India On Edge :- 2

                                           In my previous post i have mentioned alleged growing intolerance in country and one reason might be non-fulfillment of aspirations of masses. In this post would like to draw attention on certain perplexing policies adopted and implemented by policymakers in complicity with media that's disappointed a section of population and question partisan attitude of pseudo-secular politicians. The growing disenchantment among majority community (on religious basses)due to lopsided political decisions is creating inevitable social unrest in the society. 

                                        In India, secularism is the most smeared word. Samuel Johnson once said "Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel" and in our case " Secularism is the last refuge of scoundrel".The mask of “secularism” is what allows numerous politicians to continue in power despite their involvement in religious massacres or caste riots.Corruption cases ,massacres,scams ,blatant human rights abuses,nepotism etc. are forgiven if one has secular certificate.

                                     According to census 80%(1 billion) population are hindus followed by roughly 15%muslims ( 175 million ) and rest sikhs,jains,buddhists ,christians. For politicians the biggest religious minority group appeasement is more alluring and profitable during elections as they allegedly vote in mass to single political entity usually with secular certificate . 

                                      After dividing Hindus on caste basis,it becomes inevitable for politicians to entice Muslims through symbolic secular gimmickry.Numerous cases like debarring children from singing National song in schools in Kerala,or molesting policewomen in Mumbai while protesting over Myanmar violence are conveniently forgotten while isolated criminal cases with Muslim victims are flashed and highlighted and majority community is blemished across media by politicians in the name of safeguarding secularism often resulting in acrimony among society. This one sided approach only emboldens fanatics and gives implicit confidence of no action if one belong to minority community. It only malignes the whole community that's inadvertently blamed.Gutter politics of psuedo secularism & appeasement only ends up denting secularism besides creating acrimony among citizens.

                                           For instance some of the biggest riots with Hindu or Sikh victims are deliberately removed from psyche of Indian society like the -

1. Kashmiri Hindus exodus 

2. Sikh riots

3 Tripura Tribal massacre (Part of Christian terrorism in Tripura) in 2000

4.Marad Massacre in 2003 Kerala

5. 2010 Deganga riots in West Bengal 

6. 2012 Assam riots

7. 2013 Canning riots in West Bengal 

8. 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots 

                               These are few of many heinous riots where victims weren't Muslims and thus conveniently forgotten or ignored by pseudo secular politicians and paid media. Often for them, largest displacement of Kashmiri Hindus in one of the worst ethnic cleansing in independent India isn't news, riots for pseudo seculars started with Gujarat in 2001.

                          

                                      The ignorant powerful media celebrities and politicians who continued there blabbering and gimmickry remain unchallenged for long due to lack of opportunities for masses,that ended with growing clout of Social media.The powerful impact of SM was felt and respected after 2014 elections when sand castles of opportunism and pseudo secularism crumbled. Only after elections might of SM was taken into cognizance and incidents that were previously redundant were debated and considered by media.

 

                                      When march of nationalist forces couldn't be halted by syndicate of opportunistic forces, newer methods are devised to tarnish incumbent govt. Be the mass hysteria created over Christian reconversion,desecration of religious places or attacks on few leftists by criminals being touted as growing intolerance in society and stifling free speech by organizations in connivance with Modi govt,however, these allegations always fell flat for lack of evidence.

          

                                           The recent moronic acts of returning Sahitya awards by few alleged writers is case in point.The reasons cited for returning award by handful of recipients are scuttling of free voice by Modi govt and  murders of murders of Kalburgi, Dhabolkar, Govind Pansare and the recent Dadri murder. Its noteworthy to know that most of these murders have happened under non-BJP govts still  the ruling parties of the states aren't questioned while squarely blaming Modi and central govt for lawlessness by allegedly disenchanted writers.

