In the early morning hours of December 3rd, 25 years ago, a poisonous gas leaked from a Union Carbide plant and crept over the city of Bhopal and within hours had taken a few thousand lives.   Since that fateful evening, close to 20,000 people have died.  Chernobyl still remains synonymous with industrial ‘accidents’; Bhopal, notwithstanding the valiant attempts of many survivors and their children, activists, and an entire array of organizations – among them, Sambhavna Trust, the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal, the International Medical Commission for Bhopal, the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh (the Bhopal Gas-Affected Women’s Stationery Trade Union) — that have been plunged in relief work to ameliorate the conditions under which victims and their communities live and labor, has been largely forgotten.

The facts surrounding the ‘Bhopal Gas Leak’ are no longer disputed, except, of course, by that cowardly and criminal corporation known as Union Carbide, which in 2001 was acquired by Dow Chemical.  Shortly after midnight on December 3rd, 54,000 pounds (24,500 kilograms) of untreated methyl isocyanate, known as MIC, escaped from a tank at Union Carbide’s plant in Bhopal, then (as now) a city with a venerable history and a population of over a million.   By about 1 AM the alarm had been sounded and people began to flee as the gas, moved along by the wind, swept over the city.  None of the six safety systems at the plant were functioning, and the tank refrigeration system, which alone would have sufficed to prevent the leak, was out of order.  The Indian Government, which too bears a heavy and to this day largely unacknowledged responsibility for the catastrophe, admits that over 521,000 people were exposed to the gas.  By all reasonable estimates, some 7,000 people were killed within the first week of exposure to the lethal gas; in subsequent years, another 15,000 people, perhaps more, have succumbed to their medical ailments as a consequence of their exposure.  The number of people still under treatment is many times more.

Why, one might ask, was a chemical plant allowed to function in a densely inhabited portion of the city?  The same question should be asked in many countries such as the US, where hazardous wastes’ disposal sites are disproportionately located in poor and minority communities.  We know that long before the incident, numerous warnings had appeared in the local press of the dangerous and unsafe conditions in the plant.  Raj Kumar Keswani, the Bhopal-based writer for the Hindi weekly, Jansatta, penned a piece in June 1984, six months before the disaster, entitled “Bhopal:  On the brink of a disaster.”  Had the article appeared in India Today, perhaps – only perhaps – someone may have paid attention, but no one deemed Keswani’s Hindi-language investigative journalism of any consequence.  There are far too many hidden scripts, many hitherto still unexplored, in the narrative that is now known as the ‘Bhopal Gas Leak Tragedy’.

While, in the immediate aftermath doctors, nurses, and ordinary citizens struggled valiantly to save people, Union Carbide refused to divulge the chemical composition of the gas.  Consequently, since toxological information about MIC was not forthcoming, doctors were compelled to offer symptomatic treatment.  Indeed, all of Union Carbide’s endeavors had but one purpose, namely to find ways to absolve itself of all responsibility for a catastrophic failure at one of its plants.  Allegations that the company had compromised on the safety of the plant in an effort to cut costs were met with the astounding claim, which the company’s own investigative officers could not substantiate, that a “disgruntled employee” had sabotaged the plant and caused the leak.  With 50.9% ownership of Union Carbide India Limited, Union Carbide was the principal shareholder of its Indian subsidiary; but now a resounding effort would be made to depict the relationship between Union Carbide and its Indian subsidiary as a remote and distant one.  Now that Union Carbide has ceased to exist, the day may not be very far when Dow Chemical will, in a manner of speaking, pretend that the incident never occurred.  In the US, of course, Dow Chemical, as conversant with the insipid languages of multicultural democracies as any other corporation, will continue to project itself as a corporation that ‘cares’ for people’s lives, is committed to safe and ‘nurturing’ work environment to ensure a ‘better future’ for our children and their children, and so on.  Meanwhile, other victims will be roasted at the altar of profit.

The story of Bhopal has been told often enough and the struggle continues.  The toxic wastes that litter the plant have seeped into the soil and the groundwater has been contaminated, giving rise to a new generation of those who, even if they are not the offspring of victims of the gas leak, are suffering from the consequences of the leak.  A mere few days after the leak, American lawyers were flying into India, boasting about the billions that they would win for the victims.   The story of the litigation surrounding Bhopal makes for unpleasant reading, but is fully suggestive of the consideration that ethical considerations have never been even remotely present in the minds of governments, courts, Union Carbide, and most lawyers.  [See my article on Bhopal and the lawyers on MANAS.]  By terms of the Bhopal Gas Leak Act of 1985, the Government of India assumed responsibility as the sole legal representative of the victims, and shortly thereafter the Supreme Court of India awarded a paltry US $470 million, two-thirds of which today still lies unused in the Reserve Bank of India, as a final settlement to all the victims.  The maximum compensation to those injured is Rs 25,000 ($550), and to the next of kin of those who died the amount is Rs 62,000 ($1,300):  as a Union Carbide spokeswoman once put it, the amount is generous, “plenty good”, for an Indian.

Nearly everything that can be said about corporate responsibility has been said.  The monster cannot be tamed, and it is time to recognize that rather than to pretend that, as we become wiser and democracies ‘mature’, rogue corporations can be coaxed into civility.  When I think of gas and atrocities, I think of the gassing of Jews by the murderous Nazis.  But while the Nazis were brought to justice, the then-CEO of Union Carbide, Warren Anderson, a fugitive from justice for whom an arrest warrant has been out for two decades, is enjoying his retirement years lapping up the sun in one of his many vacation homes.  Not one person, American or Indian, has ever been indicted for the criminal conduct that led to the Bhopal tragedy.  Meanwhile, as if to suggest that Union Carbide remains an anomaly, we will be told, as in today’s New York Times, by no less a person than the famed author of Maximum City that Union Carbide has failed to abide by the norms that are inculcated in all American children:  “It’s a wonderful American tradition:  you always clean up the mess you made.”  Somehow, the mess that democratic America – where children, unlike in Mumbai (so avers Suketu Mehta), are taught to clean up their mess — has left behind in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Nicaragua, much of central America, and now Iraq and Afghanistan, not to mention countless other places, has been forgotten.  Once America starts to clean up the mess it has left behind wherever its footsteps are to be found, it will find no need for any other occupation for years to come.

Dr Kanwaljeet ‘Sunny’ Anand of Arkansas, USA, was a George W. Bush Administration medical advisor. One might think that a physician of distinction would be on-guard about crowd estimates. Or, again, in treating highly questionable interpretations of sections of various scriptures as though they are established fact.

Many, however, are the cases where otherwise intelligent individuals, blinded by their fervent belief systems, abandon reason and commonsense. In a speech at Sathya Sai Baba’s 80th birthday celebrations in Puttaparthi – a talk widely exploited as propaganda by the Puttaparthi machine, for example by the Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust – Dr Anand (who is assuredly not an expert on “all the major religious texts of the world”) said:

“The Advent of this Divine Form is referenced in the Book of Revelations of the Bible, in the Holy Koran, in the Vedas and Jaimini Mahabharatha, in the Guru Granth Sahib, and in all of the major religious texts of the world. Currently, Sri Sathya Sai Baba is worshipped by more than 100 million people from more than 200 countries in the world, but most of the world remains oblivious of His Presence”

This speech appeared at the Sathya Sai official site http://www.srisathyasaipublications.org/anand.htm but has gone from this link. A longer quote from it (than here) appears at the Brian Steel, along with his detailed commentary, at page cited below.

