[sacw] Mischief played in Bihar

[Harsh Kapoor]

=46YI (Mr. V.B. Rawat is a Human Rights activist in India and article from
his posted below)
South Asia Citizens Web
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Mischief played in Bihar : the sudden love for Dalits in Indian media
and RSS ?

By V.B.Rawat

The Bihar government was dismissed last week. A beaming home minister Mr
L.K.Advani told a private TV channel that the president has written a
note on the promulgation of article 356 that he shared centre=92s concern
over the deteriorating law and order situation in that state. That the
Samta Party led by George and Nitish and the BJP were more than eager to
dislodge this government as soon as they came to power, despite the
clear majority that government enjoyed in the floor of the house and
proved its "popularity" among the masses in the subsequent elections.

The Jahanabad tragedy has to be condemned in the strongest terms. But
the question is who are behind the killing and whose vote bank they are
? BJP and Samta have long been roped in by the Bhoomihar community whose
private army is Ranvir Sena. That the present Rastriya Janata Dal
government was unable to check attacks on Dalits is true and that
another attack within a fortnight again reflect the complete failure of
the state government.

There have been state government where the record of governance is
dismal and the chief-minister going against the constitution. Situation
in Gujrat, Maharastra and Uttar-Pradesh is worst than any other state in
India. I know once when I was in Chandrapur about 3 hours run from
Nagpur to attend a meeting against Fascist activities of the Hindutva,
the Police arrested a number of students and other activists under the
pretext of spreading Naxalite activities in the area. We all were
shocked at this event and this was situation some six months back.
Everyone knows that situation in Gujrat calls for an immediate
intervention from Centre. In Maharastra we have a remote control who
controls the government and our home minister ( who himself is
chargesheeted in Ayodhya demolition case) goes to meet the remote
control at his residence defying all norms of decency. All this did not
call attention of a government at centre which itself does not have the
clear mandate to rule the country.

Why Bihar was selected for president rule ? Let us examine it since it
was Laloo Yadav who stopped L.K.Advani=92s Hindutva chariot which left a
long trail of blood where it went in 1990, and put him in Jail. Advani=92s
ambition to see blood everywhere was thwarted during that period and the
BJP was roaring against it. During the 9 years rule of Laloo, Bihar
never saw the communal disturbances since there was a strong
backward-Muslim combine which did not allow the Hindutva forces to gain
ground there. That dalits did not gain financially in Bihar is a fact
but it is also a fact that they started going with self respect. Laloo
gave them voice..and "atmasamman". It was Laloo who stopped BJP=92s march
to Delhi after they co-opted Mayawati and tamed Mulayam Singh in
Uttar-Pradesh. Bihar is a big state and send about 58 seats to Loksabha
which could have served the purpose of the Hindutva forces had Laloo not
been there in the seat and he ensured their defeat despite of the fact
that all the upper castes and even several scheduled castes and backward
classes likes the Kurmis were up in arms against him.

Now after dismissing Laloo the central government has kept the assembly
of Bihar in suspended animation to keep the horse trading and install a
government of BJP or Samta there since without having a puppet
government these parties cannot think of gaining anything in Bihar or
even dreaming their government if elections are ordered.

The most opportunistic reaction on the issue came from the Congress
Party who wanted Rabari=92s head because of failure to "protect the
dalits". What has been Congress=92s record in the past as far as
protection of Dalits and Muslims are concern ? Belechi, Kumher,
Chundur, Sadhupur, Bhagalpur, Moradabad, Meerut and Bombay and number
of other massacre tells the story of Congress party, its willingness to
take on the communalist elements head on and its willingness not to fish
in troubled water ? In fact Bihar "owe" its current turmoil to Congress
Party which imposed the Brahmins and Kayasthas on a state of backwards.
Bihar became synonymous with corruption and mal-administration. The
other day Congress spokesman Ajit Jogi said that president rule is not
the answer to a good governance, thus making him ridicule by the press
as how can he expect miracle in just ten hours of the president rule.
Congress party in its heydays used the article 356 maximum occasion even
where it was not required and the BJP is simply using all those dirty
tricks of the Congress Party.

BJP and Congress are made for each other. During the LokSabha election
Lal Krishna Advani, a number of our esteemed news-papers and columnists
were happy that India is going to have a two party democracy since all
the other regional/castiest parties will finish. It will either be
congress or BJP. Both have the same economic policy thus keeping the
business interest of the India=92s upper caste intact. While BJP openly
threatened the minorities and Dalits, the Congress showed them the
danger of "communal" forces and only capable party to "protect" them.
Advani felt proud that BJP has ultimately become a challenge to Congress
Party and moreover all these so called regional/castiest forces will be
finished, thus clearing the way for Brahminical hegemony.

