Tuesday, May 4, 2010

[ZESTCaste] Caste and case politics

http://www.livemint.com/2010/05/04210419/Caste-and-case-politics.html?h=B

Posted: Tue, May 4 2010. 9:04 PM IST
Views

Caste and case politics

As in the recent murder of a journalist, so in the controversy
surrounding A. Raja, caste issues should not preclude the legal
process


On Monday, a mother was arrested on suspicion that she smothered to
death her daughter, a journalist, who wanted to marry a man from a
caste considered lower to theirs.

On the same day, M. Karunanidhi, the head of the Dravida Munnetra
Kazhagam, a key ally of the ruling United Progressive Alliance
government, claimed that telecom minister A. Raja was being targeted
because he is a Dalit. Raja has been under a cloud for a little over
two years over the way radio waves were allotted to newcomers wanting
to offer wireless telecom services.

Sixty-three years after India's independence, the country is clearly
yet to break free from the centuries-old caste system, and it is
difficult to pick one of these two instances as the more shameful. If
the charges against Mrs Pathak are true, it is shocking that an
educated mother, belonging to a middle-class household, should choose
to kill her daughter than have her wed someone from a lower caste.
Such honour killings are common, especially in north India, but only
in families that are either poor or uneducated or both.

Yet it is even more shameful for a political leader of Karunanidhi's
standing to try and use the caste card to get his colleague out of
trouble, although it isn't surprising that he did so. Politicians
regularly leverage caste and class to achieve their own
ends—caste-based classification is even part of the Constitution—and
that may well be the reason why a system that should have ceased to
exist long ago still continues to thrive. This also explains, but
doesn't excuse, the kind of thinking that may have prompted Pathak's
actions. Still, the law seems on top of that particular issue.

What is unresolved is l'affaire Raja. The government, which unleashed
the income-tax department and the Enforcement Directorate to
investigate the allegations surrounding the Indian Premier League, has
been loath to even acknowledge an investigative report in The Pioneer
that would seem to suggest Raja's involvement in allotting radio waves
to new entrants on favourable terms.

Surely, that merits investigation—irrespective of Raja's caste background.

How do caste affiliations affect Indian social and political life?
Tell us at views@livemint.com


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[ZESTCaste] Reign of terror

http://www.flonnet.com/stories/20100521271011300.htm

THE STATES

Reign of terror

T.K. RAJALAKSHMI
in Hisar

The wheelchair of a disabled woman who was killed when her house was
burnt. (Right) Inside a burnt house.

IN 2005, Gohana in Sonepat district of Haryana witnessed the torching
of several Dalit homes by members of upper castes. Now Mirchpur, a
village 58 kilometres away and located deep inside Hisar district, has
met a similar fate.

On April 21, as many as 18 homes belonging to Dalits from the Valmiki
community here were set on fire by upper-caste youth over an alleged
slight on the part of the former. An 18-year-old disabled woman and
her father died in the fire, the latter while attempting to rescue the
former. Twenty-six persons were injured and 14 houses damaged.

Forty-three persons were named in the first information report, while
31 were arrested under as many as 14 sections of the Indian Penal
Code, apart from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention
of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

A meeting of the khap panchayat (a socio-political organisation of the
Jat community) called by a government school teacher on April 24
demanded the release of those arrested. A senior officer of the
district administration, who was present at the meeting, dismissed the
congregation as "harmless".

The immediate provocation for the arson was that a mongrel barked at
some Jats, who in turn threw stones at the dog. The stone accidentally
hit a Valmiki boy and a scuffle ensued. The Jats took this as an
opportunity to teach the "upstart" Valmikis a lesson.

The police, although aware of the tensions brewing between the two
communities, deliberately allowed them to escalate. Elders of the
Valmiki community said they had kept the station house officer (SHO)
of Narnaund, the police station under which Mirchpur falls, informed
about the gradual escalation in the violence, including the stoning
that had begun in the early hours of April 21. Armed policemen were
present in the village even during the arson, but they allegedly did
not try to disperse the miscreants.

The next day, a Communist Party of India (Marxist) delegation led by
the State secretary of the party, Inderjit Singh, and All India
Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) State secretary Shakuntala
Jhakhar visited Mirchpur and prepared a detailed account of the losses
suffered. The delegation accused the police officers of criminal
negligence and demanded full compensation for all the victims. The
State administration later agreed to the demand.

