Youth Icon Shri Narendra Modi Message on the Republic Day 2014

Dear Friends,

Today, we celebrate our 65th Republic Day. 64 years ago, on this very day; we formally became a Republic and adopted our Constitution. Today is a day of national strength and self confidence.

Republic Day fills each and every one of us with strong emotions. It brings to mind powerful images of India’s military, parading to the world its full might and grandeur. It makes us salute once again the selfless patriotism of our women and men in uniform. It inspires us with the moving accounts of the bravery and gallantry award winners.

Today is also a day to look back and cherish our glorious past! Remember the sacrifices of the great women and men of the freedom struggle. Remember the members of the Constituent Assembly, who gave us in our Constitution a rooting force we can be very proud of. Today we renew our faith and commitment in this sacred text that has made India what it is. We pay our tributes to the venerable Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, whose anchoring role can never be forgotten.

Importantly, today is also a day for introspection. What does the Republic of India stand for? What does it mean to us? What direction has it been headed in over the last seven decades? And what does it need to do in the coming years?

One phrase that has been gaining significant traction of-late is the ‘Idea of India’. Public and academic discourse around this has been hijacked by a select few, becoming a powerful tool in furthering their hegemony over the same. Many have asked me in lengthy op-eds, on social media and so on that “Modi ji everything else is alright but what is your Idea of India”? Others have not been so kind, preferring to debate my party’s very suitability with this ‘Idea of India’ itself.

However, one must understand that no single person or entity can appropriate the ‘Idea of India’. BJP’s National Council Meet last week gave me the opportunity to share some glimpses into what my ‘Idea of India’ was as well.

First and foremost, my understanding of the ‘Idea of India’ fundamentally rejects such a hegemonic conceptualization of an ‘Idea of India’. The Rig Veda teaches us: ‘आ नो भद्राः क्रतवो यन्तु विश्वतः’. That is ‘let noble thoughts flow from all sides’! This is not just a mantra, but a central tenet of our Constitution as well. Ours is a path of tolerance. Of the celebration of diversity. Where every Indian not just envisions, but works towards building the India of his or her dreams. My ‘Idea of India’ calls not just for tolerance, but a celebration of all points of view. Where the sensibilities of every individual are respected.

Truth, Peace and Non-violence form the central tenets of the ‘Idea of India’!Our scriptures teach ‘सत्यमेव जयते’, that Truth alone triumphs. I am committed to such an India where the wheels of justice move quickly and equally for every Indian irrespective of his class, caste or creed. An India where injustice has no legal nor moral validity.

Non-violence is another such principle that has blessed our nation from time immemorial. We are the land of Gautama Buddha, Mahavira and Mahatma Gandhi. ‘अहिंसा परमो धर्मः’ – that non-violence is the highest dharma – is ingrained in our scriptures. Violence, in any manner or form, thus has no space whatsoever in the ‘Idea of India’.

The ‘Idea of India’ in fact does not let this ethos of brotherhood and friendship be limited by India’s boundaries as well, espousing the principle of ‘वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्’ – or the whole world being one single family. The 21st century once again beckons India to its role of being the guiding light to the world. The ‘Idea of India’ demands the actualization of Swami Vivekananda’s dream of ‘जगद गुरु भारत’. Of a confident and sure India, engaging with the global community on its own terms and principles.

The ‘Idea of India’ is an India of opportunity and aspiration. An India where:‘सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः, सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः’ – all are prosperous and happy, all are free from illness. Unfortunately however, poverty and despondency has been perpetuated for decades to enrich the ballot boxes of a selected few. The dreams and aspirations of our peoples have been brow-beaten into submissive helplessness. The incredulous story of India being a poor nation has been woven to suit this purpose.

But this bluff must be called! India is not a poor nation. It has been made poor. India is blessed with incredible natural resources as well as unimaginable human resources. Why else was every colonial power drawn to India centuries ago, then for her unimaginable wealth! All that is needed to release this trapped vibrancy is a change in approach. We need to harness dreams, rather than dependency. We Indians have a very strong sense of honour and dignity. We are a self made people. All we ask for is fair and equal opportunity. The ‘Idea of India’ thus requires every single Indian to be empowered with the opportunity to break free from the chains of poverty and build his own success story of progress and prosperity.

