Revcom.us
by Orpheus
The Copenhagen UN Summit talks on climate change are over and their message to the earth and humanity are clear: Drop Dead.
The accord that came out of this meeting was first called “an important (though modest) step” by U.S. and European Union leaders—despite the fact that no commitments of any kind were made to cut greenhouse gas emissions responsible for global warming. A day later this farce of an agreement was being hailed by spokespeople as a “great step” and an “unprecedented accomplishment.” This is a complete cover-up and sham.
Barack Obama, who was in Copenhagen for all of 4 hours, and other U.S. officials rammed this agreement through at the last minute when the summit was facing breakdown. This summit was contentious. Poor nations had walked out of the meeting at one point due to the lack of any commitment to cut emissions by the main producers of greenhouse gases and other issues. Repeated mass protests outside of where the talks were held punctuated the atmosphere and broke into the international spotlight.
The U.S. Godfather Calls the Shots
Like the world-class gangsters they are, Obama and Hillary Clinton burst into a meeting held by China and other countries, according to the New York Times, announced that negotiations would not go on in secret, without the United States. This is blatant godfather thuggery and hypocrisy from a system known for conducting secret wars, criminal invasions and imperialist arm-twisting throughout history.
In fact, this agreement itself was pulled together by the U.S. in a closed door meeting of representatives from only 25 or so of the 190 countries represented and then imposed on the rest. And from now on, it appears the rich capitalist countries will solve the problem of the “contentiousness” of these summits by just totally barring the poor nations entirely. The New York Times wrote that according to a representative from the Council on Foreign Relations, that the world’s leading greenhouse polluters will instead meet only amongst themselves to, “tackle a narrower agenda of issues, such as technology sharing or the merging of carbon-trading markets, without the chaos and posturing of the U.N. process.”
At the summit, Obama used the promise of billions of dollars in aid to poor countries to supposedly deal with devastation from global warming as a bribe. Then he threatened that without an agreement there wouldn’t be any aid.
Lumumba Stanislaus Di-Aping, a Sudanese diplomat who has been representing the Group of 77 developing countries, denounced the accord: “The developed countries have decided that damage to developing countries is acceptable,” he told reporters, saying that the 2-degree target would “result in massive devastation to Africa and small island states.” He and many other representatives of the most vulnerable countries wanted a target of 1.5 degrees.
“Today’s events, which really are a continuation of the history of the negotiations for the last two years, represent the worst development in climate change negotiations in history,” Mr. Di-Aping said. (New York Times, December 12, 2009)
Business As Usual in the Face of Ecological Crisis
The “Copenhagen Accord” that emerged contains absolutely no binding commitments to cut the emissions of greenhouse gases or deforestation that are warming the planet. The accord even dropped goals for cuts in previous agreements. And these agreements were already a sham because they contained no method of making or enforcing these cuts. The accord claims great concern about global warming and says world temperatures need to be kept from rising above 2 degrees, but says nothing about how this will actually take place. In other words—this agreement is just a continuation of business as usual—which is a death sentence for the environment and humanity.
A group of climate scientists (www.climateinteractive.org) came together to analyze the proposals on the table during the summit. Up until the day of the accord, they had been reporting that even if all the promises for greenhouse gas emission cuts were actually carried out by all these governments—the temperature of the planet would still rise 3.9 degrees Celsius (C) (7 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2100. (The scientific consensus says that temperatures must be kept below, 1.5-2 degees C or disaster will ensue.) After the accord was released, climate interactive stated the accord had too few quantifiable results to even analyze.
People around the globe desperately wanted something to come out of this summit. Many felt, with the eyes of the world on Copenhagen, with a new U.S. president… maybe something significant would finally be done to substantially reduce global greenhouse gas emissions responsible for global warming. They told themselves that doing anything would be better than doing nothing. But what the world’s powers did was actually worse than doing nothing. This is because what came out of this summit does absolutely nothing to stop the planet from burning—while a BIG lie is being promoted that this summit has opened up the way to actually doing something about the environmental crisis.
The summit in Copenhagen never was an urgent gathering of scientists and people of good will from around the world to solve a global emergency. It was a gathering of government leaders, dominated by the capitalist-imperialist powers with the U.S. as the head godfather. It was about the leaders of different powerful countries advancing their own interests at the expense of each other—and to the detriment and destruction of humanity and the earth’s ecosystems. It was all about these powers trying to gain advantage over their rivals. It was about creating new markets—such as the carbon trading market—as a new way to use rights to pollute to generate more profit. It was about powerful imperialist countries enforcing their interests over poor countries and the world’s people, all while trying to “rebrand” themselves as eco friendly savers of the planet.
Author George Monbiot who writes on globalization and the environment compared the Copenhagen summit to meetings in 1884 in Berlin where the world was carved up between the colonial powers. This time, however, he said, it is the atmosphere that’s being carved up. The head of the G-77+China delegation (a grouping of poor nations and China), said for Africa, already facing massive drought fueled by global warming, the Copenhagen accord is akin to the Holocaust.
Global Warming and the Global Marketplace
Humanity is confronted with something humans have never confronted before—the possibility that life, or at least much of life, on earth, could be snuffed out by environmental destruction with global warming the leading threat. Disastrous things are already occurring due to this warming (see online article, “Global Warming in the Himalayas”). For 17 years, world powers and other governments have been talking about stopping climate change. World governments have held conferences, summits, even passed treaties among some—such as the Kyoto treaty of 1997. But with all this, and now with Copenhagen, the only thing that has actually happened is that greenhouse emissions have skyrocketed and the rate of growth of them is getting worse. From 2000-2008, greenhouse emissions increased 29 percent worldwide. This system and it’s approach to nature, means a death sentence for life on the planet. We need a revolution, and soon.
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The capitalist system’s approach to dealing with greenhouse gas emissions is by bringing these issues “into the marketplace.” They plan to base emissions cuts on a global “carbon trading” system where greenhouse limits are supposedly set, and rights to pollute can be traded, generating tremendous profit. This is the logic and rules of operating-market profitability in command. This does not and can not really address the problem of rising carbon emissions—which to begin with come from putting profit in command. In fact, where this market system approach to the problem has been tried, it has totally failed to cut emissions.
The capitalists want to incorporate some new energy technologies into their profit making framework and are competing over who will benefit most from this, while their overall process of production remains completely locked in the framework of burning oil, coal and gas. In fact, as capitalist production is heating up the earth, the system seeks even more destructive and irrational means of grabbing up new reserves of oil and gas. In Alberta, Canada, huge reserves of dirty oil are being flushed out of tar sands—leaving massive pools of contaminated water in large open pits and threatening massive environmental destruction. As the arctic melts because of burning fossil fuels, the U.S., Norway, Canada, Russia and Denmark are vying to take advantage of the ice melting so they can do what? Drill for more oil in the regions of the northern seas that are becoming ice free.
Copenhagen showed once more that these summits are about different world powers vying to gain competitive advantage. U.S. negotiators, for example, tried to say that Obama’s pledge to cut U.S. emissions and a decision by the EPA to declare greenhouse gases a pollutant (cleverly timed to coincide with Copenhagen), were examples of the U.S. moving to the forefront of the “global fight against climate change.” In reality, the U.S. came with a pathetic proposal to cut emissions 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. This would mean only a 3-4 percent cut below 1990 levels. The accepted science says that industrialized countries must cut emissions 25-40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Emissions in the world as a whole must be cut 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. This is what must happen if there is to be any chance of saving the planet.
Obama came to Copenhagen fresh off escalating the war in Afghanistan and picking up a Nobel peace prize while advocating more war. This was a double hypocrisy, because the dirty secret is that the U.S. military is the largest single user of petroleum and the largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions. Can anyone imagine U.S. tanks, bombers and drones warring on the planet powered by solar panels? Obama and U.S. officials came to Copenhagen representing the country that is by far the largest contributor in historical terms to the climate crisis. And yet had the audacity to demand concessions from China and other countries and then ram through a disastrous deal.
And the European countries meanwhile-posed as the “green capitalists,” while Danish police spied on, beat, pepper sprayed and preemptively arrested at least 1,500 people out to fight for a planet that is livable. These “green capitalists” floated out that they might agree to cut greenhouse emissions 20 percent or maybe more by 2020—if their rivals in the U.S. would also cut much more, and as they also sought to enforce stringent cuts on oppressed countries. All the time European Union countries tried to portray themselves as the real champions of the earth. The world press talked about how the Kyoto treaty has been the only treaty that set binding limits on developed nations to cut emissions. But the blinding and hardly mentioned reality is that over the time of Kyoto—from 1997 until today—emissions in the European countries as a whole, have actually risen 5 percent (UK Guardian)!
Meanwhile, China and India—countries still under the domination of imperialist powers but seeking to develop into modern capitalist powers—also refused to make any binding emissions cuts, precisely because of this need to expand and “grow their economies.” While China has surpassed the U.S. in global emissions, a central point is that this is largely because China is now the workshop and sweatshop of the world—integrated into a global network of capitalist production. Fully one-third of China’s emissions have been linked to production for export, overwhelmingly goods produced by cheap exploited masses of proletarians for consumption in the rich imperialist countries. What this means is that all the investments in China by the imperialist countries, taking advantage of the low wages and lack of safety and environmental standards amounts to just offloading pollution from the rich countries onto China.