It is to no point (other than to reveal that they ceaselessly abandon their master’s teaching about right speech and action) that Sathya Sai activists resort to vituperative and personal attacks on those former devotees and other critics who expose the absurdities. It is a sure sign that they defend the indefensible – for example his claim that the life enters the foetus at four months and nine days – YET, contradictorily, that it enters at 210 days. Dr ‘Sunny’ Anand is a top expert in neonatology, and cannot possibly run his medical practice or teach his university student along the lines of the preposterous statements reported in Sathya Sai Baba official magazine, Sanathana Sarathi.

NOTE:

Quoting at some length Dr Anand’s remarks made at Sathya Sai Baba’s 80th birthday celebrations, the former Sathya Sai Baba follower Brian Steel - A New Celebrity Endorsement of SSB’s Alleged Divinity?  (January 2006) wrote that he had written to Anand:

“I recently managed to establish initial contact in order to ascertain whether he did in fact make and authorise the extraordinary statement …. At first Dr Anand stated he was happy to clarify the as yet unidentified statement, but when I quoted it to him, he declined to answer by email, inviting me, instead, to his home for a friendly chat. With equal bonhomie, he added that any further emails from me would be automatically routed to the Junk box of his professional email address. Since he did not see any reason to offer me his private email address, I instantly concluded it would be a waste of my time and money to fly 10,000 miles for the promised chat.

Although my initial question has still not been categorically answered, all I can – and must – do for the moment is to publish the alleged comments, because they are a part of a very powerful promotional public statement by the SSO (or, to be more exact, the SSSBPT, which is the publishing wing of the Organisation – just one of the network of official websites which have sprung up since 1999 to promote the guru who originally became famous for stating, rather disingenuously, that he needed no advertising)”.

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Further Reading

Barry Pittard’s comments in regard to the Public Petition) -:

Petition For Official Investigation Into Sathya Sai Baba Cult

                                                                                          ——————————————————

Public Petition For Official Investigations of Sathya Sai Baba and His Worldwide Organization

There is a Spanish version available:

PETICIÓN PÚBLICA PARA ”INVESTIGACIONES OFICIALES DE SATHYA SAI BABA Y SU ORGANIZACIÓN A NIVEL MUNDIAL

*Courtesy: Google Images

On the anniversary of 26/11, our national leader was attending the State Dinner hosted by the American President raising a toast while the members of our parliament were bickering about the roles played by the leading and opposition parties in response to the terrorist attacks..wow!

Can we imagine  a vice-versa situation wherein the American president is in Delhi having dinner with our PM on the eve of 9/11, just after 1 year of the massacre? NO! Even after 8 years of the nightmarish attack on Twin Towers and Pentagon, we-even non-Americans can’t imagine it. Why the discrepancy?

After 9/11, American government adopted a very serious military stance in Afghanistan sending troops there along with NATO allies, entry restrictions to the US have been made extremely strict since 2001 September (anyone requesting for an American visa literally feels nervous thinking he may be refused one till the moment he actually gets the stamp in his passport, foreign nationals entering US through any port of entry is) and the US Govt. has made it pretty clear that if American citizens are killed then they strike back with double the vengeance. 2 American journalists are trapped in North Korea and Bill Clinton himself flies there to negotiate with Korean authorities to free them. American citizens killed abroad for any reason is taken extremely seriously by the US govt and US people.
Contrast that to the Indian scenario.
Indian students were killed in scores in Australia and in USA-what did we really do? Nothing. Indians were killed in terrorist attacks in Mumbai, Delhi and North East-what did we REALLY do? Nothing. (Each city in India now is as vulnerable to another attack as Mumbai was on 26/11). Are we any safer after the endless terrorist attacks that have happened killing our people on Indian soil from even before 9/11? Nope we are not.

Every day some threat comes out in the media about some attack that can possibly happen in some major town or city. As an Indian, I am tired of seeing my govt. and my national leaders take a mild and soft stance on terrorism year after year; of seeing my country becoming more and more vulnerable to bloody terrorist attacks month after month–yet no mobilization of public opinion is done by the govt., no passion or anger comes out in a national speech delivered from Delhi, no threat if issued to the perpetrators about a revenge, the perpetrators go on their national media accusing India  of master-minding the 26/11 plot themselves!! Yet we do nothing. The US Secretary of State hurriedly travels to India in the wake of the attacks to ensure that nothing drastic happens in the sub-continent given the US interest in the region and the American military base installed here to fight terrorism and voila!–we go quiet!!
1 year has passed since 26/11..2008–are we as Indians any safer? Nope we are not. And whose fault is it? Who is responsible for ensuring the safety of citizens? Who collects taxes from us to put in the defense budget? Who is answerable to the Indian people? Well…we all know who.
What is it that we are lacking? A good charismatic leader who can at least deliver a national address on national media telling the world that if an Indian citizen is killed here or abroad, we would avenge it. But even that doesn’t happen.
Why?

Coz we’re used to doing nothing? Coz Gandhiji taught us non-violence?
Our neighboring countries can claim ownership of Indian states, terrorists can enter through our borders and plant bombs-yet we won’t do anything coz we are poor? We are weak? We are incapable? We have excuses like huge population, too much diversity, minority population and hence their votes required in elections, multi-party system and hence inability to take a decision, democracy and hence slow pace of anything getting done, culture of risk aversion ever since we were conquered by the Moghuls coz we have always been submissive…..the list is endless.
India has been growing at impressive rates over the past 5 years. India is talked about in international circles as perhaps the next nation to reckon in power games. India is proud of a unique cultural heritage that many developed countries lack. India produces some of the brightest minds in the world. India has one of the oldest civilizations in the world. But after 62 years of obtaining freedom, we are an unsafe nation wherein on any given day in any part of the country a bomb explosion can kill several Indians.
I don’t have to get more explicit on what that implies about our system and our govt’s ability to protect the nation. Yes it can’t happen overnight and yes our parties in power change every now and then making it difficult to implement any policy.
But we need leaders who can incite nationalism and patriotism to an extent that goes beyond party politics and excuses such that other countries think twice before meddling with India. I know at this stage this sounds absurd. But I strongly believe that if at least  a good fraction of young, educated Indians who debate on these issues passionately, even from far away, decide to join the politics or become a part of the power corridors in Delhi with a passionate ambition to change things–change will come.
We are a nation of hero-worshippers. We worship Sachin Tendulkar, we are fans of Bollywood celebrities, we admire smart world leaders and social workers–we need someone we can look up to and be confident about as far as protecting the country is concerned. A movie like Rang De Basanti was released and in less than a week, Indian all across the country were so moved by the sheer effect of seeing a bunch of young guys give away their lives for a patriotic cause, that media couldn’t stop writing about it.
We can do it, we can feel it and we do feel it–we just need someone or some people to guide us or channelize the nationalist sentiments in the correct direction.

From Ireland comes, at long last, exposure of powerful, endemic cover up!  For convenience, I post below the full text of the UK Guardian newspaper’s report of yesterday.

No nation that fails to protect children can be deemed civilized. That so many around the world have left the Sathya Sai Organization and that former devotees have been prepared to withstand almost unimaginable personal attacks and defamation owe much to the fact of love for, and the desire for protection of, our young.

One prediction can be made confidently – the international Sathya Sai Organization, in failing to take responsibility for its great wrongs, and in its extreme lack of accountability and transparency, will be treated most adversely by history.

Any readers well acquainted with the great deal of documentation at sites such as this one, and: -

Sathya Sai Baba In Word And Action

Sathya Sai Baba Deceptions Exposed

Recent Research on the Claims of Sathya Sai Baba

www.exbaba.com

Sai Baba exposé

Sathya Sai Baba

Citizen Initiative (Work of an independent scholar) -

may well have a keen sense of  déjà vu as they read the piece on the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland and its vast cover up of sexual abuse, which continues to this day. Inescapably, one thinks of “the Secret Swami” (thus termed by the BBC) Sathya Sai Baba, and his key officials in the international Sathya Sai Organization and successive local, state and central governments in India. All the latter have profoundly covered up in regard to both allegations of Sai Baba’s (and some of his servitors’) longtime, serial sexual abuse of boys and young men. Likewise, the killings in Sai Baba’s bedroom in 1993, vast misappropriation of donations from many countries, scams in regard to apartments at Puttaparthi, and many other criminal acts.