Now is the time to give our people wings to fly. Empower them with the ability to dream; as well as the capability to actualize the same. Our youth are brimming with energy, ready to shape not just India but the World at large. It is our responsibility to enable the same by providing them with the necessary skills and opportunities. We must harness their talent through a focus on quality education, entrepreneurship, innovation, research and technology.

Whenever knowledge has been in primacy, India has shown the way to the World. As the 21st century evolves into an era of knowledge and information, the World once again beckons India. It is not the might of missiles but the sharpness of the human mind that will determine the coming century. Education thus is at the core of my ‘Idea of India’, charting the way from the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge – ‘तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय’. I envision an India where the lamp of knowledge shines in every household. I envision an India where each child has access to a holistic education that builds character and personality.

A society’s development is incomplete without the empowerment of women. This dream of women empowerment cannot be achieved until we as a society are able to guarantee their safety and dignity. Few things are as shameful as committing a crime against women. If we see our beloved nation as our Mother India – ‘माँ भारती’, if the divine Goddess has been worshipped by our ancestors for centuries; why do we tolerate crime against women? Let us raise our voices and unite against these forces who cannot respect our ‘मातृ शक्ति’. Women have been considered as homemakers. Now however, we must see them as nation builders, fundamentally defining our future.

The development of India will not be possible with a weak Federation. The makers of our Constitution envisioned a strong federal structure where the States and the Centre are equal partners in the development journey. No one is big and no one is small.

We need to change the mindset where states have to survive at the mercy of Delhi. The money in our nation’s’ coffers belongs to the people of India!

We dream of an India where development is the result of all Chief Ministers, the Prime Minister, state Ministers, Union Ministers working together with even Local Body Authorities as one team, a strong and united ‘Team India.’

Friends, we are a truly blessed people. Blessed with unimaginable wealth, both natural and human. Blessed with an illustrious heritage built by our ancestors over millennia. Ours is the sole culture that has stood the test of time. Civilisations came and civilisations went. Societies appeared and societies disappeared. But we stand tall, having overcome every challenge only to emerge stronger after each.

Yes, there have been setbacks. Yes, we are confronted by some very serious challenges. Yes, there is a lot that remains to be done. However the ‘Idea of India’ stands unblemished. I have always believed in the intrinsic strength and potential of India. I urge you to do the same.

Let us have faith in our nation and our people. Let us walk the path shown by our great leaders, as a fitting tribute to their selfless sacrifice. Let us devote ourselves to the cause of nation building with the mantra of ‘India First’! Let us together build a nation that once again redefines the story of mankind!

Forever yours in this journey of development,

Narendra Modi

Satyameva Jayate: Truth Alone Triumphs

My dear sisters and brothers,

The law of nature is that Truth alone triumphs – Satyameva Jayate. Our judiciary having spoken, I felt it important to share my inner thoughts and feelings with the nation at large.

The end brings back memories of the beginning. The devastating earthquake of 2001 had plunged Gujarat into the gloom of death, destruction and sheer helplessness. Hundreds of lives were lost. Lakhs were rendered homeless. Entire livelihoods were destroyed. In such traumatic times of unimaginable suffering, I was given the responsibility to soothe and rebuild. And we had whole heartedly plunged ourselves into the challenge at hand.

Within a mere five months however, the mindless violence of 2002 had dealt us another unexpected blow. Innocents were killed. Families rendered helpless. Property built through years of toil destroyed. Still struggling to get back on its feet from the natural devastation, this was a crippling blow to an already shattered and hurting Gujarat.

I was shaken to the core. ‘Grief’, ‘Sadness’, ‘Misery’, ‘Pain’, ‘Anguish’, ‘Agony’ – mere words could not capture the absolute emptiness one felt on witnessing such inhumanity.

On one side was the pain of the victims of the earthquake, and on the other the pain of the victims of the riots. In decisively confronting this great turmoil, I had to single-mindedly focus all the strength given to me by the almighty, on the task of peace, justice and rehabilitation; burying the pain and agony I was personally wracked with.

During those challenging times, I often recollected the wisdom in our scriptures; explaining how those seating in positions of power did not have the right to share their own pain and anguish. They had to suffer it in solitude. I lived through the same,experiencing this anguish in searingly sharp intensity. In fact, whenever I remember those agonizing days, I have only one earnest prayer to God. That never again should such cruelly unfortunate days come in the lives of any other person, society, state or nation.

