[sacw] SACW #2 | 24 Jan. 02

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire #2 | 24 January 2002

------------------------------------------

#1. GLOBAL VIGIL FOR PEACE BETWEEN PAKISTAN AND INDIA Karachi (27 January 2=
002)
#2. PRESS STATEMENT by All India Christian Council
#3. India: Temple and terror: BJP's twin peaks
- VHP poised to install prefabricated house of prayer
- Masjid phobia: BJP's electoral battering ram
#4. India: As War goes in hiding, BJP resurface Rama in UP's=20
electoral battle: (V.B.Rawat)
#5. South Asia Worst Governed In The World

________________________

#1.

GLOBAL VIGIL FOR PEACE BETWEEN PAKISTAN AND INDIA

Organized worldwide under the banner: People for Peace Between=20
Pakistan and India
In Karachi: Joint Action Committee for Peace
When: Sunday, January 27, 2002 5.30p.m.-6.30p.m.
Where: Karachi Press Club

Background: Distressed at the continued threat of violence in South=20
Asia and by chances of a nuclear holocaust annihilating millions in=20
both countries and endangering the whole world:
Peace-loving people and groups in Pakistan and India, and the world=20
over are arranging
SIMULTANEOUS PEACE VIGILS in India and Pakistan, and around the world=20
on the last Sunday of every month between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. (local=20
time) under the banner of "People for Peace Between Pakistan and=20
India".

Memorandum:

We urge the governments of both Pakistan and India to
1. Open up all communication and travel links between the two countries.
2. Immediately sign a No War Pact.
3. Set up a Permanent Dialogue Process for continued and=20
uninterrupted negotiations to settle all outstanding issues=20
(including the issues of i) Kashmir, by also involving the people of=20
Kashmir on both sides of the border, ii) cross border terrorism,=20
etc.).
4. End and reverse the nuclear weapons race; actively engage in=20
Global Nuclear Disarmament initiatives.
5. Immediately establish trade and commerce links.

We call upon all peace-loving people to come to this candle-light=20
vigil and we request you to sign on the above memorandum.

PLEASE COME TO THE SIMULTANEOUS GLOBAL PEACE VIGIL. BRING ALONG YOUR
FAMILY AND FRIENDS. PLEASE COME AND STAND UP FOR PEACE.

(ends)

_____

#2.

ALL INDIA CHRISTIAN COUNCIL
79/B I&II Floors, Street 8, West Marredpally, Secunderabad, Andhra=20
Pradesh [India]
http://www.indianchristians.org
email: <mailto:aicc@i...>aicc@i...

President: Dr Joseph D=92 Souza Secretary General: Dr. John =
Dayal

or further information, please contact
Dr John Dayal: 09811021072

Prime Minister, UP Chief minister, National leaders must condemn=20
politically obscene attempt to put up Dara Singh as candidate for=20
Assembly seat

PRESS STATEMENT
January 23nd 2002
(The following is the text of the statement issued by Dr John Dayal,=20
Secretary General, of the All India Christian Council after a One-day=20
meeting of Christian leaders of Uttar Pradesh on the eve of the third=20
anniversary of the brutal burning alive of Dr Graham Stuart Staines=20
and his sons Timothy and Phillip by a mob led by Dara Singh in Orissa)

The Christian community in the country is shocked and repulsed at the=20
announcement by a political group that that they will field Dara=20
Singh as their candidate from an Uttar Pradesh Assembly constituency=20
in Ghaziabad, near the national capital of New Delhi.

The All India Christian Council is also disturbed that though=20
newspapers, national and international Television channels have=20
widely reported this, there has been utter silence on the part of=20
national leaders of the ruling political parties. Nor has the Uttar=20
Pradesh Chief Minister and others expressed their indignation at this=20
brazen move to pervert and vitiate the secular character of the=20
democratic electoral process.

This is a political obscenity that should move every decent citizen=20
in the entire nation and provoke a sense of repugnance. The self=20
styled Krantikari Manuvadi Morcha with its avowed Hindutva agenda has=20
taken pride in the fact that Dara Singh, a Bajrang Dal activisist=20
burnt alive the Staines, who was working for the welfare of leprosy=20
patients, his children, Catholic priest Father Arul Doss and trader=20
Mujibur Rahman. The aggressive and threatening statements and=20
actions of this action should invite the strictest action from the=20
government.

