Latest News Update: Jun 4, 2010

Friday, June 4, 2010

[ZESTCaste] Help for reserved categories (Hindustan Times)

Help for reserved categories

Suhas Munshi, Hindustan Times

New Delhi, June 03, 2010

   http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/newdelhi/Help-for-reserved-categories/Article1-552729.aspx



Manju Kumari, a Delhi University student counsellor, is a very busy person these days. She has been kept on her toes ever since the Insight Foundation launched a national admission helpline for dalit and adivasi (Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe) students on May 27. Kumari has received calls from students from as far as Nagaland, Hoshangabad, Kutch, who mainly enquire about the documentation required, scholarships options and future prospects of various courses available in DU. Student-counsellor exchanges are also active through SMSes.

The first-of-a-kind national helpline was started to assist SC and ST students, especially those based out of rural and semi-rural areas, where information is not easily accessible, in making informed choices about higher-education options in DU.Anoop Kumar, national coordinator for Insight, said, "We, as reserved category students, did not have any platform to discuss and share our common problems; a common stage was dearly needed. That was the idea with which we started our endeavour, unofficially, in 2003, and got our foundation registered as a non-profit trust in 2007." Kumar said that they are trying to link up the DU students with faculty members, senior students and ex-students of the university who are now employed.

"We are also in the process of starting a website were young students and aspirants can link up with any of the hundred mentors enrolled with us, mostly SC and ST, who are now themselves successful and respected members of our society," he said.

They also receive a lot of distress calls from the reserved category students. Gurinder Singh Azad, a student coordinator, said students from these communities, who come from small villages and schools, have a hard time during admissions and studies in DU since they are often humiliated and prejudiced against, as coming through a quota.

He cited several cases like that of Bal Mukund Bharti, a final-year medical student from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, who allegedly committed suicide because of constant harassment he received from teachers and fellow students for being a harijan.

The Insight Foundation also counsels students on other professional courses including Law, Engineering and Medicine.

The foundation's helpline number is 0-9999 48 42 49. It is open from Monday to Friday, from 10am to 1pm.

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[ZESTCaste] On the move

http://beta.thehindu.com/arts/article446293.ece

Published: June 4, 2010 15:53 IST | Updated: June 4, 2010 15:54 IST
G.K. GOVINDA RAO, June 4, 2010

On the move

Basalingaiah. The theatre director, who has just presented his magnum
opus Malegalalli Madumagalu, recalls his humble beginning

Born into a Dalit family, noted theatre director C. Basalingaiah was
brought up by his mother under difficult circumstances. He spent most
of his childhood and youth in the slums of Srirampuram in Bangalore.

Those were the days of Emergency. "True, the country had lost freedom,
but we, particularly the youth of my caste and class were exposed to
new thoughts. Thanks largely to people like D.R. Nagaraj, Ki.Ram.
Nagaraj and C.G. Krishnaswamy (C.G.K.) we were looking at the world in
a new light. I heard the name of Marx and Lohia too and we debated
extensively about what mattered to our society: caste or class."
Post-emergency theatre took on a new dimension. Dalit Sangharsha
Samithi came into existence and was instrumental in providing an extra
dimension of dignity and self-respect to the generation.