This is the first time I am sharing the harrowing ordeal I had gone through in those days at a personal level.

However, it was from these very built up emotions that I had appealed to the people of Gujarat on the day of the Godhra train burning itself; fervently urging for peace and restraint to ensure lives of innocents were not put at risk. I had repeatedly reiterated the same principles in my daily interactions with the media in those fateful days of February-March 2002 as well; publically underlining the political will as well as moral responsibility of the government to ensure peace, deliver justice and punish all guilty of violence. You will also find these deep emotions in my recent words at my Sadbhavana fasts, where I had emphasized how such deplorable incidents did not behove a civilized society and had pained me deeply.

In fact, my emphasis has always been on developing and emphasizing a spirit of unity; with the now widely used concept of ‘my 5 crore Gujarati brothers and sisters’ having crystallised right at the beginning of my tenure as CM itself from this very space.

However, as if all the suffering was not enough, I was also accused of the death and misery of my own loved ones, my Gujarati brothers and sisters. Can you imagine the inner turmoil and shock of being blamed for the very events that have shattered you!

For so many years, they incessantly kept up their attack, leaving no stone unturned. What pained even more was that in their overzealousness to hit at me for their narrow personal and political ends, they ended up maligning my entire state and country. This heartlessly kept reopening the wounds that we were sincerely trying to heal. It ironically also delayed the very justice that these people claimed to be fighting for. Maybe they did not realize how much suffering they were adding to an already pained people.

Gujarat however had decided its own path. We chose peace over violence. We chose unity over divisiveness. We chose goodwill over hatred. This was not easy, but we were determined to commit for the long haul. From a life of daily uncertainty and fear; my Gujarat transformed into one of Shanti, Ekta and Sadbhavana. I stand a satisfied and reassured man today. And for this, I credit each and every Gujarati.

The Gujarat Government had responded to the violence more swiftly and decisively than ever done before in any previous riots in the country. Yesterday’s judgement culminated a process of unprecedented scrutiny closely monitored by the highest court of the land, the Honourable Supreme Court of India. Gujarat’s 12 years of trial by the fire have finally drawn to an end. I feel liberated and at peace.

I am truly grateful to all those who stood by me in these trying times; seeing through the facade of lies and deceit. With this cloud of misinformation firmly dispelled, I will now also hope that the many others out there trying to understand and connect with the real Narendra Modi would feel more empowered to do so.

Those who derive satisfaction by perpetuating pain in others will probably not stop their tirade against me. I do not expect them to. But, I pray in all humility, that they at least now stop irresponsibly maligning the 6 crore people of Gujarat.

Emerging from this journey of pain and agony; I pray to God that no bitterness seeps into my heart. I sincerely do not see this judgement as a personal victory or defeat, and urge all – my friends and especially my opponents – to not do so as well. I was driven by this same principle at the time of the Honourable Supreme Court’s 2011 judgement on this matter. I fasted 37 days for Sadbhavana, choosing to translate the positive judgement into constructive action, reinforcing Unity and Sadbhavana in society at large.

I am deeply convinced that the future of any society, state or country lies in harmony. This is the only foundation on which progress and prosperity can be built. Therefore, I urge one and all to join hands in working towards the same, ensuring smiles on each and every face.

Once again, Satyameva Jayate!

Vande Mataram!

Narendra Modi

Carry on Mr Owaisi, you are a genuine secular leader......Tarun Vijay.

The way the system works here, it is difficult to think Akbaruddin Owaisi will be ever be punished for uttering those hateful words, laments Tarun Vijay

