Krishna Iyer makes an argument to free Binayak Sen cogently!

For a change Krishna Iyer makes an argument which has a reasonable amount of logic and sanity. Is it because he wrote it cogently or the editors @ cHindu used their tools for a change?
Anyways its a good read check it out.

Philanthropy is not fascism and public commitment critical of the state administration should not be confused with a traitor operation. I therefore view Dr. Sen as eligible for tribute, not to be condemned for sedition. Was Gandhiji or other critics of the state that hardly cared to wipe the tears of the poor, guilty of sedition? There is often grave confusion between criticism of a government demanding its overthrow — not by violence but by positive service and commitment to the people. Operation patriotism is not sedition.

Sonia Gandhi surprised that treasures exist in India

Alleged smuggler of Indian artifacts out of India for over three decades, Ms. Sonia Gandhi was shocked at the find of silver bricks in the Puri Mutt.

“The silver seemed to be very old, possibly over 100 years old. As many as 522 silver slabs, all in brick shape, have been retrieved. Each of the slabs weighs between 35-40 kg. We are continuing the investigation to find out how the stock landed here,” said Sanjay Kumar, Puri Superintendent of Police.

Sonia Gandhi claimed that these were not valuable, but claimed to have some Rajput treasure which were kept in safe keeping in Italy.

Bloody Indian dog

Congress MP Ninong Ering called Baba Ramdev "a bloody Indian dog". I immediately checked Ninong Ering's nationality to see if he is an Italian or a "secular" person from the friendly neighbourhood country. Turns out he is Indian too, or atleast officially he is. Wonder why Ninong Ering had to bash "Indian" dogs while showing contempt towards Baba Ramdev.
Cong returns graft volley to Ramdev - The Times of India

Defending party MP Ninong Ering, who allegedly called Ramdev "a bloody Indian dog" when the latter was attending a camp at Pasighat in East Siang district, APCC spokesperson Vishal P Nabam alleged

Wishful thinking on democracy in Arab states

In some ways journalists want to drink the Kool-aid of speculative thinking. They wish to draw parallels between change in South America and Arab world. Is it possible? Surely anything's possible. But there are several differences between Latin world and the Arab world.

These revolts have immediately performed a kind of ideological house—cleaning, sweeping away the racist conceptions of a clash of civilisations that consign Arab politics to the past. The multitudes in Tunis, Cairo and Benghazi shatter the political stereotypes that Arabs are constrained to the choice between secular dictatorships and fanatical theocracies, or that Muslims are somehow incapable of freedom and democracy. Even calling these struggles “revolutions” seems to mislead commentators who assume the progression of events must obey the logic of 1789 or 1917, or some other past European rebellion.

However without calling it thus, the writers imagine this as a socialists wet dream.

This is a threshold through which neo-liberalism cannot pass and capitalism is put to question. And Islamic rule is completely inadequate to meet these needs. Here insurrection touches on not only the equilibriums of north Africa and the Middle East but also the global system of economic governance.

Alliances of conveniences emerge - cHindu in a dilemma

Now that the PMK has allied with the DMK. The Congress as usual being the DMK's main alliance partner(aka bitch). All this left Vijaykanth's DMDK to join with the AIADMK.
Sweet! Now all that's left is for the Left parties to make their high and might statement and join one side. That will decide cHindu's loyalties this upcoming elections.

From imagination to reality

In popular imagination of the left-liberals, the Godhra train never burnt; the Hindu women committed 'sati', taking along with them their children. The kar sevaks started the carnage and then the Nero took over and turned into a genocidal pogrom. Arundhati Roy wrote fictional accounts; Teesta Setalvad falsified witnesses; Siddharth Varadarajan twisted facts; N.Ram and the ELM threw canards. Truth by repeated assertion and in this way the terms genocide and pogrom got associated with Godhra.
Of the 58 victims, 15 are women and 20 children (over 60% women and
children). But we keep hearing that "mostly kar sevaks" were killed.
The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : The burning train

In the popular imagination, the Godhra train burning will also evoke horrifying memories of the genocidal pogrom against Muslims that earned Gujarat notoriety across India and round the world.

Celebrating Internet freedoms - with a dollop of hypocrisy

The writers of cHindu have many avatars to act out from moral pontification to snide criticism to rambling rhetoric. Everything other than actual journalism (barring a few like Sainath).
A recent editorial where LiC from his high horse in Anna Salai decided to preach to his minions about how the US was unfairly targeting Wiki Leaks and Twitter. The article for the most part is valid in many of its criticisms over the control that governments impose over the information that's being disseminated.

