by Rajinder Puri
Mrs. Sonia Gandhi has been criticized by several people on account of her foreign origin. She lived in Cambridge, England, where she met Rajiv Gandhi. She eventually married into India�s most famous family. After marriage she successfully assimilated into an Indian lifestyle. Since entering politics her conduct has been dignified and gracious.
Her entry into politics was preceded by tragic incidents. Her husband had no idea of entering politics. But the plane crash that killed his younger brother, Sanjay Gandhi, compelled Rajiv to take his place. Sanjay�s death remains a mystery. It is mandatory for the government to institute a commission of inquiry into all airplane crashes. Justice ML Jain was appointed as a one-man Commission to probe the plane crash that killed Sanjay. But for inexplicable reasons in violation of mandatory law that inquiry was stopped. The cause of the plane crash remains a mystery.
After Rajiv became general secretary of the Congress to help his mother, Indira Gandhi was shot dead. Her death too was never satisfactorily explained. The Justice Thakkar Commission appointed to inquire into her death ruled that an inquiry commission into the conspiracy angle should be appointed because �the needle of suspicion pointed� at Mr RK Dhawan who had been Indira Gandhi�s personal secretary. The police arrested one Kehar Singh, a family friend of one of the assassins, Beant Singh. Without any credible evidence it charged him with conspiracy to kill Indira Gandhi. Kehar Singh was hanged. The evidence was so farcical that the Supreme Court itself reminded the President that he had the power to commute the death sentence. Later, Justice Thakkar became chairman of the Law Commission. Mr RK Dhawan was rehabilitated by Rajiv Gandhi. He rose to become a minister.
Subsequently Rajiv Gandhi was also shot. His assassination too raised several unexplained questions. Connections of several prominent Congress leaders to the suicide bomber who took Rajiv�s life were never satisfactorily explained. After Rajiv�s death, as Congress fortunes began to flounder without a dynastic leader in command, Mrs. Gandhi became the Congress president. The tragedy of three unnatural deaths in her family that propelled her entry into politics can only evoke deep sympathy for her. In light of this, criticism of her foreign origin sounds uncommonly churlish and uncouth.
However, Mrs. Gandhi now is no longer the daughter-in-law or wife of a prime minister. She is the Congress President in her own right. She must address certain issues which she has appeared to overlook up till now. These relate to circumstantial evidence pointing to corruption by her party.
It would be incorrect to infer that Mrs. Gandhi�s inexperience in business enables some colleagues to misuse the Congress name for committing corruption. Mrs. Gandhi has old links with business. On 26 February 1973 she was appointed as Managing Director of Maruti Technical Services Private Ltd. Sanjay Gandhi was the only other Director. For five years she drew a salary of Rs 2,000 per month plus commission and perks. By the time she resigned on 21 January, 1975 she had earned over Rs 80 thousand. However, Income Tax authorities disallowed part of the remuneration �as excessive because she had no qualification to be able to render any technical service to the company".
Incidentally, since January 1, 1974 the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) forbade any foreign national � which she was at that time � from holding either shares or office of profit. Along with her husband Rajiv, and Sanjay Gandhi, she also held controlling shares in Maruti Heavy Vehicles. As chairperson of several trusts which received government aid Mrs. Sonia Gandhi used clout with dexterity. According to The Statesman of 3 September 1995 she acquired through the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation a building worth Rs 100 crores.
Mrs. Gandhi was not personally connected to the infamous Bofors deal negotiated by Rajiv Gandhi as Prime Minister. However, one of the accused, Mr Ottavio Quattrocchi, recently stated with pride that he was her close family friend. Earlier the London bank accounts of Mr Quattrocchi which were frozen by the Indian government had been unfrozen. Mr Quattrocchi was free to withdraw his money. The CBI stated that it had no evidence involving Mr Quattrocchi in the Bofors deal. Some time ago the Director of the CBI had visited USA and the Bahamas in search of evidence against Mr Quattrocchi. He found none. The matter should have been allowed to rest there.
Unfortunately public skepticism remains unabated. As governments and CBI directors change, so does the CBI script on Bofors. Today the UPA government is in power. Mrs. Sonia Gandhi is chairperson of the National Advisory Council that guides the government. Mr Quattrocchi against whom the CBI finds no evidence today was nailed in no uncertain terms by CBI in April 1998. Mr Quattrocchi had petitioned the Delhi High Court seeking an end to the CBI investigation against him. The CBI responded with a 30-page counter-affidavit. It gave a detailed account of Mr Quattrocchi�s role as the owner of AE Services in making payoffs and using political influence to swing the award in favor of Bofors. The late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was also unequivocally indicted by CBI for engineering the corrupt deal. Most of the material had appeared earlier in the media. But for the first time CBI gave official confirmation of the involvement of Rajiv Gandhi and his confidants, including Mr Quattrocchi, in the Bofors payoffs. Mr Quattrocchi�s proud assertion about his closeness to the Gandhi family was turned against him in the CBI counter-affidavit. It recorded: �The families of the then Prime Minister of India and Mr. Ottavio Quattrocchi were on very intimate terms.�
Because of that "the process of negotiations suddenly picked up."
The question arises: was CBI lying then or is it lying now? This had best be resolved by CBI officials themselves.
The Congress party role in the Volcker affair is being investigated. Both former Foreign Minister Mr Natwar Singh and the Congress party were named as beneficiaries in Iraq�s Oil-For-Food programme. Pending investigation Mr Natwar Singh has resigned. But who was responsible for money being paid to Congress? As Congress President, should not Mrs. Sonia Gandhi institute a party probe into the affair? How did President Saddam�s government conclude it was benefiting the Congress party? Important functionaries of that government are accessible in Iraq. Has Mrs. Gandhi contacted them? After conferring a favor to the Congress party did anyone from the Iraqi government or its embassy get in touch with Mrs. Gandhi? If not, the Iraqi ambassador was inexplicably derelict in duty. Mr Natwar Singh carried a letter from Mrs. Gandhi to President Saddam. Should not the contents of that letter be made public?
Now a new scandal has erupted. It involves the Congress in the Rs 16000 crores French Scorpene submarine deal. According to media allegations the deal was opposed by the Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC), Finance Minister Chidambaram, and the Prime Minister. Nevertheless it was signed. Mr. Abhishek Verma has been named as the middleman who collected the payoff. He is the son of the late Congress MP Shrikant Verma who also was the Hindi tutor of Rajiv Gandhi. According to Outlook weekly during negotiation with Mr. Verma the submarine company official wanted confirmation of the 4% payoff demand from the Congress party treasurer. The weekly reported Mr Verma writing: �I hope Thales (the submarine company) doesn�t think the Congress has a shop and they are negotiating with them. ALL negotiations would be done by ME.�
A Thales company spokesman claimed these email messages to be forgeries and threatened legal action. But reservations about the deal by CVC, FM and PM remain. Should not Mrs. Sonia Gandhi question Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee about why the deal was signed? And also question Mr Abhishek Verma?
As Congress President Mrs. Gandhi has constructive responsibility for all actions of the party. Should she not act to clear the air? And safeguard her own reputation?
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
China’s Newest Puppet Nation
by Rajinder Puri
Former National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra has stated that information inputs from China suggest that its analysts envisage a two front attack against India by China and Pakistan within the next four to five years. Mishra urged the Prime Minister to focus not only on a 9 per cent growth rate but devote equal attention to security threats from China. Mishra could be mistaken. The government seems to have taken care of any security threat from China. It has consciously made India into a proxy of China, willing to act according to Beijing’s bidding. If New Delhi is becoming Beijing’s puppet, why should China attack India?
The Copenhagen summit clinched India’s new role as China’s proxy. Even before the summit Jairam Ramesh scampered to China to cozy up to Beijing in order to forge a joint front for climate change. What was the need to do that?
After the summit Ramesh said that differences between the developed nations led by America and the developing nations arose mainly because of the “deficit trust” that the West had with China. He claimed that no such deficit trust existed with India. He was entirely correct. India’s pollution level is many, many notches lower than China ’s. India has no real problem with international verification except of unequal and non-reciprocal arrangements that might infringe on its sovereignty. Then why on earth did India latch itself to China’s coat tails?
At Copenhagen Premier Wen Jiabao urged India to stand firm with China for a united stand against western pressure. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave assurance he would. Why? India could easily have held firm to its own position with greater acceptance by both the West and the G77 nations without incurring the displeasure caused by the opaque, non-transparent and polluting role of China. Perhaps the government was disarmed by some private assurances given by China? That seems to be the case judging from the euphoria that gripped official and media circles by Premier Wen’s assurance given just before the Copenhagen summit that China will not interfere in South Asia or in the internal affairs of India. But China has always claimed that it never interferes in the affairs of South Asia or of India. After Wen’s assurance will China stop issuing paper visas to Kashmiris from the Valley? Will China stop bullying road builders on our territory in Laddakh and force them to stop work? Will China stop encroaching at several points along the border? Will China stop arming and strengthening Pakistan against India?