The two persons he remembers with gratitude and admiration are
Prasanna and C.G.K, who were by then noted theatre persons. "Belchi",
"Mother" and "Galileo" were a great influence on him. And so were the
many street plays that were staged coinciding with Indira Gandhi
contesting the elections from Chikmagalur. Watching this young man
with such energy and talent, Prasanna and C.G.K. "literally thrust Rs.
2000 in my pocket and packed me off to National school of Drama. My
mother believed that I was going for my M.A. or M.Sc. If she had known
it was for theatre she would have broken my legs. NSD made a lasting
impact… especially people like Badal Sircar." For Basalingaiah there
are no greater writers than Vyasa, Valmiki and Kalidasa. "They have
women at the centre of their works – Sita, Kunti, Draupadi and
Shakuntala and it has always drawn me to it. It is no surprise that I
have been impressed by Mahadeva's 'Kusumabale'." He remembers with
gratitude Ki.Ram. Nagaraj's guidance and states in the same breath
that Buddhist Jataka Tales are very significant for him. "It is
basically, I should say, my exposure to Allama and Basava, that helped
my breaking away from the three dimensional theatre to open space," he
explains. He then moved to Gandhiji's 1983 South African train
incident, which C.B. said "asserted human dignity. Gandhiji's marathon
walks are a metaphor for movement, keeping things moving, dynamic." It
is because of Buddha and Ambedkar that his personal, social and
cultural selves remain integrated, says Basalingaiah.

When Basalingaiah worked on P. Lankesh's play "Sankranti", he rendered
it contemporary by replacing Basavanna and Bijjala with Gandhiji and
Nehru. He continues to believe that "State power and organised
religion are a bane of the society."

Speaking of his latest work "Malegalalli Madumagalu", a novel of epic
proportions, he recalls the mammoth task and laments that one third of
the book could not be dramatized. He worked for more than twelve hours
each day for over four months and with 50 young artistes from
different parts of the states apart from Rangayana artistes. What are
his future plans? "I wish to take plays to homes, where around 150
people can be accommodated and make intimate theatre a reality. I like
to make theatre an integral part of one's personal life. After all, we
need to blend both 'alaya' and 'bayalu', the concrete and the
abstract.

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[ZESTCaste] Selja-Hooda rift increasing tension between Dalits and Jats

http://www.merinews.com/article/selja-hooda-rift-increasing-tension-between-dalits-and-jats/15819586.shtml

Selja-Hooda rift increasing tension between Dalits and Jats

Pawan Kumar Bansal

Fri, Jun 04, 2010 17:00:47 IST

THE ONGOING tussle between Haryana Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh
Hooda and his detractors within the party led by Union Tourism
minister Kumari Selja is leading towards hostility between dalits and
Jats.Shelija, who is being projected by the party high command as
dalit icon of the party to face the challenge posed by U.P.Chief
Minister Mayawati is using the same credit to discredit the Haryana
government headed by Bhupinder Singh Hooda in the eyes of party high
command apparently keeping an eye on the chair of haryana chief
minister.

The Mirchpur incident in which one aged person and his disabled
daughter belonging to dalit community were burnt to death by the Jats
has come as god send opportunity in the hands of Selja to prove that
Hooda has failed to protect the lives of dalits in the state, an
impression which Congress party cannot afford in view of the day by
day growing influence of Mayawati among the dalits .
Right thinking persons of the state feel that it is high time that
congress high command checks both Hooda and Selja and ask them firmly
to put united face to meet this challenge which has wider social
ramifications other than the law and order problem.
She has created big embarrassment for the Hooda government by assuring
the victims during her visit to the spot that she will talk to the
authorities regarding their demand for allotting them plots at Hisar
in place of Mirchpur where they are not safe fearing threats from the
powerful jat community.

There are no permanent friends and enemies in politics, says an old
proverb. This holds true while describing the political relations of
Selja and Bhupinder Singh Hooda. After the last assembly polls when
Hooda was facing challenge from Bhajan Lal for the post of chief
minister, Selja at that time had sided with Hooda.
Earlier during the Lok Sabha polls, it was Hooda who had asked his
friend at Ambala to arrange accommodation for opening election office
of Selja who was given party ticket from Ambala reserved constituency
in 2004 elections.

Shelija has deserted her old constituency, Sirsa reserved constituency
fearing sabotage by Bhajan Lal whose comunity bishnoi has seizable
number of votes.So close were Selja and Hooda that the marriage of
Anjali , daughter of Bhupinder Singh Hooda was solemnised at the
official residence of kumari Selja in New-Delhi.

