Quantcast
Channel: My story Troubled Galaxy Destroyed dreams
Viewing all 6050 articles
Browse latest View live

NSA and FBI fight to retain spy powers as surveillance law nears expiration

0
0
 NSA and FBI fight to retain spy powers as surveillance law nears expiration
News Updates from CLG
16 April 2015
 
Previous edition: FBI accused of whitewashing Saudi Arabian involvement in 9/11 attacks
Note: We are not sending doubles. The list-serve has a technical problem (again) and will (again) be fixed. Apologies to those who receive two copies of each CLG Newsletter.
 
NSA and FBI fight to retain spy powers as surveillance law nears expiration| 15 April 2015 | With about 45 days remaining before a major post-9/11 surveillance authorization expires, representatives of the National Security Agency and the FBI are taking to Capitol Hill to convince legislators to preserve their sweeping spy powers. That effort effectively re-inaugurates a surveillance debate in Congress that has spent much of 2015 behind closed doors. Within days, congressional sources tell the Guardian, the premiere NSA reform bill of the last Congress, known as the USA Freedom Act, is set for reintroduction -- and this time, some former supporters fear the latest version of the bill will squander an opportunity for even broader surveillance reform.
 
The NSA wants tech companies to give it 'front door' access to encrypted data --NSA director suggested tech companies could provide an encryption key in pieces | 12 April 2015 | The National Security Agency is embroiled in a battle with tech companies over access to encrypted data that would allow it to spy (more easily) on millions of Americans and international citizens. The NSA continues to parade the idea that the government needs access to encrypted data on smartphones and other devices to track and prevent criminal activity...NSA director Michael S. Rogers says he might have a solution. During a recent speech at Princeton University, Rogers suggested tech companies could create a master multi-part encryption key capable of unlocking any device, The Washington Postreports. That way, if the key were broken into pieces, no single person would have the ability to use it.
 
Four Blackwater guards sentenced in Iraq shootings of 31 unarmed civilians | 13 April 2015 | A federal judge in Washington handed down prison terms of 30 years to life behind bars to four Blackwater Worldwide guardsconvicted in a deadly 2007 shooting that killed 14 unarmed Iraqis and injured others in a Baghdad traffic circle. U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth sentenced Nicholas A. Slatten of Sparta, Tenn., to life in prison. Slatten is the only of the four guards convicted of murder in the incident, in which American security contractors [mercenaries] fired assault rifles and grenades into halted noonday traffic, a low point of the U.S. war in Iraq that sent relations between the two countries into a crisis.
 
US paratroops convoy to western Ukraine for 'training mission' | 13 April 2015 | U.S. paratroopers have arrived in Ukraine for Operation Fearless Guardian, a six-month effort to train Ukraine's newly established national guard force [of Nazis, war criminals, and terrorists]. The first troops from the 173rd Airborne Brigade arrived Friday in western Ukraine, delivering military cargo after completing a 1,100-mile convoy from their home station in Vicenza, Italy, the Army said. The convoy of 50 paratroops and 25 vehicles traveled through Austria, Germany and Poland before arriving in Yavoriv, Ukraine. About 300 U.S. soldiers will deploy for the effort, which centers on training three battalions of Ukrainian troops in a range of infantry tactics.
 
US strategic military transport aircraft lands west of Ukraine | 11 April 2015 | Today, 11 April, a US strategic Lockheed C-5 military transport aircraft landed in the airport of Lviv, west of Ukraine. The pictures were published on the city's Fb page.
 
US, UK thank Russia for evacuation of their citizens from Yemen | 13 April 2015 | The British Foreign Office, as well as the US Secretary of State, have thanked Moscow for the evacuation of their citizens from war-torn Yemen, as Russian planes and ships take hundreds of Russian and foreign nationals from the conflict zone. In a phone conversation with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, US Secretary of State John Kerry "expressed gratitude for assistance in evacuation of American citizens" from Yemen, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in statement on Monday.
 
NATO ships arrive in Scotland for massive joint exercises | 11 April 2015 | NATO's Standing Naval Forces have arrived in Scotland for the largest-ever Joint Warrior Drill, which will include 50 ships, 70 aircraft and 13,000 personnel from 14 countries. The biannual military drills will be conducted between the 11 and 24 April, according to a statement released by the alliance. The aim of the exercises is to provide complex and coordinated training between military forces from various countries and to integrate land and maritime forces. They will also have an anti-terrorist dimension.
 
Obama Endorses Removing Cuba From Terrorism List | 14 April 2015 | The White House announced on Tuesday that President Obama intends to remove Cuba from the American government's list of nations that sponsor terrorism, eliminating a major obstacle to the restoration of diplomatic relations after decades of hostilities. The decision to remove Cuba from the list is a crucial step in Mr. Obama's effort to turn the page on a Cold War-era dispute...For more than 30 years, Cuba has been on the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism, a designation shared only by Iran, Sudan and Syria [when it should instead be shared by the US, Israel, and Saudi Arabia].
 
20 killed in bomb attacks in, around Baghdad | 14 April 2105 | At least 20 Iraqi people have reportedly lost their lives in a wave of bomb attacks in and around the capital, Baghdad. According to Iraqi police sources, at least seven Iraqi individuals lost their lives in a car bomb attack in a commercial area in the town of Mahmoudiyah, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of Baghdad. As many as thirteen people, who were in line to buy bread in the area, sustained injuries as well. Another four civilians were killed and 10 others suffered injuries in a separate bomb attack in a parking lot outside Baghdad's Yarmouk hospital, the police sources added.
 
Railways Police Commissioner warns of 26/11-like attack in Mumbai; IB issues alert | 14 April 2015 | There is a possibility of another 26/11 like attack in Mumbai in the next 2-3 months according to the Intelligence Bureau which issued an alert for the city after the Railways Police Commissioner wrote to the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) warning of a terror strike. The Railways Police Commissioner letter claims that 8-10 Pakistani terrorists will enter Mumbai through the sea route and target railway stations and hotels. The IB alert said that terrorists will be from Lashkar-e-Toiba and are expected to be suicide bombers. All states and airports have now been put on high alert following the alert.
 
Copter pilot says he emailed to White House before flying | 15 April 2105 | Doug Hughes, who flew his small helicopter over restricted airspace, over the US Capitol in Washington on Wednesday, was apparently expected to do so according to police in the area but they thought that he "would land on the east side of the capital," opposite to where he landed prior to being arrested. Right before flying his gyrocopter over Congress, Hughes announced on a website, "My flight is not a secret. Before I took off, I sent an Email to info at barackobama dot com. The letter is intended to persuade the guardians of the Capitol that I am not a threat and that shooting me down will be a bigger headache than letting me deliver these letters to Congress."
 
Helicopter lands on West Front lawn of US Capitol, building goes into lockdown | 15 April 2015 | A major security breach occurred on Wednesdayafternoon when a small helicopter landed on the US Capitol West Front lawn. The Capitol building went into lockdown as the single-seat craft came to a halt and disbelieving members of the public watched as police rushed to arrest the occupant. Bomb disposal teams moved in quickly afterwards and used remote controlled robots to check the small craft embossed with the US Postal Service logo for any potential explosives. The air space over the US Capitol and the White House is a no-fly zone and questions have already been raised as to how a small piloted aircraft could get so close to the president and the seat of the US Government.
 
Japan Court Halts Restart of Two Nuclear Reactors | 14 April 2015 | A Japanese court cited safety concerns in ordering a halt to plans to restart two nuclear reactors Tuesday, slowing progress toward a return to nuclear-generated electricity in Japan. The Fukui district court's injunction--the first against any nuclear plant in Japan--came as the government was poised to officially restore nuclear power as an important energy source, despite the opposition of a majority of Japanese. The injunction against the return to operation of reactors No. 3 and No. 4 at Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Takahama nuclear plant in western Fukui prefecture takes effect immediately.
 
Fukushima robot stranded after stalling inside reactor | 13 April 2015 | Decommissioning work at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has suffered a setback after a robot sent in to a damaged reactor to locate melted fuel stalled hours into its mission and had to be abandoned. The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), said the robot stopped moving on Friday during its first inspection of the containment vessel inside reactor No 1, one of the three reactors that suffered meltdown[s] after the plant was wrecked in March 2011. Tepco, which recently conceded that the technology for robots to retrieve the nuclear fuel had yet to be developed, said on Monday it would cut the cables to the stranded robot and postpone a similar inspection using a separate device.
 
New York's Hamilton College on Lockdown After Bomb, Shooter Threat | 13 April 2015 | A New York college was on lockdown Monday after threats of a bomb and shooter on campus, according to school officials. Hamilton College, in the town of Clinton in upstate New York, was first locked down at 11:21 a.m. ET and about two hours later, the South Campus was evacuated after a suspicious package was found. The package was investigated and wasn't found to be a threat, according to the school. But students and staff at the school were told to continue to shelter in place at 3:15 p.m. as police swept the Kirner-Johnson building, a large building on the northern part of the campus where the threats were first reported, according to the school.
 
N.C. College on Lockdown After 1 Shot Dead in Library; Gunman at Large | 13 April 2015 | Wayne Community College in Goldsboro, North Carolina, is on lockdown after one person was shot in the library, said Daniel Wiggins, assistant operations manager for Wayne County. The victim died, City Manager Scott Stevens said, adding that he does not think there are additional victims. The shooter is at large, Wiggins said.
 
Oklahoma deputy charged with manslaughter in fatal Tulsa shooting | 13 April 2015 | Oklahoma prosecutors charged a sheriff's reserve deputy with second-degree manslaughter on Monday in the fatal shooting of a black man this month in Tulsa, the most recent in a series of U.S. cases that have raised questions about race relations and policing. Reserve deputy Robert Bates, 73 and white, fatally shot Eric Harris, 44, an African-American, on April 2. Bates thought he was using a Taser instead of his gun, the Tulsa Sheriff's office said of the incident seen in a video released over the weekend.
 
US Forest Service investigates expired Nestle water permit | 11 April 2015 | The U.S. Forest Service is investigating an expired permit that Nestle [corpora-terrorists] has been using to draw water out of a national forest in Southern California for its bottled water business. An investigation by the Desert Sun found that Nestle Waters North America's permit to transport water across the San Bernardino National Forest expired in 1988. The water is piped across the national forest and loaded on trucks to a plant where it is bottled as Arrowhead 100 percent Mountain Spring Water. Environmentalists have raised concerns about the expired permit and the lack of government oversight in tracking the water being tapped amid the state's ongoing [fracking-, Nestle-, agribusiness-, and HAARP-induced] drought.
 
Marco Rubio, calling on new conservative generation, launches presidential run | 13 April 2015 | Marco Rubio stood Monday in the grand hall of Miami's Freedom Tower, the place where Cuban exiles were first welcomed into the United States, and declared himself the heir to their legacy as the newest candidate for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. Rubio, who rose from the obscure West Miami City Commission to the U.S. Senate in a mere dozen years, cast himself as a break from the past -- a message pointed directly at his onetime mentor and likely Republican rival Jeb Bush and Democrat Hillary Clinton, who unveiled her own presidential bid Sunday. He delivered a speech thin on policy details but aspirational in its message, repeating the personal narrative he has effectively deployed since becoming the first Cuban-American speaker of the Florida House of Representatives.
 
Chris Christie's big presidential idea: torch Social Security | 14 April 2015 | Chris Christie, trying desperately to keep his presidential hopes alive, wants to look bold, and he's not above throwing millions of elderly Americans under his campaign bus to do so. That's the only conceivable explanation for the New Jersey Republican governor's misinformed and dangerous proposals to "fix" Social Security. In his big campaign speech delivered Tuesday in New Hampshire, Christie showed that he doesn't understand what Social Security is for, why it exists, how it's funded, or who gets benefits and why. [See: $45 Billion in U.S. Tax Dollars Goes Missing in Afghanistan - Audit 1 April 2015.]
 
U.S. Congress approves means-testing of Medicare beneficiaries | 14 April 2015 | Congress on Tuesday approved a bill to repair the formula for reimbursing Medicare physicians, marking a rare bipartisan achievement [sic] just in time to head off a 21 percent cut in the doctors' pay. Final action came as the Senate voted 92-8 to approve the so-called "doc fix". The bill now goes to President Barack Obama, and he is expected to sign it into law. The measure was drafted last month by Republican House Speaker John Boehner and Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. The bill would also require means-testing of Medicare beneficiaries so higher inc-me people pay higher premi-ms.
 
Well, knock me over with a medium-sized feather! Denver TSA agents targeted 'attractive' passengers for pat-downs -authorities | 14 April 2015 | The Transportation Security Administration has fired two screeners at Denver's international airport who schemed to conduct pat-down searches on attractive male passengers, officials said on Tuesday. The sackings follow a number of controversies over the screening of passengers at U.S. airports since 2010, when the agency adopted heightened security measures including full body imaging and pat downs. In November, a TSA employee tipped off the agency that a male screener at the airport told her he groped male passengers he found attractive, according to a Denver police report.

538's Nate Silver to Vox: Quit Stealing Our Charts [LOL!] | 13 April 2014 | Numbers guru Nate Silver accused news [sic] site Vox dot com of repurposing its maps without attribution on Twitter Monday, saying only "about 20%" of the maps the outlet tweets out are original. Silver similarly accused Vox of lifting charts without crediting the authors.

This Australian Clinic for Orphaned Bats is Adorable | 05 April 2015 | TheAustralian Bat Clinic & Wildlife Trauma Centre, founded by American-born Terry Wimberle, aims to help these flying mammals, which can sometimes end up orphaned or in need of immediate care after being plagued with mites, suffering in extreme heat, or having run-ins with barbed wire, among other terrible things. Baby bats love to be held; they cling to their mothers, who then wrap their wings around them. Orphans lack the security of a winged embrace, so the clinic swaddles the babies. 
 
*****
CLG needs your support.
Or, please mail a check or m*ney order to CLG: 
Citizens for Legitimate Government (CLG) 
P.O. Box 1142 
Bristol, CT 06011-1142 
Contributions to CLG are not tax deductible.

Arrest the Rapist campaign in Sonbhadra UP going on 10th day: rapist kalwant aggarwal effigy burnt

0
0
Arrest the Rapist campaign in Sonbhadra UP going on 10th day: rapist kalwant aggarwal effigy burnt 

Arrest the Rapist campaign in Sonbhadra going on 10th day: rapist kalwant aggarwal effigy burnt : SP Shiv shanker yadav sonbhadra says that he has gone to jail once for three months cant be sent again. women are outraged with the response of the SP and staging dharna outside dm office. 
d
Shobha along with her three daughters and many women have continue their dharna against arresting the rapist and constructing her house. SP govt is cracking down on dalit and tribal in UP, atrocities have increased more.





Roma Malik's photo.
Roma Malik's photo.
Roma Malik's photo.
Roma Malik's photo.
Roma Malik's photo.

-- 
Ms. Roma ( Adv)
Dy. Gen Sec, All India Union of Forest Working People(AIUFWP) /
Secretary, New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI)
Coordinator, Human Rights Law Center
c/o Sh. Vinod Kesari, Near Sarita Printing Press,
Tagore Nagar
Robertsganj, 
District Sonbhadra 231216
Uttar Pradesh
Tel : 91-9415233583, 
Email : romasnb@gmail.com
http://jansangarsh.blogspot.com

Delhi off - C/o NTUI, B-137, Dayanand Colony, Lajpat Nr. Phase 4, NewDelhi - 110024, Ph - 011-26214538

: Kanhar police firing Urgent Alert: Police firing in Kanhar dam on protesting people against illegal aquisition early morning today in Sonbhadra, UP

0
0
Dear all, 

There is very good news from the front of protesting people who have stopped the work of illegal construction of Kanhar Dam being proposed in river Pangan and Kanhar in Duddhi Tehsil of Sonbhadra district UP. The newspapers are reporting that the injured Aklu Chero is from 36garh but he is from sundari village of Sonbhdara UP. Pl see the reports below also from 36garh. yesterday more than seven thousand people were on the dam site and have freezed the area. Police force has retreated, DM called activists for talks. Some NGO's gram swarajaya samiti of Dudhi hobnobbing with administration forcing people to withdraw the agitation.Today in the morning the wyndamganj police station police came to take out the JCB machines from the dam site area. People have done complete blockade and said that they will not budge till the CBI inquiry in police firing is done and FIR done on the officials who did the firing. And also to completely expose the big scam in Kanhar dam project.  The movement is now under the complete control of of triibal women and dalit leadership

15th April : very  interesting development took place since yesterday's shooting by the Police. As  community members started joining the dharna in large numbers from villages to be affected by the dam, PAC( provincial armed constabulary) force left the scene while UP Police force from different police stations was stationed surrounding the site where more than 2000 women and men were sitting in the dharna. The police force was stopping people who were coming in groups to join the assembly but they managed to reach the site of dharna gradually. Construction activities and blasting were totally stopped due to the dharna . Most interestingly as the evening was drawing and as rain started quite surprisingly the entire police force was withdrawn. Even the forces who came from different police stations went back to their own stations. One wondered whether it was a strategic retreat or acceptance of defeat. So, the people remained very alert throughout the night to check any attack from the police or mafias in the night.But nothing of that sort happened and the night passed off peacefully. However, in the late night it was confirmed that the police was actually withdrawn from the site to avoid any confrontation.District Magistrate was not in HQ since the 10th April and Additional District Magistrate did not want to take any responsibility for a strong police action or any negotiation. Till now police force has not come back at the dam site and they are stationed at a camp in a near by govt. training institute. Meanwhile D.M has returned today in the district H.Q.He called Com. Roma, Deputy General Secretary, AIUFWP and invited her for a negotiation. But Roma said that now he has to negotiate with the community leaders first who are very angry with the administration as they created a violent situation by firing and attacking the women protesters yesterday morning. They are demanding punishment of involved police officials and a CBI inquiry on the uncalled police attack on peaceful demonstrators. Further, the work in the dam site has to be officially stopped. After some initial hesitations D.M. has agreed to go to the site to have a dialogue with the agitating people lead by Sukalo Gaund, Gambhira Prasad, Shi Prasad, Devkali, Bhagmani, Rajkumari.Other important movement groups from Kaimur region like Mahan Sangharsh Samiti, Singrauli have also joined the protest today. The D.M. has also been informed that a high level delegation from the Land Right Movement Alliance will be reaching Sonbhadra on 18th April and would have a direct talk with the dist administration.  Let us hope that some positive result will come up now. It seems that the struggle against land acquisition for Kanhar Dam project is on way to victory. Long live the victory of People's Struggle! 
Ashok Choudhary
Gen. Secretary           
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Vijendra Aznabi <Vijendra@oxfamindia.org>
Date: 15 April 2015 at 17:24
Subject: Urgent Alert: Police firing in Kanhar dam on protesting people against illegal aquisition early morning today in Sonbhadra, UP
To: Roma <romasnb@gmail.com>


