Obama’s historic visit to India and the Indian dilemma !

So much is being written and said about BHO’s visit to India scheduled in the next few days. Everybody who feels important about himself is spouting their expectations from this supposedly historic visit. For me it is historic for only one reason – This is the first time that the US President will be on the Indian soil without necessarily “having to” visit NaPakistan in as many years ! Many heads of state come and go and each one has the same silly old “good things” to say about, in essence, how great we Indians are! (Thank you, we know that too! The problem is that we do not know how to be and act great – that is a different story altogether)! Every other visit by the Americans has always been almost mandated by a visit to that unholy land to placate the buyers of American military hardware, which we all know is financed by the American dollar! Customer is king could never be more accurate and business as usual could never be more appropriate! To that end, thank you Obama for visiting India for what India is and everything the United States might need from this country.
The real challenge will be if there is anyone in India who will match Obama with the robust oratory, flamboyant style and a genuine salesmanship conveyed with all its authentic intent that he will deliver in Mumbai and Delhi! I think there is none. He will demonstrate to the erstwhile country of snake charmers, as the West still perhaps wants to perceive us , the true meaning of charm, and that he is a real Pied piper perhaps even better than Bill Clinton himself!
This is the moment that India must seize – by articulating what India really wants from the now-not-so-mighty USA. Instead of playing footsie under the table or expecting that the US will do something without asking in clear and precise manner , India ought to define its own agenda which is practical , pragmatic , not pompous as Panchsheel and Non alignment , and is flexible enough without making any compromise on its core values. One such core value is an absolute, unequivocal statement that Kashmir is not available for any negotiation. If a Roy or a Geelani want a muslim country they are free to leave to the land that was created and given out of the Indian mainland for that purpose alone over 50 years ago. Second , India must ask and demand that ALL napakis leave the POK area as demanded by the UN resolution or else India will explore all legal option to withdraw the issue from the UN and deal with the challenge on its own. Finally , India MUST tell BHO that the US is most welcome to convert Napaki land as warehouse and storage facility for their arms and weapons but should any of it is ever used against India , the Americans will be held accountable and responsible for their warehouse managers action!
The rest , let the diplomats earn their dollars ! IT IS TIME FOR INDIA TO CLEARLY STATE IS CORE CONCERNS , AND FOR GOD SAKE DO NOT EXPECT OTHERS TO GIVE YOU WHAT YOU THINK INDIA DESERVES. THERE IS A VERY SIMPLE SAYING , WHO CARES ABOUT WHAT YOU FEEL YOU DESERVE , YOU GET WHAT YOU DESERVE.

A Joke On Indian Media

The English language media and the TV media in India are a joke. We all know that. The following joke captures it rather well. (I do not know the sorce of the joke but would like to thank the person who thought of it).

A tourist, a reporter and a tough old Indian Army soldier were captured by terrorists in Kashmir. The leader of the terrorists told them he'd grant each of them one last request before they were beheaded and dragged naked through the streets.
The tourist said, Well, I'm a foodie, so I'd like one last plate of ‘Tandoori Chicken'. The leader nodded to an underling who left and returned with the Chicken. The tourist ate it all and said, 'Now I can die content.'
The reporter said, 'I'm a reporter to the end. I want to take out my tape recorder and describe the scene here and what's about to happen. Maybe, someday, someone will hear it and know that I was on the job till the end.
The leader directed an aide to hand over the tape recorder and the reporter dictated his comments.
He then said, 'Now I can die happy.'
The leader turned to the soldier and asked, 'And now, Havaldarji, what is your final wish?*
'Kick me in the backside,' said the soldier.*
'What?' asked the leader, 'Will you mock us in your last hour?'
'No, I'm NOT kidding. I want you to kick my backside,' insisted the soldier.

So the leader shoved him into the yard and kicked him in the bottom.*

The soldier went sprawling, but rolled to his knees, pulled a 9 mm pistol
from inside his cammies and shot the leader dead. In the resulting confusion, he emptied his sidearm on six terrorists, then with his knife he slashed the throat of one, and with an AK-47, which he took from one of the already dead terrorists, sprayed the rest of the terrorists killing another 11.* *In a flash, all of them were either dead or fleeing for their lives.*
As the soldier was untying the Kashmiri and the reporter, they asked him,'Why didn't you just shoot them all in the first place? Why did you ask him to kick you in the backside?'
'What?' replied the soldier, 'and have you two idiots report that I was the aggressor..?'

Rahul as PM?

White bread (Maida paav roti) looks and even taste good. However, it is very harmful to the health. Our Rajkumar is somewhat like that except he will be responsible for the health of those who elect him (that would be about 25% of the voters) and those who would have voted against him (that would be the rest of the unfortunate 75%). He is our Dan Quayle. At least the Americans could and did vote Quayle out of the office. The Indians are stuck with this guy!
His youth is being used as an alternative to experience. Sometimes, experience gets trumped by enthusiasm. But that is very rare. But youth CANNOT be used as an excuse for incompetence. The mistakes made by him in exacerbating the J&K problem are only exceeded by the mistakes being made by the interlocutors. I hope that the 25% people who will vote for Congress next time will remember the mistakes, nay, blunders made by this guy.

Rahul as PM
To cover for his own inadequacies, Omar has gone into campaign mode, whilst being chief minister, targeting critical instruments of the Indian state like the Indian Army, which he now wants prosecuted for mostly false cases of extra-judicial killings, while seeking operationally to tie its hands through killer amendments in the Armed Forces' Special Powers Act. Rather than see through Omar's game, which is ultimately self-defeating, and capable potentially of destroying the Abdullah legacy in J and K, Rahul Gandhi has backed his continuance as chief minister, on the grounds that he is young and needs time.
The article can be read at: http://newsinsight.net/archivedebates/nat2.asp?recno=2057

We Are Killing Ganga Ma!!

About 12 years ago, someone was trying to pump underground water in Ghaziabad area. It came out yellow. Why? It was because; the criminal industrialists in that area were disposing off their toxic waste in a creative way. They were pumping it underground. Yes, this is not a typing mistake. These greed driven homicidal maniacs were pumping toxic chemicals into the earth. I guess “Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam” is only for the books. Down the road from Ghaziabad is another hellhole by the name of Kanpur inhabited by equally unscrupulous industrialists. These sons of Mother India are disposing of Tannery chemicals into Gangaji. Tannery chemicals include an extremely toxic heavy metal called Chromium.
What about the rest of us, the aam aadmi? What is our culpability in polluting Mother Ganga? How about sewage and other kinds of trash into the holy river? Everybody thinks that the toxins and the garbage are going to flow down the river away from their houses. What happens is that the inorganic and organic material, foreign to the river, consume the oxygen in the water? The river ecosystem has a minimum Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) to sustain an aquatic life i.e. a healthy river. No oxygen means no aquatic life which in turn means a dead river!!! The Hindus living along Mother Ganges are killing her. Shameful, is it not???????

Is Future of the Ganga Bleak!
Ganga, the holy River, it is said when the King Bhagirath managed to bring it to the earth, came with such a force that he had to invoke the help of Lord Shiva to contain the River’s might. The Ganga was lost in the labyrinths of long tresses of the Lord and by the time it emerged again, it was much quieter river. Even today, the Ganga’s might and roar has to be seen to be believed in the higher Himalayas, where it seems to be attempting to break the shackles and rush towards the ultimate destination, the Sea!

The article can be read at: http://cms.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=9773

A similar article can be read at: http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Toxic+load+of+tannery+industries+situated+in+Kanpur.-a0216041399

The Look East Policy: Effective Countermeasure to Chinese Designs

The look east policy was adopted by the PV Narsimha Rao government. Vajpayee govt. took it up a notch and really worked at it. It is a simple foreign policy undertaking which was formulated to counter the Chinese menace (evident from their String of Pearls which is more like a noose for India). It entailed renewing our friendship with the S E Asian and pacific rim countries and firming up cooperation in economics and defence. I was not sure if Manmohan Singh government was going to be as enthusiastic about it but I guess, egged on by our defence leaders (the top officials in Indian Defence Forces), they are continuing the policy of older governments. We are giving aid to Cambodia and helping the Vietnamese in defence related matters. All this bodes well for safety of our country.Our ties with economic powerhouses like Japan and South Korea need to become even better. We need to cut down the red tape and take the babus out of the equation. That way we can counter the Chinese on two fronts: economic and security. In case of a conflict, having friends who are tied together by a common enemy cannot hurt. I am glad that Manmohan government is taking this seriously. It is a simple solution to a complex problem.