Opposition parties and Dalit organisations have blamed the Bhupinder
Singh Hooda-led Congress government for taking a lackadaisical view of
the systematic violence perpetrated by a section of the Jat community.
They have demanded that the government take stern action against all
those involved, including the police officers accused of being
complicit in the arson. On April 26, the incident resonated in
Parliament where members cutting across party lines condemned the
incident.

On April 29, Rahul Gandhi, Member of Parliament and All India Congress
Committee general secretary, paid an unannounced visit to Mirchpur.
Union Tourism Minister Kumari Selja, who represents the reserved seat
of Ambala in Haryana, had visited the village five days earlier.

Jat resentment


The multi-storeyed house of a relatively prosperous Dalit that was
targeted by the mob. The provision store attached to the house, which
was the family's source of income, was gutted.

Members of the Valmiki community told Frontline that the Jats resented
the former's improved economic status and reduced dependence on them.
The mongrel's bark was only an excuse. "Village dogs are known to bark
at strangers but it doesn't lead to systematic arson and murder," said
Ram Avtar, a senior functionary of the All India Agricultural Workers'
Union (AIAWU). A Dalit himself, Ram Avtar feels this is not going to
be the end of the clashes between the upper-caste and lower-caste
people, since the latter are getting more powerful socially and
politically.

Two elected representatives from the Dalit community, one a panchayat
member and the other a block samiti member, were beaten badly when
they went to broker peace between the two communities.

"It is a standard modus operandi. They first create a conflict, beat
us up and then call for reconciliation when they feel that we may go
to the police," said Rishikesh, an engineer with the Public Health
Department. In 1989, when he was an assistant draughtsman, he was
abused by the son of the then sarpanch and later beaten up by a mob of
Jat youth for retaliating. When he threatened to go to the police, the
sarpanch called for a compromise. Rishikesh has sent his children
outside the State to study. He has a son who has an M.Phil from
Pondicherry University. "I have a house here but I don't like living
here any more," he said.

"They call us dedh [a derogatory term with casteist connotations].
They object to our sitting on charpoys [a type of cot used in
villages]," said Ram Kumar, a retired principal. Almost every Valmiki
family in the village had a matriculate, he said. Back in 1995, in
order to defuse the tension in the village, those like his father had
accepted the humiliating terms set by Jats – such as removing his
turban in front of Jats. But the Valmikis are in no mood to take such
insults any more.

The benefits of reservation and the legal safeguards have empowered
the Valmikis. There are teachers, engineers, army men and gazetted
officers from among them. But a good number of educated Valmikis work
as daily wage labourers. With few government jobs and no agricultural
land to fall back on, this section depends on construction and
agricultural work on land owned by Jats.

Mirchpur is a big village, with 300 Valmiki families. But most of them
have fled the village to live with their relatives or at the community
guesthouse in Hisar town. Despite the 700-strong police force, which
includes Hisar Superintendent of Police Subhash Yadav, in Mirchpur,
they refuse to return as they fear further reprisals.

"The girls' school is located in the middle of Jat dwellings. How can
we ensure the safety of our daughters?" asked Bharpai Devi, a Mirchpur
resident.

The village has pucca dwellings. The ones owned by Jats look richer.
One house, owned by Chander Singh, a Valmiki, could easily pass off as
the house of a Jat. Double-storeyed and spacious, it had a provision
store attached, which was the family's source of income. "I built this
house by herding goats. Now all is gone," Chander Singh said teary
eyed, looking at the gutted store. Three Valmiki women, the few left
in the village, sat in a huddle, wondering what lay in store for them.
They said that Jat women also participated in the arson and looting.
Sanjay Singh, a daily wage labourer whose house was burnt down, said:
"They used kerosene from a depot owned by one of our community
members. I had to break a side wall to drag out my brother's family,
who were hiding in one of the rooms at the back."

At the Valmiki guesthouse in Hisar town, women and injured men sat
huddled together. No one from the government, barring the Additional
District Commissioner, had visited them. "We walked nearly 25
kilometres for nine hours and finally were picked up by a vehicle
organised by our community members," said Kailasho, a victim.

