'Kolam Protests' in Chennai against CAA gains momentum

'Kolam' Protest against CAA gains momentum in Chennai 

Syed Ali Mujtaba

Tamil month Margazhi is famous for Kolams, as women in the state draw different types of kolams in front of their houses throughout this auspicious month. Keeping pace with the anti-CAA protests all over India, some dedicated anti CAA protesters are using their deft fingers and a bit of Kolam powder to draw a design pattern to show their defiance against citizenship questions that is rocking the nation.   

Margazhi is the nine month in traditional Tamil calendar. In 2019 -20 Margazhi month starts on December 17, 2019 and ends on January 14, 2020. It is one of the most auspicious months in the Tamil calendar, when temples are opened early morning and special pujas are performed.  

Tamil Nadu's main opposition party the DMK is spearheading the Kolam protest in the state to oppose the amended Citizenship Act of the BJP government. Members of the DMK women wing are actively participating in the protest and each passing day the Kolam protest is gaining creative and innovative form in Chennai city and elsewhere in the state.  

The Kolams drawn by these peaceful protesters are a delight to watch. The messages written along with the design expresses the defiant mood of the protesters.  

The ruling AIADMK government that is batting for the BJP government at the center is rounding up people who are part of such innovative protests. It has detained eight people including five women for drawing Kolams in Besant Nagar, a posh neighborhood in Chennai.

Even though the detainees were later released but the Kolam protest fails to subside in this southern megapolis.  A woman functionary of DMK said, “we are drawing Kolams outside our residences and we will continue to do so in the coming days of this Margazhi month as we are following the orders on our party leader MK Stalin.

The DMK holds the view that the CAA is against Sri Lankan Tamils who are Hindus by faith as this law covers only Hindu migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Since Hindu Tamils from Sri Lanka do not fit into Hindi, Hindu Hindustan paradigm of north Indian mindset, its unacceptable to the people of Tamil Nadu. 

 -------

Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalists based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba20007@gmail.com

Another RSS Agenda on Anvil - The New Education Policy

Another RSS Agenda on Anvil - The New Education Policy

Syed Ali Mujtaba

Close on the heels of Citizen Amendment Act, National Population Register, National Citizen Register and Abrogation of Article 370 and 35A, the BJP government is toying with the idea push in one more of its agenda that is the New Education Policy into the public domain making it a constitutional law.

Currently, the Fifty-five Page draft is waiting the customary nod by the cabinet and once that over it will be brought in the Parliament at an appropriate time and date to make it a law.  Needless to say, it is going to be the repeat of the Citizen Amendment Act and Abrogation of Article 370 and 35 A, and will be summarily passed in the Parliament within no time caring little about the people will and the future of the generation to come in the country. 

The government of the day is emboldened by the fact that it can get away with the RSS agenda no matter what may be opposition to it as it is conceived all such agenda are the will of the county. 

These RSS agenda are blatant attempt to change nature and character of the constitution of India and the government of the day is convinced that it can handle any opposition to it no matter how many dead bodies it’s has to count in its saffron pursuit.

Now before being judgmental about the New Education policy, let’s have a bird’s eye view of its draft and get to its basics correctly. In sum, the ‘New Education Policy’ is yet another RSS agenda to saffron the country tempering with the education system of India.

Actually, in June 2019, Dr K Kasturiragan committee had submitted 184 page draft report on new education policy. After that Fifty-five page report was submitted to the government, supposedly an updated version of the new education policy in October, 2019.

The fifty-five page report is the new version of the draft of the new education policy that is currently being vetted by the government. Even though it is not officially acknowledged by the Ministry of Human Resource and Development (MHRD), in all probability the new version of the draft of the education policy satisfies all the intentions of the current government. And it is this draft that is being considered to be made into a law. 

Since the draft of new education policy concerns entire country, I am listing out some of the concerns that may beg attention of 'we the people of India’.    

The draft of the new education policy lays emphasis on universalization of early childhood care and education (for 3-6 years age group) in the public funded domain. The draft of the new education policy recommends recruiting ‘local volunteers, social workers and counselors’ for this “large scale mission”.

This means the government will recruit people belonging to the saffron brigade and they will be paid from the public funds for this large scale mission. This would open the door for the RSS and Sangh Parivar cadre to infiltrate into the different stages of education system i.e Schools, Colleges and Universities and if so the RSS agenda is being made operational.

The next criticism of the draft of the new education policy is that it promotes unfettered commercialization of education system in the country. It not only allows privately owned schools and colleges to collect fee but is in line with the dictates of the World Bank, IMF and WTO recommendations that the government shall not regulate private institutions since they are “not profit or public spirited bodies.”