 
Finally, Akbaruddin Owaisi, the fragrance of whose wisdom has so far been confined to the city that had seen the violent rise of Razakars before Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel ordered General J N Chaudhry to abort the Nizam of Hyderabad's dreams of joining Pakistan, has succeeded in getting his share of national fame. The books secular writers wrote mentioned Buddha, Mahavir, Krishna and Indian freedom-fighters in derogatory terms. Spreading Hindu philosophy is contemptuously called 'forced Hinduisation' but those who convert Hindus to their faith through various deceitful means are welcomed as freedom providers from the bondage of castiesm and backwardness. The entire northeast saw the rise of extreme Christianity that advocated separation from India and supported violent insurgent groups like the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak Muivah and others. But the seculars saw in it a movement of indigenous peoples' struggle and a brave campaign to civilise the local population. Any incident that brought Hindus under the sword of the assaulters was simply ignored with an insult it didn't deserve, or the blame of Hindu slaughter was put on the shoulders of Hindu leaders alone. Godhra, oh Godhra! It was declared that it was a crime committed by Hindus and their leaders -- that kar sevaks'orchestrated' the burning of 59 Hindu women, children and the old, 'to create an atmosphere for the killing Muslims'. Remember those reports of the seculars? They may tell lies, white lies and lies of all colours to support their arguments. Like the Ahmedabad  pregnant Muslim woman burnt alive by Hindus story. And their ilk can do no wrong. The man who sort of justified the gruesome genocide of three thousand Sikhs by saying, 'when a big tree falls, the earth shakes', is awarded the Bharat Ratna. The other man who showed through his world acclaimed acumen that Hindus and Muslims can develop together and achieve the highest rate of growth is given the 'most hated person of the century award' by seculars, just because he belongs to the Hindu family.           Almost every second round-about in New Delhi have illegally built dargahs. And soon all such dargahs turn into mosques, against, as far as Islamic scholars tell me, the strict dictates of Islam. You will even find them at the main gate of the Election Commission, the defence ministry, airports and outside Parliament. So much is the pressure from such secular media houses that nationalist parties, when in power, express an enthusiasm to demolish hundreds of pavement temples in order to show they are not communal. One such huge temple was demolished just opposite my former office in Jhandewala in New Delhi during the Bharatiya Janata Party's rule. Seculars have suggested putting up an 'all-faith centre' at the Ram Janambhoomi in Ayodhya to increase the levels of mutual love, harmony and understanding. It simply means allowing Muslims and Christians to pray at a site of Hindu faith. But when a small Bhagyalaksmi temple, an old creation, is found to be situated at Charminar, which is not a religious structure, in a city that also belongs to Mr Owaisi, it is suggested that the temple be shifted. So carry on Mr Owaisi. The way the system works here, it is difficult to think you will be ever be punished for uttering those hateful words. Even if you get a symbolic reprimand, that is going to further increase your stature as a genuine secular leader.

The usual sirens of secularism and the noise factories of peace, candlelight marchers and harmony providers with their 'punish Varun (Gandhi)' and 'hang (Narendra) Modi' missions are silent on Owaisi's hate-play. In fact, they must be rejoicing that a new baby has arrived to join their exclusive secular ranks. Celebrate!!

At a time when the Hindu organisations are busy washing their dirty linen in public and others are busy settling kitchen matters, it is obvious that the headlines will focus on some semi-literate and ill-informed small-town noise-makers. Owaisi forgot how Sardar Patel, the ideal of Narendra Modi, silenced the treacherous Razakars in one swift move and all those bravehearts were found running to their nearest safe-holes.

He also doesn't know that hate politics is taking its toll on mostly Muslims the world over as more Muslims are being killed by Muslims than anyone else. He should use his abilities to save at least his hapless and forlorn Muslims in Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, and Palestine.

The false pride in theological extremism doesn't help. It hasn't helped anyone belonging to any colour or shade. See how boastful Tikka Khan was about Islamic power. And how the Islamised forces surrendered before us on December 16, 1971. It is pluralism and a healthy attitude of tolerance, nay, acceptance of the other viewpoint as honourable and true that makes a nation move ahead and society progress. Wherever blind opposition to the other viewpoint has prevailed, it has brought only darkness and barbarism of the middle ages.

Owaisi must address the issues of backwardness, girls' education and empowerment and illiteracy in his community. That should be his first priority rather than befooling his people with fake bravado that means nothing at the ground level. The savage demolishers never achieve any purpose. In spite of demolishing Buddha at Bamiyan, the teachings of Buddha remain as relevant and alive as ever but the Taliban  have been dustbinned by every civil country.

So has been our history that made Iqbal (I am sure Owaisi has never heard his name) to say -- Kuch Baat Hai Ki Hasti Mit tee Nahin hamaari, there is something unique in us that we have survived all the vicissitudes of time,  and he declared Ram as the Imam-e-Hind. The demolishers have vanished but we have still kept alive the thousands of years-old traditions in our homes and are always on the path of victory and peace and not on the path of homicide and fratricidal wars.