Tokyo turns to Delhi?
As Tokyo and Beijing continue to trade barbs over their recent maritime altercation, Japan seems to be casting its trading net away from its biggest partner into what it hopes will be more pacific waters. On Monday, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh concluded an economic partnership agreement to cut tariffs on the flow of goods in both directions and promote bilateral investment.
The article can be read at: http://the-diplomat.com/tokyo-notes/2010/10/26/tokyo-turns-to-delhi/

Pakistanis Are Better Negotiators

India is the biggest regional donor of aid to Afghanistan. We have given them US$ 650-700 million in humanitarian and economic aid. We have helped them with infrastructure, training Afghan civil servants, diplomats and Police. We have built a major highway connecting Iranian port and Kabul. That seems to be a lot of good stuff. What have the pakis done? Export terror, murder and mayhem. Supported the Taliban and militias like the Jalaluddin Haqqani network. Pakis are incapable of doing any good to anyone. Yet when it comes to international diplomacy, they get a lot of completely undeserved help. For all the good that we do, what do we get? We get lectures on responsibility.
Now before you jump the gun and start holding the US responsible for everything wrong, you have to understand the world of realpolitik. US is taking care of its interests. They need the pakis to make peace (because they are the trouble makers). Obama wants to win in 2012. He wants to fulfill a major campaign promise. He is doing whatever it takes. The pakis are taking care of their interest, even if it means negotiating by holding gun to their OWN head. They are going to get a lot of US taxpayer money and a lot of India-specific weapons.
What are we doing? What are we going to get? Nothing!! We are going to end up with the short end of the stick because our diplomats (It seems that Dileep Padgaonkar is one of them because we have sent him to one of the most sensitive areas in the nation) have no guts, interest or gumption. Whenever they go out of the country one can see that the paki diplomats are well prepared while our babus seem to be bumbling around. This is why India will never achieve her full potential in the world of international diplomacy. We should give up the dreams of becoming a power of any kind and focus on keeping all our citizens fed. That on its own will be a miracle.

US-Pakistan embrace a fillip for peace
By M K Bhadrakumar
"The big news over the weekend is that the United States and Pakistan have kissed and made up. What was played up in the recent weeks as a nasty showdown between the two partners, with each side growling dangerously and scratching the other almost to bleeding, turned out to be deceptive feline foreplay.
The outcome of the three-day foreign minister-level US-Pakistan strategic dialogue that concluded on Friday once again confirms the reputation of the two sides as consummate partners: one moment snarling viciously, to the alarm of onlookers; and the next, locked in a perplexing embrace."

The article can be read at: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/LJ26Df01.html

Padgaonkar: A Clueless Interlocuter or Enemy of the State?

If Dileep Padgaonkar has a brain then it is working independently of his mouth. The first step in diplomacy is to speak out as little as you can. This man has started to shoot off his unsanitary trap on the first day he landed. He maybe an experienced journalist but he is not a bright guy. Experience is no substitute for intellect. The people who appointed this loose cannon bear the major burden of this faux pas. They should know better unless they are banking on this guy making mistakes.
BJP's own, Ram Jethmalani also spoke out supporting this blabbermouth. Why? It is because, to paraphrase Prof. Vaidyanathan, there is an entire generation of Hindus in India who nurse this romance for Pakistani things. Our own Advani jee fell into that trap when he started singing paeans for Jinnah. Jethmalani is guilty of the same mistake.
Only the newer generation like the author of the attached op-ed (Vivek Gumaste) can see the Pakistanis for whom they really are: a huge problem, a thorn is the side of the entire civilization. I don't know about the aam Pakistani but the Pakistani decision makers have no interest in peace. They benefit from the unending state of conflict. It validates their existence and position of power. Their lust for power and disdain for their own people is only exceeded by their hatred for India. The sooner we realize this, the faster we will come to terms with the fact that the best we can do is an uneasy status quo.

Kashmir: Pakistan is the problem not the solution.
"It is always a dicey proposition when the establishment recruits apolitical personnel to resolve a political crisis.....
....Well equipped on paper but challenged in terms of practical experience, these individuals lack the political savvy and discretionary acumen necessary to deal with seasoned manipulators. This was evident on their first day in Kashmir, when the chief interlocutor, Dileep Padgaonkar shot his mouth off without any thought for the ramifications of his speech. He averred: "We are here to look for a permanent solution to the Kashmir issue… but a permanent solution is not possible without the involvement of Pakistan."
There is one simple reason why Pakistan cannot be a catalyst for the solution because Pakistan is the problem, period. Pakistan is the single hurdle standing in the path of a successful resolution to the Kashmir conundrum."
The article can be read at: http://news.rediff.com/column/2010/oct/26/kashmir-pakistan-is-the-problem-not-the-solution.htm

Illegal Immigration From Bangladesh: Cause and Solution

Illegal migrants from Bangladesh

Our obsession with Kashmir, though justified, has consumed and diverted most of our attention from the silent demographic invasion of eastern states. If we keep ignoring illegal migrant issue from Bangladesh, another Kashmir is inevitable.

Sadly, most of us see this as a state or regional level problem than a national level problem and have severely underplayed its huge strategic importance. Illegal migration from Bangladesh is unique not just for its appalling number but also because of its treat to security and integrity to our country and the fact that it had continued for about a century and yet there is no end in site. Factors contributing to the problem are economic hardships, communal tensions, political uncertainty and climate disturbances. We will try to analyze each reason in a series of articles in the pretext of history, present realities and future approach.

Extreme Poverty in Bangladesh:

Search for livelihood is one of the biggest contributing factors in flooding of our eastern states with millions of migrants. Migration of people from the South (Bengal, East Pakistan and now Bangladesh) for economic reasons is dated back to the times of British Raj. The Bengali Muslims were first transplanted by the British as laborers in the flourishing tea garden industry of Assam. Subsequently, this set off an unstoppable trend.

After the India-Pakistan partition, the Bengali speaking East Pakistan was given an imperialistic treatment by the Punjabi dominated and richer West Pakistan, even though bulk of foreign exchange earnings came form the export of jute from the Eastern half. In return, Eastern Pakistan received only a third of money to be used for developmental project. This became a contributing factor in breaking of the country. After the formation of Bangladesh in 1971, the economic condition remained dire for a while. Even now, over-population, corruption and slow implementation of economic reforms have kept Bangladesh among the poorest countries, struggling to survive and feed its people thereby posing a huge strain on its resources. Consequently, population overflow is inevitable.

So how is this, a threat to our nation's security? First of all, huge number of refugees who migrated after the creation of Bangladesh was poor Muslim population (Bengali Muslims as well as Pakistani Bihari). Their concentration in one or two states like Assam and Tripura was especially troublesome. This invasion caused destruction of local culture and created a demographic imbalance, which in turn was the root cause of so called communal problems.

Assam is a very strategically located state, not just because of its geographical location as an entry point to seven sister states but also because it is highly rich in natural resources, which if managed properly could be precious for our country. If such communal problems and resulting polarized politics eventually result in isolation or segregation of this state then we could lose its treasure as well as the resources of six other north eastern states, which could be a big blow to Indian economy.

Secondly, locals had to compete with cheap labor provided by these migrants. Slowly but surely, the Bangladeshi migrants, for cultivation purpose, are occupying vast vacant land in Assam. It also puts tremendous pressure on the state's resources that are already stretching their limits to survive. It is evident from the per capita income of Assam that it is in constant decline against that of India. In the 1950s per capita income in Assam was little higher than that in India. In 2000-01, it was almost 40% lower than that in India!