Dear Roma di,
Its really unfortunate and highly condemnable action by the insensitive bureaucracy on the eve of Ambedkar Jayanti, when protestor were peacefully demanding social justice. 
Local papers in Chhattisagrh covered the news. I am pasting below one such report published in Nai Dunia today. According the paper, the person who critically injured is from Chhattisgarh. His name as published is Akalu Pando,and appeared to be from Pando community, recognised as equivalent to PVTG. Hope, you must be getting updated information on it. 
In Solidarity
Vijendra


http://naiduniaepaper.jagran.com/Article_detail.aspx?id=21087&boxid=452032&ed_date=2015-4-15&ed_code=50&ed_page=1


http://naiduniaepaper.jagran.com/Article_detail.aspx?id=21101&boxid=13952&ed_date=2015-4-15&ed_code=50&ed_page=6

http://naiduniaepaper.jagran.com/Article_detail.aspx?id=21091&boxid=4814&ed_date=2015-4-15&ed_code=50&ed_page=13

Vijendra Aznabi
Programme Officer - Economic Justice
Oxfam India

First Floor, 8 Udyaan Marg
Choubey Colony, Raipur - 492 001
Chhattisgarh.
Phone: +91-771-4218088, 4218188 Exn.214, Mobile: +91-9589092464
You can follow us on: 
Oxfamindia.orgFacebookTwitter

বাংলাদেশি হিন্দুদের ভারতে ঠাঁই দিতে বিল

0
0
বাংলাদেশি হিন্দুদের ভারতে ঠাঁই দিতে বিল

রঞ্জন বসু, দিল্লি॥

বাংলাদেশ বা পাকিস্তান থেকে যে হিন্দু শরণার্থীরা ভারতে আশ্রয় নিতে আসবেন, তাদের পুনর্বাসনের জন্য একটি বিল পেশ করার কথা বিবেচনা করছে ভারতের বিজেপি সরকার। স্বরাষ্ট্রমন্ত্রী রাজনাথ সিংয়ের বাসভবনে বিজেপির শীর্ষস্থানীয় নেতামন্ত্রীদের নিয়ে এ ব্যাপারে ইতোমধ্যেই এক দফা বৈঠক হয়েছে।

হিন্দুত্ববাদী দল বিজেপির বরাবরের নীতি হল, প্রতিবেশী দেশ থেকে যে হিন্দুরা ভারতে আশ্রয় নিতে আসবেন তারা তাদের চোখে শরণার্থী। কিন্তু মুসলিমরা ভারতে ঢুকলে তারা অবৈধ অনুপ্রবেশকারী বলে চিহ্নিত হবেন। এই নীতিকে তারা মোটেই 'পলিটিক্যালি ইনকারেক্ট'বলে মনে করে না, বরং কোনও রাখঢাক না করেই বিজেপি নেতারা তাদের এই হিন্দুপ্রীতির বড়াই করে থাকেন। যার ফলশ্রুতি এই প্রস্তাবিত হিন্দু পুনর্বাসন বিল।

বস্তুত প্রধানমন্ত্রী হওয়ার আগে নরেন্দ্র মোদিও একাধিক জনসভায় বলেছেন, 'পৃথিবীর যে কোনও দেশ থেকে হিন্দুদের যদি বিতাড়িত হতে হয় তাহলে তাদের যাওয়ার জায়গা আছে একটাই, সেটা হল ভারত। ফলে হিন্দুরা এলে ভারতকে তাদের আশ্রয় দিতেই হবে। ভারতের কোনও রাজ্যই তাদের থেকে মুখ ফিরিয়ে থাকতে পারবে না!'

আসামে ওই একই জনসভায় তিনি আবার এমন কথাও বলেছেন, বাংলাদেশ থেকে আসা অনুপ্রবেশকারীদের ঠেলায় কাজিরাঙা অরণ্যের গন্ডারও নাকি ঘরছাড়া হচ্ছে! এই অনুপ্রবেশকারী বলতে যে মুসলিমদেরই বোঝানো হচ্ছে, সেটা অবশ্যই বলার অপেক্ষা রাখে না।

তো এখন এই হিন্দু শরণার্থীদের ভারতে আশ্রয় দেওয়ার বিষয়টিকে পাকাপাকি একটা চেহারা দিতেই কেন্দ্রের বিজেপি সরকার তাদের পুনর্বাসনের জন্য নতুন একটি বিল পাস করাতে চাইছে। এই বিল যদি ভারতের পার্লামেন্টে অনুমোদিত হয়, তাহলে বিদেশ থেকে ভারতে আসা হিন্দুরা এদেশে বসবাসের আইনি অধিকার পাবেন। বিজেপি দেশের ক্ষমতায় থাকুক বা না থাকুক তাতেও কিছু আসবে যাবে না। 'বিদেশি'হিন্দুদের অধিকার ভারতে সুরক্ষিতই থাকবে।

বিলটি আনার জন্য বিজেপির ওপর তাদের অভিভাবক আরএসএস বা রাষ্ট্রীয় স্বয়ংসেবক সঙ্ঘেরও অবশ্য বেশ চাপ আছে। সঙ্ঘের একটি উচ্চপদস্থ সূত্র বাংলা ট্রিবিউনকে জানিয়েছেন, 'বিলটি দ্রুত পার্লামেন্টে আনা দরকার, কারণ পাকিস্তান থেকে স্বল্পমেয়াদি ভিসা নিয়ে আসা বেশ কয়েক হাজার হিন্দু এখন ভারতে এসে আর ফিরতে চাইছেন না। রাজস্থান বা দিল্লির বিভিন্ন শিবিরে তাদের মানবেতর জীবন কাটাতে হচ্ছে!'

বস্তুত পাকিস্তানি হিন্দুদের (ও শিখ) কথা ভেবেই বিলটি এত তড়িঘড়ি আনার জন্য উদ্যোগ নিয়েছে সরকার। তবে বিলটি পাস হলে অবশ্যই বাংলাদেশ থেকে আসা হিন্দু পরিবারগুলোও এর সুবিধা পাবেন।

গত সপ্তাহে স্বরাষ্ট্রমন্ত্রী রাজনাথ সিংয়ের বাসভবনে এই বিল নিয়ে আলোচনা করতে যে বৈঠক ডাকা হয়েছিল সেখানে অর্থমন্ত্রী অরুণ জেটলি, পররাষ্ট্রমন্ত্রী সুষমা স্বরাজ ছাড়াও নীতিন গডকড়ি, ভেঙ্কাইয়া নাইডু, রবিশঙ্কর প্রসাদসহ বিজেপির প্রথম সারির সব ক্যাবিনেট মন্ত্রীই হাজির ছিলেন। ছিলেন দলের প্রবল শক্তিশালী প্রেসিডেন্ট অমিত শাহও। আরএসএসের দিক থেকে বৈঠকে প্রতিনিধিত্ব করেন সঙ্ঘের নেতা কৃষ্ণগোপাল ও রামলাল (যিনি এখন বিজেপিতে ডেপুটেশনে)।

বৈঠকে বিলটি আনার প্রয়োজন নিয়ে একমত হয়েছেন সকলেই। তবে পুনর্বাসনে কী কী বিধান রাখা হবে, হিন্দু শরণার্থীদের কীভাবে ভারতের নাগরিকত্ব দেওয়া হবে তা নিয়ে এখনও বেশ কিছু আলোচনার অবকাশ আছে বলে জানা গেছে।

প্রস্তাবিত এই বিলের চেহারা কীরকম হতে পারে, সেটা নিয়ে বাংলা ট্রিবিউন যা জানতে পেরেছে তা এরকম:

(১) পাকিস্তান বা বাংলাদেশ থেকে আসা হিন্দুরাই এই পুনর্বাসনের জন্য আবেদন করতে পারবেন। আবেদনপত্রে তাদের জানাতে হবে, কেন তারা নিজের দেশ ছেড়ে চলে আসতে বাধ্য হয়েছেন।

(২) এই হিন্দুদের ভারতীয় নাগরিকত্ব দেওয়ার জন্য ভারত তাদের জন্য নাগরিকত্ব আইনও কিছুটা শিথিল করবে। যেমন, কোনও হিন্দু শরণার্থীর সন্তান যদি বাবা-মার পাসপোর্টে ভারতে ঢুকে থাকে, তাহলে নিজের (বাংলাদেশি/পাকিস্তানি) পাসপোর্ট না থাকা সত্ত্বেও সে ভারতীয় নাগরিকত্বের জন্য আবেদন করতে পারবে।

(৩) সবচেয়ে বড় কথা, এই পুনর্বাসনের দায়িত্ব ভাগ করে নিতে হবে দেশের প্রতিটি রাজ্যকেই। অর্থাৎ, বাংলাদেশ থেকে হিন্দুরা এলে শুধু সীমান্তবর্তী পশ্চিমবঙ্গ-আসাম-ত্রিপুরাতেই তাদের থাকতে হবে, কিংবা পকিস্তান থেকে হিন্দুরা সীমান্ত পেরোলে রাজস্থানের জয়সলমীর-যোধপুরেই তাতের ঠাঁই হবে ব্যাপারটা মোটেই সেরকম হবে না।

সোজা কথায়, বিলে এমন বিধান থাকবে যাতে মধ্যপ্রদেশ-কর্নাটক-তেলেঙ্গানা-অন্ধ্র বা হিমাচলের মতো সীমান্ত লাগোয়া নয়, এমন রাজ্যগুলোতেও হিন্দু শরণার্থীদের পুনর্বাসনের ব্যবস্থা করা যায়। ফলে দেশের সব রাজ্যই এই হিন্দুদের জমিজায়গা দেওয়ার বা রুটিরুজির ব্যবস্থা করার জন্য দায়বদ্ধ থাকবে। বোঝাটা শুধু সীমান্তবর্তী রাজ্যগুলোর ওপর পড়বে না।

এই বিল যখনই পাস হোক, বাংলাদেশের হিন্দু জনসংখ্যার যে অংশটা সে দেশে নানাভাবে নির্যাতিত হচ্ছে বলে বিজেপি মনে করছে, তাদের জন্য ভারতে অন্তত একটা ভরসার জায়গা তৈরি করা যাবে বলেই দলের নেতৃত্বের ধারণা।

বিজেপির এক শীর্ষস্থানীয় নেতার কথায়, 'কাগজে-কলমে আমরা হিন্দুরাষ্ট্র না হতে পারি, সারা বিশ্বের হিন্দুদের জন্য শেষ রাষ্ট্র যে একটাই সেটা তো আমরা প্রমাণ করতে পারব!'

http://www.banglatribune.com/%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%82%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A6%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B6%E0%A6%BF-%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A6%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%A6%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%AD%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%A4

__._,_.___

Article 17

0
0
तीस्ता के साथ फोर्ड को लपेटने का वार
APR 15 , 2015
भाषा सिंह <http://www.outlookhindi.com/author/language-singh->
 
<http://facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.outlookhindi.com%2Fcountry%2Findia%2Fwith-teesta-ford-also-firing-target-1532&t=>
<http://twitter.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.outlookhindi.com%2Fcountry%2Findia%2Fwith-teesta-ford-also-firing-target-1532&text=%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BE+%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%87+%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A5+%E0%A4%AB%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A1+%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8B+%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%9F%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%87+%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BE+%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0>
<https://plus.google.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.outlookhindi.com%2Fcountry%2Findia%2Fwith-teesta-ford-also-firing-target-1532>
संजय रावत
"गुजरात सरकार के लिए परेशानी खड़ी करने का साहस रखने वाली मानवाधिकार
कार्यकर्ता तीस्ता सीतलवाड़ के लिए मुश्किलें खत्म होने का नाम नहीं ले रहीं।
उनकी संस्था को आर्थिक सहयोग करने वाली अमेरिका की संस्था फोर्ड के खिलाफ
केंद्र सरकार ने मोर्चा खोल दिया है। "
 
केंद्र सरकार ने फोर्ड पर देश के भीतरी मामलों में हस्तक्षेप करने और
सांप्रदायिक सौहार्द को भंग करने का आरोप लगाया है। ग्रीनपीस के बाद केंद्र
सरकार की इस कार्यवाई को विरोध में उठी आवाजों को दबाने की कड़ी में देखा जा
रहा है।
 
गुजरात सरकार द्वारा केंद्रीय गृह मंत्रालय को पत्र लिखकर यह कहा गया था कि
सबरंग ट्रस्ट और सीटिजनस फॉर जस्टिस एंड पीस (सीजेपी) ने विदेशी मुद्रा नियमन
कानून (एफसीआरए) का उल्लंघन किया है और इसकी जांच होनी चाहिए। संस्था से
प्राप्त जानकारी के मुताबिक यह जांच संबंधित विभाग के वरिष्ठ अधिकारियों ने कर
ली है और वे संस्था द्वारा मुहैया कराए दस्तावेजों से संतुष्ट है।
 
सबरंग ट्रस्ट और सीजेपी द्वारा जारी विज्ञप्ति के अनुसार ६ अप्रैल से ८ अप्रैल
तक और ९-११ अप्रैल तक एफसीआरए विभाग की निगरानी इकाई के चार वरिष्ठ अधिकारियों
ने दोनों संस्थाओं के तमाम दस्तावेजों, खातों की जांच की। जांच में सीजेपी और
सबरंग ट्रस्ट के कार्यकारी पदाधिकारियों में तीस्ता सीतलवाड और जावेद आनंद
मौजूद रहे और जांच में सहयोग किया। गुजरात सरकार ने केंद्र सरकार को जो पत्र
लिखा उसमें यह कहा गया है कि तीस्ता सीतलवाड और जावेद आनंद विदेश में भारत की
छवि खराब कर रहे है।
 
एक बात साफ दिखाई दे रही है कि तीस्ता के मामले में केंद्र सरकार पूरा शिकंजा
कस रही है। अगर सुप्रीम कोर्ट से तीस्ता को राहत न मिली होती तो शायद आज
स्थिति ही दूसरी होती। अब सीधे-सीधे तीस्ता सिलवाड को फंड देने वाली
अंतर्राष्ट्रीय संस्था को निशाने का मकसद साफ है कि ऐसा कोई काम बर्दाश्त नहीं
है जो सत्ता के हितों के खिलाफ जाता हो। और फिर तीस्ता ने 2002 गुजरात नरसंहार
से जुड़े मामलों में जिस तरह से तत्कालीन गुजरात सरकार को घेरा था, उसे मोदी
सरकार के लिए भूलना भी मुश्किल है।
 
 
 
 
 
-- 
Teesta Setalvad
'Nirant', Juhu Tara Road,
Juhu, Mumbai - 400 049
 
http://teestasetalvad.blogspot.com/
www.cjponline.org
www.gujarat-riots.com
www.sabrang.com

Why Sesachalam Killings Is A Fake Encounter

0
0
Dear Friend,

If you think the content of this news letter is critical for the dignified living and survival of humanity and other species on earth, please forward it to your friends and spread the word. It's time for humanity to come together as one family! You can subscribe to our news letter here http://www.countercurrents.org/subscribe.htm. You can also follow us on twitter, http://twitter.com/countercurrents and on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/countercurrents

In Solidarity
Binu Mathew
Editor
www.countercurrents.org


Why Sesachalam Killings Is A Fake Encounter
By Ajmal Khan

http://www.countercurrents.org/khan150415.htm

After the third day Coordination of Democratic Rights Organisations team which included this writer visited the place from where the bodies were found, they had also spoke to the families of victims and different government officials who were concerned. The team made very remarkable observations like the part of the forest where the encounter took place had no red sanders. There are no red sander trees within many kilometers of the site. Only twenty dead bodies were recovered (along with a few logs). Which begs the question, what happened to the rest? Where are the injured? Where are the arrestees? What happened to the many logs that they were supposed to have been carrying?. Blood stains are only found on the spots where the bodies were lying. There are no random blood marks on the ground, as one would expect in a random firing. There are no bullet marks anywhere on the encounter sites. No bullet holes on trees, the clay mounds or on the ground. In the 'random' firing every
 single
bullet seems to have found it's mark - the upper body of the victims. (In fact, media reports say, quoting both the witnesses who saw the bodies and the doctor who conducted the autopsy, that the bullet injuries are primarily on the upper body and the shots have been fired at close range.)