For the last several centuries, only members of the Hindu community and other faiths born in India have continuously faced the savagery of either foreign invaders or of alienated minds. More than three thousand Hindu temples were destroyed and mosques built on the sites of destroyed temples, including in Kashi, Ayodhya and Mathura and the Qutub Minar -- which in fact is the Quwwatul en Islam mosque, (the power of Islam) -- as is declared by an information board put up there by the Archaeological Survey of India.  

When Kashmir saw the world's most horrendous exodus of Hindus, the honourable secular writers, with all the seriousness they could muster, wrote that it was a drama enacted at the direction of then governor Jagmohan tobadnaam (give a bad name) to Muslims.

Those jihadis facing murder charges for killing Indian Air Force personnel and their children are respectfully invited to participate in chat shows of objective TV channels and their pictures are displayed on the frontpages of the secular print media, along with the anti-India diatribe coming out of their mouths. 

But when Chakma Buddhists and Reang Hindus are forced to leave their home and hearth, from Mizoram and Nagaland, these are simply treated as unmentionable incidents.

And they run secular businesses from their dargahs -- xerox, STD-ISD services, fax, and several other offices of their children and friends are located there. The garden around them in the round-about is maintained by the New Delhi Municipal Corporation. They get power supply and all the facilities provided by the government.

Just touch them or demand their relocation and you will be roasted alive by the secular TV channels on their prime time shows and declared as the most rabid anti-Muslim.

So pavement dargahs can't be touched even if the public is inconvenienced, the law is broken and traffic is affected. But the bridge that Rama built, Ram Sethu, can be destroyed to make way for ships.

'Why on earth should this small, ugly-looking temple be situated close to a structure much revered by Muslims,' asked a secular writer.

Now, this temple and the "structure much revered by the Muslims" are not considered as one which may increase levels of mutual love!

Tarun Vijay is a member of the Rajya Sabha; member, Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs; national spokesperson of the BJP; and honorary director, Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation

सरफरोशी की तमन्ना अब हमारे दिल में है!!

सरफरोशी की तमन्ना अब हमारे दिल में है
- By Ram Prasad Bismil

सरफरोशी की तमन्ना अब हमारे दिल में है,
देखना है जोर कितना बाजुए कातिल में है ।

करता नहीं क्यों दुसरा कुछ बातचीत,
देखता हूँ मैं जिसे वो चुप तेरी महफिल मैं है ।

रहबर राहे मौहब्बत रह न जाना राह में
लज्जत-ऐ-सेहरा नवर्दी दूरिये-मंजिल में है ।

यों खड़ा मौकतल में कातिल कह रहा है बार-बार
क्या तमन्ना-ए-शहादत भी किसी के दिल में है ।

ऐ शहीदे-मुल्को-मिल्लत मैं तेरे ऊपर निसार
अब तेरी हिम्मत का चर्चा ग़ैर की महफिल में है ।

वक्त आने दे बता देंगे तुझे ऐ आसमां,
हम अभी से क्या बतायें क्या हमारे दिल में है ।

खींच कर लाई है सब को कत्ल होने की उम्मींद,
आशिकों का जमघट आज कूंचे-ऐ-कातिल में है ।

सरफरोशी की तमन्ना अब हमारे दिल में है,
देखना है जोर कितना बाजुए कातिल में है ।
__

रहबर - Guide
लज्जत - tasteful
नवर्दी - Battle
मौकतल - Place Where Executions Take Place, Place of Killing
मिल्लत - Nation, faith

--
Many people have asked me about the lyrics used in the movie 'Rang De Basanti'. Here it goes -- though remember these lines are not part of the original poem written by 'Ram Prasad Bismil'.

है लिये हथियार दुश्मन ताक मे बैठा उधर
और हम तैय्यार हैं सीना लिये अपना इधर
खून से खेलेंगे होली गर वतन मुश्किल में है
सरफरोशी की तमन्ना अब हमारे दिल में है

हाथ जिनमें हो जुनून कटते नही तलवार से
सर जो उठ जाते हैं वो झुकते नहीं ललकार से
और भडकेगा जो शोला सा हमारे दिल में है
सरफरोशी की तमन्ना अब हमारे दिल में है

हम तो घर से निकले ही थे बांधकर सर पे कफ़न
जान हथेली में लिये लो बढ चले हैं ये कदम
जिंदगी तो अपनी मेहमान मौत की महफ़िल मैं है
सरफरोशी की तमन्ना अब हमारे दिल में है

दिल मे तूफानों की टोली और नसों में इन्कलाब
होश दुश्मन के उडा देंगे हमे रोको न आज
दूर रह पाये जो हमसे दम कहाँ मंजिल मे है
सरफरोशी की तमन्ना अब हमारे दिल में है

Being A Hindu in India.