So how could we deal with this problem? Serious consideration should be given to the recommendations made by S K Sinha (Governor of Assam, 1997-2003). As suggested by him, other than seamless sealing of border by fencing and border patrol, India should actively participate in the socio-economic development of Bangladesh. Successful implementation of micro-credit loans by Grameen Bank in Bangladesh is such an example. Development negates the motivation for migration and provides a long lasting and effective solution.

It is probably not possible to deport millions of illegal migrant who are in the country from last 30 to 40 year. Photo-identity cards, preferable biometric ID cards should be provided to Indians as well as Bangladeshi migrants at urgency level. Bangladeshis migrants could be stateless citizen without the rights of voting and ownership of immovable property. The most humane and possibly non-controversial way to deal with them would be by providing work permits, subjected to state wise quotas, which could avoiding concentration of migrants in one or two states, thereby helping not just the migrants but also the local population.

We must urgently deal with this problem in a bipartisan manner, or else we might be risking another Kashmir.

How to Fix Illegal Bangladeshi Migration
"The time for work permits has come. You might be surprised to know that as many as 85 million Bangladeshis have biometric National ID Cards (NIDs) which were issued ahead of the 2008 elections. These cards are now required for opening bank accounts, applying for passports and accessing public services. Indian work permits could therefore be issued to valid Bangladeshi NID holders with a greater degree of confidence. There are challenges in getting the Bangladeshi authorities to co-operate, especially in terms of validating IDs, but these are not insurmountable. That's half the solution. The other half involves the ability to positively identity an Indian citizen."

The article can be read at: http://in.news.yahoo.com/columnist/nitin_pai/12/how-to-fix-illegal-bangladeshi-migration

Confusing Words Used In Regards To Hinduism

Dr. Koenraad Elst is A Belgian scholar with a very unique perspective on Hinduism. He has written a number of books on the subject. All of his books are highly recommended. In the following book excerpt, he discusses many terms used in regards to Hindus and Hinduism. Communalism, Secularism, fundamentalism, Macaulayism etc. Being an outsider, he has a unique vignette. I will not attempt to describe it anymore because I am sure to ruin it. Please read it for yourself.

Hindu Studies: Warring with Words
Misunderstanding of key terms confuses today's reporting and research on Hinduism
By Koenraad Elst
The self-described "secularism" of the Indian elite is a special case meriting closer inspection. Secularism in India is certainly not a neutral position, as Western India-watchers tend to assume. In fact, it is one of the warring parties in India's religious conflict. This is a rather consequential insight, for it means that reliance on the presumed neutral Indian sources describing themselves as secularist (a reliance which pervades the entire non-Indian literature on the present topic) is actually a reliance on the version of one of the warring parties, which is the very last thing to do in scholarship.

The article can be read at: http://www.hinduismtoday.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=3087

Kashmiri seditionists: Are they helping their “cause” or are they helping India?

A number of developments in the last two days took place in regard to ideologies that question the legitimacy of Indian nation – state. Though the events are already well known, I will go over those and my arguments and leave you to judge for yourself if those were good for India or bad. Call me a stubborn optimist if you want, but I think it was the former.

The first was the meet organized by Geelani and Arundhati Roy in Delhi. It was effectively broken up by Kashmiris of a different kind – the Pandits. They shouted slogans such as “Vande Mataram” and “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and did not allow the proceedings to take place. Arundhati, when she got opportunity, put in a word that Kashmir should separate from “bhookha – nanga” Hindustan, just she herself had already done. The headline news was that Kashmiris (read Pandits) broke the meeting of separatists in Delhi.

The second was the controversy the so called “interlocutors” appointed by UPA government to “engage” all shades of opinion in Kashmir have already generated, in less than 48 hours of heading for Kashmir. Dilip Padgaonkar, about whom I said that his mature demeanour is bogus and there is a vicious, abusive man inside who descends to street language at the sign of any successful push by Hindu nationalists, said, after talking to some Kashmiris that Pakistan needs to be involved in final settlement of Kashmir “dispute” !! The sort of thing that no Indian government or politician dares to mouth.

Very strange that this Padgaonkar considered his responsibility to be to work out a “final” solution to Kashmir issue. We all thought he is there to soothe Kashmiris and figure out some actions by Indian government and society that will give them mental comfort about being Indians. Instead, he jumped, within hours of arriving at Kashmir it seems, to working out a “final solution” which the likes of Nehru, Indira Gandhi (after winning a war), Atal Behari Vajpayee and many others failed to do.

This demonstrates, to my mind, once again, the sheer immaturity of India's secularist editorial class. Anyone experienced in handling sensitive matters where people's emotions are involved, would be far more cautious in approaching the whole matter. One does not expect diplomatic skills from editors, but at the very least, someone who has held any significant responsibility (and I emphasize the word responsibility, not status which an editor's job in secularist press seems to be) would hear out all shades of opinion to a point where he / she has a high level of empathy with all the different stakeholders, and then only make any statement about what he thinks should be done.

Padgaonkar's behavior is in stark contrast. He seems to have landed in Srinagar, talked to God knows how many people (some have already refused to talk to him) and then given his brilliant insight for all the lesser mortals in India – Ah! But don't you see! This problem cannot be solved without Pakistan!”. Vow, such lightening intelligence!! If it was not such a serious life and death matter for India, one could simply laugh him off as a national joker at par with Laloo Yadav.

The next event – Bihar election's two phases are over. Maoists called for boycott of elections. The people, in the minds of secularists referred to above, supposed to be all hatred for India's “elitist” democracy, supposed to have lost complete faith in it and ready for a bloody revolution, refused to listen. While voting percentage is moderate – between 50% - 55%, it is not low to a point, which would show any kind of sympathy, existed for boycott call existed, nowhere close in fact. There was some violence by Maoists in both phases, but nothing remotely resembling a popular support for Maoists.

And finally, I heard a few minutes back on TV, Arundhati Roy is back in Srinagar with Geelani holding another conference on lines similar to the one three days back in Delhi. In this conference at Srinagar, all video cameras were disallowed in the hall. Subsequently, it was announced that all those from the Times Now channel should leave the hall immediately! I was laughing as I heard this last bit. It is comforting to see that hatred and intolerance of hateful and intolerant people comes out sooner or later.

The implications of such an action should not be underestimated. In one stroke, Roy and Geelani killed a lot of the sympathy in media for themselves. Indian media are like a tribe. An offence against one is an offence against all, unless it be an ideological organ and a pariah such as Organiser weekly of RSS. Times now is by no means a pariah. It is an avowedly pro – India channel with a slight rightward slant, but by no means a BJP sympathizer as such. I can bet Roy / Geelani's offensive behavior towards Times Now is going to make even Barkha Datt pause and wonder if her sympathy for Kashmiri separatism was misplaced.

So, was all this news good for India or was it bad for India? While the answer to this question will also be a function of how India responds to such behavior, I think the above incidents were mostly beneficial for India. We can see that giving offence to media is going to reduce sympathy for Kashmiri separatism and thereby weaken this so called movement. Bihar is doing well. The elections will weaken Maoists and from all indications, Nitish – BJP alliance is winning which will keep Bihar on a growth path. Dilip Padgaonkar's comments will not result in any involvement or dialogue with Pakistan more than happens already but he once again looks like a fool and such correct perception of secularist buffoons like him is good for India. And Pandits brought home to all India and the world how oppressive the ideology of Kashmiri separatists is.