Ireland’s Justice Minister, Dermot Ahern, appears determined to act strongly. The Guardian reports, 

“Ahern said there should be no hiding place for the abusers even if they wore a clerical collar. “The persons who committed these dreadful crimes – no matter when they happened – will continue to be pursued”

“Even if they wore a clerical collar”?!

One might have thought – especially if they wore a clerical collar. Tears may well be shed for all the good that the Church does. A common cry of Sathya Sai Baba defenders is: But look at all the good that he does! In no way must the doing of good be allowed to hide the doing of evil. Above all, by those of great power. In actual fact, by the way, it is his organized devotees who do practically all of the good.

What – announce the good, and cover up the bad? Not one of the many world leading investigative media nor agencies such as UNESCO have found other than extraordinary cover up by Sathya Sai Baba and his worldwide organization.  To this fact I can attest from the vantage-point of having had a role – along with others, including former prominent former leaders in the Sathya Sai movement, in dealing with them. 

The Guardian states,

“The report, commissioned by the government, strongly criticises the Garda and says senior members of the force regarded priests as being outside their investigative remit. The relationship between some senior gardai and priests and bishops in Dublin was described as “inappropriate”

Like the Irish Catholic Church’s outrage, the story of Puttaparthi and successive Indian government, police and judicial cover up of the actions of Sathya Sai Baba and key servitors is an appalling one. It includes missing persons, documents being falsified, most of the Indian media being muzzled, journalists’ union representation ignored, police investigators and their families being shifted far off, and so on.

But see my article – Senior Indian Policeman (Rtd) Speaks Out About Sathya Sai Baba Murders Cover Up that refers to an Indian policeman, V.J. Ram, a Presidential Police Award winner, who won’t be shut up:

and of the former Home Secretary of Andhra Pradesh, V.P.B. Nair, who told the BBC that the deaths in Sathya Sai Baba’s bedroom were “cold-blooded murder:

Indian Ex Top Official Dogs Sai Baba On BBC. ‘Cold-blooded Murder’

HERE is the transcript of what V.P.B. Nair told BBC television in ‘The Secret Swami’.

Select Readings

Sai Baba’s very close confidante and Robert Priddy

Robert Priddy and Barry Pittard On Dr G. Venkataraman – Sathya Sai Baba Global Propagandist

The Unresolved, Covered-Up 1993 Murders in Sathya Sai Baba’s Bedroom Revisited

V.P.B. Nair. B.Premanand. R.Priddy: Sai Baba Bedroom Killings

New Zealand Lawyer Exposes Official Cover Up of Killings In Sathya Sai Baba Bedroom

Author admits genital oiling by Sathya Sai Baba

Hasty Cover Up Of Sai Baba ‘No bombs in India’ Blunder

Robert Priddy’s analyses relating to: -

The Sathya Sai Baba Bedroom Murders

More about the 1993 murders

Sathya Sai Baba Bedroom Murders – Part 1
Sathya Sai Baba Bedroom Murders – Part 2
Sathya Sai Bedroom Murders – Part 3
Sathya Sai Bedroom Murders – Part 4
Sathya Sai Baba Bedroom Murders – Part 5

Irish church and police covered up child sex abuse, says report

Devastating report on abuse of children by clergy from 1975 to 2004 accuses church and Garda of colluding to cover up scandal

 By Henry McDonald. Ireland correspondent. Thursday 26 November 2009 17.44 GMT

Ireland’s police force colluded with the Catholic church in covering up clerical child abuse in Dublin on a huge scale, according to a damning report on decades of sex crimes committed by the country’s priests.

The devastating three-volume report on the sexual and physical abuse of children by the clergy in Ireland’s capital from 1975 to 2004 accuses four former archbishops, a host of clergy and senior members of the Garda Síochána of covering up the scandal.

It found that the “maintenance of secrecy, the avoidance of scandal, the protection of the reputation of the church and the preservation of its assets” was more important than justice for the victims of sexual and physical abuse.

Four former Archbishops in Dublin – John Charles McQuaid, who died in 1973, Dermot Ryan, who died in 1984, Kevin McNamara, who died in 1987, and retired Cardinal Desmond Connell – were found to have failed to report their knowledge of child sexual abuse to the Garda from the 1960s to the 1980s. But the report added that all the archbishops of the diocese in the period covered by the inquiry were aware of some complaints.

The report, launched today by the Irish justice minister, Dermot Ahern, also concluded that the vast majority of priests turned a “blind eye” to abuse, although some individuals did bring complaints to their superiors, which were not acted upon.

The report, commissioned by the government, strongly criticises the Garda and says senior members of the force regarded priests as being outside their investigative remit. The relationship between some senior gardai and priests and bishops in Dublin was described as “inappropriate”.

Rather than investigate complaints from children, gardai simply reported the matter to the Dublin Catholic diocese, the report says. The Garda Síochána is accused of connivance with the church in stifling at least one complaint of abuse, and letting the alleged perpetrator flee the country.

Ahern said there should be no hiding place for the abusers even if they wore a clerical collar. “The persons who committed these dreadful crimes – no matter when they happened – will continue to be pursued.

“They must come to know that there is no hiding place. That justice – even where it may have been delayed – will not be denied,” he said.

He told a press conference: “I read the report as justice minister. But on a human level – as a father and as a member of this community – I felt a growing sense of revulsion and anger. Revulsion at the horrible, evil acts committed against children. Anger at how those children were then dealt with and how often abusers were left free to abuse.”

The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre welcomed the report, saying it was “another acknowledgment of the abject failure of our society to take care of our children”.

The report states that senior clerical figures covered up the abuse over nearly three decades and that the structures and rules of the church facilitated that cover-up. It also says that state authorities facilitated the cover-up by allowing the church to be beyond the reach of the law.

The Murphy Commission of Inquiry into the abuse of children in Dublin identified 320 people who complained of child sexual abuse between 1975 and 2004. It also states that since May 2004, 130 complaints against priests operating in the Dublin archdiocese have been made.

The report details the cases of 46 priests guilty of abuse, as a representative sample of 102 priests within its remit. But it concludes that there was no direct evidence of an organised paedophile ring among priests in the Dublin archdiocese, although it says there were some worrying connections. One priest admitted abusing more than 100 children. Another said he had committed abuse every two weeks for more than 25 years, it said.

The report highlights the case of a Father Carney and Father McCarthy who it claims in one case both abused the same child. The abuse by Carney often occurred at swimming pools, sometimes when he was accompanied by another priest.

The report states that it was not until 1995 that the archdiocese began to notify the civil authorities of complaints of clerical abuse. The commission concludes that in the light of this and other facts, every bishop’s primary loyalty was to the church itself.

A move by the archdiocese to take out insurance against potential compensation claims arising from clerical abuse was, according to the report, an act proving knowledge of child sexual abuse as a potential major cost.

The report, running to hundreds of pages, details particular priests and the abuse perpetrated by them.

The Garda Síochána’s current commissioner, Fachtna Murphy, said the report made for “difficult and disturbing reading, detailing as it does many instances of sexual abuse and failure on the part of both church and state authorities to protect victims.”

Murphy apologised to victims who did not receive the response and protection they were entitled to.

Pope Benedict was challenged today to go to Ireland and apologise for his clergy’s behaviour.