To praise the Internet for aiding truth-telling and, in the same breath, dismiss the discussion on free speech for websites such as WikiLeaks as a “false debate” is hypocritical. It can be credibly argued that the simmering discontent in Tunisia exploded in public anger when WikiLeaks published the cables on the U.S. ambassador's assessment of corruption by President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. The Tunisian uprising, then, was triggered by the WikiLeaks revelations, and fanned by the Internet. In a more connected world the key question before the U.S. is to define confidentiality.

However the larger issue is that this is an instance of the Devil quoting scriptures.
cHindu in the recent decade has been an MSM outlet which has thrived on delayed or often mis-representing facts. It has propounded principles based on its convenience. All the while maintaining one standard for its political master cHina and another for everyone else.

cHindu censors China's Jasmine revolution

The "paragon" of free-speech cHindu censors anything its master from across the border orders it to.
The most recent example being the Jasmine revolution which has been widely covered everywhere except cHina and in cHindu. (Thanks Xinhua R for the reminder)
The peaceful protests have been put down with an iron fist. Some protestors will probably never see freedom in their lifespan. Many others will experience long terms in gulags simply due to their belief that freedom is a right. Shame on cHindu for censoring this.

Authorities detained activists Sunday, increased the number of police on the streets, disconnected some cell phone text messaging services and censored Internet postings about the call to stage protests in Beijing, Shanghai and 11 other major cities.
Police took at least three people away in Beijing, one of whom tried to place white jasmine flowers on a planter while hundreds of people milled about the protest gathering spot, outside a McDonald's on the capital's busiest shopping street. In Shanghai, police led away three people near the planned protest spot after they scuffled in an apparent bid to grab the attention of passers-by.

Sainath eviscerates Sidd V (indirectly of course)

There were a couple of blog posts by HF and yours truly recently about how Siddharth Varadarajan panders to the UPA government while vaguely placing the blame of corruption on corporate India.
Sainath in what is a blistering editorial on the culture of corruption and inaction of the UPA literally lamblasts Sidd V's theories to atoms.

That is, electronic media chiefs and editors who have mostly adored Dr. Singh for nearly two decades. If even the largely free ride they gave him left him unnerved and defensive, it's a measure of how much things have changed. Not that the editors emerged looking better. If asking the right questions is at the heart of journalism, then somebody had a bypass. At no point did it occur to them that the corruption they questioned him on with some passion, flowed entirely out of policies and from a policy altar at which they have worshipped for years.

He raises the issue of subsidies in the last budget being given a free pass by the Government.

The dominant media have never once raised a peep of protest against the corporate plunder of public money, thanks to the government Dr. Singh presides over. Nor did they in this conference with the Prime Minister. So Dr. Singh is understandably peeved when asked about the petty cash transfers of the 2G scam to a handful of hucksters.

This the same PM who has been claimed by LiC and Sidd V as a paragon of virtue of integrity.

Varadarajan, the lobbyist who didn't get caught

Siddharth Varadarajan is Barkha-fying news. Chindu has a list of journalists who are propagandists for Congress. Harish Khare, who was the political editor at Chindu, used to frequently write articles praising Congress and pleading the Dynasty to assume totalitarian control. He later became the media adviser to Manmohan Singh. Varadarajan belongs to the same category.

According to Varadarajan, there was no corruption before NDA government.
Inspite of Dr.Singh presiding over unprecedented corruption, his personal integrity is unquestionable for some strange reason.
The root cause of all problems is capitalism. Was there any corruption during the golden era of Nehruvian Socialism when the politicians could work  for the masses without the distractions of dirty money?

Siddharth Varadarajan is a congress lobbyist was lucky enough not to have been caught in Radia-gate.
The Hindu : Opinion / Leader Page Articles : It's time to get down to business

The United Progressive Alliance inherited this corrupt system and presided over its unprecedented expansion.
As an economist and a man of unquestionable integrity, Dr. Singh ...
When individual corporate houses attempt a short-cut, however, they
invariably corrupt the wider political edifice. Corrupt politicians come
and go. But unless the crony capitalists who use them are punished,
Indian democracy will continue to corrode.

Celebrating MMS the new-era Dhritharashtra

There are certain figures in mythology who are tragic figures due to circumstances and some due to their own creations. Dhritharashtra of the Kurus showed a blind eye (literally and figuratively) to the rampant corrupt and vengeful behaviors of his sons and paid for it with the loss of their lives and his kingdom. As a ruler of a nation maintain Raj-Dharma is of paramount importance and is one of the valuable lessons Indian history has tried to teach its rulers. Its something MMS has done poorly in 2 terms as the PM of India.
After numerous scams and feeble efforts to defend the government's inaction and bringing the perpetrators to justice, the new "vigilance" is being swallowed by the MSM especially cHindu hook, line and sinker.

