Birsa Munda’s Jharkhand slipping out of Adivasi hands

November 15, 2017

An Indian tribal freedom fighter, Birsa Munda was a charismatic folk hero who challenged the anti-Adivasi policies of the British and belonged to the Munda tribe. Had he been alive today, he may well have asked, whether Jharkand State, created on November 15, 2000 –on his 125^th birth anniversary — actually stands for the dignity of Adivasis?

Birsa Munda died a martyr in the Ranchi jail on June 9, 1900 at the young age of 25. He had been arrested on March 3 that year by the British police while he slept with the tribal guerrilla army he had formed, in Jamkopai forest in Chakradharpur. Like Bhagat Singh the revolutionary who died so young, Birsa Munda’s fiery band of activism has inspired generations. He is the stuff of what folk legends are made omnipresent in popular and folk literature, academia, and mass media.

But today on his 142^nd birth anniversary let’s ask is the state that as formed on his 125^th birth anniversary actually protecting the dignity and rights of tribals?

Incarceration
Prabhat Khabar reported that 4,000 Adivasis of Jharkand falsely charged as ‘Naxals’ languish in the jails of Jharkand. 1307 Jharkhandis have been arrested and 88 of them are supposed to have surrendered. (Source: Prabhat Khabar, Ranchi ed., 1 Sept. 2017). Some independent studies indicate that 27 persons [22 in 2016 and 5 in 2017) were killed in so-called ‘encounters’ by the police. (Bagaicha, Ranchi, documentation)

A quick look at a timeline of the state’s repression of agitations over the past years tells a grim story.

Malnutrition

In early November 2017, a rickshaw-puller reportedly died of hunger at his house in Jharia last Friday evening. His wife claimed that he had not eaten anything for the past two days. However the district administration rubbished the allegation arguing that 45-year-old Baijnath Ravidas, a resident of Bhalgora Tarabank in the coal mines rich district, was suffering from a disease.

Poor Disenfranchised

A month earlier, news of Jharkand’s poor been struck of the ration card and pensioners list made the news. 11,64,000 ration cards cancelled as ‘fake’: 2,71,000 old-age pensioners have been declared ‘fake’; pruning of MGNREGA applicants as ‘fake’. The Jharkhand government published a full page advertisement on September 22, enumerating its achievements during the 1000 days it has been in power. Among the ‘achievements’ there is one item in the list that details of how it has cancelled 11,64,000 ‘fake ration cards’ leading to saving Rs.225 crores. Similarly, the state government has also ‘cancelled; 2,71,000 old-age pension documents and saved Rs.86 crores. Again, the state government claimed that it has saved Rs.203 crores by pruning MGNREGA ‘fake applicants’. This is peddled like and appears to be a huge achievement of the govt. What this has meant is that large numbers of poor have been disenfranchised and left out the meagre social welfare schemes.

State Leadership Contemptuous of Adivasis and Dalits

In September 2017, the state government put out a controversial advertisement describing Tribals and Dalits are described as “simple and mute as cows”. The Chief Minister, allowed an advertisement with his photo and that of “Bappu” reducing the Tribals and Dalits to the level of cows.

Social Welfare Schemes on Paper

Social welfare schemes for STs and SCs in Jharkand remain on paper: Perusing the long list of developmental and welfare schemes meant for SCs and STs in Jharkand is like stepping into a dream-world. There are 49 schemes jointly undertaken by the central & state governments. This is apart from about 40 other schemes meant for the general population under the banner of rural development. The state bureaucracy iself violates the PESA Act which says “Gram Sabha shall be responsible for the identification and selection of persons as beneficiaries under the poverty alleviation and other programmes” [PESA 4.e.(ii)]. So the whole selection process of those chosen as beneficiaries is both illegal and ultra vires.

The much The much spoken about SC Sub Plan [SCSP]and Tribal Sub Plan [TSP] are implemented half heartedly, the irony being big sums from these schemes are diverted for general schemes such as road construction, panchayat building, stadiums etc with the justification that SCs and STs also use these facilities!

Worst Offender the Jharkand State Created in Name of Adivasis

Jharkand government has been accused of the ‘loot of adivasi land’, and it has taken place in the following manner: (i) land alienation and consequent displacement. From the time of independenceup to now a staggering 24 lakh acres of land has been forcibly acquired all in the name of development. Consequently, 17 lakh adivasis have been displaced. The sad fact is not a single adivasi person or community has ever been rehabilitated because it involves not only resettlement in another place of their choice but also social and cultural bonds preserved intact. Only a minimal cash compensation was thrust upon them and after that they were neatly forgotten.

Repressive Laws in Jharkand
(ii) CNT/SPT Acts amendments being forcibly enforced in Jharkhand is yet another blow to the Adivasi people insofar as it aims to transfer agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes. This implicitly means non-adivasis from within or without the country can acquire adivasi land for setting up commercial and business enterprises and govt can take agricultural land for infrastructural purposes. This is as good as finishing off this protective legislation. Happily there is wholesale resistance to this deceptive action of the govt and even the Governor has returned the bill asking the govt to re-consider this proposed legislation.

(iii) Land Bank is the most recent innovation to rob adivasi land from the back door. The govt proudly announced during the investors meeting in February this year that it has put together 21 lakh acres of land in Land Bank and therefore the investors will not have to face the problem of how to acquire land in Scheduled Areas. It has now come to light the govt stealthily ear-marked the ‘Commons’, namely the common facilities of the village community such as ponds, cattle-grazing grounds, roads, places of religious worship, burial grounds, rivulets and even rivers as part of land bank! There is also private family land that is not cultivated but used for other needs that has also been included in land bank. And all this has been done without even informing and getting the consent of concerned families and communities. This action of the govt goes against constitutional and legal provisions.

Fake Land Deals

(iv) Fake land-deeds alienating thousands of acres of adivasi land are being reported in the print media recently. More than 1000 such fake deeds during the past 16 years have been unearthed.[Prabhat Khabar, 19 June 2017]. Those who are guilty of doing this are mostly non-adivasi-outsiders who are very adept in bribing govt functionaries and make out the needed fake documents. So there is a collusion of govt officials, politicians, contractors, land brokers, middle men most of whom are non-adivasi-outsiders have been working overtime to cheat the simple adivasi and deprive him of his cherished natural resources. Can there be a greater injustice than this cruel game?

Put briefly, the government’s developmental & welfare schemes have not made any difference in terms of betterment to most of SC / ST people. What is the use of decorating the tree’s branches with schemes that are either not responding to their real needs or they are not accessible to them?