A victims’ rights campaigner called on the pope to visit and say sorry for “the betrayal of children” by those who were meant to show them love. John Kelly, of Irish Survivors of Child Abuse, said only a papal visit would exonerate the worldwide church of culpability in the abuse scandals.

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Barry Pittard’s comments in regard to the Public Petition) -:

Petition For Official Investigation Into Sathya Sai Baba Cult

                                       ————————————————————————

Public Petition For Official Investigations of Sathya Sai Baba and His Worldwide Organization

There is a Spanish version available:

PETICIÓN PÚBLICA PARA ”INVESTIGACIONES OFICIALES DE SATHYA SAI BABA Y SU ORGANIZACIÓN A NIVEL MUNDIAL

Someyears back, when I was a Lecturer in a college, on the last day of mine in the college, I asked my students about their career plans. All the students were excited to share their vision with all of us and more than this vision sharing aspect it was a good reason for them to have something different from routine Physics lecture .  As my students were from Science group most of them said ‘Cardioligist’, ‘ Opthamologist’,  ‘Mechanical Engineer’,  ’Architect’,  ‘Scientist’  etc.

All of us were enjoying this interaction and we continued hearing their ideas , suddenly one girl said ‘MLA’ and entire class became quiet and then after 2 seconds of silence they started laughing. However that girl was quite serious about her ambition of becoming an ‘MLA’. I too was quite shocked and realizing that  Lecturers deserve a better expression I asked her the reason for chosing such career option. She explained her interest in social service and I asked her why does she need to have a formal career in Politics to do so.  She explained.  Some of the students understood, some of them discussed , some of them did’nt have a clue and wondered what has happened to that dear friend of theirs.    All of us could not stop hearing her ideas as they sounded pretty interesting.  However, we had to end our discussion as I was already getting late for my next lecture in another class.

However, I did not think much about that career episode of my students later as I was busy with my new job.  After somany days I got opportunity to discuss about current affairs and Indian Politics with my friends .  Somehow our discussion took a new twist when were discussing about the role of youth in Indian Politics.  We were quite happy about the young leaders i.,e NextGen leaders. I adore all these leaders as they are there always to voice the opinions of youth in India, which is around 60% of the population.  One of our friends was giving a lecture about these second generation leaders and she gave an analysis and it detailed on how well educated , service minded and energetic they are.  She concluded by saying,  ”All the Nextgen leaders are sons/ daughters of well known Netas. It is almost impossible to find Neta who is Aam Aadmi. It is tough for an Aam Aadmi to get into current Indian Politics and even if he gets into it he cannot survive there.  Survival and power is just a fruit of discord for Aam Aadmi . Aam Aadmi Ko Aam(fruit called power) Nahi Milega” . We dispersed to our homes wondering why can’t a common man become a Neta.

Upon introspection, I have the following observations:

1. To be understood eligibility criteria: Moderate Education, Service Mindedness, leadership qualities, reasonable understanding on the geographical area etc are the eligibility criteria for the leader in an Utopian world. Apart from these criteria Aam Aadmi can qualify to the politics and survive in it only when he is from a well known political family or atleast he is an industrialist . If he does not qualify these criteria, his role is restricted to volunteer for eternity. These qualifications are applicable right from corporator post to the MP post. He cannot imagine getting ticket from his party even before his 75th birthday. However, we don’t have all these criteria written in some book , we need to sense them by common sense.
2. Party does matter: It is not enough to yell at the top of your voice by saying “We want change..We want change”. It is not possible to survive in a heavily competitive political environment if you are new to politics. You cannot survive or make impact without associating yourself with a well established party.  Sometime back I asked Mr Shashi Tharoor about this in Twitter “@ShashiTharoor Do u think ordinary people can join politics & can really make any difference without the support of well established parties 6:26 PM Aug 15th from web in reply to ShashiTharoor“. He replied back by saying “ShashiTharoor @rayaprolu no, i think you can make the most impact through joining an established party and advancing your beliefs within the system 9:33 PM Aug 15th from web in reply to rayaprolu“
3. Aam Aadmi does not encourage another Aam Aadmi: This might be a strange conclusion but unfortunately this is true. Ordinary people don’t have faith in ordinary contestants. They feel insecure voting for new comers, non branded people. They are not bothered about the educational qualifications, promises of the new comers. Sounds scary but most of the cases, some section of Aam Aadmi does not vote to these new comers as they need to vote for free of cost . If the contesting new commoner is a female, she might be having another feather in the cap, she has to face character assassination too.

Last but not least, with all these hurdles Aam Aadmi’s desire to serve people through politics is really dying down and may be this might be reason for the people to show negligence in voting. People are not bothered to read party manifesto as parties don’t adhere to it after elections. However,  Service minded youth are trying to associate with some or the other NGO to render their services to the needy people in the society. People never consider Politics as a career option. Even if anyone tries to do so, they are warned by their well wishes not to do that.But still…this service through politics remains a fruit of discord to Aam Aadmi…Aam Aadmi ko Aam Nahi Milega !!!

Cheers,

Prasanna Rayaprolu

Indian media, several thinktanks and even previous government officials expressed concerns about downgrade in Ind-US relations under Obama administration as China was on their main radar lot more prominently than India. There was no mention of India’s name in Obama’s key foriegn policy agenda. Hillary Clinton even missed India from her Asian tour in first half of 2009. However to repair the damage she visited India later in the year and called India as key partner to USA.

Obama was recently on a whistlestop tour of Asia’s major economies excluding India. However India had the honour of visiting Obama’s for their first ever State dinner hosted for any foreign leader in his presidential term yet. So did USA managed to allay concern of Indian media/thinktanks or even government that USA has a special relationship with India?

In my opinion China – US relationship is different than India – US. China has world’s largest foreign exchange reserves of US dollar and largest exporter to US. They both need each other than India. However India is also growing fast and US can not ignore it. In China, Obama didn’t raise his voice louder when it comes to relaxing Bejing’s control over Yuan’s movement and their public meeting wasn’t even broadcasted live in China. I am sure if he had come to India, it would be interesting  to listen his comment on media’s question regarding outsourcing, climate control and India’s participation in Afghanistan.

Obama certainly used his magic to pacify India’s concerns on Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh’s visit. He welcomed Prime Minister in Hindi, called India a natural friend, indispensable and nerve centre. I believe that certainly pleased Indian media in short term looking at mostly positive coverage by press about Man Mohan Singh’s US visit.

To be honest, I believe it was better than most of us were hoping for before Prime Minister left for USA and it certainly beginning to look like that friendship started at the time of George Bush will continue in Obama season as well. As India continue to emerge as world leader, USA will have to notice and pay due attention to what it has to say and join hands for better of both. There is always a speculation that America  befriended India to balance the power in Asia where China is becoming an economic threat to America. While it may be the case but irrespective of that America and its business community have other reasons to love India which is its one billion plus market which is second only to China. Both being the democratic nations, India and America are more similar than China. US always enjoyed great reputation in India even at the height of IRAQ war when George Bush’s ratings plummeted to its lowest levels.

As per today, for Obama, India may be second to China but this recent visit of Indian Prime Minister reflects that America certainly doesn’t take India as another country.

Commissions and their reports have never held any interest for the common man in India. It is an accepted fact that all such reports are always way beyond late, rarely nail the actual wrongdoers and can never force the hand of the government to take action.

Therefore, more intriguing and interesting than the findings and recommendations of the Liberhan report is its ‘leakage’ and the timing of its leak.

As suggested by media reports, the leakage serves to shatter the recent opposition unity as displayed in the sugarcane prices issue. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Liberhan-report-leak-source-still-a-mystery/articleshow/5265606.cms

If we conduct a close examination of the timing of this leakage and the consequent infighting and name calling amongst the political parties, there are some major gains from this discord for the perpetrator of this leak.

