Modi Regime has Rid us of Fear: Mothers Shahira & Fatima Nafees dare Govt

January 13, 2019

Shahira and Fatima Nafees in Mumbai on January 12

The brazen and brutal violence unleashed on our sons has rid us of any fear, dared Shahira and Fatima Nafees mothers of two sons, one dead and the other missing, both victims of the hate-letting unleashed under the current regime. Speaking at a meeting at Haj House in Mumbai on Saturday, both women dared the prime minister with his claim of a 56-inch chest! Why does he not have the moral courage to look us in the eye, meet our demands. ensure that the guilty are brought to book, they demanded?

Nafees’ son , 27 year old Najeeb has been missing since October 2016 after an alleged assault by members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) at the Jawaharlal Nehru University(JNU) in Delhi. JNU is a university under attack for its radical and liberal values by the Modi regime since Feburary 2016. The ABVP is a wing of the far right Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the ideological fountainhead of the NDA II regime. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) finally closed the case in October 2018. Nafees is planning to challenge the closure in a protest petition soon. It is believed that top level functionaries of the Modi have been protecting the nine accused in the case. These nine have not ven been questioned by the CBI. The CBI itself is under a cloud after brazen interference in its functioning by the prime minister’s office (PMO).

“I dare the primine minister to meet us, look me in the eye and say no wrong was done to my son. This regime that is fuelled on hate and violence will not come back to power. The 56 inch chest will deflate,” Fatima said. Hailing from Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, Fatima spoke of the hardships involved in the struggle for justice, the delays, the callous attitudes of the law enforcement agencies amd even the courts.

Junaid, a 16 year old from Faridabad was literally beaten or lynched to death in June 2017 when on a Delhi Mathura train returning home with his two brothers after Eid shopping. While Junaid tragically died his brothers were seriously injured in the assault that was clearly communal, with vile abuse being flung at the boys and their beards being pulled. Junaid’s tragic death had resulted in a nationwide outrage of anger and protest. Sabrangindia had been the most prompt to report on this tragic death after the CPIM in a rare and prompt move had moved on the issue. The #NotInMyName Protests after Junaid’s killing had showed some resistance to the repeated violence against minorities that has been a hallmark of this regime.

The dimunitive Shahira, mother of Junaid who also spoke in Mumbai yesterday was scathing of the state of affairs related to the case in her son’s mother. ” The FIR itself has not included the crucial sections of section 302 and 307 (murder and attempt to murder), she said. Six of the accused have been let off by the courts on bail. There is talk of the main accused standing for the coming elections. We need to speak out. There should be no question of feeling afraid. My son’s death has killed the fear in me,” she said.

A Noida based businessman, Amit Jani has floated an outfit called the Uttar Pradesh Navnirmal Sena and has announced that Naresh Kumar, the main accused in the killing of Junaid will contest the elections. He has also reportedly stated that all those accused of killing Muslims should fight the elections.

Both Shahira and Fatima stressed the need of educating Muslim, Dalit and Bahujan youth so that young persons make it to top positions and ensure both representation and justice for the marginalised. “I was not educated and my husband is a carpenter. But apart from Najeeb my other sons too are post graduates and my daughter, too is studying,” she said.

Fahad Ahmad from TISS also spoke on the occasion. Teesta Setalvad, co editor of Sabrangindia and secretary, Citizens for Justice and Peace, spoke of the emergent opposition to this repressive regime. ” It is the youth like Rohith Vemula, Umar Khalid, Kanhaiya Kumat and survivors like Shahira and Fatima Nafees who have emerged as the strong voice of resistance and opposition to this regime,” she said.

1. How India Unleashes Violence Against Mothers The unending struggles of Fatima Nafees and Radhika Vemula

Striking Workers of Mumbai’s Red BEST Bus face threat of losing Jobs: BMC

January 13, 2019

BEST employees who have been on a strike since 8 January 2019 have been charged with sections of the Essential Services Act and have reportedly also beeb threatened with loss of jobs and forced eviction from the site of protest. The strike has the support of citizens forums, organizations who want affordable public transport for Mumbaikars. Their main demand is that the merger of the BEST budget with the principal budget of the BMC would esnure that the interests of the vast majority of commuters would be protected, especially since the Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) is committed to funding public transport at adequate levels as an essential municipal service. The Bombay High Court has also intervened asking the BEST Management to talk to the striking workers about their demands.