Protests Against Amendments in Laws Repressively Put Down

Between July-October 2016,Jharkand erupted in conflict last year (July-November) as amendements in laws were pushed through to dilute the say of peoples and communities over what could or should be done with their lands.

Firing on NTPCs
In October 2016, in a gruesome incident, early morning on Saturday, the Jharkhand police is said to have left five persons dead and many injured as it opened fire on the villagers protesting “forcible land acquisition” for a thermal power plant being built by the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) in district Hazaribagh, Chirdudih area.

The firing, according to independent sources, has left five people dead, 12 critically injured and nearly 50 injured. There is a curfew in the area, and outsiders can’t go, and many missing are yet to be traced, these sources added.

While protests against the NTPC plant have been going on since 2010, when the project was announced, critics says, till date far acquired 8,056 acres of land acquired, most it “forcibly and fraudulently.”

This has happened despite the fact that, it is suggested, many issues even on the acquired land remains to be resolved, including higher compensation, employment and so on.

Post Script
Jharkand has also seen the brute attack on minorities apart from Adivasis. The A Muslim Dairy Owner Thrashed. Believed Dead, House Set on Fire on ‘Suspicion’ of Cow Slaughter in June 2017.

Jharkand has seen a spate of brutal killings, lynchings since March 2016 when Mazlum Ansari and his nephew Imtiyaz were lynched and hung to die. Thereafter too there have been a series of attacks, assaults and killings. The last one was last friday after the Alvida Namaz on the Friday before Eid, on June 23 when 24 year old Mohammad Salman was allegedly shot dead by a posse of policeman. One arms guard is even under arrest after confessing to the crime. The National Commission of Minorities (NCM) even brought out a report on the deep rooted communal polarisation in Jharkand, even within the police force after the Latehar hangings.

In early April 2017, a Maulvi was brutally assaulted at Kodarma and thereafter in May 2017 rumours of child lifting had left many Muslims and some Hindus dead.

Embracing holy envy: ‘Allahu Akbar’

November 15, 2017

We should not allow terrorists and bigots to hijack language in order to sow fear, ignorance and division.

Interior of the Sheikh Lotf Allah Mosque in Isfahan, Iran. Credit: By Phillip Maiwald (Nikopol) – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0.

I say ‘Allahu akbar’ dozens of times a day. I say it during prayer. I say it as an expression of reaffirmation and gratitude to God.

I said it when my daughter was born, and there will be someone to say it over me when I am buried.

I say it when I witness beauty.

‘Allahu akbar.’

In 1985, Lutheran Bishop Krister Stendahl, in defending the building of a Mormon temple by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Stockholm, enunciated “Three Rules of Religious Understanding:”

“When trying to understand another religion, you should ask the adherents of that religion and not its enemies.”

“Don’t compare your best to their worst,” and:

“Leave room for holy envy.”

Stendahl challenges us to be open to recognizing elements in other religions—even those that may appear foreign or threatening—and to consider how we might wish to support, embrace, emulate or further explore those elements that might help us to deepen our understanding of our own religious traditions and more deeply connect to others: to embrace ‘holy envy.’

Abdullah, a Saudi friend of mine whose family tree traces back to the time of Prophet Mohammad in Mecca, travels to Cairo with his family every Christmas.

He, with children and grandchildren—perhaps even now with great grandchildren—window shop, go to Christmas parties, sing Christmas carols and together celebrate the birth of Jesus, considered by Muslims to be the most revered prophet after Prophet Muhammad.

On Christmas Eve they attend Midnight Mass at the Anglican Church in Zamalek. Abdullah doesn’t take the Eucharist but he loves Jesus—and Christmas pudding (Egyptian friends make him an alcohol-free version).

Before New Year’s Day they return to Saudi Arabia, renewed by their encounter with Christian tradition and re-committed to an ecumenical understanding that the descendants of Abraham share much more through faith than they disagree about politically.

Like Stendahl, Abdullah and I believe that being open to holy envy helps us to connect to others, to ease tensions and build bridges.

I was recently reminded of Stendahl and Abdullah as I listened to the discussion that followed the terrorist attack in New York on October 31 2017 when eight people were killed and 12 injured by a truck driven by Uzbek native Sayfullo Saipov. As the truck plowed into a bicycle path in lower Manhattan, it’s reported that Saipov cried out ‘Allahu Akbar.’

‘Allahu akbar.’

We know, from documents released by the FBI after 9/11, that a letter written by the hijacker Mohamed Atta urged attackers to shout ‘Allahu akbar’ because “this strikes fear in the hearts of the non-believers.”

We know, from Fort Hood, from New York, London, Paris, Brussels, Mogadishu, Istanbul, Baghdad and Beirut, that terrorists continue to shout ‘Allahu akbar’ even when most of their victims are believers.

To terrorists the non-believers are those who don’t hate as they do—Muslim and non-Muslim.

On the other hand, at the funeral service for Muhammad Ali there were four recitations of ‘Allahu akbar’ along with prayers, readings and blessing in-between.

‘Allahu akbar.’

I believe that ‘Allahu akbar’ will strike fear only if we allow, through ignorance and prejudice, terrorists to define how we approach God.

To Muslims ‘Allahu akbar’ means ‘the greatest,’ although linguistically, it translates as ‘greater.’

To Muslims it means nothing is greater than God.

‘Allahu akbar’ isn’t in the Qur’an, but it’s part of daily prayer and worship, embedded in our consciousness. As a term of gratitude to God it’s even used by some Arabic-speaking Christians.

Today, Muslims who pray ‘Allahu akbar’ are caught between terrorists who try to inspire fear and Islamophobes who try to instill ignorance and fear of The Other.

In the US, we are learning not to define all Christians by the practice of the Westboro Baptist Church (“God hates fags”), or the far-right anti-Muslim Judge Roy Moore, or by those who want to ban Harry Potter, Halloween and dancing.

We’ve learned that Christianity is not monolithic.

Today, we must also learn that Islam is not monolithic, and that all Muslims are not defined by Sayfullo Saipov and Mohamed Atta.

We must embrace more holy envy and less unholy ignorance.

A friend of mine, an Episcopal priest who has traveled in the Middle East, has holy envy over the Muslim tradition of saying ‘insha’Allah.’

“I often wish we had something like that in our tradition” she once told me, “the constant reminder—‘insha’ Allah’—that only God knows the future.”

‘Insha’Allah’—if God wills it—is to recognize God’s omnipotence, God’s Grace, presence and authority in our lives.

