Saturday, March 31, 2007

Jyoti Basu for industrialisation

The never ending charade of the CPM hypocrisy.



The Hindu : National : Basu: we will overcome Nandigram problems



...the industrial drive in West Bengal will go ahead with the support of people, according to veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu.

What did Jyoti Basu do towards the industrialisation of West Bengal? Let the statistics speak. The state's share of total industrial output in India was 9.8% in 1980–81, declining to 5% by 1997–98.

Govt. brings TN to standstill

The Chindu twists and turns to avoid telling us the reasons for the Government holiday, or is it a bandh. No moral outrage at the DMK's misuse of government machinery for political purposes.



The Hindu : Front Page : Government declares public holiday

Karat leads the fight against Justice

The Hindu : Front Page : Political parties must meet this challenge squarely, says CPI (M)

Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat on Friday said...


You won't miss it on The Chindu.



...adding that the West Bengal Chief Minister was the first to demand a sub-plan for minorities.



More of CPM propaganda.

Friday, March 30, 2007

The "united" Left front

The Chindu continues to "harp" on the "united" Left front idea. Meanwhile, the Left vouches for industrialisation in WB, while simultaneously opposing it in rest of India.



The Hindu : National : We are not a front within front: Bardhan

After criticizing the approach of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in handling the Nandigram issue, the CPI now says it and two other constituents, the Revolutionary Socialist Party and the All-India Forward Bloc, are not functioning separately as a joint front within the Left Front .



On industrialisation, Mr. Bardhan ruled out "going slow." While some steps might have misfired, the goal of industrialising West Bengal had to be pursued.

Brinda unravels the Nandigram mystery

Finally, we have the Karat herself, obliging to present the CPM party's views on the developments of Nandigram. And what else do you expect apart from the Marxist propaganda - The Chindu.



The Hindu : Opinion / Leader Page Articles : Behind the events at Nandigram

Congress bans FTV

But there is no moral outrage among the 'liberals' of The Chindu.



The Hindu : National : FTV banned

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Opposition more important than Modi's development schemes

Rather than focussing on Modi's schemes and the benefits, The Chindu prefers to repeat the "allegations" of Opposition.



The Hindu : National : Rs. 13,000-crore package in Gujarat



The Opposition, however, organised a "parallel mock session" outside the Assembly premises to "expose" the Speaker's alleged partisan role.

When the BJP raised the same objection against Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, The Chindu said it was undermining the Speaker's office.

U.S. denies visa to Geelani

Never mind. He will be hailed as a 'secular' leader by The Chindu.



The Hindu : Front Page : U.S. denies visa to Geelani

Mr. Geelani had "consistently failed to renounce violence as means of achieving his political goal in Kashmir."

CPM charade continues

There is no end to this communist charade. It is funny, the CPM is telling SFI and DYFI that they do not want to spill blood.

The Hindu : Front Page : We have learnt lessons from Nandigram, says Buddhadeb
Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said at a congregation of students and youth organised by the Student Federation of India and the Democratic Youth Federation of India here on Wednesday. "Under no circumstances do we want blood to spill over our industrialisation drive.


"But I also appeal to those opposed to us not to attack Left supporters. They too are human beings," he said.


Btw, I didn't know that Left supporters are also human beings.

"We have to move towards greater industrialisation for purposes of generating job opportunities."


And this is after opposing industrialisation for 30 years.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Ganashakti, the Bengali daily of Chindu in WB



The Hindu : National : LF partners welcome Basu's comment

"My appeal to the Left Front constituents is do not set up a front within the Front," Mr. Basu said in an interview to the Bengali daily and official mouthpiece of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in West Bengal, Ganashakti.


Welcoming Mr. Basu's comment, AIFB general secretary Debabrata Biswas told The Hindu : "There is no room for the question of a front within the Front."

Correction: Debabrata Biswas told the English daily and official mouthpiece of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in India,The Hindu, :

Chindu upset with Congress' loss in Raigad

The Congress got a drubbing from PWP and Shiv Sena in Zilla Parishad Polls in Maharashtra. But The Chindu is delighted that Congress won one seat more than it did last time. Thankfully, the headline does not say, "Congress gets 20% more seats in Raigad". Pro-People policies paid dividends to PWP, Sena. But The Chindu does not want to acknowledge that.



The Hindu : Front Page : Opposition to SEZ pays dividends for PWP, Sena in Raigad

Congress wins 6 seats compared to 5 last time

Medha Patkar's agitation against CPM

I wonder how long before The Chindu calls her a terrorist.



The Hindu : Front Page : Anti-SEZ stir will be intensified: Medha

Khare's wizardry

Khare is back with his histrionics. I have never seen him ask tough questions, especially of Congress, which he grudgingly acknowledges is beyond its expiry date. Here he comes out with the Khareish brilliance to suggest that India won the world up in 1983 because of Indira Gandi.



The Hindu : Opinion / Leader Page Articles : Beyond the humiliation at the World Cup

in 1996, the hawala scandal had eaten into whatever little was left of Narasimha Rao's prime ministerial efficacy; in 1999, we had a caretaker government in New Delhi, trying to cover up its Kargil failures; and, in 2003, the national mood had been fractured by the L.K. Advani camp's cold war on Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.




