The Two Real Sadhus of Ayodhya: Lal Das and Gyan Das

December 6, 2016

First Published on September 5, 2016

Mahant Lal Das, Head Priest of the Ram temple Ayodhya and Baba Gyan Das, mahant of the Hanumangarhi temple at Ayodhya. Both unusual head priests, or Sadhus in this day and age of politicised religion.

Mahant Lal Das Baba Gyan Das

The head-priest of the Ram temple at Ayodhya, Mahant Lal Das was one of the staunch opponents of the Advani–led rath yatra. He had articulated his opposition to the blatant politicisation of religion and was made to pay with his life: he was found brutally murdered on November 16, 1993. The Times of India dated October 18, 1990 reported the priest’s public displeasure at the Ramjanmabhoomi agitation under the headline: ‘Priest asks Advani to halt yatra’. Murdered in 1993, Laldas had expressed fears for his life

Baba Gyan Das made news two days ago with his expansive and sensitive gesture to help re-build the Alamgiri Mosque at Ayodhya. Days after the local civic body declared the dilapidated 300-year-old Aalamgiri Masjid 'hazardous' and pasted notice banning entry into building, the Hanumangarhi temple trust, which is in possession of the masjid land, not only allowed its reconstruction but also agreed to bear cost and welcomed Muslims to offer namaz at the renovated mosque, The Times of India has reported.

In 1999, this visionary priest had given an incisive interview to rediff.com. Conducted by Archana Masih with photographs by Ganesh Nader, the article has relevance in the hate-filled politics of today.

"The VHP, RSS, BJP, all of them have drawn their entity from the mandir — but now they have dumped the real issue in the trash-can. Just as a bird-catcher uses seeds to lure birds to his net, these people have used Ram's name to pursue their political aims. They eventually deserted him after they achieved what they wanted. If they hadn't been so hasty, the Babri Masjid would have fallen on its own. It was so dilapidated. But they wanted to do the politics of bloodshed. Yes, we would like to have a temple too — but one that is as pure as milk. We don't to build it over the blood of the slain. Moreover, what business do sadhus have in pursuing politics?" fumes Baba Gyan Das, the mahant at the Hanumangarhi temple.

Hanumangarhi ranks among the three most prestigious temples in Ayodhya. The temple was built on a land grant from Nawab Safdar Jung and remains an important landmark. The friendly Baba Gyan Das, with an AK-47 brandishing security guard at the entrance of his home on the temple premises, sits on a wooden plank and is very forthcoming with his views.

"Katiyar is just fooling the people. They have collected over Rs 200 million for the temple and still say the pillars will take another three years for completion!" The Hanuman bhakt is scathing about the Sangh Parivar's politics of 'vote' and 'note', and reveals that he has evoked wide-ranging criticism for his views.Present at the first meeting on the temple issue at then prime minister V P Singh's home, he says he pulled out of such meetings subsequently — and has received some threatening letters as well.

"By their style of politics they have vitiated our temple movement. They have spread hatred. Because of the demolition and the events thereafter, 20 temples in the Ram Janambhoomi premises have closed down. There is only one pujari to look after the Ram Janambhoomi, how can he possibly look after all the other temples there? One bigmurti of Hanumanji was also damaged. You can see the broken foot, it is still there. This kind of fundamentalism is not Hinduism. If there is no humanity, how can you pursue dharma? They will not build the temple. They'll have no issue then. They are just an organisation ofdhongis (fakes)," continues Baba Gyan Das.

Laldas paid for his commitment to peace, harmony and non-violence with his life. ”The Hindus and Muslims of Ayodhya and Faizabad can resolve the issue themselves,” Lal Das asserted while commenting on the situation arising out of Mr Advani’s rathyatra…. “The head priest said the offerings at the temple were being deposited at two banks. He alleged that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) was “looting the people in the guise of making collections for the temple”.”The VHP and the local administration are conspiring to oust me from this post, so much so that the local administration are determined to arrest me at the behest of the VHP,” he added. (TOI, October 18, 1990)

Laldas had also accused monetary motive behind Ramjanmabhoomi movement
Laldas and many other local mahants had minced no words in repeating that large amounts of money had been collected on behalf of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas. Some claimed that the collections had erached Rs 700 crore.
Laldas was not the only one who was done to death. The sudden and mysterious death, by ‘accident’ of OSD, Subhash Bhan Sadh, an official with the Uttar Pradesh home department on April 30, 2000. His father has alleged foul play because he was carrying important documents to submit before the Liberhan Commission.