Maya Kodnani has been condemned by the Supreme Court. One can't argue with that. Justice is done. But should not then thousands of Hindus in Gujarat be condemned too? For who went down in the streets in fury in 2002? Hundreds, if not thousands of Gujuratis, not only from the lower strata of society, not only Dalits, but also middle class, and sometimes even upper middle class! Should they also not

 be judged? But then it would be the whole of Gujarat who should be hauled to court, an ancient and noble race, who gave so much to India, including Mahatma Gandhi, and today is still exporting all over the world its upright and successful businessmen, to the US, for instance, where they own most of the motels. Nobody dares do that; it’s much each easier to target Mr Modi and Mrs Kodnani. And why were none of the Kahsmiris who killed and hounded out the Hindus in the Valley of Kashmir ever condemned? It was a much bigger genocide.

Is it logic today that the Indian media, its intellectuals and even its government, only highlight the 2002 Gujarat riots, carefully omitting the fact that they were triggered by the cruel murdering of 57 Hindus, 36 of them innocent women and children, burnt like animals in the Sabarmati Express? Riots of that intensity do not happen in a day, they are a result of long term pent-up angers and a spark like the killing of Hindu brothers and sisters, whose only crime was that they believed that Ram was born in Ayodhya, is enough the ignite the smouldering fire.

Is it logical that only Mr Modi is targeted? 

Mrs Sonia Gandhi is single mindedly going after him, using brazenly the Government’s legal appendages, because, at the moment he seems to be the only alternative to her son, Rahul Gandhi becoming Prime Minister in the next general elections. That is pure logics, and we should give credit to Mrs Gandhi for her cunning and ruthlessness. She has given us a lesson in Realpolitik. Kautilya would have been proud of her and the BJP, who spent 5 years being goody-goody (and not using their power to go after Mrs Gandhi), should also reflect on its foolishness. For she has no such qualms against them.

Mr Modi is unfortunately a Hindu and today it is not good to be a Hindu in India, though Hindus represent 850 million here, a billion worldwide, one of the most tolerant, peaceful and successful communities in the world. Hindus are killed in markets, their temples attacked, their financial capital held to ransom for 3 days by a few men, Kashmir, the ancient seat of Shivaism, is allowed to drift away by the present government. If only the Hindus could become conscious of their numbers, as well of their economical and potential political clout! But they are hopelessly divided at the moment, even in the BJP. Yet the truth is that Hindus, after lying low and having being at the receiving hand of terrorism for centuries, are getting angry: Gujurat was the first sign, the Christian belt of Orissa the second, the Jammu Amarnath riots the third one and Assam the latest. Hindus are passive, Gandhiji even called them cowards, but when they erupt, they erupt in fury........François Gautier, a French Journalist.

HERE IS SIX QUESTIONS TO EVERY COMMUNIST OF INDIA.........

1. With the demise of the Soviet Union, and China clearly and consciously taking the capitalist road (plus one-party rule, just like Hitler did), what hope is left for Marxism? Cuba, North Korea and the Indian state of Tripura?

2. Whenever Communists are told of the success of Capitalist economies they always produce

 spurious arguments, like you cannot compare Singapore with India, and so on. But the best comparison to illustrate the failure of Communism is between North and South Korea, even better than between erstwhile West and East Germany. East Germany had to erect a wall so that their Germans would not escape their Workers' Paradise to enter 'decadent, capitalist' West Germany. North and South Korea have almost the same area, same population, same ethnic stock, same language, same culture, except that South Korea is a capitalist democracy, while north is a 'hereditary Communist state'. South Korea is in the first world; North Korea suffers from famine and a chronically malnourished population, and is branded as a 'rogue state'.

