(Courtesy: CNN-IBN)
Maoists are “justified in taking up arms” because the government has been unjust to them and is waging a war on them, says writer and activist Arundhati Roy.
"My fear is that because of this economic interest the government and establishment actually needs a war. It needs to militarise. For that it needs an enemy. And so in a way what the Muslims were to BJP, the Maoists are to Congress. If I was a person who is being dispossessed, whose wife has been raped, who is being pushed of their land and who is being faced with this 'police force', I would say that I am justified in taking up arms. If that is the only way I have to defend myself, there should be unconditional talks with the Maoists. We should stop thinking about who is justified. You have an army of very poor people being faced down by an army of rich that are corporate-backed. I am sorry but it is like that. So you can't extract morality from the heinous act of violence that each commits against the other," she said in an interview with Karan Thapar on CNN-IBN’s show Devil's Advocate.
Roy, in a debate on CNN-IBN last week, had alleged that the government was a planning a war on Maoists to take away their resources on behalf of the multi-national companies.
“The real fact is--and I believe this--that it is the Government that wants a war to clear out the forest areas because there is a huge backlog of MoUs in Jharkhand as well as Chhattisgarh that are not being activated,” she had said.
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Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Despise all religions, be a man....
No religion can claim to be completely correct, but every religion is partially correct. We should prefer to despise all these religions, and thus having a belief in one and only 'God' who strengthens us to move forward. The proclaimed pros of all religions will get filtered to us on such an occassion. We will finally be a man then, a man whose only religion is humanity.
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Friday, October 9, 2009
ഗവണ്മെന്റ്-ന്റെ കണ്ണും മൂക്കും ഇല്ലാത്ത 'Anti-naxal Plan'
("Home Ministry officials remarked that the first part of the offensive would be fought with guns.")
ഒരു ഉത്തരവാധിത്വപെട്ട ഗവണ്മെന്റ് ഇങ്ങനല്ല ചെയ്യേണ്ടത്. ഉണ്ടാക്കിയ പ്ലാനിന് കുറച്ചു കൂടെ maturity നല്‍കേണ്ടിയിരുന്നു. ഒരു തുറന്ന ചര്‍ച്ചക്ക് ഗവണ്മെന്റ് ഇതുവരെ തയ്യാറായിട്ടില്ല. യുക്തിവിഹീനങ്ങളായ കാര്യങ്ങളാണ് ഗവണ്മെന്റ് ആദ്യം തന്നെ ആവശ്യപ്പെടുന്നത്. തിരിച്ചു ഇനിയൊരു ചെറുത്തുനില്‍പ്പും ഉണ്ടാവില്ലെന്നാണോ ഗവണ്മെന്റ് കരുതുന്നത്? അതിന്റെ പരിധിയുടെ ശക്തിയെ അറിയാത്ത പോലെയാണല്ലോ ഗവണ്മെന്റ് പെരുമാറുന്നത്...!!
നക്സലുകളെ ഭീകരരായി ചിത്രീകരിക്കുന്നതാണ് ഗവണ്മെന്റ് ആദ്യം നിര്‍ത്തേണ്ടത്. ഭീകരരുടെ വിചാരണ പോലും വളരെ സസൂക്ഷ്മം മാനുഷിക മൂല്യങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് വില കല്പിച്ചു ചെയ്യുന്ന നമ്മുടെ ഗവണ്മെന്റ്-കള്‍ക്ക് എന്താണ് ഈ നക്സലിസതിനെതിരെ മാത്രം ഇത്ര കല്ലുകടി ?
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ഒരു ഉത്തരവാധിത്വപെട്ട ഗവണ്മെന്റ് ഇങ്ങനല്ല ചെയ്യേണ്ടത്. ഉണ്ടാക്കിയ പ്ലാനിന് കുറച്ചു കൂടെ maturity നല്‍കേണ്ടിയിരുന്നു. ഒരു തുറന്ന ചര്‍ച്ചക്ക് ഗവണ്മെന്റ് ഇതുവരെ തയ്യാറായിട്ടില്ല. യുക്തിവിഹീനങ്ങളായ കാര്യങ്ങളാണ് ഗവണ്മെന്റ് ആദ്യം തന്നെ ആവശ്യപ്പെടുന്നത്. തിരിച്ചു ഇനിയൊരു ചെറുത്തുനില്‍പ്പും ഉണ്ടാവില്ലെന്നാണോ ഗവണ്മെന്റ് കരുതുന്നത്? അതിന്റെ പരിധിയുടെ ശക്തിയെ അറിയാത്ത പോലെയാണല്ലോ ഗവണ്മെന്റ് പെരുമാറുന്നത്...!!
നക്സലുകളെ ഭീകരരായി ചിത്രീകരിക്കുന്നതാണ് ഗവണ്മെന്റ് ആദ്യം നിര്‍ത്തേണ്ടത്. ഭീകരരുടെ വിചാരണ പോലും വളരെ സസൂക്ഷ്മം മാനുഷിക മൂല്യങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് വില കല്പിച്ചു ചെയ്യുന്ന നമ്മുടെ ഗവണ്മെന്റ്-കള്‍ക്ക് എന്താണ് ഈ നക്സലിസതിനെതിരെ മാത്രം ഇത്ര കല്ലുകടി ?