After Hooda took over as chief ministership of the state their
relations continued for sometime but soon cracks started developing as
Shelija was demanding her share from the spoil system. Hooda has
accommodated Dr.K.V.Singh as his officer on special duty on the
recommendation of Shelija.

Not only this several tainted officers were given prize postings on
her recommendations. It is another matter that a shrewd K.V.Singh
switched loyalty to Hooda. Moreover growing influence and interference
of Vinod Sharma in Ambala district, which is part of Shelija's
constituency and Hooda's tilt towards Sharma also led to further
straining the relations between Shelija and Hooda.
Of late things have reached to such a passe that shelija is using
Mirchpur incident to settle score with Hooda. To add salt to her
injury, Hooda has projected Education and Health minister Geeta Bhukal
belonging to dalit community to check Selja.

It was Bhukal who has publically criticised Selja for her demand of
allotting of land to Mirchpur victims at Hisar. Hooda has deputed her
to brief congress partyt chief Sonia Gandhi regarding steps taken by
the state government after the mirchpur incident which has created
embarrassment for Hooda as Rahul gandhi paid a surprise visit to met
the families of victims.

He even invited dalit legislators at delhi to hear their viewpoint
about the incident and about the functioning of Hooda government.
Selja entered the politics after the death of her father Dalbir Singh,
a gentleman, who had been active in politics during his life time and
was member of parliament and union minister.

Due to the family background, sympathy factor, dalit face, this
educated girl with the help of state leaders specially Bhajan Lal
contested the Lok sabha election held in 1991 from Sirsa (SC )seat and
became the minister of state in the central government .
She became ambitious but her graph of popularity lowered down upto the
extent that she was deserted by the voters and leaders of Sirsa
parliamentary seat . She had not contested election of 1999.

Summing up the situation Dr. Ramesh Kumar Maddan , political analyst
said that such type of situation had developed- as she had no mass
base.. Secondly she won the election twice due to the support of
Bhajan Lal, a leader of that area having sizeable number of his
community followers?

Bishnois as well as the ideological committed voters of the Congress.
On the advice of the leaders close to the state and party high command
. Selja was shifted to Ambala (SC ) parliamentary seat. She won the
seat with a huge margin and became the minister in the central
government.

The reasons for the victory can be attributed as. B.S. Hooda asked his
friends belonging to different caste /communities including Vinod
Sharma and Nirmal Singh to vote, support and elect her.
Akhil Bakshi .Ex-OSD to P.V. Narasimha Rao played a prominent role to
persuade his friend Nirmal Singh a mass base leader of this area to
support her and moreover next assembly elections were due in 2005 and
there was strong wave against INLD-- government in the state. The
probable party candidates for the vidhan sabha segments falling under
the constituency from all the nine assembly segments supported
Congress candidate wholehearted.

But her troubles did not end as she was not well aware about the
constituency and there was a strong opposition from the dalit
community leaders of the area and factionalism was also prevailing in
the state politics.

Congress High command gave the responsibility to Dr. Janardhan
Dwivedi, who played a significant role in a systematic and strategic
mannner with the help of party activists and prevailed upon them to
work for the party candidate .After getting elected, she has stopped
bothering for the people of this area. She was surrounded by a coterie
ignoring loyal workers.

It was being brought to the High command that she is creating
factionalism in the name of being a woman and a dalit. But the
leadership remained silent due to the increasing influence of BSP
leader Mayawati.

During the election of 2009 Lok sabha election,Selja was aware through
government agencies and NGOs that she had lost her vote bank upto
great extent . She tried her level best to change the constituency in
U.P.or remain aloof from election but in vain.
Congress High Command persuaded B.S. Hooda and Selja also requested
Hooda calling him brother and reminding close relations of her father
Dalbir Singh with Ch.Ranbir Singh.