The Christian Council calls upon the Election Commission and the=20
Chief Election Commissioner to impose a ban on the Morcha and on all=20
similar organisations that are threatening the minorities and=20
spreading communalism specially in the elections to the Uttar Pradesh=20
Assembly.

The Christian Council has already expressed its deep apprehensions at=20
the activities of the Sangh Parivar in various parts of the country,=20
and specially in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Orissa and=20
Jharkhand. It was strict action by the Madhya Pradesh government=20
that prevented any untoward incident during the anti-Christian rally=20
organised last week in the Adivasi-majority district of Jhabua by the=20
Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh wing Seva Bharati. The top RSS leadership=20
continued to mouth the most vicious and malicious propaganda against=20
the Christian community. It was a message of coercion and threat they=20
sent out by holding the meeting in Jhabua, scene of the infamous mass=20
rape of Catholic nuns three years ago.

In recent months, more than 3.5 lakh trishuls, machined as weapons=20
and not as innocuous religious symbols, have been distributed in the=20
Rajasthan area. In Madhya Pradesh, the Sangh has announced the=20
setting up of 3.5 lakh Devals, or family temples. These areas are=20
already penetrated by Sangh=92s Shishu mandirs manned by RSS cadres.=20
These schools follow a curricula and textual material, which is=20
outside the pail of any academic and public scrutiny, blatantly=20
rewrites history, and poisons young minds.

Taken together, these actions constitute a well thought out strategy=20
to polarize and communalise the tribal society in the state of Madhya=20
Pradesh and also in the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Orissa,=20
Jharkand and Chhatisgarh to serve the political agenda of the Sangh=20
Parivar. The Adivasis have strongly objected to these efforts to=20
obliterate their culture and their identity.

The Council has called upon the governments of the concerned states,=20
as also on the Central government to ensure that this insidious=20
conspiracy against the Adivasi identity is not allowed to succeed.

(Released to the Press by Dr. John Dayal for favour of publication)

______

#3.

Tehelka.com

Temple and terror: BJP's twin peaks

The party's single-point agenda is to win
the looming UP Assembly polls - whatever
the cost, reports Venkat Parsa
New Delhi, January 22
Terror and temple are the twin planks for the ruling Bharatiya Janata=20
Party (BJP), which is engaged in a do-or-die electoral battle in=20
Uttar Pradesh, where it is desperate to retain power, in the ensuing=20
Assembly elections slated to be held on February 14, 17 and 21. Prime=20
Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had declared that the outcome of the UP=20
Assembly elections would have a bearing on the Centre. The BJP=20
establishment is pulling out all the aces up its sleeve.
[...]
An election without the Ayodhya issue is an improbability. Vajpayee=20
and the BJP know as much. The BJP has left the religious mobilisation=20
to its affiliate, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). The VHP network of=20
sadhus and its no-holds-barred rhetoric enables it to derive maximum=20
mileage. The obvious beneficiary of the religious mobilisation is the=20
BJP. Even as the BJP is preparing to kick-start its electoral=20
campaign, the VHP is raising the pitch on the temple issue. [...] .
http://www.tehelka.com/channels/currentaffairs/2002/jan/22/ca012202up.htm

[Related Stories]

VHP poised to install prefabricated house of prayer
Now that the threat of war has been defused
by powers beyond its control, the Vishwa
Hindu Parishad is gearing up to revive the
temple card to woo voters for the coming UP Assembly elections, says=20
Venkat Parsa
New Delhi, January 21
With war clouds receding, the Sangh Parivar is now seeking to revive=20
the temple card. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), looking for an=20
alternate emotive theme, has started massive mobilisation to that=20
effect. The obvious beneficiary will be the ruling Bharatiya Janata=20
Party (BJP) in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. Work is on=20
at a frenetic pace to put in place a prefabricated temple at the=20
disputed site in Ayodhya.
http://www.tehelka.com/channels/currentaffairs/2002/jan/21/ca012102vhp.ht=
m

Masjid phobia: BJP's electoral battering ram

With the war hysteria subsiding, and bereft of a poll plank, the BJP=20
has decided to revive the Ram temple issue just before the UP=20
Assembly elections, says Zafar Agha - but will it work this time?
http://www.tehelka.com/channels/currentaffairs/2002/jan/21/ca012102BJP.htm=
=20
=09=20

______

#4.