Khare is creating data to suit his theory. I don't know which nation he is referring to when he is talking of national mood.



...our mass-hysteria discourse has come to believe that the terrorist challenge will be decisively defeated only if we hang Afzal Guru.



Here, he is clearly putting words into someone's mouth, once again to suit the theory he wishes to propose. No person with a sane mind would use "only" here. Khare knows this too. But he deliberately is falsifying the opposition.

Monday, March 26, 2007

Mamta campaign against Nandigram genocide

Mamta is asking all the right questions. She is doing well to expose the genocide unleashed by the CPM cadre. The Chindu is obviously worried. This is the reason behind it calling Mamta a terrorist.



The Hindu : National : Nandigram: probe by executive begins

"We have no faith in such an executive inquiry. In the name of an inquiry the State Government is trying to absolve itself of its responsibilities [for the police firing]," Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee said after meeting Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi.

"I had sought a meeting with the Governor and I told him that the genocide was committed by cadres of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Even now, many bodies of women and children killed in the firing are yet to be recovered," she alleged.

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Helpless Chindu cribs

This is highly commendable, isn't it - a leader stressing on development rather than taking a dig at political opponents. Instead of showering praise on Modi, The Chindu indulges in partisan politics. The central government is trying to replicate -- like "Chiranjeevi" -- several schemes of Modi in other states. Modi's another innovative programme, Vidyalakshmi, which provides a Rs 1,000 bond to every girl child who enrols in the first grade in villages with a low female literacy rate, has attracted countrywide attention. Modi is rightfully stressing on his development feats. But The Chindu calls it "harping" - in a derogatory sense. It also complains that he isn't mentioning about the Central Government schemes.



The Hindu : National : Modi harps on development feats

Except for oblique references to the "failures" of the previous Congress governments to take the State on the path of progress, Mr. Modi avoided direct attack on his political opponents in the State or the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre. Even in Godhra, the scene of the train carnage that sparked off the brutal riots in 2002, he made no reference to the communal passions and his 40-minute address was totally dedicated to his Government's schemes for women's empowerment.



...he avoided reference to Central Government schemes for the poor and backward classes.

Deliberate falsifications

This report gives the impression that NDF and RSS worked together to jointly attack the police station. But in the end, when the report says CPM and IUML are trying to resolve the conflict between the parties I realised that there was some clashes between the two groups. Funny, only a few days ago, CPM and IUML were fighting against each other.

The Hindu : Front Page : Strong action against NDF, RSS: Kodiyeri
Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said here on Sunday that the recent attack on the Kottakkal police station by National Development Front (NDF) activists was the only such incident after the 1972 naxalite attacks. The Government has, therefore, viewed it with utmost seriousness, he said. Mr. Balakrishnan congratulated the police officers who foiled the attack and said they would be duly rewarded. Had the attack not been thwarted, it would have been a humiliation for the police, he said. He said 22 people were arrested in connection with 11 attack cases in the district. Action would be initiated against more people who aided the attackers, he said. A special squad of the police led by the Crime Detachment Deputy Superintendent of Police would investigate the killing of Lakshmanan at Othukkungal and the attack on Hameed at Parappanangadi, he said. The police had already arrested some Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) workers in connection with the attack on Hameed. The Home Minister said the financial sources of the communal forces, including the NDF and the RSS, would be investigated. Mr. Balakrishnan said strong action would be initiated against those giving armed training for communal attacks in the district. All organisations engaged in physical training would be under surveillance, he said. He said leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Indian Union Muslim League had initiated dialogues to end political clashes between the two parties along the coastal region. A meeting of local political leaders held under his chairmanship on Sunday decided to work together, if needed, to restore peace in the region.

Having read The Chindu long enough, I know that I need to read other newspapers to get the true picture. Here are a couple of links which tell me what happened.

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=World_News&subsection=India&month=March2007&file=World_News20070323104759.xml
Tension prevailed in the coastal areas of Malappuram following the Wednesday midnight attack on the police station at Kottakkal by some 35 NDF activists after the police took into preventive custody NDF State chairman Abdul Rahman Baqvi and former chairman A Sayeed.

The coastal Tirur and Tanur in the district have been witnessing frequent clashes involving the NDF and RSS ever since the killing of Ravi, an RSS worker and third accused in the murder of Yasir Vakkom, on January 20. In retaliation, one Mohammed Ali has been killed.


http://www.keralaonline.com/news/news.php?news=1975
More than 25 National Development Front(NDF) activists were arrested on Thursday morning in connection with the attack on the Kottakkal police station.

More than 300 NDF activists, who gathered in front of the police station here around at 2 a.m. on Thursday, demanding the release of their leader A.Sayeed, later pelted stones at the building and damaged vehicles parked in the compound, police said.

NDF Chairman Abdurahman Bakhafi, A. Sayeed and some RSS leaders were taken into preventive custody by the police in the district following an attack on Abdul Hameed, an NDF activist as well as a journalist.



So, it turns out that there are clashes between the muslim fundamentalist NDF and the RSS. But the attack on the police station was completely an act of the Islamic radicals of NDF. Some RSS activists have been arrested as a preventive measure. But The Chindu has given a wonderful twist to the events relying of half-facts and deliberately twisting it to suit its political agenda. It has deliberately underplayed the equally potent clashes between CPI(M) and IUML in the past. Now it is trying to project them as peace-seekers.