And this production fueled by international capital has led to a situation where 7 of the world’s 10 most polluted cities are in China. 80 percent of China’s major rivers are so degraded they don’t support aquatic life and 90 percent of all groundwater systems under the major cities are contaminated. Even with the surge of emissions in China, still 75 percent of the carbon dioxide already in the atmosphere is the result of emissions from the advanced capitalist countries. The U.S. with 5 percent of the world’s people, still produces 25 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide. This amount is 30 percent when the emissions from the U.S. military, which aren’t included in any of the account books, are added on. And the U.S. produces 4 times more greenhouse pollution per person than China.
The Cause... and the Barrier to Solving Global Warming
Copenhagen didn’t “fail” due to a “lack of will” on the part of the participants, or simply because there are just “too many divisions” that could be overcome by these leaders putting the planet first. Yes, the dominant forces in power are facing some very extreme environmental problems too—but they are, and showed themselves to be, only capable of addressing them within the confines of their systems of production which is the problem in the first place.
Capitalism is both the cause, and the barrier to solving, global warming.
Copenhagen’s decisions are the result of power being in the hands of a system that is driven to maximize profit, to continually grow and expand—and ruthlessly out-compete others seeking to do the same. And it is impossible for this system to rupture out of this without tremendous dislocation and an overturning of all its structures of accumulation of capital and unending growth. This was supposed to be the summit where—after science has made dramatically clear that global warming threatens life on the planet—that drastic and mandatory cuts to greenhouse emissions were finally made. Instead, this summit was, and could only be, about the dominant players seeking to force concessions on competitors while preserving their own economic advantage, letting the planet and its people go die.
Life on this planet faces a crossroads. We don’t have much time—the planet cannot be left in the hands of this system of capitalism-imperialism. This summit should go down in history as a meeting of historic criminality and shame further showing this system is simply incapable of doing anything but destroying the environment. But there is a way out. We have principles of socialist sustainable development that are capable of totally reorganizing society along different lines. And we have the more scientific and vibrant communism of Bob Avakian—a way to unleash the tremendous creativity and enthusiasm of masses on a scientific basis to tackle what would be extremely challenging environmental problems. These approaches offer real hope of preserving the ecosystems of the planet and humanity, and creating a world people could live and flourish in. We must confront the stakes of the global environmental emergency and have this fuel our determination and imagination. And we must work urgently to spread this revolution and to develop resistance to the crimes of this system on the environment and many other fronts as part of developing a revolutionary movement that can bury this system before it’s too late
Monday, December 21, 2009
Bengali People’s March Editor, Publisher Still Held in Jail
Express India, December 16 2009
Kolkata : The ban on the People’s March — a mouthpiece of the Maoists — was lifted by the Press & Registration Appellate Board (PRAB) over three months ago. But two persons arrested in Kolkata have been in jail since owing to their association with the publication. The state police officers plead ignorance about the lifting of the ban.
Swapan Dasgupta, editor of Bengali version of People’s March and Sadananda Singha, its publisher, were picked up from their homes in Garia by the Special Branch of Kolkata Police on October 7. The press in Maniktala Industrial Area was raided and all documents and equipment were seized. They were charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for publishing a banned periodical that allegedly contained “seditious matter”, even though the ban had been lifted. And they were remanded in judicial custody.
A senior officer of Kerala Police said: “The People’s March was proscribed in February 2008 after the Ernakulam District Collector banned it on January 15 on the ground that it indulged in publishing seditious matters, exhorting the public to take up arms for violent struggle and promoting divisive tendencies in the country.” But a ruling of the PRAB on August 7 this year set aside the Collector’s order and held that “the magazine regains its force and becomes operative with immediate effect.” The Board, comprising Chairman Justice K N Ray and member Ramesh Gupta, said as per Section 8(b) of the Press and Registration of Books Act, no publication could be banned on these grounds. The ruling stated: “Seditious offences may be taken cognizance of under the IPC or other relevant laws.”
Jacob Punnoose, Director General of Police, Kerala, said: “In December 2007, we arrested P Govindan Kutty, the editor, publisher and printer of the periodical.” Later, the state government decided to ban the publication after issuing an order. However, the PRAB has quashed the order. “But I cannot comment on why the ban was lifted by the PRAB,” he added.
Kutty, the 63-year-old editor, had appealed to the Board against the ban, and in August, after nine months, it allowed the publication to restart. “The PRAB has allowed me to come out with the magazine once again, the first issue has been published in November,” Kutty said on phone from Ernakulam, Kerala. The issue has an interview of Central Committee member of the CPI(Maoists), Ganapathi as its lead article.
“The West Bengal Government has taken a step worse than the Kerala government,” he said. “I was arrested by the Kerala Police and subsequently my magazine was banned.” But Swapan Dasgupta was arrested for publishing a banned magazine at a time when the ban had already been lifted, Kutty said. Dasgupta was slapped with a case under UAPA. “But where does the case stand if the ban does not exist? I have decided to appeal to the court for the release of two innocent persons.”
The DGP, Bhupindar Singh, said: “Dasgupta and Singha were arrested for publishing a banned magazine which is the mouthpiece of the Maoists. We are yet to receive any written order saying the ban has been lifted.” Ashok Bakshi, a senior Public Prosecutor of the state, however, said: “If the ban on the magazine does not exist then legally they should be released. But the case is pending in Sealdah court.”
Kolkata : The ban on the People’s March — a mouthpiece of the Maoists — was lifted by the Press & Registration Appellate Board (PRAB) over three months ago. But two persons arrested in Kolkata have been in jail since owing to their association with the publication. The state police officers plead ignorance about the lifting of the ban.
Swapan Dasgupta, editor of Bengali version of People’s March and Sadananda Singha, its publisher, were picked up from their homes in Garia by the Special Branch of Kolkata Police on October 7. The press in Maniktala Industrial Area was raided and all documents and equipment were seized. They were charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for publishing a banned periodical that allegedly contained “seditious matter”, even though the ban had been lifted. And they were remanded in judicial custody.
A senior officer of Kerala Police said: “The People’s March was proscribed in February 2008 after the Ernakulam District Collector banned it on January 15 on the ground that it indulged in publishing seditious matters, exhorting the public to take up arms for violent struggle and promoting divisive tendencies in the country.” But a ruling of the PRAB on August 7 this year set aside the Collector’s order and held that “the magazine regains its force and becomes operative with immediate effect.” The Board, comprising Chairman Justice K N Ray and member Ramesh Gupta, said as per Section 8(b) of the Press and Registration of Books Act, no publication could be banned on these grounds. The ruling stated: “Seditious offences may be taken cognizance of under the IPC or other relevant laws.”
Jacob Punnoose, Director General of Police, Kerala, said: “In December 2007, we arrested P Govindan Kutty, the editor, publisher and printer of the periodical.” Later, the state government decided to ban the publication after issuing an order. However, the PRAB has quashed the order. “But I cannot comment on why the ban was lifted by the PRAB,” he added.
Kutty, the 63-year-old editor, had appealed to the Board against the ban, and in August, after nine months, it allowed the publication to restart. “The PRAB has allowed me to come out with the magazine once again, the first issue has been published in November,” Kutty said on phone from Ernakulam, Kerala. The issue has an interview of Central Committee member of the CPI(Maoists), Ganapathi as its lead article.
“The West Bengal Government has taken a step worse than the Kerala government,” he said. “I was arrested by the Kerala Police and subsequently my magazine was banned.” But Swapan Dasgupta was arrested for publishing a banned magazine at a time when the ban had already been lifted, Kutty said. Dasgupta was slapped with a case under UAPA. “But where does the case stand if the ban does not exist? I have decided to appeal to the court for the release of two innocent persons.”
The DGP, Bhupindar Singh, said: “Dasgupta and Singha were arrested for publishing a banned magazine which is the mouthpiece of the Maoists. We are yet to receive any written order saying the ban has been lifted.” Ashok Bakshi, a senior Public Prosecutor of the state, however, said: “If the ban on the magazine does not exist then legally they should be released. But the case is pending in Sealdah court.”
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Maoists trying to cash in on potato farming crisis
Times of India, December 18, 2009
KOLKATA: With security forces zeroing in on the Maoist core area in Jangalmahal comprising parts of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia, the ultras are busy spreading their network in neighbouring Hoogly and other parts of West Midnapore.
The target is to organise wage labourers and marginal farmers working in potato fields, whose lot did not improve despite spiralling potato prices. At a time when everyone is blaming the market or the futures trading, Maoists are reaching out to the deprived with an immediate solution, the people’s court. Maoist activists are promising that they will drag the middlemen to the people’s court, impose huge fines on the offenders and help the marginal farmers.
Small farmers could not get the best of a good harvest last year. They sold their produce at a much lower price to the middlemen as the crop was badly hit by wart disease.
“We have contacted the farmers in the potato producing areas of South Bengal and told them that CPI (Maoist) will extend their support to them,” said Maoist leader Kishanji, who has been controlling the Maoist insurgency in Lalgarh.
The Maoist leader has also announced drawn up a charter of demands for rehabilitation of the poor farmers. “The government has to waive all agricultural loans that farmers took last year. At the same time the state has to arrange for interest-free loans,” said Kishanji, who also supports other demands of the farmers subsidized rate of fertiliser and potato seeds.
Kishenji: Farmers in Lalgarh Region Don’t Have to Repay Crop Loans
Hindustan Times, December 17, 2009
Farmers in West Midnapore district of West Bengal may not have to repay their crop loans. The Maoists have announced a waiver. This is the first time the rebel group has announced such a decision.