As such the draft of the new education policy chooses to ignore the Kothari Commission’s recommendation of establishing a Common School System (CSS) based on Neighborhood Schools (NS) up to class XII for all children. The CSS –NS idea was recommended in successive education policies beginning from 1968, 1986 and 1992 but now it is totally being ignored.

The draft of the new education policy legitimizes a multilayered school system for different section of the society. It recommends vocational element in education from class 9 or even earlier. This is a big camouflage as it gives the students the option to choose between vocational and liberal education.

The fear is the Bahujan and other down trodden children that consists of more than 85 per cent of student force will certainly be lured to vocational courses while the upper caste/class children will continue to go ahead with the liberal education.

This diversion of the Bahujan and other such children to go for vocational education is to make them go for low wage earning fields and would lead to their massive exclusion before class XII.  The massive exclusion of the Bhaujans and other down trodden sections of students especially girls from the education system are clear from the vision of the new education policy and as such detrimental for the well being of the country. This new education policy will certainly deny them the right of equal opportunity to enter higher education and participation in the social justice agenda of the country.

The new education policy is meant to exacerbate privatization and corporatization of education system. It aims to make the education system into low wage earning skills and to fulfill the government’s objectives of “Skill India” “Make in India” missions. The main objective of the new education policy is to build a cheap labor force for the capitalists and corporates to flourish.      

The new education policy is aimed at demolishing the public funded education system in the country. The draft of the new education policy proposes elitist school complexes and this would further lead to massive closure/ merger of the public funded schools. This in turn would further exacerbate exclusion of Bahujan and others from the education system. This in fact is the agenda of the RSS as it wants to operationalize the Neo Brahmanical education system in the entire country.  

The draft of the new education policy recommends mother tongue as a medium of education only up to class FIVE, tolerating it up class EIGHT, then liquidating the recommendation by adding a clause ‘when possible.’

Further, the new education policy, seeks to impose Sanskrit at all levels, including higher education. The draft of the new education policy recommends imposition of Hindi and Sanskrit on students in non-Hindi speaking states and Sanskrit on students of Hindi speaking states. The new education policy has little regard for the mother tongue of the minorities and others whose mother tongue is not Hindi.  

The draft of the new education policy recommends that the NCERT would prepare the course material for the schools and the credit structures for Colleges and Universities will be prepared by the General Education Council.  As such, the NCERT and the General Education Council will be controlling the education content of the entire country. This implies that the state/ UTs and their bodies will have no role in preparing the course material of the new education system in the country.

Further, the draft of the new education policy extends the role of the National Testing Agency (NTA) to control education both at school and higher education. Thus NTA would control the exit gate of school education and the entry gate of the higher education.

At the same time the new education policy proposes private National Testing Agency (NTA) and Accreditation procedure to put in place, a multi layered system of educational institutions. This will be run by so called independent managements that do not allow any democratic and representative involvement of teachers, students and staff in the functioning of these institutions. 

Next, the draft of the new education policy mandates the National Research Foundation (NRF) to control the research being undertaken at the higher education level. It is being feared that this would certainly lead to regimentation of thoughts and knowledge production.  

The draft of the new education policy also takes away the last shred of autonomy from the education system and promotes the centralization of eligibility, admission and evaluation criteria, at all levels of education including higher education.

As such the draft of the new education policy stands against India’s diversity and other constitutional values. The new education policy stands for hegemony of majoritarian religion, culture and language. It stands for building multilayered education system rooted in caste, class, patriarchy etc. There is nothing positive in the new education policy and it has to be rejected out rightly.

With all wisdom at our command the new education policy has to be decoded in public squares, a massive public opinion has to be built against this harmful education policy. A people’s upsurge against such policy can alone compel the government to desist from pushing one more of its saffron agenda into the public domain and enacting it as a constitutional law in the country.

--

Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com

Salman Khurshid Launches Book on India’s Act East Policy

Salman Khurshid Launches a New Book on India’s Act East Policy 

New Delhi: India’s ‘Act East’ policy is an extension of some serious efforts made by the Congress government through its ‘Look East’ policy, said former External Affairs rs Minister, Salman Khurshid,  at a book launch function held at Gandhi Peace Foundation, New Delhi on Dec 10, 2019. 

While summarizing the book; ‘India’s Eastward Thrust – Predicaments and Prospects’ written by Dr Syed Ali Mujtaba, the Minister was candid in saying that commerce and other interests’ has taken over the human relationship that binds India with Southeast Asia in the new ‘label’ Act East policy.  

Professor Emeritus SD Muni of Jawaharlal Nehru University talked about ancient links between India and Southeast Asia and said that the Act East policy has only speedup the process of connecting India with Southeast Asia.     