The same Prime Minister whose silence and ambivalence on 2G was seen by the Opposition and the public at large as weakness and even complicity has pushed the Central Bureau of Investigation into summoning and questioning top industrialists like Anil Ambani, raiding Kalaingar TV, the business arm of a key political ally, the DMK, and sending A. Raja, who was Telecom Minister till some time ago, to the unwholesome confines of Tihar Jail.

Call me a sceptic but sending a minster to prison temporarily and raiding KTV is not vigilant action. The corruption is endemic and across the nation and token actions are simply not enough. Sidd V asks a potent question when says,

The question, of course, is whether or not the CBI will persist in its endeavours. Are we being treated to an elaborate dog-and-pony show? Or does the agency's current activism represent a fundamental course correction for a system which has tolerated and thrived on corruption? If yes, does the Prime Minister have the political clout to see things through?

However where Sidd Varadarajan fails to hit the nail on the head is his sympathetic portrayal of MMS as being a decisive leader misled by his ministers.

As an economist and a man of unquestionable integrity, Dr. Singh knew full well the revenue consequences of forgoing an auction for the allocation of 2G spectrum and recorded his unhappiness with the decision. If the Prime Minister were anyone other than Dr. Singh, one might be justified in treating his belated intervention in the 2G matter as an indication of his own involvement. In reality, the delay was the product of both his individual political weakness and his party's failure to understand the political implications of the scam.

Its as though cHindu wants to treat MMS and the UPA with kid gloves and come hard against the BJP for similar failings. Final words from Sidd V.

Corrupt politicians come and go. But unless the crony capitalists who use them are punished, Indian democracy will continue to corrode.

What about corrupt journalists Mr. Siddharth Varadarajan?

Eminent historian alert

Chindu's favourite eminent historian is back with a bang. Romila Thapar is comparing various versions of Ramayana, written in ancient Indian languages, by basing her understanding on translations. How anyone could pass off as an authority on ancient Indian history without knowledge of the prevalent languages of the time is a mystery. That Romila Thapar never had to learn Sanskrit shows the nature of academic research in India.
The Hindu : National : “Ramayana versions reflect period perspectives”

Ms. Thapar elaborated on the diverse facets through which historians viewed the text. For this, she made a comparison of three different versions of the tale: Valmiki's Ramayana in Sanskrit, the Buddhist version contained in the Jataka Tales in Pali and the Jaina version in the ‘Paumacariyam' in Prakrit.

Accusing without evidence

Apart from this last paragraph, the rest of the article is about the arbitrariness of police detentions. If we are to take Vidya's contention that the law may be subverted, are we to assume there was no arbitraniness in Kanchi Shankaracharya's case? Close to 100 witnesses rounded up in a week's time should have raised a few eyebrows. Did Vidya bother to check the impact of false detentions on those witnesses, especially when some of them claimed in the courts that the confessions have been extracted by police under duress? After several years of investigation and a chargesheet running into a few thousand pages, has an iota of evidence been found in the cases against the Kanchi Acharya?
Having done her best to propagate the term Hindutva terror, without ever bothering to tell us what it means, she now gloats that the term has gained official recognition. Sadhvi Pragya Singh, one of the key accused, also claimed to have been tortured. Did Vidya fight for her human rights or do anything for that woman's cause? She indulges in selective battles but has no qualms accusing the BJP and RSS. By the way, does Vidya have evidence to prove that the due process of law is being followed in the investigations into the Ajmer, Malegaon or Samjhauta express blasts?
I also question the judgement of the editor who let these three lines pass through when they are so disconnected with the main premise of the article.
The Hindu : Opinion / Leader Page Articles : Accused without any evidence

The BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh are furious that Aseemanand and some other Hindutva names have emerged in recent terror investigations. The parivar has every right to demand that due process be followed in their cases. However, one wishes they had been similarly concerned about young Muslim boys jailed and charge sheeted without evidence.

Sarfarosh in real life?

In the popular movie Sarfarosh there's a character - famous Pakistani vocalist Gulfam Hassan who acts all benign and friendly until his true colors are revealed. Recently popular singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan was arrested for carrying a lot of foreign currency.
As usual the Paki govt made a huge push to get him released. There's probably than what's discussed, given that there are many Paki singers in the Indian music scene today.