Can I borrow your snow-blower tomorrow? ‘Insha’Allah.’

Can we have dinner tonight? ‘Insha’Allah.’

Can you meet me tomorrow? ‘Insha’Allah.’

I love Thanksgiving. I like Christmas trees. I love menorahs and the story they tell. I love the call of the shofar, the peeling of church bells and the sound of muezzins calling the faithful to prayer. We need to witness, and we need our children to witness, each others’ religions, traditions, symbols and practices.

We need more holy envy—‘insha’Allah.’

We need to see the world, not as something to be partitioned and feared but as a source of engagement and richness that nourishes all of humanity.

Our challenge today is to refuse to allow terrorists and bigots to hijack, weaponize and appropriate language in order to sow fear, ignorance and division. I believe that our public squares are richer and our nations healthier when we struggle to preserve and enhance the pluralistic experience that defines our societies at their best.

This isn’t just an Abrahamic calling: whether secular, Jewish, Christian, Muslim or Quaker—whatever faith tradition we may or may not embrace—I believe that we are all called, by our Constitutions as well as our Prophets, to serve the forgotten and the dispossessed, and to honor conscience and each other’s dignity and humanity.

‘Allahu Akbar.’

Robert Azzi lives in Exeter New Hampshire. An Arab American Muslim, he writes on Islam, identity and conflict. Information on “Ask a Muslim Anything” and an archive of his writing can be found at theotherazzi.wordpress.com. For an interview with Robert on NPR click here.

Courtesy: Open Democracy

‘Successful failures’ – the problem with food banks

November 15, 2017

From their inception in the early 1990s, Australian food banks were supposed to be a temporary solution to food poverty.

Food park
Pasta and bolognese sauce were on the menu provided at this Sydney venue by not-for-profit organisation Foodbank.

They have since morphed from “emergency to industry” – lauded for reducing food insecurity and helping to solve the food waste problem by diverting tonnes of produce from landfill.

It’s the ultimate win-win that big food corporations and retailers love: feed the needy and save the planet at the same time. This logic has been enshrined in Canada’s National Food Waste Reduction Strategy and in European laws that require supermarkets to donate surplus produce to charities.

Can foodbanks end food insecurity?

As Martin Caraher has suggested on The Conversation, we argue that food banks “depoliticise hunger” and address symptoms rather than causes.

Laudable and regrettably necessary as their work is, food banks are a band-aid solution for a patient – contemporary society – suffering from what John McMurtry evocatively terms “the cancer stage of capitalism”. We are seeing ubiquitous and intensifying inequality, brought about by decades of dogmatic adherence to market fundamentalism.

If we are serious about tackling the causes of food insecurity, we must turn away from neoliberalism to an inclusive and values-based political economy. And if we are serious about ending food waste, we need a “paradigm shift” away from productivism towards a food system “designed for well-being, resilience and sustainability”.

From emergency to industry

According to Foodbank Australia’s 2017 Hunger Report, 625,000 Australians are seeking emergency food relief every month. That’s a 10% increase on the previous 12 months.

Despite their rapid expansion, food banks are unable to meet the demand produced by stagnating wages, rising costs of living and a shrinking welfare state. They have been called “highly visible successful failures”. As well as stepping into the state’s shoes to provide a minimal social security safety net, they offer very useful services to food manufacturers and retailers.

First, they divert millions of tonnes of waste from landfill. Food donors save considerable sums in disposal charges.

Second, donors receive tax deductions for all produce donated to food banks, which are registered charities. And, perhaps most significantly, donors can enhance their social licence to operate as good corporate citizens and receive cheap publicity into the bargain.

Band-aids, not solutions

In a recent paper for the UK Food Research Collaboration, Martin Caraher and Sinead Furey undertook a cost-benefit analysis of the current consensus that food insecurity is best addressed by increasing donations of surplus food to food banks. Their conclusion was unequivocal:

While there are benefits to diverting surplus food away from landfill, the reasons for pessimism outweigh the reasons for optimism. This is because the benefits of using food waste to feed people accrue primarily to the food industry, whilst absolving responsibility of the government to address food insecurity.

This is of particular concern in a liberal democracy such as Australia that professes to be committed to the principle of universal human rights, including the right to adequate food. Research in the Netherlands and Scotland has confirmed the humiliation, shame and loss of dignity experienced by food bank users.

Dignified access to good food is a fundamental component of the human right to adequate food. Feeding people food waste directly undermines this right.

Reframing the debate

The dominant win-win approach that says we can solve food insecurity by diverting food waste into food banks is patently failing. Both phenomena are increasing. In any case, a state of food security is not achieved via emergency food relief.

A breakthrough was achieved on March 25, 2015, when leading community food organisations and food security researchers in Canada issued the Cecil Street Statement. The statement clarified that food insecurity was due to inadequate income and the solution lay in people having enough money to buy good food in a dignified way. Further, it stated that the conflation of food insecurity with food waste was unhelpful and counterproductive.

In Australia, the Right to Food Coalition last year issued a position statement, The Human Right to Food. This included a detailed set of recommendations, drawing on the work of the United Nations special rapporteur on the right to food.

These recommendations specified the actions required from all levels of government, as well as industry, philanthropical and community organisations. The statement called on the federal government to:

adequately finance income support payments so that all Australians can access a weekly basket of healthy foods
ensure that initiatives to rebuild local food systems are adequately supported.

What is the solution?

Broadly, what’s needed is a paradigm shift towards sustainable, healthy, resilient and rational food systems. The International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES) has clearly articulated the pathways towards such systems.

The principal barriers to such systems, according to the experts, reside in excessive concentration of political and economic power in the hands of mega-food corporations. This is documented in the new IPES report, Too Big to Feed.

In the words of visionary UK economist Kate Raworth, the necessary paradigm shift begins with a reframing of our societal priorities, away from the mantra of “an economy that grows regardless of whether we thrive” and towards “an economy that enables us to thrive regardless of whether it grows”.

Nick Rose, Lecturer, William Angliss Institute and Susan Booth, Casual Academic, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Why North India’s Air Won’t Get Clean

November 15, 2017

India wants more electricity and needs more power plants to get it, but the government is not enforcing the pollution standards it needs to on these plants.

Vehicles ply in reduced visibility–due to smog–in New Delhi on November 13, 2017. SO2 emitted from coal-fired power plants is a major pollutant contributing to air pollution, and with increasing power demand, bringing down pollution in India’s northern states seem to be a long way off.

The result is that north India’s air is becoming more toxic with little hope for improvement unless the government cracks down on polluting power plants and enforces a variety of other pollution-control measures.