Veteran journalist Ved Pratap Vaidik, former Editor Navbharat Times who courted controversy meeting Hafiz Sayeed in Pakistan, gave a lucid account from his personal experience of his visits to many Southeast Asian countries. Speaking on India’s imprints in South East Asian countries, he talked about Angkor Wat, Hindu temple complex in Cambodia, larger than life size statues of Buddha in Thailand and about Bali Island where largest number of Hindu population live in Indonesia.

Pravin Sawhney, Editor of ‘Force’, a magazine on national security, talked about China factor in India’s eastward thrust. He said there is no competition between India and China and the only option for India is to seek cooperation with China. "With Chinese shadow looming large on ASEAN, New Delhi must manage China through cooperation,” the defense journalist said. Sawhney, earlier worked as the South Asia correspondent of Jane’s International Defence Review in New Delhi.  

All the speakers were equivocal in praising the author Dr Syed Ali Mujtaba, a senior journalist and the Head of the Department, Visual Communication, Guru Nanak College, Chennai, in bringing out such a timely book.

According to the author,there are three ‘Cs’ in India’s Eastward Thrust – Connectivity, Commerce and Culture. As far as connectivity, there are several projects underway linking India with ASEAN through land, rail, optic fiber, Air and Sea routes and all of them are ambitiously progressing. 

With regard to commerce, India and ASEAN trade partnership is inching towards a five trillion economy. On cultural side, the people to people contact is bridging the social and cultural gap between the two regions,’ he added. 'There are enough predicaments in India’s Act East policy, but there are abundant prospects as well.' said the author. 

The book India’s Eastward Thrust – Predicaments and Prospects’ primarily attempts to analyze India’s Act East policy threadbare. It also updates India’s relationship with Southeast Asian countries. The book India’s Eastward Thrust: Predicaments and Prospects is published by Mittal Publications, New Delhi. It is 2020 publication with ISBN-9788183249522. It is priced at Rs. 550. The book is available at https://www.amazon.in/dp/8183249523?ref=myi_title_dp. Any inquiry about the book can be sought at Email: info@mittalbooks.com.

----

Some Conspicuous Shifts in India’s Foreign Policy

Some Conspicuous Shifts in India’s Foreign Policy

Syed Ali Mujtaba

India’s foreign policy is in a transitional mode. There are some conspicuous features that have visibly crept into India’s foreign policy.  Earlier foreign office handled the foreign affairs with well-defined objectives goals and end results but now it's PMO that is directly controlling the external affairs ministry.

Since our beloved Prime Minister is the sole architect of the new foreign policy, no one can dare question his super human wisdom and his tough decisions are drummed as a statesman's statecraft . As such what is visible in India’s foreign policy is the urgency to break from the past and redefine the objectives in ultra nationalist paradigm. Under Prime Minister Nrandra Modi there are few conspicuous features in India’s foreign policy that needs to be highlighted before doing any surgical operation on it.  

The first visible feature is to re-calibrate India’s foreign policy by aligning it with ultra-nationalist considerations. In the Modi government’s foreign policy agenda there is a strong link with internal consideration of vote bank politics with the external affairs of the country. Earlier, the internal consideration had had no reflection on the foreign policy, the two were treated differently. And there used to be continuity in foreign policy objectives irrespective of government in power. But now there is a break from the past and two are being aligned in the new foreign policy discourse. This is reflected in the foreign policy fixation on Pakistan, Terror, And Jammu and Kashmir. While the sole focus of Indian politics is to wring much mileage from these three subjects, the external affairs department is also preoccupied with the same fixation to satisfy the ultra nationalist vote bank.   

The second feature of India’s new foreign policy is the make believe assumption that India is militarily and economically no push over. The current government believes that India’s economic and military clout is so huge that it can be used as tools to gain advantage vis-à-vis other countries. The “Kashmir victory” has given confidence to the Indian leadership that spineless international community cannot influence its arbitrary decisions due to country’s growing military and economic clout.  The wisdom of the foreign policy makers is that democracy can be redefined as “will of the state and the larger international community will not question such assumption due fear of loosing the gains from vast Indian market.     

The third striking feature in India’s foreign policy is risk taking attitude of the policy makers. In the new strategic thinking the buzz word is to be offensive in foreign policy practices.  The 2016 surgical strikes against Pakistan after the Uri terror attack. The Doklam standoff in 2017 with China. The Balakot air strikes against Pakistan in Feb 2019 after Pulwama terror attacks, are all examples of risk-ridden moves in India's foreign policy agenda. The decision taken by the Central government on August 5  to in-operate Article 370 and 35 A in Jammu and Kashmir is yet another example of such risk-taking taking attitude introduced in India’s external diplomacy.

The fourth feature of India’s foreign policy is to do away with the pretenses of normative behavior and moral high grounds in external affairs discourse. India has broken away from the past where it was a fashion to be internally liberal and externally realist but now there is black and white like clarity in India’s foreign policy on many complex issues. Be it defiance of UN on India's Kashmir policy, relations with Israel or ties with the US, the political rhetoric is merged with foreign policy realism. The current regime is peeved to advocate ambiguity in statecraft but prefer clarity in India’s foreign policy  to achieve desired goals. Now speech is act too and that is a big break from the past in foreign policy agenda.     

