Nirmalya Nag's Blog

Thoughts on Bengal Politics II

2010-07-01T02:24:00.002+05:30

After winning the civic polls in many areas of West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress of Mamata Banerjee has been demanding that the Assembly elections, due next year, be brought forward as, according to her, the CPI(M) led Left Front has lost people's mandate.
The Left Front, on the other hand, is in no hurry to
vacate the Writers Buildings for Banerjee who has been riding a popular wave since the last Lok Sabha election.
Now, the question is what should the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government, appeared inert since the results of the Lok Sabha polls were out, should do till the next Assembly election? Should it advance the assembly polls or not?
It can do only two things, whatever be the outcome.
1. It can advance the polls and thereby trying to stop exodus of those leaders who had joined the party (or LF) in later years of the government only for material gain. They will not stop but they will get exposed. However, the LF said it not do so.
2. Act like a real government, instead of wasting time to find out channels to appease sections of people. Going by the trend, it has nothing to lose. But it can win back some of its old supporters that way.

Thoughts on Bengal Politics

2010-07-01T02:23:00.000+05:30

Has the CPI(M) a taken a vow that it would do all in its power to lose support before facing the next assembly election in West Bengal?
From the announcements of its programmes, its appears so. First, like a knee jerk reaction, immediately after the petroleum prices were increased, the CITU calls a transport strike the next day (June 26).
Then again, the left parties has called a Bharat Bandh on July five. Some had thought that Bengal will be spared this time as there had been a transport strike, which was almost like a bandh.
While, the Trinamool Congress has been shifting from its destructive politics, the CPI(M) is acting like Casabianca. Perhaps there will be more such agressive political moves for which people would keep away from them.
Interestingly, Mamata Banerjee has suddenly realised that bandhs cause an adverse impact on economy. She said her party has not called a bandh for a year. Perhaps the economy was shielded from adverse impact of bandhs called by her party earlier.

The Rajdhani hijack and some comic relief

2009-10-29T00:58:00.002+05:30

My last post (below this) ended with the words "Now let us wait for the next abduction". We did not have to wait long. Emboldened by the success of securing bail to 14 women in exchange of releasing an abducted officer-in-charge, the Maoists now took hostage an entire train, that too the Rajdhani Express demanding release of People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) chief Chhatradhar Mahto.

Though the bid did not succeed as the train proceeded after a seven-hour unscheduled halt at Banstala station near Jhargram in West Midnapore district of West Bengal where the Maoist backed tribal body PCPA has called an indefinite bandh to press for their various demands including withdrawal of joint forces from Lalgarh region.

So far so good. But this 'bandh' and the reaction of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and his bete noire, Railway Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee to the entire episode confuses me.

If it's a bandh, it should be treated this way. Did we not know it from CPI(M) and Trinamool Congress (and I should not keep Congress out of the list) that during bandhs, private cars should be stopped and their tyres deflated, buses should be stoned and set on fire and running trains should be made to stop. What the passengers of these vehicles do after being stopped is not a cause for concern for them. "Why have they dared to come out during the bandh?"

The script was the same yesterday. The Radjadhani Express was stopped, its glass panes shattered, passengers made to wait (in the midst of a forested area and not in a city; that is the difference). Then why Buddhababu and Didi suddenly started feeling for the passengers?

The PCPA did feel for the passengers. They told the passengers that they are sorry that they had to go through this. Do not forget Didi also feels sorry for the plight for the victims of bandhs; that is why she withdraws 12-hour bandhs after 10 hours. No, CPI(M) does not do it.

Besides the trauma of the passengers, the hostage drama also has some comic reliefs. After being informed of the Rajdhani incident, Mamata Banerjee's first reaction was it was CPI(M)'s handiwork. And later, when the PCPA (the body her party have been supporting ) took responsibility of the hijack, she said "It is not time for politics".

It was yesterday. Today CPI(M) thought they were also capable of providing comic relief to the nation besides condemning the nuke deal with the USA (what happened to it, by the way?). So Sitaram Yechuri wants a probe into the role played by Banerjee in the hostage issue.

We hope the parties would not deprive us more of such relieves in future.

Thank you everybody

2009-10-23T00:07:00.003+05:30

Thank you Maoists, thank you government, thank you opposition, thak you media, thank you everybody. All of you played your role well in securing the release of Atindranath Dutta, the abducted officer-in-charge of Sankrail police station in West Midnapore district this afternoon, nearly two and half days after he was kidnapped by Maoist guerrillas during a raid in the police station that left two other policemen dead.

In tomorrow’s papers, we will get the pictures of Dutta, his relieved family members and stories about how well he was treated in captivity, what food he was given and how callous the state government is to have booked innocent women as Maoists. And in the process, we will manage to forget the family members of the two slain policemen, Swapan Roy and Dibakar Bhattacharya.