India’s sulphur dioxide (SO₂) emissions–due to burning of coal–increased 50% while China’s emissions fell 75% since 2007, according to a study by the University of Maryland and the US space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released on November 9, 2017.

Globally, China and India are the largest consumers of coal, and India will surpass China as the world’s largest emitter of SO₂.

“Severe haze is a major public health concern in China and India. Both countries rely heavily on coal for energy, and SO₂ emitted from coal-fired power plants and industry is a major pollutant contributing to their air quality problems,” the study said.

The share of coal in electricity generation in India is about 72%, and has remained largely the same over the last three years, according to this reply to the Lok Sabha (lower house of Parliament) on August 10, 2017.

The quantity of coal consumed by power plants has increased 74% over the last 10 years from 330 million tonne in 2007-08 to 574.9 million tonne in 2016-17.

Source: Lok Sabha/Central Electricity Authority of India

“India’s failure to implement emission control standards for coal-fired power plants is leading to severe air pollution levels,” Aishwarya Sudhir, an independent researcher on air quality, told IndiaSpend.

Delhi has 13 coal-fired power plants within a 300-kilometre radius operating with no emission controls to regulate SO₂ and nitrogen dioxide that contribute to the surge in particulate matter level, Sudhir said.

SO₂ emission load in Delhi is estimated to be 141 tonne per day, according to this January 2016 report by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur. Industrial sources account for more than 90% of total emission, mostly from power plants.

Burning of coal for electricity leads to increased SO₂ emissions

Burning of coal leads to large SO₂ emissions, a toxic air pollutant, that forms sulfate aerosols, a major contributor to the current haze in India and China. The pollutant causes over one million premature deaths every year, the Maryland study said.

“Impact of sulfur dioxide emissions in India are limited as SO₂ concentration is relatively low over the densely populated Indo-Gangetic Plain. But this may change as the demand for electricity continues to grow.”

Emission of SO₂ concentrations have increased in India between 2005 and 2016, largely attributed to coal-fired power plants in the states of Odisha, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh, the report said. The “hotspots” have also increased on the west coast.

India’s Sulphur Dioxide Emissions Concentration, 2005-2016

China’s Sulphur Dioxide Emissions Concentration, 2005-2016

Source: NASA; Credits: NASA’s Earth Observatory/Jesse Allen

The ozone monitoring instrument on NASA’s Aura satellite reflects the change in SO₂ concentrations in India and China between 2005 and 2016. Despite the increase in coal consumption by 50% and electricity generation by 100% between 2005 and 2016, SO₂ levels in China have reduced. The decrease in SO₂ levels is attributed to stricter pollution control measures, shift to non coal-based energy sources and the recent slowdown of the Chinese economy.

China’s biggest success has been the installation of basic pollution abatement equipment on a majority (95%) of thermal power plants compared to only 10% of Indian power plants, IndiaSpend reported on November 21, 2016.

About 13 million people in India were exposed to >0.5 dobson units (DU) of SO₂ in 2013, which more than doubled (154%) to 33 million in 2016. In contrast, people exposed to >0.5 DU of SO₂ in China declined 78% from 457 million in 2013 to 99 million in 2016.

Source: Scientific Reports; University of Maryland and NASA study.

Long way off to curb pollution levels in north India with rising power demand

“India’s increased sulfur dioxide emissions are not causing as many health or haze problems as they do in China because the largest emission sources are not in the most densely populated area of India,” according to Can Li, an associate research scientist in the University of Maryland’s Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “However, as demand for electricity grows in India, the impact may worsen.”

India is yet to electrify forty million households that would require additional power of about 28,000 mega-watt and additional energy of about 80,000 million units per annum. About 13% or 2,457 villages of 18,452 unelectrified villages are yet to be electrified as on November 14, 2017, according to government’s real-time GARV dashboard.

With over 70% of the country’s electricity generation dependent on thermal power and increasing demand, bringing down pollution levels in India’s northern states seem to be a long way off.

Power plants or combustion of coal are not the only factors leading to toxic air in Delhi and its surrounding areas.

The top four contributors to particulate matter (PM) 2.5 emissions in Delhi are road dust (38%), vehicles (20%), domestic fuel burning (12%) and industrial point sources (11%) based on annual emissions, according to to the IIT Kanpur study.

Reducing burning of straw or stubble and other biomass in neighbouring states of Delhi could improve air quality by 90%, IndiaSpend reported on October 17, 2017.

NASA released satellite images of active crop fires in Punjab and surrounding areas, on October 25, 2017, followed by skies covered with thick and smog on November 8, 2017, indicating rise in pollution levels in north India, IndiaSpend reported on November 10, 2017.

#Breathe air-quality sensors recorded “severe” air quality (>250 µg/m³ or 10 times World Health Organization’s safe levels) in four of eight locations in seven north Indian cities, based on 24-hr average PM 2.5 levels on November 7, 2017, IndiaSpend reported on November 10, 2017.

China has instituted regional air quality regulations to ensure that air pollution is addressed jointly across city and state boundaries, IndiaSpend reported on November 21, 2016. It has developed a network of 1,500 air quality-monitoring stations in over 900 cities compared to 39 in India covering 23 cities.

Over 11 months, Delhi failed to issue 150 air quality alerts

As air quality index continues to worsen in Delhi, the national capital missed 150 alerts over the last 11 months since January 12, 2017, according to an analysis done by Sudhir based on data from the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), the government’s alert system, Air-quality levels crossed “poor” 95 times, “very poor to severe” 49 times and “emergency” six times, the analysis show.

Monsoon was the only relief for Delhiites as they could breathe easy in July and August as air quality index recorded safe levels.

As many as 30 alerts were not issued between October and November 8, 2017, IndiaSpend reported on November 9, 2017.

“Delhi’s Graded Response Action Plan has clearly failed to make any difference to the severe pollution levels being witnessed by the citizens of Delhi,” Sudhir said.

“The government had enough time to implement GRAP and ensure inter-state coordination. Implementing GRAP and addressing pollution at the source are not mutually exclusive. If long-term solutions are not in place, episodic action to mitigate the problem will not help as most agencies continue to pass the buck with no accountability to implement action plans across the region.”

(Mallapur is an analyst with IndiaSpend.)

Courtesy: India Spend

Mythologizing History : How to spot a Hindu Ethno-nationalist

November 15, 2017

The Hindu American Foundation, The Hindu Education Foundation, The Uberoi Foundation, Hindupedia, and all the cohorts of the Diasporic Hindu Fundamentalist Complex are serving up their grown-in-India fascist propaganda. They are waging an ongoing battle in California to write their fabrications as history in school textbooks.