UN Imposes Arms Embargo On Rebels As Yemen Slaughter Continues
By Niles Williamson

http://www.countercurrents.org/williamson150415.htm

The UN Security Council voted on Tuesday to impose an arms embargo on leading members of the Houthi militia as well as Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh, the son of former longtime dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh. The resolution was passed with 14 votes in favor and Russia abstaining. The text of the embargo was drafted by Jordan, a nonpermanent member of the Security Council. The Jordanian monarchy is actively participating in the anti-Houthi air assault in Yemen being spearheaded by Saudi Arabia


Coal Is Dying All By Itself
By Tim McDonnell

http://www.countercurrents.org/mcdonnel150415.htm

Coal, the No. 1 cause of climate change, is dying. Last year saw a record number of coal plant retirements in the United States, and a study last week from Duke University found that Even China, which produces and consumes more coal than the rest of the world put together, is expected to hit peak coal use within a decade, in order to meet its promise to President Barack Obama to reduce its carbon emissions starting in 2030


The Storm Is Over
By Kathy Kelly

http://www.countercurrents.org/kelly150415.htm

The other storms will come, and we will have to see how we weather them, but what if our terrible fear of each other could pass us by? What if, for those of us doing the easiest time, "I can't do 3 more years" became "I won't make you do 3 more years" - became our part in a chorused "we won't do 3 more years!" ringing through our society. How miraculous it would be to hold our children and grand-children and sing, "I think that we can make it. The storm is over now."


Do Something, Anything: Naming And Shaming In Yarmouk
By Ramzy Baroud

http://www.countercurrents.org/baroud150415.htm

The population of Syria's Palestinian Refugee Camp, Yarmouk - whose population once exceeded 250,000, dwindling throughout the Syrian civil war to 18,000 - are a microcosm of the story of a whole nation, whose perpetual pain shames us all, none excluded


Will Washington Kill Us All?
By Paul Craig Roberts

http://www.countercurrents.org/roberts150415.htm

The American people and the entire world need to understand that the threat to life on earth resides in Washington and that until Washington is fundamentally and totally changed, this threat will remain as the worse threat to life on earth. Global Warming can disappear instantly in Nuclear Winter

Putting The Real Story Of Energy And The Economy Together
By Gail Tverberg

http://www.countercurrents.org/tverberg150415.htm

In my view, the real story of energy and the economy is much less favorable than either of these views. It is a story of oil limits that will make themselves known as financial limits, quite possibly in the near term—perhaps in as little time as a few months or years. Our underlying problem is diminishing returns—it takes more and more effort (hours of workers' time and quantities of resources), to produce essentially the same goods and services


Sri Lanka: Deterioration Of The Legal Intellect: IV
By Basil Fernando

http://www.countercurrents.org/fernando150415.htm

A determination issued by the United Nation's Human Rights Committee on 1stApril 2015, reveals extraordinary failures on the part of Sri Lankan State agencies – the police, the forensic pathologist, the Attorney General, and the Supreme Court – regarding a custodial death that took place at the Moragahahena Police Station on 26th July 2003


Codemening The Attacks By Maoists On Security Forces In Bastar
By PUCL

http://www.countercurrents.org/pucl150415.htm

Statement of PUCL Chhattisgarh on the recent attacks on security forces by Maoists

#Kill Golden Bird# mAKING dOLLAR dESTINY OF EVERY iNDIAN,for US interests Modi is Obama`s Man of the moment Obama writes article about PM Modi in Time magazine, calls him 'India's reformer-in-chief' Palash Biswas

0
0

#Kill Golden Bird#

mAKING dOLLAR dESTINY OF EVERY iNDIAN,for US interests Modi is Obama`s Man of the moment

Obama writes article about PM Modi in Time magazine, calls him 'India's reformer-in-chief'


Palash Biswas

US president Barack Obama has written about Narendra Modi in TIME magazine, talking about his rise in politics from a tea seller to India's Prime Minister.Obama has also lauded Modi's vision of taking India on the path of growth and plans to elevate millions from clutches of poverty among other things.

#Kill Golden Bird#

India is not only linked to Dollar,not only US weapon and retail companies have access to Indian emerging market,the road ahead seems to be complete Dollar raj India decides to make Rupee fully conevrtible.No wonder that in a sign of warm personal friendship, US President Barack Obama has written a profile for Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Time magazine as it named the Indian leader among the 100 most influential people in the world.For US interests Modi is Obama`s Man of the moment.


The global fascist Hindutva is strategically aligned with the Zionist Global order managed by United States of America and Israel and the President of United States of America is well aware of the RSS Fascist agenda of Making India free of Non Hindu,the cent percent Hindutva.


However,neither United States of America and Israel who lead the war against terror in which India is a partner,has any problem whatsoever.


The Hidnu Rashtra is going to be a joint venture of United States of America and Israel.


It should be understood,giving clean chit to Modi in Gujarat Genocide America chose this man to relaunch dollar which has to die sooner or later.Modi made Dollar the destiny of every Indian.


Taking over the monetary management from Reserve bank Of India,SEBI is turning out to become the greatest Ponzi institution and the market in not only which small and medium investors put their stakes,but every Indian Citizen knowingly or unknowingly have to be the part of the greatest ever casino,is managed by intermediaries who have enough expertise to transfer the money into selected pockets.


To ensure free constant flow of foreign intersts an foreign capital,to make this entire country a Killing fienld for aborigin Indian majority demography with racial apartheid,to make it a nuclear reactor,fully converted Rupee is the ultimate disaster as it would make Indian economy dependent on the liquidity and free flow of foreign capital as well as currency.As the oil economy is breaking down ,no one on this earth would be sure of the fate of the curencies specifically that of Dollar.


Thus, in the profile titled 'India's reformer-in-chief', Obama has described Modi's life story "from poverty to Prime Minister" as one that reflects the dynamism and potential of India's rise.


"Today, he's the leader of the world's largest democracy, and his life story—from poverty to Prime Minister—reflects the dynamism and potential of India's rise," Obama said.


"Determined to help more Indians follow in his path, he's laid out an ambitious vision to reduce extreme poverty, improve education, empower women and girls and unleash India's true economic potential while confronting climate change. "Like India, he transcends the ancient and the modern—a devotee of yoga who connects with Indian citizens on Twitter and imagines a 'digital India'," the US President wrote. Obama recalled Modi's visit to Washington last year when both the leaders visited the memorial to Dr Martin Luther King Junior, an American civil rights activist.


"We reflected on the teachings of King and Gandhi and how the diversity of backgrounds and faiths in our countries is a strength we have to protect. Prime Minister Modi recognises that more than 1 billion Indians living and succeeding together can be an inspiring model for the world," Obama said.


Apart from Modi, ICICI Chief Chanda Kochchar and Vikram Patel, co-founder of the NGO Sangath and the Centre for Global Mental Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, have also been named to the annual list of the most influential people in the world "who are shaping the future."


Business-Standard reports:

Minister of state for finance Jayant Sinha on Wednesday batted for full capital account convertibility of the rupee.


"If India wants to be a global economy, then the capital account convertibility is needed," he said at a conference on the National Pension System. He also noted the market feeling that it was not needed right now.


Reserve Bank governor Raghuram Rajan had last week said the rupee might become fully convertible over the next few years. India has current account convertibility, more or less, but not capital account convertibility for the rupee.


"My hope is we will get to full capital account convertibility in a short number of years," Rajan had said.


He'd added the central bank was fairly open to the inflow of foreign funds but there were a few areas such as debt (short-term flows) in which it preferred tight control.


Many analysts have credited RBI for its policy of partial capital control, which helped it tide over the impact of the currency meltdown, which had hit many Southeast Asian economies with full capital convertibility in 1997-98.


However, unlike those countries, India did not have a higher proportion of foreign short-term debt in its loan portfolio. That crisis erupted since those countries took short-term external debt and used these for long-gestation infrastructure projects.


In fact, data issued by the finance ministry earlier this month had shown that short-term debt to the overall total fell to 18.5 per cent as on end-December 2014 against 20.5 per cent at end-March 2014. In absolute terms, short-term external debt was $85.6 billion at end-December, a fall of 6.7 per cent from the level at end-March


In May-August 2013 as well, capital control helped the country withstand the effects of speculation of the US Federal Reserve tapering its monetary stimulus programme, despite India seeing as much as $20 bn being pulled out by foreign investors.


After big-bang economic reforms in 1991, the government and RBI have been progressively lifting curbs on capital flows.


http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/jayant-sinha-pitches-for-full-rupee-convertibility-115041500236_1.html



Following is the text published in the magazine:

As a boy, Narendra Modi helped his father sell tea to support their family. Today, he's the leader of the world's largest democracy, and his life story - from poverty to Prime Minister—reflects the dynamism and potential of India's rise.

Determined to help more Indians follow in his path, he's laid out an ambitious vision to reduce extreme poverty, improve education, empower women and girls and unleash India's true economic potential while confronting climate change. Like India, he transcends the ancient and the modern - a devotee of yoga who connects with Indian citizens on Twitter and imagines a 'digital India'.

When he came to Washington, Narendra and I visited the memorial to Dr Martin Luther King Jr, we reflected on the teachings of King and Gandhi and how the diversity of backgrounds and faiths in our countries is a strength we have to protect. Prime Minister Modi recognizes that more than 1 billion Indians living and succeeding together can be an inspiring model for the world.

PM Modi was recently voted among the 100 most influential people in the world in an online poll by readers of Time magazine.

On his part, PM Modi thanked the US President for 'touching and inspiring' words and tweeted about Obama's write-up in the magazine.

Syed Akbaruddin, official spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs, too tweeted about it saying: "A leader writes about another. President Barack Obama writes about PM Modi."

Modi stormed to power in May 2014 after leading BJP to majority in the General Elections with 282 seats on its own.

The BJP-led NDA won 335 seats in the Lok Sabha.

Modi had led the campaign from the front launching a blistering attack on ten years of Congress-led UPA government rule.

The Congress managed to win only 44 seats in the Lower House, ending with worst ever figures in General Elections.


#Kill Golden Bird# mAKING dOLLAR dESTINY OF EVERY iNDIAN,for US interests Modi is Obama`s Man of the moment Obama writes article about PM Modi in Time magazine, calls him 'India's reformer-in-chief' Palash Biswas

0
0

#Kill Golden Bird#

mAKING dOLLAR dESTINY OF EVERY iNDIAN,for US interests Modi is Obama`s Man of the moment

Obama writes article about PM Modi in Time magazine, calls him 'India's reformer-in-chief'


Palash Biswas

US president Barack Obama has written about Narendra Modi in TIME magazine, talking about his rise in politics from a tea seller to India's Prime Minister.Obama has also lauded Modi's vision of taking India on the path of growth and plans to elevate millions from clutches of poverty among other things.

#Kill Golden Bird#

India is not only linked to Dollar,not only US weapon and retail companies have access to Indian emerging market,the road ahead seems to be complete Dollar raj India decides to make Rupee fully conevrtible.No wonder that in a sign of warm personal friendship, US President Barack Obama has written a profile for Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Time magazine as it named the Indian leader among the 100 most influential people in the world.For US interests Modi is Obama`s Man of the moment.


The global fascist Hindutva is strategically aligned with the Zionist Global order managed by United States of America and Israel and the President of United States of America is well aware of the RSS Fascist agenda of Making India free of Non Hindu,the cent percent Hindutva.


However,neither United States of America and Israel who lead the war against terror in which India is a partner,has any problem whatsoever.


The Hidnu Rashtra is going to be a joint venture of United States of America and Israel.


It should be understood,giving clean chit to Modi in Gujarat Genocide America chose this man to relaunch dollar which has to die sooner or later.Modi made Dollar the destiny of every Indian.


Taking over the monetary management from Reserve bank Of India,SEBI is turning out to become the greatest Ponzi institution and the market in not only which small and medium investors put their stakes,but every Indian Citizen knowingly or unknowingly have to be the part of the greatest ever casino,is managed by intermediaries who have enough expertise to transfer the money into selected pockets.


To ensure free constant flow of foreign intersts an foreign capital,to make this entire country a Killing fienld for aborigin Indian majority demography with racial apartheid,to make it a nuclear reactor,fully converted Rupee is the ultimate disaster as it would make Indian economy dependent on the liquidity and free flow of foreign capital as well as currency.As the oil economy is breaking down ,no one on this earth would be sure of the fate of the curencies specifically that of Dollar.


Thus, in the profile titled 'India's reformer-in-chief', Obama has described Modi's life story "from poverty to Prime Minister" as one that reflects the dynamism and potential of India's rise.


"Today, he's the leader of the world's largest democracy, and his life story—from poverty to Prime Minister—reflects the dynamism and potential of India's rise," Obama said.


"Determined to help more Indians follow in his path, he's laid out an ambitious vision to reduce extreme poverty, improve education, empower women and girls and unleash India's true economic potential while confronting climate change. "Like India, he transcends the ancient and the modern—a devotee of yoga who connects with Indian citizens on Twitter and imagines a 'digital India'," the US President wrote. Obama recalled Modi's visit to Washington last year when both the leaders visited the memorial to Dr Martin Luther King Junior, an American civil rights activist.


"We reflected on the teachings of King and Gandhi and how the diversity of backgrounds and faiths in our countries is a strength we have to protect. Prime Minister Modi recognises that more than 1 billion Indians living and succeeding together can be an inspiring model for the world," Obama said.


Apart from Modi, ICICI Chief Chanda Kochchar and Vikram Patel, co-founder of the NGO Sangath and the Centre for Global Mental Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, have also been named to the annual list of the most influential people in the world "who are shaping the future."


Business-Standard reports:

Minister of state for finance Jayant Sinha on Wednesday batted for full capital account convertibility of the rupee.


"If India wants to be a global economy, then the capital account convertibility is needed," he said at a conference on the National Pension System. He also noted the market feeling that it was not needed right now.


Reserve Bank governor Raghuram Rajan had last week said the rupee might become fully convertible over the next few years. India has current account convertibility, more or less, but not capital account convertibility for the rupee.


"My hope is we will get to full capital account convertibility in a short number of years," Rajan had said.


He'd added the central bank was fairly open to the inflow of foreign funds but there were a few areas such as debt (short-term flows) in which it preferred tight control.


Many analysts have credited RBI for its policy of partial capital control, which helped it tide over the impact of the currency meltdown, which had hit many Southeast Asian economies with full capital convertibility in 1997-98.


However, unlike those countries, India did not have a higher proportion of foreign short-term debt in its loan portfolio. That crisis erupted since those countries took short-term external debt and used these for long-gestation infrastructure projects.


In fact, data issued by the finance ministry earlier this month had shown that short-term debt to the overall total fell to 18.5 per cent as on end-December 2014 against 20.5 per cent at end-March 2014. In absolute terms, short-term external debt was $85.6 billion at end-December, a fall of 6.7 per cent from the level at end-March


In May-August 2013 as well, capital control helped the country withstand the effects of speculation of the US Federal Reserve tapering its monetary stimulus programme, despite India seeing as much as $20 bn being pulled out by foreign investors.


After big-bang economic reforms in 1991, the government and RBI have been progressively lifting curbs on capital flows.


http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/jayant-sinha-pitches-for-full-rupee-convertibility-115041500236_1.html



Following is the text published in the magazine:

As a boy, Narendra Modi helped his father sell tea to support their family. Today, he's the leader of the world's largest democracy, and his life story - from poverty to Prime Minister—reflects the dynamism and potential of India's rise.

Determined to help more Indians follow in his path, he's laid out an ambitious vision to reduce extreme poverty, improve education, empower women and girls and unleash India's true economic potential while confronting climate change. Like India, he transcends the ancient and the modern - a devotee of yoga who connects with Indian citizens on Twitter and imagines a 'digital India'.

When he came to Washington, Narendra and I visited the memorial to Dr Martin Luther King Jr, we reflected on the teachings of King and Gandhi and how the diversity of backgrounds and faiths in our countries is a strength we have to protect. Prime Minister Modi recognizes that more than 1 billion Indians living and succeeding together can be an inspiring model for the world.

PM Modi was recently voted among the 100 most influential people in the world in an online poll by readers of Time magazine.

On his part, PM Modi thanked the US President for 'touching and inspiring' words and tweeted about Obama's write-up in the magazine.

Syed Akbaruddin, official spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs, too tweeted about it saying: "A leader writes about another. President Barack Obama writes about PM Modi."

Modi stormed to power in May 2014 after leading BJP to majority in the General Elections with 282 seats on its own.

The BJP-led NDA won 335 seats in the Lok Sabha.

Modi had led the campaign from the front launching a blistering attack on ten years of Congress-led UPA government rule.

The Congress managed to win only 44 seats in the Lower House, ending with worst ever figures in General Elections.