"The Jats have an ego. The Chief Minister is from their community, the
police are with them, and the land is owned by them. What do we have?"
asked Jaswant, a youth. The Valmikis, he said, were the only community
among Dalits who stood up to the Jats.

Ram Avtar, who has been organising agricultural workers in the area
for several years, most of them Dalits, said that all forms of
harassment, including denying work and wages, was used against them.
He added that nearly 200 cases of wage denial were reported at the
Hisar office of the AIAWU every year.

As the State general secretary of the organisation, he had initiated
the practice of holding hearings every Monday at the AIAWU office, and
notices were sent out to alleged harassers, he said. "They [the
harassers] come in hordes after consulting lawyers about the S.C. and
S.T. Act and then agree on a compromise, promising not to misbehave or
deny wages," he said. In 1997, he said, Dalit dwellings in Mirchpur
were brought down. Eleven months ago, two women belonging to the Dom
community (a Dalit community that relies on alms) were paraded naked,
he said.

Action taken

After the carnage, it was time to apportion responsibility. The State
government suspended the SHO, Vinod Kajal, who was accused of
involvement, conspiracy and negligence. The S.P. admitted it was
"unfortunate" that the SHO did not "appreciate the situation". He was,
however, helpless in taking a stronger view on congregations such as
the khap panchayat.

The government has promised the Valmiki families 100 per cent
compensation for the damage caused. But the emotional wedge caused by
the carnage is bound to stay. No one from the Jat community in
Mirchpur went for the funeral of the two dead Valmikis. "This is
worrying as normally after such incidents, the warring communities
attempt a truce by attending funeral obsequies," said Inderjit Singh.

There was talk of relocating the Dalit families, which, Hisar Deputy
Commissioner O.P. Sheoran admitted, was not a practical solution.
"There is no such precedent in the State. And what is the guarantee
that conflicts will not take place there as well?" he told Frontline.
He told a CPI(M) delegation led by Lok Sabha member Sushmita Baori
that the victims would be compensated fully. He said the demand that
the main connecting lane between the houses of the two communities be
sealed off was impractical.

The reluctance of the State government to take on errant members
belonging to the economically, socially and politically strong
communities is bound to create a crisis of faith. Many other villages
in Haryana – such as Duleena (in Jhajjar district), Harsola and Salwan
(Jind), and Balamba and Petwaad (Hisar) – have witnessed atrocities
against Dalits, ranging from murder to social and economic boycott, in
the past few years.

Chief Minister Hooda visited Mirchpur almost a week after the
incident, while his opponents within the party as well as members of
the Opposition paid multiple visits to the village. Hooda merely
termed the incident as "unfortunate". His government has been
reluctant to take a strong stand against caste and khap panchayats,
which issue death sentences, order social embargoes on couples
marrying in violation of community norms, and harass Dalit
communities. Will his government, with all its pretensions of making
Haryana a world-class State, be prepared to take the proverbial bull
by the horns?


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[ZESTCaste] Gram panchayat secretary arrested for caste remarks

 

http://www.ptinews.com/news/638107_Gram-panchayat-secretary-arrested-for-cast-remarks

Gram panchayat secretary arrested for caste remarks

STAFF WRITER 12:21 HRS IST
Muzaffarnagar, May 4 (PTI) A village panchayat secretary was arrested
for allegedly insulting and harassing a Dalit village head of
Mubarikpur village in the district.

Gram Panchayat Secretary Sudhir Kumar allegedly made derogatory and
castiest remarks against village head yesterday following which a
complaint was lodged against him under Scheduled Caste Prevention
Atrocities Act, District Magistrate Santosh Kumar said, adding Sudhir
was later arrested.

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[ZESTCaste] Raja wears a Dalit crown now

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/Raja-wears-a-Dalit-crown-now/articleshow/5888126.cms

Raja wears a Dalit crown now

4 May 2010, 0637 hrs IST,ET Bureau

NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu chief minister and DMK chief M Karunanidhi on
Monday played the Dalit card to back telecom minister A Raja. His
backing for
the DMK minister came on a day the Opposition stalled Parliament over
the alleged 2G spectrum scam and demanded Mr Raja's ouster. "Raja is a
Dalit. That is why dominant forces are levelling malicious charges
against him," Mr Karunanidhi said after a meeting with Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh on Monday evening.