Leftist NGOs want more money for riot victims

The package had nothing to offer to the 59 Hindus burnt alive in Godhra. But the leftist organizations are not concerned about them. They want more money to be granted to the 5000 displaced muslims. And Teesta Setalvad, funded by the Saudi Fundamentalists, always has something to say in support of the Muslims. Money speaks.



The Hindu : National : Package for riot victims hailed

In a statement, the Aantarik Visthapit Hak Rakshak Samiti urged the Centre to expand the scope of the Rs.106.57-crore package "to bring into its framework the rights to relief, rehabilitation and reparation for the thousands who still remain internally displaced due to the violence in 2002 and who have really been in the forefront of this latest chapter in the struggle for recognition."



Teesta Setalvad of the Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) described the package as ...

CBCNN excited about China's participation in SAARC

Obviously, it is China's participation that is getting CBCNN all excited.



The Hindu : Front Page : China sending Li as observer

Apart from China, Japan, the United States, the European Union and South Korea have been accorded observer status in SAARC.

Kiss the Dy-nasty

This sounds more like "Hail Dynasty" propaganda.



The Hindu : Front Page : Sonia distributes aid to differently-abled

CPM vis-a-vis 'reactionary forces'

CPM, which always said it represented the 'reactionary forces' against the Government's development efforts, is now singing a different tune when it is in the government. For 30 years, CPM fostered the 'reactionary forces' to drive away all industries from West Bengal. Now the monster of its own creation is coming back to extract its share of blood. Suddenly, the CPM is caught fighting the 'reactionary forces'. It will be interesting to see if CPM is willing to fight against 'reactionary forces' in the rest of India. Knowing the history of CPM, it will never be shy to espouse double standards. What is true for Bengal is not applicable to rest of India.



The Hindu : Front Page : Left Front will have to resist reactionary campaign: Biman Bose

Biman Bose, Secretary of the State Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), warned here on Saturday against "moves by reactionary forces to disrupt the drive towards development being undertaken by the State Government."

Friday, March 23, 2007

Two editorials on Woolmer in a week

N.Ram is a cricket fanatic. He was an opening batsman himself. He has often eulogized cricket in his editorials at the expense of other sports. And he occasionally laments on how other sports are being neglected. Very communist style.

In a span of 5 days, he wrote 2 editorials on the Woolmer tragedy - no doubt, a very unfortunate incident.



The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : Murder, most foul

The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : Tragedy and disappointments





On the other hand, while there is extensive coverage on Singur developments, he is completely silent on it. This is because CPM is caught wrong-footed and he doesn't want to shoot himself in the foot.

CPM opposes benefits to SEZ

CPM opposes giving benefits to SEZ while it has conferred extraordinary tax benefits to Tata motors for the Singur plant. This communist hypocrisy is not surprising to us.



The Hindu : National : Changes in SEZ Rules: CPI (M) surprised

"This goes against the suggestion give by the Left parties that a ceiling should be fixed for the size of the SEZ," the statement said.

It said another amendment that sought to continue with tax concessions for the contractors working for private SEZ developers should also be removed.


CPM gunning (literally) for industrialization in WB

Karat has produced another masterpiece of communist hypocrisy in the party organ, The Chindu, err... People's Democracy. Here, he is fighting for a capitalism. The Left drove all industries away to make West Bengal into a communist heaven. Now, Karat is gunning (pun intended) down opposition to bring prosperity to WB. Makes me wonder what CPM stands for - communism or capitalism.



West Bengal will not abandon industrialisation policy: Karat

``Balanced economic development requires industrialisation within the capitalist framework too. If some argue that small and medium industries are sufficient, the CPI (M) does not agree. Large-scale units, particularly in manufacturing, are necessary,'' party general secretary Prakash Karat said in an article in the latest edition of the party organ, People's Democracy.




Communist experiments in the past have been human catastrophies.


Thursday, March 22, 2007

N.Ram fabricating lies

N.Ram is clearly intent on fabricating lies. Here he uses allegations as facts to condemn BJP.



The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : Action replay in Parliament

In the Rajya Sabha on Monday, its members made a bid to snatch budget-related papers from Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, forcing him to cut short his reply to crucial points raised by members




Terrifying bigotry of Chindu

We have seen on several occasions the Left acting with the sole agenda of defeating BJP. This is the kind of semitic hatred driving the Left more than any enlightened ideology to serve people. Left's acidic attacks on BJP, RSS and Hindus in general is well documented. It is also very evident in The Chindu, which never misses an opportunity to berate Hindus and condone minority appeasement. And on the occassion of M.S.Golwalkar's birth centenary, the leftists have come out with a book deriding RSS and the Hindus. The Chindu celebrates the book launch along with the leftists.





Book on Golwalkar attracts spirited debate

Applauding "Terrifying Vision" for its attempt to synthesise the overall published oeuvre of Golwalkar, than cherry-picking selected quotations to make a point, Siddharth Varadarajan, Associate Editor of The Hindu, said Prof. Sharma had exposed the irrationality, ignorance and bigotry that lay at the foundation of the RSS' ideology and politics.





Irrationality, Ignorance and Bigotry - strong words. But these are reserved only for Hindus. Heard of the Calcutta Quran Petition? It exposes "the manual". How does it compare to the vision of Gowalkar?