क्रांतिकारी मराठी अनियतकालिक ‘स्‍फुलिंग’चा एप्रिल 2015 अंक

0
0

क्रांतिकारी मराठी अनियतकालिक 'स्‍फुलिंग'चा एप्रिल 2015 अंक
http://sfuling.com/archives/234
प्रिय वाचक,
अतिशय गतिमान परंतु विषम विकासाच्या या काळात अनेक समस्यांनी आपले सामाजिक जीवन ग्रासले आहे. गुंतागुंतीच्या परिस्थितीमुळे या समस्यांची सोडवणूक अधिकाधिक कठिण बनते आहे. अशा वेळी सर्वच क्षेत्रांमध्ये सशक्त आणि समृद्ध वैचारिक लढे उभारणे नितांत गरजेचे आहे हे कोणीही विचार करणारी व्यक्ती सहजच समजू शकते. याच उद्देशाने 'स्फुलिंग'हे अनियतकालिक आम्ही सुरू केले असून कोणत्याही प्रकारचे सरकारी आर्थिक साहाय्य अथवा उद्योजक-व्यापाऱ्यांच्या मदतीच्या कुबड्या न घेता पूर्णपणे सुजाण वाचक आणि प्रागतिक विचारांशी बांधिलकी राखणाऱ्या व्यक्तींच्या बळावर हे अनियतकालिक चालविण्याचा आमचा संकल्प आहे.
एप्रिल २०१५ मध्ये प्रकाशित करण्यात आलेल्या 'स्फुलिंग'च्या दुसऱ्या अंकाची ई-कॉपी आपणास पाठविताना आम्हांला आनंद होत आहे. या अनियतकालिकाचा हेतू जपण्यासाठी तसेच पुढच्या वाटचालीसाठी आम्हांला अधिकाधिक लोकांच्या सहभागाची, त्यांच्या सूचनांची गरज आहे. 'स्फुलिंग'च्या या अंकावर आपली प्रतिक्रिया तसेच पुढच्या अंकांसाठी आपल्या सूचना जाणून घेण्यास आम्ही उत्सुक आहोत.
या अनियतकालिकाची सदस्यसंख्या वाढविण्यासाठी तसेच ते अधिकाधिक लोकांपर्यंत पोहोचविण्यासाठी आपण त्याचे सदस्यत्व घेणे व आपल्या मित्रांनाही देणे आवश्यक आहे. आपण या अनियतकालिकाची हार्ड कॉपी आपल्या घरी मागवू इच्छित असाल तर आपण आपला पत्ता आम्हांस जरूर कळवावा.
'स्फुलिंग'चे सदस्यत्व मूल्य चार अंकांसाठी रु. १०० व आठ अंकासाठी रु. २०० एवढे निश्चित करण्यात आले आहे. आमची आपणांस विनंती आहे की स्फुलिंगची ई-कॉपी पूर्णपणे मोफत उपलब्ध असली तरीही हे अनियतकालिक सुरळीत चालविता यावे याकरिता आपण त्याचे सदस्यत्व घ्यावे तसेच आर्थिक सहकार्यसुद्धा करावे. 'स्फुलिंग'चे नियमित वाचक बनून आपणही या वैचारिक मोहीमेत आमच्यासोबत सामील व्हावे, असे आमचे आपणास नम्र आवाहन आहे.
सदस्यत्व मूल्य जमा करण्यासाठी बँक खाते विवरण.
खातेधारकाचे नाव - नारायण खराडे
बचत खाते क्र. ०१९८००१०१०१९८१४,
कॉर्पोरेशन बँक, म्हापसा शाखा
आईएफएससी कोड - CORP0000198

संपादकीय कार्यालय : रुम नं. ७, धनलक्ष्मी कोऑ. हाउसिंग सोसायटी, प्लॉट नं. बी- १६, सेक्टर १२, खारघर, नवी मुंबई - ४१०२१०
मो.क्र.- ९७६९९०३५८९,९६१९०३९७९३
ईमेल - sfuling.mag@gmail.com
वेबसाइट - www.sfuling.com

आपल्या प्रतिसादाच्या प्रतिक्षेत,
क्रांतिकारी अभिवादनासह,

नारायण खराडे,
संपादक, 'स्फुलिंग'

अंतरंग

संपादकीय
चांगल्या दिवसांचे वास्तव आणि पर्यायाचा सवाल

प्रासंगिक
महाराष्ट्रात कामगार हितांवर घाला
दिल्ली मध्ये 'आम आदमी पक्षा'चा विजय आणि कष्टकरी जनतेसाठी काही धडे

समाज
भारतीय विज्ञान परिषद – वैज्ञानिक तर्कपद्धतीचे श्राद्ध घालण्याची तयारी
जवखेड दलित हत्याकांडाने पुन्हा उघडकीस आणले व्यवस्थेचे वास्तव
ढंढारी बलात्कार आणि हत्या प्रकरण – सामाजिक वास्तावाचे दर्शन

मीडिया
कॉर्पारेट भांडवली प्रसारमाध्यमांचे वर्चस्व आणि क्रांतिकारी वैकल्पिक प्रसारमाध्यमांसमोरील आव्हाने

आरोग्‍य
नफाखोर व्यवस्थेत प्रभावहीन ठरताहेत जीवन-रक्षक औषधे

जगाच्‍या पाठीवर
अमेरिकन सत्ताधाऱ्यांच्या पापाचे ओझे वाहते अमेरिकन सैनिक
'फॉक्सकॉन'च्या कामगारांचे नारकीय जीवन

इतिहास
युद्धखोर साम्राज्यवादाचे सिंहावलोकन

घडामोडी
सांप्रदायिक फासीवाद्यांचे जनतेत फूट पाडण्याचे प्रयत्न हाणून पाडा

सिनेमा
'गांधी'कार रिचर्ड अ‍ॅटनबरो यांना खुले पत्र

श्रद्धांजली
प्रा. तुलसीराम यांना 'स्‍फुलिंग'ची श्रद्धांजली
कॉम्रेड गोविंद पानसरेंच्या बलिदानानंतर…

साहित्‍य
कात्यायनी यांच्या निवडक कविता
किचाट – सुदेश जाधव यांची कथा
एका कामगाराच्या कविता
उद्धरण

चांगल्या दिवसांचे वास्तव आणि पर्यायाचा सवाल महाराष्ट्रात कामगार हितांवर घाला दिल्ली मध्ये 'आम आदमी पक्षा'चा विजय आणि कष्टकरी जनतेसाठी काही धडे जवखेड दलित हत्याकांडाने पुन्हा उघडकीस आणले व्यवस्थेचे वास्तव कॉर्पारेट भांडवली प्रसारमाध्यमांचे वर्चस्व आणि क्रांतिकारी वैकल्पिक प्रसारमाध्यमांसमोरील आव्हाने…
Like · Comment · Share

Ambedkar’s Ideology: Religion, Nationalism and Indian Constitution Ram Puniyani

0
0

Ambedkar's Ideology: Religion, Nationalism and Indian Constitution

Ram Puniyani

 

In order to gain larger legitimacy, RSS has been making claims of sorts. One of that which was made few months back was that Gandhi was impressed by functioning of RSS. Now on the heels of that comes another distortion that Ambedkar believed in Sangh ideology (Feb 15, 2015). This was stated by RSS Sarsanghchalak, Mohan Bhagwat. Recently on the occasion of Ambedkar's 124th anniversary many programs were held by RSS combine giving a pro-Hindutva tilt to presentation of Ambedkar.

There cannot be bigger contrasts between the ideology of Ambedkar and RSS. Ambedkar was for Indian Nationalism, Secularism and social justice while the RSS ideology is based on two major pillars. One is the Brahmanic interpretation of Hinduism and second is the concept of Hindu nationalism, Hindu Rashtra.

Where does Ambedkar stand as for as ideology of Hinduism is concerned? He called Hinduism as Brahminic theology. We also understand that Brahminism has been the dominant tendency within Hinduism. He realized that this prevalent version of Hinduism is essentially a caste system, which is the biggest tormentor of untouchables-dalits. Initially he tried to break the shackles of caste system from within the fold of Hinduism. He led the Chavadar Talab movement (right to access to public drinking water for dalits), Kalaram Mandir agitation (movement for access to temples). He also went on to burn Manu Smriti, the holy Brahmanic- Hindu text saying that it is a symbol of caste and gender hierarchy. His critique of Hinduism, Brahminism was scathing and in due course he came to the conclusion that he will give up Hinduism. In his book 'Riddles of Hinduism' published by Govt. of Maharashtra (1987) he elaborates his understanding about Hinduism i.e. its Brahmanical version. Introducing his book he writes, "The book is an exposition of the beliefs propounded by what might be called Brahminic theology...I want to make people aware that Hindu religion is not Sanatan (eternal)...the second purpose of the book is to draw the attention of Hindu masses to the devices of Brahmins and make them think for themselves how they have been deceived and misguided by Brahmins" (from Introduction of the book).

 

Ambedkar had started moving away from Hinduism in 1935 itself when he had publicly declared that he was not going to die as a Hindu. In 1936, he had attended the Sikh Missionary Conference as he had toyed for some time with the idea of embracing Sikhism. In 1936, Ambedkar also wrote and published Annihilation of Caste, his undelivered presidential address to the Jat-Pat-Todak Mandal Conference at Lahore. At the end of his written address, Ambedkar reiterated his resolve to give up Hinduism. (http://bihar.humanists.net/B.%20R.%20Ambedkar.htm)

 

He said "I have decided for myself. My conversion is sure as anything. My conversion is not for any material gain. There is nothing which I cannot achieve by remaining an Untouchable. My conversion is purely out of my spiritual attitude. The Hindu religion does not appeal to my conscience. It does not appeal to my self-respect. However, your conversion will be both for material as well as for spiritual gains. Some persons mock and laugh at the idea of conversion for material gain. I do not feel hesitant in calling such persons stupid." (http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00ambedkar/txt_ambedkar_salvation.html)

 

Lord Ram is the major symbol of Cultural Nationalism propounded by RSS. Let's see what Ambedkar has to say about Lord Ram, "The life of Sita simply did not count. What counted was his own personal name and fame. He of course does not take the manly course of stopping this gossip, which as a king he could do and which as husband who was convinced of his wife's innocence he was bound to it." And further, "For 12 years the boys lived in forest in Ashram of Valmiki not far from Ayodhya where Rama continued to rule. Never once in those 12 years this model Husband and living father cared to inquire what has happened to Sita whether she was alive or dead, ...Sita preferred to die rather than return to Ram who had behaved no better than a brute." The signals to the Dalits in Hindutva cultural Nationalism are more than glaringly obvious as the Lord demonstrates in his own life, "...he was a Shudra named Shambuk who was practicing Tapasya with a view to going to heaven in his own earthly person and without so much as a warning, expostulation or the like addressed to him, cut off his head..."(From Riddles of Rama and Krishna).

 

Ambedkar envisioned 'annihilation of caste', which remains unfulfilled despite India getting Independence. Multiple factors have operated in the society due to which caste still remains a major factor in India. In contrast to Ambedkar's 'Annihilation of Caste' the politics of RSS combine says that there should be 'harmony amongst different castes' and so they have formed an organization called 'Samajik Samrasta Manch' (Social Harmony Forum). Contrasting approach to social issues, Ambedkar and RSS!

 

Core of RSS political ideology is Hindutva or Hindu nationalism. Ambedkar engaged with this issue in much depth, particularly in his classic book 'Thoughts on Pakistan'. In this book he deals with the question of Hindu nationalism as represented by Savakar; the progenitor of RSS ideology of Hindu nation; and Jinnah, leading the ideology of Muslim nationalism, Pakistan. "Strange as it may appear Mr. Savarkar and Mr. Jinnah instead of being opposed to each other on the one nation versus two nations issue are in complete agreement about it. Both agree, not only agree but insist that there are two nations in India- one the Muslim nation and the other the Hindu nation." he continues, "They differ only as regards the terms and conditions on which the two nations should be. Jinnah says India should be cut up into two, Pakistan and Hindustan, the Muslim nation to occupy Pakistan and the Hindu nation to occupy Hindustan. Mr. Savarkar on the other hand insists that, although there are two nations in India, India shall not be divided into two parts, one for the Muslims and the other for Hindus; that the two nations shall dwell in one country and shall live under the mantle of one single constitution: that the constitution shall be such that the Hindu nation will be enabled to occupy a predominant position that is due to it and the Muslim nation to made to live in the position of subordinate co-operation with the Hindu nation." (Thoughts on Pakistan, Third section, chapter VII)

 

 

He was for composite Indian Nationalism, "Is it not a fact that under the Montague Chelmsford reforms in most provinces, if not in all, the Muslims, the non-Brahmins and Depressed Classes united together and worked for the reforms as members of one team from 1920 to 1937? Here in lay the most fruitful method of achieving communal harmony among Hindus and Muslims and of destroying the danger of Hindu Raj. Mr. Jinnah could have easily pursued this line. Nor was it difficult for Mr. Jinnah to succeed in it." (Thoughts on Pakistan, P. 359)

 

He was totally opposed to the concept of Hindu Raj as well. In the section "Must There Be Pakistan" he says, "If Hindu Raj does become a fact, it will, no doubt, be the greatest calamity for this country. No matter what the Hindus say, Hinduism is a menace to the liberty, equality and fraternity. On that account it is incompatible with democracy. Hindu Raj must be prevented at any cost." (http://ecumene.org/IIS/csss101.htm)

 

On all associated matters related to affirmative action for weaker sections of society, rights and status of religious minorities their positions are totally contrasting. Even in the matters of the very Constitution of India, Ambedkar was the chairman of its drafting committee while many a sections from RSS stable have called it as anti Hindu and need to bring in Hindu Constitution based on Indian Holy books. This attempt by Mr. Bhagwat is like putting wool in the eyes of people to achieve their political goals and to get legitimacy from amongst the sections of people who are deeply wedded to ideological values of Ambedkar. 


--
response only to ram.puniyani@gmail.com

বাংলাদেশে নিউজিল্যান্ডের গুপ্তচরবৃত্তি- তথ্য পায় যুক্তরাষ্ট্র বাংলাদেশ, ভারত GCSB's secret Bangladesh spy mission

0
0
বাংলাদেশে নিউজিল্যান্ডের গুপ্তচরবৃত্তি- তথ্য পায় যুক্তরাষ্ট্র বাংলাদেশ, ভারত

GCSB's secret Bangladesh spy mission

http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11433216

বাংলাদেশে এক দশকেরও বেশি সময় ধরে গুপ্তচরবৃত্তি চালাচ্ছে নিউজিল্যান্ড। দেশটির গভর্নমেন্ট কমিউনিকেশনস সিকিউরিটি ব্যুরো (জিসিএসবি) মার্কিন যুক্তরাষ্ট্রের হয়ে গোপন এ নজরদারি কার্যক্রম চালায়। মোবাইল যোগাযোগে আড়ি পাতার জন্য রাজধানী ঢাকাতেই রয়েছে বিশেষ এক স্থাপনা। এছাড়া তারা গোয়েন্দাগিরিতে প্রাপ্ত তথ্য আদান-প্রদান করেছে বাংলাদেশের নিরাপত্তা বাহিনীগুলোর সঙ্গে। অপরদিকে আবার র‌্যাবের নিজস্ব যোগাযোগ ব্যবস্থায়ও আড়ি পাতে সংস্থাটি। মার্কিন গোয়েন্দা সংস্থা এনএসএ'র গোপন নজরদারি কার্যক্রম ফাঁস করে দেয়া অ্যাডওয়ার্ড স্নোডেনের নতুন ফাঁস করা নথিতে উঠে এসেছে এসব তথ্য। এ নিয়ে নিউজিল্যান্ডের গণমাধ্যমগুলো গতকাল ছিল সরব।