Apparently not. After Copenhagen summit a Chinese Defense official justified Beijing’s sale of warships and submarines to Pakistan on the ground that India was receiving similar systems from the US and Russia. On the face of it this is unexceptionable. Why should China not have the right to arm Pakistan to ensure that it can maintain an adversarial role against India? Is this interference in South Asia? Technically, no. Actually, it confirms the hyphenation of India and Pakistan by Beijing. It confirms China’s role in beefing up Pakistan’s intransigent attitude against India. Therefore without “interfering” China is helping maintain the status quo in South Asia as India remains encircled by hostile nations aided by China. One cannot blame China for pursuing a policy that it perceives to be in its interest.
But what about India? Does it have the faintest perception of the policy that would suit its interests? That does not seem to be the case. Possibly India is emboldened to pursue its demeaning, self-destructive role because of approval by its mentors in the US. These mentors are the ones that cheer on India to achieve a 9 per cent growth rate without any attention to its national security and self-respect. These mentors are the dominant group of America’s corporate world which destroyed America’s pre-eminent global economic position, which compromised America’s security, which helped launch unjust wars in Asia, which are attracting public criticism from US citizens who are beginning to even question the system, and which made America more unpopular in the rest of the world than ever before. These mentors belong to what this scribe has always described as the real Axis of Evil comprising America’s corporate world and China.
Will the government ever de-link itself from this evil axis and from the coat tails of China? Fat chance! Beijing has invited Foreign Minister SM Krishna to China in the first week of April 2010. The Ministry of External Affairs has gratefully accepted the invitation. China’s Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said that Copenhagen marked a “new beginning” in the bilateral relations between China and India. How right he was. Now India, like Pakistan, is part of China’s camp. China will now be much better placed to bring about accord between its two squabbling proxy nations of South Asia, India and Pakistan. Unless of course this servile government miraculously develops a spine
Former National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra has stated that information inputs from China suggest that its analysts envisage a two front attack against India by China and Pakistan within the next four to five years. Mishra urged the Prime Minister to focus not only on a 9 per cent growth rate but devote equal attention to security threats from China. Mishra could be mistaken. The government seems to have taken care of any security threat from China. It has consciously made India into a proxy of China, willing to act according to Beijing’s bidding. If New Delhi is becoming Beijing’s puppet, why should China attack India?
The Copenhagen summit clinched India’s new role as China’s proxy. Even before the summit Jairam Ramesh scampered to China to cozy up to Beijing in order to forge a joint front for climate change. What was the need to do that?
After the summit Ramesh said that differences between the developed nations led by America and the developing nations arose mainly because of the “deficit trust” that the West had with China. He claimed that no such deficit trust existed with India. He was entirely correct. India’s pollution level is many, many notches lower than China ’s. India has no real problem with international verification except of unequal and non-reciprocal arrangements that might infringe on its sovereignty. Then why on earth did India latch itself to China’s coat tails?
At Copenhagen Premier Wen Jiabao urged India to stand firm with China for a united stand against western pressure. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave assurance he would. Why? India could easily have held firm to its own position with greater acceptance by both the West and the G77 nations without incurring the displeasure caused by the opaque, non-transparent and polluting role of China. Perhaps the government was disarmed by some private assurances given by China? That seems to be the case judging from the euphoria that gripped official and media circles by Premier Wen’s assurance given just before the Copenhagen summit that China will not interfere in South Asia or in the internal affairs of India. But China has always claimed that it never interferes in the affairs of South Asia or of India. After Wen’s assurance will China stop issuing paper visas to Kashmiris from the Valley? Will China stop bullying road builders on our territory in Laddakh and force them to stop work? Will China stop encroaching at several points along the border? Will China stop arming and strengthening Pakistan against India?
Apparently not. After Copenhagen summit a Chinese Defense official justified Beijing’s sale of warships and submarines to Pakistan on the ground that India was receiving similar systems from the US and Russia. On the face of it this is unexceptionable. Why should China not have the right to arm Pakistan to ensure that it can maintain an adversarial role against India? Is this interference in South Asia? Technically, no. Actually, it confirms the hyphenation of India and Pakistan by Beijing. It confirms China’s role in beefing up Pakistan’s intransigent attitude against India. Therefore without “interfering” China is helping maintain the status quo in South Asia as India remains encircled by hostile nations aided by China. One cannot blame China for pursuing a policy that it perceives to be in its interest.
But what about India? Does it have the faintest perception of the policy that would suit its interests? That does not seem to be the case. Possibly India is emboldened to pursue its demeaning, self-destructive role because of approval by its mentors in the US. These mentors are the ones that cheer on India to achieve a 9 per cent growth rate without any attention to its national security and self-respect. These mentors are the dominant group of America’s corporate world which destroyed America’s pre-eminent global economic position, which compromised America’s security, which helped launch unjust wars in Asia, which are attracting public criticism from US citizens who are beginning to even question the system, and which made America more unpopular in the rest of the world than ever before. These mentors belong to what this scribe has always described as the real Axis of Evil comprising America’s corporate world and China.
Will the government ever de-link itself from this evil axis and from the coat tails of China? Fat chance! Beijing has invited Foreign Minister SM Krishna to China in the first week of April 2010. The Ministry of External Affairs has gratefully accepted the invitation. China’s Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said that Copenhagen marked a “new beginning” in the bilateral relations between China and India. How right he was. Now India, like Pakistan, is part of China’s camp. China will now be much better placed to bring about accord between its two squabbling proxy nations of South Asia, India and Pakistan. Unless of course this servile government miraculously develops a spine
Monday, December 28, 2009
Kashmir wives hand men freedom, to beat
MUZAFFAR RAINA
Srinagar, Dec. 27: Kashmiri men might grumble about their diminished civil liberties, but they are more “free” than most other countrymen when it comes to beating their wives.
An exceedingly high 64 per cent of women in Jammu and Kashmir believe it is justified for a husband to beat his wife, according to a study conducted by the National Family Health Survey. The figure is 10 percentage points higher than the national average of 54 per cent.
The countrywide findings of the survey were released in 2007, but the Union ministry of health and family welfare, which is behind the research, followed it up with state-specific results. The findings for Jammu and Kashmir were released this year.
The survey reveals that 51 per cent of Kashmir’s women say wife beating is justified if she shows disrespect to in-laws; 50 per cent approve of it if the wife neglects the house or children and 48 per cent have no problem with domestic violence in case the husband suspects the wife’s character.
Sociologists say women’s acceptance of wife beating in India is associated with socio-economic characteristics, such as low literacy, an indication of her acceptance of “lower status” vis-à-vis her spouse and the perceived notion that husbands are the master of the households.
Educationist AG Madhosh said several factors may have contributed to the findings. “You can only generalise in the absence of any knowledge about the sample chosen by the researchers. The most important factor could be insecurity among Muslim women in Kashmir, which is probably higher. In the West you have a concept of career girls who can live as singles, but even a highly professional girl has no option but to marry in a society like ours,” said Madhosh.
“Illiteracy and poverty too are factors and equally important is the cultural conditioning of our women who think wife beating could be a corrective measure. There may be some success stories and they draw lessons from that,” he added.
Jammu and Kashmir had a literacy of 55.5 per cent according to the 2001 census, with men leading with 66 per cent and women following with 42 per cent. The national rate in the census year was 65.38 per cent — 75 per cent among men and 54 per cent among women.
The overall literacy has jumped to 65.67 per cent in 2009 with female literacy rate at 57 per cent, as per a survey of the state government’s economic and statistics department.
The family health survey had taken a sample size of 2,415 households across Jammu and Kashmir. A total of 3,281 women in the age group of 15 to 49 years and 1,076 men in the age group of 15-54 were interviewed for the study.
The report has thrown up some startling facts on domestic violence, women’s empowerment and gender role attitudes. Men in Jammu and Kashmir, says the report, are more likely than women to agree with wife beating.
“Two thirds of men justify wife beating in some circumstances. About half of them say that a husband is justified in beating his wife if she disrespects her in-laws and if he suspects she is unfaithful,” says the study.
Fifty one per cent men justify wife beating at the national level.
At the same time though, more men (71 per cent) than women (54 per cent) believe a woman is justified in refusing to have sex with her husband if she knows that he has sexually transmitted diseases, if he has had intercourse with other women or if she is tired or not in a proper mood.
Kashmir can draw solace in that the percentage of men actually beating women is among the lowest in the country.
Just 13 per cent of women have experienced physical or sexual violence, including 15 per cent of those married.