3. Maoists abuse nationalism, Indian Army, police, state, everyone, but are strangely reticent about the sort of social order they want to bring about if they are successful (some hope!). What they want to bring about is Mao's and Pol Pot's type of rule. Both of these were nothing less than demons. Estimates on the number killed during his disastrous experiment called 'Great Leap Forward' (1958-1960) vary from 18 million to 45 million of his countrymen, and those during the 'Cultural revolution' (1966-68) may run to tens of millions. Pol Pot, communist dictator of Cambodia envisaged a state where there would be only peasants and soldiers, and everyone else was to be killed. He killed off an estimated 21% of his population. IS THIS THE SORT OF SOCIAL ORDER THE MAOISTS WANT TO BRING ABOUT? 

4. Lenin died from General Paralysis of the Insane (GPI), a complication of Syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease, which one normally gets from whoring around. Is this type human relationship the communists are envisioning? That is, to bring equality and brotherhood by indiscriminate sexual intercourse with countless men and women and die peacefully of STDs (sexually transmitted diseases)?

5. Mao Zedong was an incurable womanizer and used to frolic with teenage girl when he was a decrepit old man. Is this sort of character the communists want to build for the progress of humankind?

6) Communists always claim that the emancipation of women is their noble goal. Mao even described the condition of women in society as one of ‘daily rape’, defended women’s emancipation and argued that it could only take place after a complete overhaul of Chinese society. But we see that the Soviet red army raped thousands of German and Austrian women after the fall of Berlin in 1945 and perhaps two million women over its occupied territories, thousands of women were systematically raped by Mao’s red guards throughout the great leap forward and the Pol Pot’s zealots in Cambodia and elsewhere in the communist world. The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea estimates that up to 200,000 North Koreans are imprisoned in concentration camps of the country now and many thousands of women are being subjected to daily rape. So is this type of freedom communists want to bring about for women?

By A Former ABVP JNU Activist..............

Debabrata Mandal

TWIST IN THE TALE - Secular politics is harming the Bodo minority in Assam...By Swapan Dasgupta

It is an undeniable fact that in the hierarchy of what passes off as ‘national’ news, North-eastern India occupies the lowest rung. While periodic lip-service is paid to the need to rectify matters and bring this much-neglected part of India into the ‘mainstream’ discourse, the bewildering complexity of the region and its relative inaccessibility has ensured that the North-east remains an afterthought, a sort of Fourth World in the Third World.

So it was with last week’s violent clashes in Kokrajhar and Dhubri districts of Assam that left more than 50 people being killed and an estimated four lakh people being uprooted from their homes. A ‘humanitarian crisis’—the newest coinage of mediaspeak—of this magnitude should have led to a furore in the chat shows, with sundry human rights bodies joining the race for competitive indignation. After all, a far lesser crisis in the Kandhamal district of Orissa in 2009 had attracted far greater attention, not to speak of the Gujarat riots of 2002 which continue to dominate media space.

To argue, as has often been done, that the editorial classes are naturally callous and prefer to focus on a relatively small protest in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar is only part of the story. The reality is that the media loves simple categories—as, for example, Hindu ‘fanatics’ versus helpless Christians in Kandhamal and the ‘mass murderer’ Narendra Modi versus beleaguered Muslims in Gujarat. The situation in the northern bank of the Brahmaputra, unfortunately, was too complex to present as a clash between ‘good’ and ‘evil’. Was it, as many insisted, a ‘communal’ clash involving Hindu Bodos and Muslim settlers who had arrived from what is now Bangladesh? Alternatively, was it an ethnic clash involving the indigenous Bodos and Bengal-speaking immigrants? The underlying presumption was that while a ‘communal’ clash was unacceptable, an ‘ethnic’ conflict was nominally less damning.

Then there were the invariable sub-plots that excite the TV channels. Was the Assam Government too slow to respond? Why did the Tarun Gogoi Government not take pre-emptive measures after the murder in Kokrajhar of , first, two Muslims on July 6 and the retaliatory violence that led to the killing of four Bodo activists on July 20? Was there any basis to Chief Minister Gogoi’s assertion at a press conference last week that the Army had refused to act until it got a sanction from Defence Minister A.K. Antony—a process that took two days? Is there any basis to the allegation by the Bodo Tribal Council chief Hagrama Mahilary that armed Bangladeshis from across the international border had incited the violence? The answers to most of these questions will remain unanswered, even after the official inquiry committee eventually submits its report. However, what is clear is that in trying to slot the violence into pre-determined compartments and exploring the vexed question of administrative culpability, the media and the political class are taking evasive action. There is an uncomfortable dimension to this ethnic-communal flare-up in Kokrajhar and Dhubri that decision-makers would rather not address, not least because they have no answers to offer.