Before we even look at their motives in California, let’s look at the strange sense of deja vu hanging in the air. When the Hindu right came to power in India, in 1998, the first thing they did was establish an organization called the National Curriculum Framework (NCF). The NCF was a government-funded organization whose purpose was a total rewriting of the contents of Indian textbooks. What began from there, was a broad revisionist project that began to axe away the factual historical depictions of the subcontinent, and replace it with a fundamentalist political framing.

Pretend you’re a Hindu ethnonationalist. Where would you start if you were looking to create a Hindu hegemonist history? At the veritable origin of subcontinental civilization: The Indus Valley Civilization (IVC). As expected, IVC history is now succumbing to a whole series of strategies, set up to enact Hindu mythology, as history.

The Indus Valley Civilization
The Indus Valley Civilization’s very existence is unwieldy to this undertaking.

A large portion of the IVC lies not in modern-day India – but in modern day Pakistan. This is already a big predicament for the hyper-patriotic, Indian, Hindu nationalist.
The archeological evidence from IVC sites does not provide evidence to support it as a civilization that was linguistically, culturally, or religiously continuous with Vedic civilizations.
IVC is dated to more than a millennia and a half, preceding Vedic people.
The unearthed geography of the IVC is in contradiction to Vedic geographies.

The ethnonationalist vision for itself is Hindu ownership of the entire subcontinent of South Asia. This is the “reclaim your glorious (imagined) past-owned territory” portion of their fascism. Consider that parts of that imagined past are now trapped in a totally foreign nation – a largely Muslim one at that. This is no doubt, unthinkably disruptive to the vision.

Existing distinctions between the IVC and the Vedic period points to aspects of Vedic life as either having arrived from “outside” the subcontinent or as a civilization that was infused with “outside” ideas and/or people. This means that modern-day Hindu ethnonationalist cannot draw this straight line: People of the IVC (proto-proto Hindus)—->Vedic People (proto-Hindu)—–>Modern Hindus. It means the modern day upper-Caste Hindu cannot claim indigeneity to the subcontinent. This severely weakens the nativist portion of their fascism.

To “correct” the course of history accordingly, many new projects were undertaken.

The first of these is to force a link between the Vedas and the IVC. But this thrust, results in an anachrony in the dating of the Vedas which now has to be reestablished at over 1500 years before its scholarly verified existence. The artifacts of the IVC were then actively “Hinduized” with overeager interpretations. So images of an IVC person in a meditative pose were labeled the image Hindu God, “Shiva”. Engravings of cows, an animal reared by the people of IVC, were seen as evidence for cow worship and so on. Flimsy evidence, flashy conclusions.

When loose interpretation did not suffice, fraudulent evidence was actively placed. One such controversial event occurred when horse seals were planted at the site by Hindu ethnonationalist “archeologists”. Historians like Prof. Michael Weitzel and others were quick to spot these as frauds and publicize the occurrence of these insidious attempts to circumvent scholarship.

The idea behind the placing of the horse seals was to fill a gap. No horses have been recorded in IVC archeology, but it is well known that the Vedic civilizations revered and centered horses in their culture. A planted horse seal was meant to bridge this.

Bringing mythological rivers to”life”
The placing of Saraswati river in the IVC period, a mythological river named in the Rig Veda, is the amongst the latest series of attempts to “indigenize Hindus” to the region.

Frantic government-funded archaeological projects began, desperate to find evidence of the Sarasvati not only existed, but having existed 1500 years before the first time it was alluded to in the Vedas. When efforts failed, a modern-day attempt to “recreate” the mythological river began. The Hindu right-ruled government of the state of Haryana began a massive project, using taxpayers money, to “reconstruct” the Saraswati. When no source for the reconstructed river could be conveniently located, they hesitated, then connected it to a local drain. A move that was no doubt, severely minimizing to the river’s mythological grandeur, said to have a source in no less than the mighty Himalaya.

Legitimate scholars who have contested the historical veracity of these actions or called these efforts propaganda have been severely attacked. They have been intimidated, their lives threatened, public calls for their heads have been issued, and the Hindu ethnonationalists have used their political apparatus to attack both their scholarly work and physical being. Eminent historians, including Romila Thapar, D. Jha, Wendy Doniger, Michael Weitzel, and others with a commitment to truth and process, have persisted regardless. A National Commission of concerned historians condemned these myth-makings as “not different from the periods in time when Nazi Germany attempted to rewrite European history”.

Mythology in History Books
In comparison to peer-reviewed research, false narrativizing is much easier in the textbook processes and especially so when the government is run by your own fundamentalist machine. The same myths of the “Saraswati” are now the proud feature of textbooks in many states, including Gujarat, Prime Minister Modi’s former stronghold state.

These revisionists projects are underway, not only in India but in the diasporas, where they have gained much traction in the last ten years. In particular, in California where in the past decade, there has been a strengthening of an American Hindu ethnonationalist diasporic base vis-a-vis the American mirror organisation arms of the RSS (HSS) and VHP (VHP-A). Organizations like the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) are an offshoot of these organizations. They feature the same leaders, the same founders, and the same ideology as their more radical arms. But they soften the thrust. They are a muted saffron. They front fascist organizing with performances of pluralism, LGBTQ-friendliness, and feign concern for Bangladeshi Hindus (while expressing no concern for Muslims and Dalits being lynched and killed in India every day).

They co-opt the language of social justice, the borrow victimization performances from Zionist playbooks and front to the California Board of Education as if they were a group whose religious sentiments are being severely wounded. They bring droves of their children to testify. Children who can’t even pronounce words like “Caste” (some even pronouncing it “Keh-ste”) or “Saraswati” and who are handed pre-written testimonies and asked to read. They tell us that their children’s feelings being hurt is sufficient reason to erase history.

But behind their posturing is the truth of their intentions. To erase the rich, diverse, flawed, and fascinating history of the sub-continent, and rewrite it instead with a Hindu fascist plot.

Unfortunately, the California Board of Education has given into the guise of neoliberal pluralism to support the creation of alternative facts. We will be resisting.

Courtesy: Two Circles

Adivasi Discontent in Gujarat Rises Over BJP Reservation Policy

November 15, 2017

ST communities oppose extension of reservation to three pastoral communities.