The fifth hallmark of the new foreign policy is the external behavior is being domestically politicized.  It seems that the leadership of the country does a cost and benefits analysis while taking foreign policy decisions with an eye on vote bank politics. The surgical strike on Pakistan and later the Balakot Air Strike on Pakistan and recently abrogation of Article 370 and 35 A are all decisions to cater to domestic consumption and gain political mileage. 

A high-pitched rhetoric around Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir and terrorism is another hallmark in India’s foreign policy. Country’s obsession with Pakistan has been there since the Partition of India. But there have been many phases of peace and conflict in India- Pakistan relations. However, now ultra-nationalism has become the dominant feature in India’s foreign policy while dealing with Pakistan. Couched in ultra-nationalist lingo, India’s external affairs managers are teaching a lesson or two to Pakistan. Instead of forward-looking and system-shaping narratives with Pakistan, India's foreign policy makers are setting terms and conditions to mend relations with Pakistan. The new India’s foreign policy pursuit’s vis-à-vis Pakistan is another yet striking feature in external affairs discourse.  

In India’s new foreign policy thinking a new narrative is being scripted on Kashmir. Now Kashmir is no more a disputed territory between India and Pakistan. The accession of the territory by the King is the final verdict in according to the new definition democracy which means will of the ruler and not the people is supreme. The way article 370 and 35 A has been made inoperative, political leaders arrested, youth taken into custody, communication system blocked, a large number armed forces being deployed all points to the fact that the will of the people do not matter in the new definition of democracy which is all about the will of the rulers. Currently Kashmir is ruled under shadow of gun. The state terror is manifest in the valley and its no go area for any Indian. So far India’s new policy on Kashmir has worked well to satisfy it’s the ultra-nationalist constituency but it has a disaster for India at the global stage. India has become a talking point in international arena and its image has taken a beating because of the ill conceived policy on Kashmir. Even three months after the announcement to make Kashmir a developmental paradise there is no forward movement happening there. 

Another another striking feature of India’s new foreign policy is to blow the trumpet of zero tolerance towards terrorism. India is milking the adage to the hilt for its advantage, so much so that with one  broom is has swept aside both Kashmir and Pakistan. India feigns ignorance about how the  international community has made Pakistan a hub of terrorism and instead of showing sympathies it is asking the international community to  label Pakistan as epic center of terrorism. This narrative of India on terror has proved to be costly. It has lost Afghanistan because of its refusal to recognize Taliban as the legitimate contender of assuming power. How can India talk to Taliban when it is adamant not to engage Pakistan or the militant groups in Jammu and Kashmir as it does not fall in line of its antics of zero tolerance on terrorism.

In sum one wonders whether these foreign policy shifts are for the betterment of the country or meant for the ruling dispensation to perpetually remain in power  India’s unrelenting obsession with hyper nationalism in foreign policy has hardly produced any results. Even a sophomore monitoring foreign policy antics can point falsies in India’s new foreign policy discourse. The new foreign policy has not fixed any of the contentious problems rather it has them more complex. There is no forward movement being made in any of the fancy subjects since new foreign policy agenda is being practiced. The new foreign policy is not based on realism but on self-aggrandizement and make believe assumptions. It has been pushed to a level from where there is no retreat and if that is done it may amount to national shame.It means that the country’s valuable diplomatic assets and accumulated goodwill are being compromised. There is virtually no achievements made by the current government by the pursuance of new foreign policy antics. The shifting sand of India’s foreign policy is more hype than pragmatism attached to foreign statecraft.  

---

Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com

Hindu villagers protect Mosque in this village of Bihar

Hindu Villagers Protect Mosque in this village of Bihar

In a heartwarming instance of communal harmony, the Hindu residents of Mari village, in Nalanda district of Bihar have given their heart and soul to take care of an old mosque left abandon by the Muslims in their village.

According to media report, in Mari village, due to scourge of unemployment Muslim population has slowly eased themselves out of the village into places where their life could be possible, leaving behind their immovable property that is their place of worship.

The Muslim population left the village due to push factor and now there is no one left to take care of their mosque.  That’s when the local Hindu population in the village has stepped in to join hands and preserve and to take care of the mosque.

They play Azaan on the loud speaker five times a day, with the help of pen-drive and call the faithful each day to come and pray.  But since there are none village residents gather in front of the mosque and after the Azan is over, they pay obeisance to the place of worship by bowing their head before the mosque before dispersing.