Citizens along with the BEST Workers Union have been arguing that, over the decades we have seen eroding of all public services like health, education, and transport and simultaneous promotion of private profit. The erosion of public transport actually threatens livelihood of people of Mumbai. Mumbai has witnessed 385% increase in two-wheeler traffic and 340% increase in private cars in last twenty years. On other hand BEST ridership has seen sharp fall of 40% in the past seven years. Increase in private vehicles has caused tremendous traffic congestion, also leading to extreme pollution. Today cars and bikes occupy 77% of road space and BEST buses which can carry multiple times the riders occupy merely 2% of road space. BEST has been reducing the staff, bus fleet, closing down routes and at the same time increasing bus fare. In 2018 itself BEST increased tariff by 30%. BEST workers have called an indefinite strike on 8thJanuary 2019 in the face of continuing apathy from the management and state to resolve the issues and the government’s zeal to continue on the path of destruction of one of the premier bus services and pride of Mumbai city.

Mumbai’s local train service which is the busiest commuter train service in world, carrying 7.5 million passenger every day, has been over crowded, leading to accidents and death of 10 persons every day. From 2002 till 2012 36,152 commuters have lost lives. Just last year 22 persons lost lives in crowded Elphinstone road station, due to stampede. How and why we are continuing to face this situation, without any solutions being found to strengthen the railway infrastructure and effectively alleviate the problems plaguing the rail network, used by maximum number of Mumbaikars.

On the other hand we have seen large investments being made to introduce new lines and expand the Mumbai Metro service – that is both unsustainable and inaccessible to large portion of the low income groups, working class and poor in Mumbai city, which gap is only bound to increase with the multiple price hikes. The Mumbai Metro line for North South also comes with irreversible environmental impact, at the cost of valuable green cover, stability of Mumbai city and the fate of its residents in the face of rapid sea level rise, Climate Change and increasing exposure to natural calamities and disasters.
Instead of budgeting improvement in public transport we witness plan for Coastal Road’s South Phase costing over Rs 12,000 crore for the benefit of private transport. We also have seen Rs 1600 crore worli-sealink which caters to average 32312 vehicles per day. And now we have the miracle of bullet train appearing at cost of 1.1 lakh crore.

A Petition on this issue has also been started to support the striking workers. The petition may be signed here

The issues raised in the petition are:
BEST has raised bus fares steeply in recent years, to the level of share-taxi fares.
BEST management has discontinued more than one-fifth of the routes. BEST has also reduced the number of buses by more than 900 in four years, and 7200 staff positions scrapped.
The BEST management has stopped issuing or renewing bus passes.
The BEST management cancelled the new contract for e-ticketing machines in July, but has not initiated any replacement. 70-80% of the existing machines are out of order.
For over a year, the BEST management has failed to collect Rs 320 crore of dues from builders after giving them valuable depot land for ‘redevelopment’. And then they complain that BEST is losing money!
The BEST management proposes to chop up BEST and make two separate companies, one for buses, and another for electric supply. For more than 70 years, the electricity dept has assisted the bus department, serving the city well. Once the two are separated, the bus department will be unable to survive for lack of cash day to day. What will commuters do when BEST stops?
The BMC on its part is focused on the Coastal Road instead of bus priority lanes; private contractors instead of commuters; BEST’s so-called ‘inefficiencies’ instead of the city’s worsening pollution and congestion; convenience of private motorists instead of safe, affordable and sustainable public transport.
From all this it is clear that the BEST management is out to shrink the city’s bus services and even hand them over to private operators. Who will suffer? The millions of working people who rely on the bus system. The millions of citizens who will have to suffer increased car pollution.
We all have a right to affordable, frequent, speedy, safe, and comfortable public transport, for which a public bus system is essential. We all have the right to clean air.
Mumbaikars cannot afford to simply watch BEST die. We must act to stop BMC from implementing its policy of shrinking and shutting BEST! We must ask it to buy more buses, increase frequency, reduce fares, re-start closed routes, don’t privatise, revive BEST!

The evil consequence of the ideology taught in our religious seminaries: Islamic scholar

January 12, 2019

THE situation which today has been created in the whole world for Islam and Muslims by certain extremist organizations is the evil consequence of the ideology taught in our religious seminaries, and also propagated day and night by Islamic movements and religious political parties.