The Indian Express on July 6, 2000 recorded the mysterious events in an item titled: ‘Was UP official killed for Ayodhya links?’ The report reads, “A day after the high court ordered the Delhi police to investigate into the death of a senior official of the Uttar Pradesh government on April 30, the police are taking a fresh look at what was initially dismissed as an ‘accident’. The police have been directed to file a report on the death of OSD Subhash Bhan Sadh, an officer with the UP home department, by August 22. ….According to a petition filed by the victim’s father Bir Bhan Shad, his son was carrying top secret files relating to the Babri Masjid demolition when he boarded the Kanshi–Vishwanath Express in Lucknow on April 30. He was to appear before the Liberhan Ayodhya Commission the next day. But that never happened as Subhash met with an accident just before the train arrived at the New Delhi station. The files, the petition said, are missing.

Lal Das had criticised the heavy police and para-military development in Ayodhya and said it has created a “state of terror” in the town.Mahant . Laldas paid with his life for his bold and outspoken views. The Independent of November 18, 1993 recorded his brutal murder in a news report with the headline: ‘Ex–priest’s murder shocks Ayodhya’.

The text of the report read: “The brutal murder of Mahant Laldas, the controversial former priest of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya, on November 16 has sent shock waves through the surrounding areas of Faizabad. Mahant Laldas, who had been unceremoniously evicted by the Kalyan Singh government, was shot dead on Tuesday night at his house in Ayodhya. The priest, who had emerged as the most vocal critic of the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh usurping the Ram Janmabhoomi movement from the local bodies, had, for quite some time, been alleging a ‘sangh parivar conspiracy’ to murder him.“Fearing for his life, he is reported to have approached the local administration in Faizabad for security. His request went unheeded.” No one was tried for the murder. Laldas had deposed before the non–official commission investigating the whole issue, much to the annoyance of some local mahants who were part of the Bharatiya Janata Party–Vishwa Hindu Parishad bandwagon. (Citizens Tribunal on Ayodhya, December-January 1993)

Jayalalithaa’s Legacy: Industrial, Social, Crime Rankings Among India’s Best

December 6, 2016

Tamil Nadu’s 19th chief minister (she was also the 11th, 14th, 16th and 18th) J Jayalalithaa, who died on December 5, 2016, was known for gifting her 72 million people a record set of freebies, but she also leaves behind a state that ranks among India’s top five in many social, crime and industrial indicators.

Tamil Nadu now has India’s lowest fertility rate–lower than Australia, Finland and Belgium–second best infant mortality and maternal mortality rate; records among the lowest crime rates against women and children; and has more factories and provides more industrial employment than any other Indian state, according to an IndiaSpend analysis of various data sets.

However, financing the freebie culture came at a cost. Tamil Nadu witnessed a 92% increase in debt over five years ending 2015, according to an IndiaSpend analysis of state budgets in November 2015.

Tamil Nadu’s education indicators have always been above the Indian average and have steadily improved during Jayalalithaa’s 15-year stint as chief minister.

Although Tamil Nadu regularly reports violence and discrimination based on caste, the state’s crime rates are among India’s lowest, particularly those relating to women and children.

As regards industrial growth, Tamil Nadu has more factories than any other Indian state (37,378), according to the Annual Survey of Industries, 2013-14. Maharashtra ranks second with 29,123 factories, followed by Gujarat with 22,876. More people are engaged in industrial work
(2.04 million) in Tamil Nadu of any Indian state; Maharashtra (1.8 million) is second and Gujarat (1.37 million) third.

Tamil Nadu’s per capita income is India’s fifth highest, but the four states preceding it are substantially smaller. Among the country’s large states, it has the richest people.

Freebies come at a cost

Jayalalithaa is known for the freebie culture, which she did not begin but did expand, personalising it along the way. For instance, her 2011 election promises included 100 units of free electricity to every household, a free laptop for class 11 and class 12 students (with free internet connections), a gram of sovereign gold as marriage assistance, and four goats/sheep to families who lived below the poverty line. The laptops had images of “Amma (mother)”, as Jayalalithaa was popularly known. Other programmes also carried that name, such as Amma canteens (for subsidised food) and Amma medicals (for subsidised medicines).