“Several peasants who took crop loans over the last two years have suffered losses. So, we have decided that they don’t have to pay back their loans,” said Koteshwar Rao, alias Kishenji, member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). “Moreover, no agricultural cooperative, bank or private money lender will be allowed to charge more than two per cent interest on loans they advance to peasants this year,” he added.
Cooperative and public sector banks usually charge 7 per cent interest on agri loans. Private moneylenders charge much more – between 3 per cent and 5 per cent a month. “If anybody, be it from public sector banks or private moneylender tries to squeeze money out of the farmers, he will be branded a people’s enemy and tried in a people’s court,” Kishenji threatened. These “courts” usually hand out the death penalty to those who defy their writ.
“We will look into the matter and take action if anybody lodges a complaint,” said Manoj Verma, superintendent of police, West Midnapore.
State Bank of India, United Bank, Allahabad Bank, UCO Bank and a few co-operative banks have branches in this district. No bank executive was willing to speak on the issue. They were also unwilling to share data of total loans or farmers who may be impacted. “More than 50 per cent of all loans in the district are advanced by private moneylenders,” several of them said on condition of anonymity.
Maoists wield considerable influence in 180 of India’s 626 districts, where they have killed more than 300 security personnel this year.
Kishenji claimed that farmers have suffered losses and that “no one is in a position to repay the loans. Since the government did nothing, it was left to us to give relief”.
Lalgarh Traders Boycott Police After They Ransack Shops
Lalgarh residents wait to collect rice. Due to “Operation Lalgarh,” shops have been closed.Telegraph India December 14, 2009
Salboni: Traders of a Salboni bazaar have decided to start a “social boycott” of the joint forces after some of the personnel allegedly ransacked shops following a blast in which a jawan was injured. The boycott means shops in Pirakata, about 20km from Lalgarh, will not sell provisions to the personnel.
Such a move had forced police to the brink of starvation and pull out a camp from Kalaimuri in April, when the Lalgarh agitation was at its peak. Aided by Maoists, the villagers demolished the camp after the police left. They also blocked the supply of essentials to the camp in Ramgarh in May. Food may not be a problem now because the roads, dug up during the Maoist-backed agitation, have been repaired. But, at a time the police are desperate to win back villagers’ confidence, the alleged ransacking of shops spells a public relations disaster.
West Midnapore police chief Manoj Verma denied any ransacking. But stationery shop owner Debashis Ghosh had a differ- ent story to tell. “The police were brought here to maintain law and order but they are doing just the opposite. We won’t sell any item to them,” he said.The security forces were engaged in a gun battle with Maoists in Pirakata this evening. It continued intermittently from 5pm to 9pm. Around 8.30pm, supporters of the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities ransacked the local CPM office.
Tea stall owner Pintu Manna said the jawans accused the villagers of being in cahoots with the rebels while ransacking the shops yesterday. Ghosh alleged that 20 shops were targeted because they had refused to shut down after the jawan was injured. Verma said the police had asked them to down shutters fearing an encounter with the Maoists. “That led to a verbal spat. But it’s not true that shops were ransacked.”
Friday, December 18, 2009
Delhi Protesters March Against Operation Green Hunt
December 17, 2009
The Forum Against War on People organised the “Rally Against War on People” to protest against the brutal military offensive of the Indian state on the tribal people of central and eastern India through Operation Green Hunt, wherein lakhs [1 lakh = 100,000] of the paramilitary-military as well as various vigilante gangs such as the Salwa Judum, Nagrik Suraksha Samiti, Sendra, Tritiya Prastuti Samiti, Harmad Vahini etc. has let loose on the people. …
The rally commenced from ram Lila Maidan at 11 am and reached Parliament Street where in various social activists, intellectuals, representatives of people’s organisations and civil rights activists addressed the gathering. People from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamilnadu and Kerala attended the rally.
Later a delegation comprising of BD Sharma (Former Commissioner SC/ST), GN Saibaba (Assistant Professor, DU), Prashant Bhushan (Advocate, Supreme Court), Karen Gabriel (Associate Professor, DU), Gautam Navalakha (Consultant Editor, EPW), Mrigank (Navjawan Bharat Sabha) gave a memorandum to the Prime Minister. In the absence of the Prime Minister, Mr. Prithviraj Chauhan, MoS, PMO accepted the memorandum.
In Solidarity,
Campaign Against War on People, Committee Against Violence On Women (CAVOW), Naga Students Union Delhi (NSUD), Navjawan Bharat Sabha (NBS), Correspondence, KRALOS, KLAS, Krantikari Yuva Sanghathan (KYS), PFD, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), MKP, Campaign for Peace & Democracy Manipur (CPDM), Democratic Students Union (DSU), Committee for Release of Political Prisoners (CRPP), DGMF, People’s Front (PF), Mazdoor Ekta Manch (MEM), Left Democratic Teacher’s Front (LDTF), Revolutionary Democratic Front (RDF), People’s Democratic Front of India (PDFI), CPI (ML) (New Democracy), CPI (ML) (Liberation), CPI (ML) (New Proletarian), JNU Forum Against War on People, BD Sharma, Arundhati Roy, Tripta Wahi, Vijay Singh, Neshat Quaiser, and others.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Kobad Ghandy Denounces Fraudulent Confession
Hindustan Times
Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) leader Kobad Ghandy on Friday moved in a court here an application to withdraw his confession to police following his arrest on Sep 20, alleging that it was fraudulent. “I wanted to retract from the forcible confession recorded by the police during my custody,” said Ghandy, who was brought to the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Kaveri Baweja by the Andhra Pradesh police after their investigations.
Ghandy also alleged he was not aware of the contents of any such confessions as he was forced to sign on blank sheets.
The court remanded Ghandy in judicial custody till Dec 25. The Andhra Pradesh police had earlier taken Ghandy with them as he was wanted in a case registered with the Karimnagar (rural) police station in 2008. Ghandy, arrested in the capital Sep 20, has been booked under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Meanwhile, the court sought the response of the Delhi Police and All India Institute of Medical Science, by Dec 16, to Ghandy’s plea for his medical treatment at the premier institute. He is said to be suffering from prostate cancer.
Chhattisgarh Groups Plan Opposition to Operation Green Hunt
Campaign for Peace and Justice in Chhattisgarh
For the People’s Right to Say No to Displacement and Tribal Genocide and to Demand the Right to Live with Justice and Peace
Raipur/Dantewada, December 1, 2009
Dear Friends,
You are aware that the tribals of Dantewada district in Chhattisgarh State are continuously facing large-scale displacement from their homes, fields and forests as well as a genocide in the last five years. The first aggressive onslaught was by the state sponsored vigilante group called the Salwa Judum. In the last five months, the people of this region are victims of a war called Operation Green Hunt. Paramilitary troops along with the state armed police deployed in very large numbers by the Central and the state governments are carrying out operations against the tribals in the name of curbing Maoists and reclaiming territories from them.
In order to build public opinion and to support the tribal people in their demand to stop this displacement and genocide and to reclaim their right to live with justice and peace, several community based and people’s organisations, union and human rights groups from Chhattisgarh and outside are planning a series of activities in Dantewada in Chhattisgarh.
This letter is being sent to you so that you can block the dates between 14 December 2009 and 7 January 2010 and come to Dantewada in support of tribal people. The list of events and dates are as follows:
1. Padyatra: 14 December to 26 December 2009
A padyatra [journey on foot] from Nendra village to Dantewada town via Lingagiri is being organised that will pass through more than 17 villages. This padyatra will be led by Himanshu Kumar of the Vanvasi Chetna Ashram and this group of approximately 40 persons will mainly consist of students, journalists and activists from all over the country. The main objective is to restore a sense of confidence amongst the tribals who are living in acute fear due to the onslaught of the security forces. The padyatris will also document the atrocities that the tribals have been subjected to including the situation of hunger, food insecurity, lack of health and educational facilities and other forms of deprivation faced due to the ongoing displacement and war in the region.
2. Dantewada Satyagrah: 25 December 2009 to 5 January 2010
Tribal people from all over Dantewada and other regions of Chhattisgarh will launch a Satyagrah [active non-violent resistance] on 25 December 2009 which will have the support of tribals from Jharkhand, Orissa, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, among other states. We are hoping that large groups of people from these states and from all National Networks, unions and organisations working on diverse people’s issues will respond to this call and join in the Satyagrah for some of these days. The objective of the Satyagrah is to bring together concerned people from all over the country to demand in one voice an end to displacement of people and to the war that is underway in this region.
A Raipur assistance group set up for the Satyagrah will be headed by Shri Rajendra Sail of the PUCL to help people coming to join the Satyagrah from the North, East and West India as well as from other parts of Chhattigarh. Raipur is situated on the Mumbai-Kolkata route and is well connected by train from most parts of the country. Dantewada is situated 400 kms. from Raipur and direct buses are available between the two towns through the day and night that take about 12 hours each way
People coming from the South can take train or bus from Vishakhapatnam or bus from Hyderabad. The distance is 500 kms. from Hyderabad via Bhadrachalam and takes about 16 hours.
3. Jan Sunwai: 6-7 January 2010 (the date may be advanced or postponed by a day)
The Satyagrah will culminate with a Jan Sunwai [public meeting with a panel of experts] where tribal residents of this region will share their experiences of the Salwa Judum, Operation Green Hunt and their struggle for justice. This Jan Sunwai will be witnessed by a panel of ex-justices, senior activists from various people’s movements, ex-bureaucrats and policemen, journalists and intellectuals including those from among the tribals.