 “It’s a very old mosque, says a local resident Ishwar Paswan adding apart from playing Azaan at the

right hour, they bow their head before the mosque as they do not know the procedure of the Namaz routine.  The residents make every effort to keep the mosque clean. They sweep and mop the floor and keep the entire mosque premises clean.

“It’s place where heavenly souls traverse, so cleaning the place is essential for making this place an abode of divine souls,” Ishwar further says adding that after each wedding in the village, the newly-wed couple come to the mosque first to take the blessings from this holy place. ”

With this kind of stories emerging from some sleepy places of India gives lot of hope that humanity still survives in our country. At a time when poison of hatred between Hindus and Muslims is being spilled over for political gains, such story gives oxygen to Hindu – Muslim brotherhood in the country.

This example may be also being a soul searching exercise to all those Hindus who are indulging in mob lynching exercise of helpless Muslims shown. At this hour of communal polarization, such kind of kind gestures by Hindu brethren reinforces the slogan of Unity in Diversity. More such examples are exactly needed at this hour of communal disharmony in our country.

The need of the hour is some Muslim organization or philanthropist may adopt this mosque in Mari village and pay for its upkeep. It will be a great service to the community whose returns may be gained on the day of judgement which is a belief of every Muslims.

Mari is a small village in Ben Block in Nalanda District of Bihar. It comes under Mari Panchayath. It belongs to Patna Division. It is located 15 KM towards west from Nalanda’s District headquarters, Bihar Sharif. It is 66 KM from State capital Patna. This Place is in the border of the Nalanda District and Gaya District. Mari Local Language is Maithili. Mari Village total population is 3307 and number of houses are 573. Female Population is 48.7%. Village literacy rate is 55.1% and the female literacy rate is 23.3%.

—

Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He hails from Nalanda district. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com

Kashmir and a Storm in the Tea Cup

Kashmir and a Storm in the Tea Cup

Syed Ali Mujtaba

On Monday, July 22, 2019, United States President Donald Trump has droped a bombshell claiming that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked him to mediate on the Kashmir issue when they met in Osaka, Japan, on the sidelines of the of the G-20 Summit on June 29, 2019.

US President while talking to the press with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan said; "I was with Prime Minister Modi two weeks ago and we talked about this subject (Kashmir). And he actually said, 'would you like to be a mediator or arbitrator?' I said, 'where?' (Modi said) 'Kashmir'," Trump said. "If I can help, I would love to be a mediator. If I can do anything to help, let me know," Trump said, adding he is ready to help, only if the two countries ask for it.

There was a quick reaction to it from External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in Parliament. The Minister categorically denied Trump’s claim saying Mr. Modi did not made any such request to Mr.
Trump to “mediate or arbitrate” on the Kashmir issue. He said India remains committed to discussing all issues bilaterally with Pakistan.

Then the U.S. State Department issued a clarification that Kashmir remains a “bilateral issue,” and the U.S. “stands ready to assist” India-Pakistan for any such talk. It did not deny the US President’s comment, leaving each of us guessing who was correct,the U.S. State Department or our External Affairs Minister. 

To a dim wilted, the onus of denial or acceptance remains on the Indian Prime Minister. As he is the party to the conversation being talked about but he remains non vocal on it. This puts him in dock for trading the AOOT ANNG OF INDIA (inseparable limb of India) in private, while he has been saying in public that Kashmir is no negotiable.

Witnessing a storm in the tea cup it’s time to recollect the role of USA and other external powers in mediating to resolve the Kashmir question. The archives have it that after the fall of Hyderabad on 13th September 1948, a US Consulate dispatch from New Delhi has said, ‘now the principal of the will of the people of Kashmir has to be made applicable. This one liner prophecy of an US officer perhaps the junior most in the hierarchy of US administration has become the corner stone of US foreign policy on Kashmir since then.  

 The early attempt at mediation on Kashmir was done by the UN where India took its complaint against Pakistan’s forced occupation of parts of Kashmir (PoK) ton January 1, 1948. A United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP) was set up which proposed mediating the Kashmir dispute along a three-point action plan. This plan of action never took off on the ground till date.

However, the UNCIP was successful in mediating a ceasefire in 1949, and negotiating the geographical location of the cease-fire line that would be monitored by the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP). This arrangement remains intact on ground even as of today.

Thereafter individual U.N. representatives continued to visit both sides but failed to resolve the Kashmir dispute. Sir Owen Dixon, an Australian jurist was the first United Nations Representative for India and Pakistan (UNRIP) appointed to mediate the Kashmir dispute. He was followed by an American diplomat Frank Graham.

During India-China war of 1962, the US had provided India with planes and military hardware worth about $60 million with the condition that India should agree to be mediated in talks with Pakistan over Kashmir. The U.S. made it clear that any further military assistance was contingent on India’s cooperation on Kashmir talks.