The Chindu does nothing to educate its readers or analyze situations in the best interests of the country. It is an ideological document propagating communism against the interests of the country and particularly against the majority Hindus.





The propaganda continues

Brinda passes the verdict on Nandigram



Propaganda behind trouble: Brinda Karat



The violent incidents at Nandigram on March 14 were the result of a "motivated, malicious propaganda based on lies" by the Opposition parties, Brinda Karat, Polit Bureau member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), said here on Wednesday.




Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Fresh attack on Mamta

Allegations and speculations against Trinamool, all with the sole purpose of maligning the opponents of CPI(M). No other newspaper is reporting the violence of Trinamool because it doesn't exist.



The Hindu : National : Fresh violence at Nandigram

Violence erupted again in Nandigram, West Bengal, on Wednesday, with activists of the Trinamool Congress-led Bhoomi Ucched Pratirodh Committee (BUPC) allegedly attacking an office of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) with bombs and burning it and troublemakers ransacking some shops in the Tekhali Bazaar area. The BUPC has been spearheading the movement against setting up an industry in Nandigram. There were also reports of at least two roads being dug up on Tuesday night in another part of Nandigram by persons suspected to belong to the BUPC. There has been tension in the Nandigram area since the violence there on March 14 in which 14 persons were killed. A delegation that included some women who fled their homes in the wake of attacks over the past weeks, allegedly by BUPC activists, met Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.




Tuesday, March 20, 2007

CPIML concerned about Right more than the peasants

CPI (ML) concern over `Right resurgence'

CPI(M-L) is concerned firstly about "Right resurgence" and secondly about the peasants.

The degeneration [of Left party] has paved the way for Right resurgence,'' the party general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said at a press conference after releasing a report on Nandigram compiled by his party.

When releasing a report on Nandigram, why is Dipankar talking about right resurgence and not about the peasants of Nandigram? He represents that very degeneration.

China stands for peace again

Trilateral cooperation will benefit world: Hu Jintao

I can bet, China did not have to spend a penny or bribe anyone to get this article published in CBCNN. After all, it is CBCNN's job responsibility to trumpet China's "peaceful" ascendancy.

Maoists killing business in Nepal

Nepal businessmen protest against Maoist "excesses"


And CBCNN wants India to emulate the Maoists of Nepal

"Maoists can emulate Nepal model"

N.Ram calls Congress a peculiar animal. Giggle...

Living in the past

The Congress in Uttar Pradesh is a peculiar animal. With just 16 of 403 seats in the outgoing Assembly, the party produced the loudest election-eve sound effects, much of it unsuccessfully...

By similar standards, CPI(M) is an alarmingly peculiar animal because it hardly has any presence beyong WB and Kerala but makes the loudest noise even when there is no issue at hand.

The other side of Nandigram?

Nandigram victims narrate their tales of woe

I read the headline and thought, "Oh my God, Chindu is actually reporting about the CPM violence against the people". But it turns out that this is a propaganda against the Trinamool Congress. It talks about how
- people are terrorized in Nandigram by Mamta
- Nandigram is in grip of lawlessness
- CPI(M) has rescued them and provided shelter in relief camps
- CPI(M) is delivering justice to the people.

You can't beat this CBCNN propaganda machine. I wonder why no other newspaper noticed the other side of Nandigram. Also, why isn't The Chindu not noticing the marxists unleashing terror on the villagers in the name of industrialization? Lopsided view, isn't it. But CBCNN would go about drum-rolling its fairness and high journalistic standards. Like the Reader's editor spoke yesterday:

Preferences or prejudices should not intrude into actual reporting, when fairness is the paper's credo.

"Huge cache of arms leaves CPM Red-faced"

thanks to the alert reader.


Here comes some news, surely not from our comrade Chindu, about who the terrorists are in the Nandigram incident (normally these kinds of violent incidents are romanticized by our comrades as struggles, revolutionary movements, mass action etc., except that they are the in the opposite camp now).

According to the Pioneer (Monday, March 19, 2007):
http://www.dailypioneer.com/indexn12.asp?main_variable=front%5Fpage&file_name=story4%2Etxt&counter_img=4

"Huge cache of arms leaves CPM Red-faced" -

In what could be a major loss of face for the ruling CPI(M), the CBI on Sunday maintained that many of those missing after Wednesday's police firing in Nandigram could actually have been killed and buried somewhere as a diary retrieved from the arrested CPI(M) cadre might suggest.

Ten alleged Marxist cadre were arrested by the Central agency on Saturday from a brick kiln with huge quantity of arms and ammunition that included 9 Japanese and 11 Indian rifles, about 700 live bullets. Also recovered from the site were Left leaflets and Red flags.

Monday, March 19, 2007

Short on facts and long on rumours

Facts, completeness and background

S. Savitri of Chengalpattu (Tamil Nadu), "who holds The Hindu in great reverence," has several questions about the paper's reporting of the swearing-in of the new Chief Minister in Uttarakhand. The photo caption did not fully and correctly identify those seen. The report — "short on facts and long on rumours" — did not list all the dignitaries who attended. She found all these details and more in other papers. A Congress or a Left Government being sworn in would not "have received such a lackadaisical coverage," she added.