The only state where spousal violence is lower than Jammu and Kashmir is Himachal Pradesh at eight per cent. The countrywide figures of spousal violence is a staggering 37 per cent.
Srinagar, Dec. 27: Kashmiri men might grumble about their diminished civil liberties, but they are more “free” than most other countrymen when it comes to beating their wives.
An exceedingly high 64 per cent of women in Jammu and Kashmir believe it is justified for a husband to beat his wife, according to a study conducted by the National Family Health Survey. The figure is 10 percentage points higher than the national average of 54 per cent.
The countrywide findings of the survey were released in 2007, but the Union ministry of health and family welfare, which is behind the research, followed it up with state-specific results. The findings for Jammu and Kashmir were released this year.
The survey reveals that 51 per cent of Kashmir’s women say wife beating is justified if she shows disrespect to in-laws; 50 per cent approve of it if the wife neglects the house or children and 48 per cent have no problem with domestic violence in case the husband suspects the wife’s character.
Sociologists say women’s acceptance of wife beating in India is associated with socio-economic characteristics, such as low literacy, an indication of her acceptance of “lower status” vis-à-vis her spouse and the perceived notion that husbands are the master of the households.
Educationist AG Madhosh said several factors may have contributed to the findings. “You can only generalise in the absence of any knowledge about the sample chosen by the researchers. The most important factor could be insecurity among Muslim women in Kashmir, which is probably higher. In the West you have a concept of career girls who can live as singles, but even a highly professional girl has no option but to marry in a society like ours,” said Madhosh.
“Illiteracy and poverty too are factors and equally important is the cultural conditioning of our women who think wife beating could be a corrective measure. There may be some success stories and they draw lessons from that,” he added.
Jammu and Kashmir had a literacy of 55.5 per cent according to the 2001 census, with men leading with 66 per cent and women following with 42 per cent. The national rate in the census year was 65.38 per cent — 75 per cent among men and 54 per cent among women.
The overall literacy has jumped to 65.67 per cent in 2009 with female literacy rate at 57 per cent, as per a survey of the state government’s economic and statistics department.
The family health survey had taken a sample size of 2,415 households across Jammu and Kashmir. A total of 3,281 women in the age group of 15 to 49 years and 1,076 men in the age group of 15-54 were interviewed for the study.
The report has thrown up some startling facts on domestic violence, women’s empowerment and gender role attitudes. Men in Jammu and Kashmir, says the report, are more likely than women to agree with wife beating.
“Two thirds of men justify wife beating in some circumstances. About half of them say that a husband is justified in beating his wife if she disrespects her in-laws and if he suspects she is unfaithful,” says the study.
Fifty one per cent men justify wife beating at the national level.
At the same time though, more men (71 per cent) than women (54 per cent) believe a woman is justified in refusing to have sex with her husband if she knows that he has sexually transmitted diseases, if he has had intercourse with other women or if she is tired or not in a proper mood.
Kashmir can draw solace in that the percentage of men actually beating women is among the lowest in the country.
Just 13 per cent of women have experienced physical or sexual violence, including 15 per cent of those married.
The only state where spousal violence is lower than Jammu and Kashmir is Himachal Pradesh at eight per cent. The countrywide figures of spousal violence is a staggering 37 per cent.
beware of the love jihad terror!
By Dr Purushothama Bharathi, MA, Ph.D
The large number of ‘Love Jihad’ cases in the High Court of Kerala filed by broken girls and their families forced the Court to look into the matter very deeply and Justice KT Sankaran observed that even though the DGP reported that there was no evidence of love jihad, confidential reports of other senior Police officers are very clearly establishing the organised and well funded love jihad operations thriving in high schools and colleges of Muslim managements.
During the last one and a half years, the society of Kerala was noticing a new phenomenon that a large number of poor Hindu teen aged girls were falling in love with Muslim youths and getting converted to Islam. The girls who married Muslims and refused conversion were tortured and thrown out after sexual exploitations by the respective Muslims. Initially it was considered the consequences of blind love. But later it was observed that all Muslim boys in love with Hindu girls were having two mobile phones, one of which was given to the girl with a valid sim card. Muslim boys from poor family background were found to be spending money on their Hindu girlfriends and taking them around on the pillion of the bikes of other Muslim boys. At times, it was noticed that when a girl was taken to the house of a Muslim boy in an autorickshaw, the girl was forced to change her dress to a purdah inside the autorickshaw. Activists of the banned SIMI, Campus Front, Popular Front (all are Muslim outfits) are in the forefront to defend and protect the love affairs of the Muslim boys.
In the meanwhile, few girls who managed to run back home and those thrown out in the streets by the Muslim lovers, filed cases against forced conversion and alimony. The number of cases increased and reports frequently appeared in the newspapers. Then various Hindu communal organisations like Nair Service Society, Ezhava outfits shouted that more than 4,000 Hindu girls were taken away through the love jihad operations of devilish Muslims.
Syrian Christian Bishops issued circulars and were read in churches, to fight against love jihad and warned parents about the dangers hidden in the fake love of Muslims.
As soon as the reports about the love jihad appeared in the Media, all Muslim organisations in the State viz; various factions of Muslim League, Muslim Student Organisations, Muslim Human Rights Organisations - both allied with Congress Front and Marxist Front reacted unitedly that there is no such organised move. But it is well known now that poor Muslim boys were given mobile phones, two-wheelers, pocket money for entertaining the Hindu girls are well organised and properly funded.
The High Court of Kerala called for the remarks of Kerala Government and the DGP of Kerala gave a report that ‘The Police is unaware of an organised Love Jihad Movement’. The present Director General of Police (DGP) of Kerala, Shri Jacob Punnose is a follower of Marxist party and he got that official position by overlooking the seniority of a worthy officer. The Marxists are in alliance with Shri Abdul Nasser Madani, the notorious criminal of Coimbatore bomb blast case and who brought up Tadiyanta Vida Nazir, the South Indian commander of Lashkar-e-Toiba, arrested in Bangladesh and handed over to India.
The large number of love jihad cases in the High Court of Kerala filed by broken girls and their families forced the Court to look into the matter very deeply and Justice KT Sankaran observed that ‘Even though the DGP reported that there was no evidence of love jihad, confidential reports of other senior Police officers are very clearly establishing the organised and well funded love jihad operations thriving in high schools and colleges of Muslim managements. This move is vivid in Kasargod, Kannur, Kozhikode and Malappuram districts - all these districts have a high percentage of Muslim population in Kerala. Smart Front is a Muslim organisation working in the Muslim educational institutions to promote love affairs with Hindu girls. The High Court observed that the Smart Front is focusing on forward caste Hindu girls and forward Christian girls especially those studying in professional colleges and working in the IT sector. Muslim Youth Forums, Popular Front, NDF, Campus Front and Muslim Women Organisations like Tashreen Millat and Shaheen Force are also active in love jihad, court observed.
High Court also hinted that the above organisations are funded by the local Muslim businessmen and Muslim countries abroad. High Court said that inter caste marriages are not bad; but if conversion to Islam is a must then it is clear that Islam is more valuable than love. It is totally bad. Finally the High Court of Kerala directed the State Government saying that it is well established that an organised and strongly funded love jihad movement is working in the State; hence the Kerala Government must enact laws to prevent forced conversions. The comments of the Court appeared in the print media on December 10, 2009. On the same day, there was a hunger protest by Shri PK Krishnadas, State President of BJP in front of Government Secratariat to protest against the increased price rise of essential food items and vegetables. All members of the Pandit Colony RSS Sakha (Kesav Nagar), participated in the dharna. The swayamsevaks requested Shri CK Padmanabhan (Member of National Executive BJP) who came to inaugurate the dharna to organise a ‘Vehicle Jatha’ from the northern tip of Kerala to the southern end to awaken the consciousness of society about the wicked love jihad (Romeo Jihad) and to warn the parents about the treason deep rooted in this.
RSS national leadership should give adequate attention to these treacherous ‘Love Jihad Operations’.
The large number of ‘Love Jihad’ cases in the High Court of Kerala filed by broken girls and their families forced the Court to look into the matter very deeply and Justice KT Sankaran observed that even though the DGP reported that there was no evidence of love jihad, confidential reports of other senior Police officers are very clearly establishing the organised and well funded love jihad operations thriving in high schools and colleges of Muslim managements.
During the last one and a half years, the society of Kerala was noticing a new phenomenon that a large number of poor Hindu teen aged girls were falling in love with Muslim youths and getting converted to Islam. The girls who married Muslims and refused conversion were tortured and thrown out after sexual exploitations by the respective Muslims. Initially it was considered the consequences of blind love. But later it was observed that all Muslim boys in love with Hindu girls were having two mobile phones, one of which was given to the girl with a valid sim card. Muslim boys from poor family background were found to be spending money on their Hindu girlfriends and taking them around on the pillion of the bikes of other Muslim boys. At times, it was noticed that when a girl was taken to the house of a Muslim boy in an autorickshaw, the girl was forced to change her dress to a purdah inside the autorickshaw. Activists of the banned SIMI, Campus Front, Popular Front (all are Muslim outfits) are in the forefront to defend and protect the love affairs of the Muslim boys.