In fact, a team of 24 American negotiators landed in India on November 21, 1962. It was led by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Averell Harriman. The US team worked along with U.S. Ambassador John Kenneth Galbraith and British High Commissioner Paul Gore to bring India and Pakistan to the negotiating table.

There were six rounds of talks between India’s Foreign Minister Swaran Singh and Pakistan Foreign Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Eventually, the talks ended in 1963 without any results. Since then the time has traveled its distance and globally Kashmir is recognized as a dispute, though India has some qualms about it.

The then Soviet Premier Kosygin tried to broker a peace agreement between India and Pakistan in Tashkent over Kashmir in 1965.Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and Pakistani President Ayub Khan attended the peace talks. But nothing tangible emerged out of such talks due to sudden death of PM Shastri in Tashkent.  

Then the dateline shifts to Shimla Agreement of 1972. In this agreement India and Pakistan “resolved to settle their differences by peaceful means through bilateral negotiations or by any other peaceful means mutually agreed upon between them”.

Since then Shimla agreement forms the basis of bilateral talks between the two countries, where India harps on the first part of the agreement “resolved to settle their differences by peaceful means through bilateral negotiations, Pakistan lays emphasis on; “by any other peaceful means mutually agreed upon between them”.

The next dateline is 1993, when the U.S. President Bill Clinton decided to solve the Kashmir dispute and wished to mediate between India and Pakistan. In this connection, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Robin Raphel during a press briefing questioned the validity of Kashmir’s ‘Instrument of Accession’ on 26 October 1947. India protested to the remarks of the US official and succeeded to keep the Kashmir issue on the back burner.

Then the next dateline is February 1999 Lahore declaration when Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif and Indian PM Atal Behari Vajpayee outlined a four-step formula to resolve all the disputes through bilateral means. But then Kargil happened later in the same year and peace talks were stalled. Later,  terror attack took place on Indian Parliament December 13, 2001. Following, India launched operation Parakram when Indian Pakistani troops was locked in eyeball to eyeball position from 13 December 2001 – 10 June 2002.  

Subsequently,  Indian and Pakistani under Lahore agreement of 1999 held peace negotiations from 2003 to 2008. According sources, the two countries came very close to resolve the Kashmir dispute. But progress Kashmir could not make headway as terrorism came in the way of implementing the peace process and bilateralism was sacrificed on the altar of terrorism since then.

In between several global leaders including South African President Nelson Mandela, UN Chief António Guterres, and the Norwegian Prime Minister, Erna Solberg has offered to negotiate between India and Pakistan. But New Delhi gave them a courteous reply that its duty bound to resolve all outstanding issue with Pakistan through bilateralism.

The overall victims of such situation are the people of Kashmir who have become main sufferers as there is no urgency in any such peace process.

Now when US president Donald Trump dropped a bombshell during his joint press conference with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, India’s response was to invoke the Shimla Agreement of 1972 and the Lahore Declaration of 1999 as the basis to resolve all issues between India and Pakistan bilaterally.

The question is why India needed US President’s intervention to croak the pet lines of bilateralism. If that was on deep freeze due terrorism, why did not our External Affairs Minister put the condition on the US President to ask Pakistan to stop terrorism for starting the dialogues of peace? Related to it is the question why did not our beloved PM have the courage to deny Mr. Trump’s claims that he not asked him to “mediate or arbitrate” on Kashmir. The other question is why it took 25 years for a US President to once again publicly announce it concerns for Kashmir.

The story so far is, India has opposed any third-party mediation on Kashmir. This is because India’s defence over Kashmir is quite weak. This is due to Pakistan‘s claim that Kashmir is the unfinished agenda of Partition of India, and Kashmiri’s claim the will of the people has to be made supreme.

 India do not see any significant gain from a third-party mediation and feels that in such mediation, the third party will give muscle to the weaker parties and may serve its adversaries interests.  In such case, India at best may may like the third parties to diffuse tensions at the Line of Control or at the International Border and not beyond that.

So then all boils down to bilateral negotiation. India finds bilateralism to suit its interests because as a regional power it has superiority in conventional and non-conventional military means. In such case bilateral talks can serve its purpose for name sake having no conclusion coming from any such talks.

In the end, the summery is unless parties concerned are not willing to concede their fossilized stand on Kashmir no peace can be hammered out through bilateralism or multilateralism. In such case,the Kashmir problem will remain where it was 1948. With no solution going to be agreed upon in the near future with the parties concerned, Kashmir problem will remain an unresolved conflict for some more time to come. 
----------------
Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com

Hindu Child Cries for Muslim Mother –A Tale of Communal Harmony in India

Hindu Child Cries for Muslim Mother –A Tale of Communal Harmony in India

Syed Ali Mujtaba

A Facebook post by Sreedharan that “my Umma (mother) has honored the summons of Allah, please pray for her soul…if there is heaven, my Umma will surely find a place there,” has caught many eyeballs. It appeared it was a cry of a Hindu child for her Muslim mother. There was definitely curiosity raised through the FB post.  

