of the founder of the All India Confederation of Scheduled
Caste/Scheduled Tribes Organisations Udit Raj before the US House
International Relations Committee's Subcommittee on Global Human
Rights chaired by Congressman Christopher Smith in Washington in
September 2005.

It is an assessment which concludes that the status quo regarding US
policy on reservations in India's private sector be maintained
claiming that Dalit groups have vested interests and threaten
agitations against US companies by conniving with Maoists groups.
Strangely, Mulford also claimed that human rights abuses in the
country were on the decline, and restricted only to rural areas.

This cable was sent in the backdrop of improving relations between
India and the US and after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and then US
President George Bush signed an agreement to increase cooperation in
economic, foreign investments and human rights fields.

Udit Raj's organisation and another organisation Dalit Solidarity
Network were represented by him, Joseph D'Souza, Indira Athawale and
Kancha Ilaiyah. They had tried to focus attention on job reservations
in the private sector in their presentation which was titled 'India's
Unfinished Agenda: Equality and Justice for the 200 Million Victims of
the Caste System' and the failure of the Government of India to make
sure Dalits are represented fairly in the Indian society.

While the cable said absolutely nothing of the other members who
represented the Dalits, it highlighted Udit Raj's background as a
member of the Students Federation of India (SFI) in the 1980s and
portrayed him as a "corrupt, communist politician". It called him "an
outspoken opponent of US foreign police" who "regularly participates
in anti-American demonstrations", "and has used his advocacy of Dalit
causes to cultivate a high-level media profile and strengthen his CPI
(M) credentials". It also quoted Poor Christian Liberation Movement
leader RL Francis's claim that "Udit Raj does not distribute the funds
he raises abroad to the larger Dalit community".

Mulford commented in the section titled "Tread Carefully" that "the
human rights arguments of Udit Raj and other Dalit activists are
compelling and likely to receive a receptive hearing in the US" and
that "Dalits are certainly the victims of abuse and discrimination"
but that "India is undergoing dramatic social change, which is eating
away at untouchability" and that "most atrocities now take place in
rural areas". He did not quote any media or government report to
support this assessment though.

Udit Raj challenges this assessment by Mulford. "Mulford understood
our issue through the understanding of those intellectuals who have
played down the caste oppression since Independence. When there is
open admission of caste in the matrimonial columns of newspapers
everyday, how can it be concluded that caste discrimination has gone
down?" he questioned. "Also, I have never received any funds from
abroad. It is a baseless allegation," he said.

Mulford, without naming anyone, claimed that "Some Dalit leaders have
a vested interest in perpetuating GOI paternalism and the reservation
system as they are personally benefiting from the status quo",
concluding that "the most useful action the US can take is to praise
and provide assistance to efforts by India's private and public
sectors to address Dalit discrimination. This would be more effective
than attempting to shame the GOI into action by repeatedly emphasizing
the negative aspects of India's social structure", essentially
ignoring the arguments by the Dalit groups that the Indian private
sector too is dominated and run by the upper castes.

The cable called the issue of reservations a politicised one, which
benefited a select few, questioning even the exact percentage of
Dalits in the country. It also advocated that the caste system needs
to be eradicated to get rid of untouchability instead of having
caste-based reservations.

It said the UPA government "has been responsive regarding the
untouchability issue and is debating what to do about it". It drew
from the Article 17 of the Indian Constitution which "outlawed
untouchability in 1950" and said that successive governments
"continued to rely on caste reservations in public sector employment
and education" which "benefited a creamy layer of Dalits who were able
to take advantage of reservations" but "did nothing to discourage
Indians from embracing a caste identity".

"The reservations issue became politicised in the late 1980s, when the
GOI began extending reservations to more and more groups, causing a
heated backlash among groups that were left out, who feared they were
being deprived of desirable government jobs and slots in educational
institutions. Today more there are more than 50 percent reservations
in some areas, causing deep resentment among higher-caste Hindus,
including the occasional public suicide by frustrated job-seekers,"
the cable said.

Mulford further quoted the NDA government appointed head of the
National Commission for Scheduled Castes Suraj Bhan's comments to the
press that "the reservation system is not functional as it gives legal
sanction to untouchability and bogus claims by higher caste members
claiming to be Dalits have been on the rise and reserved seats are not
being filled on the plea that there aren't enough suitable
candidates", also quoting his arguments that "untouchability will not
disappear until the caste system is eradicated".