[23 January 2002 ]

As War goes in hiding, BJP resurface Rama in UP's electoral battle: By
V.B.Rawat

As the war against terrorism recede in the back ground thanks to intense US
pressure and the major diplomatic failure of the current central government
bring embarrassment to the country, the Hindutva brigade again want to brin=
g
back Ram for the UP's electoral battle. A CSDS-NDTV survey clearly indicate=
s
UP voter's preference for Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav, though these surveys and
polls should not affect the political battle as BJP and Hindutva brigade is
expert in Surveys and media relations and in the coming days we will get
more surveys regarding UP poll. UP has an immense value for the central
government and Vajpayee government may collapse under its own weight if UP
goes against BJP and hence every effort is being made to get back to UP.

In fact, 'War against terrorism' had a clear political motivation. The prim=
e
minister and BJP particularly wanted to project themselves as a 'strong'
leader of a 'strong' nation but unfortunately Pakistan's geo-political
importance does not give Indian establishment to manipulate. The war cry ar=
e
now faded and the Hindutva forces are watching in their utter dismay how
this government has been brought to knees by the US. In comparison Pakistan
has made much sensible statement making them look as a much mature nation
than us. Since the War is not going to happen and Pakistan's government is
looking more reasonable then us, it may go against the BJP and Hindutva
forces in UP. It is a great policy failure hence the VHP and its other
allied organizations are now adamant to build a temple in Ayodhya despite
'prime minister's' call for keeping a moratorium on the contentious issues
for certain period. Though the prime minister said in Parliament that he is
speaking with different groups to resolve the Ayodhya crisis yet he did not
reveal what was his agenda and who were the people he was speaking with.
Immediately after that most of the Muslim organization related to the
Ayodhya dispute denied having spoken to the government regarding settlement
of Ayodhya issue.

Despite a very sensible and matured response from the Muslim leadership in
Uttar-Pradesh, the VHP and RSS did not dilute their hard anti-Muslim tones.
'Abhee to bas yeh Jhanki hai, Kashi-Mathura baki hai' are not the slogans o=
f
the past but still echo in the Sangh meetings and Bajrang dal's campaigns i=
n
UP. Not only this, they have been training their cadres and a camp was
organized in Lucknow some years ago in which Sangh cadres were being traine=
d
in dealing with arms and gun. When the UP government was informed about
this, Lalji Tandon gave them a certificate of 'patriotism' and said that
there was nothing wrong in training to defend themselves. One does not know
what is wrong if Dalits and Muslims turn themselves for training in guns an=
d
arms. But the same government will term them as Naxalites and the ISI agent=
.
The state also saw riots in Kanpur in March last year and the Muslims of th=
e
city have not forgotten how a communalized administration treated them as a
citizen of an alien nation and made a hell of their lives. The trauma of th=
e
riot victims will not end without the responsible leadership of the state
getting a lesson. The condition of Dalits has worsened in the state and
attack on their livelihood continued during the tenure of this government.
Moreover, in its most blatant manner to divide the dalit and backward
communities, the government decided to appoint a commission for the benefit
of most backward communities and most dalit communities while there was no
jobs in the government sector and factories like scooter India were closed
in Lucknow. With an all out failure, the chief minister tried to take on
'corruption' in the government which he presided over last two years and hi=
s
party in the last five years, through all the crooked means and
wheeling-dealing. But people of the state understand well that such 'fight
against corruption' are only election oriented and that chief minister and
his party failed to deliver and hence attack on Parliament came as a boon
for the party. It wanted to 'nationalise' the state and tell the people tha=
t
only BJP and its allies were 'national' and all those who were questioning
the government were anti-national. Then POTO was repromulgated with the hel=
p
of Congress, a party which is very happy in the company of Bhartiya Janata
Party then in the company of 'rural castiest' Mulayam and Mayawati. The aim
of these nationalistic postures and POTO and the likes of laws were to
humiliate the Muslims and provoke them to speak against them and polarize
the state polity but that did not happen. POTO is being opposed by every
right thinking person including human rights activists, academics, dalit
activists and even some of the upper castes. If there is any sufficient cas=
e
of POTO, the first should be lodged against the Sangh Parivar and its
cultural guardians who take law and order in their own hand.