নিউজিল্যান্ডের প্রভাবশালী দৈনিক দ্য নিউজিল্যান্ড হেরাল্ড মার্কিন সংবাদ ওয়েবসাইট দ্য ইন্টারসেপ্টের সঙ্গে যৌথভাবে ফাঁস হওয়া নতুন নথিপত্রগুলো বিশ্লেষণ করে প্রতিবেদন ছেপেছে। নিউজিল্যান্ড হেরাল্ডের প্রতিবেদনে বলা হয়, বাংলাদেশের নিরাপত্তা বাহিনীগুলো বিচারবহির্ভূত হত্যাকাণ্ড, নির্যাতন এবং অন্যান্য মানবাধিকার লঙ্ঘনে জড়িত থাকা সত্ত্বেও নিউজিল্যান্ড গোপন নজরদারিতে প্রাপ্ত গোয়েন্দা তথ্য তাদের সঙ্গে আদান-প্রদান করেছে। এ নথিতে স্পষ্ট  হয়েছে দক্ষিণ এশিয়ার ছোট এ দেশটিতে জিসিএসবি তাদের ইলেক্ট্রনিক গোয়েন্দা অভিযান চালাতে বড় ধরনের ভূমিকা পালন করেছে। বিশ্বব্যাপী যুক্তরাষ্ট্রের সন্ত্রাস বিরোধী কার্যক্রমের অংশ হিসেবে যুক্তরাষ্ট্রকে সহায়তা করার জন্য এ নজরদারি চালানো হয়। ২০০১ সালে ৯/১১ হামলার পর চালু করা হয় ওই নজরদারি ব্যবস্থা। বাংলাদেশে গোয়েন্দাগিরির বিষয়টি উঠে এসেছে মার্কিন জাতীয় নিরাপত্তা সংস্থা, এনএসএ'র এপ্রিল, ২০১৩'র এক রিপোর্টে। রিপোর্টের বিষয়বস্তু ছিল নিউজিল্যান্ডের সঙ্গে এনএসএর পারস্পরিক সম্পর্ক। 'এনএসএ-কে অংশীদাররা কি সরবরাহ করে' (হোয়াট পার্টনার প্রোভাইডস টু এনএসএ) শীর্ষক একটি অনুচ্ছেদে বলা হয়েছে, '২০০৪ সাল থেকে বাংলাদেশ সন্ত্রাসবিরোধী টার্গেটের ওপর গোয়েন্দা সম্প্রদায়ের জন্য নেতৃত্বস্থানীয় ভূমিকায় রয়েছে জিসিএসবি। সংস্থাটি বাংলাদেশ সন্ত্রাসবিরোধী বিষয়ক অন্যতম গুরুত্বপূর্ণ সাংকেতিক গোয়েন্দা তথ্যসূত্র যারা মার্কিন গোয়েন্দা সম্প্রদায়ের কাছে রিপোর্ট করে।'জিসিএসবি সদস্যদের সংগৃহীত গোয়েন্দা তথ্য বাংলাদেশের রাষ্ট্রীয় গোয়েন্দা সংস্থাসহ পাঠানো হয়েছে বিদেশী গোয়েন্দা সংস্থাগুলোর কাছে। বাংলাদেশী গোয়েন্দা এবং নিরাপত্তা সংস্থাগুলোর বিরুদ্ধে নির্যাতন প্রসঙ্গে আন্তর্জাতিক নিষেধাজ্ঞা অবহেলা করা এবং রাজনৈতিক উদ্দেশ্যপ্রণোদিত হত্যাকাণ্ডের জড়িত থাকার অভিযোগ নিয়ে সাম্প্রতিক বছরগুলোতে মানবাধিকার সংস্থাগুলো একাধিক রিপোর্ট নথিভুক্ত করেছে। এ যাবৎ কালে ফাঁস হওয়া তথ্যের মধ্যে বাংলাদেশে জিসিএসবির নজরদারি অভিযানের বিষয়টি সব থেকে আশ্চর্যজনক বলে হেরাল্ডের প্রতিবেদনে আখ্যা দেয়া হয়। নিউজিল্যান্ডের পররাষ্ট্রনীতিতে বাংলাদেশের অবস্থান তেমনটা নেই বললে চলে। নিউজিল্যান্ডের পররাষ্ট্র ও বাণিজ্য বিষয়ক মন্ত্রণালয়ের ওয়েবসাইটে বলা আছে, 'নিউজিল্যান্ড এবং বাংলাদেশের মধ্যকার সম্পর্ক বন্ধুত্বপূর্ণ যদিও পারস্পরিক সম্পৃক্ততা সীমিত। তবে, নিউজিল্যান্ড সরকারের এক সূত্র হেরাল্ডকে জানিয়েছেন যে, জিসিএসবির চারটি বিশ্লেষণ বিভাগের একটির প্রধান মনোযোগ হলো বাংলাদেশ। আর এক দশকেরও বেশি সময় ধরে এমনটাই রয়েছে। বিভাগটিকে আইসিটি বলা হয় যা আন্তর্জাতিক অভিযান সংক্রান্ত ইস্যুগুলোর বিভাগ। ৯/১১ হামলার পর সন্ত্রাসী হুমকির বিষয়ে মনোযোগ দিতে ২০০২ সালের এপ্রিলে বিভাগটি স্থাপন করা হয়। বাংলাদেশ প্রকল্পটি ২০০৩ সালে প্রধানমন্ত্রী হেলেন ক্লার্কের অধীনে শুরু হয় বলে প্রতীয়মান হয়। ইরাকে মার্কিন অভিযানে যোগ দেয়ার অনুরোধ প্রত্যাখ্যান করার পর যুক্তরাষ্ট্রের সন্ত্রাসবিরোধী যুদ্ধের বিষয়ে সে সময় ইতিবাচক মনোভাব ছিল তার সরকারের। 'নিউজিল্যান্ডের সঙ্গে এনএসএর সম্পর্ক'শীর্ষক ওই নথিতে গোয়েন্দা তৎপরতা শুরুর সময় ২০০৪ উল্লেখ করা আছে। কিন্তু এনএসএর এক কর্মকর্তা ২০০৩ সালের ডিসেম্বরে জিসিএসবি নিয়ে সংক্ষিপ্ত একটি নিবন্ধ লেখেন। সেখানে বলা হয়েছে, এশিয়া ও প্যাসিফিক অঞ্চলে বিশেষ করে বাংলাদেশ ও মিয়ানমারে ইসলামি উগ্রপন্থিদের কর্মকাণ্ড নিয়ে রির্পোট করার মাধ্যমে সন্ত্রাসবিরোধী যুদ্ধে অবদান রেখেছে জিসিএসবি। ২০০৯ সালের আরেকটি গোয়েন্দা নথিতে কিভাবে বাংলাদেশে গোয়েন্দাগিরি হয়েছে তার বিস্তারিত দেয়া আছে। ওই নথিতে বলা হয়েছে, জিসিএসবির 'ওসিআর'নামক ইউনিটের একটি দল-  সিগন্যালস ইন্টেলিজেন্স ডেভেলপমেন্ট টিম ওই গোয়েন্দাগিরি পরিকল্পনায় সম্পৃক্ত। জিসিএসপি সরাসরি নজরদারি করেনি বলে প্রতীয়মান হয়। এর পরিবর্তে তারা মিত্র একটি সংস্থার নজরদারি সরঞ্জাম ব্যবহার করেছে। ২০০৯ সালের ওই নথিতে উঠে এসেছে, বাংলাদেশের স্থানীয় যোগাযোগ ব্যবস্থায় আড়ি পাতার জন্য রাজধানী ঢাকায় বিশেষ একটি স্থাপনা রয়েছে। উল্লেখ্য, গোপন একটি আড়ি পাতার স্থান লুকানোর জন্য নিউজিল্যান্ডের বাংলাদেশে কোন দূতাবাস বা অন্য কোন আনুষ্ঠানিক ভবন নেই। স্নোডেনের নথিতে ইঙ্গিত মেলে ঢাকা ইউনিটটি মার্কিন নিয়ন্ত্রণাধীন একটি ভবনের ভেতরে অবস্থিত। সেখানের কার্যক্রম তত্ত্বাবধান করে এনএসএ এবং সিআইএ। রিপোর্টে আরও বলা হয়েছে, ঢাকা এফ-৬ পরিবেশ জরিপের বর্ধিত অংশের সঙ্গে অভ্যন্তরীণ জিএসএম (মোবাইল ফোন) যোগাযোগ সংগ্রহের কাজ অব্যাহত রয়েছে। এফ-৬ সংকেতটি ব্যবহার করা হয় স্পেশাল কালেকশন সার্ভিস নামক সিআইএ-এনএসএ যৌথ একটি ইউনিটের জন্য যারা মার্কিন দূতাবাস ও কনস্যুলেট থেকে যোগাযোগ ব্যবস্থায় আড়ি পাতে। রিপোর্টে বলা হয়, মোবাইল ফোনে আড়ি পাতার ওই স্থাপনাটি বেশিরভাগ জিসিএসবি ব্যবহার করে। নিউজিল্যান্ডের গ্রিন পার্টির সহ-দলপতি রাসেল নরম্যান মনে করেন নিউজিল্যান্ডের উচিত বাংলাদেশকে গোয়েন্দা সহায়তা দেয়া বন্ধ করা। তিনি বলেন, জিসিএসপি নিউজিল্যান্ডকে মানবাধিকার লঙ্ঘনের দিকে টেনে নিয়ে যাচ্ছে। তিনি আরও বলেন, বাংলাদেশের গুরুত্বপূর্ণ তিনটি সন্ত্রাসবিরোধী সংস্থার সবগুলো ভয়াবহ মানবাধিকার লঙ্ঘতে জড়িত হয়েছে। কাজেই এটা নিশ্চিত করা অসম্ভব যে তাদের কাছে দেয়া তথ্য নিরপরাধ মানুষকে হত্যা বা নির্যাতনের কারণ হয়ে দাঁড়ায়নি। ২০১৩ সালের এনএসএ রিপোর্টে জানা গেছে জিসিএসবি তাদের বাংলাদেশে প্রাপ্ত তথ্য দিয়েছে বিদেশী গোয়েন্দা সংস্থাগুলোকে। এতে বলা হয়, জিসিএসবির বাংলাদেশ সন্ত্রাসবিরোধী রিপোর্টে নতুন সব গোয়েন্দা সূত্র পাওয়া গেছে যা বাংলাদেশের রাষ্ট্রীয় গোয়েন্দা সংস্থা, সিআইএ এবং ভারতকে গত এক বছরে সফল সন্ত্রাসবিরোধী অভিযান চালাতে সাহায্য করেছে। বাংলাদেশের রাষ্ট্রীয় গোয়েন্দা সংস্থাগুলোর কোনটি তা সেখানে উল্লেখ করা হয়নি। গোয়েন্দা তথ্য সংগ্রহে বাংলাদেশের একাধিক সংস্থা রয়েছে। এগুলোর মধ্যে ডিরেক্টরেট জেনারেল অব ফোর্সেস ইনটেলিজেন্স (ডিজিএফআই), ন্যাশনাল সিকিউরিটি ইন্টেলিজেন্স (এনএসআই) আর পুলিশের স্পেশাল ব্রাঞ্চ। আর দেশটিতে সন্ত্রাসবিরোধী অভিযান পরিচালনা করার ক্ষেত্রে শীর্ষস্থানীয় সংস্থা হলো র‌্যাপিড অ্যাকশন ব্যাটালিয়ন বা র‌্যাব। এসব সংস্থাগুলোর প্রতিটির বিরুদ্ধে কয়েক বছর ধরে গুরুতর মানবাধিকার লঙ্ঘনে জড়িত থাকার অভিযোগ এসেছে। উদাহরণস্বরূপ ২০০৮ সালে হিউম্যান রাইটস ওয়াচ অভিযোগ করে যে ঢাকার মগবাজারে স্পেশাল ব্রাঞ্চের সদর দপ্তরটি আটক ব্যক্তিদের নির্যাতনে ব্যবহার করা হয়। ২০১০ সালে একজন ট্রেড ইউনিয়ন কর্মী অভিযোগ করেন যে, এনএসআই তাকে গ্রেপ্তার, নির্যাতন করে মেরে ফেলার হুমকি দিয়েছে। দুবছর পর ওই কর্মীকে রহস্যময় পরিস্থিতিতে মৃত পাওয়া যায়। তার পা আর পায়ের আঙুল ছিল ভাঙা। সারা শরীরে ছিল নির্যাতনের চিহ্ন। বাংলাদেশের গোয়েন্দা সংস্থাগুলো আর প্রধান পুলিশ ও নিরাপত্তা বাহিনীগুলো একে অপরের সঙ্গে ঘনিষ্ঠভাবে কাজ করে। সব থেকে উল্লেখযোগ্য হলো, টাস্কফোর্স ফর ইন্টেরোগেশন সেল নামক কুখ্যাত এক সেলের অংশ হিসেবে তারা একসঙ্গে কাজ করে। র‌্যাবের নিয়ন্ত্রণাধীন ঢাকার উত্তরে একটি ভবনের ভেতর তা অবস্থিত। ২০১১ সালে বৃটেনের গার্ডিয়ান পত্রিকা প্রতিবেদন করে, ওই ইন্টেরোগেশন সেলকে 'রাষ্ট্রের শত্রুদের কাছ থেকে তথ্য আর স্বীকারোক্তি বের করে নিতে ব্যবহার করা হয়েছিল। এটাকে একটি 'টর্চার সেন্টার'বলে উল্লেখ করা হয় যা আটক ব্যক্তিদের ওপর 'ইচ্ছাকৃত এবং নিয়মতান্ত্রিক'অন্যায় ব্যবহার চালানোর জন্য ব্যবহার করা হতো। ২০০৯ সালে সন্ত্রাসী কর্মকাণ্ড সংক্রান্ত অভিযোগে সেখানে আটক এক বৃটিশ নাগরিককে নির্যাতন করা হয় বলে অভিযোগ আসে। তার মুখ ঢেকে ও  চেয়ারের সঙ্গে বেঁধে ডান কাঁধে ও মেরুদণ্ডের নিম্নভাগে ড্রিল চালানো হয় বলে অভিযোগ ওঠে। হিউম্যান রাইটস ওয়াচের তথ্য মতে বাংলাদেশী কর্তৃপক্ষ অন্য যেসব নির্যাতনের পদ্ধতি ব্যবহার করে তার মধ্যে রয়েছে, এসিড দিয়ে পুড়িয়ে দেয়া, আঙুলে পেরেক গেঁথে দেয়া, বৈদ্যুতিক শক দেয়া, লোহার রড দিয়ে পায়ে মারধর, পিঠে বালি ছড়িয়ে দিয়ে লাঠি দিয়ে প্রহার, বরফ দিয়ে নির্যাতন, আঙুল ছিদ্র করে দেয়া আর মৃত্যুদণ্ডের নকল মহড়া। গত ফেব্রুয়ারিতে মার্কিন সরকার র‌্যাব সদস্যদের দ্বারা গর্হিত মানবাধিকার লঙ্ঘনের কারণ উল্লেখ করে র‌্যাবের জন্য তাদের সমর্থন প্রত্যাহার করে নেয়। একই মাসে বাংলাদেশ সরকারের বিরুদ্ধে আন্তর্জাতিক অপরাধ আদালতে একটি মামলা দায়ের করা হয়। এতে দেশের কর্মকর্তাদের বিরুদ্ধে ব্যাপক ও নিয়মবদ্ধ নির্যাতন, হত্যাকাণ্ড এবং অন্যান্য মানবাধিকার লঙ্ঘনের নির্মম কর্মকাণ্ড চালানোর অভিযোগ আনা হয় যেসব অপরাধ মানবতা বিরোধী অপরাধের সামিল। এনএসএ নথি থেকে এটা স্পষ্ট হয়নি, বাংলাদেশকে দেয়া গোয়েন্দা তথ্য কিভাবে ব্যবহার করা হচ্ছে তা নিয়ে কার্যকর কোন তত্ত্বাবধান ব্যবস্থা ছিল কি না। এসব তথ্য ব্যবহার করে আটক বা জিজ্ঞাসাবাদ করা যেতে পারে কি না সে বিষয়ে বাংলাদেশের কাছে নিউজিল্যান্ড নিশ্চয়তা চেয়েছে বা পেয়েছে কি না তাও স্পষ্ট নয়। তবে এতে এতটুকু স্পষ্ট হয়েছে যে, জিসিএসবি দ্বিমুখী পন্থা অবলম্বন করেছে। একদিকে তারা যেমন বাংলাদেশের নিরাপত্তা বাহিনীগুলোর সঙ্গে গোয়েন্দা দিয়েছে। অপরদিকে তারা গোপনে র‌্যাবের অভ্যন্তরীণ যোগাযোগ পর্যবেক্ষণ করেছে। ২০০৯ সালের একটি জিসিএসবি রিপোর্টে বলা হয়, এফ-৬ আড়ি পাতার ইউনিট র‌্যাব সদরদপ্তর থেকে বিভিন্ন র‌্যাব ইউটিটে তাদের নিজস্ব যোগাযোগ ব্যবস্থায় সফলভাবে আড়ি পাততে সক্ষম হয়। আর র‌্যাবের ওপর আড়ি পাতা সংগ্রহশালায় এমনকি র‌্যাব সদর দপ্তর ও র‌্যাব- সদরদপ্তরের একটি পরীক্ষামূলক ভিডিওকনফারেন্স। ওই রিপোর্টে র‌্যাবের অভ্যন্তরীণ ভিডিও কনফারেন্সে কথা বলা এক র‌্যাব কর্মকর্তার আড়ি পাতা ছবিও সংযুক্ত ছিল। রিপোর্টে বলা হয়, 'র‌্যাব অতীতেও জিসিএসবির জন্য একটি সক্রিয় টার্গেট ছিল। আর বাংলাদেশের স্থানীয় নিরাপত্তা পরিস্থিতির যদি অবনতি হয় তাহলে এ তথ্য ভবিষ্যৎ অভিযানের জন্য গুরুত্বপূর্ণ হতে পারে।'নিউজিল্যান্ড হেরাল্ডের প্রতিবেদনে শেষে বলা হয়, বাংলাদেশে সন্ত্রাসী তৎপরতা ওই অঞ্চলের অনেক দেশের তুলনায় অনেক কম। দেশটি নিউজিল্যান্ড থেকে অনেক দূরে। আর জিসিএসবি এ কাজ যে নিউজিল্যান্ডের প্রতি সরাসরি কোন হুমকির জবাবে ছিল তেমন কোন ইঙ্গিতও নেই। এদিকে, রেডিও নিউজিল্যান্ডের খবরে বলা হয়েছে, দেশটির প্রধামনন্ত্রী জন কি জিসিএসবি'র বিরুদ্ধে নতুন এসব অভিযোগ নিয়ে কোন আলোচনা করতে অস্বীকৃতি জানান।

http://mzamin.com/details.php?mzamin=+NzE4NDc%3D&s=Mw%3D%3D

Child rape, suicide on rise Reveals Manusher Jonno Foundation study

0
0
Child rape, suicide on rise

Reveals Manusher Jonno Foundation study

Incidents of child rape have steadily increased and the number of
suicides has alarmingly shot up in the country in the last couple of
years, revealed a report of Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) yesterday.

According to the study, there were 248 cases of child rape in 2014,
267 in 2013 and 155 in 2012.The report titled "Children in
Bangladesh-2014" also revealed that seven of the rape victims in 2014
died, while 172 were severely injured. Among the victims, two were
boys and the remaining girls.The report based on newspaper reports was
unveiled at Jatiya Press Club in the capital.

On suicides, the report said 213 children killed themselves for
different reasons in 2014, while the number of children who committed
suicides in 2013 was 166. Among the victims last year, 144 were girls.

Shaheen Anam, executive director of MJF, said it was alarming that
more girls committed suicide due to reasons like sexual harassment and
being victims of pornography.She mentioned that the most alarming news
was that children are at risk due to political reasons, which will be
revealed in the next MJF report.According to the report, 51 children
were victims of politics last year.

On the positive side, the report said there were 1,732 activities such
as children's involvement in shows and festivals, rescues and
campaigns and seminars last year, while the number was 1,286 in 2013.
However, the negative activities also increased to 3,179 last year
from 2,895 in 2013.

Abdulla Al Mamun, programme coordinator, governance, MJF, presented
the study, while Dr Tofail Ahmed, director-governance, MJF, and
Shahana Huda, coordinator- media and communication, MJF, spoke.

The report further said 394 children were murdered last year. Among
them, 25 children were killed due to family feuds, 14 for ransom, 17
by robbers, eight by friends, nine due to love-related matters, six
due to family enmity, and three for land disputes. It also said 400
children were abducted last year, but only 280 were rescued. There was
no follow-up for the rest of them.