The first and the most important gain is that this infighting will ensure that the government will face a lesser degree of heat as the nation faces the first anniversary of Mumbai terror attacks – a sore point in the Indian hearts.

Two, it diverts attention from a close scrutiny of PM’s US visit.

Three, it will also ensure that the ruling party is not pulled up on important issues like inflation, high price rise in essential items and the recessionary state of the economy in the ongoing session of the parliament.

Four, the dramatisation of the leak and the subsequent reactions have once again brought the Hindu-Muslim factor to the forefront. Politicos stand to gain only if the communities remain divided in India.

And of course the most obvious of the lot is to further weaken an already battered major opposition party. 

The drama here lies not in the content of the report but in the timing of the ‘leak’. It makes for a good example of the opportunistic nature of politics. The game of politics has been played extremely adroitly!

I am sure not everyone in Maharashtra thinks that but certainly thousands of people who voted for MNS this year supports most part of that argument. Although Raj Thackeray doesn’t call himself as a regionalist but usually actions speaks louder than words. While it may not be all doom and gloom with MNS but using the violence for supporting their main motto (i.e. for the cause of Marathi Manoos) is something not praiseworthy.

Indian politician are ‘arguably’ usually short-sighted and only look for easy options to grabbing that prized chair. Regionalism, religion, caste, or poverty has been main agendas of different political parties. It may work in the short term and may appear as a success story but in long term people want development. Fighting for one reason is different for actually working for the cause.

Following recent controversy about Sachin Tendulkar saying “Mumbai is for all and everybody is welcome in Mumbai” and Shivsena supreme Bal Thackeray objecting on the comment was cruel. Living in the democratic world everyone is entitled to have an opinion, be it about a person, state or a politician. Tendulkar is open to express himself and so is Bal Thackeray and not to mention IBN Lokmat whose earn their bread butter by doing the same. I really wish we could use words used in civilised society to fight for justices than by any other means.

While I agree there has to be some priority for local people for job opportunities in their local area to reduce migration but that can not or should not become the main reason for job entitlement.

If lawmakers or wannabe lawmakers start behaving in similar fashion like Maharashtra than India will be very much like European union. Mumbai was always known as land of opportunities or that may be what bollywood used to call it. But if you look at it practical way, every metropolitan city in India have received large number of people migrating from poorer states for jobs, making a living and improving lives of their families. Similar is true for Indians immigrating to western countries for better jobs, opportunities and quality of life.

In my opinion violence is not a solution because migration can not be stopped until people get the same desirable opportunities at home be it a better job, education or quality of life. As per any democratic country every citizen of India is free to move anywhere within the boundaries of nation.

For once I thought that justice would prevail. Very disappointed to know that the Liberhan that after spending Rs 8 crores over a span of 17 years, there has been no penalizing action against any of the accused. Such is the state of affairs at the helm of Indian politics. The Liberhan fiasco highlights the numerous redundant committee and commissions that remain docile in India. Crores of Rupees spent on investigations without any credible action oriented agenda. It’s high time that the government outgrows its practice of starting committees and commissions. I read a tweet from Vir Sanghvi which said that commissions and committees are started for the sole purpose of giving employment and housing to retired judges. I absolutely agree with him

Indians are cynical by nature – that is the conclusion that I have drawn from the reaction to the ongoing Manmohan Singh visit to the White House. There are exceptions, though, but by and large the inferences drawn from the Indian prime minister’s visit by various self-styled ‘experts’ is that it is high on hyperbole and low in substance. It does not help at all when our present prime minister does not have the charm of a Rajiv Gandhi or the oratorical skills of a Vajpayee. His starchy gait and fumbling, halting speech belies a man who has a razor sharp mind and knows what he wants and how to get it. Those who know Manmohan Singh swear by his competitiveness and strong will power. The Sardar from Gah, in Jhelum (now in Pakistan) is not only a good economist but also a very pragmatic visionary who understands the needs of his country and his people.

The first interaction between President Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was when they read out the opening speeches welcoming and thanking each other. One could see a bemused smile on the face of President Obama when Manmohan Singh in his inimitable halting style read out his thank you note to the president in front of the media. The Sardar, a man of few words is almost tongue tied as he is just unable to make small talk with dignitaries. It was no different when Obama and Singh walked down the red carpet to give the initial comments. On the way back into the White House too, Singh walked silently.  Later the two were to address a joint statement along with a brief press conference. The two sides were engaged in dialogue way past the scheduled time. It took the two leaders almost twenty minutes to emerge from their talks from the scheduled time while the international media waited impatiently. This time too, the Sardar did not make any small talk as he and Obama came forward to issue their statements and answer the questions. But Obama’s gait had changed and far from the bemused look on his face, he had his jaws tight and one could see that there was an element of respect for the economist turned politician. The American press and the world media failed to notice the change in the demeanor of the president. Both the Indian and the American press corps were allowed just one question each (when the British prime minister is there it is five questions each, generally. We are getting there, slowly but surely). The American journalist jumped at the chance of ‘cornering’ Obama and shot a question as regards the increase in troop levels in Afghanistan. The President gave an elaborate answer and hoped that that would be enough till Thanksgiving. The Indian journalist asked the usual customary question which is to get an assurance whether America was for India and the works. It was a run of the mill question and the two leaders mouthed the usual niceties and that was it. That Singh had struck a chord with Obama, most failed to notice. It is still unclear as to whether the two leaders talked one to one or was it a delegation level meeting only. What is clear is that something substantial transpired between the two leaders and that there was a change in the attitude of President Obama.

By evening, during the salutation at the State dinner, (Indian PM was the first guest of honour during Obama presidency) President  Obama said a Namaste and then welcomed the prime minister and the people there in Hindi (aap ka swagat hai)!! Apart from the pomp and the pageantry there was bonhomie and there was warmth between the two leaders and the two delegations. Contrast this with Obama’s China visit and the difference is as clear as day and night. Obama tried hard to come across as a pleasant leader, which he is but the Chinese stiff upper lip was firmly in place. It is true that the US needs China as China needs US but there was still frostiness in the air. Obama almost looked glad he was out of China when he reached Singapore for the next leg of his East Asia tour.

The state dinner at the White House in honor of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was an elaborate affair. Obama was at his charming, confident best and Singh his usual professorial, starchy self. It was a contrast, yet there was so much in common. The two toasted each other and their nations. The warmth was perceptible in the air. It is clear that what was started by President Bush is being carried forward by President Obama. And that is much more than Civil Nuclear Deal which both have endorsed. Here in India, most experts were hung up on whether the Civil Nuclear Deal will be honored by Obama or will it be sidelined and hang in the air. People are naïve and do not understand the semantics of the ties between India and the US. Such ‘experts’ perhaps were hoping against hope that the Nuclear Deal will be set aside. They underestimate the common sense of the Americans and they most certainly are fooled by the demeanor of our prime minister. Such ‘experts’ have still not understood what the Sharm-el-Sheikh Indo-Pak accord has achieved for India. The fact is that Pakistan has been cornered and the Pakistan army is busy fighting the Taliban on the western front. There has been a displacement of more than a million people within Pakistan and the terrorist attacks have subsided on our side. Both Zardari and Gilani have been sidelined and the army is calling the shots. The Pakistan army has been targeted by the Taliban more than once and even the ISI headquarters in Rawalpindi and their offices in Peshawar have been bombed. Peshawar has become a ghost town and Pakistan is trying to come to terms with its own contradictions. Apart from a few skirmishes in Kashmir, India has remained peaceful. Sharm-el Sheikh accord was at the back of this all. Manmohan Singh showed the courage to go out and do what he had to do. Baluchistan is a non-issue and will remain so. Singh wondered aloud recently, before embarking on his trip to the US that he does not know who to talk to in Pakistan. This is what has become of our envious neighbors. While the people of India would like to see a prosperous and peaceful Pakistan it is also true that our first priority is peace within our borders and that is non-negotiable. Terrorism within India must stop and that includes the violence by the Maoists.  The situation in Pakistan is so precarious that their top political leadership has gone incognito. The Sardar is flying high toasting with President Obama while both Beijing and Islamabad are trying to gather the pieces.