That the origins of the violence lie in demographic upheaval Assam has been witnessing for the past 100 years is undeniable. Thanks to waves of immigration from the region that is now Bangladesh, the population of Assam increased from 3.29 million in 1901 to 14.6 million in 1971, a 343.7 per cent increase compared to the all-India increase of nearly 150 per cent in the same period. Public intellectuals in Assam have stressed that the increase of the Muslim population has been disproportionate. In an unusual intervention last week, Election Commissioner M.S. Brahma suggested that the details of the 2011 Census may reveal that 11 of the 27 districts of Assam now have a Muslim majority.

While the issue of ‘illegal immigration’ from Bangladesh has formed an important part of the public discourse of the Assamese-speaking Hindus of the Brahmaputra Valley, it has become a paramount issue for the Bodo-speaking minority living in the areas that constituted the undivided Goalpara district. The Bodo-speaking minority which accounts for only five per cent of the population perceives a dual threat to their existence: a cultural challenge from the Assamese-speaking majority and a physical challenge from Bangladeshi Muslims who constitute the majority in Dhubri and whose presence is increasingly being felt in the Bodo heartland of Kokrajhar district.

The emergence of militant Bodo sub-nationalism in the 1990s was an attempt to cope with these twin challenges and led to the formation of the semi-autonomous Bodo Territorial Council in 1993. However, much of the political gains from militant identity politics have been offset by the growing assertiveness of the Muslim community. The rise of the All India United Democratic Front led by Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, the All Assam Minority Students Union and the Asom Mia Parishad has triggered a frontal Bodo-Muslim confrontation. Tensions have further risen following the AIUDF demand that the BTC be abolished because Bodos no longer constitute a majority in large areas governed by it. In an astute move, Ajmal has taken care to develop links with major Muslim organisations throughout India to ensure that the concerns of his social base are easily translated into ‘national’ Muslim concerns.

Confronted with this seemingly intractable situation, both Delhi and Dispur have fallen back on homilies. Following his tour of the relief camps earlier this week, (then) Home Minister P. Chidambaram took recourse to pious platitudes: “There are people from a variety of communities living in Assam now. Ultimately, people of all communities would have to learn to live together in peace.” There was not a word about border fencing or possible modifications to the farcical Illegal Migrants Detection Tribunal Act. Dependant on Bodo support in Dispur but equally concerned with Muslim support at an all-India level, the Congress has very little space to manoeuvre. It can merely hope that any future conflict can be averted by more efficient administrative measures. Meanwhile, ground reports suggest an ongoing process of ethnic cleansing. Bodos in Dhubri are moving to Kokrajhar, and dispossessed Muslim of Kokrajhar are moving to Dhubri. Some may even find their way into West Bengal.

In the past, India’s liberal intelligentsia has been very vocal on the so-called ‘communal’ question, particularly the harassment of minorities. Yet, the usual suspects have been strangely quiet over this monumental upheaval that has shaken Assam. The reasons are obvious. The familiar stereotypes centred on brutish majoritarianism and vulnerable minorities don’t quite fit the bill in Dhubri and Kokrajhar. What we have instead is a very vulnerable indigenous tribal minority being squeezed from all sides, but particularly by the communal assertiveness of another minority that can leverage its national clout for local advantage.In 2004, when the religious demography of the 2001 Census showed some strange results for Assam, the intelligentsia buried its head in the sand and ensured that all meaningful discussions on the subject were guillotined. The same process is once again at work over recent events in Assam.

In 1947, the Muslim community was a frightened minority, unsure of its position in an India that never took too kindly to the painful Partition in two wings. In 2012, Indian secularism is deeply entrenched and has ensured both dignity and political empowerment to religious minorities, sometimes by way of exceptional consideration. A problem, however, is likely to arise if the empowerment of minorities becomes a byword for injustice to others. For the Bodo minority of Assam, the practice of secular politics is coming to imply the possible extinction of their very identity.