Image Courtesy: Times Of India

Gujarat has seen a number of anti- BJP Government protests in the Adivasi belt of South Gujarat mainly from people from Bhil, Vasava and Gamit communities who claim themselves to be “traditional tribes”. The immediate reason behind this unrest against the Gujarat government was a notification in January this year which extended reservation as Scheduled Tribe for descendants of three pastoral communities.

What sparked off protest against an otherwise unknown notification of the Gujarat state govt. was the recruitment for 68 posts of deputy superintendents of police and deputy collectors reserved for the Scheduled Tribes, three months ago. It turned out that 35 of these newly recruited officers belonged to those communities recently included into Scheduled Tribes category by the Government notification. This angered other tribal communities who felt cheated of their rights.

Among most of the vocal tribal leaders agitating for the reservation cause, the main contention was that three pastoral communities – Rabari, Bharwad and Charan, whose total population is about two percent in the state are being wrongly included in the ST category.

“Reserved jobs and seats that should go to real tribals end up with these fake tribals. The Rabari, Bharwad and Charan communities are actually OBCs and not STs. Why not give them reservations under the OBC quota?” News18 quoted Praful Vasava of the Bhilistan Tiger Sena (representing the Bhil tribe) as saying.

With growing opposition by the agitating Adivasis in the state over the alleged misuse of reservation, on October 11, the Government quashed two notifications including the January notification in regard to the reservations to Scheduled Tribes in the state.

A state-level Adivasi convention has been jointly called at Vyra in Tapti district by 116 tribal groups on November 18. This convention is reportedly meant to decide the “future course of action” as well as the “political approach” of the Adivasi communities to the upcoming assembly election.

Out of 182 constituencies in the state which elect members to the Assembly, 27 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes in Gujarat. BJP is already under tremendous pressure because already communities of Other Backward Classes, Dalits and Patels with Alpesh Thakor, Jignesh Mevani and Hardik Patel respectively as their leaders, have openly been criticizing BJP and campaigning against it. With Adivasis who form nearly 15% of Gujarat’s population indicating their anger with the BJP, things are not looking good for the ruling party, which was led by Narendra Modi till he shifted to Delhi in 2014.

Courtesy: Newsclick.in

Gujarat Behind the Mirage: The Myth of Good Governance

November 14, 2017

Gujarat: Behind the Mirage

This book, edited by Teesta Setalvad carries a series of specialised and informed articles on the Myth of the Gujarat Model.

In this capter authored by Gautam Thaker, senior civil libertarian, the repeated interrogations by the Comproller and Auditor General (CAG) on public spending under Narendra Modi’s tenure as chief minister of the state are discussed, and dissected.

CAG Report exposes systemic irregularities

Gautam Thaker[1]

Image: PTI

Good governance of any state can be gauged on the basis of the reports of non-partisan institutions. Certain rules and regulations have been included within the constitutional scheme to determine whether the expenditure incurred by the state and also whether the implementation of planning of the state has been done in a legally proper and accountable manner.

There is nothing orderly and accountable within Gujarat, not only in the economic and political field but neither in the social or cultural field. Individual human rights and freedoms are seriously endangered, the dignity and rights of women, Dalits and minorities under assault from an entrenched system of majoritarian patronage; citizens from these sections do not receive fair and measured treatment. So it also is with atrocities on the working class and the denial of the rights of Adivasis. The Gujarat model which is being presented before the nation is false and misleading – deceptive.

Lakhs of deprived people, Dalits, Adivasis, cowherds of Saurashtra, freely wandering races (tribes), fishermen, salt-workers and unorganised labourers are today, not safe in Gujarat. Pasture lands are being given away to big industry – industrialists are making the life of all classes of citizens, with the exception of the rich, full of hardship. The condition of women workers, labourers, poor workers and farm workers is pitiable. Truly speaking, the poor in Gujarat have no equal opportunities to earn their livelihood with self respect or to improve their life conditions.

There is the rule of fear that has replaced the rule of law in Gujarat. The attitude of the government leans towards high handedness. It is anti-people and authoritarian. As a result, democratic–minded citizens are uneasy, restless.

On the basis of the figures obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, it can be definitely said that there is real chaos in the field of law and order. The life of the common people is in complete disarray with their rights over land and water being snatched away. The government, by deliberately, consciously and shamelessly disregarding the Indian Constitution and the rule of law has been violating human rights. The recently published reports of the CAG and the State Vigilance Commission are shocking eye-openers.

Looking at the CAG report, it can be safely said that the Gujarat government ranks number one in “corruption”. The CAG report clearly states that over the last five years, corruption has crossed the limit and in every department of the government, disbursement of resources are not in accordance with the rules or planned policy. The chief minister and other ministers are using the state treasury as their personal treasury.

The aid from the central government is being misused. Irregularities under NREGA scheme, corruption, confusion about job cards etc. have been raised in the CAG report. A disregard for environment has also been recorded by the CAG in it’s observations. Security of the coastal zone2 has also been squandered away and financial irregularities noted. The state government has provided land to industrialists at extremely low prices and with incentives disproportionate to public good. These same industries are also tax defaulters with serious questions raised by CAG, not being tabled in the state assembly and discussed.

The State Vigilance Commissioner of the Gujarat state in his recently published annual report has observed that of the departments under the control of the state government, the most widespread corruption has been exposed in the Revenue, the Panchayat and Urban Development departments. All three are concerned with disbursal of land user rights.

The State Vigilance department had received a total of 6,924 applications/ complaints related to corruption and monetary malpractices. On the question of implementation of the government schemes, complaints regarding corruption in granting sanction by government servants were also received.
The Vigilance officer has observed that, in comparison with previous years in the past last year there has been an increase in the number of the complaints, consequently his work has also increased.

Of the total number of complaints received, the SVC has recommended the criminal prosecution of 31; process under the rules of the Gujarat government against 705. The CAG report and that of the Vigilance Commission exposes the corruption in Gujarat and the situation of irregular monetary dealings.

The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and Citizens for Democracy (CFD) have made their presentation before the justice M B Shah Commission appointed for the purpose of looking into allegations of corruption made against the Gujarat government backed with complete documentation. This inquiry Commission had the mandate to investigate the allotment of land to industrialists and the Mundra Port of the Adani Group as also the procedure of land allotment to the Tatas for the Nano car project at Sanand. Besides, there were complaints of the land surrounding Gandhinagar that has been freely allotted to seven companies at throwaway prices, at great loss to the state exchequer. Due process was not followed in these cases as well.