Yes, there has been consternation in Islamabad and in Beijing. They are wary of US and India coming close. This recent visit has cemented the ties between the two natural allies. President Obama did not term the Indo-US relations as ‘indispensable’ for no reason. I am still wondering as to what Prime Minister Singh discussed with President Obama behind closed doors while the media waited. The reality will unfold in the months to come. Suffice to say that the Indo-US relations are very wide ranging covering the entire gamut of issues. India will benefit from this strategic partnership as will the US. In Prime Minister Manmohan Singh we have a silent achiever. In President Obama the American people have a visionary. It’s a heady cocktail. The world is watching. Lest we forget, it was all started by President George W. Bush. Obama is taking forward the good work of his Republican counterparts. The starchy Sardar can come back home safe in the knowledge that it was a job well done. India has firmly arrived on the world stage. Good day Mr. President!!

Addendum: The Pakistan army is finding itself between a rock and a hard place. They do not want to fight the Taliban and now they have started saying that they believe that India is planning a ’short, swift war’, in other words a surgical strike. Nothing could be further from truth. They want to get out of a sticky situation and therefore are making up excuses to withdraw from South Waziristan. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, on her recent trip to Islamabad had said that purging Pakistan of the radical elements, most notably the Taliban was in Pakistan’s interest. Evidently,the Pakistan army thinks otherwise. This is not an impossible task, were they to get down to it. If they refuse to clean up the mess, they may be able to needle India in the short run, but with the passage of time they will realize that this was not the best choice. Pakistan may have to pay with its very existence  were they to play ball with the jihadists as a matter of policy.

Prime Minister Singh’s initiative in Washington has already shown some results. Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the 26/11 master mind has been charge-sheeted as have six others. India is very clear that the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks must be brought to book. The US understands India’s stand and has decided to back India on this.

Update 26.11.2009: The fact that a socialite couple from Virginia gate crashed into the state dinner hosted by the Obamas is bigger news. That the state dinner was in honor of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is a footnote. Many newspapers have carried the state dinner either for the golden dress worn by First Lady Michelle Obama or for the fact that there was a couple that managed to gate crash into the dinner party. The photos of the gate crashing couple is hot property. The Los Angeles Times has reported it thus:

The Secret Service is looking into its security procedures after determining that a Virginia couple, Michaele and Tareq Salahi, slipped into Tuesday night’s event even though they were not on the guest list, agency spokesman Ed Donovan said.

What transpired between the two leaders has global implications but that does not concern most people around the world. It is the trivia that makes news. Suits leaders like Manmohan Singh fine, as he does not enjoy the spot light anyway.

Update 28.11.2009: India has voted against Iran at the IAEA. One of the correspondent reported this as follows:

India has voted along with the US, China and other major powers in favour of a German-sponsored resolution at the IAEA on referring the Iran nuclear programme yet again to the UN Security Council.

However, it clarified in its explanation of vote that this decision “cannot be the basis of a renewed punitive approach or new sanctions.”

Three countries, Venezuela, Malaysia and Cuba, voted against the resolution and six abstained: Egypt, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Brazil, South Africa and Turkey.

There was a discussion on this on one of the innumerable news channels and there was this ‘most distinguished’ former diplomat Mr. Natwar Singh who not only ran down the prime minister’s visit to the US as low on substance but also criticized India’s decision to vote against Iran at the IAEA. Most of the other panelists were against this move, though some like Mr. Mattoo tried to pass this off as ‘realpolitik’ and ‘national interest over ideology’. This was neither realpolitik nor being pragmatic. This was a necessity. India does not want proliferation in the neighborhood. People do not realize that a nuclear Iran will be a threat to India. Today, we may be having good relations with Iran but sometime in future this relationship may change, especially if Pakistan implodes. They have missiles that have a range of more than 2000 kilometers. They can easily hit Delhi if they wanted to, and if their missiles are nuclear tipped that will compound our problems. This is not ‘realpolitik’ this is simple rationale. Our friend, Israel is the reason for this militarization of Iran and we need to heed the needs of our friends too. A nuclear Iran will be a disaster for the region, including South Asia.

Natwar Singh very pompously said that when he is asked by diplomats as to why he thought that India cannot be a ‘natural ally’ of the US he replies that since India is not a part of the NATO therefore such natural alliance is not possible. This is as ridiculous as one can be. The man calls himself a former diplomat and then shoots off his mouth with such ridiculous statements, it is hard to believe. The fact is there are many countries outside of the NATO that are ‘natural allies’ of the west and the US in particular, Australia and New Zealand being two of them. India is firmly where it belongs, a part of the free, civilized world. India is an extension of the west in this part of the world. Socialists like our ‘intellectual elite’ cannot and do not want to understand this fact.

One little detail. Prime Minister Singh’s aircraft with his staff and entourage landed at the St. Andrews airport in the outskirts of Washington DC. This is a military base and the US president uses it from time to time. Not every one is allowed this facility. I hope our ‘intellectual elite’ get a reality check before they shoot their mouths off. It would not harm the national interest at all if we started behaving as a responsible nuclear weapons state, a fact that was endorsed by President Obama and earlier by President Bush.

Lastly, a Chinese “NGO” (when did this species evolve?) called Asia-Africa Department of Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with foreign countries, arrived in India recently and was making all the right noises including the fact that the Dalai Lama should not be an impediment to Sino-Indian relations. This was right during prime ministers visit to the US. The dragon has blinked, or so it seems.

Our national interest should be our top priority and people of all hues getting so much importance, throwing so much rubbish around is detrimental to our cause. We must look at what is beneficial for us as a nation. This hackneyed rhetoric should not be given media space at all.

Right now, a media furore is erupting in India, which relates to the “leaked” details of the Judge Liberhan Commission report, a 17-year inquiry into the tumultuous 1992 Ayodhya Mosque demolition. A number of the figures very seriously named are long-time close associates of Sathya Sai Baba and his core servitors.

The report names the former (BJP) Prime Minister Vajpayee, his Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani (not a devotee of Sathya Sai Baba) and former high-powered government BJP minister Murli Manohar Joshi as instrumental figures in orchestrating the demolition and hiding their roles in this extremely painful episode in modern Indian history. The disgraced former Home Minister, Ashok Singhal, like Vajpayee and Joshi, is an old adherent of Sathya Sai Baba, is also named. Media links to this breaking story abound – but here are a couple:

 NEWS REPORT, Tuesday, 24 November 2009

An official report in India has blamed leading Hindu nationalist politicians for playing a role in the 1992 demolition of a mosque in Ayodhya.

The report clearly implicates more than 60 people – including the most senior members of the main opposition party, the BJP – in the mosque’s destruction.

The mosque was brought down by a Hindu mob and some 2,000 people died in riots across India after its demolition.

BJP politicians have denied any wrongdoing in the incident.

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                                                                         A scene at the time of the riots and the demolition of the Mosque

In a joint public letter (December 2001), the (then) Chief Justice of India, P.N. Bhagwati along with the former Prime Minister of India of the right wing BJP, A.B. Vajpayee, and another former Chief Justice of India, Ranganath Mishra, and three other prominent leaders wrote a public letter stating that contentions of Sai Baba’s dissenters represent a:

“wild, reckless and concocted allegations made by certain vested interests and people against Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba”.