BS Hooda with the help of the administration and party activist of the
state of different communities came to her rescue in the last two days
and public meetings were organised. B.S Hooda and other opponents of
Selja also persuaded the voters to cast their votes in the name of
Congress Party.

In addition to this a large number of sikh voters supported her due to
Dr Manmohan Singh .The result of 2009 vidhan sabha clearly depict the
picture that seven SC members elected on the Congress ticket had won
due to factors other then Selja.

It is in the interest of Congress party and the social harmony of the
state that party high command should stop Selja to twist the arms of
Hooda as well as tell Hooda in clear terms that his soft attitude
towards the bureaucracy will not be tolerated and he should clean the
police force from criminal elements as any collapse of the law and
order in the state directly affects the national security as Delhi is
surrounded by Haryana from three sides. Instead of listening to the
caucus he should get direct feedback from the people of the state.

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Re: [ZESTCaste] Cong to present Mayawati list of "tainted" BSP leaders

At least 70 MPs of the Lower House have not disclosed their assets and liabilities to the Lok Sabha, as is mandatory.

Nearly half of them are from the ruling Congress.

The list of defaulters, updated up to February 24, includes former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda, who is under investigation for siphoning off crores of rupees of public money.

Other prominent members on the list include former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda, former railway minister Lalu Prasad and Congress's high- profile spokesperson Manish Tewari.

Only five of the defaulting MPs are women.

The list of Lok Sabha members who have not revealed the details of their assets and liabilities was given to activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal. He had filed an application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking the information.

In response to a query from Agrawal, the Lok Sabha secretariat said it cannot force the members to file their assets or take any action against them unless there is a complaint.

"No action has been taken against the defaulting members, including action for breach of privilege of the House. The reason is the non- receipt of any complaint from any other member or any citizen of India in this regard, as is required," the secretariat said, quoting rules 5(1) and (2) of the Members of the Lok Sabha (Declaration of Assets and Liabilities) Rules, 2004.

In response, Agrawal promptly wrote a letter to Speaker Meira Kumar. He requested her to consider his letter as a written complaint by a citizen seeking action against the MPs who have not disclosed their assets. The speaker's office is yet to respond.

The list throws up a rather interesting combination of how important this aspect of transparency is to MPs of various parties.

The maximum number of defaulter MPs - 30 of the 70 in the list - are from the Congress.

BJP, has seven defaulters, including former Jharkhand CM Arjun Munda and ex- cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu.

While the other MPs from Lalu's Rashtriya Janata Dal have filed the details of their assets and liabilities, the party chief apparently doesn't find the need to do so.

Among independent MPs on the list are Koda - whose assets are still being probed - and a relatively 'clean' Babulal Marandi of the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha.

The Congress MPs, other than the articulate Tewari, include Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda's son Deepender and former Union minister of state Inderjit Singh Rao.

One of the party's Young Turks, Madhu Yashki Goud, too has not filed his assets and liabilities.

Deepa Das Munshi, wife of former parliamentary affairs minister Priya Ranjan Das Munshi, and the high-profile princess of the Oudh family, Rajkumari Ratna Singh, also figure on the list.

The Samajwadi Party has three members on the defaulters' list.

While the Janata Dal (U) has six. The Rashtriya Lok Dal and the Trinamool Congress have two each, and the Telugu Desam Party has three MPs who are yet to submit the details. The NCP, the DMK, the BJD, AIMIM and the Akali Dal have one MP each on the defaulters' list.