                                          

                                       Truth is some of these writers have political affiliations and thus all to gimmickry is being enacted to appease political masters during election (currently Bihar). Numerous incidents of violence,incarcerations,suppressing free speech,gagging people,intimidation occurred during previous non-Bjp govt but failed to awake there conscience from hibernation. The mega corruption scandals,custodial deaths, mutilation of soldiers by enemies and inability of previous govt also didn't deter these morons from accepting awards or relinquishing them before. It is therefore safe to assume these intellectuals who have relinquished there awards are trying to manufacture an outrage with media complicity. There manufactured rebellion is rightly mocked by masses who accuse them of being opportunist and hypocrites, trying to garner eyeballs and appease political masters.

                                      There are innumerable things that needs honest critical evaluation and govt be taken to task for its failures like deferring GST bill, Land and Labor reforms,Banking reforms etc. but criticizing incumbent govt for state law and order problems or for perceived threats is preposterous. Equally disturbing is the brazen attitude of fundamentalists who shouldn't be allowed elbow space to create a niche for themselves in a peacefully tolerant Indian society. Extremists irrespective of religion should be sternly dealt with. In a pluralistic diverse nation of ours, eating habits or religious customs mustn't be allowed to question by privy eyes.For India to progress we shouldn't compromise on pluralistic,tolerant, democratic fundamental principles that restores confidence for dignified life for all its citizens. Secular society is one with uniform laws for all irrespective of religion ,caste or creed,stepmotherly treatment for one section while appeasing other will only end-up fragmenting society.

India On Edge -1

 To build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years.To destroy can be the thoughtless act of a single day.
                                                                                                                                —Sir Winston Churchill 
   
                             The ignominious deeds of humans seems to have no abyss, the more a group of people stoop lower, others challenge it by sinking further. Nowadays the irony of all the madness is the itch among respective religious bigots is to declare ones religion as supreme. Religion which was supposed to preach tolerance, peaceful coexistence among masses is now the centerpiece of conflicts around the globe. Everyone in general is in hurry to identify himself with religion and more sympathetic towards co-religionists while libellous towards "others". 

  Life with ideology and morality is construed as weakness and people adhering to it are often mocked at or are intimidated to silence. The space for rational voices is getting  skewer by the day. With religion taking the center stage extremists are having a field day. Before 1990's socialism was an ideology with human face, a demigod till 90's but it had bitten dust and after collapse of Soviet Union religious fanaticism and liberal western democratic system tried to fill in the vacuum. Unfortunately, liberal democracies of west propagated materialism, alleged moral and ethical degradations of society is rampant thus disintegrating the family value systems in many civilizations. It is believed societies based on materialism ideology are hollow and ripped apart as materialistic ambitions are respected  and encouraged. On the other hand  religious extremism propagated intolerance often resorting to violence towards other religions or anyone objecting to them. The mixture of both makes a deadly combination with no breathing space for helpless opponents.

                                                                    INDIA 

                                   Indian society that for centuries prided itself for being tolerant ,pluralistic is also passing through testing times. After Independence,Indian society was steered by Nehru towards pluralism,totally apt and accommodating for diverse society like ours.With time, this unifying ideology is increasingly under severe strain and today lies in shambles with more people questioning the allegedly lopsided or biased politics of it. It is extremely disturbing as to why does a  man's quest to become statesman(non aligned movement) and get international acclaim is hounded after his death ? The answer to it lies in the opening up of Indian economy in 1992. 3%growth rate economy started achieving 7% economic growth that lent confidence among Indians(middle class),a burgeoning class that started questioning decisions of previous policymakers.Another potent change was the penetration of  cable tv with the opening of economy. It revolutionized information gathering and distribution ,suddenly curbs on news by govt and its manipulation became an arduous task, thus manipulating opinions through censorship started diminishing and so does the clout of established operators.