The Commission of Inquiry Act, under which the MB Shah Commission was appointed, clearly states that it is the duty of the Commission to summon witnesses and cross examine them. This procedure has not been followed. To follow due and rigorous process, all documents that are presented before such a Commission need to be verified as authentic and genuine if they are to be used as evidence. For this, established and time-tested procedure demands that with the documents presented, government officers such as collectors, the chief town planner, responsible officers of the revenue departments and the CEOs of the companies receiving the land need to be summoned before the Inquiry Commission so that truth can be discovered substantively, to obtain true justice. Even this basic procedure has not been followed in this Commission.

Under such circumstances how can truth emerge? The land allocation policy in Gujarat over the past years has not followed the procedure laid down in the Gujarat Industrial Policy of 2009. If the very process of allocation of land needs to be neutrally evaluated, but necessary documents, relevant records and witnesses are not presented before an Inquiry Commission, how can any misdemeanour’s or corruption ever be traced? Due process and procedure is being wilfully subverted by the MB Shah Commission, unfortunately and tragically, headed by a sitting judge.

The raion d’etre of any inquiry under the Commission of Inquiry Act is to restore faith in the system. For this, the process of inquiry should be thorough, faultless, neutral and open. All information and documentary evidence needs to be brought before the commission to enable a thorough probe for the truth to emerge.

On the whole – water, land especially forest land are being looted under the Modi government’s form of governance. Such an Inquiry Commission is a mere ‘eye-wash’ not meant to expose corruption or correct the faulty methodology and practice of the executive. Such is the reality of life in Gujarat.

In recent years, one fact is clearly evident. The present government establishment wants to crush those activists who are struggling for justice for ordinary people and their well being. It becomes very difficult to break and oppose the Hindutvavadi and fascist administration. Hence a wider movement for freedom of citizens, challenging all injustices is the critical need of the hour.

It is possible to re-establish values of democracy, our attitude towards justice, equality and communal harmony. This stupendous movement will bear fruits by the combined efforts of those who have faith in human rights and democracy. Democratic forces that believe in equality, social justice, inclusiveness and inclusive, people-oriented development should come together and join hands for the creation of a democratic, justice-loving and safe Gujarat. Such a movement is the one and only resistance against increasing fascist attacks and for protecting human rights.

References

CAG Report with reference to Gujaratpublished in the newspapers from Naya Marg, a fortnightly

1. With reference to child-development, Gujarat government’s claims are a sham. Every third child in Gujarat is underweight 25,225 anganwadis have just not been started, 63.37 lakh beneficiaries deprived of nutritious food (Gujarat Samachar)
…From 9 to 40 percent anganwadis in 8 districts have no clean drinking water and latrines (wash-rooms).
2. CAG tears asunder. The warming system for fisher-folk, approved at the cost of Rs.46 crores was to no avail. Check-posts were created but they are of poor quality. CAG deflated the claim of ‘safe and secure Gujarat’. Expecting terrorist attack, the Modi government spent crores of rupees; implementation: zero. What kind of administration is this? No police available for preventing intrusion; 90 percent reduction in marine-patrolling, 60 percent of the trained staff moved elsewhere. Damaged boats to be taken to the end of the village which would take 13 months to be repaired. For want of demand of the Gujarat government from the centre, jetties meant for secrecy have been erected (Gujarat Today).
3. ‘CAG………implementation too’ (Times of India)
An incident like the Mumbai terrorist attack can take place again at anytime. As regards land and sea border watch it is zero (nil). Modi Government inactive in implementing the central government’s plan to prevent cross border intrusion. In erecting 5 out of 10 sea-coasts, a delay of 73 to 535 days. The construction quality of 23 coast check-posts and 29 coast outposts is very poor. A population of 1.87 crores have no anganwadis. Even after the suggestion made by the central government, Gujarat sent no proposal. 40 percent anganwadis have no basic facilities. In one year, no nutritious food was provided for 96 days. As against the state’s requirement of 75,480 anganwadis only 52,137 are sanctioned. 6.48 lakh children are victims of malnutrition, 63.37 lakh beneficiaries did not receive supplementary nutritious food. Lack of health-kit, insufficient listing. (Sandesh)
4. In spite of money provided by the district development officer, health kits not purchased. During the five year period from 2007 to 2013 there was a 4 percent increase in the number of extremely malnourished children (Divya Bhaskar).
5. Gujarat Government is bragging about building 50 lakh houses, have completed only 5 schemes out of JNNURM’s 72 schemes. As a result of faulty management Rs.37.46 crores more had to be paid. The simplification work of Rent Control Act and revenue structure was also not done. The claims of Rs.13.50 crores for 36 projects could not be settled as the relevant documents were sent in Gujarat (Gujarat Samachar)
6. Due to lack of land, the Baroda Municipal Corporation and the Surat Municipal Corporation could not utilize Rs. 115 crores and Rs.53.23 crores respectively, could not undertake habitation schemes inspite of sufficient funds available. The Surat Municipal Corporation after spending Rs.6.72 crores left 1776 habitation incomplete. (Divya Bhaskar, October 5,2013)
7. Building of clay and sand dams was against the guidelines given under MNREGA. The sand and clay was of a very poor quality so the dams were simply washed away. Rs. 101.25 crore of public (people’s) money was simply wasted. By showing one and the same individual at the same time working at different places, the associates (of the state government) were paid. More than 30 lakh families registered without photographs! The percentage of these receiving daily wages for 100 days was hardly 4 to 6 percent (Gujarat Today)
8. Fraud of crores of rupees in the construction of sand clay dams, gutters, canals, wells, roads and in-tree plantation. The Centre allotted Rs.2230 crore but the state government gave employment to only 6 percent (Sandesh, October 6, 2013)
9. Out of 21 recommendations by the Finance Commission, the Gujarat government implemented only 7. For government programmes and for praising the chief minister, crores of rupees were spent, while for the celebration of national feasts, panchayats were given just Rs.50/ (each). For the celebration of the silver jubilee of the Panchayati Raj at Mahatma Mandir, people were called from all over the country but there was no decentralisation of power. Out of the 29 activities to be performed by the panchayati institutions, complete authority has been given only for 14 activities (Sandesh, October 6, 2013)
10. The revenue income of the municipalities (nagar palikas) increased 52 to 67 percent, but leave alone the grant, the nagar palikas do not care to spend even their own income. The funds amounting to crores of rupees meant for roads, gutters etc. are just not used (utilized) (Divya Bhaskar, October 7, 2013)

[1] * Gautam Thaker an active political worker since he joined the Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Vahini established by Jaiprakash Narayan, Thaker along with civil libertarians in Gujarat fearlessly fought against the Emergency in 1975. Thaker is general secretary of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL – Gujarat) and also active in the Indian Radical Humanists Association and the Narmada Abhiyan. He has also been conferred with the award in recognition of his 35 year long valuable services in the Central Bank Staff Union, Gujarat. He is also the chairman of central Bank Staff Union and the Central Bank Officers Congress.