The true understanding of Islam in contrast to this has been presented by this writer in his treatise Mizan. This understanding actually constitutes a counter narrative. It has been repeatedly pointed out by this writer that when in a Muslim society anarchy is created on the basis of religion, then the remedy to this situation is not advocacy of secularism.

On the contrary, the solution lies in presenting a counter narrative to the existing narrative on religion. Its details can be looked up in the aforementioned treatise. However, the part of it which relates to Islam and the state is summarized below.

Read full report here: pakobserver.net/islam-and-state-a-counter-narrative/

Sowing division: caste is crucial in Indian elections

January 12, 2019

Of course, politicians did not create the powerful Hindu caste system. They merely exploit this fault-line, exacerbating the caste animosities to build vote banks.

“Jaati na poocho sadhu ki, pooch leejiye gyan”, sang India’s saint-poet Kabir. (Do not judge a saint by his caste, imbibe his knowledge). However, the most-asked question in an Indian election is about the candidate’s caste. Political analysts ask it, poll strategists ask it, and the voters ask it. The caste-related issues frivolous to outsiders are debated seriously in TV shows and newspaper articles during an election season. Such weird identity-politics is not played out in any other democracy!

Of course, politicians did not create the powerful Hindu caste system. They merely exploit this fault-line, exacerbating the caste animosities to build vote banks. There are four main castes – Brahman (priests and intellectuals), Kshatriya (warriors and kings), Vaishya (traders) and Shudras (servants including the untouchables). They form a hierarchical order that covers hundreds of sub-castes within a caste. Every caste is credited with certain attributes such as valour or craftiness. The tradition of caste-based military regiments established by the British continue.

The tradition of caste-based military regiments established by the British continue.

The caste matters a great deal in Hindu rituals and ceremonies. Caste conflict is a regular feature of life in villages and cities. Many inter-caste marriages are destroyed by social sanctions. Some of these and at times even love affairs end in the crematorium.

A god intervenes

Hindu humans are governed by caste hierarchy, but a god was brought under its purview during the recent election campaign. Yogi Adityanath, BJP’s monk-chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, hit the headlines by telling an election rally that Lord Hanuman, known in the West as Monkey God, was a Dalit (belonging to the most depressed caste). The statement made to garner the Dalit votes caused a huge blowback! In a country where Dalits were denied entry into temples, the Yogi called a god Dalit!

The statement highlighted the astounding complexity of Indian politics and of Hindu religion. Political parties face a difficult choice. They woo the oppressed and depressed castes in order to collect more votes. In doing so, they antagonise some upper castes. Religiosity and tradition expect them to respect the caste boundaries! Many upper-caste voters in the recent elections turned away from the BJP because of its support to positive discrimination in favour of the depressed castes.

By calling Lord Hanuman a Dalit, the Yogi offended the Brahmans, the priestly class. Some protesting Brahmans threatened to sue the chief minister. Interestingly, the Yogi is a Rajput (of warrior caste). BJP’s mentor organisation RSS has mostly been headed by a Brahman and it is often asked whether a Dalit could ever head the RSS.

With the Yogi calling Lord Hanuman a Dalit, the Dalit leaders demanded that all Hanuman temples should have Dalit priests, and these should be handed over to them! The Dalits took their protests to some Hanuman temples and in one they forced the Brahman priest to leave the building.

A woman Dalit MP resigned from the ruling BJP complaining that Hanuman was humiliated and treated as a slave by the high-caste Hindus. She said Hanuman helped Lord Ram win the war against the demon king Ravan and yet this Dalit was turned into a monkey with a black face!

One leader in the Yogi’s own party said Hanuman was not a Dalit but an Arya since the caste system had not started in his age! This will be contested by those who worship Ram as a Kshatriya (the warrior caste). A pro-BJP royal Rajput family claims to have descended from Lord Ram.

Conflicting claims

Contradicting the Yogi, the state BJP minister for religious affairs declared that Hanuman was a Jat (of an intermediate caste). He gave a simple reason. Only the people of this caste jump in to help anyone in trouble and since Hanuman fought Ram’s battle, he was a Jat! A socialist leader of the same state said Hanuman was a Gond tribal. A Jain monk claimed that Hanuman was a Jain. Jainism identifies him as one of the 169 great persons, he said.