While some programmes were applauded as having a social effect–such as the midday meal scheme, which Tamil Nadu pioneered before Jayalalithaa took office for the first time in 1991 and encouraged children to stay in school–they resulted in the fastest rising debt of any Indian state, as IndiaSpend reported in November 2015.

Average Debt Per Capita, Maharashtra & Tamil Nadu
State	Outstanding Liabilities (Rs crore)	Population (in millions)	Average debt per person (Rs)
Maharashtra	338,730	114.2	29,661
Tamil Nadu	195,290	67.86	28,778

Source: Reserve Bank of India, Census 2011

Debt, per se, is not bad, if the state’s economic growth can sustain and service it. So, the key matrix is the debt as a percentage of the state’s gross domestic product (GSDP) or total economic output. Tamil Nadu’s debt-to-GSDP ratio at 20% is lower than the national average, an indication the state is growing despite the spike in debt.

(Salve is an analyst with IndiaSpend.)

Courtesy: India Spend

देश में नोटबंदी लागू होने के बाद अब लागू हो नसबंदी- गिरिराज सिंह

December 5, 2016

केन्द्रीय राज्य मंत्री गिरिराज सिंह ने नोटबंदी के बाद नसबंदी लागू कराने की वकालत की हैं। जिसके बाद वो चौतरफा आलोचनाओं में घिर गए हैं।

गिरिराज सिंह ने ये बयान संसदीय क्षेत्र नवादा में एक कार्यक्रम में उन्होंने कहा कि देश के विकास की रफ्तार और सामाजिक स्थिरता के लिए देश में नसबंदी और जनसंख्या स्थिरता कानून की सख्त जरूरत है। उन्होंने कहा कि देश की बढ़ती जनसंख्या विकास में बाधक है।

जनसत्ता की खबर के अनुसार, अपने इस बयान के बाद आलोचना में घिरे गिरिराज सिंह ने इस बयान पर सफाई देते हुए कहा, हमें राष्ट्रहित के बारे में सोचना चाहिए। भारत की आबादी ऑस्ट्रेलिया के बराबर जुड़ रही हैं।

गिरिराज सिंह के इस बयान पर जेडीयू नेता ने भाजपा पर तीखा हमला किया है। जेडीयू नेता अली अनवर ने कहा कि नसबंदी की योजना बड़े पैमाने पर लागू होगी या नहीं इस बारे में तो बाद में पता चलेगा, लेकिन नोटबंदी की इस योजना से भाजपा की नसबंदी जरूर हो जाएगी।

गौरतलब है कि गिरिराज सिंह लगातार इस तरह के विवादित बयान देते रहें हैं अक्टूबर में उन्होंने हिंदुओं को ज्यादा बच्चे पैदा कर अपनी जनसंख्या बढ़ाने का बयान दिया था। उन्होंने कहा था, हिंदुओं को अपनी जनसंख्या के मसले को गंभीरता से लेना चाहिए, क्योंकि देश के आठ राज्यों में हिंदुओं की जनसंख्या घट रही है

Courtesy: Janta Ka Reporter

Will the Guilty of the Mewat Rape(s) be Punished?

December 5, 2016

The gangrape and after, the battle for justice has been long and lonely. The victim has had to leave home, her husband has lost his job. Their only hope is justice will be swift and exemplary

The memories haunt her daily. “Din raat bas dimaag mein wahi chalta rehta hai, har waqt dar lagta rehta hai (I keep thinking about it all day, I feel scared all the time).”Married at the age of 15, and a mother by the time she was 18, she has rarely questioned decisions taken by others for her, she says.

Not this time. Gangraped on the intervening night of August 24-25 along with her 14-year-old cousin by four men in Dingerheri village in Haryana’s Mewat district, she asserts, her face blank, “Main bhi ladoongi aur mere pati bhi lad rahe hain… Un sabko phansi ki saza honi chahiye (I will fight and my husband is fighting too. I want the perpetrators to be hanged).”

Since the incident, the 19-year-old has moved to her uncle’s home, along with her mother. “My parents-in-law haven’t talked to me since that night. I can’t go to my village either, as there is all kind of talk. So I have come here,” she says.

It’s a semi-constructed two-storey home, with a few buffaloes tied to a pole in the courtyard. Fiddling with the ends of the dupatta covering her head, she says what keeps her going is the occasional visit to the market nearby. “Baaki bas zindagi chal rahi hai (Life goes on, that’s it).”

