| Vol 23 | December 16th - 31st 2004 | No. 24 |
| Articles | |
The hindutvawadis staged protests inside the Indian Parliament and saw to it that it did not function for a number of days on the issue of Sawarkar. On this incident Purushottam Khedekar, the main personality behind the proposed conversion to Shivadharma in January next, expressed his opinions in the Maratha Marg (Oct.2004). The following is its gist. The available history is that Sawarkar apologized to the British Govt. in writing six times. The British accepted his maphinama (letter of apology) the copies of which are available in Sawarkar's own books, with some harsh conditions and condoned his remaining sentence. Sawarkar pleaded that remaining alive was the prime need of the time for which he quoted the principle of the tortoise avatara of his god. While many dignitaries like Krantisimha Nana Patil, Subhash Chandra Bose, Punjabrao Deshmukh, Dr. Ambedkar and others were fighting for bringing the democratic Bahujan rule of equality, liberty, fraternity and justice. Sawarkar wanted to remove the British to bring back the Peshawai many associates of Nana Patil were caught by the British on the information furnished by Sawarkar. Naganath Anna Nayakwadi, revolutionary, now alive gives the date-wise information of this disclosure by Sawarkar of the names and plans of the revolutionaries. Sawarkar suffered for 11 years in the Cellular Jail but he was the one with the minimum number of years among the suffering revolutionaries. Nearly 130 revolutionaries suffered for over 19 years in the Cellular Jail and over 100 of them were hanged later in the same jail. All these were real revolutionaries but they all were Bahujans. Indians have no knowledge even of their names. Their names with dates were engraved on a huge stone there. When some Maharashtrians saw that writing, they realized that Sawarkar was the one with the minimum of punishment compared to others and also remarks were seen that he apologized. Therefore, that information was made to disappear about 26 years back. Sawarkar had some attraction for Shivaji during his childhood but after later he realized that Brahmins are superior to Shivaji and he did not include Shivaji as one of the six heroes of India in his saha soneri pane (six golden pages). So he said Shivaji became a king just by luck he was not a warrior but a fatalist and believer in god. Like Tilak, Agarkar, Gokhale and Chiplunkar, Sawarkar also believed that as the British got the power from Peshwa Brahmins they should restore the Peshwas back to power. Referring to Brahminic propaganda,
Khedekar says, one could sell one's untruths by shouting. But there
is original written
evidence
available
for most of the things said and done by Mani Shankar Aiyar.
Also, some of the real revolutionaries who suffered because
of the
apology of
Sawarkar are still alive. COMMUNICATION I referred to the book, Religion and Society. What is given there is a translation of the Tamil book published by Valluvar Publishing House from Bhavani (1948). Perhaps it was published in the context of the assassination of M.K. Gandhi. They have given a correct version of the discussion between Periyar E.V. Ramaswamy and M.K. Gandhi. I have read about it in other works more than once. They are all in Tamil. The earliest reference though a brief one is by Periyar himself in his weekly, Kudi Arasu, and reproduced in his biography (1939). I reproduce from p.84 and 85 of Tamilar Thalaivar the background in which the meeting between Gandhi and Periyar took place: Gandhi defends caste system Different dharmas (duties) are ordained to different varnas. Persons of every varna should do dharmas ordained to them. In so doing, they become great. Certain dharmas are ordained to the Brahmins. When they do them properly they become great (high). The main dharma of a Brahmin is to serve people. The dharma of a Kshatriya is to protect ordinary people. When he performs that dharma he rises higher than others. In the same manner when persons of other varnas do their dharmas or duties assigned to them, they become high. "This being so, from where does the question of high and low arise? The Varnashrama Dharma came into existence only to protect the welfare of the society. It is not meant for the protection of one community by another community". Periyar on Brahmins First, what is said to be the
Congress (party) should be wound up. After this
Periyar lost his faith in Gandhi. He began to condemn him openly. DOCUMENT The
following passage from the text of conversation that took place between
M.K. Gandhi and Periyar Periyar : The selfish gang in Hinduism will not permit