But how much India gains will also depend on how we respond. BJP gave a correct response in seeking clarification from PMO about Padgaonkar's remarks. Pandits need to build up the pressure and we all should join this fight shoulder to shoulder with them. I am convinced that these events sustain the national momentum in favor of Hindu nationalist ideology that got impetus from Ayodhya judgmen

Zionism and Hindu Nationalism: Targets For Hate

As I had discussed in a post before, liberals hate and pity themselves. They have no self respect and hate everything around them including their origins. How else would you explain their attitudes towards their surroundings? Typical targets for liberal hatred are country and religion.
Seth Frantzman has written a piece where he draws parallels between Hindu nationalism and Zionism. I must say that he is on the money. There are many countries for Christians and Muslims but Israel and India are the only countries for Jews and Hindus respectively. Both people are in constant battle for survival. Israel is surrounded by Jew hating Muslims and our neighborhood is every bit as bad (we have Godless Chinese to add to our misery). Seth’s piece says people hating the Hindus do it for the same reason they hate Jews. I agree with every word the man says. Read it and decide for yourself.
He discusses a book called “The Hindus: Alternative History” written by a hack called Wendy Doniger who has nary a good thing to say about anything related to India or Hindus. That does not bother me. Third-rate academics always try to stir up controversies to become relevant. We just have to ignore them. Puerile offal like that will not stop the Indian juggernaut. What bothers me is that the book has fans in India. One such fan of this heap of dung is a liberal called Pankaj Mishra. I wish the worst to him (Bholenath will forgive me for that). He is that kind of man. Pox on him! Believe me, the more you learn about him the more you will hate him. He is the product of that factory of anti Indian / anti Hindu liberals called JNU. What really upsets me is that Indian taxpayers have to fund the creation of these monsters. We really need a government in the center who will shut this university down and build a professional college where kids learn how to create things other than hot and foul smelling air. Another IIT would be nice.

WHY DO PEOPLE CONDEMN HINDU NATIONALISM? THE ANSWER MAY BE CONNECTED TO A DISDAIN FOR ZIONISM
"When it comes to classic Hindu texts such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata she condemns them for their violence. The Mughal Muslim emperors who colonized India for Islam for three hundred years were, according to a reviewer, "motivated by real politik rather than religious fundamentalism" when they destroyed thousands of Hindu temples and sold hundreds of thousands of Hindus into slavery. According to Pankaj Mishra, an author who has praised the book, Doniger should be admired for striding "intrepidly into a polemical arena almost as treacherous as Israel-Arab relations." Mishra calls Hindu Nationalism the "Indian heirs to British imperialists who invented 'Hinduism'" and accuses them of wanting to create a "culturally-homogenous and militant nation-state."
Seth's article can be read at: http://www.think-israel.org/frantzman.condemninghindunationalism.html

Is Militant Hinduism Possible?

Desecrated Kali Ma idol in Deganga

A rather thought provoking article by Mr. Jagannathan. He is examining the statement by Mr. Mohan Bhagwat that Hinduism and terror do not go together. The article tries to argue against it.
One of the instincts that all living being possess is self-preservation. When cornered, even the most peace loving human being will bare his fangs. That has got nothing to do with religion. By that token, Hindus when pushed to the wall should be capable of visiting violence on their aggressor. Do we have examples to prove our contention? We indeed do! Unlike Islam and like Christianity, Hinduism has evolved. Unlike Muslims, the “conventional Hindus have always embraced its offshoots (Jainism, Sikhism and Buddhism). Sikhism went from a pacifist Guru Nanak to a warrior Guru Govind Singh. This change was in reaction to the Islamic violence. The author also contends that in reaction to injustice and oppression, Hindus have taken up arms. Freedom fight against the British oppression was one such example. The author also contends that the most of today’s hard-line Hindu leaders are OBC’s!!
So, while Hinduism can never morph into Islam but an emergence of retribution seeking Hindu cannot be ruled out. That is a scary specter, one that the likes of P Chidambaran should be afraid of. The only way to avoid all that is to address Hindu grievances in the face of militant secularism and minority appeasement. Everyone knows that the goings on in Deganga in WB is due to vote-bank politics. If the Hindu aam aadmi retaliates to save their life and way of life, then who should shoulder the blame?

Radical Hinduism may still emerge from the woodwork
R Jagannathan
This brings us to Bhagwat’s comment that Hinduism and terror are incompatible. This is true to the extent that the idea is unlikely to appeal to old style Hindus. But one cannot say the same for younger groups who may be vulnerable to more radical forms of action just as some Muslim youths are attracted to al Qaeda or Lashkar ideology. The secular cabal in India paints the RSS as a radical Hindu nationalist outfit, but don’t be surprised if even more radical outfits emerge to appeal to younger Hindus. Given the social ferment brought on by globalisation, India is ripe for radicalisation — as is evident in the growth of the Maoist movement in some states.
The article can be read at: http://www.dnaindia.com/opinion/column_radical-hinduism-may-still-emerge-from-the-woodwork_1455708

Picture and article on Deganga : http://kanchangupta.blogspot.com/2010/10/when-hindus-abandon-hindus-under-attack.html

Muslim VS Muslim!!

Muslims and their apologists always scream VICTIM!! If it isn’t the West then it is the Hindus or the Jews or the weather. Pakistanis start rioting and burning (their own things mind you) at the smallest hint of Muslim oppression. The Prophet gets caricatured in Holland, shops get burnt in Pakistan. The Pakistani heart seems to bleed for Muslims victims of Post Godhra riots, terrorists in J&K, Palestinians et. al.. They will have you believe that they are their (Muslim) brother’s keepers. And it’s not just the Pakis, it’s the entire Muslim world that would lay such a claim. OIC was supposed to meet before the Operation Iraqi Freedom to discuss Iraq and Palestinians. A quorum could not be met!! Such unity is only a small window into the hypocrisy of the Muslim world.
I am sure that you know that the largest number of Muslims killed in one “event” was in Bangladesh!! The killers were the aforementioned keepers of their brothers, the Pakis. The Pakis demonstrated a kill rate that would have shamed the Nazis.
Today I read a report that I am going to post for your perusal. This claims that the Chinese are making friends with Turkey to contain the Chinese Uighur Muslims in the Xinjiang province. Yes, you read it correctly! Muslim Turks are going to help godless Chinese to contain their Muslims brothers. Guess who is bringing the Chinese and the Turks together? Yes, it is our favorite keepers of their brothers, the Pakis.
Amazing, isn’t it!!

CHINA COURTS TURKEY

Though promotion of economic relations and a strategic partnership were projected as the main objective of the visit of Wen to Turkey, the Uighurs believed that an important purpose was to seek the support of Turkey for the pacification of Chinese-controlled Xinjiang and for the political neutralisation of the WUC. According to Uighur sources, Pakistan had played an active role in bringing Turkey and China together despite the protests in Turkey last year over the suppression of the Uighurs. While the Uighurs are even prepared to understand the measures for the promotion of economic relations, they are surprised by Turkey's agreeing to a joint air exercise with the PLA (Air Force) despite the role of the PLA (Army) in the suppression of the Uighurs.
The article can be read at: http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/papers42/paper4101.html

The image is from : http://media.mcclatchydc.com/smedia/2009/06/10/20/362-20080415_CHINA_Uighur.large.prod_affiliate.91.jpg

Ayodhya Judgement: Evidence Presented by Both Sides

I have gone through the detailed verdicts on Ayodhya case. I choose the word “gone through” and not “read” with a lot of care. I did not read the verdict but went through it and read all those parts, which are of significance. Here is what I skipped so you understand what exactly I have done:

a. All pleadings / arguments etc. about technical matters such as, if the suit is bad because some notice was not given, is it bad because of time bar etc. I skipped all such portions and assumed that no technicality debilitates any side's case.

b. All references to earlier cases, which the judges list out before pronouncing on any issue, to support their judgment. I did not read through them.

c. All repetitions / translations

However, I tried to read all evidence / arguments / pleadings etc. on substantive issues. These were mainly – which side has a clear title, which side had possession throughout, what does historical evidence say, what does archaeological evidence says. I think I have read all substantive matter related to these issues. If, after going through my articles on Ayodhya judgment, anyone who has read it in more detail thinks I missed something, I would welcome being informed about it and will gladly update myself.

Now to what I learned from the detailed verdict.

I must say I am amazed at what I saw. It is indeed fascinating how India's legal system works. First thing which struck me was the depth to which the counsels and judges went. They go to the bottom of any issue and make all kinds of references to laws and previous judgments, consider all the finer aspects of an issue before a judgment is pronounced.

The other thing, which impressed me, was how much our legal system tries to remove subjectivities from the issues. All the actors – the contesting sides and the judges bring in their own “beliefs” but continual referrals to laws and previous judgments removes these biases to a good extent. The system really goes to great lengths to ensure that justice is done based on law and evidence and not on anyone's personal feeling about any matter.