The family fights on, alone. Her husband now shuttles between the house she stays in and his parents’ home in Hatim village. The 25-year-old says the rape shattered all that they had planned. Earlier, while she lived in Hatim, he worked in Gurgaon, 50 km away, and visited on weekends. The job of a call centre driver earned him Rs 15,000 a month. He had to give it up after the rape as he was busy making rounds of the court and police station.

While he claims to be determined to stand by his wife in this “battle”, he adds, “I am desperate to get back to a normal life. Everything has changed. We remain confined to Nuh on most days. We are trying to forget the incident, but it is tough. We have stopped discussing it at home. We have also run out of money, so I need to get a job soon. We need to get a place for ourselves too.”He hopes justice will come soon. “Bas un chaaron ko phansi lag jaaye (I am just waiting for the four accused to be hanged)….”

Police have arrested only four men, but the victim says there were four others. “They asked us for money and jewellery, payal, kada sab de diya (We gave them our anklets, bangles everything). Then they threw down a copy of the Quran we had in the room. We pleaded, told them it was our holy book, but they said they didn’t care. Then one of them said, ‘Tum gau maas khate ho, tumhe toh kabrastaan pahunchayenge (You all eat cow meat, we will put you in the grave)’,” she says.Her family has alleged that the two members of the family murdered that night were also killed by the rapists.
A pre-mediated hate crime. The family insists the attack was a “premeditated hate crime”. “There were more than four attackers that night and they had with them iron rods and sticks. It was definitely pre-planned, they wanted to humiliate us,” says Zohruddin, 68, the victims’ maternal grandfather.

The claim that the assaulters were “cow vigilantes” was also made by the rape victims at a press conference in the Capital, though the police charge sheet says it was a case of robbery and murder. The incident triggered a fight between Dingerheri village and the village of the four accused, Mohammadpur Ahir. There have been several mahapanchayats in both villages since the incident. Families of the accused, Amarjeet (24), Sandeep (26), Rahul Verma (22) and Karamjeet (24), claim they had “close ties” with the victims’ family and are surprised the girls named the four.

On September 8, Sabrangindia had carried this nerve-wracking account:
Two young Muslim girls, one of them minor, narrated the chilling account of their gang rape in Delhi yesterday, an incident that took place on the night of August 24-25, a week ago. Last Wednesday (August 24), four-five persons, described of height and good build in the FIR, broke into their after midnight in Dingerheri village in Mewat district of Haryana, looted valuables and killed the couple Ibrahim and his wife Rashidan when they resisted the attack.

Minutes later, they broke into their relatives' home, about 200 metres away. There they tied another couple with the bed in the veranda and brutally beat them up. Then three of the robbers took turns to rape a minor girl and her married cousin who were sleeping in the room. The injured couple are admitted in a local hospital. The police have lodged FIR on the complaint of the gang-rape victims. The account as narrated in the First Information Report number 0247/2016 dated August 25, 2016 is horrific:

“I work as a domestic worker. I had come for the Bakri Eid festival from my in-laws place to the home of my parents. On the late night of August 24, I was sleeping with my family in the house. My uncle (chacha, name withheld), was sleeping outside in the courtyard and I was sleeping next to m cousin and her two children in the inside room. We heard shouts from outside. Suddenly four to fve men, two in baniyans and shorts, the others in pant shirt entered the room, They snatched away our dupatta(s) and tied up my uncle to the cot he was sleeping on. Then they beat him mercilessly. After this, they came into the inner room and then both my cousin sister and I were raped three times by three men. They kept demanding to know money eand jewellery was; one of them has a katta in their hand.They then searched the boxes etc in the house; emptied the barrel with grains, and then locked five of us into the room inside. They stole the motor cycle also. They were assaulting us between 12 midnight and 3 a.m. The men were speaking in ‘Jat Bhasha’ and were tall and board shouldered..

Somehow, my young relative (name withheld) reached to my grandfather sleeping outside near the tube well and informed him of the incident after which we were rescued.” Sabrangindia has a copy of the FIR.

Though Manual Scavening is a Crime, FIR Registration Takes over a Month: Gujarat

December 5, 2016

The moot question remains: when will the government and society stop hiring people for such dangerous and demeaning work of cleaning septic tanks and manholes?