                                    Initially the old media celebrities who had a field day during printing era and then  on cable news(initial years) by manipulating news and manufacturing opinions on cable tv's lasted another 10-15 years till Social media(SM) developed roots and began challenging these self-acclaimed media celebrities. The internet revolution has been both a blessing and a curse as news spread quickly and repercussions are spontaneous.The penetration of SM is the most significant factor that altered public discourse.The growing intolerance among masses might have many reasons but one definitely is skewed depiction of events by vested interests. Verificity of events are scarce and instant justice is rampant. SM is a powerful medium attracting large number of angry, frustrated and humiliated youth who uses the anonymity of uncensored media to vent there anger. Many groups have sprung up on SM vouching to defend certain ideologies and respective religious beliefs foul mouthing and spewing venom against others in the name of defending free speech.There are numerous reports where riots were orchestrated by extremists citing dubious SM comments or videos leading to loss of men and material.

 Truth is somewhere in between, after commencement of reforms in 1991 a particular section benefited immensely and moved out of poverty becoming part of burgeoning middle class that grew in confidence with economic prosperity while majority still is confined to the unending vicious poverty cycle. Self-confidence and economic independence helps people to diminish wrong mythologies and complexes, makes one more tolerant and pluralistic. On the other hand deprived class become's more religious, more tied to their caste/sub-caste, more radical in their thinking, and blaming disparities on previous policymakers. The ruling elite also find it convenient to blame and tarnish past as there incompetency isn't questioned.

                                  For India to thrive society has to do brutal,honest introspection,its vital to shun the twisted,polluted ideology. There is a saying in China that whatever you put in your head and your stomach, no one can take away from you. Grievances among masses is understandable coupled with religion it becomes a powerful emotional connect and tool in the hands of unscrupulous radical fringe elements to exploit. Economic growth is the best antipoverty system and stabilizing factor when millions of deprived young people be provided with opportunities to achieve their full potential by imparting modern education and jobs.

Saudi Arabia Heads UNHRC

                               As stated by the U.N. declaration of Human Rights in 1948 "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood." The above declaration states that each and every human is entitled to certain basic human rights such as right to live, speech, freedom, justice, etc. irrespective of race,religion,color,creed and nationality and these rights are fundamental to human existence thus should be protected.

                          The sad part about honoring the simple basic rights enshrined in most countries constitution is the different interpretation of human rights and its protection. In some counties political and civil rights are not given or guaranteed to all its citizens or minorities while in some others, economic and social rights are not honored. To ensure promoting & implementation of rules safeguarding human rights international organizations like UN,Amnesty International and International Human Rights Commission(IHRC) were created and entrusted responsibility.

   Recent contentious appointment of Saudi Arabia  by the UN to head a key human rights panel United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has been deplored by human rights groups Worldwide. The reason being the disgusting human rights record of Saudi government. Saudi Arabia is notorious for worst kind of rights violations,repressive theocracy by discussing the open discrimination against women, public execution for petty crimes and harsh sentencing for government critics is cited as reasons by organizations for Saudi Arabia's omission from human rights panel. 

                        According to the Amnesty, rights activists are labeled as terrorists in Saudi Arabia and their trials continue. The fundamental human rights respected world wide are not adhered to by Saudi regime.The organization adds that Riyadh imprisons people merely for exercising their right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. Amnesty has also slammed the Saudi regime for violating international laws through its unilateral aerial war on Yemen that  killed hundreds of innocent civilians.

  The wife of imprisoned free speech blogger Raif Badawi, Ensaf Haidar, called the appointment “scandalous” and said that it meant “oil trumps human rights”.Saudi Arabia has been accused of human-rights abuses for decades, from suppressing dissent to beheading people for homosexuality,drugs,adultery and minor crimes. Saudi regime is accused of using draconian,medieval era laws to silence dissent in there country.

Ensaf Haidar, wife of Saudi blogger Raif Badawi

                   With angry human rights organizations calling Saudi appointment preposterous there had been past instances when despite worst human rights violations, China together with Russia, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Cuba and Algeria won seats on the U.N. Human Rights Council. As UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer said “It is scandalous that the UN chose a country that has beheaded more people this year than ISIS to be head of a key human rights panel, “Petrodollars and politics have trumped human rights.” 