Very well pointed by S.Savitri. But I have a question for Savitri. Why do you still consider The Chindu in "great reverence"?

Preferences or prejudices should not intrude into actual reporting, when fairness is the paper's credo.

Thank you. Now lets get back to praising CPI(M).

CPI(M) oversaw the Nandigram pogrom: CPI(ML)

Buddhadeb must quit: CPI (M-L) Liberation

There you have it from CPIM's partner, CPI(ML). Enough information to investigate Buddhadeb for crimes against humanity.

Building on the terrorist image for Mamta

Bomb explodes at Tata Motor's site

The only people to benefit from this act would be CPM. Trinamool would never do anything so stupid in the relatively peaceful Singur. The article itself shows how it has been tailor-made for CPI(M) propaganda. Also notice how The Chindu is desperately trying to label Mamta a terrorist.

Demands for dismissal of Buddhadeb

Buddhadeb must quit: CPI (M-L) Liberation

Congress delegation visits Nandigram

All the parties have joined Trinamool in demanding Buddhadeb's dismissal. Just a couple of days back, N.Ram told us in an editorial that nobody takes seriously the call of the Trinamool Congress for the dismissal of the Left Front Government. A slap on the face for N.Ram. But this habitual liar won't change, will he.

"Mockery of truth"

Buddhadeb must quit: CPI (M-L) Liberation


The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation on Sunday described as "insufficient and insincere'' the expression of regret by West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on the Nandigram killings and said the "least he must have done was to resign and offer an unconditional apology to the people.''

After a visit by a party delegation led by its general secretary, Dipankar Bhattacharya, to the area, CPI (M-L) L disputed the Chief Minister's statement at the Left Front meeting on Saturday, alleging that he made a "mockery of truth on several key counts.'


CPI-ML is demanding that Buddhadeb must leave because he made a mockery of truth. To his credit, Buddhadeb has made a mockery of truth on the Nandigram incident. CBCNN on the other hand has been doing this on a daily basis for years. What is the action that is deemed fit against CBCNN? How about 'teaching' CBCNN the Communist lesson of vandalism and terrorism and labelling it 'reaction'. Paying back in the same coin, I guess.

Two 'secular' parties discuss issues

CPI(M)-IUML clash: Tirur tense

Two 'secular' parties fight among themselves. The Chindu is in a spot of bother. So it indulges in its classic 'secular reporting' style.

It carefully avoids informing the readers the reason for the clash between CPM and IUML. It goes to the extent of suggesting that CPM and IUML were cooperating with each other in the violence against the police.

He[IUML leader] was arrested along with CPI(M) activist Jaffar for throwing stones at the police and for attacking houses at Alinchuvadu.


This fits the high editorial standards of the holier-than-thou Chindu.

Karat rules out removing Buddhadeb

Removing Buddhadeb ruled out

"The people of West Bengal have elected the Left Front; he [Mr. Bhattacharjee] is the Chief Minister of the Left Front Government and will remain so," he [Karat] said.

Simple, isnt it. I wonder why this is not applicable to other governments in the rest of the country - for example, Narendra Modi, whose dismissal CPM has been baying for since ages. Communists have always applied one rule for WB and another for the rest of the country.

'No Hindu-Muslim polarisation in Gujarat'

M.G. Vaidya, RSS spokesman, writes:

I was surprised to read the report of my press conference in The Hindu on Dec. 17. At the very outset, I had said in my written statement that there was no Hindu-Muslim polarisation in Gujarat. In the next paragraph, I had added "If at all there was any polarisation, it can be said that the polarisation took place between one pole of nationalist forces, delineated by the ideology of Hindutva, that stands for appreciation of plurality, democratic values, justice for all and appeasement of none, and the other pole of Hindu-bashing perverse secularism, which feeds itself on pampering the fissiparous attitudes of religious minorities." Before criticising or raising any questions on this assertion of mine, any unbiased reporter would have quoted my averment in full. On the contrary, your Correspondent put in my mouth, a few words of her choice which I did not utter.

`Hindu', according to us has a cultural connotation. The word does not signify communalism, because Hindu is not just a community or a sect. Hindu does not signify obscurantism, sectarianism, or bigotry. Had it signified these traits, your paper would not have been titled "Hindu". I am curious to know what does the title of your paper signify? Are you proud or ashamed of that title `Hindu'?

I was offering comments on the background of the Gujarat Assembly elections, I did not say that those who did not vote for the BJP were anti-nationalists. That word was the invention of your Correspondent, who did ask me as to the forces that were victorious in Jammu and Kashmir. I replied that I was speaking about the Gujarat elections only. About the question on Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru, Sardar Patel, the Correspondent would and should admit that this question was not asked in the press conference. After the press conference when the question was put to me, I did not reply because some TV men were waiting for me for an interview in English.

In the times of Tilak, RSS was not in existence, so there was no question of his joining or appreciating the RSS. But let no one forget that it was the Lokmanya who started the public celebration of the Ganesh-festival. It was the Lokmanya who started the Shivaji festival also. In Mahatma Gandhi's time also, the RSS was in its infancy. Dr. K.B. Hedgewar, founder of the RSS, was an ardent Congress worker and twice suffered incarceration in British jail. Even Mahatmaji talked about `Ram Rajya'. Did he mean a theocratic state by that term?