With the September 11th attack being communalized by the west, it seem that
the Sangh's ideologues now want to exploit the situation in their favor to
build a Ram temple in Ayodhya. Strangely enough, barring a few political
leaders, none of our so-called secular political columnists as well as
leaders have ever questioned the 'patriotism' of Sangh Parivar and their
motives in harassing the minorities in India. Ashok Singhal went on a holy
trip to all states and made it a point to meet Mamata Bannerjee,
Jayalalitha, Sharad Pawar and George Fernandez. The aim is clear. To
legitimize themselves from the so-called secular brigade. According to
Giriraj Kishore, who issued a statement in the press, that except for Shara=
d
Pawar each of these political leaders has supported the idea of having a Ra=
m
temple in Ayodhya. Now this is a crucial statement and need to be further
elaborated as what is the Sangh strategy.

Those who have been studying the communalization of Indian polity know well
that there is one school of thought in this country, which consider that a
Hindu cannot be communal and he is the best guarantee of secularism in
India. Only Hindu will speak for others and if the minority community speak=
s
for its own right then they are cleverly termed as communal. Hence Christia=
n
groups, Muslims groups exclusively working for Muslims become communal
according to this philosophy. India's political secularism has been a deepl=
y
flawed policy for helping the upper caste Hindus. Congress used it as a car=
d
to extract votes from the minorities by showing the fear of RSS but could
not challenge the Hindutva forces socially. Similar things are happening at
the moment with Hindutva forces trying to legitimize themselves from the
'secular' forces of the likes of George, Ajit, Mamata and Jaya. When Ashok
Singhal visited Chennai, Karunanidhi declined to meet him while Jayalalitha
met him with great affection. George RSS leaning is no stranger at the
moment and does not deserved to discussed here. Ajit Singh, the man
represent his jat community in UP and want to create a 'Harit Pradesh', for
the Jat hegemony. And without the support of BJP he would not be able to ge=
t
a seat. Hence these political seculars are a compulsion for each other.
Singhal and his ilk are harping on anti-Muslim feelings of the masses as
well as political compulsions of Mamata, Jaya, George and Ajit Singh and if
they support the cause of Ram temple in Ayodhya then it will be political
victory for the BJP. This author has long been arguing that it is not that
politics of BJP is communal, in fact the entire history of Congress Party
reflect a communal bias in favor of upper caste Hindus. BJP was sidelined a=
s
long as congress truly served the interest of caste Hindus but as soon as
the upper caste Hindus felt that congress now is not in a position to
protect their 'interests', they switched their loyalties to Hindutva.

The interesting part of the story is that at the moment is that pretence of
being different organizations in the Hindutva camp. Thus BJP would always
say that their agenda is different than that of VHP and Bajrang Dal while
both defend each other when the time comes. The cultural policing campaign
in Uttar-Pradesh launched by Bajrangies and VHP men got wide support from
the BJP and state adamantly supported them and did not take any action
against the antisocial element who harassed people. Now, they have started
the ' rhetorical' nationalist posture against anti-national elements. One
can assume who they will call anti national and with Musharraf's historical
speech making Vajpayee almost calm, the Sangh has got another handle to
humiliate the Muslims. When Musharraf can take action against Madarasas why
not the Indian government, they say. So the Sangh steal every strategy from
the 'secular' forces. Now they have unleashed a campaign that Madarasas are
terrorist center and government must take action against them while clearly
condoning their own Shakhas and schools, which preach hatred towards the
minority communities.

In the anti-emergency movement, Jai Prakash Naraian legitimized the Sangh
Parivar and they got into the mainstream. In 1989, they join VP Singh's wav=
e
and reached a new height and now they are gaining because of power Hungary
politicians in the so-called secular camp. The VHP know it well that this i=
s
their last time to fight the battle for the temple as if BJP is humiliated
in UP than their ultimate project of Ram temple will finish. They are not
afraid of the congress government but in the true sense they are afraid of
Mulayam Singh Yadav, who will not allow them to function in UP and will be
ruthless like Laloo Yadav in Bihar, though both of them have been high in
rhetoric. And UP's battle is ultimately the deciding factor of the central
government's future with regional leaders are feeling deeply unease over
inept handling of various issues. With all out failures of the government,
the UP BJP has nothing to offer to the people. It has no issue of
nationalism after the infamous coffin gate. It has almost buckled under the
American pressure and eaten its own word. Today the government looks
isolated internationally and a de-escalation of Indian army from the border
will ultimately deeply hurt the morale of the Sangh Cadre who were jumping
that India will now teach Pakistan a lesson. All of them seem to be subdued
at the moment due to international pressure building on India that their wa=
r
cries are now looked down upon internationally. In fact many international
newspapers and TV channels clearly said that Vajpayee's war cries are meant
to satisfy his BJP cadre who face an uphill task in the UP elections. Now i=
t
become difficult for the Sangh to go in UP poll with their deflated pride
and hence it is important to bring back Rama. Though they have been always
speaking of Ram temple and cannot ignore this issue whether it fetch them
votes or not. Question of brining Rama back to the UP election is basically
aimed at humiliating minorities and co-opting the Dalits and backward
classes into the BJP vote bank as they have continuously been rejecting
parties various soaps.