Representation Image

Activist Parsottam Vaghela has successively, after a month’s effort, on the late night of December 3, one month and three days after 3 sanitation workers died due to poisonous gas while cleaning septic tank in Vadodara, managed to register a First Information Report(FIR). Under the law, it is a crime to employ any person as manual scavenger or as manhole worker to clean manhole, septic tank. The FIR has been registered with regards to the deaths of 3 manhole workers at the Arani Police Station, Vadodara under sections 304 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Sections 3(1)(j), 2 and 5 of the Prevention of Atrocities Act(PoA Act) and Sections 8 and 9 of the Manual Scavenging Act.

Soon after the incident, the police had, typically, registered the cause of deaths as ‘accidental death’. It is the persistent efforts of a Dalit rights group that remedied this. Parsottam Vaghela from Manav Garima, a CBO Valmiki community visited the victim families and police and asked them to lodge FIR against employers. But, victim families were influenced by political forces and no one came forward to lodge complain in police station. PI of Arani Police Station said that he would file FIR if any person from deceased persons came forwards with a complaint. Parsottambhai talked Police Commissioner, Collector of Vadodara. He also talked with joint Director of SC Welfare but no one acted on this. Finally, after interventions with the Director General of Police (DGP) Gujarat on December 3 an FIR was finally lodged against Shakti Jagdish and Dhaval Kishor yesterday night.
The moot question remains: when will the government and society stop hiring people for such dangerous and demeaning work of cleaning septic tanks and manholes?

Related Articles:
Gujarat govt must identify, award compensation to families of deceased manhole workers

Demonetisation Crushes Green India

December 5, 2016

As the Rabi sowing grinds down; and the sales of tractors and two-wheelers dip all over; Cauliflower prices in Maharashtra fall from Rs 80,000 fall to Rs 6,000

The demonetisation of high-value currency notes seems to have crushed the tender green shoots of economic recovery in rural India by choking off life-sustaining money supply and impeding the wheels of commerce from spinning. Farmers all over the country have been deeply impacted as traders helplessly dole out cheques instead of much-needed cash after purchasing their produce.The seat of the agricultural mandi where the television camera does not reach is today the seat of great distress. Farmers after collecting cheques from traders were found struggling to withdraw huge amount for taking up rabi crop. As bank authorities were limiting withdrawals to Rs. 10,000 at a time and Rs. 24,000 in a week, the regular tasks of purchase of seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and also payment of wages to labourers has assumed nightmarish challenges.

Fast on the heels of de-monetization, there was a battle royale between the finance and agricultural ministries of the Modi government when the former, at first refused concessions to farmers and agriculturists to use the older Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes for the purchase of seeds. Following the outrage, this decision was thereafter, reversed.

Predictions across the board indicate that production in 2016-17 could drop if sowed acreage reduces for want of enough seeds on time to exploit the adequate soil moisture. A bank manager said that farmers were reluctant to visit banks and deposit their cheques as they were worried that banks would debit their crop loan amount. The agricultural market committee authorities suggested that the government ensure one-time payment of cheques for the farmers after showing the proof of purchase of their farm produce to the banks.

The impact is visible in different sub-segments. Winter crops such as wheat, mustard, chickpeas are due for sowing in a fortnight. Wheat prices were already up due to low stocks and anticipated shortfall in 2015-16 output and have firmed up further as demonetization fallout pushes traders to build more inventories. Production in 2016-17 could drop if sowed acreage (rabi) reduces for want of enough seeds on time to exploit the adequate soil moisture. Yields could fall from late sowing and subsequent exposure to rough spring weather, the lack of sufficient or timely application of fertilizers, pesticides, etc. Farm labour, vital for this period, is reported to be unpaid as farmers have no cash. Many of them are reported to be returning from some northern parts to homes in UP and Bihar. Labour shortages and wage-spikes may follow with a lag.

Plantation crops such as rubber, tea, jute, cardamom are seeing no wages paid to workers. Small-medium tea growers have few buyers now (a third of the tea was unsold in recent auction in the south). Raw jute trade is halted as paucity of funds affects procurement-delivery by traders. Projections of scarcity have appeared with appeals for official procurement support. Cotton is witnessing havoc: daily arrivals have plunged to 30,000-40,000 bales against the usual 1.5-2 lakh bales at this time (harvest) as per reports and prices have soared 9% in a week, pushing up global prices in turn.

Vegetables and fruits that along with crops added 61% of agriculture’s gross value added in 2015-16, depends critically upon a cash-strapped transport sector for daily supply network. Sales have dropped sharply (25-50%) across markets with occurrences of dumping. At present, demand is repressed for want of currency, so prices are subdued, but eventually, supply shortages could cause prices to rise.