See, how we have already forgotten Sabbir Molla and Kanchan Bauri, two policemen abducted from Lalgarh zone on July 30, 2009. Sabbir’s family members had also met the chief minister sometime back. No they were not released till now (and nobody knows for sure what had happened to them). Neither was Francis Induwar, the policeman from neighbouring Jharkhand who was beheaded.

But after today’s incident we will forget all and forgive everybody. A Maoist leader told the media over phone that they do not kill ‘prisoners of war’. Please do not ask why Induwar was killed then in Taliban style? Perhaps those in charge of him did not have a copy of the Geneva Convention with them. Or may be it was just a mistake. To err is human.

We have also forgotten the incidents of Gadchiroli in Maharashtra, serial killing of CPI(M) and other political workers and common villagers in and around Lalgarh that included a farmer who happened to be a witness to a murder, and of elsewhere.

Thank you government for blindly allowing the police to arrest anyone as Maoist and letting the policemen eke out their meager security, thank you opposition for not condemning murders by Maoists, thank you human rights activists for condemning the proposed crackdown on Maoists but keeping mum when people get killed by them.

Now let us wait for the next abduction.

Seven moments of Sourav Ganguly's career

2008-11-11T00:07:00.005+05:30

The following are seven moments

(courtsey Cricinfo.com) in the career of Sourav Ganguly who retired on Nov 10, 2008 after the four-Test series aga

inst Australia. India win the series 2-0.

Debut dance
It's his Test debut, and he is believed to be a political selection for the tour to England, a perception he puts paid to in seven-and-a-half hours of blissful batting. The image - Ganguly celebrating, arms aloft, no brashness of the later days, and Rahul Dravid applauding him in the background - is enduring: the wait has finally ended; the boy who persistently called newspaper offices for four years to see if he is in the team has arrived.

That don't impress me much
In 2000-01 Australia are a world-beating team with 15 straight wins behind them and are at the final stop on their conquest. One man is not impressed. "They have won most of their games at home, beaten West Indies 5-0 at home, beaten India, Pakistan at home," Ganguly welcomes Australia. "They toured here in '96 and lost. They toured here in '98 and lost. So obviously that's going to be at the back of their mind." No awe here. If that doesn't rile Australia, Ganguly goes further during the series. He walks out late for the toss and, if he wins it, he walks off on his own after letting the TV interviewer know what India choose to do. Once, after being pulled up by Cammie Smith, the match referee, he turns up five minutes before the toss - in his tracksuit top. "You had to give him an 'A' for effort in his attempt to annoy us," Steve Waugh writes in his book, "and in particular me. It worked to a certain extent."

Doing the HQ
Indians, not the least Bengalis, are supposed to be studious, meek, wristy, oriental artists. They are not supposed to make opposition captains wait at the toss, make fielders tie their shoelaces and, worst of all, sledge. There the Indian captain is, at Lord's, no less, waving the shirt he wore a moment ago, shouting four-letter words again and again. With Ganguly, India's aggression goes naked, one of the turning points in the nation's cricketing history.

Surviving the Gabbatoir
He sweeps Stuart MacGill just wide of fine leg, runs very hard to convert what is for him an easy one into two, leaps twice in elation, almost trips over, pumps the air, holds his arms aloft and, without uttering a word tells every Australian that he enjoyed the "sweet chin music". This is the Gabba, and the year is 2003. Not only the Australian team, the whole nation, it seems, is after him, and this is test of the captain's mettle. The innings has it all - urgency, emotion, disdain - and sets the pace for the series.

Refusal to die
Only about a couple of hundred have come to watch him play a Duleep Trophy match in Rajkot. The email has already been leaked, his integrity questioned. On the surface he has been left out on fitness grounds, but the writing is on the wall. The North Zone attack - VRV Singh, Gagandeep Singh, Amit Mishra and Sarandeep Singh - does not sound intimidating, but on a greenish Rajtok track they are a handful. He comes in to bat on the second day, his team struggling at 54 for 3, and then at 59 for 4. In the short period before stumps, he is hit on the head by VRV. A different Ganguly appears the next day: he is sure, and he is aggressive. He plays all his shots, including the one where he makes room and slashes over point, a shot he usually employed in one-dayers. By the time he finished he had scored 117 off 143, and sent across the message that he should be playing somewhere else.

One for himself
The one word that describes the Ganguly who has made a comeback to the Indian side is serene. Almost monk-like, he goes about his business - fields mostly at the fine-leg boundary, bowls a few overs, and bats with utmost calm. No more shirt flinging, no more nail biting on the field. His last century, in Mohali, is one such effort. A century is almost inevitable from the moment he joins Sachin Tendulkar at the crease. Upon reaching the landmark, he doesn't react extravagantly, despite the drama behind his comeback to the side, he just smiles to himself, pumps the air, and gets on with it.