Chief Minister Rajnath Singh is working on many fronts. On the one hand he
is approaching the most backward and Dalit communities and on the other han=
d
is making tall promises with the government employees. The electricity
situation is worsened in the state and crime graph shooting up. Attacks on
minorities and dalits remain unabated thus making Rajnath Singh a worried
man. At the farmer's front the government has failed miserably and people
know well how this government just compromised with nation's economic
sovereignty at the international forums and made loud noises about the
interests of the poor countries and finally succumbing to international
pressure. Despite all the cries of the government, the BJP had to
accommodate a large number of allies and the ministry was too big for an
already crippled economy of the state. Hence a party which clearly has
nothing to offer to the people is ultimately bringing back to Rama in the
people's court in its desperate hope to come back to power. Now the people
of the state are well verse with 'chal, charitra aur chehra' of the party
and have realized that the Sangh is not even interested in making a temple
at Ayodhya but continue to harp on it at the time of elections otherwise wh=
y
the timing of the temple construction activity was kept during March. Just
to make the atmosphere in UP as hot and change the issue of the election to
Ram verses non Ram, thus denying the people a right to vote the government
on the basis of their choice.

But, it will be too na=EFve to expect the people of the state to vote in th=
at
pattern. Events suggest that ultimately caste equation will dominate the
state and whoever has a better equation will win. And that is the reason wh=
y
the BJP want a hard dose of nationalism and Ram together so that UP is not
slipped from its hand and it remain safe at the center but then one has to
wait for out come of the elections as whether people rejected their
manipulations or not. However the signs are that the party is feeling
jittery and clearly it does not consider this election as a referendum to
the governance of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. If that is not the case then why th=
e
party is harping on the 'national issue'. So there is clear fear in the
party about its performance in UP and its clear indication internally that
despite patriotism and nationalism added by call to Ayodhya's Ram temple,
the party may not be able to form the government and hence to avoid any
uncomfortable situation later its leader are terming that UP poll will not
be a referendum on the working of the central government. Let Ram be at
Ayodhya and Pakistan at South Block, if Rajnath Singh consider it as a vote
for his governance. Let him go to the people on the performance of his
government in the state and leave aside the saffron brigade and its
manipulative tactics to subvert the electoral verdict and divert people's
attention. IN the electoral politics there should not be any place for Ram
and Rahim and the only thing that matter is governance and that should be
the criteria for the elections in UP.

For the so-called seculars there is a lesson from UP which is ' not to
believe' in the change of heart of the Hindutva brigade because they just
wait for the right opportunity. Hence a Kalyan Singh despite his bad
mouthing for Vajpayee remains committed to Ram temple and Sakshi Maharaj,
who campaigned for Mulayam Singh Yadav, is now back in Ram's saddle and say=
s
he will work against Samajwadi Party. Party politics has created a deep
resentment among the people and legitimized the non-party political actors
like RSS and VHP. It gave them strength to unleash their agenda. It is now
time for a real ideological political alternative of the Sangh brigade
otherwise Sangh Parivar's Ram will crush all the so-called secular forces.
The worrisome part is the danger to the plural polity of the country which
these 'secular politicians' never bothered in their lure of power as
secularism is not just mingling of all the scoundrels from every religion
and caste but a way of life for millions of Indians who have to regularly
interact with each other and help each other irrespective caste and religio=
n
and who are interdependent on each other.
______

#5

South Asia Worst Governed In The World:
In 1999, Mahbub Ul Haque Human Development Center in Pakistan,=20
prepared a report
that underscores the crisis of Governance as the main source of an=20
inefficient and inequitable deployment of resources and crippling=20
debt burdens to this region. 'South Asian
systems of Governance are increasingly becoming unresponsive and irrelevant
to the needs and concerns of the vast majority of region's population'. The
report says, "With life so insecure and liberty so vulnerable, South Asia
is in need of a new compact between people and the state...".
http://www.undp.org.np/news/dec3.htm

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

SACW is an informal, independent & non-profit citizens wire service run by
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