How long can the demonetization drag upon agriculture persist? And how soon could the segment rebound? The answer is up in the air at this point. Production patterns and cycles vary and there is little guidance as to when the demonetization dust finally settles. However, gestation periods extend from 2-3 months for vegetables and 4-6 months for oilseeds, pulses and cereals. Production losses in vegetables cannot be recouped and is a permanent loss. Lower cereals, oilseeds outputs would persist until the next harvest, or about nine months and it is certain that incomes and profit margins will be hurt.

Price and output effects will reflect all the above listed factors. This means considerable fluctuations, increased uncertainty and risk.

The Horticulturist Farmer
The Hindustan Times reports that, if Sanjay Gunjal’s one acre of cabbage field had just ripened before the decisive November 8 decision by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to scrap high value notes of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500, he would have been contended farmer today. Instead, the cabbage took a tad longer and by the time a deal was made the agriculture market was reeling under a cash crunch that slashed prices of all farm produce.When Gunjal, a farmer from Khandgaon village in Ahmednagar district finally sold his cabbage, he got only Rs 6,000 for the entire acre of produce instead of Rs 80,000, the market price he could have got earlier.

And yet, from prime minister Narendra Modi to ministers Nitin Gadkari and Prakash Javdekar, these high in the sky politicians are busy ‘celebrating’ the BJP’s gains in the local municipal polls.

The tragedy for farmers like Gunjal has been worsened by the insensitive de-monetization decision. On the heels of three consecutive droughts and unseasonal rains, Gunjal and his family was counting on this cabbage field to make some headway in 2016. “The money I would have got from the cabbage would have gone into planting of pomegranates in this season, paying back one instalment of loan, running the house and paying labourers. Now, I have been left with half a field of cabbage that even the trader did not bother to take and will have to plough over it,’’ said Gunjal, whose family including two other brothers owns 16 acres of land, where they grow vegetables, sugarcane and fodder crops.

Like Gunjal, lakhs of farmers in rural Maharashtra are facing the brunt due to demonetization as the cash crunch has led to a drop in prices of farm produce. Majority of agriculture markets in the state that have so far been dealing solely in cash, were working at only 50 % or less of their capacities this month.

From FMCG firms to two-wheelers to tractor makers, companies had been looking forward to an increase in rural demand in the wake of an adequate monsoon after two years of sub-normal rains. But just as things were beginning to look up, the withdrawal of ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes has hit rural India hard.

Unlike metros, rural areas do not have adequate numbers of ATMs or digital payment options. Given the cash dependence, and the fact that even small-denomination notes are not in active circulation, the demand recovery in rural areas has been badly affected.

“The agriculture sector will bear the brunt of demonetisation,” said Dharmakirti Joshi, Crisil Chief Economist to The Hindu. “Farmers are finding it tough to sell their produce in the APMC markets. Therefore, despite a good harvest, there is unlikely to be a commensurate improvement in rural demand.”

The cash crunch is also adversely impacting the rabi sowing season. According to research firm Edelweiss, about half the rabi sowing season is over, but as on November 25, sowing was down by about 7.5 per cent compared to the normal.

Sales of two-wheelers and tractors, a barometer of sentiment in rural India, also dipped in November, the month of the demonetisation announcement. Rural India accounts for over 50 per cent of two-wheeler sales, which were down 12.8 per cent year-on-year for Hero MotoCorp and 13 per cent for Bajaj Auto. Both companies are strong players in the rural markets.

For Mahindra & Mahindra, domestic tractor sales declined 24 per cent year-on-year to 15,918 units in November. “In my view, there will be a 25 to 35 per cent further reduction in demand from rural areas in December and January,” said Abdul Majeed, Partner at PwC India. This will impact the sales of not only two-wheeler and tractors, but also of SUVs, which are typically bought in cash by rural customers.

“The general sentiment is down. Many farmers have been forced to dump their produce as trucks are not operating. And those who have the money are postponing purchases owing to the uncertainty. All this will impact demand in the auto sector,” Majeed added.

Consumer durables hit
The consumer durables segment, which normally sees good demand from rural areas, is also bearing the brunt of the currency crunch.

Storeking, an assisted e-commerce player focussed on rural areas, has seen a dip in demand for brown goods. It has kiosks at retail outlets, where shopkeepers assist customers in selecting products from its online shopping platform and get them delivered to the shop within 48 hours.