any reforms at all. Merit mantra to hide upper caste corrupt mind Periyar Mission of India celebrated Periyar E.V. Ramaswamy's
126h birth anniversary in Bangalore on Oct.13, 2004 by holding
a day-long
seminar on reservation in private sector. The discussion was led
by M. Veerappa Moily, former Chief Minister, Mrs. B.T. Lalitha Naik,
ex-minister, V.T. Rajshekar, Editor, Dalit Voice, B.V. Putte Gowda,
ex-Mayor, Bangalore, Prof. N.V. Narasimhaiah, ex-member, Backward
Class Commission, Dr. K.S. Bhagwan, P.S. Sridhara Murthy, B.S. Jayachandra
and C. Kanike Raj participated. Ever since the UPA formed the government, those controlling the private sector have invaded space in the print media and indulged in arranged debates in the electronic media and are doing their best to shape public opinion against reservation in private sector. The press and the media are under the control of the Brahmins and Banias. The few SC/ST/BCs in the media are those who are acceptable to these dominant castes. The media has been taking all care to scuttle the spread of ideas of Mahatma Phule, Dr. Ambedkar and Periyar. It is no wonder that anti-reservation have already gained an upper hand in the lopsided debates in the media. There is no merit in the stale arguments being advanced by those who have been chanting the merit mantra. The Supreme Court has virtually equated money with merit when it allowed 15% NRI quota and 50% management quota in admission to professional courses. The seats are sold to highest bidders conveniently forgetting merit. C.E.T. mess There is no point in blaming the Supreme Court because the legislatures and Parliament have failed to make laws in pursuance of Article 19(6) which lays down that the state can make any law imposing restrictions on the rights of any institution relating to professional and technical qualifications necessary for practicing any profession or occupation. The CET (Common Entrance Test for medical and engineering colleges) mess is the result of Karnataka Govt.'s mishandling of the case before the courts. The humane principle laid down by the Supreme Court in the well-known Unnikrishnan Case was undone with the consent of the government. As a result of Periyar's agitation in the wake of Champakam Durairajan Case, Article 15(4) came into existence. However, the governments have slept over Articles 16(4), 15(4), 29, 46 and 38 and have failed to make laws under them. These provisions are actually under-utilized. Under privileged sections could have been given educational facilities and reservation in private sector can be ensured by making suitable laws without amending the Constitution. Whether it is the right of the poor to seek admission to professional courses or the question of reservation in private sector, lack of a sense of commitment even in the UPA govt. can clearly be seen. There is no merit in the argument of the private industry that in the context of LPG (liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation) the demand for reservation in private sector has become meaningless. Reservations in United States This is in sharp contrast with the attitude, mentality and prejudice displayed by India's private industry who are opposing the present move on the ground that "corporate India does not go by color of the skin, caste or the last name". But we should learn from the American experience. While we find plenty of Blacks and women in US heading as CEOs none of the private sector firms of Indian origin or foreign origin in India have at least one CEO from the SCs or STs. Hence the question is not political. It is a real challenge to the democratic ethos of the country. May be India should innovate a pattern, which is different from the present reservation policy of employment in the state sector but nearer to the time-tested model of the US. The most overlooked fact in these debates is that all the loss-making public sector industries and govt. offices suffering from inefficiency had been headed by "merited" upper castes. In most of the scams, misappropriation and corruption cases it is the upper castes that were involved. Those who have been singing the old song that reservations will hit efficiency, competitiveness and morale have not produced any tangible proof as there has been no objective tests, reliable research or objective and impartial survey to substantiate their theory. Merit does not consist in scoring high marks in memory tests, otherwise called as examinations. Merit consists in achieving goals, reaching targets and producing results. In private sector, nepotism is rampant, interviews are engineered and tests are a farce. Relationship with key figures, caste-oriented preferences as well as prejudices and a variety of extraneous considerations play a big role in job distribution. Upper