This letter is a request to you and your group/organisation to begin preparation for your participation in the series of events given above.
Vanvasi Chetna Ashram, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (Chhattisgarh), Chhattisgarh Visthapan Virodhi Manch, Chhattigarh Mukti Morcha, Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha – Mazdoor Karyakarta Samiti, Nadi Ghati Morcha, Human Rights Law Network (Chhattisgarh), National Alliance of People’s Movements, Chhattisgarh Mahila Jagriti Sangathan, Chhattisgarh Bal Shramik Sangathan, Gram Sabha Parishad, Tribal Welfare Society, and others (endorsments by other organisations are awaited)
Kishenji Supports Demands for Telangana, Gorkhaland states
Indian Express
Maoist leader Kishenji has said Hyderabad is an integral part of the Telangana region and the city should be made the capital of the new state when it comes into being.
“Hyderabad is a part of Telangana and will stay so. There is no question of disassociating Hyderabad from Telangana,” Kishenji, who hails from the region, which has a substantial Naxal presence, said over phone from an undisclosed location on Saturday evening.
Asked why there was so much controversy over Hyderabad, Kishenji said: “It is because of some retired and serving bureaucrats who own huge chunks of land in the Greater Hyderabad region.”
“Nearly 40,000 acres of land, a large portion of which have vineyards, are in the hands of some retired and present bureaucrats,” Kishenji said.
The Maoist leader expressed support for the creation of Telangana and accused the Congress of “depriving” people of the region of their legitimate rights by “backtracking” from its move to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh.
Yahoo India
Kolkata: A demand for autonomy for three tribal-dominated districts of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia in West Bengal was today made by a top Maoist leader, who also justified the Gorkhaland statehood issue. “We demand autonomy for the three districts on the lines of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council,” Maoist leader Kishenji told PTI from an undisclosed location.
He alleged that the West Bengal government had denied the legitimate rights of the people of the districts. “We demand autonomy to protect the language, culture and religious beliefs of tribals.”
Asked if he meant statehood, he replied, “the people of the three districts are not yet prepared for statehood.” Queried if it was part of the demand for a ”greater Jharkhand”, Kishenji said, “That demand is no longer relevant.”
The scenario has changed. “Moreover the formation of Jharkhand has not solved any problem. Going forward with the ”greater Jharkhand” demand will not solve the problem of tribals,” he said.
Kisenji, however, supported the demand for Gorkhaland in Darjeeling stating that it was “legitimate”. “It is the oldest demand for a separate state. They should be allowed a separate state to focus on their development as the state government has neglected the tea and tourism industry there,” Kishenji claimed.
Stand by the Struggle for a Separate Telangana!
Revolutionary balladeer Gaddar at a 2008 mass rally demanding a separate Telangana. This appeared in the blog dsujnu.blogspot.com
Once again the people of Telangana have come to the streets with their age-old demand for separate statehood. Like any other democratic movement is dealt with by the Indian ruling classes, the AP government is resorting to massive repression of the struggling people. Students are brutally assaulted and illegally detained; several false cases are registered against them. Educational institutions such as the Osmania University, Kakatiya University and Hyderabad Central University, which have been the epicenters of the struggle, are being forcibly vacated and virtually turned into police barracks. "A holiday has been declared in all the colleges in the region till Dec 18 and there is no reason why any student should stay on campus," the AP Inspector General of Police said (Economic Times, 9th Dec). Prohibitory orders have been imposed by the state government over the entire Telangana region under the draconian and colonial Section 144 to prevent any mass mobilisation demanding separate statehood. Hundreds have been arrested and even journalists are being brutally lathi-charged in an attempt to silence any voice which stands for a separate Telangana. DSU condemns the brutal repression of a people’s movement by the state, and reiterates its solidarity with the aspirations of Telangana people for separate statehood.
Separate Telangana Movement: Geographically, the state of Andhra Pradesh consists of three regions: Rayalaseema, Coastal Andhra and Telangana. Telangana remains the most under-developed among the three after being systematically exploited by the dominant classes of the other two regions. Telangana is a land of poor people with rich natural resources. The people here have been historically denied their rights over resources, deprived of opportunities for political, economic, and cultural autonomy. The demand for a separate Telangana state is a long standing one, with the majority of the people from the region firmly supporting its creation. However, this democratic aspiration of the people of Telangana has been trampled underfoot by the various ruling class political parties in power, be it in Delhi or Hyderabad. Given the popular support for the demand, parliamentary political parties have been making promises for creating Telangana, especially before elections. However, this promise has been routinely broken by all the political parties after coming to power. There is also the hostility of the ruling classes from Coastal Andhra against carving out of Telangana from present Andhra Pradesh. Therefore, none of them has taken any concrete step to materialize it. In this respect, the present Congress government too is no exception. But despite the denial of separate statehood after a prolonged struggle, it refuses to die down. The Separate Telangana movement continues to live on, now with renewed vigor, and will continue until the Indian government is made to fulfill the demand.
Historical Background: The present Telangana region was under the rule of Nizam’s Hyderabad state before 1947. Hyderabad state consisted of three regions of the present AP state, along with five districts of Marathwada region and three districts of Karnataka region. Nizam surrendered both coastal and Rayalaseema districts to the British as part of settling debts with colonial rulers in 1788 and 1800 respectively. The districts that constitute present Telangana remained under Nizam State. Telangana was not under direct colonial rule, whereas the other two regions were exposed to British colonialism, reform movements and English education, among other things. Several irrigation projects were constructed during colonial rule in Andhra region whereas till the date Telangana does not have any major irrigation project. People were exploited and suppressed by the feudal regime of the Nizam. The appropriation of surplus that created through the sweat and blood of people of Telangana made Nizam’s state among the wealthiest of princely states in India. While there were social reform movements in Andhra and Rayalaseema to free the people from its societal shackles, the Nizam state reinforced class and caste hierarchies in Telangana. The seeds of uneven development and regional difference were implanted much before transfer of power in 1947.
People of Telangana waged relentless mass struggles against feudal oppression, at times with arms. The Telangana Armed Struggle is a glorious chapter in the history of revolutionary peasant movements in the subcontinent, which fought the feudal Nizam, the Indian Army as well as the opportunist CPI leadership at the same time. When the Nizam understood the impossibility of continuing as monarchial ruler given the massive opposition from people, he made an agreement with the new Indian ruling class and agreed to join the Indian Union in 1948. When Indian government put forward the proposal of Telangana joining the Andhra Pradesh state, there was widespread opposition from the people. But this was completely ignored by the rulers by once again violating the political aspirations of Telangana people. Andhra Pradesh state was constituted, and this was the first state to be established on linguistic basis. Whether it is feudal oppression or it is in the name of democracy, the nature and response of the ruling classes has been one and the same. The people of the land, both in feudal and the so-called democratic rule have remained targets of state repression. People were in no way party to the decisions ruling classes had taken before and after 1947. Voices have often been raised in favor of separate Telangana by parliamentary political parties. They were silenced by ruling class strategy of offering them some positions and they had also betrayed the cause repeatedly. Several opportunistic leaders tried to take advantage of the genuine aspirations of people without taking the movement for statehood forward. Such leaders varied from right wing parties to parliamentary left parties. All these parties used the aspirations of the people and gained out of it.
Underdevelopment of Development: For the present economic system it is necessity to keep certain regions underdeveloped which gradually becomes peripheries, in order to develop some other regions which emerge as centers. The material and natural resources of Telangana region has been diverted for the development of Andhra, while Telangana region has been pushed to a position of continuous dependency due to lack of development. From the time of united Andhra Pradesh Telangana people has been kept socially, culturally, politically oppressed and economically looted by a combination of feudal and comprador-capitalist forces of Andhra ruling clique. All the major cities in Andhra region have been developed by concentrating the wealth of Telangana there. Even the city of Hyderabad was taken over by the powerful families of Andhra whereas Telangana till the date does not have a single city or major town except Hyderabad. In view of the crucial interest of Andhra ruling class in the city of Hyderabad and the big landlords of Andhra in major water resources of Telangana, they are hell-bent on crushing the democratic movement of Telangana by using force.
Historic injustice towards Telangana: Telangana waters have been diverted to irrigation projects in Andhra. Successive governments have blatantly violated the water-sharing agreements between the two regions. In the name of homogenization of state culture, Andhra rulers have tried to impose its culture particularly in terms of language and food habits. The government public distribution system in Andhra supplies only rice whereas the rain-fed areas of Telangana cultivates bajra, jowar, raagi and such other food grains. This has resulted in extra pressure on Telangana peasantry to grow only rice at the expense of their indigenous crops. Telangana youths have also been deprived of opportunities in government services. At the level of culture, even the cinematic representation of Telangana is extremely biased and prejudiced, whereby the Telangana language and names are mostly projected negatively in Telugu cinema. Print and electronic media considers only the heartland Andhra language as the official language. Telangana water resources are diverted to Andhra even if the proposed Polavaram project which is intended to supply irrigation water to Andhra is going to engulf 13 mandals of Telangana with adivasi inhabitants. There have been attempts to divert waters from Telangana to Rayalaseema through the Pothireddypadu project by holding water more than dam’s capacity in Sree Sailam through ‘Jala Yagnam’, resulting in unprecedented floods in Rayalaseema and Telangana districts in the recent past. The huge revenue extraction from Telangana was invested in Andhra region for its development, while Telangana was deprived of basic infrastructural facilities needed for industrial growth.