                                                   Shia Activist Ali AlNimr 

                             Western governments are always being accused for dubious conduct on penalizing human rights offenders. Saudi Arabia is an important Western ally in an increasingly tumultuous middle eastern region and that implies Saudi Arabia's appointment to coveted UNHRC .

Caste System And Reservations

                               We live in a country where surname is important, its not your achievements but the family you are born decides one's social standing. Caste is a powerful tool of self-identification in Indian society. Caste based discrimination in India is as old as country itself.

                            India adopted constitution in 1950 and provided "reservations" to the most downtrodden caste groups in social hierarchy for there upliftment and thus imparting social justice and bringing equality. Idea to provide reservations was to bring equality,development and social unity among masses thus concluding that caste consciousness would slowly wither away with time. Reservations which was meant to provide equality and unify society, actually ended up increasing the wedge.

                          Reservations undoubtedly provided relief to a section of targeted caste groups(beneficiary) but failed to bring social unification or untangling caste web in our society, on the contrary it further complicated things parting wedge further. The problem, as all too often in India, is politics. Caste based politics is a potent tool in the hands of politicians exploited to the hilt. In electoral democracy "reservations" became an election tool in the hands of politicians for population mobilization. With fewer government jobs and dwindling economy nowadays there's a competition among caste groups to be declared backward and get under the ambit of reservation.

  Reservation policy was implemented for social,economical,constitutional and political empowerment of lower castes. The irony of reservation quota is, it divided the society even more as the unreserved castes either want the reservations cancelled or to be included in the quota themselves and current beneficiary castes protect their quota percentage and resist inclusion(dilution of quota) of any new castes into their category. With increasing population and lesser jobs, the scuffle to get enrolled through reservations is only going to vitiate social environment . The mad rush to declare there castes socially and economically backward is only going to accentuate further. Gujjars of Rajasthan, Patels of Gujarat, Jats of Haryana and Kapus of Andhra Pradesh are just the beginning with many more castes will unite as vote banks to arm twist government for advancing there cause.

Category as per Government of India	Reservation Percentage as per Government of India
Scheduled Tribes (ST)	7.5%
Scheduled Castes (SC)	15.0%
Other Backward Classes (OBC)	27.0%
Total constitutional reservation percentage	49.5%
General	50.5%

                              Providing reservations to section of society ( 15 per cent and 7.5 per cent for SCs and STs respectively) was a social experiment for uplifting deprived castes who were allegedly suppressed for generations with equal opportunities and social equality, but the trouble began in 1990, when Parliament passed a law reserving another 27 percent of government jobs for members of "Other Backward Classes".  It's important to know the basis for reservation to any caste and the benchmark setup to distinguish are obscure. In the mid-1990s,Rajasthan's Jats community applied for inclusion in backward-classes quota. They cited, among other things, 1931 census data revealed child marriage in their community was more prevalent than among other official backward castes. 

                                                                     Jat Agitation 

                                 The primary objective of Indian reservation system was to provide enhanced  social,economical and educational opportunities to underprivileged communities but with more affluent communities seeking pie of reservation quota,it actually defeats the objective of classless Indian society. With brain dead politicians at helm,numerical strength of communities and there prowess to unleash terror will be the benchmark for inclusion of specific community in reservation quota in future. The Patel's in Gujarat, Jat's in Haryana are testimony to quota agitation.

                                                            Patel Agitation 

                                  In present scenario when every caste is in haste to be branded backward and logic is overruled by politics, there's a need to analyze the impact of reservations on our society. We should determine whether the past practices of 65 years (reservations was initially proposed for 10 years) yielded desired results. Some people argue to include economically weaker sections irrespective of caste be granted reservation. One most formidable alteration to reservation quota would be to abolish prevailing reservation on caste and give free and quality education till 12th to all the deprived and poor sections of the society (any caste, creed or religion),full scholarship to meritorious  candidates irrespective of caste and religion.