caste arrogance Several big private firms are private only in name since government holds 49% share sin them. Larsen and Turbo, Crompton & Greaves and Greaves Cotton are only examples. Most of the shares even out of the rest 51% are held by the members of the public who keep selling and buying them. Those who are at the helm in these firms actually hold around 25% of the shares. In terms of capital formation, growth of GDP and employment generation (despite absence of reservation) the achievement of Indian private sector is dismal. Permit-licenses Raj It is utterly unscientific to divide castes and communities as merited and unmerited. While all coveted positions for centuries remained in the hands of so-called merited castes, the country remained poor, masses remained illiterate and the nation itself is in debt. Why? There was and there is no merit in the system. Mere
10% of NRIs are earning as much as the net earnings of the entire
population. Is it because of their
merit or is it
because
of their
links and connections? The much talked about success
of Indian merit outside their motherland is not
due to their
merit
but traceable to conditions wherein they had to
work hard under
fear complex
caused
by job insecurity. The whole talk of brain-drain
is sheer nonsense. "The one who got opportunity became a policeman and the one who was denied it became a criminal. The one who got a chance became a soldier and the one who did not, became a terrorist. The one who was employed took up the job and the one who was denied it became a thug". Critics of reservation in private sector argue that permit-licence regime and pro-public sector policy of the Congress Govt. headed by Nehru and Indira Gandhi (for about three decades) weakened the private sector. Any survey and statistics will show that the actual beneficiary of this system was the private sector. The notable examples being Hindustan Motors, Tata Steels and TVS. Another company i.e. Best & Crompton run entirely by Tamil Brahmins came to be closed despite their widely advertised merit. Every time crematoria in Bangalore goes wrong there is a long wait for the technicians from abroad. Grip of 200 industrialists The irony of Indian economy is that after 57 years of "independence" and 30 years of fierce but verbal socialism it is in the grip of top 200 industrialists, most of whom had derived benefits from the permit-licence system or from the patronage or favouritism of key politicians. The other even more interesting irony is that these people who keep mouthing words such as merit, competitiveness etc. did not come up by sheer merit or through competition. They came-up under a regime of protectionism (otherwise called permit-licence raj), government's help in the form of tax exemptions or political patronage. Indian Railways is in public sector where reservation is in force and it has won global tenders repeatedly. All global tenders for various projects called by the Middle-East countries have been bagged by Western or European countries, none by Indian merit-managed private firms. These Indian firms have become subcontractors under Western companies. Hypocrisy and dishonesty is rampant in the very debate itself since the Brahminical media is not reflecting the views and ideas of the majority of the people of this country. The futile and unsound arguments against reservation in private sector advanced by vested interests and privileged castes deserve to be exposed. Communist silence It is intriguing that
the Communist parties which were unduly enthusiastic about
reservation for
women in
legislatures are maintaining strange
silence on the question of reservation
in private sector for SC/ST/OBCs. Is it because
of the
caste composition
of
their
politburos? Tata Industries has agreed to back caste-based reservations in the private sector. The move has the potential to jolt the industry which is hostile to the Union Govt.'s promise for affirmative action outside the public sector. In a communique sent to the Union Social Justice Minister, Mrs. Meira Kumar, chairman of the Tata conglomerate, Ratan Tata, has informed his readiness to back the govt. initiative for reservations in the private sector. Corporate sources said the decision of the Tatas to draft their own proposal points to the possibility of the business houses settling for voluntary action over govt. legislation. The Tata-govt.
dialogue began after she addressed the Indian Merchants Chamber
in Bombay on
Sept.21.