In deeper introspection, it turned out to be a tale of human love cutting across religion and other parochialism that could be an eye opener to those who are forcing the Muslims to chant Jai Sri Ram and killing them for being an Indian Muslim.  

The 46-year-old Sreedharan’s facebook post is an amazing account of how interfaith bonds survive in India even in these trouble times when Hindus minds were rigged in just concluded General Election of 2019.

A pious Muslim couple Subaida Thennad and Abdul Azeez Haji had three children of their own and they fostered three more, Sreedharan and his two elder sisters Ramani and Leela. The Muslim couple adopted these Hindu kids when their widow mother, Chakki passed away due to sudden illness. Having no one to look after these three Hindu children, Subaida took them under her wings, with Sreedharan being hardly one, and others being less than five years of age.  

The three Hindu children were raised by Subaida in her house as practicing Hindus along with her own three practicing Muslim children. In the mornings, when the three Muslim children went to the madrasa, the three Hindu kids were sent temple to learn about their religion.

All the six children lived in the same house under one roof, in the care of the loving Muslim parents.  They all ate together, played together and slept together and woke up together without an feelings of religious divide between them.

“Our foster parents brought us up like their own children and educated us. They got my sisters married off. Though we were taken in at an impressionable age, they never tried to convert us to their religion, said Sreedharan, who works in Oman in the FB post adding, his foster mother to him was like her own mother (Umma).

News of her mother’s death shattered Sreedharan who cried on his personal loss, holding bottles of perfume that he had bought for his beloved mother in Oman. He chose not to rush home in Kerala as he lacked courage to see her dead body. And instead wept and prayed for the departed soul.

]The death of Subaida Thennad would have gone unnoticed outside her home in Kalikavu village in Nilambur taluk of Malappuram district in Kerala. It is her foster son, Sreedharan, who had put up a Facebook post that tickled many funnels hearing such tale of communal harmony, where recently one Tabrez Ansari was done to death by a Hindu mob for reasons Ansari being an Indian Muslim.

Another Story 

Another story of Communal harmony has come from Belarikhan village under the Gosaiganj Assembly constituency in Ayodhya district of Uttar Pradesh. Here in a rare gesture some Hindus have donated 1.25 bighas of land to Muslims for using it as their burial ground.

As per records, the land belonged to the Hindus but some Muslims have buried their dead since it was by the side of a graveyard. The land had been a bone of contention between the two communities and there were disputes and tension over this issue for years between them. 

However some nine Hindu gentlemen who were shareholders of the land, signed a registered deed for 1.25 bighas of land in favour of the Qabristan Committee, Gosainganj on to bury their hatchet once and for all.

Khabbu Tiwari, the local BJP MLA who took the initiative said; “It's a gift from the Hindu community through a proper deed and stamp duty, as the tradition of Hindu-Muslim brotherhood in Ayodhya has a long history. This is a small token of love from Hindus to Muslims and I hope this amity will continue," he added.

In these days of Hindu religious fundamentalism where some radical Hindus are trying to lynch Muslim through mob attacks, such tales of goodness must be highlighted. These are rare instances of interfaith gestures of communal harmony in the country and reflect how India society is interwoven from below.

These stories will definitely give a tight slap to those relentlessly working overtime to increase the religious divide between the Hindus and Muslims in the country. 

It’s also a lesson or two those who are indulging in the conspiracy of silence by not opening up their mouths against those perpetrating hate crimes against Muslims in India.

German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) has rightly said; first they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

---

Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com  

Why the new BJP Government is called EVM Sarkar

Why the new BJP Government is called EVM Sarkar

Syed Ali Mujtaba

The 2019 parliamentary election mandate is shrouded in suspense, mystery, uneasiness and unhappiness among large section of the people in the country. The clean sweep by the BJP is not accepted by many people and there is a clamor all around, that the BJP has won the polls through 

Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) manipulation calling the new government as EVM Sarkar.

The needle of suspicion is on the Election Commission which is a handpicked body of the BJP that presided over the General Election and in the end suspected to bring the ruling dispensation back to power with a resounding majority. The common electorates are not satisfied with the way the seven phase election was conducted in India and more so with the outcome of the result after almost two months of waiting.

There are enough evidences to prove that EVMs were manipulated during the 2019 parliamentary election. There are reports just before the 7th phase of the polls that trucks filled with EVMS were heading towards the strong room that's based on the testimony of the laborers who have loaded them in trucks and party workers who saw the movement of these trucks.