“People are buying necessities, but not home appliances, TVs, refrigerators and mobiles. Discretionary purchases have taken a beating,” said Sridhar Gundaiah, Storeking founder and CEO.

According to Dhananjay Sinha, Head of Institutional Research at Emkay Global Financial Services, the demonetisation shock is expected to nip the budding recovery as it will have an adverse impact on demand, corporate performance and the labour market, and have a ripple effect on various other fronts.

“The cumulative impact will vary depending on the time it takes for the economy to remonetise and on the quantum of notes extinguished,” he added.

पीएम ने स्वीकारा, नोटबंदी का फैसला अब तक की सबसे बड़ी गलती

December 5, 2016

नई दिल्ली। प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी नोटबंदी के बाद संसद में सवालों का जवाब देने से लगातार बचते नजर आ रहे हैं। विपक्ष के हंगामे के बावजूद भी वे संसद में चर्चा को तैयार नहीं हैं। हालांकि चुनावी रैलियों में लगातार नोटबंदी के फायदे और विपक्ष के नुकसान लोगों को गिना रहे हैं। नोटबंदी के फैसले को भले ही वे लोगों के सामने सही ठहरा रहे हैं लेकिन उन्हें मालूम है कि यह फैसला उनकी भयंकर भूल के कारण हुआ है।

पीएम ने तेलंगाना के मुख्यमंत्री के चंद्रशेखर राव (केसीआर) के साथ 19 नवंबर को एक मीटिंग में कहा कि बिना सोचे समझे 1000 और 500 के नोटो को बंद करके उन्होने एक बहुत बड़ी भूल कर दी।

नरादा की खबर के अनुसार, चंद्रशेखर राव पीएम से नोटबंदी के बाद तेलंगाना में नए नोट ना होने से हो रही भारी परेशानी बताने के लिए मिले थे। नोटबंदी के बाद से तेलंगाना के हालात बहुत खराब थे जिसका असर हैदराबाद समेत पूरे राज्य पर पड़ रहा था। पुराने नोट बदलने के लिए कतारों में बहुत लोग खड़े थे जिसके बाद से पैसा बहुत जल्दी खत्म हो रहा था।

मोदी और चंद्रशेखर के बीच मीटिंग 25 मिनट के लिए होनी तय थी। लेकिन ये मीटिंग पूरे एक से डेढ़ घंटे के लिए चली चंद्रशेखर राव ने कहा कि औद्योगिक और कृषि क्षेत्रों में स्थिति बुरी तरह से प्रभावित हो रही थी। चंद्रशेखर ने पीएम से तेलंगाना में इस तरह के एक अनिश्चित स्थिति को देखते हुए कहा कि, राज्य केंद्र को करों और अन्य राजस्व के अपने हिस्से का भुगतान करने में सक्षम नहीं होगा।

चंद्रशेखर द्वारा की गई सूचीबद्ध शिकायतों के बाद प्रधानमंत्री ने स्वीकार किया नोटबंदी अपने आप में एक बड़ी भूल थी। और उन्हे इसे शुरू करने से पहले बहुत अधिक ध्यान देना चाहिए था। एक सूत्र ने इस मीटिंग के बारे में बताया कि हालांकि प्रधानमंत्री ने कहा कि चीजें जल्दी ही सुधरनी चाहिए।

प्रधानमंत्री ने चंद्रशेखर से नोटबंदी को सार्वजनिक रूप से इस कदम का समर्थन करने को कहा। मोदी ने चंद्रशेखर को आश्वासन दिया कि नितिन गडकरी, सड़क परिवहन और राजमार्ग मंत्री, और पीयूष गोयल, बिजली मंत्री, संकट से उबरने में मदद करने के लिए राज्य में नई परियोजनाओं की घोषणा करेंगे।

मोदी और चंद्रशेखर राव की बैठक इतनी लंबी चली कि पीएम से मिलने का इंतज़ार कर रहे सेना प्रमुख जनरल दलबीर सुहाग को कहा गया कि कुछ जरूरी परिस्थितियों के कारण प्रधानमंत्री से मिलना संभव नहीं है।

ये पहला अवसर है जब मोदी ने नोटबंदी पर अपनी गलती स्वीकार की है। वरना प्रधानमंत्री मोदी ने सार्वजनिक रूप से नोटबंदी का पूरी तरह से बचाव किया है। इस कदम के खिलाफ विरोध करने वालों को पीएम ने भ्रष्ट कहते रहे हैं।

Courtesy: National Dastak

REAKING VICTORY: The Obama Administration Halts the Dakota Access Pipeline

December 5, 2016

The Obama Administration and Army Corps of Engineers have officially denied the easement to cross under Lake Oahe — halting the Dakota Access Pipeline — thanks to the hard work and dedication of the brave water protectors! #NoDAPL — with Maureen Martens Cruz Hauprich.