MAY YOU BE EVER HAPPY, WELL AND SECURE
MAY YOU LIVE LONG
MAY ALL SENTIENT AND NON-SENTIENT BEINGS BE EVER HAPPY
MAY YOU BE ALWAYS HAVE CALM, QUIET, ALERT,ATTENTIVE AND
EQUANIMITY MIND WITH A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING THAT
NOTHING IS PERMANENT

--- On Wed, 2/6/10, Siddhartha Kumar <mailsiddhartha.k@gmail.com> wrote:

From: Siddhartha Kumar <mailsiddhartha.k@gmail.com>
Subject: [ZESTCaste] Cong to present Mayawati list of "tainted" BSP leaders
To: "zestcaste" <zestcaste@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Wednesday, 2 June, 2010, 5:16 PM

http://www.ptinews.com/news/684115_Cong-to-present-Mayawati-list-of--tainted--BSP-leaders

Cong to present Mayawati list of "tainted" BSP leaders

STAFF WRITER 19:13 HRS IST
Allahabad, June 1 (PTI) Blaming Mayawati for failing to act against
"tainted" leaders of her party, the Congress today said it will
approach the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister in 15 days with a list of
ruling BSP leaders having "dubious" past and press for their removal.

"Not long ago, the BSP had announced its so-called clean-up drive to
rid the party of tainted leaders. We knew it was an eye-wash," UPCC
president Rita Bahuguna Joshi told reporters.

Joshi came down heavily on explanation offered by the BSP surpemo that
people with tainted background had been reformed after joining her
party and hence there was no need for any stern action.

"In 15 days, we will be preparing a list of tainted leaders who have
been occupying prominent positions in the ruling BSP or the Mayawati
government", she said.

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[ZESTCaste] SP accuses Mayawati of planning another park in Lucknow

http://www.hindustantimes.com/SP-accuses-Mayawati-of-planning-another-park-in-Lucknow/Article1-552939.aspx

SP accuses Mayawati of planning another park in Lucknow

Press Trust Of India
Lucknow, June 04, 2010

Accusing Chief Minister Mayawati of planning to construct another park
in the state capital, the Samajwadi Party on Friday charged that a
demolition drive was on in Pipraghat area for the purpose which would
render nearly 2000 people homeless.

"Some 250 houses were pulled down by bulldozers in Pipraghat area
along the railway line by the authorities and we are told that it was
done to make space for another park," senior SP leader and Opposition
leader in state Legislative Council Ahmed Hasan told reporters here.

However, the state government denied the charges saying the exercise
was aimed to evict encroachers.

"It is to remove illegal occupants of the area," official sources said.

Hasan claimed that majority of the houses demolished were occupied by
members of a particular community for around 150 years and that police
resorted to lathicharge to chase away its occupants.

He demanded immediate rehabilitation of those "rendered homeless",
besides a compensation of Rs five lakh to each of them.

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[ZESTCaste] Mayawati, 12 others elected unopposed

http://www.thehindu.com/2010/06/04/stories/2010060462190100.htm

Mayawati, 12 others elected unopposed

Special Correspondent

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati and 12 others were
elected unopposed to the Legislative Council on Thursday.

Only 13 candidates — eight of the Bahujan Samaj Party, three of the
Samajwadi Party and one each of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the
Congress — had filed papers for as many seats.

After the expiry of the last date for withdrawals, Returning Officer
Pradeep Kumar Dubey announced the election of Ms. Mayawati, Satish
Chandra Jatav, Rishipal Gautam, Ram Kumar Kureel, Subodh Parashar,
Mohammad Athar Khan, Lalchand Nishad and Virendra Chauhan (all BSP);
Balram Yadav, Ram Sunder Das Nishad and Yashwant Singh (SP); Hridya
Narain Dixit (BJP) and Naseeb Pathan (Congress).

Now the BSP's strength in the Council has gone up to 65 from 57.