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Thursday, October 8, 2009
രാഹുലിന്റെ 'ചെലവ് ചുരുക്കല്‍' പരീക്ഷണങ്ങള്‍
കേവലം എം.പി മാത്രമായ "വിശുദ്ധപശു"ക്കളുടെ യുവജനനേതാവിനു കേരളത്തില്‍ സംഘടനാപ്രവര്‍ത്തനത്തിനു ടാറ്റസാഫാരി കാറുകള്‍ കൊണ്ടു വരാന്‍ വ്യോമസേന ചിലവാക്കിയത് 40 ലക്ഷം. മറ്റു രണ്ടു ടാറ്റസാഫാരി കാറുകള്‍ തീവണ്ടി മാര്‍ഗ്ഗം തിരുവനന്തപുരത്തുമെത്തി എന്നും അറിയുന്നു. "ദേശീയ ചെലവു ചുരുക്കല്‍ പദ്ധതി" കെങ്കേമം തന്നെ...!!
തേക്കടിദുരന്തത്തിലെ മൃതദേഹങ്ങള്‍ നാട്ടിലെത്തിക്കാന്‍ വ്യോമസേനക്കു വിമാനം അനുവദിക്കാന്‍ വകുപ്പു കണ്ടെത്താന്‍ കഴിഞ്ഞില്ല എന്നതും നാം ഓര്‍മ്മിക്കേണ്ടതുണ്ട്.
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The rejuvenated ghost of caste system
Having reached a point where we are on to the 63rd year of Independence, it is pathetic that we Indians are still so much inclined to the dirtiest of the human acts as I believe, the Caste system. At this juncture, its high time we must understand that Caste system is one of the biggest impediments in the path of India’s success as a country. This is simply a complex system that makes the power and resources of our country divided, and its existence has resulted in disharmony and hatred among common people for no reason.
To add oil to the flame, political parties are bringing back the 'Ghost of Caste Census'. Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily has demanded for the caste based census. The last caste census was done in 1931. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, independent India’s first Home minister, had decided in 1950 that there will be no caste-based census from 1951 onwards, when the first census took place in Free India.
I feel this caste system is not a space different from one of the most filthiest of the human vurgarities, the racism. Attacks came from all quarters condemning racist acts against Indians in Australia. Match it with what is synonymous with our home turf and we can see the word ‘hypocrisy’ ringing loud and clear. Yeah, we are speaking here about Casteism itself. Blurry images splashed on newspaper pages and flashed on national television of Dalits picked out and forced to sanitize their schools because apparently their caste commanded them to do so. A recent talk show on medias brought forth how psychological trauma undergone by Dalits since childhood can propel them to exploit or abuse a high upliftment but their own selfish goal of staying in power.
One should have the basic common sense that human dignity is to be valued. Caste, like they say, has become a face of India. What began as a truly profession-based entity has taken the form of an identity today. It appears like Casteism is here to stay and solidify 'indefinitely', to the extent that Dalit become a dirty word. Reservation is yet another matter that has got unreasonably solidified here for years. Its been following as if a ritual or something, giving no ears or eyes to the reality. Maybe if we give the oppressed a conductive environment for studying and pursuing education, the issue of allotting quotas to the backward classes would die a natural death.
How long should we have to move further to throw away this evil system from our society, and foremost from our minds? If the clot in our minds regarding caste distinctions is not dissolved soon, the development of our country will hit many more bottlenecks. Beware!!
-Jithin BK
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To add oil to the flame, political parties are bringing back the 'Ghost of Caste Census'. Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily has demanded for the caste based census. The last caste census was done in 1931. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, independent India’s first Home minister, had decided in 1950 that there will be no caste-based census from 1951 onwards, when the first census took place in Free India.
I feel this caste system is not a space different from one of the most filthiest of the human vurgarities, the racism. Attacks came from all quarters condemning racist acts against Indians in Australia. Match it with what is synonymous with our home turf and we can see the word ‘hypocrisy’ ringing loud and clear. Yeah, we are speaking here about Casteism itself. Blurry images splashed on newspaper pages and flashed on national television of Dalits picked out and forced to sanitize their schools because apparently their caste commanded them to do so. A recent talk show on medias brought forth how psychological trauma undergone by Dalits since childhood can propel them to exploit or abuse a high upliftment but their own selfish goal of staying in power.
One should have the basic common sense that human dignity is to be valued. Caste, like they say, has become a face of India. What began as a truly profession-based entity has taken the form of an identity today. It appears like Casteism is here to stay and solidify 'indefinitely', to the extent that Dalit become a dirty word. Reservation is yet another matter that has got unreasonably solidified here for years. Its been following as if a ritual or something, giving no ears or eyes to the reality. Maybe if we give the oppressed a conductive environment for studying and pursuing education, the issue of allotting quotas to the backward classes would die a natural death.
How long should we have to move further to throw away this evil system from our society, and foremost from our minds? If the clot in our minds regarding caste distinctions is not dissolved soon, the development of our country will hit many more bottlenecks. Beware!!
-Jithin BK
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