Celebrating Egypt, silence on China

cHindu and LIC show hypocrisy again, in a phony show of celebrating Egypt's painless revolution. But where's the voice of reason when it comes to China. Perhaps an effect of paid news here ....

That cannot be denied, however, is that 80 million Egyptians have spoken. Their right to democracy cannot be annulled; nor can their demand for it be resisted. It is Egypt's neighbours who know that best. In Algeria, protesters are defying bans on rallies. In Yemen, the people have won the President's assurance that there will be no father-son handover.

Churches support Maoist terrorism activities

This comes as no surprise from the cHindu. (Props to Rajeev for pointing it out).

Kerala Council of Churches (KCC), the umbrella organisation of the various non-Catholic Episcopal churches in Kerala, has come out in support of Binayak Sen, who was recently sentenced to life imprisonment for sedition.

Not surprisingly the article is silent over the human rights abuses by Christians in the North East, abuse of children by priests world over and other such crimes.

To express solidarity with the struggle taken up by Dr. Sen and his friends, KCC, jointly with MM Thomas Memorial Trust and Development Training Programme, will organise a meeting at 3 p.m. on February 9 at YMCA Hall, Thiruvalla. Philipose Mar Chrysostum Mar Thoma Valia Metropolitan will inaugurate. Kuriakose Mar Ivanios Metropolitan, vice president, KCC, will preside. Leaders of various human rights movements will speak on the occasion, the press note said.

On a side note though, cant these douche bags have shorter names than the 25 syllable 5 word names?

N.Ram advising against muslim intolerance? Heck, no.

The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : Creeping intolerance

As in Pakistan, support for religious political parties is not high but radical Muslim groups wield a disproportionate amount of street influence — and in this way succeed in shaping the responses of politicians and government officials

It is no different in India. One might say there is a slight difference - not just the radical muslim groups but all muslim groups wield a disproportionate amount of street influence. So N.Ram's advice to Indonesia is equally applicable to India. But wait a minute, is N.Ram really advising muslims?

It is to be hoped that Indonesia, which has moved ahead politically and economically with much speed after getting rid of Suharto, will tackle the intolerance with the same determination it has shown in dealing with the Islamist terror group Jemaah Islmiyah.

You bet not. "It is to be hoped" by who? N.Ram is not even hoping to see a change in Indonesia's radical muslim groups.

Is Egypt really ready for Democracy?

The international media has jumped on the bandwagon of the protesting crowds to demand Mubarak step down and democracy be restored. A few years back another nation's transformation was similarly supported and this later lead to a devastating loss of lives and that nation is on the path of recovery. Are the circumstances similar? Kind of, but the question remains that is a nation that is inherently fractured and held in check by a dictator really ready for democracy?

In a similar vein, massive crowds in Egypt's second city of Alexandria chanted, “He must go!” As people, not all of the same ideological persuasion, poured in to protest, some held aloft pictures of the former Presidents, Gamal Abdel Nasser and Anwar Sadat. In Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo, home to the famed pyramids, a few thousands assembled to protest. Unwilling to slacken the momentum, some pro-democracy activists in Cairo said they would march to the rail station to pursue and persist with a sit-in until Mr. Mubarak relinquished office.

cHindu as usual jumps for democracy in all nations not named China. Hypocrisy is the newspaper's driving principle.

K. Subrahmanyam Indian Intelligence guru passes away

India has lost one of its foremost Intelligence and Strategy gurus in K. Subrahmanyam. He has been the author of several pieces showing keen insight like this one in the cHindu.
We offer our condolences to his family. Nitin Pai of Acorn has some interesting articles based on his discussions with K Subrahmanyam during their meeting in Delhi.

cHindu wipes CPM's arse again

This news article has nothing to do with local Indian politics. It does not have anything to do with a nation with deep ties to India. However cHindu toots the CPM horn again.

The Left parties have expressed support for the people of Egypt and urged the Union government to take a clear stand endorsing the will of the people.
The CPI(M) said the U.S., which was notorious for engineering “regime change” in countries that did not act at its behest, should be warned not to interfere with the will of the people of Egypt.
“The Egyptian people will not accept anything less than the immediate removal of Mubarak from power. It is only with this step that there can be a transition to a democratic set-up based on the wishes of the people,” a CPI(M) Polit Bureau statement said.

I thought of putting a who cares, but this is ridiculous to be publishing quotes from one set of parties.
And we thought Toi was good enough to be flushed.