Earlier in the day, he met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi for over 30
minutes. The impact of Mr Karunanidhi's meetings with Ms Gandhi was
almost immediate as a reluctant Congress came out to solidly back its
southern ally.

Thus if Mr Karunanidhi had more or less ruled out Mr Raja's
resignation on Sunday, Congress also spoke up for Mr Raja on Monday.
Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said there was "no credible
evidence" to support the charges against Mr Raja. "These are in nature
of allegations... There is nothing in the realm of proof or credible
evidence," Mr Singhvi said. He added in response to questions: "(There
is) no question of defending somebody, who is not an accused". Another
spokesperson, Manish Tewari asked the Opposition to "look within"
before levelling allegation against the government on 2G spectrum
controversy. "It is ironical. Those who are holding Parliament to
ransom (on 2G spectrum issue) are precisely those who in 1999, allowed
the telecom operators to migrate from licence fee to revenue sharing
arrangement," he said, alleging that this change-over had resulted in
a "direct loss of Rs 60,000 crore" to the exchequer. Interestingly,
Opposition parties, led by AIADMK, have been describing the 2G
spectrum scam as costing the government anything between Rs 60,000
crore to Rs 100,000 crore.

While the spectrum issue remained on top of the political agenda of
Opposition parties, there was speculation that an entirely different
matter might have preoccupied the Tamil Nadu CM during his on-on-one
meetings with the Congress leadership. With talk of the possible
advancement of Tamil Nadu assembly polls doing the rounds, the matter
could have been broached in the meetings, sources indicated.


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[ZESTCaste] Karuna plays dalit card to save minister Raja

 

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/karuna-plays-dalit-card-to-save-minister-raja/114533-37-64.html?from=tn

Karuna plays dalit card to save minister Raja
Smitha Nair, CNN-IBNPosted on May 04, 2010 at 10:38

New Delhi: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief K Karunanidhi has
now used the 'dalit' card to defend Union Telecom Minister A Raja,
following a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here in the
Capital.

While the Opposition continues to vent their anger in Parliament over
the spectrum scandal and allegations of corruption against Raja, the
scandal remains a serious embarrassment for the UPA government.

The DMK chief met the Congress chief Sonia Gandhi too. While the party
claims Raja and the telecom scandal was not discussed, the DMK
president has played the 'dalit' card to defend the controversial
minister. "Since Raja is a dalit the oppressive forces are trying to
target him," says Karunanidhi.

Sources say the Prime Minister raised the Raja issue with the DMK
chief. But Karunanidhi's statement is perhaps a reminder that he is
backing Raja to the hilt.

In fact, the spectrum allegations had erupted in 2007 but when the UPA
returned to power, the DMK insisted that Raja be returned as the
Telecom Minister, making it a delicate issue for the government.

While the Opposition continues to focus on the issue and is demanding
an explanation from the Prime Minister, how long can the Congress
afford to endure the spectrum scandal remains to be seen.

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[ZESTCaste] Dalit card to Raja’s aid

http://www.hindustantimes.com/rssfeed/newdelhi/Dalit-card-to-Raja-s-aid/Article1-538947.aspx

Dalit card to Raja's aid

HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times

New Delhi, May 03, 2010
First Published: 22:57 IST(3/5/2010)
Last Updated: 01:32 IST(4/5/2010)

After meetings with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi came out in
full support of his party nominee, Telecom Minister A. Raja, who is
caught in a row over irregularities over the allotment of 2G spectrum.

The DMK chief invoked the Dalit card to dismiss allegations against
Raja that he caused a huge loss to the exchequer. "Raja is a Dalit.
That is why dominant forces are levelling malicious charges against
him," he said.

The Congress too seemed reluctant to antagonise its ally. Downplaying
the Opposition's demand for Raja's resignation, the Congress said
there was no "credible evidence" to support the charges.

"These are in nature of allegations. There is nothing in the realm of
proof or credible evidence," party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said.

Singhvi also dismissed charges that the government was shielding Raja
saying there is "no question of defending somebody, who is not an
accused". A Congress leader said, "Why should we ask for his
resignation? It is for the DMK to take a call."