The study was based on six newspapers -- Prothom Alo, Ittefaq,
Jugantor, New Age and The Daily Star.


http://www.thedailystar.net/city/child-rape-suicide-rise-77755

Bangladesh left slams Islamist murder of Avijit Roy

0
0

Bangladesh left slams Islamist murder of Avijit Roy

By Badrul Alam

International Viewpoint/Thursday 16 April 2015

Badrul Alam from the Communist Party of Bangladesh (Marxist-Leninist) spoke to Solidarity [Britain] about the murder on the streets of Dhaka of the US writer of Bangladeshi background, Avijit Roy.

It is clear that Roy was killed by fundamentalists because there were similar cases in 2004, when a professor from Dhaka University, Humayun Azad, was murdered.

Extremist groups admitted killing Azad, because they held him to be an atheist.

Roy came from a rationalist family. His father was a teacher of physics at Dhaka university; it was a family tradition to be scientific-minded.

Roy was considered by the extremists to be an atheist because on his blog he posted articles about atheism. Extremist groups followed his blog and targeted him for a long time.

People who are rationalists and free thinkers attend book fairs in Bangladesh. The extremists target these book fairs as well.

Secular people think that Roy should have had a right to write anything and publish any books he likes, and should not have been treated like this. As a human being, he has a life to lead, whether he is an atheist or religious-minded or whatever. What the extremists did is completely illegal and it is an expression of their extremist mentality.

Students at Dhaka University, where the incident took place, protested on the streets.

There are some people who think that it is not rational to prod religious-minded people. Better, they think, to approach the matter more carefully. There are a lot of fundamentalist groups in the country who can block radical progress. There is only a small minority which is atheist. So, better to go slow.

On the other hand many people in the country are criticising the religious fundamentalist group for their actions. On the whole it is against the fundamentalists.

Things are moving for the free thinkers in this country, but progress is very slow. Although there is a strong secular culture in Bangladesh, there are millions in the rural areas who are religious-minded. They love religion. But they are not fundamentalist-minded.

Fanatics are few in number. But they are on the rise because of promotional efforts, such as madrassa education or mosque education. The increase in fundamentalist attitudes in this country is alarming.

The CPB-ML are against the murder. Atheists should not be killed by extremists. They have a right to live and express their opinions. After this incident we strongly criticised religious extremists.

We also asked the government to take action against the murderers. We didn't get much hostility.

18 March 2015

http://www.internationalviewpoint.org/spip.php?article3971

South africa - 1000 workers in strike dismissed

0
0

South africa - 1000 workers in strike dismissed


AFRIQUE DU SUD : 1000 GRÉVISTES LICENCIÉS

En Afrique du Sud, s'enfonce dans le marasme. La compagnie, qui livre 95% de l'électricité du pays, fait face à une grave crise de liquidité et à des querelles internes. Les délestages électriques ont recommencé depuis mercredi, plongeant les grandes villes du pays dans le noir. Pour ne rien arranger, les ouvriers qui travaillent sur le chantier de la centrale de Medupi sont en colère. Ils s'étaient mis en grève mercredi. Plus d'un millier d'ouvriers ont été renvoyés pour avoir participé à une « grève illégale ».
Mercredi dernier, le 25 mars, entre 3.000 et 8.000 d'ouvriers métallurgistes se sont mis en grève illégale pour protester contre leurs conditions de travail, avec le soutien du syndicat Numsa. Ces hommes travaillent sur le chantier de la centrale de Medupi, qui emploie 21.000 salariés. Cette centrale à charbon doit produire à terme plus 4.800 Megawatts d'électricité pour la compagnie publique d'électricité Eskom. Suite à cette grève qui aurait provoqué des dégradations, selon Eskom, le site a été provisoirement fermé. Et près de 1 000 ouvriers ont été licenciés.
Le site de construction de la centrale à charbon de Medupi

Paris : Rassemblement pour les prisonniers politiques au Maroc

0
0

Paris : Rassemblement pour les prisonniers politiques au Maroc


Un rassemblement a eu lieu près de l'Institut du monde arabe à Paris mercredi pour demander la libération des prisonniers politiques au Maroc. Les membres des groupes maoïstes d'Aziz Elbour et d'Aziz Elkhalfaoui, deux figures de la lutte étudiante marocaine, ont commencé une grève de la faim le 23 mars et voient leur état de santé se dégrader.
V


Iran - against repression for mine workers

0
0

Iran - against repression for mine workers

bafgh-minersPROVINCE DE YAZD CONDAMNATIONS A DES PEINES DE FLAGELLATION ET DE PRISON POUR DES MINEURS GRÉVISTES DE LA MINE DE FER DE LA VILLE DE BAFGH


Province de Yazd condamnations a des peines de flagellation et de prison pour des mineurs grévistes de la mine de fer de la ville de Bafgh.
chadormaloo-2
4 et 6 Avril 2015 nouvelles qui nous sont parvenues via la page Facebook d'oppositionFreedom Messenger et le site Radio Zamaneh :  Cinq travailleurs gréviste des mines de fer de la ville de Bafgh située dans la Province de Yazd au centre de l'Iran, ont été condamnés à des peines de flagellation et à des lourdes peines de prison, pour avoir protesté l'année dernière contre les bas salaires, ainsi que contre une vague de licenciements qui risquaient de mettre à la rue, des centaine de leurs camarades.
Un « Tribunal Révolutionnaire » Iranien à la solde du régime théocratique et fasciste desMollahs, a fait condamner Cinq travailleurs gréviste de la mine de Bafgh  à des peines d'un an de prison assorties de peines coups de fouet, pour de soi-disant « Troubles à l'ordre public », parce qu'ils avaient activement participé aux mouvements de grèves et aux manifestations populaires massives contre un plan de licenciements. Une gréve qui avait paralysé pendant plusieurs semaines cette entreprise qui est considérée comme l'une des plus grande mines de minerai de fer du moyen Orient.
Au cours de ces deux dernières années, des milliers de travailleurs de la mine de fer deChadormalu, située prés de la ville de Bafgh dans la province Iranienne centrale de Yazd, ont organisé à plusieurs reprises une série de piquets de grèves, des rassemblements et des sit-in pour protester contre les bas salaires et contre une vague de licenciements secs, faisant suite à un plan de privatisation partielle de leur entreprise.
A la suite de ces grèves des dizaines de travailleurs avaient été arrêtés et convoqués devant des « Tribunaux Révolutionnaires » locaux, à la demande des employeurs. Un premier groupe de 38 travailleurs avaient été arrêtés en Février 2014, mais ils furent libérés quelques jours plus tard. Par la suite quelques semaines après , début Mars 2014  un second groupe de 31 travailleurs furent convoqués devant ces mêmes Tribunaux pour les mêmes accusations de « Troubles à l'ordre public » . Un récente décision de cette même Cour a été délivrée contre les membres de ce deuxième groupe de 31 grévistes, et décidé arbitrairement que Cinq d'entre eux allaient être condamnés à des peines de prison et de flagellation.
Vers la fin du mouvement de grève de l'année dernière, la direction et les employeurs de l'entreprise minière qui avaient quand même du céder sur une grande partie des revendications des travailleurs*1, avaient cependant présenté à la police locale un« Dossier spécial de plainte », décrivant et désignant ces Cinq travailleurs, comme étant les principaux « Meneurs » et les responsables directs, du déclenchement des mouvements sociaux. Tout en demandant à ce qu'ils subissent à titre d'exemple des châtiments sévères.
Avec les mêmes prétextes fallacieux de « Troubles à l'ordre public » l'année dernière un autre « Tribunal Révolutionnaire » Iranien, avait fait lui aussi condamner à des peines de six mois de prison et a subir cinquante coups de fouet. Quatre autres travailleurs parce qu'ils avaient participé à un mouvement de grève massif dans l'industrie pétrochimique,

Worker activism is now the new normal as strikes and protests erupt across China

0
0

strikes and class struggle in China today


Worker activism is now the new normal as strikes and protests erupt across China


7 April, 2015
China Labour Bulletin's Strike Map logged record numbers of strikes and worker protests in the first quarter of this year, with a total of 650 incidents compared to 569 in the previous quarter.*
As is often the case, worker activism reached a peak just prior to the Lunar New Year, with workers desperate to get paid before the holiday. The rate of worker activism prior to New Year's Day on 19 February was actually about double that for the remainder of the quarter, with 9.44 incidents per day compared with 4.56 incidents per day on average since 20 February. However, it is important to note that the level of post-New Year activism was still on a par with that of the fourth quarter in 2014.
In the pre-New Year period, more than half (52.5 percent) of all worker protests were in the construction industry, while manufacturing accounted for 22 percent. In both industries, actions were driven overwhelmingly by the non-payment of wages. Workers blocked roads, staged sit-ins in their work places, and protested at government buildings in a bid to get paid.

One week before the New Year. Workers block the road in Yuqing county, Guizhou.
Traditionally, worker unrest has been concentrated in Guangdong and the other southeast coastal provinces but protests in inland provinces are now almost as common. For example, it was the central and northern provinces of Henan, Hebei, Hubei and Sichuan that saw the highest number of construction worker protests in the lead up to the New Year, with major cities like Wuhan and Chengdu at the forefront of worker activism.
Even smaller inland cities saw a surge in the number of protests. The Hubei city of Xiangyang, with a population of five million, saw seven construction-related incidents over a five day period. One netizen in Xiangyang remarked "These past few days, the number of migrant workers I've seen blocking roads and demanding payment of wages is in the thousands," while another complained "this is already the third day that the road has been blocked on my way to work!! Migrant workers, my uncles, if I'm late for work I'll get my wages cut by my boss."
The intensity of worker activism may have tailed-off overall following the New Year surge but in Guangdong's factories strikes are just as common as ever. There were several high-profile strikes in March in the Pearl River Delta cities of Dongguan and Zhongshan, including a new round of strikes at the Yue Yuen shoe factory, famous for one of thelargest strikes in recent Chinese labour history last year. In the quarter as a whole, Guangdong still accounted for about one third of all the strikes and protests in China's manufacturing sector.
While most of the worker protests in the quarter were in the construction and manufacturing industries, transport and services each accounted for about ten percent of the total. Strikes by taxi drivers made the headlines on numerous occasions, with calls for a thorough shake-up of the industry even reaching the National People's Congress in Beijing. However as the dramatic attempted mass-suicide in Beijing on 4 April by 30 taxi drivers from the northern border-town of Suifenhe shows, many drivers are still angry and are increasingly desperate.
Please note that while there was a dramatic three-fold increase, year-on-year, in the total of number of protests this quarter, 650 compared with 202 in the first quarter last year, this was partly due to more social media resources and better reporting over the course of the year.