Dr. Hedgewar got disillusioned about the Congress when it took the cause of restoration of Khalifa in Turkey. This, you too will admit, undoubtedly was not a secular enterprise. It was out and out a communal demand, that resulted in the fierce atrocities on hapless Hindus especially in Malabar and the N.W.F.P. Besides, whether the Mahatma or Panditji or Sardar agreed or did not agree with the concept of cultural nationalism, the RSS has a right to have its own philosophy which can succinctly be called as Hindu Rashtra. We have been repeating umpteen times, that we make a distinction between the concept of "nation" and "state" and that we are not for a theocratic state.

A state, according to the concept of Hindu Rashtra, is and has to be secular because, the state deals with the mundane matters, and not spiritual, which are the domains of religion. In that very press conference, I said that the word "secular" in the preamble of the Constitution was inserted in the extraordinary circumstances of the infamous emergency in 1976. Was our state not secular before 1976? The secular character of our state is expressed in many Articles like 15, 16 and 19, etc. where it is unambiguously stated that the state shall not discriminate between its citizens on the basis of religion, language, sex, caste or creed. We emphatically assert that this is the core content of our idea of secularism to which we are committed.

But non-discrimination on the basis of religion is flouted in so many ways. Even after more than half a century of independence, we do not have a common law of marriage and divorce, because Muslims are opposed to it. We have Article 370 for J&K because the state has a majority Muslim population. We have an Article 30 (1-A) that gives a fundamental right to compensation for the property of the minority institutions which is denied to the majority community; and till the recent judgment of the Supreme Court, the minority communities had unfettered privilege to establish and administer their educational institutions, get government grants and impart religious instructions. This was denied to the majority community.

When Hindu institutions and organisations raise a voice against such discriminatory rules and practices they are condemned and abused as communal and anti-secular. This, in my statement, I had called as "Hindu bashing perverse secularism". This was pitted against the Hindutva forces in Gujarat. This perverse secularism had prompted the Congress party to get Muslim clerics to issue an advertisement calling upon their religious fraternity to vote for the Congress and the Congress only. I repeat that in Gujarat the fight between the BJP and the Congress was between the Hindutva forces that stand for the equality of all faiths and religions and the forces of the perverse anti-Hindu secularism.

It is possible that you and your Correspondent do not agree to this proposition. As a good Hindu, I accept your right to disagree. My only plea is please be fair in your reporting. You have your whole editorial page to shower criticism on the RSS with or without justification.



Posted by Anonymous to The Chindu at March 17, 2007 9:00 AM

Friday, March 16, 2007

Even more of "pogrom-whitewashing"

Two pieces of information have been withheld by CBCNN in all this excessive coverage:
1. The police force was 4000 - an unusually large number for supporting a public works project even in a volatile area.

2. The majority peoples in Nandigram are muslims.

Centre gives directive to West Bengal

Nandigram: Chamber's plea

"7,500 jobs assured in Singur"

All articles have the same theme - political protests to be blamed; CPI(M) is not guilty; police cannot be blamed; CPI(M) not guilty.

By now I am convinced that it is ok for CPI(M) to kill protestors.

Lets meet again tomorrow to hear the same of "blame the protestors" from The Chindu

Brinda joins the "pogrom-whitewash" party

Brinda Karat backs CBI probe

the administration could not allow any area to be declared an ``independent'' zone.

When the workers went there to lay roads and build bridges, they were attacked.


Brinda Karat does her bit to perpetrate a myth on the Nandigram pogrom.

Karat in PD

CPI(M) assails Trinamool, Maoists

Karat and CPI(M) continue to sidestep the issue of villagers' death and goes into overdrive mode, verbally assaulting the Trinamool.

The Chindu, a pathological propagandist, repeats ad nauseam that the CPI(M) has nothing to do with the killings. Here it quotes Karat and People's Democracy for authenticity. Talk of partners in crime, literally.

I wonder if the number of articles in today's paper saying the CPM is not guilty will ever end.

CBCNN goes into overdrive mode to coverup Nandigram pogrom

Deaths in violence unfortunate, says Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee

Mr. Bhattacharjee said security forces had been sent to restore normality and peace in an "area where there had been no rule of law and no presence of an administration for not one, two or 10 days but for two-and-a-half months."

Here is the communist tactic of "truth by repeated assertion" at play.

"The police had not gone to Nandigram for the purpose of acquiring land. But shortly after they reached there, they were attacked. After trying to repulse the attack with teargas shells and rubber bullets, they had to resort to firing," Mr. Bhattacharjee said.

Yes, a 4000 strong police force - enough to invade Bangladesh - to control villagers.

N.Ram asks WB Governor to shutup

Lessons from Nandigram

Nobody takes seriously the call of the Trinamool Congress for the dismissal of the Left Front Government.

N.Ram is passing a judgment on Trinamool. This is not the first time he dismissed Trinamool or called Mamta a terrorist for opposing CPI(M). But he reserves his best for the Governor.


More disconcertingly, a usually sagacious Governor, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, stepped out of line in publicly airing his philosophical and tactical differences with the State government while expressing high-minded anguish over the Nandigram deaths. Under the Indian Constitution, it is surely not the job of a Governor to offer public judgments on how an elected government should have handled a tricky situation.