Congress managers said their party had taken such calls on many
occasions in the past, especially after Sonia Gandhi became the
Congress president in 1998. "We asked Tharoor to resign after his name
figured in the IPL controversy," another leader said.

Karunanidhi is also said to have dropped broad hints about his plan to
make his son, M.K. Stalin the Chief Minister before the assembly polls
next year.

But the DMK and the Congress were tightlipped about the meeting.
Karunanidhi met Gandhi for 10 minutes before they were joined by Union
Minister Dayanidhi Maran and DMK MPs T.R. Baalu and Kanimozhi, his
daughter, for the next twenty minutes. His son, Union Minister M.K.
Alagiri, was absent.

Asked what was discussed, Karunanidhi said, "I told Sonia Gandhi that
steps should be taken to pass the Women's Reservation Bill in Lok
Sabha as soon as possible." Asked whether he discussed any political
issues with Gandhi, the DMK chief said, "There is more time for the
Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu…"


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[ZESTCaste] Karunanidhi stands by Raja, says ‘canards’ because he is Dalit

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/karunanidhi-stands-by-raja-says-canards-because.../614769/

Karunanidhi stands by Raja, says 'canards' because he is Dalit

Express News Service Posted online: Tuesday , May 04, 2010 at 0827 hrs
New Delhi : Union Telecom Minister A Raja on Monday looked set to
survive the political storm over the alleged 2G spectrum scam with DMK
chief M Karunanidhi playing the Dalit card to strongly back him. After
his meetings with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh, the DMK patriarch said Raja was being victimised
because of his caste.
Significantly, the Congress also came to the embattled minister's
defence, with party spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi saying that
there was nothing "in the realm of proof or credible evidence" to
support the allegations against Raja. The Opposition has been
demanding his dismissal over the alleged scam in allocation of the 2G
spectrum licences.

Shortly after meeting Karunanidhi, Sonia called on the Prime Minister
and apprised him of her discussions with the DMK chief.

Sources in the Congress have been maintaining that it was for the DMK
to take a call on Raja or even on Chemicals and Fertiliser Minister M
K Alagiri, who is said to be eager to quit the Cabinet and take a more
active role in state politics ahead of the Assembly polls next year.

After his meeting with the Prime Minister, the Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister said "dominant forces are spreading canards against Raja
because he is a Dalit". It is no secret that Raja — apart from being
close to the family of Karunanidhi's third wife Rajathi — is seen as a
rising Dalit leader by Karunanidhi himself.

With Assembly elections only a year away, the DMK would only be happy
to appeal to Dalit sentiments by openly claiming that the Opposition
was targeting Raja because of his caste identity.

On his part, Karunanidhi said he only urged the UPA chairperson to
ensure passage of the Women's Reservation Bill at the earliest. Asked
whether he discussed any political issues with Sonia, the DMK chief
said: "There is time for the Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu to
come."

Sources said he also sought her support for revival of the Legislative
Council in Tamil Nadu, for which Parliament has to pass a resolution
now that it has been cleared by the state Assembly. The DMK chief was
accompanied by his daughter Kanimozhi and grand-nephew and Union
Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran during his meeting with Sonia.


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[ZESTCaste] SC, ST entrepreneurs denied Loans: Lok Satta Party (Telugu)

 

http://news.loksatta.org/2010/04/sc-st-entrepreneurs-denied-loans-lok_21.html

Wednesday, April 21, 2010
SC, ST entrepreneurs denied Loans: Lok Satta Party (Telugu)

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[ZESTCaste] Mayawati 'expels' criminals who were not in BSP

 

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/95849/India/Mayawati+'expels'+criminals+who+were+not+in+BSP.html

Courtesy: Mail Today

Mayawati 'expels' criminals who were not in BSP
Piyush Srivastava
Lucknow, May 4, 2010

Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president
Mayawati on Sunday announced her decision to expel 500 party workers
for their involvement in criminal activities.

While her effort to cleanse politics of criminal elements was
appreciated, what came as a surprise, though, was that a number of
these people were either unknown or had no relationship with the BSP.
Some like Billoo of Muzaffarnagar and Munna of Eta, who are among the
500 expelled by the BSP supremo, were virtually unknown in their own
areas.

Then there are the likes of Vicky Tyagi and Rakshpal Singh alias Pappu Diwakar.