In the meanwhile, few girls who managed to run back home and those thrown out in the streets by the Muslim lovers, filed cases against forced conversion and alimony. The number of cases increased and reports frequently appeared in the newspapers. Then various Hindu communal organisations like Nair Service Society, Ezhava outfits shouted that more than 4,000 Hindu girls were taken away through the love jihad operations of devilish Muslims.
Syrian Christian Bishops issued circulars and were read in churches, to fight against love jihad and warned parents about the dangers hidden in the fake love of Muslims.
As soon as the reports about the love jihad appeared in the Media, all Muslim organisations in the State viz; various factions of Muslim League, Muslim Student Organisations, Muslim Human Rights Organisations - both allied with Congress Front and Marxist Front reacted unitedly that there is no such organised move. But it is well known now that poor Muslim boys were given mobile phones, two-wheelers, pocket money for entertaining the Hindu girls are well organised and properly funded.
The High Court of Kerala called for the remarks of Kerala Government and the DGP of Kerala gave a report that ‘The Police is unaware of an organised Love Jihad Movement’. The present Director General of Police (DGP) of Kerala, Shri Jacob Punnose is a follower of Marxist party and he got that official position by overlooking the seniority of a worthy officer. The Marxists are in alliance with Shri Abdul Nasser Madani, the notorious criminal of Coimbatore bomb blast case and who brought up Tadiyanta Vida Nazir, the South Indian commander of Lashkar-e-Toiba, arrested in Bangladesh and handed over to India.
The large number of love jihad cases in the High Court of Kerala filed by broken girls and their families forced the Court to look into the matter very deeply and Justice KT Sankaran observed that ‘Even though the DGP reported that there was no evidence of love jihad, confidential reports of other senior Police officers are very clearly establishing the organised and well funded love jihad operations thriving in high schools and colleges of Muslim managements. This move is vivid in Kasargod, Kannur, Kozhikode and Malappuram districts - all these districts have a high percentage of Muslim population in Kerala. Smart Front is a Muslim organisation working in the Muslim educational institutions to promote love affairs with Hindu girls. The High Court observed that the Smart Front is focusing on forward caste Hindu girls and forward Christian girls especially those studying in professional colleges and working in the IT sector. Muslim Youth Forums, Popular Front, NDF, Campus Front and Muslim Women Organisations like Tashreen Millat and Shaheen Force are also active in love jihad, court observed.
High Court also hinted that the above organisations are funded by the local Muslim businessmen and Muslim countries abroad. High Court said that inter caste marriages are not bad; but if conversion to Islam is a must then it is clear that Islam is more valuable than love. It is totally bad. Finally the High Court of Kerala directed the State Government saying that it is well established that an organised and strongly funded love jihad movement is working in the State; hence the Kerala Government must enact laws to prevent forced conversions. The comments of the Court appeared in the print media on December 10, 2009. On the same day, there was a hunger protest by Shri PK Krishnadas, State President of BJP in front of Government Secratariat to protest against the increased price rise of essential food items and vegetables. All members of the Pandit Colony RSS Sakha (Kesav Nagar), participated in the dharna. The swayamsevaks requested Shri CK Padmanabhan (Member of National Executive BJP) who came to inaugurate the dharna to organise a ‘Vehicle Jatha’ from the northern tip of Kerala to the southern end to awaken the consciousness of society about the wicked love jihad (Romeo Jihad) and to warn the parents about the treason deep rooted in this.
RSS national leadership should give adequate attention to these treacherous ‘Love Jihad Operations’.
Rangnath Misra Report
Reacting strongly on Justice Rangnath Misra Committee report that proposed 10 per cent reservation to Muslims and 5 per cent to other minority communities, VHP general secretary Dr Pravin Togadia described it ‘anti constitution and nation-destructing jehadi conspiracy by those who refuse to control population quoting Islam. He said the Hindu Scheduled Castes and others who accept the national family planning scheme are being cheated through this report.
Dr Togadia warned if this anti-constitutional, anti-national and anti-Hindu move for Muslim and Christian votes, is accepted by the government or any effort of constitutional amendment is made for this, there would be a nationwide agitation by the VHP.
He also criticised the suggestion of providing reservation to Muslims and Christians who were earlier Scheduled Castes and then adopted Christianity or Islam. "Islam and Christianity do worldwide publicity-stunts criticising the Hinduism for casteism. They brag that they don’t have caste system. But now they are stealing from the pockets of Hindu SCs, OBCs and Vanvasis. This will not only promote conversions but will also leave Hindu SCs, OBCs and Vanvasis without jobs, education, loans etc. We follow the family planning for national interest, but the Muslims and Christians don’t follow it. All Hindu SCs, OBCs and Vanvasis should stand up against this government sponsored decoity and jehad. If the government passes this bill then surely Hindu SCs, OBCs and Vanvasis including their children will have no option but to die without food, job, medical treatment and housing. Those who do not follow national growth norms of development like population control have no right on Bharats’ resources," he said in a statement issued from Ahmedabad.
He said that after considered discussion in Constitutional Assembly religious reservation was rejected. Even minority members had agreed that there should not be reservation based on religion because religious reservation would ultimately end up in Partition of the country. Mohd Ali Jinnah initially demanded different types of reservation based on religion for Muslims, but now the Rangnath Misra and the Congress have become modern Jinnah to Divide India for selfish Muslim vote bank, Dr Togadia added.
Dr Togadia warned if this anti-constitutional, anti-national and anti-Hindu move for Muslim and Christian votes, is accepted by the government or any effort of constitutional amendment is made for this, there would be a nationwide agitation by the VHP.
He also criticised the suggestion of providing reservation to Muslims and Christians who were earlier Scheduled Castes and then adopted Christianity or Islam. "Islam and Christianity do worldwide publicity-stunts criticising the Hinduism for casteism. They brag that they don’t have caste system. But now they are stealing from the pockets of Hindu SCs, OBCs and Vanvasis. This will not only promote conversions but will also leave Hindu SCs, OBCs and Vanvasis without jobs, education, loans etc. We follow the family planning for national interest, but the Muslims and Christians don’t follow it. All Hindu SCs, OBCs and Vanvasis should stand up against this government sponsored decoity and jehad. If the government passes this bill then surely Hindu SCs, OBCs and Vanvasis including their children will have no option but to die without food, job, medical treatment and housing. Those who do not follow national growth norms of development like population control have no right on Bharats’ resources," he said in a statement issued from Ahmedabad.
He said that after considered discussion in Constitutional Assembly religious reservation was rejected. Even minority members had agreed that there should not be reservation based on religion because religious reservation would ultimately end up in Partition of the country. Mohd Ali Jinnah initially demanded different types of reservation based on religion for Muslims, but now the Rangnath Misra and the Congress have become modern Jinnah to Divide India for selfish Muslim vote bank, Dr Togadia added.
Friday, December 25, 2009
state of Bengal
http://www.islam-watch.org/iw-new/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=288:destiny-of-west-bengal-hindus-the-coming-days-of-slavery-to-islam&catid=73:brahmachari&Itemid=58
A forgotten chapter of ancient India
Aryan tribes and Dramila societies coexisted and interacted for mutual benefit
By MR Mallya
As Tamil developed, combined with the Indo-Aryan it produced a literary tradition in Maharashtrian Prakrit of which the Sattasai is the most famous example. This southern literature was so rich that its ideas and conventions were probably taken by such great Sanskrit poets as Kalidasa and made into an integral part of the new Sanskrit tradition.
Ancient India has often been pictured as Dravidians occupying the Indus civilisation, while the Aryans were supposed to have come later, displacing them southwards. The history of North India was given prominence, with the Rig Veda, Mahabharata, the Buddha, Alexander and the Mauryan empire.
There was some reference to Cankam literature in the far South (Pandya) but none was sure of the ancient dates. Tamil land i.e. South India was rarely mentioned in the history textbooks until the Pallavas and the Kadambas formed their kingdoms. The Mahabharata refers to Pandya kings. So also Ashoka’s inscriptions refer to Chera, Pandya and Cholas as border kingdoms that must have existed about 300 BC.
The South with Dravidian culture was interacting with the North even from early times of the Rig Veda and Panini. It produced the old Tamil grammar Tolkappiyam. Some Dravidian loanwords figure in Rig Vedic time, that must have happened as early as 1500BC. This early interaction is hardly touched upon by historians in the north who do not known old Tamil. But scholars who known Tamil and Sanskrit mention valuable data for writing our ancient history, enriching both civilisations.