He asks the Governor to shutup and not pass public judgment on CPI(M) actions. Wonderful party loyalty by N.Ram. For a better perspective on the Nandigram pogrom read this article:


Narad among the Narodniks


He raises valid points:
1. In which State does a PWD convoy travel with a 4,000-strong police escort to repair roads?
2. Nandigram was not threatening to secede; heavens would not have fallen if the "road repair" mission had been delayed till tempers cooled.
3. So what was the big hurry? It was simply this: The CPI(M)'s writ had been challenged in an area that was traditionally its electoral bastion. The dissidents had to be taught a lesson and the Party's control had to be both re-established and seen to be re-established.
4. the initial provocation on Wednesday did not come from the "enemy". It arrived when the State administration marched in 4,000 policemen on a "road repair" expedition.

Ashok Mallik's sounds more like an editorial that educates its readers of the facts.

All you dear readers of The Chindu, dont you think you deserve a more balanced presentation than the one penned by N.Ram - asking everyone to just ignore Mamta, and the Governor to shutup.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Spin begins to coverup the Nandigram pogrom

Police firing regrettable: CPI (M)

Police firing regrettable but CPI(M) cannot be blamed.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Wednesday described as "regrettable" that lives were lost in police firing in Nandigram, but said the organised elements, which used bombs and pipe guns on the police, have to take the blame.

The spin, disassociating the perpetrator of the pogrom - CPI(M) - from crimes against humanity, has begun.

Nandigram is not CPM's fault, reiterates CBCNN

Police moved to `check lawlessness'

The police are not be blamed here although atleast 11 people died because this is the CPM government. Contrast this with how CBCNN blames the police of every other state.

http://cbcnn.blogspot.com/search/label/Blame%20the%20police


Remember all those tears for Faizal?

In Nandigram, when the police were trying to control lawlessness, 11 people were killed. In Bangalore, the police targetted a 11 year old to control lawlessness. This is the CBCNN contrast in reporting.

After absolving the police in Nandigram, CBCNN launches a scathing attack on Trinamool and the people opposing CPI(M):

Trinamool Congress failed to respond to calls
"lawlessness prevailing in the area could no longer be allowed to continue"
Trinamool activists staged demonstrations
Some State buses were damaged and an attempt was made to set ablaze one.
Protesters squatted on rail tracks in various parts of the State and several trains, including the Rajdhani Express, were held up.
Unrest at Nandigram was sparked by rumours


The Chindu sees absolutely nothing wrong in firing at and killing the protestors.

Finally, it condones CPI(M), listing out all the steps it took to address the people's concern:
But the Chief Minister's had been holding out assurances that no land would be acquired for the project without the consent of the local people.
He had even reiterated that the proposed chemical hub would be set up elsewhere if the local people remained opposed to it.


So I figure the local people were opposed to the SEZ at Nandigram and the government deployed force to kill innocents.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Whitewashing the pogrom

11 killed in Nandigram police firing

This report stinks. 11 unarmed villagers have been killed mercilessly by the police on orders from the CPI(M) government. The Chindu tries to blame the villagers, opposition, blue skies, America, policemen - anybody but the CPI(M) government.

While almost all the newspapers claimed that the villagers protested against the CPI(M) government policies, The Chindu makes some outrageous suggestions that it was a politically motivated attack with the villagers having nothing to do with the government policies. It completely sidesteps the issue why the policemen had to fire live rounds at the public.

Contrast this article with what the TOI report and it is evident what the CBCNN is attempting.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

A lengthy article on China's property privatisation

The private property debate in China

Firstly, this bill, for changing property laws in China, is China's domestic policy, with virtually no impact to India. Unless, of course, you treat India as a province in China. Why does it warrant such a detailed evaluation?

Mr. Peng points out that several laws governing the leasing of land in both rural and urban areas were already in place. The current draft property law merely brings several of these earlier laws together under an overarching umbrella.


Cleary, some Chinese think that this law is not a breakthrough.

Secondly, it shows that the Chinese are getting more Capitalistic than our Comrades in India would like to accept. The Chindu should start embracing the free markets and the imperialists.

Thirdly, 700 million Chinese who continue to live in rural areas are in no paradise as sketched out by their Indian comrades.

Rural residents have no state-provided social security, Mr. Wen explains, so their communally owned plot of land is often virtually all that remains between them and destitution. Were they allowed to sell this land it would expose them to exploitation and impoverishment on an altogether more alarming scale than at present, Mr.Wen concludes.


Summary: Rural Chinese are getting exploited and impoverished now. China is looking to screw them further to keep the cities shining.

Talking of property rights, have a look at this island building:

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=40673&in_page_id=34

Monday, March 12, 2007

Why Sonia Gandhi's photo?

Government asked to drop satellite town plan

AICC general secretary and Congress chief whip in Rajya Sabha V. Narayanasamy has called upon the Rangasamy-led Government here to jettison immediately the plans to set up a satellite town and a deep sea port at Thengaithittu near here.