Parliamentary opportunism and the betrayal of Telangana: The CPI and CPM has taken a stand against separate statehood for Telangana in spite their cadres taking active part in movement, violating the leadership’s decision. These parties cherish the utopia of united Andhra Pradesh even when there is a widespread mass movement for separation. The Telugu Desam party has been keeping silent on the whole issue since the formation of state is going to harm the interests of its supporters from Andhra. Telangana Rastra Samithi, yet another regional party, opportunistically raises the slogan of Telangana whenever they are politically cornered. The misery of Telangana and the exploitation it faces was conveniently forgotten by it when it was enjoying power in center government. Now once again the TRS chief has sat for a ‘fast unto death’ for Telangana. In the ruling Congress party, some of the Telangana elected representatives wants a separate state where as Andhra representatives are vehemently opposing the demand. Andhra representatives are lobbying with the Congress central leadership not to allow Telangana state in order to safeguard their huge capital investments, and SEZs in and around Telangana. This is supported by some of Tealnganas MP’s too, since they hold land in and around Hyderabad for SEZs.
What is happening in Telangana at present: While there is a democratic demand from various sections of society for separate statehood, the state is responding in the only way it knows to deal with popular movements: by unleashing fascist force. Andhra Pradesh government has deployed huge forces in the state to curtail the movement. Paramilitary forces, Grey Hound squads, Rapid Action Force etc are deployed in the university premises without the knowledge of Vice Chancellors of Osmania University, Agriculatural University, Kakatiya University, University of Hyderabad etc. University students were beaten and two students lost their lives in police crackdown. More than 28 students have committed suicide. Even media personal were attacked. The elected representatives who went to express solidarity with the movement were also brutally beaten up. The Chief Minister has given orders to the police officials to take action on the spot without waiting for any order. In the girl’s hostel premises of Osmania University, women students were chased by the police for giving slogans in favor of separate state. Students were chased out of the campus and dragged to the neighborhood areas where huge force was deployed. These forces are attacking not only students but also the residents. At present more forces are being brought from different states and deployed in Hyderabad. In the view of the call for “Chalo Assembly” on 10th December by the Joint Action Committee, the government had ordered close down and mass evacuation of students from universities. The state government has blocked different roads to Hyderabad to prevent protesting students form reaching the city.
Fight for an autonomous and democratic Telangana! We know that the mere formation of a separate state does not lead anywhere until and unless there are revolutionary changes in the society. It is not just about achieving a terroritarially separate Telangana. It is about creating of a democratic Telangana free from social, economic and cultural oppression by demolishing relations of caste and class, which can only be achieved by combining this struggle with that of the other oppressed masses of the subcontinent for a revolutionary social transformation. DSU stands by the people of Telangana who fought the historic armed struggle against feudal oppression and continue to struggle for a separate state
Monday, December 14, 2009
Maoists Scare Off Investors from Chhattisgarh
Indo-Asian News Service, December 6, 2009
Raipur (IANS) The increasing dominance of Maoists in Chhatisgarh’s iron ore-rich pockets have led to the halt of several key industrial projects in the region and scared off potential investors, say businessmen and officials.
The state’s Bastar region, spread out in about 40,000 square km, has some 20 percent of India’s finest quality iron ore reserves. But industrialists are apprehensive of investing in the restive region, a stronghold of the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist).
‘The investors who have signed deals for setting up steel projects in the region are not getting their projects moved because of Maoists’ meddling,’ said Ashok Surana, head of an industrial body, Mini Steel Plant Association, told IANS. The association is a forum of 175 steel units based in central India.
‘The Maoist dominance is growing in the iron ore-rich pockets of Chhattisgarh. No businessmen want to put money in this region. Even mega projects of Tata Steel and Essar Steel are being held up,’ Surana said.Both Tata Steel and Essar Steel had signed separate deals in June 2005 with the state government for setting up integrated steel units in Chhattisgarh. Tata proposed to set up a 5.5-million-tonne plant, while Essar has plans to build a 3.2-million-tonne plant.
However, the projects have got stuck as Maoists offered direct support for the families, whose land would be taken over for the plants.
The worst-hit is the state-run National Mineral Development Corp (NMDC), the country’s largest iron ore producer and exporter, whose mining took a huge hit due to the insurgency. NMDC produces roughly 80 percent of its 27-million-tonne annual iron ore output from Bailadila reserves in the Moist-infested Dantewada of Chhattisgarh.
‘Maoists have been expanding their influence every day,’ a senior NMDC official, who did not want to identified, told IANS. ‘I think after five-six years, the iron ore mining in Chhattisgarh would be left for the mercy of Maoists. Now on an average, at least seven days every month, we fail to transport iron ore because of insurgents’ strikes,’ the official said.
State’s Director General of Police Vishwa Ranjan said Maoists forced businessmen from the mineral rich area to pay extortion money. ‘The cash books and other papers we seized recenty show that the rebels’ all India annual extortion earning is up to Rs.2,000 crore and a major portion of this comes from iron ore and coal businessmen,’ Ranjan said.
Vani Rao, a senior Congress party leader in the state, also said Maoists’ influence was growing. ‘Maoists are dictating terms in the mineral-rich areas in Chhattisgarh. If urgent steps are not taken by the government, India will lose control over its vast mineral rich areas in five years,’ Rao told IANS.
Police say over 1,500 people were killed in the Bastar region alone in Maoist related violence since 2004. The Maoist insurgency began in 1967 as a peasant rebellion, but has now spread to large parts of central and eastern states. They have strong presence in the states of Jharkhand, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said in October this year that Maoism was the ‘greatest internal security threat’.
Maoist Party in Bangladesh Reorganizes
Maoist Revolution
Editorial of the international journal Anubad Sahityo Potro, issue no. 10 of the Maoist Unity Group (MUG) of the Proletarian Party of East Bengal (PBSP)/Bangladesh. December 2009
The 10th issue of the Anubad Sahitya Potro is the last issue of the journal. We have published such unpublished documents through this journal that are principally important to give theoretical assistance to the reconstruction of our domestic communist movement. Then starts our new departure. We have been able to initiate a line struggle in this country.
Our party is the main Maoist party of this country. The other party CPEB [Communist party of East Bengal (ML)] despite claiming themselves as Maoist have almost been collapsed because of the process of their practice of Guevarist trend since long. Chairman Siraj Sikder established proletarian Maoist party, the PBSP. He made socio economic analysis of the society of East Bengal, broke the chain of the old and new revisionism by carrying a hard ideological struggle against those, initiated people’s war, for the first time in East Bengal established armed force led by the class proletariat and established Base Area twice: once in Payarabagan in 71 and then in Chittagong Hill tract during 72-75. [This area is located in southeast Bangladesh near Burma.]
The line and thought of Chairman is closely intermingled with chairman himself and PBSP. After the death of Chairman, despite party was able to resurrect again in the 80s under the leadership of Anwar Kabir, could not enter the stage of Base Area. Anwar Kabir led that struggle by cutting short the guiding thought of Siraj Sikder, that is why that couldn’t take the shape of comprehensive people’s war. He, during the last of 80s to first of 90s forged a right opportunist line (ROL) by exploiting party’s military set back what’s main essence was to totally abandon Guiding Thought of Siraj Sikder. What Ziauddin did after the death of Siraj Sikder, he (AK) did the same with totality. In the Third Congress of party in 92, he passed the right opportunist line with the help of his central comrade-in-arms.
The main component part of the line was: 1) to pretend adoption of Maoism by changing the term Mao Thought what was Maoism without essence, later what has been seen is that they pretended of adopting Maoism by opposing Mao Thought as the base of Maoism 2) to brand Siraj Sikder line as nationalist viz., to abandon guiding thought of Siraj Sikder, adopt so called classist line and oppose national liberation war 3) by abandoning the evaluation semi-feudalism and colony (or semi-colony) , adoption of baseless evaluation of so called distorted capitalism and abandon agrarian revolution 4) by abandoning people’s war, adoption of so called war line (what has been exposed later). In synthesis, they abandoned Maoism and guiding thought of Siraj Sikder Thought that is the a valuable teaching achieved by application of Maoism in East Bengal society. Therefore, this Right Opportunist Line of AK was a comprehensive line.
While taking it to practice, there arose contradiction among three leaders and they divided party into three on their behalf. AK invented a stage theory of armed struggle below war and got degenerated by carrying very limited roving armed activities by a few mercenary squads. Motin, by false proclaiming as big war proponent did some armed seizure action and could be able to confuse genuine revolutionaries. At last he got degenerated by carrying very limited armed activities with a few mercenary squads. Sultan, by disguising himself as a big theoretician, with dogmatic preaching confused genuine revolutionaries for a certain period and at last liquidated organization. Sultan died recently.
As a result, at the beginning years of 21st century, the PBSP in reality went ahead towards liquidation. In such a tough moment, the lower rank cadres realized the necessity to defend party, the party that was developed by Siraj Sikder. So, absolutely with new generation cadres, they formed MUG. The aim of MUG was to define Siraj Sikder Thought, define people’s war and reestablish PBSP through making preparation for People’s war. From the beginning MUG was militarized, so it had to confront state force on the one hand and revisionist attack on the other. Number of comrades of MUG had to sacrifice their life.