Unfortunately these studies have been isolated as literary studies to be compared with Sanskrit, Prakrit, etc. One ought to regard it as part of ancient history in its sociopolitical narration, as now suggested.
An interesting book Passages: Relationships between Tamil and Sanskrit edited by Kannan M and Jennifer Claire, Pondicherry, that outlines the profound and intimate relationship of Sanskrit and Tamil from very early times till the age of the Cholas, has been published by the ‘Institute Francais de Pondicherry’ in collaboration with the Dept. of Tamil Chair, South East Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley, the USA 2009. It contains valuable articles by scholars in the field Indian or foreign.
It will be rather narrow to regard it as merely dealing with the interaction of two languages, instead of a fruitful interaction of two civilisations from the time of the Vedas to the present.
We have been unfortunately brought up on the notion of Aryan conquerors versus Dravidian civilisation and even to this day there is an academic debate whether the Indus script is Dravidian or Aryan. If the two communities coexisted and interacted with each other and they were slowly evolving scripts like Tamil Brahmi and Prakrit/ Sanskrit Brahmi in different areas of the vast Indus Saraswati civilisation, there should be no difficulty in understanding the variation in scripts that adds to the richness of ancient Bharat. This is the unconscious message that the various articles in the book give the reader. That it is emanating from Tamil scholars who often know Sanskrit, confirms it.
In the above book the articles including the foreword and introduction by the Editors and essays of I Mahadevan, George Hart, Leslie Orr, etc. convinces us of the coexistence and interaction of the two cultures from an early era. I have attempted to summarise the salient features of their remarks as aiding in a proper reconstruction of ancient Indian history.
(One need not get entangled in certain claims from both sides of having contributed considerably to the other culture. We can leave it to literary pundits and concentrate on the essentials of Tamil Sanskrit interaction and History)
Early stage of Tamilakam
Mahadevan: The earliest contact between Dravidian Indo-Aryan is evidenced by a few Dravidian loanwords in the Rig Veda. (1500 BC).
Correspondingly, Indo-Aryan loanwords form Prakrit and Sanskrit occur in Tamil Cankam literature (200 BC-200 AD).
Recently large number of coins, seals and rings have been unearthed at river beds of Amaravati near Karur, and South Pennar and Vaigai. The legends are mostly in Tamil and some are in Prakrit. They pertain to 3/2nd century BC and later. At that time the Tamil script was modified from the Brahmi to suit the phonetic pattern of Tamil.
Jean Filliozat: Tamil of course is an ancient language, parallel to Sanskrit from whom loanwords have been borrowed now and then, as also from Prakrit but its literature was autonomous. That does not mean absence of fruitful contacts with Prakrit, and Sanskrit.
The Tamil grammar Tolkappiyam does indicate some knowledge of Vedic Pratisakhyas and of the Nirukta. These were utilised with a fine feeling of the genius of the Tamil language different from Sanskrit.
Another parallel adoption was an ideal akin to Dharma of Ashoka. It was the general and universal good order typified in Buddhist forms, but also in Brahmanical ideas of cosmic, social and ethical norms like Rta. This was the composite creed of Ashoka.
Parallel to it was the Tirukkural, an admirable book on the practice of virtue, where Aram is mentioned without any sectarian bias, an ideal of good order of universal interest.
Tamil had developed autonomously, with its own poetry. But on other matters of knowledge books in Sanskrit were of use in the South.
George L Hart: In a large measure, the history of South Asia is the story of the interaction of the Dravidian and Aryan languages and their cultures, from as early as the Rig Veda. Though Tamil was autonomous and developed independently they borrowed from each other and it is impossible to determine which the source is.
By the time of Cankam literature around the first century, the Indio Aryan languages had started to impinge on the Southern Dravidian languages.
In certain areas Tamil folk literature was enriched by sophisticated musical and performative elements that has been later refined as Carnatic music, Bharatnatayam, etc.
As Tamil developed, combined with the Indo-Aryan it produced a literary tradition in Maharashtrian Prakrit of which the Sattasai is the most famous example. This southern literature was so rich that its ideas and conventions were probably taken by such great Sanskrit poets as Kalidasa and made into an integral part of the new Sanskrit tradition.
The Sanskrit, Tamil and North Indian tradition made deep inroads to produce the great poems of Alwars and Nayanaars. This awakening of religion that flourished in the South was, exported back to the North were it produced many saints and poets who enriched modern Hinduism.
The situation in Chera (Kerala)
MR Raghava Varrier: In Chera the social impact was somewhat different though both were Dravidian. Sanskrit influenced Chera in a major way. When an early Chera king eulogised for having performed a yajna ritual for progeny, it means that his ideal changed into that of a chief of the Vedic time. As the custodians of the Vedic ritual forms that were taken seriously by the kings, the Brahmins became a principal group in the society.
In Chera the brahmanical agama temple worship became common and also the natysastra which slowly evolved to Kathakali.
Following the above changes, Manipravalam, a hybid literary style of Sanskrit and Malayalam made its appearance on the Kerala literary scene and marked a separate stage in the literary history of Malayalam. The use of Manipravalam was as a medium for traditional scientific knowledge of ancient India such as Rastratantra, (political science) Ayur Veda, (health science), Jyotirganita (astronomy), Vastuvidiya (architecture), etc.
In short, the cultural contact of the South with the North in general and Kerala in particular was wider than what is generally believed..
It is from the Grantha characters that the Malayalam alphabet developed.
We have made a brief survey of the sociopolitical happenings in the South of Ancient India before the Southern kingdoms came to be formed and when Brahmanical and Sanskrit influences became more prominent.
This early impact needs to be given importance in ancient Indian history as reflecting aspects of a composite culture from very early times, regardless of whether Aryans were indigenous or were migrants from outside India.
By MR Mallya
As Tamil developed, combined with the Indo-Aryan it produced a literary tradition in Maharashtrian Prakrit of which the Sattasai is the most famous example. This southern literature was so rich that its ideas and conventions were probably taken by such great Sanskrit poets as Kalidasa and made into an integral part of the new Sanskrit tradition.
Ancient India has often been pictured as Dravidians occupying the Indus civilisation, while the Aryans were supposed to have come later, displacing them southwards. The history of North India was given prominence, with the Rig Veda, Mahabharata, the Buddha, Alexander and the Mauryan empire.
There was some reference to Cankam literature in the far South (Pandya) but none was sure of the ancient dates. Tamil land i.e. South India was rarely mentioned in the history textbooks until the Pallavas and the Kadambas formed their kingdoms. The Mahabharata refers to Pandya kings. So also Ashoka’s inscriptions refer to Chera, Pandya and Cholas as border kingdoms that must have existed about 300 BC.
The South with Dravidian culture was interacting with the North even from early times of the Rig Veda and Panini. It produced the old Tamil grammar Tolkappiyam. Some Dravidian loanwords figure in Rig Vedic time, that must have happened as early as 1500BC. This early interaction is hardly touched upon by historians in the north who do not known old Tamil. But scholars who known Tamil and Sanskrit mention valuable data for writing our ancient history, enriching both civilisations.
Unfortunately these studies have been isolated as literary studies to be compared with Sanskrit, Prakrit, etc. One ought to regard it as part of ancient history in its sociopolitical narration, as now suggested.
An interesting book Passages: Relationships between Tamil and Sanskrit edited by Kannan M and Jennifer Claire, Pondicherry, that outlines the profound and intimate relationship of Sanskrit and Tamil from very early times till the age of the Cholas, has been published by the ‘Institute Francais de Pondicherry’ in collaboration with the Dept. of Tamil Chair, South East Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley, the USA 2009. It contains valuable articles by scholars in the field Indian or foreign.
It will be rather narrow to regard it as merely dealing with the interaction of two languages, instead of a fruitful interaction of two civilisations from the time of the Vedas to the present.
We have been unfortunately brought up on the notion of Aryan conquerors versus Dravidian civilisation and even to this day there is an academic debate whether the Indus script is Dravidian or Aryan. If the two communities coexisted and interacted with each other and they were slowly evolving scripts like Tamil Brahmi and Prakrit/ Sanskrit Brahmi in different areas of the vast Indus Saraswati civilisation, there should be no difficulty in understanding the variation in scripts that adds to the richness of ancient Bharat. This is the unconscious message that the various articles in the book give the reader. That it is emanating from Tamil scholars who often know Sanskrit, confirms it.
In the above book the articles including the foreword and introduction by the Editors and essays of I Mahadevan, George Hart, Leslie Orr, etc. convinces us of the coexistence and interaction of the two cultures from an early era. I have attempted to summarise the salient features of their remarks as aiding in a proper reconstruction of ancient Indian history.