1857 Martyr’s Families Die in Penury, British Stooges Comandeer Power

November 14, 2017

Delhi as the Capital of India and touted as the heart of India, in fact, is a heartless city. There is endless list of rather shameful incidents to corroborate this character of the city. This list keeps on expanding at a fast rate. The latest is the news that Cyrus, the last surviving ‘prince’ of the Oudh (Awadh)dynasty which ruled vast territories later known as United Province and played heroic role in India’s War of Independence of 1857 died due to hunger and related issues in the vicinity of the Lutyens Delhi: the homes Delhi’s elite including Indian rulers, diplomats, businessmen and authors.

According to press reports “the last prince of Awadh, who lived in abject penury, was found dead on September 2 (2017) in Delhi’s ‘Malcha Mahal’, a Tughlak-era hunting lodge, tucked deep inside a patch of forest, overrun by moss and disrepair”. Shockingly, the news of the death was broken by a section of the media over two months after a team of police officers found him lying motionless inside the derelict 14th century structure on last September 2.

Ali Raza popularly known as Cyrus and his sister Sakina came to Delhi with his mother, Begum Wilayat Mahal in the 1970s. Begum was fighting a long battle with the Uttar Pradesh government to reclaim their ancestral property in Lucknow and demanding recognition for the sacrifices made by her family during the 1857 War of Independence described as Sepoy Mutiny by the British.With no solution of the problem at Lucknow Begum started camping in a first class waiting room of the New Delhi Railway Station after arriving in Delhi. However, in 1985 she was allotted ‘Malcha Mahal’ and a paltry monthly allowance of Rs 500. Since then family had been staying there.

The family chose a life of isolation and rarely interacted with outsiders despite staying in the vicinity of elite of the city which included rulers of India, industrialists, diplomats, authors and administrators. The 700-year-old dilapidated ‘Malcha Mahal’ had no electricity, no doors, no windows and no water.

In an interview to The Indian Express in 1997, the Prince had spoken of his sister’s deep distress since their mother died, and her obsession with committing suicide. “My sister is in deep distress and since the Begum died, (she) has been wearing black. She has not combed her hair even once.” Sakina died a few months ago. At the time, their mother’s ashes were being kept in a crystal vial in the middle of the large room.According to the Prince, his mother had died by consuming crushed diamonds, extracted from ornaments she never wore, in 1993.

He was often seen pouring water in the blue ceramic tea set displayed on a broken table. According to the version of the local police, the prince would wander near the forested areas in Chanakyapuri and, for the past two-three days, there was no movement which was suspicious. Police later found that he was lying dead on the floor inside his house. He was taken to a nearby government hospital (RML) for his post-mortem, where no external injuries were found on his body. There were some contact numbers found from the spot but none of them could be reached. After the mandatory wait of 72 hours when no one came to claim the body the body was handed over to Delhi Waqf Boardwhich organized his burial at Delhi Gate Cemetery on September 5.

Thus ended the life of the last Prince of Oudh Dynastypopularly known as Cyrus. Ironically, Cyrus (600-530 BC) was the founder of one of the greatest empires in the world history, the Achaemenid Empire. Cyrus was described as King of Persia and King of the Four Corners of the World. This Cyrus of the former Oudh ruling dynasty died a pauper.

Presently, there are no details available about Begum Wilayat Mahal’s connections with the great Begum Hazrat Mahal and her son Brijis Qadr who played prominent role in leading the 1857 War of Independence against the East India Company rule. Begum Hazrat Mahal carried on the armed struggle till 1860.

She did not surrender and took asylum in Nepal where she died in 1879. However, it is true that Begum Wilayat Mahal demanded compensation from Independent India’s government for being member of a family of rebels and her claim was not rejected.

The story of Begum Wilayat Mahal and her children who hailed from family of rebels of 1857 armed struggle dying as paupers is not one isolated incident. There are thousands of such stories which no historian has bothered to chronicle. Unfortunately, these are no more part of the Indian nation’s narrative.

The saddest part is that neither on the eve of Independence nor while commemorating the centenary of this event in 1956-57, the Indian State bothered about the injustice done to the families who lost everything during this great struggle. The government of free India should have announced the compensation for kin and families of these martyrs and restored to them properties/wealth confiscated by the British for the’crime’ of joining ‘Mutiny’. This should have been among the first orders of the government.

Though this did not happen, a more criminal practice was allowed to continue. Those stooges who helped the British in suppressing the ‘Mutiny’ like rulers of Gwalior, Hyderabad, Bhopal, Rampur, Kashmir, Patiala, Pataudi, Nabha and many more were allowed to retain their own properties. Not only this, these ‘anti-nationals’ were allowed to continue to possess properties of the rebels which were confiscated by the British and awarded to these princes as rewards. Sadly, if on the one hand India witnessed children/kin of real freedom fighters living a pathetic lifeand dying like the family of Begum Wilayat Mahal, on the other hand we saw the shocking spectacle of the family members of the stooges enjoying power as chief ministers, ministers, and even Governors in an independent India.

Even the residences of Bahadur Shah (Red Fort etc.), Rani Laxmi Bai (Jhansi fort), Begum Hazrat Hazrat Mahal (Lucknow Residency), to cite few examples out of thousands, were not restored. All these became national properties. Zafar’s family ended up in penury in Burma. But the stooge princes of the British empirewere allowed to own their estates and even convert many of these into money minting resorts.

It is thus the stooges who ruled during British times continue to commandeer resources in independent India. And the kin of those who sacrificed everything for freedom continue live as paupers.

Bharat Mata ki Jai!

References:
1. http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/-last-prince-of-awadh-dies-a-pauper-in-decrepit-delhi-palace/493929.html
2. http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/a-lonely-death-for-the-last-prince-of-oudh-police-find-body-near-palace-4925909/
3. http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/last-prince-of-awadh-passes-away/article19999121.ece

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Adivasi Discontent in Gujarat Rises Over BJP Reservation Policy

ST communities oppose extension of reservation to three pastoral communities.

Gujarat Behind the Mirage: The Myth of Good Governance

Gujarat: Behind the Mirage

CAG Report exposes systemic irregularities

1857 Martyr’s Families Die in Penury, British Stooges Comandeer Power

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