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[ZESTCaste] Census conundrum

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Census-conundrum/629383

Census conundrum

Seema Chishti Posted online: Fri Jun 04 2010, 01:53 hrs
Supporting the inclusion of caste in the census, noted poet and editor
of the daily Sahafat(published from Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow and
Dehradun) Hasan Kamal, in his May 24 column writes: "None of these
opponents of recording caste has said that the caste system itself is
a social disease and it should be eliminated. The important thing is
that by recording caste in the census it would be known as to how many
funds are required for the development of backward communities."
Equally supportive of inclusion of castes in the census is Delhi-based
daily Jadeed Khabar. In an editorial on May 28, it writes: "The last
time caste was recorded in the country's census was in 1931. It is not
clear how much the British gained from the results of this census on
the basis of caste, but it is obvious that when the Constitution of an
independent India was prepared, provision was made for reservation for
Dalits and oppressed castes and tribes against which there were no
voices from any section of the society. Obviously if the census had
not been conducted on the basis of caste, the founding fathers of the
Constitution would have found it very difficult to determine the
population of Dalits and oppressed castes and tribes and the
percentage of reservation to be provided to them."

Taking a contrary view, the daily Akhbar-e-Mashriq, published from
Delhi, Kolkata and Ranchi, says in an editorial on May 31 that the
"caste system ( zaat-paat ) is the worst curse, and those pleading for
it want to take the country back." Jamaat-e-Islami's organ, bi-weekly
Daawat, in its front page lead article on May 7, has critically
analysed the form being used for the current census. It reveals that
in column 15 of the first set of 35 questions, entitled 'Census of
India 2011: Houselisting and Housing Census Schedule' there is a query
about the caste of the head of the family, with a note, "If SC, ST or
Other; SC-1, ST-2, Other-3" (instructing how these details are to be
numerically recorded). But there is no column for "religion",
according to the paper.

Dawaat, as well as many other papers have criticised the absence of a
query on "religion" and "language" from the census questionnaire form.
Delhi-based daily, Hindustan

Express (May 22) reports from Deoband, the statement of the
General-Secretary of All-India Mosques Coordination Committee, Maulana
Abdullah Ibn-ul Qamar, exhorting the imams of the country's mosques to
motivate people "to take full part in the census operation." But
dwelling on the absence of "religion" as a column, he writes; "later
on, there will be another round that will have a column for
'religion'. The government should clarify if it is true or not."

The Maoist challenge

Expressing great concern over the rise in Maoist violence and
disruption, Rashtriya Sahara in an editorial entitled, "Politics on
train accident," (May 31), writes: "The spate of political statements
about the Jnaneshwari Express tragedy is the result of the lowering
level of our politics and the mental bankruptcy of our politicians.
These political battlelines prove that we are perhaps becoming
insensitive and personal political gains are dearer to us even in the
large-scale loss of human lives."

Akhbar-e-Mashriq, in a May 30 editorial queries: "The Maoists have
started targeting the common people. Will the government even now not
deploy the army against them?... After all, are we not taking the
services of the armed forces against and insurgency and separatism in
Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East because of which situations there
are getting considerably under control?"

A commentator in Delhi-based daily

Hindustan Express (June 1) writes caustically: "In fact the Maoists
are also Indian citizens and it is said that their movement is for
getting justice to the oppressed people of the society. Evidently,
there is a clear difference between the terrorists and those involved
in a struggle for their demands — that they are Muslims and Maoists
respectively. In other words, it can be said that the Maoists cannot
be terrorists because they not are Muslims."

Science and God

The success of the team of the American biological scientist, Dr Craig
Venter in producing an artificial living cell has created a debate in
religious and scientific circles around the world. Many Urdu papers
have lauded Dr Venter's achievement. The daily Sahafat (May 20) has
described it as "the greatest invention of the century." Describing
the view of some religious leaders to the effect that Dr Venter's
achievement amounts to equating human beings with God as a "backward
mindset", the paper says: "How can human being compete with God? Human
being is only knocking at the closed doors of mysteries of creation
which should be welcomed."

Hindustan Express (May 25) writes: "If we think seriously, this feat
certainly does not amount to man's equality with nature. Yes, it is
getting to know some of the many secrets of nature and making use of
the knowledge acquired and positive and negative uses of any knowledge
are possible."

Compiled by Seema Chishti

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Friday, June 4, 2010

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