In the midst of that, the work of Anubad Sahityo Potro was accomplished. Through that, preparation for theoretical construction was carried and the line construction is going on bit by bit. Now we are going to enter in the main phase of line construction, reestablish party in a higher center, going to enter in defining people’s war too, from where we will go on to the preparation of people’s war.
We don’t believe in any empty theory. We have published such documents that are tested by the touchstone of people’s war. In this number of issue, Chairman Mao’s Talk on Philosophy of August, 1964 has been published where he had made the most developed formulation of dialectics. He showed that the main law of contradiction is the law of unity of opposites. He explained transformation of quantity into quality by the law of unity of opposites. And he said that negation of negation does not exist as a law. What exists is that the unity of the opposite of affirmation and negation. He established monism by discarding the triplist doctrine of development what presented three law side by side with equal importance. So, this is comrade Mao who established dialectics on a comprehensive basis. He by correcting Engel’s formulation regarding freedom showed that freedom is not only understanding necessity but its transformation too. This is a precious philosophical talk. Here he enriched dialectics in multi dimension.
In this number of issue we have published two very important document of the basis of party unity of the Communist party of Peru: 1) Line of construction of three instrument of revolution 2) Mass line. The two documents were adopted in PCP congress in 1988. In the first one, line of construction of three instrument of revolution: party, army and front of President Gonzalo has been established. President Gonzallo also forged conception of militarization of party. In the Mass Line document, the concrete thesis of President Gonzalo has been established that shows how party develops various created organizations for the sake of people’s war.
Content: 1) Talk on Philosophy by Mao Tse Tung 2) Line of Construction of the Three Instrument of Revolution by Communist Party of Peru 3) Mass Line by Communist Party of Peru
Friday, December 11, 2009
Final Speech of "The Great Dictator" (also known as "Look Up, Hannah" ) by Charlie Chaplin / ഹന്നാ, മുകളിലേക്ക് നോക്കൂ!
Schulz: Speak - it is our only hope.
The Jewish Barber (Charlie Chaplin's character): Hope... I'm sorry but I don't want to be an Emperor - that's not my business - I don't want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone if possible, Jew, gentile, black man, white. We all want to help one another, human beings are like that.
We all want to live by each other's happiness, not by each other's misery. We don't want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone and the earth is rich and can provide for everyone.
The way of life can be free and beautiful.
But we have lost the way.
Greed has poisoned men's souls - has barricaded the world with hate; has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed.
We have developed speed but we have shut ourselves in: machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical, our cleverness hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little: More than machinery we need humanity; More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost
The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in men, cries out for universal brotherhood for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world, millions of despairing men, women and little children, victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people. To those who can hear me I say "Do not despair".
The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress: the hate of men will pass and dictators die and the power they took from the people, will return to the people and so long as men die [now] liberty will never perish...
Soldiers - don't give yourselves to brutes, men who despise you and enslave you - who regiment your lives, tell you what to do, what to think and what to feel, who drill you, diet you, treat you as cattle, as cannon fodder.
Don't give yourselves to these unnatural men, machine men, with machine minds and machine hearts. You are not machines. You are not cattle. You are men. You have the love of humanity in your hearts. You don't hate - only the unloved hate. Only the unloved and the unnatural. Soldiers - don't fight for slavery, fight for liberty.
In the seventeenth chapter of Saint Luke it is written " the kingdom of God is within man " - not one man, nor a group of men - but in all men - in you, the people.
You the people have the power, the power to create machines, the power to create happiness. You the people have the power to make life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure. Then in the name of democracy let's use that power - let us all unite. Let us fight for a new world, a decent world that will give men a chance to work, that will give you the future and old age and security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power, but they lie. They do not fulfil their promise, they never will. Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people. Now let us fight to fulfil that promise. Let us fight to free the world, to do away with national barriers, do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men's happiness.
Soldiers - in the name of democracy, let us all unite!
Look up! Look up! The clouds are lifting - the sun is breaking through. We are coming out of the darkness into the light. We are coming into a new world. A kind new world where men will rise above their hate and brutality.
The soul of man has been given wings - and at last he is beginning to fly. He is flying into the rainbow - into the light of hope - into the future, that glorious future that belongs to you, to me and to all of us. Look up. Look up."
ഹന്നാ, മുകളിലേക്ക് നോക്കൂ!
ചക്രവർത്തി ആകാൻ ഞാൻ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നില്ല.
ഖേദപൂർവം പറയട്ടെ, അത് എന്റെ തൊഴിലല്ല. ഭരിക്കാനോ
കീഴടക്കാനോ എനിക്ക് ആഗ്രഹമില്ല. പറ്റുമെങ്കിൽ
എല്ലാവരെയും സഹായിക്കാനാണ് ആഗ്രഹം - ജൂതരെ,
കറുത്തവരെ, വെള്ളക്കാരെ.
നാമെല്ലാം ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നത് പരസ്പരം
സഹായിക്കാനാണ്. മനുഷ്യർ അങ്ങനെയാണ്. മറ്റുള്ളവരുടെ
സന്തോഷത്തിൽ ജീവിക്കാനാണ് നമ്മൾ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നത്.
അപരന്റെ ദുഖത്തിലല്ല. പരസ്പരം വെറുക്കാനും
പകവെച്ചുപുലർത്താനും നാം ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നില്ല. ഈ
ലോകത്തെല്ലാവർക്കും ഇടമുണ്ട്. ഈ നല്ല ഭൂമി സമ്പുഷ്ടമാണ്.
എല്ലാവർക്കും ദാതാവാകാൻ അതിന് കഴിയും.
ജീവിതത്തിന്റെ വഴി സ്വതന്ത്രവും സുന്ദരവുമാകാൻ
കഴിയും. പക്ഷേ നമുക്ക് വഴി നഷ്ടപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുന്നു. ആർത്തി
മനുഷ്യരുടെ ആത്മാക്കളെ വിഷലിപ്തമാക്കിയിരിക്കുന്നു.
ലോകത്ത് വെറുപ്പിന്റെ വേലികൾ കെട്ടിയിരിക്കുന്നു.
ദുരിതത്തിലേക്കും രക്തചൊരിച്ചിലിലേക്കും അത് നമ്മെ
നയിക്കുന്നു. നാം വേഗത വികസിപ്പിച്ചെടുത്തു.പക്ഷേ സ്വയം
നമ്മൾ അടച്ചുപൂട്ടിയിരിക്കുന്നു. നമുക്ക് ധാരാളം നൽകുന്ന
യന്ത്രങ്ങൾ നമ്മെ ദാരിദ്ര്യത്തിൽ ആഴ്ത്തിരിയിക്കുന്നു. നമ്മുടെ
അറിവ് നമ്മെ എല്ലാറ്റിനെയും പരിഹസിക്കുന്നവരാക്കി.
നമ്മുടെ സാമർത്ഥ്യം കഠിനവും ദയാശൂന്യവുമായി. നമ്മൾ
വളരെ ആലോചിക്കുന്നു, നമുക്ക് അനുഭവവേദ്യമാകുന്നതോ
വളരെ തുച്ഛവും. യന്ത്രങ്ങളേക്കാൾ നമുക്ക് വേണ്ടത്
മനുഷ്യത്വമാണ്. സാമർത്ഥ്യത്തേക്കാൾ വേണ്ടത് ദയയും
ലോലതയുമാണ്. ഈ ഗുണങ്ങളില്ലാത്ത ജീവിതം
അക്രമപൂർണമായിരിക്കും, എല്ലാം നമുക്ക് നഷ്ടപ്പെടും
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
52 Billionaires Control 1/4 of India’s Gross Domestic Product
Abhi Says, November 29, 2009
Richest persons in India
According to the latest report by Forbes Magazine, India is home of 52 billionaires. Last year, there were 27 billionaires in India but this year there are 52. The combined fortune of India’s 100 richest persons is $276 billion which is almost equivalent to one-fourth India’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product).
In this list, Mukesh Ambani (CMD Reliance Industries) is at the top position with net worth estimated at 32 billion USD. His brother, Anil Ambani is at third position whereas Lakshmi Mittal is on second position in the list. Software czar, Azim Premji is at fourth position with net worth estimated at 14.9 billion USD.