I expect to write many articles on these judgments. I would like to take our readers through the journey that I undertook, in a way that puts less strain on a person. If I miss something and anyone has better information about some issue, I again welcome the feedback.

To say that the judgment in exhaustive is an understatement. The judgment not only involves every aspect of life – law, religion, history, archaeology, theology, politics and just about anything else you can think of, but it also goes really deep into EVERY matter. There are detailed quotes from Puranas, Koran, Hadith, Historical records .. one can go on listing what all the judges went into before delivering the verdict. It reminded me of what Hindus always said about Mahabharata – all that is in life, is in it. And all that is in it, is found in life. The judgments contain all that has concerned India for the last one or maybe two millenia.

Indeed, if it were to happen that some cataclysmic event destroys all historical memory about India, and the future generations have only Judge Sudheer Agrawal's verdict in their hands, they will be able to reconstruct much about India's history, politics and society from this one judgment alone!!

I will now get into specifics of what the verdict says. I start with listing down key pieces of evidence that came out in the course of these lawsuits. I would like to emphasize that I have tried to distil the essence of all the evidences. I venture to suggest that one would be hard put to find an important piece of evidence from the verdict that I have missed. I also like to think that I have captured in this gist, all the critical aspects of the evidence produced during the course of the lawsuit.

The purpose of this list is to present the readers with what the judges had in hand to decide with. I felt that Hindu side answered the evidence given by Muslim side very rigorously. The answers to Muslim side's evidence / arguments are in brackets. The Muslims never countered the evidence that favored Hindu side satisfactorily. This is the reason why the judgment largely favors Hindus.

I have already indicated, in an earlier article, why exactly the judges split the site – because Hindus and Muslims always shared the site. The “garbha griha” was given to Hindus because overwhelming evidence suggested that the Hindus always believed it to be “janmasthan” and always worshipped there. The archaeological evidence, though favoring Hindus overwhelmingly, actually did not affect the actual judgment so much because judgment was based on title and possession and on demonstrated Hindu belief. However, I like to think that the archaeological evidence added weight to the judgment and probably the judges hoped that it would make the verdict more acceptable to the Muslim side.

Now you can read the evidence yourself, put yourself in the place of judges and form your own judgment. Just like you see in the statue (with blindfolds and a balance in hand), weigh the evidence and decide yourself!

Evidence from Hindu side:

1. There was admitted to be temple / idol / Hindu worship within the mosque complex, indicating that Hindus never fully moved out of the complex in spite of the presence of a mosque. In fact, the mosque is “landlocked” by temples. No Muslim could enter the mosque except through the temples / chabutaras being worshipped by Hindus. This indicates Hindu insistence on worshiping at the very same place and also establishes Hindu possession of the property.

2. Even the wall separating the many small temples / sites around the structure and the main structure did not exist before the British took control of India in 1857. The British erected the wall. Before that, Hindus had free access to the structure while the Muslims did not.

3. 1905 Faizabad Gazetteer (and many others) records that in 1855, Muslims tries to take the Janmasthan Masjid and occupied it by force (which shows that they did NOT have it's possession before 1855, Hindus had the possession). Then they made an advance to take Hanuman Garhi (about a mile away) but were driven back with considerable loss. 75 Muslims lost their lives and are buried there, the place being called “Ganj Shahidan”.

4. Travelers to Ayodhya (except William Finch in 1611) recorded the local belief that Ram Janambhoomi temple was demolished to build a mosque. They also recorded that Hindus believed Lord Rama was born at the spot and described worship methods (parikrama / chabutara etc.), which exist till today. William Finch recorded his observations on worship when visited Ayodhya in 1611. Tiffenthaler recorded in 1760 the same method of worship, the belief that Hindus had about Ram's birth there and that Aurangzeb destroyed the temple to build the mosque. Though he also noted there are indications that Babur and not Aurangzeb destroyed the temple. The records of puja, places, temples etc are consistent over at least 2 ½ centuries from the travelers as well as British Gazetteers. Thereafter, the British were ruling and all records are available as to what was actually happening at the site.

5. The name of the structure from time immemorial, and recorded in British times is “Masjid Janmasthan”. Some Muslims also used Babri Masjid but Masjid Janmasthan was more common usage.

6. Hindus have never demolished other people's places of religious worship. Hindus allowed all religions to flourish and there were no wars amongst religions wherever Hindus ruled. Muslims, on the other hand, demolished thousands of temples and recorded the deeds meticulously and in a way that glorified the acts as establishment of Islamic power and humiliation of non – Muslims. It is, therefore, reasonable to believe that this too could be a case of Muslims doing the same and Hindus have always resisted it, the proof being the existence of small temples / worship sites all around the disputed structure.

7. Archaeological evidence is overwhelming. Not only did ASI find pillar bases and walls showing existence of a huge temple beneath the mosque, but also many other poofs such as pottery, figurines, animal bones etc associated only with a Hindu temple and never with a mosque. The Muslim side brought many “secularist” historians as their witnesses. All of them cut a sorry figure during cross examination, one of them saying her “expertise” was sourced from newspaper reports and nothing else !

8. The structural material in the structure also supported the premise that the mosque was built on top of a Hindu temple, even using the temple material. Kasauti pillars, sandalwood beams and some of the carvings in the structure are Hindu in character. There were actually Hindu carvings on the pillars. It made the judges consider if the presence of Hindu figures, forbidden in Islam, disqualified the structure from being a mosque at all. One judge said that yes, it is disqualified to be a mosque. The remaining two went by Muslim people's belief and accepted it as a mosque.

Evidence for Muslim side:

1. In the case filed by Mahant Raghubar Das in 1885, in which he sought permission to construct on a Chabutara, he submitted a map showing the mosque and he did not seek any relief with respect to mosque or mosque site, thereby admitting that Hindus accept the existence of a bona fide mosque. (The entire case was about some other religious right of the Mahant and not the disputed structure)

2. Under the waqf act of 1936, the chief commissioner of waqfs inspected the site and held that a sunni mosque is present at the site. The same was included in the official gazette of 1944. It was not disputed by anyone, thus establishing that the property is a mosque. (This was not borne out by the inspection of the document which showed no mosque at the location, a mosque of Babur being shown to be located elsewhere. There was no description of property as is required by the procedure)

3. Muslims were in possession of the mosque and site for more than 400 years and perfected their title through adverse possession. (A lot of evidence showed that Hindus were in possession of the structure, at least jointly, at least till 1855)

4. Namaz offered from 1528 till December, 1949 (this is under dispute by Hindu side that says last namaz was in 1934. Also, there is strong evidence Hindus continued to worship in the structure till at least 1855)

5. Tulsidas lived and composed Ramcharitmanas at a place (Datun Kund) 1 km from the site under dispute. Yet he mentioned no Ram Janmabhoomi or destruction of a temple in Ramcharitmanas or anywhere else. If such an important site for Hindus existed at the site or such an important event as it's destruction at the hands of Muslims had taken place, he would surely have mentioned it somewhere. (It turned out during the examination of evidence and arguments that most probably Aurangzeb and not Babur destroyed the temple and built the mosque. In such case, there is no question of Tulsidas mentioning it. After Aurangzeb's rule, all travelers / gazetteers mentioned the temple demolition. Before him, neither the traveler William Finch, nor Tulsidas made any mention of it)

9. Civil judge, Faizabad held in 1946 that Babri mosque is Sunni waqf.

10. The stones used in the temple are of less than 500 years of age according to carbon dating. Therefore, these are not part of an ancient temple purportedly demolished by Babur to build a mosque.
The image is from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11449970

Successful CWG: Indians Stand Tall, Not The Organizers!!

We Indians have suffered from low self-esteem for centuries now. If it was not the disdain of being told that we were ruled by a handful of superior people, it was that our economy grows at "Hindu" rate of growth. And then when economy grows at the second fastest rate in the world, it is that "look China's Olympics, and we make a mess of far more modest Commonwealth Games also". We swallow all such canards and convince ourselves that we Indians are indeed a no-good race (yes, a racist feeling is a part of the low self image).