Tata is the second business house after
Videocon to give a nod to quota. Brahminical education system converts Dalits into counter-revolutionaries I remember Babasaheb telling that education is a lioness's milk, he who drinks it must roar at anytime. After the 1980s, I could find number of educated SC/BC people coming up. But these intellectual brains belonging to the "low castes" were soon hijacked by the upper caste marxists. In Punjab. Top Punjabi marxian writers were Dalits. Some of them got worldwide fame and recognition. The Congress led by M.K. Gandhi and his Brahmin bosses achieved a great success in hijacking the BCs and their leadership from social movement. To counter Babasaheb, the Brahminical leadership boosted Sardar Patel as Backward and Jagjivan Ram as Harijan leader. Using the law of contradictions, in 1925 they divided the powerful movement into two opposite camps to fight each other. On one side it weakened the Phule-Shahu-Ambedkar struggle against BSO. On the other it strengthened the Brahminical national force, the Congress. 3 vaidik examples:Then the "Sacred Brahmins" took another step. Under the leadership of Chitpavan Brahmins, they founded the RSS in Maharashtra (1925) to check any religious revolt expected from SC/ST/BCs under the leadership of Dr. Ambedkar. Mass conversion of Untouchables had crated powerful Muslim rule, their mass conversion led to Sikh rule against BSO. They feared a bigger challenge to BSO by Babasaheb's conversion to Budhism. The vaidiks who had formed the Congress under the leadership of B.G. Tilak to fight Shahu's social struggle converted themselves into "national freedom movement" after the death of Tilak. After the death of Shahu, Gandhi and his Congress turned against Dr. Ambedkar who declared Gandhi as the Enemy No.1. From 1885 to 1925, vaidiks divided themselves into three camps: (1) freedom fighters (2) Socialists and (3) "Sacred Brahmins" (RSS). The "Socialist Brahmins" under the leadership of a Brahmin S.A. Dange brought communism to destroy the revolt of the oppressed. (V.T. Rajshekar: How Marx Failed in Hindu India, DSA-1988). Marxism to promote Brahminism: They knew that once the SC/ST/BCs got the right to education they would finish the vaidiks. The "Socialist Brahmins" used marxism to kill India's revolution. That is how Marx failed in Hindu India. Our Editor proved right. The Communists and naxalites sabotaged the intellectual movement of educated Bahujans successfully. On Aug.18, 1932, the first phase of the Indian revolution was launched with the declaration for separate electorate. Gandhi and his class fought against this. The RSS and communist parties also never accepted our right to reservations. Once Babasaheb did try for friendship with the Indian communists who ultimately defeated him from Bombay (1951) and helped Gandhi and the Congress. All those SC and BCs who went into govt. jobs jumped to communist parties. Top intellectual brains from this class became marxian thinkers and writers. I came to learn marxism and maoism even in my classrooms. It was added in our class syllabus. But no single word on any social movements, not to speak of Babasaheb. When the deprived castes as marxists roared for political and social rights they were shot dead as communists and naxalites by the ruling class govts. Dr. Ambedkar had warned against such a "class struggle". Read V.T. Rajshekar's book on the failure of communism in Hindu India. I felt worried of my wasted genius. But when I finally jumped into the movement of this land, I found all the revolution launched by Sant Namdev, Sant Kabir, Sant Ravidass, Guru Nanak, Mahatma Phule, Birsa Munda, Sri Narayana Guru, Periyar, Shahu, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Guru Granth, Quran eaten up by the vaidiks and their counter-revolutionaries. The right to education produced a good lot of SC/BC and ST revolutionaries. But following the Brahminical path, they became counter-revolutionaries. A socio-cultural, socio-religious, socio-political fight is going on between the Aryans and the non-Aryans. Since the death of Budhist revolution till today anti-human forces have never seen any defeat because the victims of Brahminism generally support the Enemy. In spite of all this, the wise ones who have realised the
truth of education as the milk of a lioness, they are
heard roaring
in this
heartless jungle of bhudevatas and rishi munis. AUTHENTIC VOICES OF SOUTH ASIA It is an unusual book in that it compiles the vision and ideas of those engaged in the causes of their people for much of their life. They represent the hopes and aspirations of the majority in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The book reveals that countries of South Asia share much more than suspicion and acrimony. Now that the effect of BJP spin is wearing off, it is becoming apparent that India needs radical change. India needs a new compact between its peoples as coercion as well subversion has run its course and proved to be inadequate. India is not one nation but many nations. They can work together but not on the basis of imperial ambitions but on the basis of solidarity that is just as workable between like peoples as between unlike peoples who make an honest compact and adhere to it with sincere sense of purpose. To make new compacts the people need more than leaders; they need intellectuals of integrity who enjoy the trust of the several sides in the compact. India has one such intellectual, he is V.T. Rajshekar. This book is different to those written by academics or think-tanks. It is in a way a response to academics that make dire predictions of strife and failure for countries hesitant to follow American direction. America-India-Israel nexus that is now overt is the driving force behind pre-emptive war and use of coercive diplomacy to establish and maintain world hegemony. The view and analysis presented by much of the Western media is not credible any longer. What the nexus presents or enforces as solutions often become global problems. What they impose in the name of their security is often the cause of perpetual insecurity, instability and strife in the world. The book of
400 plus pages, is under print. It would be launched in Jan.2005. |