Person Worth Company
1.Mukesh Ambani $32 billion Reliance Industries
2.Lakshmi Mittal $30 billion ArcelorMittal
3.Anil Ambani $17.5 billion Reliance ADA Group
4.Azim Premji $14.9 billion Wipro
5.Shashi Ruia $13.6 billion Essar Group
6.KP Singh $13.5 billion DLF Universal
7.Savitri Jindal $12 billion Jindal Steel
8.Sunil Mittal $8.2 billion Bharti Airtel
9.KumarMangalam Birla $7.8 billion Aditya Birla Group
10.Gautam Adani $6.4 billion Adani Group
11.Anil Agarwal $6.3 billion Vedanta Resources
12.Adi Godrej $5.4 billion Adi Godrej
13.GM Rao $4.3 billion GMR Group
14.Dilip Shanghvi $4.1 billion Sun Pharma
15.Shiv Nadar $3.7 billion HCL Technologies
16.Uday Kotak $3.3 billion Kotak Mahindra Bank
17.Malvinder Mohan Singh $3 billion Religare and Fortis Healthcare
18.Subhash Chandra $2.7 billion Zee TV
19.Indu Jain $2.4 billion Times Group
20.Kalanithi Maran $2.3 billion Sun TV Network
21.Anand Burman $2.25 billion Dabur India
22.Brijmohan Lall Munjal $2.2 billion Hero Group
23.Sudhir Mehta $2.02 billion Torrent Group
24.Cyrus Poonawalla $2 billion Serum Institute of India
25.Ramesh Chandra $1.95 billion Unitech
26.Micky Jagtiani $1.9 billion Landmark Group
27.YK Hamied $1.89 billion Cipla
28.Pravin Kumar Tayal $1.88 billion Tayal Group
29.Jaiprakash Gaur $1.87 billion Jaiprakash Associates
30.Rajan Raheja $1.85 billion Raheja Group
31.Venugopal Dhoot $1.8 billion Vidoecon group
32.Rahul Bajaj $1.75 billion Bajaj Group of Companies
33.Tulsi R Tanti $1.7 billion Suzlon
34Lagadapati Madhusudhan Rao $1.67 billion Lanco Infratech
35. Baba Kalyani $1.63 billion Bharat Forge
36. Rakesh Wadhawan $1.6 billion HDIL
37. Chandru Raheja $1.55 billion K Raheja Group
38. NR Narayana Murthy $1.5 billion Infosys
39. Gautam Thapar $1.4 billion Avantha Group
40. Rama Prasad Goenka $1.35 billion RPG Enterprises
41. Niranjan Hiranandani $1.32 billion Hiranandani Group
42. Desh Bandhu Gupta $1.3 billion Lupin
43. Nandan Nilekani $1.25 billion Unique Identification Authority of India
44. Pankaj Patel $1.21 billion Zydus Cadila Group
45. Vikas Oberoi $1.2 billion Oberoi Constructions
46. Senapathy Gopalakrishnan $1.15 billion Infosys
47. GV Krishna Reddy $1.07 billion GVK Group
48. Ajay Piramal $1.06 billion Piramal Group
49. Vinod Goenka $1.05 billion Dynamix Balwas Group
50. Shahid Balwa $1.02 billion Dynamix Balwas Group
51. Virendra Mhaiskar $1.01 billion IRB Infrastructure
52. Anand Jain $1 billion Jai Corp
Kishenji attends public meet
The Economic Times, 7 Dec 2009
KOLKATA: After a gap of a month, fugitive Maoist leader Kishenji attended an open gathering in Jangalmahal on December 2 to observe the foundation day of the Peoples Liberation Group Army (PLGA).
Another Maoist activist, Rakesh, leader of the West Bengal-Jharkhand-Orissa border regional committee also attended the function along with the commander-in-chief of Jangalmahal, Bikash. The gathering was held amid tight security provided by PLGA activists who had surrounded the area with sophisticated arms and weapons to prevent the joint forces from attempting to foil the function and arrest top Maoist leaders like Kishenji.
Kishenji had left Lalgarh and Jangalmahal after the Maoist activists killed four jawans of the Eastern Frontier Rifles (EFR) at Gidhni bazar area in West Midnapore district on November 8. It is, however, not clear whether Kishenji is staying at Jangalmahal or left the place after attending the function there on December 2.
The function was attended by the inhabitants at least 50 villages in the region. The function begun with the hoisting of red flags and singing of international songs. Two minutes silence was also observed in memory of those Maoist leaders and activists who were killed in police encounters.
In a statement issued recently, Kishenji had alleged that the joint force was preventing the poor villagers from collecting rice from the paddy fields. “Joint force jawans are torturing the poor villagers and are not allowed them to harvest rice. We had urged the government to stop operation against us for at least 15 days to enable tribal farmers to harvest rice. We also promised not to attack the joint force jawans during the 15 days if the government agreed to accept our proposal. But the government refused to do so and we are now determined to protect the poor farmers from the tortures and attacks on them by the joint forces,” Kishenji claimed.
He also said that “PLGA soldiers will now protect the farmers in every field of Lalgarh and Jangalmahal. Our soldiers with their arms and ammunition, will be on the paddy fields to protect the poor tribals from being attacked by the joint forces.” “This we will do because the government has refused to accept our proposal and lift their operation against us.”
Buried Evidence: Report on Indian Army Crimes in Kashmir
BURIED EVIDENCE: Unknown, Unmarked, and Mass Graves in Indian-administered Kashmir
International People’s Tribunal on Human Rights and Justice in Kashmir (IPTK) announces the release of its report at a press conference on Wednesday, December 02, 2009, in Srinagar, Kashmir.
BURIED EVIDENCE documents 2,700 unknown, unmarked, and mass graves, containing 2,943+ bodies, across 55 villages in Bandipora, Baramulla, and Kupwara districts of Kashmir, based on applied research conducted between November 2006-November 2009.
The graveyards investigated by IPTK entomb bodies of those murdered in encounter and fake encounter killings between 1990-2009. These graves include bodies of extrajudicial, summary, and arbitrary executions, as well as massacres committed by the Indian military and paramilitary forces. Of these graves, 2,373 (87.9 percent) were unnamed. Of these graves, 154 contained two bodies each and 23 contained more than two cadavers. Within these 23 graves, the number of bodies ranged from 3 to 17.
A mass grave may be identified as containing more than one, and usually unidentified, human cadaver. Scholars refer to mass graves as resulting from crimes against humanity, war crimes, or genocide. If the intent of a mass grave is to execute death with impunity, with intent to kill more than one, and to forge an unremitting representation of death, then, to that extent, the graves in Bandipora, Baramulla, and Kupwara are part of a collective burial by India’s military and paramilitary, creating a landscape of “mass burial.”
Post-death, the bodies of the victims were routinely handled by military and paramilitary personnel, including the local police. The bodies were then brought to the “secret graveyards” primarily by personnel of the Jammu and Kashmir Police. The graves were constructed by local gravediggers and caretakers, buried individually when possible, and specifically not en mass, in keeping with Islamic religious sensibilities.
The graves, with few exceptions, hold bodies of men. Violence against civilian men has expanded spaces for enacting violence against women. Women have been forced to disproportionately assume the task of caregiving to disintegrated families and undertake the work of seeking justice following disappearances and deaths. These graveyards have been placed next to fields, schools, and homes, largely on community land, and their affect on the local community is daunting.
The Indian Armed Forces and the Jammu and Kashmir Police routinely claim the dead buried in unknown and unmarked graves to be “foreign militants/terrorists.” They claim that the dead were unidentified foreign or Kashmiri militants killed while infiltrating across the border areas into Kashmir or travelling from Kashmir into Pakistan to seek arms training. Official state discourse conflates cross-border militancy with present nonviolent struggles by local Kashmiri groups for political and territorial self-determination, portraying local resistance as “terrorist” activity.
Exhumation and identification have not occurred in sizeable cases. Where they have been undertaken, in various instances, “encounter” killings across Kashmir have, in fact, been authenticated as “fake encounter” killings. In instances where, post-burial, bodies have been identified, two methods have been used prevalently. These are 1. Exhumation; and 2. Identification through the use of photographs.
The report also examines 50 alleged “encounter” killings by Indian security forces in numerous districts in Kashmir. Of these persons, 39 were of Muslim descent; 4 were of Hindu descent; 7 were not determined. Of these cases, 49 were labelled militants/foreign insurgents by security forces and one body that was drowned. Of these, following investigations, 47 were found killed in fake encounters and one was identifiable as a local militant.
IPTK has been able to study only partial areas within 3 of 10 districts in Kashmir, and our findings and very preliminary evidence point to the severity of existing conditions. If independent investigations were to be undertaken in all 10 districts, it is reasonable to assume that the 8,000+ enforced disappearances since 1989 would correlate with the number of bodies in unknown, unmarked, and mass graves.
Allegations
The methodical and planned use of killing and violence in Indian-administered Kashmir constitutes crimes against humanity in the context of an ongoing conflict. The Indian state’s governance of Indian-administered Kashmir requires the use of discipline and death as techniques of social control. Discipline is affected through military presence, surveillance, punishment, and fear. Death is disbursed through “extrajudicial” means and those authorized by law. These techniques of rule are used to kill, and create fear of not just death but of murder.
Mass and intensified extrajudicial killings have been part of a sustained and widespread offensive by the military and paramilitary institutions of the Indian state against civilians of Jammu and Kashmir. IPTK asks that the evidence put forward in this report be examined, verified, and reframed as relevant by credible, independent, and international bodies, and that international institutions ask that the Government of India comply with such investigations.
We note that the international community and institutions have not examined the supposition of crimes against humanity in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. We note that the United Nations and its member states have remained ineffective in containing and halting the adverse consequences of the Indians state’s militarization in Kashmir.
We ask that evidence from unknown, unmarked, and mass graves in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir be used to seek justice, through the sentencing of criminals and other judicial and social processes. As well, the existence of these graves, and how they came to be, may be understood as indicative of the effects and issue of militarization, and the issues pertaining to militarization itself must be addressed seriously and expeditiously.
The violences of militarization in Indian-administered Kashmir, between 1989-2009, have resulted in 70,000+ deaths, including through extrajudicial or “fake encounter” executions, custodial brutality, and other means. In the enduring conflict, 6, 67,000 military and paramilitary personnel continue to act with impunity to regulate movement, law, and order across Kashmir. The Indian state itself, through its legal, political, and military actions, has demonstrated the existence of a state of continuing conflict within Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.