A Hindu monk-businessman who supports the ruling BJP invoked the sacred texts to say that the caste is determined not by birth but by the nature of duties performed by a Hindu. Since Hanuman burnt down Sri Lanka and made Ram victorious in his war against Ravan, he was a Kshatriya! While some Hindus do worship Ravan, fortunately none declared that a Kshatriya sinned by killing Ravan, the Brahman scholar.

As if citing the Hindu caste system was not funny enough, a Muslim politician declared that Hanuman was a Muslim because his name rhymed with common Muslim names such as Rehman and Usman! A wag said Hanuman was a Chinese because his name rhymes with Jackie Chan! All such statements were given due publicity in the media and led to serious high-decibel TV discussions! A wag said Hanuman was a Chinese because his name rhymes with Jackie Chan!

Considering half a dozen conflicting claims made about Lord Hanuman’s caste, only a law court can allocate the correct caste to this god and free him from an imposed identity crisis. Secular Hindus grumble that having dividing humans for political gains, the BJP is dividing gods on the basis of caste! Newspaper editors wrote that the poll campaign ought to have focused on the vital livelihood issues instead of on gods and castes.

Caste solidarity and self-immolation

Caste animosities transform the political scene. It happened following Prime Minister V. P. Singh’s decision in 1990 to grant job reservation to the “other backward castes”. The measure, based on the Mandal Commission Report, was designed to reduce inequalities. But by exacerbating caste divisions, it hindered the BJP’s project to unify Hindus on one political platform. The decision did have the political objectives of countering the BJP’s Ram temple agitation and winning the votes of the “other backward classes”.

Anti-Mandal agitation against job reservations for other backward classes.It sparked a violent agitation by the upper caste students. Self-immolation by some students gave a tragic twist to the protest. The agitation lit caste fires in young minds and sparked a political storm. The BJP, whose core constituency includes a large section of the upper castes, resumed its agitation for building the Ram temple and went on to withdraw its support to the V. P. Singh Government that lost its majority in Parliament and resigned.

Many upper-caste voters do not like positive discrimination in favour of the backward castes and resent the BJP’s stand on job reservations for them. The BJP does not dare to weaken that policy and displease the lower castes but its attempt to enlarge its footprint alienates the upper castes as seen in the recent state elections.

Different political parties are supported by a coalition of specific caste groups. Such coalitions usually stick with their preferred party for a few years. Some join a group for a couple of years then switch their support to another party. In some democracies, such coalitions are based on shared ideology, in India these are formed on the basis of caste solidarity.

Building your caste profile

All parties draw up poll strategy on the basis of the constituency’s caste profile. Messages in the election speeches are tailored to suit the dominant caste, ideological coherence is sacrificed. If a candidate belongs to caste A, his rival belonging to caste B fields dummy candidates of caste A to divide the opponent’s votes.

Incendiary rumours enhance inter-caste and intra-caste animosities. False statements fuel sub-caste jealousy. Political rivalry is promoted among the caste groups. The dominant caste in the village tries to impose its political preference on the depressed section by issuing threats. If the election results show that the dominant caste leader’s fiat was ignored, the defiant voters are subjected to violence. Extensive opinion polls, by indicating the voting preference of a particular caste group, make it easy to take revenge.

Newspapers give the caste-wise break-up of the candidates fielded and the candidates who win the elections. Caste matters in the selection of the candidates and shapes the content of the poll campaign speeches. When the government is formed, the media highlights the caste composition of the cabinet. It wasn’t so in the newly independent India when democracy was less mature.

Earlier, some secular political leaders tried to reduce the role of caste in politics. Congress leader Indira Gandhi once ran a successful poll campaign with the slogan: Na jaat pe, na paat pe, muhar lagegi haath pe (We shall ignore the candidate’s caste and sub-caste and vote for the Congress symbol of hand.)

Today no party ignores the caste factor that influences the voting behaviour and creates vote banks. Every party devises it poll strategy by considering castes and sub-castes. Paradoxically, even the BJP, while committed to uniting Hindus, plays caste-based politics in a big way. BJP minister has no hesitation in saying that since Congress President Rahul Gandhi belongs to an upper caste, his party cannot bear to see Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is not from an upper caste. BJP’s spokesman Sambit Patra publicly asked Rahul Gandhi to declare his Gotra (his specific clan within the caste). This question usually comes up when a matrimonial alliance is discussed!