Modi’s Foriegn Policy-People’s March

0
0

Modi's Foriegn Policy-People's March



Untitled-3
Indian Expansionism's Big Power Dreams 
-ajith
Nearly a year into its rule, the Modi regime is yet to deliver anything substantial on the so­ called 'economic growth' front –– other than several policy decisions that further open up the country to imperialist plunder. Despite the windfall gain made through the steep fall in crude oil prices, the Central government's finances are still in a bad shape. With their hype on fast ­tracking the economy punctured, Modi's spin­doctors are now trumpeting his foreign policy. The claim is that he has masterfully catapulted India into a prominent position on the world arena through his international moves. Obama's visit as the chief guest at the Republic Day parade took this to a frenzy. Forceful, dynamic, strategic –– the flow of adjectives are torrential. On closer observation, they stand in inverse proportion to actual results.
Modi has indeed taken India into an even closer engagement with the US and its allies Japan and Australia, both of whom are pivotal in the US strategic plan to contain China. Closer ties with Vietnam and Fiji are promoted as a counter­play to China's penetration in South Asia.
But where it really matters for Indian expansionism, in South Asia, it is steadily being pressed by the growing weight of China. Though the Indian rulers once again succeeded in blocking China's entry, it couldn't prevent this issue from becoming a major topic in the November 2014 SAARC summit. Moreover, support for China's membership has gained more adherents. Other than Pakistan, now Sri Lanka and the Maldives argued for it, with Nepal tacitly acceding. China holds out the promise of huge investments, which means fat commissions and they see no reason to forsake it. This was ultimately reflected in the wording of the declaration issued by the SAARC summit of November 2014 which instructed its concerned body to "…to engage the SAARC Observers into productive, demand ­driven and objective project based cooperation in priority areas as identified by the Member States."
India's opposition is increasingly getting isolated as petty obstructionism. Meanwhile, Indian expansionist plans for its greater and quicker economic penetration of South Asia through a Trade Pact continued to be blocked by Pakistan. Several other developments also underline the limits of Modi's initiatives in South Asia. Maldives has for some time now been moving closer to China. The cancellation of a major airport project given to an Indian firm and its replacement by a Chinese infrastructure concern was a landmark of sorts in this trend. It has now been further strengthened by the Maldivian government's decision to endorse the 21st century Maritime Silk Route (MSR) promoted by Chinese expansionism. The MSR visualises development of a sea route from China's Fujian province to the Mediterranean Sea via South Asia and East Africa. It complements the land based Silk Route proposed through Central Asia, linking China to Europe. The Maldivian endorsement of the MSR involves the building of a deep sea port on its northernmost Atoll, which will eventually open up space for Chinese naval activity. Ironically, the Maldivian President Abdulla Yammeen too has announced a 'look East' shift in foreign policy, a shift to closer ties with China. His reasoning was that economic cooperation with China does not challenge Maldives'"Islamic" identity unlike ties with "Western colonial powers".
It is obvious that the real entity he had in mind was India, which had tried to prop up a new power centre in the form of the presidency of Mohamed Nashed, not part of the traditional ruling elite. The Brahmanic Hindutva Sangh Parivar banners of the Modi regime are certainly not going to ease the path of Indian expansionism over there. If Maldives is a new headache for the Indian rulers, Sri Lanka under its former President Mahinda Rajapaksa had become increasingly explicit in servicing of Chinese expansionist interests. The repeated port calls of Chinese submarines in Sri Lanka ignoring Delhi's opposition was big news in the Indian media, accompanied by reports of how the Modi government made its 'strong displeasure' known to Rajapaksa. But there was nothing to show that this mattered to Colombo. The Modi regime will surely be hoping that the new presidency of Maithripala Sirisena will be of help in once again securing its domination. Reports, which are now coming out in the media, indicate that his defection from the Rajapaksa camp and success in stitching up a winning alliance was no sudden development.
It was the product of months long secret consultations among various forces, with the Indian spy agency RAW playing a leading role. The pay off is already seen in the statements made by the new Sri Lankan rulers on 'correcting the imbalance' in foreign relations and the express visit made to Delhi by their new foreign minister. But Sri Lanka's growing relations with China, even at the expense India, was not just some purely Rajapaksa affair. It is rootedt in the interests of the Sri Lankan ruling classes. Despite the change of regime they will continue to try Despite the change of regime they will continue to try to benefit by manoeuvring between Indian and Chinese expansionism.
At the most there may be some move away by the Maithripala government from Rajapaksa's overt tilt to China in order to manoeuvre all the better. China has invested nearly Rs 30,000 crore in that country since 2009 compared to India's Rs 180 crores. Meanwhile, Pakistan has strengthened ties with Russia which delivered advanced weapons to it disregarding the objections of the Indian ruling classes. The recent summit meeting between Putin and Modi has repeated the usual verbiage on the 'strategic partnership' between Russia and India. After the usual condemnations of 'terrorism' their joint statement goes on to state, "The leaders expressed hope that all safe havens and sanctuaries for terrorists will be wiped out without delay and terrorism would be completely eradicated from the common region within a decade." What stands out here is the change in wording compared to last year's statement.
There the targeting of Pakistan was rather obvious –– "… terrorist acts … may have international linkages extending across and beyond the borders. States that provide aid, abetment and shelter for such terrorist activities are themselves as guilty as the actual perpetrators of terrorism." Though India still remains a major market for Russian weaponry and both are members of the BRICS, Moscow is evidently readjusting its relations in South Asia in view of the growing dependence of the Indian rulers on Washington. In the short term there won't be a total re­framing –– India has its geopolitical value for Russian imperialism, not the least as a foil to China. But Pakistan's immediate gain, and the consequent weakening of Indian expansionism's clout, is obvious.
For all the aggressive hard sell of going from 'Look East' to 'Act East' in its pursuit of Indian expansionist interests the Modi regime still remains more or less where the UPA left off. Modi's foreign policy is characterised by some (and criticised by others like the CPM­-CPI revisionists) as a total break from the one followed till now. Deepening ties with Zionist Israel,practically abandoning the Indian state's long standing support to the Palestinian cause, is an often cited example. Its silence during last year's genocide in Gaza surely gave ample evidence. But a meaningful look at India's foreign policy,including its present specificities and nuances, demands a wide angled take.
The striking shift in stance on Palestine is not a purely Modi or BJP impulse. Diplomatic ties with Israel were inaugurated in the early 1990s by the Congress led by Narasimha Rao. They were maintained and nurtured over subsequent decades by Central governments formed or supported by parties from the whole spectrum of parliamentary forces, all the way from the rightist BJP to the so­ called leftist CPM. The continuity in the orientation of India's foreign policy, no matter who rules, is striking. It emerges from the expansionist ambitions of what is essentially a comprador state. Significant shifts in its foreign policy orientation, seen over the six and odd decades of its existence, are well contained within this continuity. Two periods can be distinguished. The first was that of so ­called non­-alignment inaugurated by Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister. Apparently indicating an independent bearing in foreign affairs it was actually a euphemism for the manoeuvring of the Indian ruling classes in the world arena. Two factors made this possible. The more important of them was the replacement of overt colonialism with indirect rule and domination through neo-­colonialism. The other was the growing contention between the imperialist blocs led by the US and Russia, which emerged as a super power after the restoration of capitalism in the 1950s.
The first of these made non ­alignment a possible option since the legitimacy of neo­ colonialism depended on allowing room for some amount of independent posturing by oppressed countries. Neo­ colonialism after all was itself mainly an imperialist response to the tide of national liberation struggles. It was meant to diffuse them by seeming to accede independence. The second factor, imperialist contention, created space for manoeuvring. But possibility and space didn't automatically translate into 'non­alignment'. It was born from the need of the new rulers of the ex­colonies to actualise and utilise the space of formal independence granted by their neo­colonial existence. Because, even after transferring power to their trusted agents, the colonial powers tried their best to retain as much direct control as possible in the erstwhile colonies. The US was championing 'de­colonisation' with the intent of co­opting nationalist sentiments and serve its aim of edging back the traditional powers and gaining a dominant position.
But it too favoured tight control. Burma, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Military groupings like the CENTO and SEATO were formed for this.Though the containment of the socialist camp and communist movements in oppressed countries were made out to be the reason, the real aim was to lock­-in countries that had now gained formal independence. The 'non­ alignment movement'(NAM) could emerge only by resisting this.In the turbulent post­ 2nd world war period, any opposition to the erstwhile colonial powers and the US quickly acquired a nationalist, progressive political hue. The world situation marked by a rising tide of national liberation struggles aided this. The NAM came to be regarded as the champion of national independence opposed to Western imperialism. But a closer look would show that this was hardly the case. The NAM was not really driven by anti­ imperialism. It was a continuation of the anti­ colonialism of compradors, already seen in political movements led by them in the colonial period; for example, the one led by the Indian National Congress. In the long run, NAM ­style opposition aided imperialist powers since the definition of imperialism was being restricted to colonialism at a time when neo­colonialism was already replacing it in the real world.
Thus, even while there were occasions of sharp contradiction and even conflict (the Goan war) with specific imperialist powers, ties of dependence to Western imperialism and service to it could be well contained in the non­ aligned stance of the Indian state. India, Egypt and Yugoslavia were prominent initiators of the NAM. Among them, India had ties with multiple Western imperialist powers and a fairly sizeable economy they were keen on exploiting. Egypt enjoyed strategic geopolitical importance. Yugoslavia had political value in the contention with the socialist camp. The US backed Yugoslavia against the socialist Soviet Union. In Egypt it stepped in against British and French imperialist aggression when Nasser, the then president of that country, nationalised the Suez Canal. India, under Nehru, allowed it to stage spying sorties over China. Within the Western imperialist camp the NAM thus gave rise to opposing responses. Most saw it as a tool of the socialist camp. Yet there were others too who perceived in it a useful countervail against developments in the Afro­Asian Bandung conference of 1955 where neo­colonial countries joined up with socialist countries and revolutionary China gained prominence. This dimension of the NAM was gradually unravelled with the emergence of a new imperialist bloc, through the rise of Soviet social imperialism. When the relation between the two blocs went from collusion to contention in the early 1970s, the NAM bloomed as an institutional framework eminently suited to neo­ colonialism. Growing contention between the two blocs, led by the US and the Soviet Union, posed the pressing need before the comprador states to ally with one or the other.
They could do this and still retain some manoeuvrability by being part of the NAM. On their part, the super powers could utilise its venues through their proxies and employ the 'independence' rhetoric to accuse each other of domination while continuing to pursue their imperialist agendas and poach on the other's camp. The social imperialist bloc initially enjoyed a bit of an advantage since it was unencumbered by any colonial past. But increasing instances of its aggressive moves, such as the occupation of Afghanistan, soon whittled this down. By the end of the 1970s, military pacts like CENTO and SEATO with an explicit colonial pedigree were winded up while the NAM remained and grew. But now its conferences increasingly, and openly, became another venue of super power contention.
The uniquely neo­colonial characteristic of the non­alignment policy was best demonstrated by Indian expansionism itself when it signed the Soviet social imperialist proposed Defence Treaty of 1972 even while it remained a staunch proponent of the NAM. Despite threats of the US, it could attack and dismember Pakistan by manoeuvring and utilising the national liberation cause of Bangladesh. It seized and forcibly incorporated Sikkim. It gained nuclear weapon capacity. All of these moves strengthened and consolidated Indian expansionism's domination in South Asia. But none of this was given by its strength as an independent power. They became possible within the larger framework of super power contention, under social imperialist protection guaranteed by the Treaty of 1972.
Once non­alignment is located within the broader international frame of imperialist relations, the logic of the shift in foreign policy initiated by the Indian National Congress's Narasimha Rao government in the early 1990s becomes apparent. This was necessitated by the new international situation. The collapse of social imperialism in the early 1990s and the recasting of neo­colonial legitimacy under the aggressive push of globalisation had made non­alignment redundant. Indian expansionist interests could no longer rely on social imperialism. It needed to toady to US imperialism. In hindsight, the grounds for this had already been laid down by Indira Gandhi in the beginning of the 1980s.
Growing political and economic problems weakening Soviet social imperialism had begun to limit its capacity. The Indian ruling classes had to turn to the IMF. Since then, dependence on the US bloc kept on deepening. Though all the appropriate non­aligned gestures and rituals were followed, the tilt to the US in international relations became more and more explicit. Under Rajiv Gandhi, Indian military facilities were offered to refuel US war planes bombing Iraq. It fell to Narasimha Rao to give the crucial push. Quite significantly, this was accompanied by the turn to globalisation, liberalisation and privatisation, abandoning earlier economic policies that gave preference to the public sector and a greater role for the government.
To secure their comprador and expansionist interests the Indian ruling classes had to abandon the policies and structures built up under Nehru, both in the domestic and international realms. Such recasting however posed the threat of tearing off their guise of independence. This was further amplified by the turn in political discourse brought about by imperialist globalisation. For the several decades following the transfer of power in 1947, exposure of imperialism and its control, the role of the IMF and World Bank as neo­colonial institutions and similar issues had been restricted to Maoist forces. It had almost disappeared even from the propaganda of the parliamentary left like the CPM and CPI.
This would change with the global shift to globalisation and the fall of the social imperialist bloc leading to the near total domination of the US. Imperialist dependence and its institutional control became live topics even in parliamentary discourse, with ramifications going well beyond it. Being forced to increasingly expose their subservience to imperialism, each act of the ruling classes was simultaneously acknowledging the correctness of Maoist analysis on the sham nature of India's independence. The attempt to distract public opinion through an aggressive promotion of Brahmanic Hinduism and its chauvinism was useful to the extent of deepening communal polarisation. But it too failed in the matter of salvaging the independence banners of the ruling classes.
In fact, the opportunities obtained by the Sangh Parivar to rule, whether the 13 day spell in 1996 or the full term of the 2nd NDA government, only showed it up as even more subservient to US interests. Since all the parliamentary parties were either in Central or State governments, and all were pushing the imperialist agenda of globalisation, liberalisation and privatisation, none within the ruling class spectrum could step in as saviour. Independence, self­ reliance and the whole package of terminology earlier employed to cover up the reality of a semi­ colonial, semi­feudal existence had to be redefined. The global recasting of neo­colonial legitimacy came in handy. In the second half of the last century marked by liberation struggles and the shift to neo­colonialism, Third world country rulers were remarked for their so­ called independence. In these times of globalisation it is 'growth', measured in GDP, that counts. GDP growth is now the mark of a country's standing.
Self ­reliance, even of a spurious variety funded by foreign aid, is no longer touted as an achievement. Bigger and bigger volumes of foreign capital are no longer seen as detrimental, as a sign of increasing imperialist control. On the contrary, success in economic policy is measured by being able to attract greater shares of foreign capital. This was a way out for the Indian ruling classes who were faced with a challenge to their legitimacy thrown up by the turn of international developments. To this they have added a 'local flavour'–— the projection of Indian expansionism as an aspiring 'super­power'. Growing bigger GDPwise with all that it entailed ­ more foreign capital, even closer dependence to the US ­ was legitimised as inevitable and necessary steps along the road to super­power status. In the early 1990s, when this was being initiated, there could hardly be any talk of status. The Indian rulers were barely pulling on by hocking the country's gold reserves.
But the liberalisation induced GDP growth that clearly emerged in the 2000s, with its visible index given by a flood of modern consumer goods and their imitations (the 'invisible' part was a stupendous widening of income disparities), soon created space for this. Speculations on the Indian economy surpassing the US by the middle of this century and the entry allowed to its rulers in some imperialist clubs were woven into the hyperbole of India emerging as a super­power. Indian foreign policy was recast to suit the new situation. Toadying to the US now became its mainstay. This was legitimised as necessary for the projection of India's self ­avowed status and to counter China.
These were the drivers of Narasimha Rao's 'Look East' policy which sought to build strategic ties with countries in South East Asia. It was also a correction from the pro-­Russian 'non­alignment' period which had limited its engagement with these countries, since they were mainly tied to the US camp. We had earlier noted that Indian foreign policy is determined by the expansionist ambitions of what is essentially a comprador state. This gives it its continuity. The United Front governments that followed Narasimha Rao proved this without fail. His 'Look East' policy was continued and now embellished with what came to be known as the 'Gujral Doctrine'. Named after the late IK Gujral, foreign minister and then prime minister, it addressed relations with countries in the immediate vicinity, those in South Asia (Pakistan excluded). The first of this set of five principles declares that "…with the neighbours like Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka, India does not ask for reciprocity but gives all that it can in good faith and trust." 
It would be instructive to note the resounding echo of these words in Modi's grandiloquent promises of Indian munificence at his Delhi Durbar where all the Heads of State of South Asia were called in to witness his coronation and later repeated at the Kathmandu SAARC Summit. It is even more educative that almost all ruling class political commentators avoided any recollection of such past promises in their haste to establish Modi's stance as a totally new beginning. They have reason for that. The essential logic of Gujral's Doctrine, explained by none other than its author himself in his autobiography, was that "… since we had to face two hostile neighbours in the north and the west, we had to be at 'total peace' with all other immediate neighbours in order to contain Pakistan's and China's influence in the region." (italics added)
The expansionist thrust of good ­neighbourliness couldn't have been put more starkly — the reasoning is not even that of preventing any direct threat to India. It is that of securing what is arrogantly considered their backyard by the Indian ruling classes, by blocking others. Quite understandably, among India's neighbours, there were no takers for Gujral's 'good faith and trust.' Indian expansionism's growing appetite makes it ever more ambitious. Pranab Mukherjee in his earlier avatar as foreign minister had modestly outlined this as one of "expanding circles", starting with South Asia and then moving on to the immediate regions. Other ruling class strategists have termed it as "concentric circles".
The assumption is that securing domination in South Asia and becoming a significant force in surrounding regions will secure a place for them, along with the big imperialist powers, at the global level. Over the years this thinking was given military and economic muscle. The Indian joint command post at Andaman and Nicobar has been built up into a formidable outpost with 15 ships, two naval, four air force and naval air bases and an army brigade. India operates an air base in Tajikistan. Along the northern border, two new army divisions have been deployed and moves are on to raise a mountain strike corp specifically directed against China. The Indian state is a major player in training and supplying the Afghan puppet army built up by the US and its allies. It has established an extensive network of government and quasi­-government offices throughout Afghanistan that multiply the operational capacities of its covert agencies.
India is also a major supplier of weaponry to Vietnam and Myanmar. Through state owned and private corporations it has built up a widespread network in Africa, often competing with Chinese expansionism. It is also actively promoting its presence in South America. There is thus a whole array of strategical and tactical moves with domination over South Asia at the core. The move to the East is an attempt at outflanking China as a counter to its thrusts into South Asia, as well as a step taken to secure this 'core interest' by projecting itself in the surrounding region. This working out of Indian foreign policy has its specific internal expansionist logic. It wouldn't do to ignore this or its continuity from Nehru to Modi and put it merely as a matter of 'India getting trapped in US plans' or 'BJP abandoning India's independent foreign policy' as done by the CPM-­CPI leaders.
Yet, it must also be understood that it has become possible precisely due to the realignment that has taken place in the geopolitics of both these regions, South and South East Asia. This realignment emerged with the collapse of social imperialism and the growth of China's economic and military power. Over the past two decades it has driven up the strategic value of these regions for US imperialism and, consequently, the utility of boosting Indian expansionism. Shaped and promoted over these years, US strategy is now formalised in Obama's 'Pivot to the Asia-­Pacific' also described as 'Rebalance to Asia'.
It demands Indian expansionism to move in step. While the policy of Looking East and moves to actualise it has been standard fare of Indian foreign policy for the past few decades, it couldn't quite get there due to various political compulsions faced by successive governments. Now that the BJP has a clear majority making coalition politics inconsequential and Modi has the backing of almost all sections of the ruling classes, Indian expansionism is going all out to make up for the lost time. Yet, even the slogan popularised by Modi to signify his energetic push, the claim to be 'Acting East' rather than merely 'Looking East', is miserably devoid of all originality. He merely parrots Hillary Clinton. While functioning as Obama's Secretary of State during his first term a few years back she had instructed the Indian rulers "not just to look East but engage East and act East as well.".
There could be nothing more demonstrative than this of how the Modi peg fits the US groove. Or, for that matter, of how the Brahmanic fascist RSS's 'Hindu Rashtravad' (Hindu nationalism) slavishly serves imperialism. The Strategic Vision Statement released during Obama's visit repeats what was said in 2014. Here, the geographical definition of Indo-­US 'strategic vision'– from Africa to East Asia – is of particular interest. It corresponds to the 'expanding circles' strategy of Indian expansionism and marks the position US imperialism has alloted to it. The immediate thrust of their moves is made explicit by pointedly referring to the South China Sea disputes of China and other littoral countries and insisting on "ensuring freedom of navigation and over flight".
China's strategic moves, its Silk Road and Maritime Silk Road, are met with a point to point counter vision — 'regional economic integration' linking South, Southeast, and Central Asia and the US's New Silk Road and India­Pacific Economic Corridor. India's role is also outlined in relation to the existing imperialist alliance forged by the US with Japan. The broad plan of the US envisages building up close political and military co­operation, if not an alliance, of Japan, Australia and India under US tutelage. Several structures are already in place, built up with active participation of previous Indian governments. They include regular joint naval exercises involving forces from these countries and bilateral, multi­lateral consultations.
Pushed on by the US, Modi now wants to make these ties tighter, particularly in the field of defence. Opening up India to a bigger and deeper penetration of Japanese monopoly capital is a high priority. In view of rising tensions between Japan and China, the Indian compradors calculate that a major chunk of Japanese investment can be turned to India. As such, climbing wages in China increasingly make it less attractive to imperialist transnational corporations. This is an important factor underlying Modi's 'Make in India' project. He is quite blatant in promising a skilled, low cost labour force, with the emphasis on the latter. Moves initiated during the previous UPA government to eliminate whatever legal protection workers have against their exploiters are being pursued at the Central level.
All the RSS manned BJP State governments are already in an over­drive to implement this. The Rajasthan government has already done this. What we see here is the nexus between Modi's 'Act East' foreign policy and his economic policies. They share common origins, in the class character of the ruling classes. Almost all of Modi's foreign visits and hosting of foreign leaders fall within the broad alliance parameters set by the US. The elevation of Indo-­Japanese relations to the level of sale and collaboration in manufacture of a four ­engine amphibious aircraft, the Shin Maywa US­2, is significant. Closer integration of India into the US led strategic tie up in the Asia ­Pacific is of course amplified.
Apart from that, by initiating the first ever foreign sale of Japanese armaments and its collaboration in weapon development in another country after the 2nd World War, it signifies a major step forward in the militarisation of Japanese imperialism. Restrictions on military build up by Tokyo was enforced through the Japanese Constitution after the 2nd World War. That Constitution was prepared under US aegis. However, since the past few decades, reversing this restriction has been a top item in the US agenda for the Asia ­Pacific. The US would want Japan (and Australia) to take up a far bigger share of military tasks. The Japanese ruling class is not averse to this. As it is, under the innocuous banner of a Self Defence Force, it has already built up formidable land, sea and air power. The industrial capacities of the country allow it to boost this up quite rapidly, even attaining nuclear weapon capabilities. What stands as a formidable hurdle to any such move is the strong opposition of the Japanese people to militarisation.
The Japanese ruling class consciously utilises its growing contradictions with China to whip up jingoism and thus create public opinion that can weaken and undermine this opposition. Modi has willingly made India a chip in this dirty game. We have seen that domination over South Asia lies at the core of Indian expansionism's foreign policy. Within this, Pakistan, or rather, putting it down, has remained its prime agenda since 1947. Its nuclear weapon capacity makes it a force the Indian rulers simply cannot ignore. Moreover, it enjoys a unique and long­ standing relation with China that goes all the way back to its foundation in 1947. So too is the US­Pak relation. No matter how much the US is keen on pampering Indian expansionist interests it will not let go of Pakistan. It has great geopolitical importance in its scheme.
The intensification of the resistance in Afghanistan that is inevitably going to follow the US camp's withdrawal adds to this. Therefore, the US authorities will publicly scold Pakistani rulers, insist on its taking steps against this or that organisation declared to be 'terrorist', but support and supplies will continue. The Indian ruling classes have continuously tried to reverse this. Other than being comforted with some more harsh words directed against Pakistani rulers they have not made any notable headway. That remains, despite Modi's much touted 'personal chemistry' with Obama. His spin­ doctors have paraded the naming of several organisations held to be 'terrorist' (such as the Lashkar­e­ Tayyiba and Jaish­e­ Mohammad) in the Joint Statement issued during Obama's visit as a major advance in this regard. But this was mere window dressing; these organisations have been named for long by the UN and the US in their ban lists.
All along, with bans and lists in place, the CIA has also been utilising the services of their cadre for its operations. This was exposed in the Hayden case. Despite all the covert and overt co­operation between the two countries, the Indian agencies have not been given access to interrogate him. US relations with Pakistan thus remain a major irritant for the Indian ruling classes. It is even more so for the Brahminic fascist RSS. For this organisation that controls the Modi government, hatred of Muslims, and by extension Pakistan­ bashing, is the central pin, the very organising principle, of its communal chauvinism, of its projected 'Hindu Rashtra'. The RSS has a longstanding orientation of ingratiating the US and getting India integrated in its orbit. For many decades, during the 'non­aligned' or pro-­Russian imperialist period, this was out of sync with the overall orientation of the Indian ruling classes.
The re­orientation in Indian foreign policy brought about by world developments reversed this. It allowed the narrowing down of differences among different sections of the ruling classes. A shift to a pro­-US stance emerged as the consensus.Yet, it is only now, with the Modi government, that the RSS is getting an unhampered opportunity to push its agenda. But, the terms are set by the US which has its own concerns. As we saw, this includes its support to the Pakistani state just as much as it pampers and bolsters Indian expansionism. If the RSS agenda of integrating India in the US orbit as a means to boost its expansionist plans is to advance, the Modi government must bow to the imperatives of US interests. The restraints this imposes on the RSS's core anti-­Muslim, anti-­Pakistan, Brahmanic communal drivers will surely introduce many wobbles in Modi's foreign and home policies. A preview was seen in the reactions to Obama's parting speech. Conveniently forgetting the huge promotion of Islamophobia by the US and the murderous persecution of coloured people under his rule, he took it upon himself to lecture to the audience on India's constitutional guarantee of the right to propagate any religion.
Evidently, he was brandishing the 'human rights' lathi often used by the US to threaten other states and secure its interests. The rash of Brahmanic Hindu fascists attacks on religious minorities, including forcible reconversion, seen over the past few months after Modi came to power gives the US many opportunities to do this. Obama's comments were an arrogant interference in India's internal affairs and it should have been protested. If the Congress or some other party were in power the whole pack of Sangh Parivarists would be opportunistically howling for blood. But nothing of that sort was seen. Instead, its official organ, the 'Organiser', delivered a classic example of the Sangh Parivar's slavish comprador logic: "US understanding of India's religious ethos is definitely not in line with the way we as Indians think of multi­religious society, but the way it thinks will form a centre­piece for those that are looking to invest in India on a long term basis."
The message was clear — in the so-­called Hindu nation they strive to establish, all 'Rashtravadis' (nationalists) had better learn to cosy up to 'the way those looking to invest think'; otherwise the dollars will not come. Well before this writing came out, the BJP's top leadership was already acting out its instructions by using every opportunity to declare their support to secularism. Yet not all are agreed. Some other top members of the Sangh Parivar have come out against Obama's comments, though not as stridently as they would have if they were not in power.
This contradiction is also being utilised in the tugs within the Sangh Parivar and among various sections in the broader Brahmanic Hindu fascist camp. Brahmanism will stoop to any lows to curry favours with those it sees as superior. It is capable of opportunist convolutions and stretching out to contain such contradictions. Even then, some of these hitches could still turn out to be game­ upsetting ones. Another factor to be considered is that of Sino-­US relations and its swings. To get into this we must first assess the BRICS, where India and China are partners. These countries, along with Brazil and South Africa, are still part of the Third world. Yet, they have sizeable big and relatively diversified economies that takes them far ahead of other oppressed nations.
The BRICS expresses a confluence of the common interest of these countries to bargain with the imperialist powers, particularly US imperialism, and of Russian imperialism in boosting its capacity to contend with other imperialists. Following the collapse of Soviet social imperialism the US became the all­ powerful sole super­power. It tried to use this situation to establish what has been described as a 'unipolar world'. This was especially seen in its actions after the attacks on the World Trade Centre, in its 'war on terrorism'. Rather than building up a coalition under its leadership as was the earlier practice, the war on Iraq was prepared and declared on its own. It was arrogantly stated that it would not wait for others, even its allies.
The near total dominance of the US forced the other imperialist powers to tag along, despite their differences and concern at being bypassed in taking such decisions. These acts of the US exposed the UN as an ineffective body. This again was a matter of concern for them and the reactionary rulers who had often found it a useful tool. Therefore, the other imperialist powers as well as major Third World countries like China and India were opposed to US 'unipolar' designs. Developments in the world itself gave them opportunities to realise this. No matter what the US rulers thought, the world was in fact always 'multi-polar' since contention between imperialist countries and contradiction between oppressed peoples and imperialism is a permanent feature of this system.
The multi-polar reality of the imperialist system was soon brought out forcefully through the stiff armed resistance the US had to face in Iraq and Afghanistan. Getting caught up in these wars of aggression started weaking the US. Other imperialist powers, especially Russia, utilised this situation to regain positions and push back the US. A number of new international organisations came up as an expression of the new condition. They include strategic groupings such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The deadlock in WTO trade and services pacts has added space, leading to the formation of trade organisations like Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). Having been forced to back off from its unilateral aggressiveness the US too has joined this business of building up new multilateral institutions.
The BRICS has to be situated within this world context. It of course has its own particularity. For the Indian ruling classes, BRICS serves to retain and create more room for manoeuvring and gaining from inter-­imperialist contentions to the extent possible. In this sense it is similar to the NAM. The NAM was an expression of the emergence and evolution of international relations following the break up of the old colonial order in the post 2nd World War period and its replacement by neo­colonial ties with oppressed nations. Under imperialist globalisation these ties, and the international system of states, have further evolved, providing room for an institution like the BRICS. On the one hand it is overwhelmingly Third world, Russia being the exception.
On the other, its Third world concerns are distinctly different from those of other oppressed countries. For instance, in forums like the WTO, the BRICS have shown that they are perfectly willing to subscribe to harmful imperialist policies where it suits them too in their exploitation of other Third world countries. The BRICS is thus not simply the coincidental materialisation of an acronym coined by somebody. It is a product of contemporary international relations.
All of its Third world participants have a common stake in securing and expanding the position and space they have arrived at. Yet, among them, China is in a different league. It has a decisive, determining position, if anything because of its economic clout. In the present world, without China, such an institution cannot persist. For the Indian ruling classes, that is something unpalatable but unavoidable too. The BRICS thus becomes another space for its contention with China. Here Modi and his team think that they can play a clever game — use the US connection to contain China and use BRICS to get better deals from the US. Therefore, foreign minister Bushman Swart flew off to Beijing as soon as the Obama visit was over.
The Indian ruling classes are adept at this game. They played it with some benefit during the period of contention between the US and the erstwhile Soviet camps. But what are its prospects in the present world? The US rulers have for several years promised to do all they can to see India into the UN Security Council. They regularly acknowledge it as an important player at the global level. This puffs up Indian expansionism. Membership in the extended G­8 grouping, the G­20, was celebrated by the Indian ruling classes as an acknowledgement of their 'arrival'. There is some truth in this. However, as we just saw, though India is in a different position in comparison to most other Third world countries, it is nowhere near China, economically and militarily.
This gives that country a political weight far beyond that of the Indian state. It places it in a category superior to that of India in US foreign relations. The US is keen on bolstering Indian expansionism precisely because it needs it to keep China in check. For the US, the main determinant in the Asia­-Pacific is its relations with China, not India. Therefore, the parameters of its relations with India are determined by this overarching concern. In effect, this means that the Indian state is secondary in the US ordering of priorities. Evidently that offends the Indian rulers with their quite inflated view of where they have 'arrived' in world relations. But there is nothing they can do about it. Though India has great strategic geopolitical value for US imperialism, it is not of the same degree as it was for Soviet social imperialism in the past.
Then India was a crucial element for social imperialism in contending with the US camp and threatening socialist China. Today India is only a supplementary element, strategic but not the key factor, in the US game plan for the Asia­ Pacific, where it has several time­ tested allies and lackeys. So what does this imply for Modi's foreign policy? The Modi government is in an overdrive to satisfy the political, military and economic demands of the US in the expectation of being granted the status of a world power, of getting total support for Indian expansionist interests (particularly in South Asia and at the expense of Pakistan). His home and foreign policies serve this aim. Some gestures may be expected from the US, but it will be far less than what is being dreamt off.
Moreover, rather than creating more manoeuvring room for the Indian ruling classes, they are being drawn into tighter and tighter dependent relations with the US. This has horrendous consequences for the country. Already, the poverty of the people is being utilised to entice our youth to slave in military camps of US occupation troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and build their defence infrastructure. Such undeclared service in US military moves will soon become open participation, making our people cannon fodder for imperialist aggression. Modi had changed drug licensing policies to suit MNCs before he went off to meet Obama last year. Now he has bowed down to the demands of US nuclear plant manufacturers to absolve them of all liability in case of accidents in any power plant built with their technology. More can be expected as the poisonous buds of Modi's policies bloom.