In reality, we are doing far better than we imagine. It is not a small matter to make such a diverse and poor country with a history of religious and racial abuse, work at all. It has taken millions of unsung heroes - police officers who do their duty honestly in an environment of corruption, lawyers and judges who won't budge from their dharma in the face of all kinds of pressures, honest businessmen who genuinely worry about the welfare of laborers working under them, and so on.

The Commonwealth Games too were most probably not in such a serious mess as was made out to be. It is more likely that the organizers left bits and pieces loose while the main work was done and media focused only on those little corners where some mess had been created. If the main job of organizing games was as much of a problem as was made out to be, it is likely that we would have been seen serious mishaps during the games. The other problem (as it appears from all that happened), is in Public Relations - our organizers did not know how to carry out a good PR and put Suresh Kalmadi and Lalit Bhanot in front of cameras whereas smarter men would have given better and perhaps more accurate impression of how things were.

This is not to absolve Suresh Kalmadi. He comes across as a self-absorbed individual whose body language makes you feel uneasy. Also, knowing India, it is hard to believe there wasn't major corruption in creating the infrastructure of the games. However, a fair course of action will be to carry out a fair, timebound and hardheaded enquiry. If anyone is found guilty, including Kalmadi, prompt action should be taken.

As Indians, however, we can feel justly proud. It is important that we need to think more positively of ourselves than we do. This national tendency to self-flagellate at the slightest suggestion that something might be wrong with us must be abandoned. We should be able to perceive the actual situation accurately and respond appropriately, rather than go into fits of self-recriminations as we did.

One source of our angst was this - that China could organize spectacular Olympics and we can't do even far more modest Commonwealth Games. We must understand that India - China comparison is totally unjustified. The Chinese not only spend far more money on such endeavors, they also can suppress every voice of dissent. We cannot. We have situations where a minister of the government actually said in public that he wanted the games to fail! Nothing happened to him. Nothing can be done to him.

This is an inherent feature of all democracies. The good part is that we don't feel insecurity or instability from any dissenter of India. Arundhati Roy can say what she pleases at the top of her voice. Thousands can applaud her and make as much noise as they want. India does not feel it more than some pinpricks.

Contrast that with Chinese reaction to Liu Xiaobo. It can be argued that Nobel awards are political - the west gave Nobel to Xiaobo to belittle a rising China. Yet, what kind of great power it is that feels the need to suppress one individual with all its might. What fear the Chinese society and government have from individuals like Xiaobo? And of what use is all the military and economic might if it shakes at the voice of a handful dissenters?

We all have what is called in colloquial language in India our "pluses and minuses". Let us give up this habit of making ourselves believe that we are no better than dirt compared to others - the British in pre - independent India, the west / South East Asia in pre-liberalization India and now, China in today's world. As if we are always breathlessly looking for some entity that will make us feel small and worthless.

Let us look at our achievement too in the eye. We did a great job. We deserve to feel good about ourselves. Though modest compared to others, it is achieved in an environment of complete freedom, something no country outside the western civilization and Japan can do.
And let us dream and achieve bigger in times to come.

Delhi bellyachers the losers as Games overcome hurdles in strong finish
"The people of Delhi have worked day and night to turn a shambles into a success, writes Peter Hanlon.
Here's something you probably haven't read outside India this past fortnight: the people of Delhi have done a terrific job, and are entitled to be proud of their Games. Faced with greater hurdles than Sally Pearson will ever clear, they've pulled it off admirably and deserve better than the carping, nit-picking and borderline racism that has masqueraded as informed coverage of the Games."
The article can be read at:
http://www.theage.com.au/commonwealth-games-2010/comm-games-news/delhi-bellyachers-the-losers-as-games-overcome-hurdles-in-strong-finish-20101014-16lxb.html

Zakir Naik: Indian Export to Islamic Terrorism.

I remember reading an article by Thomas Friedman of NY Times which extolled the virtues of democracy. He said it was because of Indian democracy that Indian Muslims were not found in Al Qaeda or other terror outfits. Poor guy had left India after meeting the likes of Azim Premji and Shabana Azmi. I wonder what his reaction would have been if he had met Muslims leaders like Imam Bukhari or the Waqf board members or Mulayam Yadav or Ram Bilas Paswan or Abu Azmi. I am sure his outlook would have been moderated to say the least. If only he had met this sweet heart of a man, Zakir Naik. Friedman would have been a wiser man today. The hero of secularists like Barkha Dutt, is an eloquent man, a man given to regurgitating quotations and vowing the ignorant idiots in the crowd. What those sheep (because somehow, somewhere they are going to get slaughtered, either by life or by thugs) do not realise is that behind all that talk beats the heart of a terrorist. Unfortunately, Naik is still around because of our liberals and pseudo-seculars. In most civilized countries, he would have been behind bars for inciting hatred. The following is an eye-opener about this hatemonger which must be read by all.

"The NEFA Foundation has released the fourth report in its series on extremist ideologues with influence in the West. This report profiles Zakir Naik, a Muslim orator from Mumbai, India, who has millions of fans around the world, including many in the U.S., that he reaches through live lectures and through his satellite television station, Peace TV.
His enormous popularity is due to his exceptional speaking and memorization skills. He is able to quote the Koran, the Bible, the Torah, and other religious texts, chapter and verse, and impresses audiences with his ability to cite numerous examples to support such claims as, apostates should be put to death, and it is acceptable for a man to beat his wife under certain circumstances and with specific techniques. Although Naik often makes such religious pronouncements he is not a formally trained religious scholar, and has been labeled “deviant” by some orthodox clerics.
While Naik is regarded as controversial by many observers and several government agencies (he has been banned from entering Canada and the UK), he does not publicly or overtly promote violent jihad. However, he bears observation because he insinuates that violence perpetrated against Americans is acceptable, and he has made statements that suggest he is in agreement with terrorist attacks that have taken place in the past. He was a source of inspiration to Najibullah Zazi, who plotted to attack the New York City subway system, several of the attackers and planners of the 2008 Mumbai massacre, and others charged with involvement in terrorism. He also promotes the theory that the 9/11 attacks were planned and coordinated by the U.S. government in order to gain control over oil-rich countries."
The article can be read at:

http://nefafoundation.org//file/NEFA_ZakirNaik.pdf

The Picture Says it All

You just have to look at Ram Bilas Paswan's get up and realise this man modus operandi. Shameless!!

Black Money in Indian Politics.

In the last election, the Congress spent over Rs 400 crore. An astounding sum indeed. Needless to say it is not some one's blood and sweat money. If I were to bet, I would say that some of the $1 trillion of Indian money came back from Swiss banks. This is vicious cycle. To make money, these guys get into power. To get into power they need money. Thus the thirst for black money in India is un-quenchable. While the middle class keeps filling the treasury coffers, these elected criminals keep throwing money around with extreme impunity. A Congress MP got caught carrying over Rs. 12 Lakhs in cash at an airport. He claimed it was party fund. Have you ever heard of a guy who carries his hard earned 12 lakhs in cash? Now we hear that Rs. 5 Crores were accumulated for Rajmaata Sonia Gandhi's rally. Again, it cannot be any one's hard earned cash. That is why every party has their "money men". Late Pramod Mahajan was BJP's money man. Amar Singh was the SP money man. Congress has several of those pimps.

What can the aam aadmi do about this? I have no solution for it. I guess elect the lesser evil. The party which will, after filling it's coffers, do some work for the aam aadmi. It's a hell of choice, I tell you!!