(One need not get entangled in certain claims from both sides of having contributed considerably to the other culture. We can leave it to literary pundits and concentrate on the essentials of Tamil Sanskrit interaction and History)
Early stage of Tamilakam
Mahadevan: The earliest contact between Dravidian Indo-Aryan is evidenced by a few Dravidian loanwords in the Rig Veda. (1500 BC).
Correspondingly, Indo-Aryan loanwords form Prakrit and Sanskrit occur in Tamil Cankam literature (200 BC-200 AD).
Recently large number of coins, seals and rings have been unearthed at river beds of Amaravati near Karur, and South Pennar and Vaigai. The legends are mostly in Tamil and some are in Prakrit. They pertain to 3/2nd century BC and later. At that time the Tamil script was modified from the Brahmi to suit the phonetic pattern of Tamil.
Jean Filliozat: Tamil of course is an ancient language, parallel to Sanskrit from whom loanwords have been borrowed now and then, as also from Prakrit but its literature was autonomous. That does not mean absence of fruitful contacts with Prakrit, and Sanskrit.
The Tamil grammar Tolkappiyam does indicate some knowledge of Vedic Pratisakhyas and of the Nirukta. These were utilised with a fine feeling of the genius of the Tamil language different from Sanskrit.
Another parallel adoption was an ideal akin to Dharma of Ashoka. It was the general and universal good order typified in Buddhist forms, but also in Brahmanical ideas of cosmic, social and ethical norms like Rta. This was the composite creed of Ashoka.
Parallel to it was the Tirukkural, an admirable book on the practice of virtue, where Aram is mentioned without any sectarian bias, an ideal of good order of universal interest.
Tamil had developed autonomously, with its own poetry. But on other matters of knowledge books in Sanskrit were of use in the South.
George L Hart: In a large measure, the history of South Asia is the story of the interaction of the Dravidian and Aryan languages and their cultures, from as early as the Rig Veda. Though Tamil was autonomous and developed independently they borrowed from each other and it is impossible to determine which the source is.
By the time of Cankam literature around the first century, the Indio Aryan languages had started to impinge on the Southern Dravidian languages.
In certain areas Tamil folk literature was enriched by sophisticated musical and performative elements that has been later refined as Carnatic music, Bharatnatayam, etc.
As Tamil developed, combined with the Indo-Aryan it produced a literary tradition in Maharashtrian Prakrit of which the Sattasai is the most famous example. This southern literature was so rich that its ideas and conventions were probably taken by such great Sanskrit poets as Kalidasa and made into an integral part of the new Sanskrit tradition.
The Sanskrit, Tamil and North Indian tradition made deep inroads to produce the great poems of Alwars and Nayanaars. This awakening of religion that flourished in the South was, exported back to the North were it produced many saints and poets who enriched modern Hinduism.
The situation in Chera (Kerala)
MR Raghava Varrier: In Chera the social impact was somewhat different though both were Dravidian. Sanskrit influenced Chera in a major way. When an early Chera king eulogised for having performed a yajna ritual for progeny, it means that his ideal changed into that of a chief of the Vedic time. As the custodians of the Vedic ritual forms that were taken seriously by the kings, the Brahmins became a principal group in the society.
In Chera the brahmanical agama temple worship became common and also the natysastra which slowly evolved to Kathakali.
Following the above changes, Manipravalam, a hybid literary style of Sanskrit and Malayalam made its appearance on the Kerala literary scene and marked a separate stage in the literary history of Malayalam. The use of Manipravalam was as a medium for traditional scientific knowledge of ancient India such as Rastratantra, (political science) Ayur Veda, (health science), Jyotirganita (astronomy), Vastuvidiya (architecture), etc.
In short, the cultural contact of the South with the North in general and Kerala in particular was wider than what is generally believed..
It is from the Grantha characters that the Malayalam alphabet developed.
We have made a brief survey of the sociopolitical happenings in the South of Ancient India before the Southern kingdoms came to be formed and when Brahmanical and Sanskrit influences became more prominent.
This early impact needs to be given importance in ancient Indian history as reflecting aspects of a composite culture from very early times, regardless of whether Aryans were indigenous or were migrants from outside India.
Union Minister of State E Ahmed’s anti-Hindu tirade
By S Chandrasekhar
Union Minister of State for Railways E Ahmed is the Muslim League MP from Ponnani, Kerala. Muslim League, which is a partner in Congress led UDF, has a history of communal bias. Muslim League ministers refuse to light lamps in official functions, despite the fact that, traditional Hindu oil lamp, is being lighted every day at the Cheraman Mosque, Kodungallur (the first mosque in India). Ahmed and former Minister PK Kunhalikutty were the kingpins of the “Marad Massacre’ of eight Hindu fishermen in May 2003. Ahmed forced the police to open the sealed Marad Mosque (where blood drenched murder weapons were hidden) and offered namaz.
Now after becoming Railways Minister of State, Ahmed continues his anti-Hindu agendas. He has given instructions to the Railways not to do Ganesha puja, havan, breaking of coconut, etc. before starting of new trains, inauguration of tracks, bridges, etc. He has banned lighting of traditional oil lamps during inaugurations. Garlanding of trains, annointing them with sandal paste, sindoor, etc. has been banned.
Railway stations have been discouraged against doing puja to electronic panels etc. during ‘Vijayadasami’ and ‘Durga puja’. He has also ordered closure of temples in Railway compounds and is planning their demolition.
This anti-Hindu move of the communal Muslim Leaguer E Ahmed has caused deep resentment and anger among the 25 lakh strong railway staff and Hindus at large.
While crores are being spent on ‘Haj’ even basic amenities are not being provided to the eight crore plus Sabarimala pilgrims, by the Indian Railways.
VHP leader Kummanam Rajasekharan has described this attitude as threat and challenge to Hinduism. He charged Ahmed of communalising a national asset like Railways. He called for immediate restoration of the withdrawn customs and traditions, failing which RSS and VHP will launch nationwide massive agitations.
What more can be expected from Ahmed whose close relative is a jehadi suspect in the Bengaluru blasts and who is hiding in Gulf, courtesy Ahmed and UPA!
Union Minister of State for Railways E Ahmed is the Muslim League MP from Ponnani, Kerala. Muslim League, which is a partner in Congress led UDF, has a history of communal bias. Muslim League ministers refuse to light lamps in official functions, despite the fact that, traditional Hindu oil lamp, is being lighted every day at the Cheraman Mosque, Kodungallur (the first mosque in India). Ahmed and former Minister PK Kunhalikutty were the kingpins of the “Marad Massacre’ of eight Hindu fishermen in May 2003. Ahmed forced the police to open the sealed Marad Mosque (where blood drenched murder weapons were hidden) and offered namaz.
Now after becoming Railways Minister of State, Ahmed continues his anti-Hindu agendas. He has given instructions to the Railways not to do Ganesha puja, havan, breaking of coconut, etc. before starting of new trains, inauguration of tracks, bridges, etc. He has banned lighting of traditional oil lamps during inaugurations. Garlanding of trains, annointing them with sandal paste, sindoor, etc. has been banned.
Railway stations have been discouraged against doing puja to electronic panels etc. during ‘Vijayadasami’ and ‘Durga puja’. He has also ordered closure of temples in Railway compounds and is planning their demolition.
This anti-Hindu move of the communal Muslim Leaguer E Ahmed has caused deep resentment and anger among the 25 lakh strong railway staff and Hindus at large.
While crores are being spent on ‘Haj’ even basic amenities are not being provided to the eight crore plus Sabarimala pilgrims, by the Indian Railways.
VHP leader Kummanam Rajasekharan has described this attitude as threat and challenge to Hinduism. He charged Ahmed of communalising a national asset like Railways. He called for immediate restoration of the withdrawn customs and traditions, failing which RSS and VHP will launch nationwide massive agitations.
What more can be expected from Ahmed whose close relative is a jehadi suspect in the Bengaluru blasts and who is hiding in Gulf, courtesy Ahmed and UPA!
Monday, December 14, 2009
British school makes Sanskrit compulsory
In the heart of London, a British school has made Sanskrit compulsory subject for its junior division because it helps students grasp math, science and other languages better.
"This is the most perfect and logical language in the world, the only one that is not named after the people who speak it. Indeed the word itself means ‘perfected language," said Warwick Jessup, Head, Sanskrit department.
"The Devnagri script and spoken Sanskrit are two of the best ways for a child to overcome stiffness of fingers and the tongue," says Moss. "Today’s European languages do not use many parts of the tongue and mouth while speaking or many finger movements while writing, whereas Sanskrit helps immensely to develop cerebral dexterity through its phonetics."