Why should India be happy with a two party system dominated by the
Brahmin. Congress is responsible for imposing Brahminical hegemony on
India and BJP followed the same trick. It created an Atal Bihari because
it new that a non-Brahmin will be unacceptable to others which goes
against Lal Krishna Advani, his being a Sindhi. Congress, though trying
to gain the Dalits and backward votes is playing the same old tricks by
claiming the legacy of "Hindutva" of Gandhian and Malviya-Lajpat Rai
brand which were responsible for India=92s current stage of communal
virus. Bihar is a typical example of non-Brahmin movement and it
followed the Tamilnadu=92s Dravidian legacy. Unfortunately, while Periyar
was the tallest figure politically as well as socially and had a
dedicated army of intellectuals and activist, apart from his highly
personal committed life, Laloo and other backward class leaders as well
as dalit leaders do not have that kind of vision and commitment. These
leaders became a mere caste leader of Yadava community thus antagonising
the
other backward communities. We saw the same things in Uttar-Pradesh
which resulted the failure of Dalit and backward movement since that was
hijacked by certain castes and the upper castes exploited that division.
Thus dalit movement in UP became a Chamar movement and backward movement
of Mulayam singh became a Yadva movement. Kalyan Singh, as smart
political manipulator, attracted the other backward classes who had not
been represented so far and thus a large number of backwards communities
went towards BJP. In the absence of any ideology the entire dalit
movement and backward movement is endangered with turning as a caste
movement and with gross failure.

Still, the caste affiliations will stop the Hindutva march to Delhi as
the dalits and backwards are asking for their share in power. Any one
who is willing to give it to them may get their support. There is a need
for the regional parties also to keep their identity and freedom intact
rather licking the shoes of so-called national parties like BJP or
Congress. Though , at this point of time, the Congress seems to be their
enemy yet in the coming years, as the Sangh Parivar follows the Congress
tricks to rule the country, the BJP might become a real threat to them
exploiting the Pan-Brahminic identity.

Today, the same elite which kept the Dalits subjugated under their boots
for long, all of sudden has waken up and crying "Dalits" being
massacred, their life endangered... How many of us have heard about
Kumher atrocity which rocked Rajasthan some 8 years back and Rajasthan
government that time under Bharon Singh Shekhavat did not allow the
human right activists and social activists to visit that place, withdrew
cases against the responsible officials and political leaders due to
caste consideration. I do not think that Ashol Gehlot will be a
different man than Shekhawat though the latter is a backward class
person in forward politics. Now, Rajasthan is typical case where
atrocities on Dalits and women was on the rise...but not a single media
reports highlight on the issue. Indian media, as I have been saying,
keeps the issue of Dalit torture in backburner. It only highlights the
issue when it has an axe to ground.. Laloo was in the eyes of the
Brahminical elite for long, a stumbling block in their way and hence
despite all odds.. they knew that they cannot defeat him in the
political process hence open up cases. Even if that is not able to deter
him than dismiss him under the some other pretext. Reporting of media on
the issues of backwards and dalits is highly caste bias. When I write
this article, there is no aim to defend Laloo Yadav or his kind of
politics but he only learnt politics from the Brahmins and doing the
same things to them as they did to the backwards. The only question here
is about the ethics involved. Today, in small reporting, we are told the
bandh has failed in Bihar. Laloo could not muster 10 MLAs.. he could not
do this.. he could not do that....And mind, this is not just happening.
Our media has been carrying this campaign from 1991 after the
Mandalisation process in Bihar was complete. Our friends might write
that they covered certain events on Dalits and that media was fair in
reporting but the fact is ( I was one of the very few who did a survey
on Delhi=92s English media=92s reporting during the height of anti mandal
violence in 1990) and it reflected caste mindset of our media... they
not only reported the events in exaggeration but also instigated the
students to resort to self suicide. One of the missionaries editor who
is today championing the cause of Hindutva, was among the topmost
criminal who did everything to deny the backward classes their
legitimate right by instigating violence..By what face does he claim to
represent the majority of the country when he deny the backward classes
and other Bahujan, about 85% of so-called Hindu population, their
legitimate right. That time, I
came to understand the manipulation of media and their editorial desk.
It was shame. The Dalits and other oppressed have lost faith in India=92s
media and they are being used as a tool.. Otherwise, how many Dalits and
backwards classes working in Indian Media ? Will any one give us details
?

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