From the horse’s mouth: Rs5 crore for Sonia Gandhi's rally; Maharashtra CM gives Rs2 crore
"The state Congress’ decision to raise massive funds for Sonia Gandhi’s rally from chief minister Ashok Chavan and cabinet ministers in the Democratic Front government has exposed the role of money power in the Congress. The rally is to be held at Sewagram on Friday. A private conversation between two Congress leaders on how they raised Rs5 crore from Chavan and his cabinet colleagues, captured in a video footage, has left the organisation running for cover."
The article can be read at:
http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_from-the-horse-s-mouth-rs5-crore-for-sonia-gandhi-s-rally-maharashtra-cm-gives-rs2-crore_1452588

Omar and Rahul: Alarming Parallels

Recent remarks by Omar Abdullah about Kashmir had twisted the very arms that were trying to hold it from falling apart. His remarks once again proved that the family name, good looks, charisma and age forty is not the only qualifications needed to rule the masses.
Omar's reflection in mirror could very well be that of Rahul Gandhi's, only that it would be far more distorted. Both Omar and Rahul are the latest offshoot of decades of dynasty rule; both are of same age; both are born to foreign born Christian moms (Omar was born in England. Is he even Indian?); both are foreign educated and inexperienced in handling tough situations like that in politics. These similarity should give some clues to those under Gandhi Family Hypnotism, about the catastrophic implications of Rahul's enthronement. Kashmir is a state; its hiccups could be confined within the limits of our country or at the max withing the limits of India and Pakistan. How will we confine Rahul's babbles in international arena, if at all he gets the command of the country? His recent remarks on RSS and previous remarks on Bangladesh were as ignorant and provocative.
Omar's controversy should be a wake up call for all, not just for the sake of Kashmir but also for the nation. To be a politician, qualification of being a nationalist should be made a must, whereby it would automatically disqualify both Omar and Rahul.

Omar is his own worst enemy
"Omar Abdullah has been accused of running the state as ‘an outsider’. There was a lot of hope vested in him when he took over, but it seems to have vanished with his inadequate performance. He is considered as a part of the problem. The Centre seems to be in the process of exercising an option of changing the governor of the state, but the people’s disillusionment with the chief minister seems to be greater. While the hopes of many Generation-Next leaders are dependent on the success of the young CM, it is time the parties in the state look for a mature and better-informed alternative. Between us."
The article can be read at:

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Omar-is-his-own-worst-enemy/Article1-610963.aspx#disqus_thread

The Chinese Menace and How to Deal With It.

The Chinese are the nouveau riche . They have a lot of money. They are the new bully on the block. Like the Indians, the Chinese were subjugated by hostile foreign forces namely the British and the Japanese. The Chinese have decided to “avenge” all that humiliation. Fine. I would want to do it. Every Indian would. However, too much power and money goes to a person’s head. If the Chinese were Mumbai taporis, people would say: "Bahut charbee aaye-lee hai"!! They have been trying to hurt India for a very long time directly (1962 war) or indirectly (through their lapdogs, the pakis). They are now trying to bully every one of their neighbors. With the Japanese, it’s old scores, with everyone else it’s resources or land. Now I will only focus on what they are trying to do in India. We all know they want to get their grubby hands on Arunachal Pradesh. Now due to utter stupidity of the pakis, the Chinese have firmly entrenched themselves in the PoK area. Unfortunately the pakis blinded by their hatred for us fail to see the Chinese designs – once they get their claws into a piece of land, they are not going to get out. The Chinese want to mediate in J&K. This meta-stable dictatorship wants to mediate and adjudicate. We may as well ask Mugabe or Kim Jong Il or Qaddafi to mediate in the Middle East. What gall? What chutzpah? The Chinese have a saying (I was told by a Chinese friend) that between a snake and an Indian, they would first trust the snake! That is the impression of an Indian these people have. We can’t let them in our neighborhood, let alone our house. Unfortunately, the leadership we have in India is not capable of dealing with these sneaky liars. The people of India need to stand up and deal with this menace themselves. The Chinese, thanks to our blind leaders, are inundating our market with cheap garbage. Thus they are making money of us and destroying our local manufacturing (they have destroyed the entire American manufacturing sector). When faced with this information, our leaders would tell you that the Chinese buy a lot of stuff from us. What they do not tell you is that they buy raw material like iron ore from us (probably from the illegal mines in Jharkhand or the ones owned by the Reddy Brothers in Karnataka), which is hurting us in a different way. Needless to say, the GoI is incapable of dealing with these predators. It comes down to the aam aadmi. We have to stop buying anything with “Made in China” label no matter how cheap. That is the only way we can stop the destruction of our industries and our workers.

China wants to be part of Kashmir dispute
How to deal with an "more assertive, more muscular" China represents a huge challenge for Indian diplomats and the country, sources in India's ministry for external affairs ministry revealed on Wednesday morning. Speaking on the periphery of External Affairs Minister S M Krishna's [ Images ] interaction with senior editors, the sources noted with concern "China's role in Kashmir affairs." The sources, who spoke on background and did not want to be identified because it would probably upset Chinese sensitivities, were responding to a question posed by Indian Express Strategic Affairs Editor C Rajamohan.

The article can be read at:

http://news.rediff.com/special/2010/oct/13/special-china-wants-to-be-part-of-kashmir-dispute.htm

IS THE KASHMIRI WILL TO GO THE PAKISTANI WAY?

Where there is a will, there is a way. When it comes to destroying India, Pakistan has a very strong will. That is why the country is relentless in finding ways and means to achieve their objective. When General Musharraf retracted on his earlier remarks of training militants in the Kashmir valley people would not have given much importance to his U-turn, as this is a very common phenomenon with all Pakistani leader. But while trying to clarify his earlier remarks Musharraf has again spoken the truth, which he would not care to repudiate. Musharraf said that due to prevalence of anti-India sentiment, people "themselves" are "motivated" and "indoctrinated" to cross the border. More so "because there are gaps and it's a porous border". Unfortunately it's our country’s leadership that is in a perpetual denial mode and is considering withdrawing the AFSPA to satisfy the separatist demands. When we are not able to control the stone pelters then how can we expect a weakened security force to control youths trained on explosive devices?

Youths go to Pakistan on regular visa, return after LeT training
"A senior official said that Lashker adopted this method and has been targeting educated unemployed youth in the Kashmir Valley. "We have approached the immigration officials to keep a close tab on youth who extended their visas in Pakistan and the Gulf," the official said.
There have also been mushrooming of placement agencies who offer to take youths to the Gulf for better prospects and later they are taken to Pakistan on different passports where they undergo training modules like "daura-e-aam" and "daura-e-khas", in which the recruits are trained in making improvised explosives devices and carrying out sabotage."
The article can be read at:
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_youths-go-to-pakistan-on-regular-visa-return-after-let-training_1450556

Gujarat: A Role Model For India

The latest results from the Gujarat civic polls indicate that all of Congress’ nefarious machinations resulted in a big naught for them. They have been wiped out from the state. Now when the Congress and the seculars (Setalvad et. al.) are sitting in the dark, licking their wounds, it is important to look at this from a national perspective. I am an unabashed admirer of Bhai Narendra Modi . His performance has been stellar. We have written so much about that on this blog. Now the time has come for even the Narendra Modi haters to take lessons from him in running a state or even the nation. Hindus are taught that age and wisdom are to be respected. That means that we do not care where the wisdom comes from. My suggestion to them (especially the BJP crew in Karnataka) would be to suck it up and take notes. If every state was half as efficiently run as Gujarat is, then India would be able to progress despite of the central government incompetence.

Why we should respect Gujarat’s governance and economic achievements

As the state of Gujarat nears completion of the first decade of the 21st Century, its achievements in economic management and in governance merit respect and closer study.
Between, 1999-2000 and 2007-2008, Gujarat’s gross state
Domestic product (GSDP) in nominal terms grew at a compound annual rate of 15.8% (13.8% in per person terms). By 2010, its GSDP is approaching $100 billion, and its per capita income around $1,600, over a fifth higher than the national average. Gujarat’s economy is well balanced, with primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors contributing 21%, 33%, and 46%, respectively of GSDP in 2007-08. The manufacturing sector, key to India’s future, accounted for 41% of employment, the largest share.
The article can be read at:

http://www.dnaindia.com/money/column_why-we-should-respect-gujarat-s-governance-and-economic-achievements_1451797-all

Hypocrisy of Congress. Again!!