The BJP and caste

The RSS which is BJP’s ideological mentor has mostly been headed by a Brahman and it gives no place to the minorities. A large section of its followers happens to belong to the Baniya caste engaged in business. The ruling BJP, known earlier as a Brahman-Baniya party, has been reaching out to other castes. And yet the organisation is still dominated by the upper castes, as indicated by a detailed analysis of its hierarchy by ThePrint.

Prejudices die hard. So, the BJP leaders in the southern state of Kerala invoked the low caste of its leftist chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan to attack him. He is being asked to leave his political office and go back to his caste profession as toddy tapper. The chief minister is trying to implement the Supreme Court’s judgment lifting a temple’s ban on the entry of young women. The BJP has launched a violent agitation in defence of faith and tradition. It believes that by consolidating the upper-caste votes, it would be able to make political gains. The Prime Minister made vague comments about belief and said nothing to discourage his party men from defying the Supreme Court judgment.

While some BJP leaders do not refrain from making casteist comments, the party has co-opted even Dr B. R. Ambedkar, a Dalit icon. In protest against the oppressive and discriminatory caste system, Ambedkar converted to Buddhism taking thousands of his followers with him. He had warned the nation against Hindu hegemony and burnt a copy of Manusmriti, a Hindu law book containing casteist verses.

Dr. B R Ambedkar, the Dalit icon.The support of the lower castes in elections is invaluable. It is more so for the BJP since it ignores Muslims and marginalises them to please its die-hard Hindu supporters. Since it has to woo the lower castes, in this limited context,
political compulsions have made the BJP less exclusive. It publicises the caste of its candidate if he or she is from a depressed caste. It does so in the case of Prime Minister Modi who is not from an upper caste. If a party opposing it has a large following in a particular caste, the BJP fields a candidate belonging to the same caste in order to draw away voters of that caste. It does not matter any more which caste dominates the party. All parties play this game, but the case of the BJP is worth noting since its declared objective is to unite Hindus. No one talks of the abolition of the caste system.

Caste rivalries and religious polarisation during election campaigns disturb social harmony and often cause violence. Elections come and go but tensions continue. Political leaders generate emotional frenzy through divisive rhetoric, mythological tales and false warnings of the danger posed by the religious “Other” or other caste community. Sectarian statements and violence during the election campaign have become the new normal. In this atmosphere, no one talks of the abolition of the caste system.

L K Sharma has followed no profession other than journalism for more than four decades, covering criminals and prime ministers. Was the European Correspondent of The Times of India based in London for a decade. Reported for five years from Washington as the Foreign Editor of the Deccan Herald. Edited three volumes on innovations in India. He has completed a work of creative nonfiction on V. S. Naipaul His two e-books The Twain and A Parliamentary Affair form part of The Englandia Quartet.

Courtesy: https://www.opendemocracy.net

Bangladesh: Are reserved seats in the parliament sufficient for women’s empowerment?

January 12, 2019

There is broad consensus that women’s increased participation in politics is necessary for both the democratic development of the country, as well as women’s empowerment in Bangladesh

web-File photo of the session room inside the Bangladesh Parliament <b>Syed Zakir Hossain/Dhaka Tribune</b>

File photo of the session room inside the Bangladesh Parliament Syed Zakir Hossain/Dhaka Tribune

In the recently-held 11th general election, 22 women were directly elected among in 299 constituencies. Despite this, the percentage of women elected to parliament is less than 8%—not even reaching double digits.

With 50 seats already reserved for women, the total percentage of female representatives stands at 20.3%.

Among the 22 directly-elected members of parliament (MPs), 19 are from the ruling Awami League, two from Jatiya Party (JaPa), and one from Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD).

Last year, the tenure of the reserved seats for women was extended to 25 years. However, until the major political parties nominate more women to run for directly-contested seats, a gender balanced parliament cannot be achieved.

Women’s empowerment in politics on the rise
There is broad consensus that women’s increased participation in politics is necessary for both the democratic development of the country, as well as women’s empowerment in Bangladesh.

To encourage women to participate in politics, Bangladesh has taken initiatives to reserve a certain number of seats for women at all levels of government–national and local.

According to data from the Inter-Parliamentary Union in 2018, among 193 countries, Bangladesh ranks 92nd in the world with 20.3% female MPs. Rwanda holds first position with 61.3% of female representation in the parliament. Bangladesh’s position is better than that of the USA, Pakistan, India, Brazil, and Malaysia.