Sabrangindia has been reporting this struggle consistently especially when iconic American journalist, Amy Goodman was served with ‘rioting charges’ for courageously reporting on the protests and finally, being protected by the judiciary. A North Dakota judge on October 18y refused to authorise riot charges against award-winning journalist Amy Goodman for her reporting on an attack against Native American-led anti-pipeline protesters.

The pipeline project has faced months of resistance from the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and members of over 100 other tribes from across the U.S., Canada and Latin America.

Goodman is the host and executive producer of Democracy Now!, a national, daily, independent, award-winning public television/radio news program that airs on over 1,400 stations worldwide. Goodman has co-authored six New York Times bestsellers and won many of journalism’s highest awards in more than three decades working as a reporter.

The Guardian reports this victory too: The Victory at Standing Rock Could Mark a Turning Point:

“The defeat of an energy company by indigenous activists shows what non-violent unity can accomplish…

“The news that the US federal government has refused to issue the permit needed to run a pipeline under the Missouri river means many things – including that indigenous activists have won a smashing victory, one that shows what nonviolent unity can accomplish.

“From the start, this has been an against-the-odds battle. Energy Transfer Partners, the company building the pipeline, is as wired as they come: its line of credit links it to virtually every bank you’ve ever heard of. And operating under a “fast-track” permit process, it had managed to win most of its approvals and lay most of its pipe before opponents managed to mount an effective resistance.

“But that opposition finally did arise, and it centered on the last place the pipeline would have to cross: the confluence of the Missouri and the Cannonball rivers. It wasn’t standard-issue environmental lobbying, nor standard-issue protest, though there was certainly some of both (lawyers took the company to court, activists shut down bank branches). At its heart, however, in the great camp that grew up along the rivers, this was a largely spiritual resistance. David Archambault, the head of the Standing Rock Sioux who demonstrated great character and dexterity for months, kept insisting that the camp was a place of prayer, and you couldn’t wander its paths without running into drum circles and sacred fires.

“As a result, overlapping epochs of sad American history were on display. When native American protesters sat down in front of bulldozers to try and protect ancestral graves, they were met with attack dogs – the pictures looked like Birmingham, Alabama, circa 1963. But it went back further than that: the encampment, with its teepees and woodsmoke hovering in the valley, looked like something out of an 1840s painting. With the exception that this was not just one tribe: this was pretty much all of native North America. The flags of more than 200 Indian nations lined the rough dirt entrance road. Other Americans, drawn in part by a sense of shame at this part of our heritage, flooded in to help – when the announcement came today, there were thousands of military veterans on hand.

The rest of the article may be read here

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The Two Real Sadhus of Ayodhya: Lal Das and Gyan Das

Mahant Lal Das, Head Priest of the Ram temple Ayodhya and Baba Gyan Das, mahant of the Hanumangarhi temple at Ayodhya. Both unusual head priests, or Sadhus in this day and age of politicised religion.

Jayalalithaa’s Legacy: Industrial, Social, Crime Rankings Among India’s Best

देश में नोटबंदी लागू होने के बाद अब लागू हो नसबंदी- गिरिराज सिंह

Will the Guilty of the Mewat Rape(s) be Punished?

The gangrape and after, the battle for justice has been long and lonely. The victim has had to leave home, her husband has lost his job. Their only hope is justice will be swift and exemplary

Though Manual Scavening is a Crime, FIR Registration Takes over a Month: Gujarat

The moot question remains: when will the government and society stop hiring people for such dangerous and demeaning work of cleaning septic tanks and manholes?

Demonetisation Crushes Green India

As the Rabi sowing grinds down; and the sales of tractors and two-wheelers dip all over; Cauliflower prices in Maharashtra fall from Rs 80,000 fall to Rs 6,000

पीएम ने स्वीकारा, नोटबंदी का फैसला अब तक की सबसे बड़ी गलती

REAKING VICTORY: The Obama Administration Halts the Dakota Access Pipeline

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