This, Udit Raj counters, shows a dwarfed understanding of the caste
system. "They look at it from the prism of racism and religious
conflicts. Their feedback is after all from the upper caste employees
at their missions," he said.

Mulford dismissed the fact that Dalits constitute 21-25 percent of the
country's population. "While social scientists generally agree that
approximately 21-25% of the Indian population are Dalits, it is
difficult to determine with great accuracy how many Indians fall
within this category. Dalits are themselves divided into upper and
lower castes, and many in the upper echelons claim they are not Dalits
at all. The Indian census does not ask respondents for caste status,
making any figures an estimate at best," the cable said. Mulford
pointed out, ironically, that of "six Embassy FSN (Foreign Service
Nationals) political staff, three are Brahmins, one Kayasth, one
Rajput and one Sikh" and that "No political FSN has taken a stance on
Dalit issues".

Udit Raj, the cable claimed, had told embassy officials that Brahmins
are the natural enemies of Dalits and use their dominant position to
perpetuate the caste system. "Claiming that Brahmin FSNs predominate
in the Embassy Political Section, he accused them of keeping the real
story of Dalit oppression from Political Officers," the cable said. He
is also quoted as having said that Brahmins run the Indian Embassy in
Washington, dominate the GOI and sweep the Dalit cause under the rug.
"Raj opined that upper caste Indians are not embarrassed by the
lingering racism and do not want the system exposed and reformed, as
they would lose their slaves," the cable said.

Mulford, however, rejected the Brahmin dominance of Indian politics
and government structure as factually incorrect; pointing out instead
that South India has been making "great strides" in reducing the
importance of caste in politics for many years. It talked of the
"success of the Dravidian parties" in Tamil Nadu and the establishment
of Dalit-based politics in North India "as epitomized by the Bahujan
Samaj Party (BSP) of Mayawati" which is "recruiting Brahmins", also
pointing out the emergence of fringe parties with mostly upper caste
MLAs like the Lok Janashakti Party of Ram Vilas Paswan and of OBC
leader Uma Bharati in the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Mulford though indicted the Indian media for giving insufficient
coverage to crimes against Dalits, pointing out that despite initial
reporting on incidents, the press moves on to other stories quickly
when it comes to cases of crimes perpetuated against Dalits. The cable
also quoted Raj's assertion that the Indian media portrayed him and
the others who testified before the US Congress representatives as
"beggars who were unpatriotic to go to a foreign government to discuss
the plight of Dalits."

Udit Raj says he and other representatives had argued that
globalisation was diluting job opportunities for Dalits and it was
important to mobilise global economic players to do something
beneficial for the community.

Pointing out that there are no Dalits as CEOs in any private company
in India, they had argued that funds for promoting education and
health flowing from America must empower Dalits also with English
knowledge and equal education. They had also met representatives of
the World Bank (WB) and told them that their projects sponsored for
drinking water, housing, roads, and other basic amenities must provide
for reservation to Dalits and also requested the US House Committee to
plead for reservations in the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World
Bank, and USAID aided projects, arguing that Indians managing the US
enterprises are also from the upper castes and hence those enterprises
too are not free from discrimination in hiring Dalit manpower.

Mulford, on the other hand, wrote that while Dalit groups are finding
it difficult to internationalise the issue of oppression of Dalits
because upper caste Hindus refuse to support them, they are actually
threatening the US companies of agitations against them if they do not
tow their line.

"They hope to involve international lending institutions such as the
World Bank, and plan to urge them to address the plight of Dalits in
all their Indian programs, or face Dalit agitations calling for their
withdrawal from India," the cable said.

The cable also claims that Udit Raj was unconvincing in his argument
that "without American intervention to compel the GOI to take action,
many within India's lower castes would abandon conventional politics
and embrace Maoist revolution." He claimed that Udit Raj's arguments
were "overwhelmingly negative" and that he, "in a veiled threat,
pointed out that a major shift in Dalit support towards the Naxalites
could negatively affect Indo-US relations by drying-up US investment
in much of India, as no US Company would build a plant in an unstable
area."

But Udit Raj says these were things he said before the Indian media
and not before the US representatives. "I spoke of a possible shift in
Dalit support towards Naxalites due to oppression much later in India
based on my assessments. These were not part of our presentation there
(in the US) or part of discussions with US officials," he said.

Arpit Parashar is a Senior Correspondent with Tehelka.com.
arpit.parashar@tehelka.com


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