Tyagi, who is well known in Muzaffarnagar, is in jail in a murder case
while Pappu is a bully from Eta.

But what both want to know is when did they join the BSP? "I read in a
local newspaper that I have been expelled from the BSP. But to the
best of my knowledge, I was never a primary member of the BSP," Pappu
said.

"I remember that during the 2007 assembly elections, Rajiv Gupta,
husband of Pinki Gupta (municipal chairperson of Ganjdundwara in Eta
district) was campaigning for the BSP and had met me.

"Unfortunately, his name is also there in the list of expelled
leaders. I really enjoyed reading the newspaper because my name was
there, even if for the wrong reason," said Pappu with a loud guffaw.

That's not all. There's a classic case of a person from Sultanpur who,
too, found his name on the list of expelled BSP members.

He didn't want to be identified as he feared that he might land in
trouble for no reason at all.

"I heard that Mayawati has removed me from her party. But my problem
is that I am not a BSP member. I vote for the Congress and never met
any BSP worker or leader.

"I fear that she will now ask her men to establish that I was a BSP
member who has been removed and then she will ask the police to book
me," he said.

The BSP supremo has so far expelled party members from many district -
Eta, Muzaffarnagar, Sultanpur, Bareilly, Badaun, Bijnore, Gonda,
Baghpat and Saharanpur.

From these, only the names of those removed from Muzaffarnagar and Eta
are available.

It is believed that besides these nameless workers, some village
chiefs and local municipal chairpersons too have been shown the door.

This has once again given the opposition parties enough arsenal to
have a go at Mayawati.

Congress general secretary and the party in-charge of Uttar Pradesh,
Digvijay Singh, has demanded that the BSP chief release the names of
all those sacked, their positions in the party and their crimes.

"We want to see the list. Unfortunately, the Right of Information Act
doesn't cover the political parties. Otherwise, we would have moved an
application with the BSP," he said in Meerut.

Akhilesh Yadav, Kannauj MP and state president of the Samajwadi Party
(SP) said, "If there were 500 hardcore criminals in the BSP and she
knew about it, then she should have tendered her resignation." Yadav
claimed that the entire episode was a farce.

"I am sure Mayawati does not have any list and whatever she claims
about expulsion is a farce. She is trying to cheat the masses. But she
has exhausted all her tricks. She should resign instead of waiting for
the 2012 assembly elections," the SP MP and party chief Mulayam Singh
Yadav's son said.

Ramapati Ram Tripathi, state president of the BJP also took a dig at
the UP chief minister.

"Mayawati herself is involved in several cases of financial
embezzlement. She should punish herself first.

"The gimmick of expulsion of workers is an eyewash. She is doing this
to divert the people's attention from her hardcore criminal ministers,
MPs and MLAs," Tripathi alleged.

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[ZESTCaste] 'Mayawati's cleanup operation an eyewash'

 

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/mayawatis-cleanup-operation-an-eyewash/614393/

'Mayawati's cleanup operation an eyewash'

Agencies Posted online: Monday , May 03, 2010 at 1322 hrs
Lucknow : Accusing Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati of misleading
people, the opposition parties on Monday termed BSP's operation
cleanup against criminals as an eyewash.
"Mayawati is indulging into dramatics by launching a drive against
criminals in the BSP as only those people having minor criminal
antecedents have been expelled," Samajwadi Party spokesman Rajendra
Chaudhary today alleged.

He also alleged that BSP supremo was playing this stint to distract
attention of the people, who are agitated with increasing crime and
poor law and order situation in the state.

"If Mayawati starts the cleaning operation honestly, the government
would be reduced to minority within 24 hours," he said.

Chaudhary said that instead of staging a drama, Mayawati should submit
her resignation with the Governor as she is unable to handle the
government and the administration.

Meanwhile, Bhartiya Janata Party has termed BSP operation clean up as
"laughable".

"After running the government with the support of mafias for three
years, now Mayawati has realised that they are criminals," party
spokesman Hriday Narain Dixit said.

He said that Mayawati's statement that opposition conspired entry of
criminal elements in BSP was ridiculous.

"There are number of ministers, MPs and MLAs in the BSP having
criminal antecedents," he alleged.