The country’s two major political parties have been headed by women for over three decades; but the number of women directly elected to the parliament remains low.

According to the recent “Global Gender Gap Report 2018” published by the World Economic Forum (WEF), Bangladesh has closed over 72% of its overall gender gap, retaining its topmost position among the South Asian countries in ensuring gender equality.

Experts say Bangladesh has been a role model for women’s empowerment in the past decade, and consequently the society has experienced a positive change because of the efforts made in this regard.

Syeda Razia Faiz was the first woman ever to be directly elected in Bangladesh, as a candidate from Bangladesh Muslim League, in the second parliamentary election that took place in 1979. In that year, the number of reserved seats for women increased from 15 to 30.

Women members of the parliament throughout the history of Bangladesh
However, in 1988’s fourth parliamentary election, the constitutional provision to that effect had expired.

Again, the tenure for the reserved seats ran out during the election held in 2001, after the parliament enacted a law to reserve seats for women in the fifth parliament in 1991.

Meanwhile, with the 14th amendment, the number of reserved seats for women was raised from 30 to 45—prior to the ninth parliamentary election held in 2008—and then increased to 50 through the 15th amendment in 2011.

During 10th election in 2014, 18 women were directly elected. However, five new women became parliament members through a by-election later on.

‘Reserved seats needed until favourable environment is created’
Mahabub Ara Begum Gini—thrice-elected MP from the ninth to 11th parliamentary elections, for Gaibandha 2 — said reserved seats are there for women’s empowerment.

“We still have to fight with the male population to obtain our rights,” she said. “Women’s empowerment is also needed for the economic development of the country.

“For as long as a favourable environment is not created for women, reserved seats are an absolute necessity,” Mahabub Ara said.

Ismat Ara Sadique—who was elected an MP for two consecutive terms in the 10th and 11th general elections for Jessore 6 — said: “Reserved seats would not be needed if men changed their mentality.”

She added: “The notion that women are not able to carry out the responsibilities of a position, as capably as men, has made the society neglect women. This notion should be changed as women have proven countless times that they are able to handle responsibilities successfully.

“Women are now more aware than before,” Ismat said. “They have learned to use their own judgment while making decisions. However, women still remain deprived as society continues to bring them down.”

Ismat also said reserved seats should be kept as long as a favourable political environment for women is not created.

‘Women should be elected, not selected, for reserved seats’
The policy of selecting MPs for the reserved seats should be changed, President of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad Ayesha Khanam said.

“The existing policy of selecting, not electing, women for the reserved seats should be changed,” she said. “Most of them are politically inexperienced and consequently drop out after a few years. They do not even have any role in decision-making.”

They should be elected instead, she said. Women in remote areas are hardly politically aware, she added.

The women’s reserved seats should be increased to one-third of the whole of parliament, said Ayseha.

Sushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Sujan) Secretary Bodiul Alam Majumdar echoed similar sentiments. “The reserved seats should be increased, but the patriarchal system of selecting women for those seats should be changed. This does not empower women.”
Bodiul further advised to follow India’s rotating system of electing women representatives.

Executive Director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Dr Fahmida Khatun told the Dhaka Tribune, in July 2018 that Bangladesh is improving in the area of women’s empowerment,but to ensure sustainability, priority should be given to: in skills-development, higher education and capacity-building.

Meanwhile according to the Representation of the People Order (RPO) every political party must have women as 33% of its representatives.

The provisions of the RPO 1972 were amended in 2008; now all parties have to ensure 33%, one third, of women representatives in all sectors, including the central committees, by 2020.

However, all registered parties—including Awami League and BNP—are yet to fulfill this condition.

Courtesy: Dhaka Tribune

Can add value to politics by using my experience as a civil servant: Shah Faesal

January 12, 2019

It would be safe to say that ever since Shah Faesal cleared the Union Public Service Commission exams nearly a decade ago, his every move and statement has been analysed endlessly by people both within and outside Kashmir. Long used as an example for Kashmiri youth, Faesal looked set in his bureaucratic life until earlier this week, when he announced that he was resigning from his job and would join politics. How this move works out remains to be seen, but the reasons cited in his Facebook post are ample evidence that he had been mulling over this move for a long time. In an emailed interview with TwoCircles.net’s Auqib Javed, Faesal explains how he plans to work in Kashmir and what are his future goals. Excerpts:

1. What difference you are going to make in politics? How will you succeed where others have failed?
That’s a very pessimistic way to look at things. I don’t think everyone has failed. Politics is a great instrument of change. I think I can add value to politics by using my experience as a civil servant.