But of course the chief players concerning us here are Vajpayee,  Advani, and Joshi, the first and the third closely linked with Sathya Sai Baba, as we have often enough referred to -See my:

Letter to Prime Minister of India, Hon. A.B. Vajpayee 

By Barry Pittard, Australia, former Lecturer, Sri Sathya Sai College of the Arts, Science and Commerce, Whitefield, Karnataka

Here is the signatory list:A.B. Vajpayee
(then) Prime Minister of India
P.N. Bhagawati
Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India
Ranganath Mishra
(then) Chair Person, National Human Rights Commissioner of India
Formerly Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India
Najma Heptulla
(then) President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union; UNDP Distinguished Human Development Ambassador
Shivraj V. Patil
(Details as signatory: Member of Parliament, India; Formerly of the Lok Sabha & Union Minister. However Patil is now Home Minister in the Government of Manmohan Singh, who himself has shown strong partiality to Sathya Sai Baba)

See my article:  Shivraj Patil Falls From Home Ministry and Robert Priddy’s, below.

 Murli Manohar JoshiIn blustering, bullying style towards the interviewer, Tanya Datta, who asked perfectly reasonable questions, seen by millions in many countries around the world viewing BBC’s ‘The Secret Swami’, (2004) Joshi aggressively defended Sathya Sai Baba. See:

Indian Minister Shields Sai Baba on BBC television

Posted by Barry Pittard on July 31, 2007In the BBC’s 2004 television documentary The Secret Swami, confronted by the BBC interviewer Tanya Datta, Murali Manohar Joshi (see photo, right), one of the most powerful ministers in the since-defeated A.B. Vajpayee (pictured to left) right-wing government, soon lost his temper, jabbing away with pointed finger at Ms Datta, accusing the BBC and people in England of plotting against Sai Baba, A.B. Vajpayee and P.N. Bhagawati  (sometimes Bhagwati), a key Sathya Sai Central Trust member and former Chief Justice of India). He arrogantly shouts at her,

“No, no, no… You don’t know the meaning of interviewing a minister in my capacity, as a minister of my stature.”

Allegations against Sai are worldwideMs Datta’s vulnerability in the face of an arch bully was  touching to see, and she showed some courage but tougher interviewers would not have put up with an evasiveness like Joshi’s. It might have been better had Ms Datta not tried to defend the BBC and herself (although her reaction is transparently natural) but, rather, firmly stated the worldwide nature of the serious evidence that keeps on coming.At least, Murali Manohar Joshi’s arrogant evasion of the BBC’s totally fair question about Indian Government accountability was unmasked for the world to see. Joshi exposed himself. See him doing it in video footage from the BBC’s The Secret Swami HERE

——————————————–

The Times of India story mentions the disgraced Home Minister Ashok Singhal, yet another political figure strongly associated with Sathya Sai Baba. 

Shivraj Patil – Sai Baba worshipper – resigns

Posted by Robert Priddy on 30th November 2008 

India’s Minister of Home Affairs, Shivraj Patil, who lost his seat at the last election, was nevertheless given the government post by Manmohan Singh. These two cronies are co-worshippers of Sathya Sai Baba of Puttaparthi - and Sonia Gandhi protegees, the self-proclaimed God Incarnate, Deity of deities, The Father who Sent Jesus and virtually whatever else almighty or divine. At last, this worshipper and top home affairs protector of Sathya Sai Baba has met his Waterloo and had to resign! A further casualty is the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Vilasrao Deshmukh (see CNN report).

Today unfolded the intense, high power voltage drama dipped in irony and sautéed with satire. I just love Indian politics! The Liberhan commission report and the leak will feed us well into the next year.

The Liberhan commission was set up to investigate the demolition of the Babri Masjid. It was set up ten days after the demolition under the Narasimha Rao government. The commission was headed by Justice MS Liberhan, former chief justice of the Madras High Court.

After 17 years, 48 extensions and Rs 8 crore Liberhan commission finally submitted the report to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on June 30, 2009. The commission was expected to submit the report within three months. The figures tell such a shameful story. Seriously 48 extensions. Reports claim that the commission had to endure tough times while probing the demolition under the NDA years when LK Advani was the home minister.

BJP has been plagued with internal power struggles and severe unrest within the party and RSS. As the dust began to settle down with LK Advani stepping down and his successors chosen; the Liberhan leak sent turbulent tremors inside the BJP. The after effects of the Liberhan leak was felt in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha as both the houses were adjourned due to the uproar caused by the BJP MPs.

We (the common man) knew the NDA government was behind the demolition. No matter how intricate the tales, stories and rebuttals were woven by LK Advani and his colleagues, their cherished ideology of Hindutav will always continue to haunt them. We spent 17 years and Rs 8 crore to get a 900 page report which had to be leaked to know that the NDA was behind the demolition of the Babri Masjid. The people of this country can redeem their money and integrity if the criminal conspiracy charges against LK Advani and seven others which were dropped by a special CBI court a few years can be resorted.

“A planned leak to divide the Opposition” – Sushma Swaraj, BJP Leader.

Sushmaji, I think you guys in the BJP have done a phenomenal job of backstabbing your own party members with such panache. The Congress really does not have to scratch its head to figure out how to divide the Opposition further. Too late for any damage control. Hey, while you are thinking of an immaculate damage control idea, pick up the phone and dial Modi.

Came across this link on ibnlive.com

http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/105760/zindagi-live-2611-martyr-maj-unnikrishnans-father-speaks.html

A short interview with Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan’s parents. Heart wrenching to see his parents. His father hit the nail – the bitter truth. At the end of the day, the parents carry the inconsolable grief of losing a son.

Sandeep’s father says his son is a victim of politics. Can’t imagine the irrepressible grief that the father and mother carry in their mind due to our laxity of the Indian government and power struggles in politics. The patriotism trump card alone cannot cover the unbearable loss.
“How you do want to remember your son”? This was the question asked by journalist interviewing the parents of Sandeep Unnikrishnan. What kind of a senseless and insensitive question is that? How can you ask any father how he wants to remember his own son? Especially under circumstances where the parents are trying so hard not to break down in front of the viewers. Sensible questions you could have asked –

• A year after the terror strikes, do you think the government has learnt any lessons?
• Do you think our government is soft on Pakistan?
• Many children from Sandeep’s school, FAPS, Bangalore has been so inspired by him. They are contemplating joining the NSG. That must make you feel so proud.

I think the voices of those who lost their loved ones during the terror counter operations have to be heard. Their pain has to be felt by every citizen for change to creep into our system. Resilience and patriotism should not cover the laxity and corruption in the government. More air time should be given to voices that need to be heard than a Ritesh Deshmukh (son of ex-CM of Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh) taking 30 minutes to explain why Ram Gopal Verma and himself were present when officials were surveying the damages at the Taj.

There has been an up-roar in the Parliament today. The reason was that the Indian Express has published a story saying that the Justice Liberhan Commission report that was submitted in June of this year has indicted Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani and Murlai Manohar Joshi in the Babri demolition case. This has seen the opposition in an expectedly belligerent mood. The Treasury Benches were sitting pretty, most of the senior leaders including Pranab Mukherjee and P. Chidambram had a faint smile on their faces. Politics was what was being played in the galleries of power. The Congress Party has hit two birds with one stone. While they have been able to put the opposition on the back foot with the good old ‘communal stick’ and the Liberhan Commission report was as good a stick as they could get they have also reminded the voters in Jharkhand of their secular credentials. The other more important need for this leak was that the Congress Party being the ruling coalition was being seen as anti-farmers. It is another matter that Rahul Gandhi met the Prime Minister and impressed upon him the need to revise the decision on the minimum price of sugarcane.  Suddenly the huge farmer’s rally that was organized in Delhi has been pushed to oblivion and Babri demolition is in the news headlines. Now the Congress can claim that it was the Yuvraj, Rahul Gandhi who made the government change their decision and that it is the Gandhi family that cares for the farmers and the poor of this country. The more I look at the sordid politics being played in the name of religion and crass parochial issues being raised again and again, it hurts the sensibilities of ordinary Indians.