BURIED EVIDENCE is authored by Angana P. Chatterji, Parvez Imroz, Gautam Navlakha, Zahir-Ud-Din, Mihir Desai, and Khurram Parvez.
Dr. Angana P. Chatterji is Convener IPTK and Professor, Anthropology, California Institute of Integral Studies. Advocate Parvez Imroz is Convener IPTK and Founder, Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society. Gautam Navlakha is Convener IPTK and Editorial Consultant, Economic and Political Weekly.
Zahir-Ud-Din is Convener IPTK and Vice-President, Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society. Mihir Desai is Legal Counsel IPTK and Lawyer, Mumbai High Court and Supreme Court of India. Khurram Parvez is Liaison IPTK and Programme Coordinator, Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society.
Report, photographs, video clips available at: www.kashmirprocess.org
Queries may be directed to: kparvez@kashmirprocess. org
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Anti-Naxal Offensive To Be Intelligence-Based: Chidambaram. Huh?
Countercurrents
By Trevor Selvam
29 November, 2009
It has been heard that the gnome-like, perpetually-blue-turbaned Indian PM, who was visibly stunned and overwhelmed by the Hollywood gala arranged for him in DC ( and cannot stop waving his hand until told to stop), has given some serious advice to his sidekick, the former lawyer for the Enron’s in India, Mr. Chidambaram (PCC).
The Background
The PM knows that the Bankrupt Big Brothers (BBB) in this world (or the G7 if you would) can still call the shots by issuing bonds and printing money and would very much like India to be on her best behaviour, to be a wedge against that runaway superpower, China. Yes, China, buys the bonds so the US can have cash to buy the goods from China for cheap, so US workers have no jobs, an arrangement that is nearly as schizoid and perplexing as the cuckoo’s nest. China, they do not trust. India, they could, provided India nods its head quietly from time to time on screwing the Iranians, the Palestinians, occasionally the Russians (former “natural friends”) and even its former “third world” non-aligned partners from the past, and also simultaneously shimmy-ing up to the Israelis on intelligence, rocketry, underhanded arms deals and counter-insurgency operations. Of course Pakistan is such a disaster-struck nation, that BBB has advised the PM to relax on the western border and not aggravate Pakistan’s paranoia and its already out of control terror-sponsorship.
India has enough foreign exchange reserves to bail out the IMF once in a while, by buying gold from it (never mind the fact that it also has to import food again, using the same reserves, after so many years) and being in the good books of the BBB. And of course also slyly nudge the price of gold up, slightly, as a side benefit.
The Indian ruling class are dependent, servile, but also manoeuvring and self-serving. They serve the BBB well, but they have their own plans. The Indian ruling class do have a trick or two up their sleeves. They have the washing-machine-cum-dryer crazy ugly-rich who have the purchasing power parity (PPP- or the Power to Piss on the Poor) to regenerate the collapsing neo-liberalized world commodity market and save the pickled posteriors of the G7. So, India’s behaviour is being watched and even controlled in order for India to play a significant role in offsetting the influence of China.
Words Of Caution
So, PM Manmohan Singh (MS) has some words of caution for his Home Minister PC Chidambaran (PCC) as he covertly initiates his continuously postponed Operations against the Naxalite-Maoists in the 15 or so provinces of India. MS would like PCC to understand that BBB is keen that India’s PPP is useful for the G7 to pull it out of the CCC (Continued Capitalist Crisis).
The advice is the following:
-Tone down the law and order rhetoric. Up the “root cause” rhetoric. That is, talk about “development” as your troops empty their magazines on the tribals. Talk White, don’t be a Negro! That is what southern plantation owners in pre-civil war US would tell their Uncle Toms.
-Talk about “neglect of tribals” when you burn down the villages and hamletize.
-Talk about “past abdication of responsibility of the government” when you herd women into stockades and occasionally let loose your repressed Indo Tibetan Border Force, the CRPF, The Cobra Force and other outfits onto them.
-Turn down the rhetoric, about “Operations” and quietly launch the assault on the Maoist enclaves in tri-junction areas of provinces and displace the tribes into adjoining provinces, one state at a time. In small spurts. Less publicity. Physically evacuate the forests and fence the people in, so you can sort out the good from the bad. The wheat from the chaff, the fish from the water. This will create animosity amongst the provinces and even amongst the tribes, as India’s first citizens become displaced persons (DPs) in their own country. This has already started happening in districts of Andhra adjoining Orissa and districts of Maharashtra and Chattisgarh.
-Talk less about military operations and talk more about Intelligence-bound operations. Huh? Military Intelligence! I thought that that oxymoron had been clichéd out, years ago! Well, PCC has revived it.
Intelligent Delay? Or Delayed Intelligence?
Once slated for start up in October, then pushed to November, then December and now Green Hunt will be started in January, by the time the elections in Jharkhand are settled. Why is there such a postponement? Apart from the significant and well-articulated opposition amongst India’s civic society leaders (there will be an important public meeting in New Delhi on December 4th, where Supreme court lawyers, judges, writers, economists, academics, civil rights activists will be speaking) there is one more reason. It has been reliably learned that some of the semi-retired, bravado-spewing cops who are training these counter-insurgency special forces in “jungle warfare”, as they refer to it, have clearly stated that Cobra, Python, Rattle, Boa or Viper, they are not ready in large enough numbers to swarm the Naxalites. When MS and PCC woke up to find out about the Maoists, two years ago, they had around 5,000 fighters. And perhaps 20,000 sympathizers. With all the Operations that have been carried out officially and unofficially, there are reports that they now have over 250,000 sympathizers. Much of what is said about the Maoists ‘military strength is exaggerated. It is not their numbers that matter, however. India already has the largest armed police force in the world. The BSF and CRP are the largest para-military force in the world. So why is such a large force being freshly inducted and trained to go to battle against the Maoists? Because they have now realized belatedly that the Maoists are the tribals (nearly twenty percent of India’s population), they are Indians like you and me, they are not foreigners, and they are not bearded jihadists or Asiatic looking Manipuris and “hostile” Nagas (as they used to be called). When it came to the North east and Kashmir, the insurgents were anybody who did not look like Punjabis, Dogras, Jats, Mahrattis, Biharis, Madrassis--the “regular Indians.” Now there is a problem! The entire triangular belly of India is composed of primarily aboriginal people. And they are turning away from Delhi’s rule over them. How will you sort out the good tribal from the bad tribal? Besides, for those who are more historically inclined and have looked up past upsurges like in Algeria, China, Vietnam and even Iraq, will know that mobile guerrillas walk and move to a different tune than your regular army. When an Army crosses a river, it is visible for miles around, no matter how highly trained they are. A small guerrilla band can effectively deal with them, effortlessly, by collapsing the roads and the bridges. So, when a regular Army moves, it must make a wide sweep with thousands of troops to strategically sanitize its route. This will not work in the forest of Gadhricholi, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand or Junglemahal. So you need troops who can move in forests, wade through rivers and more importantly have the knowledge about local dialects and language. Who will be the spotters for these troops? Of course there is the Salwa Judum solution, which has already proved itself to be a monumental failure, increasing the ranks of the Maoists considerably. So, PCC knows or has realized that you need an “intelligent” force to deal with the Naxalites. Because the Naxalites are an intelligent enemy and they are as fiercely patriotic as anybody else, if not more! PCC has an Intelligence problem! Or, perhaps a deficit?
Speaking at the 44th Raising Day celebrations of the Border Security Force , Chidambaram said, "I expect the BSF to hone the skills and tactics that were developed by it during the anti-militancy and counter-insurgency operations and adopt to the new conditions that they will face in the Naxal-affected areas.
"In these areas, operations have to be intelligence-based and (security forces) have to secure the support of the community and people living in those areas," the Home minister said.
Now how do you do that? You come with drones overhead (this is now publicly acknowledged by the Indian government that the Maoists are in such densely forested areas, where no roads exist, that the government is sending drones to spot warm bodies by imaging) and how do you shake hands with the tribals when you are spotting them like fleeing deer from your vantage point in the clouds? It is no longer a secret that Bankrupt Big Brother is assisting in the technological aspects, after succesfully killing hundreds of "AfPak" civilians, while operating the drones. So, how do you win over the support of half-naked, starving people 5,000 feet below on the ground?
If the BSF, the EFR, the CRPF and also the Cobra (whose much ballyhooed nose got bloodied badly by the Maoists recently) knew how to do community work, put women in command, with respect, in all significant operations, help with digging canals, distributing rations, setting up health care centers, helping with harvests, quadrupling minimum wages and selling price of tendu leaves, protecting tribal lands and people from contractors and police, not occupying the smattering of schools that there are, then the Maoists would become redundant. Because that is what the Maoist have been doing for over twenty five years and have built up their “base” areas. That is what “intelligence” is all about.
I have news for PCC. The Maoist have been on the ground for over twenty five years. If you want to get “intelligence” going about the conditions on the ground, talk to them. Your super-cop trained counter-insurgency troopers and Special Police Officers will survive a few weeks or even a few months and then they will start killing each other, as happened in Vietnam, when BBB tried to organize various tribes against the NLF and eventually they all ended up taking the boat to California when the NLF stormed Saigon.
What MS is telling PCC, is make sure that you don’t give the country bad publicity, when you go on the rampage. Make sure you “win over” the people first! Make sure, you make it look good when your troops manhandle, murder, fake-encounter and maraud the tribal nation. Do it with “intelligence.” Because BBB is watching. And that is what PCC is mildly bringing up with the troops.
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