2. As a Politician, you can do a lot more for people than being an IAS officer. What will be your plans, how you are going to make a difference?
Politics has a wider canvas. We not only get to work for the people but also speak for them.

3. People in mainland Indian might feel that your resignation might be an indication of you supporting the anti-India narrative in Kashmir. What will be your response to them?
I support the people’s narrative. There is nothing like an Anti-India narrative.

4. Your statements as a civil servant mattered and made headlines, now your every statement will be seen like any other politician. How will your voice matter?
It was untenable to speak all the time as an officer. I am sure I can strike the right chord with the youth. There will always be an audience for what I speak as long as I speak sense.

5. You have cited quite emotional reasons for your decision in your Facebook post. Does joining politics change any of those concerns?
These are all political challenges and can be fought back politically.

6. When were you first approached by National Conference and what was your first reaction?
Omar Sahib has been very gracious. He encourages me not because he wants me in his party. The NC never approached me.

7. How do you think politics will help? Did you feel helpless as a bureaucrat?
Politician and the bureaucrat work in the same public space. Both do the same kind of work. Developmental work mainly. Politics then, in addition, is about the joy of representation and action at the grassroots level.

8. How can the Kashmir issue be resolved?
I am not here to prescribe any solutions. My point is that we need to create conditions for the solution to be discussed. Demilitarisation, repeal of harsh laws, release of political prisoners etc can be as the really important confidence-building measures.

Courtesy: Two Circles

Why is Mehbooba Mufti now apologizing to people of Kashmir?

January 12, 2019

As the assembly elections of 2019 are around the corner, former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti has once again reverted to her old tactics to gain the sympathy of the people. She has started to visit the families of militants and shed some tears with them. There is nothing surprising here as she has done this in the past too.

Photo Caption: Mehbooba Mufti: What now?

She used the same strategy before the 2014 assembly elections for gaining the ground which was slowly and stealthily loosening from the grip of National Conference (NC). She used to visit the militant families in far off places to condole the demise of their wards. In the mass agitation of 2010, when over 120 civilians were killed during the NC government, she used to wail in the assembly make her presence felt on the streets of Srinagar city where there would be a good media vigil to make the people believe that she is their true saviour.

She hasn’t left the home of anyone unvisited among the victims of the gory year of 2010 but what happened in 2016 when her party was in power is not that important for her because they were killed while fulfilling the dream of her father, the late Mufti Muhammad Sayeed.
In 2009, she was seen on the roads holding the pictures of Shopian rape-murder victims Asiya and Nelofer and many times broken in the assembly while demanding justice for the duo. All this appeared to be a drama which subdued subsequently after they came to power in 2014. The killing cycle which was left incomplete by NC was carried forward by her government and her tear ducts slowly dried down.

The governor of the state SP Malik has rightly termed her recent visits to the deceased families in Pulwama and Shopian as her political compulsion. There she demanded action against the harassment of the militant families. There is not an iota of sympathy and generosity visible in her visits but cynicism mere deceit. Because her regime not only saw the killings of militants but civilians, policemen and non-state subjects as well. If she terms them as martyrs now, then what should the earlier ones be called?

One wonders about the fickle nature of Ms Mufti which changes faster than the weather in Kashmir. She is synonymous to the rolling stone which scarcely gets a moss over it. The sympathy for the militants and their families evoked in her should not be taken as a surprise because the long history of inscrutable politics with the trail of betrayals is before the people.

BJP on the other hand is not liked in the Valley, but unlike NC and PDP they are not hypocrites. They are straight forward with a clear strategy. Now when Mehbooba Mufti again started showing sympathy towards the pellet victims and militants terming them as the collective loss of nation, BJP reminds her of the toffee remark she made in the mass uprising of 2016, when a minor who had gone to an army camp with a stone in his hand was pierced by bullets. Exposing her BJP has shown Ms Mufti her real place.