Take Action: Defend Internet Freedom In India!

0
0
Dear Friend,

If you think the content of this news letter is critical for the dignified living and survival of humanity and other species on earth, please forward it to your friends and spread the word. It's time for humanity to come together as one family! You can subscribe to our news letter here http://www.countercurrents.org/subscribe.htm. You can also follow us on twitter, http://twitter.com/countercurrents and on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/countercurrents

In Solidarity
Binu Mathew
Editor
www.countercurrents.org

Take Action: Defend Internet Freedom In India!

http://www.countercurrents.org/nnt130415.htm


Obama To Take Cuba Off  State Terror List
By Bill Van Auken

http://www.countercurrents.org/mckibben160415.htm

President Barack Obama has announced his widely anticipated decision to end the 33-year designation of Cuba as a "state sponsor of terrorism." The action removes a key obstacle to the normalization of ties between Washington and Havana that both he and his Cuban counterpart, Raul Castro, initiated in speeches delivered simultaneously last December 17. It also helps clear the way for the penetration of Cuba's economy by US finance capital


A Climate Hero Languishes In Prison, Let's Fight To Get Him Out
By Bill McKibben

http://www.countercurrents.org/mckibben160415.htm

Mohamed Nasheed—who literally stood against the tides of rising oceans to sound the climate alarm—was ousted as the president of the Maldives during a military coup in 2012 and now faces 13 years in jail on an absurd series of politically-motivated charges


World Set For Record Droughts By 2050, Say Scientists
By Alex Pashley

http://www.countercurrents.org/pashley160415.htm

The planet could suffer unprecedented droughts before the middle of the century, researchers warned on April 15, 2015, urging prompt action in adapting reservoirs to receding water resources


The Renewable Revolution
By Michael T. Klare

http://www.countercurrents.org/klar160415.htm

Four Reasons Why the Transition From Fossil Fuels to a Green Energy Era Is Gaining Traction


Paying A Libel Suit To The Israel News Paper
By Mordechai Vanunu

http://www.countercurrents.org/vanunu160415.htm

Support Vanunu's Indiegogo Fund Raising Campaign


Geopolitics, Austerity And Neo-Liberalism: Greece, The EU And The US
By Jon Kofas

http://www.countercurrents.org/kofas160415.htm

Until very recently, the media throughout the world called the Greek SYRIZA party everything from "far left" to "radical far leftwing". Once the center-left party with a mass base made up of middle class and workers took power in Greece in late January 2015, it was very clear that the leftist rhetoric was indeed critical of austerity and neoliberal policies. Euphoria abounded within Greece and throughout the world among anti-austerity and anti-neoliberals who believed that growth and development were sacrificed for the sake of capital concentration at home and abroad. Very quickly, however, SYRIZA fell in line under pressure from the international media, domestic and foreign businesses, and of course from governments especially Germany, but also the US and even China that demanded conformity


U.S. Blocked Declaration Of A Right To Health Care, Says Bolivia's President
By Eric Zuesse

http://www.countercurrents.org/zuesse160415.htm

Bolivia's President Evo Morales has blamed U.S. President Barack Obama for the failure of the recent OAS (Organization of American States) Summit of the Americas to issue a final declaration, and he says that a major sticking point for Mr. Obama was Obama's opposition to a provision in the proposed declaration that would have said that health care is "a human right." Mr. Obama insisted that it's instead a privilege, access to which must be based primarily upon an individual's ability-to-pay, as is the case in the United States


The Tin-House Death In A Dhaka-Lake
By Farooque Chowdhury

http://www.countercurrents.org/chowdhury160415.htm

Are the tin-house deaths, at least 12 poor persons, in a Dhaka slum or in a Dhaka lake (New Age, April 16, 2015), in whatever way one likes to identify, Baanglaa New Year's gift to the Dhaka poor? Shall any politician or policy maker in the city answer the question?


Ahwazi Uprising: Between Escalation And Repression
By Ahwazna Website

http://www.countercurrents.org/aw160415.htm

Yesterday was the tenth anniversary of the glorious Intifada 15 April of 2005 that was a turning point in the history of the struggle of the Arab people of Ahwaz. Therefore, it is an opportunity to shed light on the issue of Ahwaz and objectives of the unwavering struggle of its people, and also to expose the Iranian gruesome policies exercised on Ahwazis which have taken its toll where arbitrary arrest of Ahwazi activists, death penalty, denial of employment, stealing the water of rivers and pumping it to Persian regions, building settlements for housing Persian settlers, dehydrating and contaminating wetlands and marshes for prospecting oil are rife


Sanjay Raut Has All Reasons To Do A Bal Thackeray
By Jahanzeb Mashhadi

http://www.countercurrents.org/mashhadi160415.htm

There is a huge uproar and rightly so about the Shiv Sena's statement of no voting rights for Muslims! I get it, South Indians to Biharis with Muslims being a constant, baying for the blood of communities is what Shiv Sena has done throughout its existence. What I don't get is the fact that people are actually expecting the government to do something about it


Meaningful Democracy: Dr. Ambedkar's Idea Of Swaraj
By Uttam Khobragade

http://www.countercurrents.org/khobragade160415.htm

The nation has just celebrated the 125th Birth Anniversary of Dr. Ambedkar. It was a historical coincidence that when the struggle for Independence was at its peak, Dr. Ambedkar was fighting for the liberation of the Dalits. Naturally, both the sections for and against the emancipation of the Dalits treated Dr. Ambedkar's struggle as only a struggle for the liberation of the Dalits, ignoring its importance in making Indian society overall a truly democratic society


Kashmir: Composite Society Not Composite Townships!
By Mohammad Ashraf

http://www.countercurrents.org/ashraf160415.htm

Kashmir needs restoration of its centuries old composite society and not clusters of imprisoned citizens acting as perennial sources of friction


Return Of Kashmiri Pundits To Valley
By Prof (Dr) Upendra Kaul

http://www.countercurrents.org/kaul160415.htm

The mere thought of returning to demarcated area , separated by barbed wires or walls in the valley away from the main kochas and streets where we spent our good times both amuses and hurts me. Going back to areas where you are not a part of the mainstream is meaningless. It only means to have a better climatic conditions, like staying in an air conditioned prison. Talking of 1990 again and again is not the solution. We need to look forward and go back to our old homes or build places in the main city or villages where we came from


Islam And Unity In Diversity
By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

http://www.countercurrents.org/khan160415.htm

A panel discussion on Unity in Diversity organized by Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR)


Canadian Court Issues Summons For Prime Minister Modi; Attorney General Blocks It
By American Justice Center

http://www.countercurrents.org/ajc160415.htm

The American Justice Center, an organization established to bring to justice perpetrators of mass violence and genocides, today welcomed a Canadian Court's summons to visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi under Section 269.1 of the Canadian Criminal Code, although the summons was immediately blocked by the Attorney General

Press Release - Political Prisoner Angela Sontakke Hunger Strike in Byculla Jail

0
0

Angela Harish Sontakke is a 45 year old political undertrial prisoner facing charges of being a Maoist party member who has been incarcerated since April 2011. Most of this period has been spent in Byculla Jail at  Mumbai. Eight out of her 11 co-accused have been released on bail. Angela herself has been acquitted in 15 of the 16 additional cases foisted on her and has been granted bail in the 16th case. She has been denied bail in Sessions Case No. 655 of 2011 under various sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (a  law akin to the draconian TADA & POTA) A highly educated lady, she has a double M.A. and has taught in various schools and colleges in Maharashtra.

Angela requested an urgent mulaqat, so, Maharukh Adenwalla and Susan Abraham, both lawyers, visited Byculla Jail on8.4.2015 at 12 noon.

During mulaqat Angela informed that on 1.4.2015, male jail staff arrived at Barrack No. 3, women's barrack (where Angela was lodged) with cables. When the inmates made enquiries, they were informed that CCTV cameras were going to be installed inside their barracks. Angela and the other inmates protested that this would be a clear invasion of their privacy since women inmates change their clothes, apply medicines (as skin infections are rampant in the overcrowded condition of the jail) and in the height of summer without any fans, women use minimum clothes while sleeping in the barracks.Angela also asked that they should be shown the notice allowing CCTVs inside the barracks.



-- 
Adv Kamayani Bali Mahabal
+919820749204
skype-lawyercumactivist
 
Hey folks, coined this term " Kracktivism ", check out my blog   

http://www.kractivist.org/kracktivism-2/

Blog for girl child-  http://fassmumbai.wordpress.com/  

Blog for Kashmir -http://kashmirsolidaritymumbai.wordpress.com/

Blog for KKM defence Committee-  http://kabirkalamanch.wordpress.com 

https://twitter.com/#!/Kracktivist

https://www.facebook.com/kamayani 


*I carry a torch in one hand
And a bucket of water in the other:
With these things I am going to set fire to Heaven
And put out the flames of Hell
So that voyagers to God can rip the veils
And see the real goal.......
Rabia (Rabi'a Al-'Adawiyya)
Viewing all 6050 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images