"This is the most perfect and logical language in the world, the only one that is not named after the people who speak it. Indeed the word itself means ‘perfected language," said Warwick Jessup, Head, Sanskrit department.
"The Devnagri script and spoken Sanskrit are two of the best ways for a child to overcome stiffness of fingers and the tongue," says Moss. "Today’s European languages do not use many parts of the tongue and mouth while speaking or many finger movements while writing, whereas Sanskrit helps immensely to develop cerebral dexterity through its phonetics."
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Can Corrupt Politicians Preserve Freedom ?
by Rajinder Puri
August 15, 2006
Today independent India enters its sixtieth year. How free is it? The crisis involving Mr. Natwar Singh raises disquiet. Mr. Natwar Singh�s twists and turns as he defended himself invited ridicule. The role of the opposition parties was no better. The NDA had sought Mr. Natwar Singh�s arrest after the Oil for Food scandal surfaced. Later it supported him to attack the government. Some intriguing aspects of this crisis merit special attention.
The Pathak Report most conveniently dovetailed with the political objectives of the Congress. Mr. Natwar Singh �misused� his position but took no money. Therefore he deserved cabinet expulsion but no legal conviction. The Congress itself was exonerated. Mrs. Sonia Gandhi wrote a letter to President Saddam introducing Mr. Natwar Singh. At the same time Mr. Natwar Singh wrote letters introducing Mr. Andaleeb Sehgal. The Pathak Authority considered Mr. Natwar Singh a facilitator. Why not Mrs. Sonia Gandhi too? Mr. Natwar Singh told media he fully briefed Mrs. Gandhi after his Iraq visit. He said: �I have not done anything in Iraq without the knowledge of Sonia Gandhi....Not even a leaf moves in the Congress without Mrs. Gandhi�s knowledge.�
If this is true, whether or not she saw his three letters becomes irrelevant. The amount allegedly pocketed by Mr. Andaleeb Sehgal and Mr. Aditya Khanna is a small fraction of the money realized from the vouchers. Where did the rest go? If Congress was the beneficiary it would distance itself from Mr. Sehgal and Mr. Khanna. Mr. Natwar Singh�s letters left a trail. Was that what angered the Congress?
The key question is whether or not Mrs. Sonia Gandhi knew of the oil vouchers enterprise. Until all the money earned from the oil vouchers is traced a final conclusion would be hasty. Even though the Pathak Report exonerated Mr. Natwar Singh from taking money he could not spill the beans. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) leaked to media information about the money trail leading to Mr. Natwar Singh�s son, Jagat. The government therefore can arrest Mr. Jagat Singh at will. Was that why Mr. Natwar Singh first rubbished the PM and later apologized?
The conduct of the opposition parties was odd on two counts. Earlier they described the PM as Mrs. Sonia Gandhi�s pawn. Yet, along with Mr. Natwar Singh, their attack targeted Dr. Manmohan Singh instead of Mrs. Sonia Gandhi. Why? The PM is associated most with the Indo-US nuclear deal. Is that why he was targeted? The second odd aspect was that three former foreign ministers � Mr. Natwar Singh, Mr. Yashwant Sinha and Mr. Jaswant Singh � targeted the Indo-US nuclear deal with uncharacteristic vehemence. All three, while in office, pursued a nuclear policy that led up to the nuclear deal. The deviation from past nuclear policy pointed out by them amounts to nitpicking. It does not explain their somersaults.
The question arises: Does their conduct reflect political opportunism or something more sinister? Could they be vulnerable to external pressure? Targeting Dr. Manmohan Singh meant targeting the Indo-US nuclear deal. One example should suffice to indicate possibility of political vulnerability at the highest level. While media reports succeeded in exposing major scandals, a far more damaging allegation continues to be ignored. It is contained in the published writings of Dr. Yevgenia Albats.
Dr. Albats is a Soviet journalist who officially investigated the KGB when the communist regime was still in control. She was appointed as a member of the official KGB Commission set up by President Yeltsin in 1991. She had full access to secret files of the KGB. She authored a book, The State within a State: KGB and Its Hold on Russia. In 1989, she had received the Golden Pen Award, the highest journalism honor in the then-Soviet Union. She was a fellow of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University in 1993 and earned a graduate degree and doctorate from Harvard.
After translating official KGB documents Dr. Albats disclosed in her book that KGB chief Victor Chebrikov in December 1985 had sought in writing from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), "authorization to make payments in US dollars to the family members of Mr. Rajiv Gandhi, namely Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Ms Paola Maino, mother of Sonia Gandhi." CPSU payments were authorized by a resolution, CPSU/CC/No 11228/3 dated 20/12/1985; and endorsed by the USSR Council of Ministers in Directive No 2633/Rs dated 20/12/1985. These payments had been coming since 1971, as payments received by Sonia Gandhi's family and "have been audited in CPSU/CC resolution No 11187/22 OP dated 10/12/1984.�
In 1992 the media confronted the Russian government with the Albats disclosure. The Russian government confirmed the veracity of the disclosure and defended it as necessary for �Soviet ideological interest�. The Hindu of July 4, 1992 carried this report. Mr. AG Noorani included this information in an article published in The Statesman of January 31, 1998. In December 2001, Dr. Subrmaniam Swamy filed a Writ Petition in the Delhi High Court with relevant KGB photocopies and sought a CBI investigation. In May 2002 the Court ordered CBI to ascertain from Russia the truth of these charges. The CBI stalled for two years and eventually told the Court that without a registered FIR the Russians would not entertain any such query. But why was not an FIR registered? Dr Swamy�s failure to follow this up more vigorously is puzzling.
In November 1991 the respected Swiss magazine, Schweitzer Illustrate, published a report alleging that Rajiv Gandhi had 2.5 billion Swiss francs, equivalent roughly to two billion US dollars, in numbered Swiss bank accounts. The Internet is swamped with allegations against Mrs. Sonia Gandhi detailing cities, foreign banks, account numbers and even names of persons allegedly handling her accounts. Such allegations would easily have been dismissible as scurrilous had there not been the Albats disclosure. Surely Mrs. Sonia Gandhi owes herself and the nation an emphatic and effective rebuttal of the Albats charges? On June 14, 2005 Mrs. Sonia Gandhi visited Russia on a personal invitation by President Putin. There was no need for any minister to accompany her. Yet Mrs. Gandhi sought and got foreign minister Natwar Singh to accompany her. One wonders if Mr. Natwar Singh can shed any light on that visit.
Given the inexplicable conduct of India�s politicians, the public would tend to believe that most are compromised and subject to dictation by one foreign power or another. In the light of this, on this Independence Day, thinking Indians should soberly ask themselves a simple question: Can the people of India be free if their rulers are not?
August 15, 2006
Today independent India enters its sixtieth year. How free is it? The crisis involving Mr. Natwar Singh raises disquiet. Mr. Natwar Singh�s twists and turns as he defended himself invited ridicule. The role of the opposition parties was no better. The NDA had sought Mr. Natwar Singh�s arrest after the Oil for Food scandal surfaced. Later it supported him to attack the government. Some intriguing aspects of this crisis merit special attention.
The Pathak Report most conveniently dovetailed with the political objectives of the Congress. Mr. Natwar Singh �misused� his position but took no money. Therefore he deserved cabinet expulsion but no legal conviction. The Congress itself was exonerated. Mrs. Sonia Gandhi wrote a letter to President Saddam introducing Mr. Natwar Singh. At the same time Mr. Natwar Singh wrote letters introducing Mr. Andaleeb Sehgal. The Pathak Authority considered Mr. Natwar Singh a facilitator. Why not Mrs. Sonia Gandhi too? Mr. Natwar Singh told media he fully briefed Mrs. Gandhi after his Iraq visit. He said: �I have not done anything in Iraq without the knowledge of Sonia Gandhi....Not even a leaf moves in the Congress without Mrs. Gandhi�s knowledge.�
If this is true, whether or not she saw his three letters becomes irrelevant. The amount allegedly pocketed by Mr. Andaleeb Sehgal and Mr. Aditya Khanna is a small fraction of the money realized from the vouchers. Where did the rest go? If Congress was the beneficiary it would distance itself from Mr. Sehgal and Mr. Khanna. Mr. Natwar Singh�s letters left a trail. Was that what angered the Congress?
The key question is whether or not Mrs. Sonia Gandhi knew of the oil vouchers enterprise. Until all the money earned from the oil vouchers is traced a final conclusion would be hasty. Even though the Pathak Report exonerated Mr. Natwar Singh from taking money he could not spill the beans. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) leaked to media information about the money trail leading to Mr. Natwar Singh�s son, Jagat. The government therefore can arrest Mr. Jagat Singh at will. Was that why Mr. Natwar Singh first rubbished the PM and later apologized?
