Monday, April 14, 2008

Dangerous precedent

In what promises to be a precedent, the Maoists using questionable tactics forced the King of Nepal to hold elections and using standard CPM elections strategies won 110 seats and look to form the Govt. there.
The Hindu gloats right here,
http://www.hindu.com/2008/04/15/stories/2008041560871500.htm
Most definitely in the next few days there will be an editorial of how the Maoists decided to turn to democracy and the validity of their election. But what will be glossed over is how they used terrorism and thugs to force the King to hold elections. This does not bode well for India as similar strategies will be employed by the Maoist rebels in certain states and try to force elections in their states. One needs to look no further than Kerala and WB to see how the Maoist/Marxist experiment has worked out. With Nepal being one of the buffer states between China, the weakened state of Nepal does not bode well for the security of India.
Probably in the near future, China will annex Nepal (the only Hindu country in the world) and The Hindu will probably proclaim that the Nepalis were Chinese citizens living under the illegal monarchy of Nepal. The King can then join the Dalai Lama and the leader of Taiwan in the deposed leaders club.

12 comments:

socal said...

Berlusconi won in Italy. Chindu was ecstatic when he lost last time to socialists, nowhere near to the victory of Nepali Maoists but still. Just watch for Chindu's spin on Italy's elections.

Anonymous said...

While i am no lover of the chindu,my question is specifically directed at one of the writers who said he had exchanged views with a cross section of society,

A Hindu nationalist like Nirad Chaudhri observed that hindus had no genius for political organisation.He dedicated his book to the memory of the British Empire which quickened our impulses and throughout a challenge to the educated indians.

He remarks that he found south indian brahmanas speaking sanskrit with greater fluency and better accent/diction.

I cannot but exclaim that blogging is throwing up so many south indian (particularly tamilian brahmana)nirad chaudhries/clones/pretenders.I would classify myself as a pretender.

Of course,there are technocrats who dont give a damn about all this.What is the reason for this angst?Is it some deep rooted alienation?

The Bengalis or even northindians do not seem so frustrated.I hold no brief for the chindu.But may be we should be a little bit more charitable to it,when we consider the enormity of the challenges and how inadequate the BJP is.The Congress is more equipped to handle the likes of Akalis,DMK etc.It is ideologically coherent in dealing with separatists and its credentials exemplary in dealing with divisive forces.

As a member of the elite,our Chief is able to notice this from his vantage position but does not want to share it with the hoi polloi.

Dirt Digger said...

socal,
The commies and chindu have a policy of zero tolerance towards anything that is non-communist and nationalist. Thanks for pointing out the Italy elections, it should be interesting to see Chindu screaming about how capitalist forces stole the elections from the 'people's communist forces'.

Dirt Digger said...

da said,
It is an interesting point you have brought out. While there are certain communities who have found the change in political and news culture abhorrent, it could be attributed to several social and cultural reasons.
But I would like to request you to clarify a couple of points you made,
1. may be we should be a little bit more charitable to it,when we consider the enormity of the challenges
2. The Congress is more equipped to handle the likes of Akalis,DMK etc.It is ideologically coherent in dealing with separatists and its credentials exemplary in dealing with divisive forces.
Could you please give specific examples or go into detail about these statements?
Thanks for your opinions, it is refreshing to hear a differing viewpoint and we are most open to discussion here.

Anonymous said...

As a regular reader of this blog I would like to make some counterpoints to da. First of I am a Tamil but Non brahmin I am a OBC who is fully in synch with this blogs conservative nationalistic world view. So don't sterotype people that is exactly what liberals do(From the words of Conservative Guru Rush Limbaugh). The second point is if you are a patriotic Indian how can you even support a Cong/Commie world view when they are dead set against Indias progress. Look at their record on terrorism and naxalism. There are more than 4000 people died under the watch of Manmohan and the walking zombie Shivraj Patil. Sadly in India human lives have no value. So people forget numerous bomb blasts happened under the Sonia/Manmohan/Karat watch. They don't care about lives of Hindus. Look at this great post from Offstumped. It gives you a detailed record of Congress handling of terrorism. So unless you can give specific reasons we should be even more critical of Chindu and thier ilk.
Karthik

Dirt Digger said...

Karthik,
Thanks for your support and very logical summarization of the problems currently faced in India.
This blog aims to discuss the problems created by the blatant misrepresentation of facts and lack of objectivity by Chindu and the ilk.
However it is the responsibility of every patriotic citizen (irrespective of creed or caste) to hold the 4 pillars (Govt., Judiciary system, bureaucracy and Press) accountable for their actions.
The arrogance of the politicians and press to feed people information which is modified and transformed to hide the real truth but to further their narrow interests has grown to epidemic levels in recent times.
That is exactly the reason why blogs like CBCNN are present to fill the void to attempt to create a dialogue between concerned citizens.

Anonymous said...

Hi,

I have been reading the blog quite sometime now and I have feel very bad and am honestly hurt on knowing the hypocritical side of Hindu shattering all the ideals I have for it.

But there is something I feel I should ask you all. Is 'The Hindu' so bad now that nothing it reports can be trusted any more? 'Frontline' has been the magazine that I always read with pride and interest. And also Sunday Magazine, Literary Review, Sports analysis etc have been my favorites for long time. What are your views on these?

I admit once I was hooked to Hindu I haven't bothered much to look for others. And now all of a sudden I feel clueless on what to take up now. The thought of abandoning Hindu altogether pains me but am ready for a change thanks to your blog.