Ms Mufti claims that she cared for the children who were pushed towards the army camps and police stations by some people for their vested interests. But when a child does something wrong, he should be rebuked, refrained from repeating the same activity. Moreover some concrete steps and initiatives should be taken to halt his extreme destructive steps. This is called care. Not an arrogant remark of “Has he gone to fetch the toffee!” Where is care in this remark for the children who are consumed on the daily basis?

The care was never visible in the five years of the PDP-BJP coalition. PDP launched their government by ditching the people by allying with the BJP in 2014. Having got the mandate of the people to keep BJP out of the state it joined hands with the same party to form the government. All they cared about was the chair and cared a hoot for the people who voted them to power.

The condition of the local populace during their regime remained the same as under the NC led government, rather worsened a bit. The PDP drastically failed to emancipate the people out of their conundrum. Ms Mufti’s sole concern now is to somehow regain the faith of the people in her party. Apologies, visits and martyr remarks are nothing. There is lot more to come.

The Author is studying English Literature at Aligarh Muslim University. He hails from Frisal Kulgam in Kashmir and can be reached at pala.abid@gmail.com/ Twitter Handle: paul_aabid

This story was first published on countercurrents.org. It has been slightly edited in places for clarity.

“Cartoons are voices of the masses”

January 12, 2019

His cartoons on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill have created unrest amongst the Right-wing groups that have been attacking him on social media ever since

Image Courtesy: Guwahati Plus

Over the last few weeks, cartoonist Nituparna Rajbongshi has been facing a huge backlash over his set of cartoons. The Assam based political cartoonist, in his recent work on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, depicted the Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in a nude caricature. The cartoon showed Sonwal holding a Hindu Bangladeshi on one hand and a native Assamese being clinched on the other hand. His work of art opposed the bill recently passed in Lok Sabha.

The state of Assam has witnessed huge protests against the Bill in the last few weeks. The Assam government’s step to implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is also facing criticism by civil society members, students and political groups. In solidarity with the natives and their protest, Rajbongshi published a series of cartoons on his social media account and his personal blog. His cartoons have created unrest amongst the Right-wing groups and he has been attacked on social media ever since. After a mass complaint registered by the right wing groups across the state his cartoons were deleted by Twitter. The cartoonist received an email from Twitter for “violating” the rules. The artist has also been issued a warning by Twitter and asked not to post more such content, the consequence of which will be the permanent removal of his account.

Speaking to the Indian Cultural Forum, Rajbongshi said, “Creative actions can influence a lot of people. Those in power will try to silence people by any means because a cartoon can have a great impact on the conscience of the people. People came out in support, the moment people attacked the cartoons and it was mass reported to Twitter. Soon after, the trolling started. These cartoons or any other art form —be it a drama or movie or painting or any other form of art— can influence people in the most effective way; it is the voice of the masses. As this is the voice of the masses, these people always try to suppress these views as they help in questioning the reality.”

The Bharatiya Jananta Yuva Moracha, a youth wing of BJP in Tinsukia district in Assam, has also registered an FIR against the person who shared Rajbongshi’s cartoon on his social media page. On January 10, sedition cases were also filed against known public intellectuals Hiren Gohain, Akhil Gogoi and Manjit Mahanta in Assam for protesting and speaking out against the bill.

The Cartoonists Rights Network, International has also extended its support to Rajbongshi.

Rajbongshi also said that the attacks are not going to stop him from drawing his cartoons and that the question of stopping doesn’t exist even if they try to supress his voice or attack him, because he feels that cartoons are the voice of the masses.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed by Lok Sabha on December 8, 2019. The bill seeks to amend the existing Citizenship Act (1955). Minorities (read: non-Muslim migrants) from neighbouring countries namely, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, can apply for citizenship via relaxed norms compared to the existing ones. The cut-off date for accepting non-Muslim migrants is going to be 2014. Problem arises because the bill is conflicting with the Assam Accord of 1985, according to which, any person who came to Assam after midnight of March 24, 1971, is identified as a foreigner. People in Assam are calling this as an unconstitutional move that violates the principles of citizenship as embedded in the Constitution of India. The fear in Assam and several indigenous communities in the North-East is that it would lead to grave demographic changes. Furthermore, it tries to amend the citizenship laws of India based on religion.

Courtesy: Indian Cultural Forum

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“Cartoons are voices of the masses”

His cartoons on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill have created unrest amongst the Right-wing groups that have been attacking him on social media ever since

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