The conduct of the opposition parties was odd on two counts. Earlier they described the PM as Mrs. Sonia Gandhi�s pawn. Yet, along with Mr. Natwar Singh, their attack targeted Dr. Manmohan Singh instead of Mrs. Sonia Gandhi. Why? The PM is associated most with the Indo-US nuclear deal. Is that why he was targeted? The second odd aspect was that three former foreign ministers � Mr. Natwar Singh, Mr. Yashwant Sinha and Mr. Jaswant Singh � targeted the Indo-US nuclear deal with uncharacteristic vehemence. All three, while in office, pursued a nuclear policy that led up to the nuclear deal. The deviation from past nuclear policy pointed out by them amounts to nitpicking. It does not explain their somersaults.
The question arises: Does their conduct reflect political opportunism or something more sinister? Could they be vulnerable to external pressure? Targeting Dr. Manmohan Singh meant targeting the Indo-US nuclear deal. One example should suffice to indicate possibility of political vulnerability at the highest level. While media reports succeeded in exposing major scandals, a far more damaging allegation continues to be ignored. It is contained in the published writings of Dr. Yevgenia Albats.
Dr. Albats is a Soviet journalist who officially investigated the KGB when the communist regime was still in control. She was appointed as a member of the official KGB Commission set up by President Yeltsin in 1991. She had full access to secret files of the KGB. She authored a book, The State within a State: KGB and Its Hold on Russia. In 1989, she had received the Golden Pen Award, the highest journalism honor in the then-Soviet Union. She was a fellow of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University in 1993 and earned a graduate degree and doctorate from Harvard.
After translating official KGB documents Dr. Albats disclosed in her book that KGB chief Victor Chebrikov in December 1985 had sought in writing from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), "authorization to make payments in US dollars to the family members of Mr. Rajiv Gandhi, namely Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Ms Paola Maino, mother of Sonia Gandhi." CPSU payments were authorized by a resolution, CPSU/CC/No 11228/3 dated 20/12/1985; and endorsed by the USSR Council of Ministers in Directive No 2633/Rs dated 20/12/1985. These payments had been coming since 1971, as payments received by Sonia Gandhi's family and "have been audited in CPSU/CC resolution No 11187/22 OP dated 10/12/1984.�
In 1992 the media confronted the Russian government with the Albats disclosure. The Russian government confirmed the veracity of the disclosure and defended it as necessary for �Soviet ideological interest�. The Hindu of July 4, 1992 carried this report. Mr. AG Noorani included this information in an article published in The Statesman of January 31, 1998. In December 2001, Dr. Subrmaniam Swamy filed a Writ Petition in the Delhi High Court with relevant KGB photocopies and sought a CBI investigation. In May 2002 the Court ordered CBI to ascertain from Russia the truth of these charges. The CBI stalled for two years and eventually told the Court that without a registered FIR the Russians would not entertain any such query. But why was not an FIR registered? Dr Swamy�s failure to follow this up more vigorously is puzzling.
In November 1991 the respected Swiss magazine, Schweitzer Illustrate, published a report alleging that Rajiv Gandhi had 2.5 billion Swiss francs, equivalent roughly to two billion US dollars, in numbered Swiss bank accounts. The Internet is swamped with allegations against Mrs. Sonia Gandhi detailing cities, foreign banks, account numbers and even names of persons allegedly handling her accounts. Such allegations would easily have been dismissible as scurrilous had there not been the Albats disclosure. Surely Mrs. Sonia Gandhi owes herself and the nation an emphatic and effective rebuttal of the Albats charges? On June 14, 2005 Mrs. Sonia Gandhi visited Russia on a personal invitation by President Putin. There was no need for any minister to accompany her. Yet Mrs. Gandhi sought and got foreign minister Natwar Singh to accompany her. One wonders if Mr. Natwar Singh can shed any light on that visit.
Given the inexplicable conduct of India�s politicians, the public would tend to believe that most are compromised and subject to dictation by one foreign power or another. In the light of this, on this Independence Day, thinking Indians should soberly ask themselves a simple question: Can the people of India be free if their rulers are not?
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
what Ram Jethmalani said
According to Sify.com and other Indian media outlets, Ram Jethmalani, the former Indian Union Law Minister and a self-confessed maverick legal hawk, ignited a controversy at an International Conference of Jurists on Terrorism in New Delhi, by inferring that Islam's jihadi doctrine may render Islamic God a "brothel keeper".
While addressing the conference, Jethmalani wondered whether the Islamic doctrine of jihad—as preached by the Saudi Wahabi sect of Islam, that Muslims attaining martyrdom while fighting non-Muslims will “get a place in heaven and the company of the opposite sex there”—amounts to inferring “god is a brothel keeper”.
Emphasizing the need to fight terrorism also at the ideological level, Jethmalani advised the Indian government and the international community against putting faith in God while fighting terrorism, adding: “He will not help as he is suffering with Alzheimer's disease.”
Jethlamani challenged the Indian government on its foreign policy, urging it to be courageous to shun any relationship with the country’s “enemies”. He particularly attacked India’s meaningless obsession with the “irrelevant non-aligned movement”, adding: “India should align with forces of good to combat the forces of evil. India and its foreign ministers must learn to reassess doctrines of the past.”
Inaugurated by President Pratibha Patil, the meeting is attended among others by current Union Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily, Singapore Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong, Justice Awn S. al-Khasawneh of the International Court of Justice, and envoys of several countries.
Offended by Jethmalani’s remarks, the Saudi Ambassador to India, Faisal al-Trad, walked out of the conference.
Law Minister Moily, embarrassed by Jethmalani’s remarks, was swift to distance the Indian government from his controversial remarks, adding that terrorism cannot be attributed to any particular religion.
The Saudi Ambassador returned to the meeting after Moily’s apologetic speech.
Justice al-Khasawneh contradicted certain facts on the doctrine of jihad, referred to by Jethmalani, and asked him not "to make sweeping statements".
Nonetheless, Jethmalani was also in a political correctness mode. He said, he read the Quran many times and found no preaching of hatred and violence in it. “I find that the Prophet is a man of peace”, he added.
He blamed the current outbreak of worldwide Jihadi terrorism on the 17th-century (sic) Wahabi doctrine, based on misinterpretation of one chapter of the Quran, in which Jethmalani found nothing wrong even after reading it a thousand times. “But, according to Wahab, all other people, including Christians, Jews and Hindus, and even Shias, have forfeited their rights to live”, Jethmalani added.
He felt that, unfortunately because of Wahab, the entire religion of Islam was being blamed for terrorism, adding that “there are also Hindu terrorists and Buddhist terrorists
While addressing the conference, Jethmalani wondered whether the Islamic doctrine of jihad—as preached by the Saudi Wahabi sect of Islam, that Muslims attaining martyrdom while fighting non-Muslims will “get a place in heaven and the company of the opposite sex there”—amounts to inferring “god is a brothel keeper”.
Emphasizing the need to fight terrorism also at the ideological level, Jethmalani advised the Indian government and the international community against putting faith in God while fighting terrorism, adding: “He will not help as he is suffering with Alzheimer's disease.”
Jethlamani challenged the Indian government on its foreign policy, urging it to be courageous to shun any relationship with the country’s “enemies”. He particularly attacked India’s meaningless obsession with the “irrelevant non-aligned movement”, adding: “India should align with forces of good to combat the forces of evil. India and its foreign ministers must learn to reassess doctrines of the past.”
Inaugurated by President Pratibha Patil, the meeting is attended among others by current Union Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily, Singapore Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong, Justice Awn S. al-Khasawneh of the International Court of Justice, and envoys of several countries.
Offended by Jethmalani’s remarks, the Saudi Ambassador to India, Faisal al-Trad, walked out of the conference.
Law Minister Moily, embarrassed by Jethmalani’s remarks, was swift to distance the Indian government from his controversial remarks, adding that terrorism cannot be attributed to any particular religion.
The Saudi Ambassador returned to the meeting after Moily’s apologetic speech.
Justice al-Khasawneh contradicted certain facts on the doctrine of jihad, referred to by Jethmalani, and asked him not "to make sweeping statements".
Nonetheless, Jethmalani was also in a political correctness mode. He said, he read the Quran many times and found no preaching of hatred and violence in it. “I find that the Prophet is a man of peace”, he added.
He blamed the current outbreak of worldwide Jihadi terrorism on the 17th-century (sic) Wahabi doctrine, based on misinterpretation of one chapter of the Quran, in which Jethmalani found nothing wrong even after reading it a thousand times. “But, according to Wahab, all other people, including Christians, Jews and Hindus, and even Shias, have forfeited their rights to live”, Jethmalani added.
He felt that, unfortunately because of Wahab, the entire religion of Islam was being blamed for terrorism, adding that “there are also Hindu terrorists and Buddhist terrorists
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