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[ZESTCaste] BJP support for OBC census

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/newdelhi/BJP-support-for-OBC-census/Article1-539031.aspx

BJP support for OBC census

Vikas Pathak, Hindustan Times
New Delhi, May 04, 2010
First Published: 01:25 IST(4/5/2010)
Last Updated: 01:27 IST(4/5/2010)


Openly taking a line that has hitherto been associated with regional
parties, the BJP has come out in favour of an OBC headcount in Census
2011.

"We support a headcount for OBCs in the coming census," senior BJP
leader M. Venkaiah Naidu told HT on Monday. "What is wrong in having
details of the OBC segment of our population?"

"The government should know what the numbers of OBCs are in this
country," said Deputy Leader of the Opposition Gopinath Munde.

This comes at a time when the UPA — which had adopted a pro-OBC agenda
when Arjun Singh brought OBC quotas to higher education — has turned
the other way in its second avatar.

The government has not only rejected OBC census but is also on a
confrontation path with OBC leaders, refusing sub-quotas in the
women's Bill and not tabling the Ranganath Mishra report that calls
for minorities to be given part of OBCs' quota pie. For the BJP, this
is an opportunity to reach out to the Hindu OBCs as "their" party.

Munde, an OBC, has already denounced the Ranganath Mishra report as
anti-OBC and even called for OBC sub-quotas in the women's Bill.

There has been no caste headcount except for SCs and STs after 1931
and all population estimates for OBCs are just that: estimates. They
vary from 52% (Mandal Commission) to 40% (National Sample Survey).

The numbers are important for OBC politics, as they claim that they
constitute the majority of India and, so, have a right to claim their
share in power. They also argue that the government must know the
numbers to focus on OBC schemes.

The BJP had made inroads into OBC votes in UP in the 1990s, but has
lost them over time. It also threw out OBC leaders like Kalyan Singh
and Uma Bharti. However, the party has powerful OBC CMs in Narendra
Modi and Shivraj Singh Chouhan.


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[ZESTCaste] Census: BJP says count OBCs, poor

 

http://in.news.yahoo.com/48/20100504/814/tnl-census-bjp-says-count-obcs-poor_1.html

Census: BJP says count OBCs, poor

Tue, May 4 04:37 AM
The BJP on Monday formally demanded that an OBC headcount and a drive
to identify APL and BPL population be undertaken along with the
ongoing Census exercise. The party also demanded that the process of
compiling National Population Register and the Census exercise be
segregated, as the "present proposal (compiling NPR through the
Census) could end up enabling Bangladeshi infiltrators to acquire
citizenship".

"The present proposal relies upon data provided by the individual. The
column reads 'nationality, as declared, (by the individual)'. Our fear
is the proposal would end up legitmising the status of illegal
Bangladeshis and infiltrators," said former BJP president M Venkaiah
Naidu.

Naidu, who's also the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Home
Affairs, said the two ongoing projects "should be segregated" even
when there have been observations that the mere mention of
nationality, in the said column, "will not confer the citizenship
rights on the citizens". "Also, what would happen if someone were to
mention Khalistani or Gorkha as their nationality," asked Naidu.
"Census provides for confidentiality, there's no such clause in the
NPR," he said.

The demand for an OBC headcount was raised in the past by Gopinath
Munde. "Review it (the ongoing Census exercise) and hold discussions
with parties. Besides, get newer data for APL and BPL population
through this exercise," said the BJP leader.

Meanwhile, Naidu said the Union Home Minister "should walk the talk"
while tackling Maoists and insurgency. "Chidambaram is making bold
statements, but his party colleagues are speaking a different
language," said Naidu.

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[ZESTCaste] Demand for caste census rocks Lok Sabha

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Demand-for-caste-census-rocks-Lok-Sabha/articleshow/5887995.cms

Demand for caste census rocks Lok Sabha
TNN, May 4, 2010, 04.57am IST

NEW DELHI: One thing the founding fathers, with an eye on creating a
post-caste India, did was to dub caste-based head count a strict
no-no. But on Monday, the LS erupted with a strong demand for
enumerating backward classes as part of the decennial census which has
just got under way. The issue took the Centre by surprise as it was
thought of as settled as Census 2011 was finalised recently after PM
Manmohan Singh did not agree with the demand of law minister Veerappa
Moily for revival of caste-based census. The last such exercise was
done in 1931, under the British.