To end it I would like to have a suggestion for the newspaper or the source of news I should take up from now on.

Thanks for all your efforts and I will pass the baton to my fellow Hindu lovers and get them back to reality.

Hindu Fundamentalist said...

The idea for this blog germinated in this pain. I hold a general mistrust against what is reported in the English Language Media(ELM). That does not mean I am venerating the vernacular press. But a few incidents have raised serious questions about the objectivity in media reporting. Godhra incident and Kanchi Acharya arrest immediately come to my mind. I followed the overall media trends in these incidents with keen interest. More recently, I saw through the blatant mischief while reporting on Kandhamal violence.
In general, I disregard anything coming from the left as a lie unless proven otherwise. The right of center, which should really be called center, is more accurate. I am not referring to the BJP party, which has been woefully inadequate in addressing issues. Rajeev, SwapanDas, Brahma, Sandhya Jain, Raman have all been good over the past. In general, the columnists on Daily Pioneer (or coming from this stable) have been more objective. Unfortunately, it might not be a good idea to depend on one single source for news anymore. But if you prefer to, Daily Pioneer might be a better bet. Be warned that the website is not very friendly.

Dirt Digger said...

Anonymous,
We (the writes on this blog) empathize for your current thought process as we had the same feeling which lead us to create this blog.
There are 2 key things here, one is while we state 'The Hindu's misgivings in its current avatar, the main culprit is not the paper itself but the editorial leadership and management which has taken on a blatant communist and anti-nationalist tone.
Second is the fact that there are some great articles still being written in some of the other publications you quoted. So all's not that bad. But the rot has set in deeply in the main publication, i.e. The Hindu newspaper.
What is a reliable alternative?
There is no one reliable alternative, you might want to follow news on most other newspapers but use your judgment to filter out and make inferences, and read us if you find anything suspicious in The Hindu.

Anonymous said...

The fault lies with us,not with the chindu alone or something to that effect.

First a confession:I am a Hindu fanatic in the most enlightened sense,atleast in my eyes.

There are multiple fractures,faultlines,identities and histories/self perceptions.

This could be on real/perceived ehnic/linguistic or cultural differences.They play out as caste differences as OBCs,forwards,SCs,Brahmanas,Thevars,thakurs,jats,vokkaligas,nairs,nadars,ezhavas,gounders,mudaliars,lingayats.

In public policy it impinges on language policies,quotas in colleges/jobs,sharing of water,border disputes,coflicting histories.There are primordial identities at work.Everyone seems to have a problem with everyone else.

The chindu as a part of the elite would support some sort of status quo,with calibrated concessions.

I feel that many of us who belong to the middle classes feel cheated by the bogus sloganeering of chindu and its bosses,the Congress.

It doesnt help that many of us are tamil brahmanas who are a unique minority in TN.I am assuming that many here are tamil brahmanas.I studied in a CBSE school with second language Hindi.I write Tamil haltingly.I have enjoyed the treasures of Tamil literature,though i have not studied tamil grammar or literature in a formal way.

Most of the thugs in DMK are illiterate.Yet it hurts me that i am an 'outsider'.It also hurts my brahminical ego that i am not a tamil 'classicist' the only reason sensitive honest tamil brahmanas are 'second rate' citizens.

I am not a technocrat.If i had been one,this would not have hurt me so much perhaps.

NRam cant speak a sentence of Tamil fluently.Yet because of his privilege he insinuates himself with karu.What angers us most is his cold manipulation using a nationalist ideology to further commercial interests wooing minorities etc.

At the same time,as a part of the elite,he might have reasoned this is the best option under the circumstances.Men like Karunanidhi have to be humored/bribed/appeased into the national mainstream.'Dana' is a part of strategy to encounter an 'opponent'

The BJP had karu on a tight leash,but the two could have headed for a head-on collision.Congress by giving concessions has defanged karu.

Most of us who are ranting here are not going to throw a stone in anger.We will fulminate in our private spaces and carry on.In the larger perspective we dont matter,atleast in the immediate context.

The Congress can similarly handle the terrorists of Punjab without the baggage of Hindu nationalism.

Anonymous said...

I think the comment 'second rate citizens' is offensive.Please read it as 'not part of the political-cultural mainstream.'

Also if one accepts these handicaps,karunanidhi has become reasonable and is concentrating on good governance.

Even his verbal barbs/denigrations is swallowed by the intellectual class as part of karu's culture(?).

Dirt Digger said...

da said,
Great points all.
My perception is this, the past is what it is. There should not be too much time spent on revisiting it, unless necessary.
However one should not blame everything on the past, like what the DMK and their acolytes have been doing. They have been in power for the most of the last 50 years.
The question on social justice that should be asked is how long will it take for the majority of the population to become equal to remove reservations/special benefits? What have they been doing for the last 50 years?
The BJP had leash on Mu Ka and company because for a big part of the BJP rule the AIADMK was in power and Mu Ka was more of a junior partner. With the Congress, they don't have a big presence in the state and at the centre their hold is not firm, so the long leash for Mu Ka.
With the advent of the internet to communicate thoughts and ideas, the old school mechanisms are becoming fast out dated. The mechanisms of web 2.0 are enabling groups of people to inform and organize much rapidly than ever before.
You can see the example of the Tibetians who do not have a country or even much funds, but have leveraged the resources to organize themselves rapidly. Every other group which claims oppression by characters like Mu Ka/N.Ram/Commies/Congress or whomsoever should take heed of the strategies employed by groups like the Tibetians and respond back.
Hope this helps.