V.Narayanasamy is asking Rangasamy to follow AICC directives and Sonia Gandhi did not get personally involved in this issue. So why is CBCNN publishing her photo and trying to project the image that Sonia Gandhi is taking up cudgels to fight for the farmers. CBCNN is probably trying to prove its credentials as an ace boot-licker.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Misinterpretation of philosophy for political purpose

`Rama cult arose in the South'

Interestingly, the Rama temples were called `sacred Ayodhya,' lending credence to the view that the concept of Ayodhya of Rama was originally mythical, having little to do with modern Ayodhya . ``It reminds one of the famous saying Tulasidas, Avadhu tahaan jahaan Raama nivaasu, meaning ``wherever Rama resides, that is Ayodhya.''

Tulasidas' statement is clearly a philosophical exposition not to be loosely interpreted to further a political agenda. But that is exactly what "The Chindu" is doing, in an attempt to discredit the Hindu claims to Ram temple in Ayodhya. For more details on the communist distortions on Ayodhya look at the following link:

Ayodhya: The case against the Temple

But the entire range of religious literature on Rama-bhakti in the `saguna' stream has a very clear social message: God is universally accessible and grants salvation to all those who worship him with devotion, but he does not allow any violation of caste rules and disrespect to brahmans, regardless of their qualifications.

Respect for caste hierarchy and its rules despite the irrelevance of caste status in the pursuit of liberation had been the essential feature of Vaishnavism from its first exposition in the Bhagavad Gita, Professor Jaiswal said.


These statements are highly deplorable. I do not know how Prof. Jaiswal concluded that God does not allow violation of caste rules. Why is she professing the rigidity of the caste system? Let me check with google on this lady. Here it is, from CBCNN's site:

New perspectives on caste
Jaiswal clearly stands out as a Marxist historian who is not prepared to be herded.
It is a forceful reiteration of her well-known Marxist position.


We have known all too well, the Marxist historian's hatred towards Hindus.

Neo-convert Buddhadeb

Buddhadeb: we are committed to taking West Bengal forward

The Left has been ruling West Bengal from almost the time of Independence. So what is the economic state of West Bengal. We get it from our most authentic source, The Chindu.

West Bengal economy: A not-so-rosy picture

West Bengal has joined the bandwagon of `poor States' ...
In a study of 19 States based on 46 parameters, including infrastructure, education, health, investment, consumer market, and law and order, across eight categories, West Bengal was ranked 14 during the period 1991-2001


But The Chindu is trying to create the impression that Buddhadeb is doing miracles while the opposition, which is to be held solely responsible for all evil, is blocking all development.

Here it is interesting to note that Buddhadeb is trying to emulate Narendra Modi.

Buddhadeb goes ga-ga over Modi

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

If it is Congress' mistake, share it equally with BJP

Power and politics in Maharashtra

When you have no electricity and water, you don't stop to consider that the Opposition shares the blame. You tend to lay it all at the feet of those in power. This is what the ruling Congress-NCP coalition has to confront.

Wonderful, isn't it. Blame the BJP for Congress' mistakes.

Two things to look at here.
1. How long was Congress in power in Maharashtra.
2. How long since the power shortage is a concern.

1. From wiki:

After India's independence, most of Maharashtra's political history was dominated by the Congress party. Maharashtra became a bastion of the Congress party producing stalwarts such as Y.B. Chavan, one of its most prominent Chief Ministers. The party enjoyed near unchallenged dominance of the political landscape until 1995 when the right wing Shiv Sena and BJP secured an overwhelming majority in the state to form a coalition. After a split in the Congress party, former chief minister Sharad Pawar formed the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), but formed a coalition with the Congress to keep out the BJP-SS combine. The 2004 elections saw the NCP gaining the largest number of seats to become the state's largest party, eroding much of the Shiv Sena's base.

So, it is clear that the Congress has in power for most of the time.

2. Kalpana tells us in this article itself that, Over the last two years, Maharashtra's growing, and what now appears chronic, shortage of electric power has become a reason for considerable concern.

From this it is clear that if this is a chronic problem, Congress should get most of the blame because it has been in power for the longest amount of time. If the problem has become acute over the past 2 years, the Congress must be solely blamed. In either case I cant see how BJP should share the blame. But this is just what you can expect in CBCNN - pure hatred towards BJP and the hindus.

Another issue I have is, why is Kalpana overly concerned that the bad power situation will adversly affect the Congress election results in 2009. She reiterates this again in the end.

If only political survival pushes governments to act, then it is time the Maharashtra government had a hard look at the power crisis facing the State.

I would have been much happier if she related the power shortage to farmer suicides in Vidarbha rather than Congress' re-election chances.

Karat fights for Muslims

CPI (M) seeks programme for minorities

Karat comes out with the most comprehensive set of recommendations for the upliftment of Muslims. Very impressive. How about we talk for some time about the condition of muslims in West Bengal, where CPI(M) has been ruling uninterruptedly for almost 40 years.

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Karat reiterates, anyone but BJP

Priority to prevent division of anti-BJP vote, says Karat

This is an agenda driven by hatred towards the BJP and the Hindus. It demonstrates a complete lack of ideology on the part of CPI(M). Trust me, this is not the first time Karat and CPI(M) expressed this animosity.

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Birthday wishes to politicans

Buddhadeb turns 64

Imagine newspapers writing articles and publishing photos wishing birthday greetings to all politicians. Using enormous discretion, CBCNN extends this courtesy only to CPI(M) politicians.