There are also reports that some 20 lakhs EVMS are missing from the custody of the Election commission from a period of almost one year. There are videos evidence of EVMs were found in the hotel rooms, brickyards and old factories etc and the accountability of all such missing EVMs is on Election Commission.  However, the Election Commission has never come out with an answer that how many EVMS are missing and how many have they recovered.  In such case of stoke silence by the EC on such serious issue the people of India are unhappy about its role and duties.

If we go through the website of the Election Commission it’s found that there is a big mismatch between the “votes polled” and “votes counted.” This is a huge discrepancy is witnessed in over 370 constituencies. For instance in all the 48 Parliamentary constituencies in Maharashtra and 203 assembly constituencies of Madhya Pradesh there is mismatch in the votes polled and the votes counted.

The Election commission refuses to explain why such discrepancy has happened at all and why the people should accept the verdict as a fait accompli even in the wake of such large mismatch in the mandate.

Is it a coincidence or malfunction of the EVMs that seven contestants in 2019 General Election have won their seats with the same margin of votes? Bhola Singh, Menaka Gandhi, Upender Narshigh, Harish Dividi, Satpal Singh, Sangh Mitra Murya, Kunwar Bhatender Singh have won by identical margins of 211820/ 140295.  Is it duty of the Election Commission to remove the concern of the people why such results have been thrown by the foolproof EVMs and the VVPT?  

Every countryman has read the reports of the malfunction of the EVMs from several places in the country. So far there is no clarification from the Election Commission on this matter. The general public is eager to know as to how many places such malfunctioning of EVMs had happened and what did the EC do to rectify such problem to ensure smooth polling. 

There is a huge suspicion that the EVMs were manipulated during the General Elections. It can be ascertained from the fact that the result of the Karnataka Municipal Election that was held just six days after the Lok Sabha election under ballot papers was quite different from Parliamentary results. The local body result says that Congress got 1880 seats, JDS 828 seats and BJP 714 seas. What does this suggests that in one week people changed their preferences when the BJP bagged 25 seats out of 28.

Similarly, if we recall the UP election, where the BJP had swept the polls in 2017, but after six months when the local body elections wer held, the results were not the same. The results from UP indicate that BJP won only in the urban areas where EVMs were used but in the rural areas where ballot papers were used, it had a poor showing. What does all this indicate that there has been massive manipulation of the EVMs to ensure the BJP victory in 2019?

There are other reasons of suspicion why the 2019 general election mandate is doubtful. In the aftermath of the results, Instead of jubilation all around, many people were shocked and stunned with the results There was discussion among a large number of people who did not vote for the BJP as why their preferences have been defaced. The results belied the expectation as they did not vote for the BJP but the results say their contrary. This suggests that the EVM were manipulated in such a way that whichever button the voter clicked, the votes went to the BJP.  

If the BJP had got resounding support from the general masses, the victory should certainly have been celebrated on the street with much jubilation. But in this case no such sentiments were seen anywhere in the country and people were in shock and dismay as to how the BJP got such resounding mandate.

Those who witnessed the 1977 General election may remember the kind of popular upsurge on the streets across the country, when Congress was voted out of power. There was jubilation all around when Janata Party came to power with resounding mandate after the dark days of National Emergency imposed in 1975.

However no such scene was witnessed after the 2019 general elections results were declared? This suggests that there was large scale of mismatch between the popular will and results announced to declare the winners of the general election of 2019.

As an Indian if we are unhappy with the 2019 election results we must look towards the Courts to get remedy to somehow tally the VVPAT with the votes counted. If there is proof of discrepancy found, there should reelection in such constituencies without the EVM.

The other suggestion is to test the popular mandate by having re poll in some of the constituencies of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh that went had elections in the first phase. If the BJP maintain the old voting share, we may approve their mandate and accept it as a popular verdict. However, if the BJP loses even one percent of its vote share then there should be in reelection in all the 315 seats where the BJP have won.

As an Indian if we have to safeguard our democracy we have to fight for both ballot paper and EVM polling. There should be a single day election in the entire country. There should not be any transportation of the EVMS or ballot boxes to any other places from the polling booths. After the polling is over, the polling booth should be converted into strong room where few party workers should be allowed to stand in guard.  The next day the counting of the votes should be held at the same place to prevent any strong room malpractices.

The above reforms should be implemented as soon as possible to remove any doubts from the people’s mind that are living and breathing in one of the largest democracy of the world. This farce of seven phase polls spread over two months in the summer of 2019 should never happen again. The results declared have given enough room for suspicion that the popular will has never been reflected.

It is an earnest appeal to all the political parties that they should come forward to streamline the electoral process in the country. There should not be any more fooling with the sentiments of the people who have overwhelmingly participated in the national festival of parliamentary democracy in the country. The results of 2019 general election have conveyed that the freedom of expression of Indian Parliamentary democracy has been hijacked by this EVM Sarkar.

--

Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com