Babri Masjid prior to 1992

The fact is that this whole issue of the shahadat (martyrdom) of Babri Masjid is a creation of those forces that were out to pander to the basest sensibilities of the ‘minority community’ (read Muslims).  The Muslims were not as aggrieved as the ‘secular brigade’ that has not stopped crying hoarse trying to bully the Bharatiya Janata Party and their affiliates. This is an old Congress ploy to cow down any time the Hindus try to assert themselves. This has been done so many times so successfully that it amazes many as to how can a people be targeted so blatantly for so long so brazenly. The innate lackadaisical attitude of the Hindus who are divided in castes and sub castes is to be blamed. The Muslims were understanding the sentiments of their Hindu brethren and were even ready to help Hindus build a temple at the place where the Babri Masjid stood. It is the place believed to be the birthplace of Lord Ram. The Muslims were large hearted enough and would have willingly given that place for a temple to be built. The Hindu organizations had even decided that as a token of their benevolence a respected Muslim or a Muslim child would be requested to lay the foundation stone for the proposed temple. But the ‘secular’ forces would have none of this and they went to town at their absolute ‘outrage’ at the shahdat of the Babri Masjid.  Bloody riots broke out in Mumbai. Hundreds of temples were demolished in neighboring Bangladesh and Pakistan. Hindus were targeted in both these countries. Reminds me of the times when the country was facing an imminent partition. The Congress could easily have decided on a peaceful transfer of population. But they did not. They even refused to acknowledge that they were signing the document of the acceptance of partition as representatives of Hindus. What followed was carnage on both sides.

The shahadat of Babri Masjid was of little consequence. The Muslims of India just did not care a fig for a building that was a decrepit structure that was in disuse and nobody had offered namaz for decades.  Politics was at a premium and what the nation got was chaos and bloodshed in the name of ‘secularism’. This rabblerousing of the Congress and their socialist Left partners has cost the country a lot. These are the people who are just not secular and do not want that the two major communities live in peace. Because if there is brotherhood between Hindus and Muslims they will not be able to garner votes and win elections. They have therefore instilled a fear psychosis among Muslims. It is a known fact that till middle of the nineteenth century the Babri Masjid was a place where both Hindus and Muslims would pray together. It was a symbol of brotherhood among the two communities. It was after the 1857 gadar (uprising) that the British started their policy of ‘divide and rule’ and the Muslims were encouraged not to let the Hindus pray there. Then they built what is called the Ram chabutra. The locks to the Ram temple were opened during Rajiv Gandhi’s reign. What happened next is well known.

There is this other fact about the Muslims of India. They are unlike Muslims anywhere else. They are Indian Muslims and they have traditionally been liberal. The question is why? For the simple reason that Muslims have imbibed a lot from the Hindu culture. Most of the terrorists are foreigners. Indian Muslims resorting to terrorism is uncommon. They may get swayed by the religious rhetoric from time to time but by and large the Indian Muslims are what one may call with a lot of respect ‘Hinduized’. They see themselves as an extension of the majority that is Hindu. The Pakistanis therefore do not like Indian Muslims and scornfully call them names insisting that they have been ‘Hinduized’. It is true that Indian Muslims are different. The Ganga-Jamuni tehzib is omnipresent and vibrant. Were it not for radical ranting of some of the extreme elements among the Muslims (as there are among Hindus too) the Muslims will be willing to be a part of the Hindu mainstream. They would not shy away even from going to Hindu temples, as a mark of respect. But that would be anathema for the secular intellectual press and those self proclaimed ‘secularists’. What a few bulldozers should have done in broad daylight with the express permission from the district authorities and with the active participation of the local Muslim leadership has been turned to a monster called the shahdat of Babri Masjid on the dreaded 6^th of December, 1992. I am told half a dozen people died trying to break the structure with their bare hands and some rudimentary axes and iron rods, till the dome collapsed killing a few!! What could be sillier? Had the two communities been allowed to confer, the Muslims would have initiated the demolition of the structure. Babri Masjid was not something that the Muslims cherished and more so when they knew that for their fellow Hindu brothers it meant the world as the belief is that Lord Ram was born there. They are magnanimous enough. And we know it. The brouhaha has led to riots and setting up of a commission that has taken all of 17 long years to submit its report. The Congress has not stopped playing politics. They are now using this report to further browbeat the right wing parties. This has vitiated the atmosphere like nothing has. It is time the Muslims of this country tell the secularists in no uncertain terms that they do not need the largesse from their ‘secular’ friends and that they know their Hindu brothers enough that they will not be pushed into a corner fearing the ‘Hindu fundamentalists’. For the Muslims of this country have as much respect and reverence for Hindu gods and goddesses as do the Hindus themselves. They want to be a part of the mainstream and want to be accepted as such. They demand it as their right and will refuse any special privileges and any special treatment. This is already happening, but this will hasten were the Hindus more forthcoming and welcome the Muslims in their festivals and cultural activities. As for the BJP and the rest of the opposition, they must make sure that the focus does not deviate from the welfare of the farmers and that the people who feed this nation get their due. Rather than stalling the House insisting on tabling the Liberhan report they must insist that the issues of the farmers must be addressed and the government must reply as to how they decided on the ridiculous price of Rs 130 per quintal for sugar cane when the retail price of sugar is Rs 40 per kg. The government is responsible for the price rise and that is the issue. Babri is an old hackneyed story that the people of India have consigned to the dustbin of history. Indians, whether Hindus or Muslims need food on their table, and that is the issue. Muslims do not care a fig about Babri Masjid. What they hate is the blatant manner in which they are used to score political points. What the common Indian is concerned about is that their kids sleep with a full stomach at night. And on this basic issue, the government has failed miserably. The opposition would not be doing their duty were they to allow the government to get away on this core issue yet again. Neither the Hindus nor the Muslims of this country would forgive them then.

Addendum: Much as the Hindus would like to build a temple, it is also true that the Babri Masjid was a beautiful structure that should have been taken lock-stock and barrel to another place. It was an archaeologist’s delight and beautifully made.  An archaeological treasure has been lost. There is technology available that could have easily moved the Masjid to another place where Muslims could have prayed regularly. This would have been the best solution. We need to be more sensitive to our own heritage.  But such obvious solutions do do not register on our political leadership.

Update 25.11.2009: The precious Muslim votes it seems are laid on the table for the one that makes the most noise and panders to their ‘needs’ the most. Mr. Amar Singh of the Samajwadi Party indulged in fist fight with Mr. Ahluwalia of the BJP on the issue of tabling the Liberhan report and the contents therein. It was a grandstanding of sorts by Amar Singh in the most ugly manner, trying to win over the Muslim votes. Mr. Ahluwalia was, it seems cementing the Hindu votes. I am sure they are very good friends and this was just a show for the TV cameras that are installed in both the houses of parliament. They think that they have made a smart political move, it also shows their desperateness especially after receiving a drubbing in the recently held by-polls in UP. Later Amer Singh apologized to the house for his behavior, but he made a political point which he believes will pay him rich electoral dividends next time around. Naviety, thy name is the politicians of our country.

Update 30.11.2009: There was this one case of a Hindu boy marrying a Muslim girl. His parents were so incensed that they tortured their son to death. The poor girl reported the matter to the police unable to fathom as to what wrong had her husband done. This kind of cruelty and barbarism cannot be tolerated in an open society like ours. Such acts must be condemned and the perpetrators brought to book.