I remember that for everything that went wrong in India (riots, scandals etc.), the patriotic Congressmen would blame either the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or the CIA. We now find out from a book where a former US Ambassador, Daniel P Moynihan claims that the Congress party took money from the US. Since the US State Department is not in the habit of of surreptitious disbursement of money, it must have come via the CIA network.
Now the Congress can deny all this and trash Moynihan's name but once upon a time, his name was a respected one in the Indian foreign affairs. Moynihan has no reason to lie especially since he outlived Indira Gandhi and thus no scores to settle. So we have an interesting situation here. A party which blamed CIA and RSS for all the Indian ills was on the CIA payroll.
Ironic, no?
Indira's Cong took money from US, claims book:
"Turning to CIA (Central Intelligence Agency, the US spy agency) he (Kissinger) said that the United States supported the Congress party. (A fact she must know, in the past having taken our money. He would know that she would know that he would know this)," he writes in the entry. "
The article can be read at:
http://news.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/oct/12/slide-show-1-indiras-cong-took-money-from-us-claims-book.htm

Ayodhya Verdict: Judging the Judges

It is almost two weeks since Ayodhya verdict was heard by India with bated breath. Almost all the reactions are known and the future course also appears certain – that there will be another legal battle in the Supreme Court over the site. For anyone truly interested in the Hindu – Muslim “issue” in India, this verdict is even more important than for a common Indian. One would think that those already hysterical over the verdict would read the detailed version and not just it's summary, before becoming emotional about how much the verdict “wrongs” the “minority” community.

However, it is obvious that no secularist has bothered to read the detailed verdict. Romila Thapar gives it away when she complains that nothing about demolition is mentioned in the SUMMARY of the judgment! All have jumped the gun based on whatever they saw in the gist of the verdict. I am yet to see anyone having read the detailed verdict and then commenting upon the judges' wisdom. Our secularists can't be bothered to do any grunt work before they will dispense their infinite wisdom to lesser mortals. They make the most extreme comments based on what is almost hearsay, rather than do the hard work before shooting their mouths!

Let me start by trying to compile a list of their main gripes:

1. They are in anguish that the court decided to give the “garbha griha” to Hindus simply because Hindus believe it to be the birthplace of Lord Rama. The court gave precedence to Hindu faith and belief over hard evidence admissible in a court of law.

2. The court should have had strict legal focus on title suits and not take into consideration history or faith or other extraneous considerations. The courts did not primarily decide the title suits. They decided the case based on extra-legal considerations.

3. The report of Archaeological Survey of India was given undue credence. The report states that there was a large Hindu structure before the mosque was built. This, according to secularists, is disputed by historians (and no reward for guessing who the “disputers” are !), and should not have been given any consideration.

4. The courts have not tried to punish the perpetrators of the demolition. The courts did not so much as condemn or mention the demolition of “Babri Masjid”.

They have more grievances, but let me first focus on the four above, which seem to be getting repeated by everyone with any claim to being a “liberal” and “secular” Indian.

It is obvious even from a cursory read of the detailed verdicts that ALL the claims above are wrong. The judges not only did not commit any of the above-mentioned offense, but appear to have gone about their job with a fair degree of objectivity. Actually, it appeared to me that the courts' processes are such that it is nearly impossible to bring in subjectivity. I am convinced that the courts, while they are inefficient in many ways, have to be fairly objective and focus on laid down laws while deciding any issue, howsoever emotive.

The courts recorded the statements and then evidence from everyone. 250 pages of Justice Sudheer Agrawal's verdict and like number of pages of Justice SU Khan's full verdict bring it out very clearly. To my mind, it is libelous to suggest that they did not focus on hard evidence and laid down law and were carried away by emotions or considerations of faith. That nearly all secularists have made this assumption shows the mental laziness and immaturity of India's public personalities.

The first question the judges asked themselves was – who has title to the site. They examined the papers provided by Muslim side to ascertain if the Muslim side had clear title to the site. It turned out that the document, which establishes the title of a mosque – a valid notification of the waqf property by the government under the Muslim Waqf Act of 1936, did not have a mention of any mosque at the disputed site! There was a mention of a “Babri Mosque” but the address noted was a place 8 or 10 miles from the site. The column in the notification supposed to contain description of the property was blank. In other words, the Muslim side had no title documents for the site or the structure under dispute. It is as if someone claimed that a house is owned by him but has no registration papers to show for it !

The next step in deciding the owner of the site was to figure out who had the possession of the site. The court examined the evidence thoroughly. Who was using the site and structure – Hindus or Muslims? As it turned out, till 1855, both sides were using the structure!! Hindus were going INTO the structure and worshiping Ramlalla, and Muslims were going and offering Namaz.

There was a riot in 1855 whereby the Muslims tried to take exclusive possession of the site. Hindus chased them away and 75 Muslims lost their lives. Subsequent to this, the British government decided to segregate the Muslim side (the structure) and Hindu side (the surrounding Hindu structures) and put a fence separating the two. They did it to avoid riots. In 1934, there was again a riot over the site. The Muslims virtually stopped coming to the site and the namaz was very infrequently now if not stopped altogether. Hindus kept worshiping at the surrounding sites. In 1949, Hindus installed idols inside the structure and since then Muslims were completely dispossessed of the site.

I cannot emphasize the thoroughness with which the court tried to examine the issue of possession of the domed structure and it's site. The inescapable conclusion was that the Muslims were not in exclusive and undisputed possession of this site EVER.

The law in such a case is to declare the joint possession. This is what the courts did. The next obvious step was to give the land equally amongst the joint owners. Please remember that based on actual possession, there is NO requirement that the domed structure had to be given to Muslims. I quote justice SU Khan on this question: “..From the above it is quite clear that since much before 1855 both the parties were using the premises in dispute as their religious places. A boundary wall having a gate surrounded the constructed portion and the entire adjoining land of the premises in dispute. It was not very big in area (only 1500 square yards). There is no such suggestion on the part of any of the parties that the premises in dispute were used for any other purpose except worship. In such situation, the moment one enters the main gate he is in the premises.

Thereafter, it cannot be said that some one is in only part of the premises. For convenient use, different owners/ possessors may exclusively use different portions of a premises, however it will not mitigate against joint possession. To illustrate if a person dies leaving behind a moderate house and two sons and the sons for the sake of convenience use different portions of the house along with their families, it cannot be said that they are not in joint possession of the entire house. Use and occupation of different portion by each son for the sake of convenience does not amount to formal partition. Exactly similar is the position in respect of premises in dispute also.

The position cannot be said to have substantially changed by construction of the railing in 1856/ 1857. This bifurcation may also very well be described as convenient use of separate portions by two joint possessors.

Muslims have not been able to prove that the land belonged to Babar under whose orders the mosque was constructed. Similarly Hindus have not been able to prove that there was any existing temple at the place where the mosque was constructed after demolishing the temple. It has also not been proved by the Hindus that the specific small portion i.e. premises in dispute of 1500 square yards was treated, believed and worshipped as birth-place of Lord Ram before construction of mosque. In such situation when both the parties have failed to prove initial title, (commencement of title) it is possession and possession alone which decides the question of title in accordance with Section 110, Evidence Act,....” This is a long quotation, but it is at the heart of the judgment, which is entirely following the law of the land, entirely a decision of the title suit and entirely based on facts.

Subsequent to the above, the judges did take into the fact that Hindus came to believe that the location under the dome is the birthplace of Lord Rama. They still did not say that Rama was born at the site. They said that HINDUS HAVE BELIEVED for many centuries now that Rama was born at the site. Hence, since Hindus had joint possession of the structure and they have this belief, the area under the central dome was allotted to the deity while making the three-way division.

As it happens, the judges also commented on the Babri demolition. However, the punishment for the demolition, as per the law, is extraneous to what is essentially a title suit (a fact that does not occur to those who belligerently demand, wrongfully too, that the verdict should primarily have been a title suit, which it is in reality and which fact precludes any judgment about punishing the perpetrators of demolition). The judges were mostly objective and went by law of the land. It is significant that no judge allotted the erstwhile structure to the Muslim side. Reading the judgments in detail made me feel better about our legal system. It does have many flaws but it also forces out subjective considerations to a large extent. And when I listen to / read secularists' reactions to the judgment, I feel embarrassed and also concerned – these people, who can't be bothered to study a subject before they shoot their mouths off, are very powerful too and they will be trying to do anything to denigrate Indian institutions to favor their ideology.

That will be the real atrocity on India, if we let them succeed.