While the issue was raised by the Yadav triumvirate, bringing the
House to a standstill, it truly marked the journey of the contentious
issue from the political fringe to the mainstream. Virtually every
political party demanded it, from Akali Dal to Shiv Sena to AIADMK to
DMK, not to mention backward outfits of UP-Bihar — RJD, SP and JD(U).
The LS will discuss the matter on Tuesday.

The issue has brought out a metamorphosis in political discourse in
doctrinaire outfits too. The Left, which put "class" over "caste",
lent its voice to the clamour. Basudeb Acharia of CPM said as much.
Gurudas Dasgupta of CPI agreed with it though he pushed for an
all-party meeting.

If the Left drifted castewards, BJP too gave its nod. Sushma Swaraj,
leader of Opposition, said census was the best source to collect
information on the "poor" which will serve as an estimate for laws
like the Food Security Act. She added that reservation benefits were
being given on the basis of guesstimates and census could help
determine those numbers. "But there is no column for it. In fact,
there is a column for nationality which will help the intruders," she
said.

While government has expressed its inability to revert to caste-based
enumeration, it has, significantly, not based its opposition on
ideoology. It has cited logistics, saying the exercise is already on.
Moily said the same. This is a big change. The fear among mainstream
political parties has been the abhorrence of middle classes to things
caste, with resistance to Mandal report being the watershed. Even OBC
outfits have been soft on issues relating to backwards, like quota in
central educational institutions, as their mobilisation of core
votebase has peaked over time and they have moved on to woo the upper
castes.

This time, they appear emboldened by the fact that BJP and Congress
are also singing the same tune.There are strong arguments in its
favour and against. The proponents say caste census will help
allocations to be made for OBCs. But it is also felt that a move to
determine numbers can trigger an irreversible chain of events over
reservations.

Times View

The refusal to include a question on caste in the census makes no
sense. Keeping caste out of the census does not mean we can wish it
away. More importantly, as long as the government offers affirmative
action for groups that are backward for historical reasons, it must
gather as much information about them as possible. That does not mean
just counting the numbers of the backward castes. It also would help
policymakers in identifying more precisely just which groups are
disadvantaged and to what extent. This is essential because policy can
then deal with facts rather than impressions, as is the case now in
the absence of any authoritative data.


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[ZESTCaste] the round table

 

http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=1320

Introducing The Round Table (http://roundtableindia.co.in/)

The Round Table portal, a virtual idea, discussed and debated by strangers, friends, family and others in virtual spaces over the past one year has finally materialized here .

The Internet as a medium presents technological equal opportunities to the minute fraction of Dalitbahujan accessing it with a unique opportunity for communication. Can the democratic publishing possibilities of the Internet, the first space that is free of caste controls be utilized as an advocacy medium by the Dalitbahujan? How can it be effectively used to bring change into the lives of millions to whom the Internet would be the least of their immediate necessities? And can it be a window for the Dalitbahujans themselves providing a glimpse of the diversity of their distinctive histories, cultures and experiences?

Can we finally have our own media platform?

The Round Table is the culmination of many such discussions across several blogs authored by Dalitbahujan writers and their readers. The Insight young voices blog brought together individuals who took up the challenge and worked to create The Round Table.

At present, it has the following sections:

News and opinions -a tab that aggregates news reports on Dalitbahujan issues in the mainstream media. A Dalitbahujan citizen̢۪s reporting platform is envisioned for this space to bring in news and opinions of us, by us.

My blogs -aggregates Dalitbahujan blogs and provides space for our readers to start their own blogs here.

Photos/videos -is a space for pictorial and visual documentation of Dalitbahujans lives and experiences.

Debate -a section for active discussions on contemporary issues and development of a knowledge-bank on various aspects of interests of the users and readers.

Community Connect -a social networking platform for our community members, to create their own specific interest groups and foster interactions between groups.

History -a section to document the lives and history of our leaders and our past struggles.

The Shared Mirror -is dedicated to prose and poetry in all the languages the Dalitbahujan writes in. It also has a focus on translation of prose and poetry into English.

This portal is completely user driven. Users are invited to register and submit articles, create their own photo and video galleries, announce events and share their perspective on the Dalitbahujan world

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