'Just one last thing lads'
Does he choke for a brief second? After he says "Just one last thing lads" and before he drops the bomb. He does pause, for sure. Is he collecting himself? Does he wait to make sure words will come out? Once he has said what he has said, you are too stunned to think what has happened in that split-second. "Before I leave, I just want to say that this is going to be my last series. I've decided to quit. I told my team-mates before coming here." And the lads don't have a word to say. They look at him, they look at each other, they look down. The announcement is all Ganguly: he comes in late for the press conference, he is mildly humorous, takes all questions in good spirit, and waits for the media coordinator to end the conference before catching everyone off guard.

More about Ganguly:

"Ganguly has been neither a genius or a saint or a great batsman, but he has served with distinction and leaves Indian cricket in a much better state than he found it.." says Peter Roebuc. Read the whole write-up here.

Career timeline as given by Cricinfo. Here.

His scores in various versions of the game. Here.

(Photo courtsey: smh.com.au)

The development of India

2008-10-23T01:55:00.007+05:30

India has made good progress in last 15 years. Our GDP was, as far as I can remeber, $290 billion in 1992. Today, it is at $1.1 trillion ($1100 billion); so, GDP has quadrapuled in 16 years, implying average 8% annual growth rate. Incidence of poverty has declined. My father used to say that in 1950s, 'it was difficult to have square meals every day even in a decent family in our village (in West Bengal).' Today, in our village, 40% household has motorbikes, almost same percentage has TV, almost one third has 'pucca house', everyone with at least 2 bigha land has shallow machine for agriculture (although less than 10% pays for electricity, most do 'hooking' or steal electriciry). Someone will jump saying 'credit goes to land reform by left front government', and he is partially right, but only partially. Please note I am not referring to car ownership statistics in Cities, but taking my village near Basirhat in North 24 Parganas as the benchmark. Things changed for the better.

What I am submitting here is that the pace of this positive change could have been faster. A friend has said he likes Air India, a government owned airlines, because the seats are empty (so you can have 3 seats to yourself). But you see that too many empty seats is not good for an airline. I sell spare parts to Air India of around $ 10 million a year. They buy this at catalogue price, while Kingfisher negotiated a 40% discount on spare parts that we sell them. If Air India could do the same, they would have saved $ 4 million a year or Rs. 20 crore a year. How many employment opportunity it could have created with that Rs. 20 crores ? Assuming they pay Rs. 1 lakh per month salary on average, (in reality it is much lower), it could have generated 167 employment. Now, extrapolate it to its magnitude of total business. I do not think AI is creating more employment compared to what it could have, had it been professionally run. But AI has never asked for discount !!

I have worked in China, which has problems similar to that of India. State Owned Enterprises in China is focussed on increasing efficiency and profit now. Party bosses run these PSUs, and their progress inside party depends on their performance on balance sheet. District committee secreatry of Kunshan district (Jiangsu province) pleaded with us that Ranbaxy investment should go to Kunshan because he had promised party leadership that he would fulfil a certain target for Foreign Investment in his district, and he needed Ranbaxy investment for that. This is entrepreneurship and competition within the franework of communist party rule... oxymoron, but it works.

Rich-poor divide has widened in India and China. But in China, once I asked my maid what did she think of her neighbour who has become rich while she remained poor. She said that it inspires her because her son can also become rich one day. Well, this is called positive attitude to life/ optimism/ the great communist propaganda, whatever. But I realized that this coutry will go far. In my country, where I have come back after 12 years, the typical reaction will be '...the rich has become rich by sucking poor's blood... etc.'

We Indians become satisfied very easily. All foreigners praise that. They say, look, here is country that is dirt poor, but people are happy and smiling. That is great, but not good for progress ( I am speaking of material progress here).

(This is a slightly edited version of a mail I have received as a member of a particular Yahoo group. The writer works in a company that manufactures aerospace products for civil and military aircraft)

Football in the time of Cricket

2008-06-03T00:50:00.004+05:30

India is a cricket crazy nation, it is said and believed. How much truth one can find in this statement? Club matches and Ranji encounters (even limited over ties) are held in empty galleries. What kind of crazyness for a game is this that comes to the fore only when India plays? The sole exception till now is the IPL matches, but one has to keep in mind that it is a new format in all sense of the term. And it was marketed brilliantly. And this is where another popular game, football, is miles behind.

Even in club level matches played in Kolkata, thousands of spectators throng the stadia to cheer up their favourite club. Let's go through parts of a report published in the official website of Bayern Munich that played a friendly match with Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan on May 27 and it was the farewell match of legendary German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn.

"An astonishing 120,000 crowd packed the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on
Tuesday (May 27), but even the world’s second-largest stadium was not big enough
for Bayern. A further 20,000 potential spectators were locked out of the ground.
“I never thought this was possible. The passion here is amazing, especially in
India,” (Bayern Munich deputy chairman) Uli Hoeneß said after nine memorable and
eventful days on tour in Asia.

The frenzy surrounding the Munich party reached its zenith in Kolkata.
After a 3-0 friendly victory over Mohun Bagan, the team bus was forced to inch
its way through an exuberant mass lining (and blocking) the route for several
kilometres.

“I’m completely astonished by this world. I’ve been to Asia quite often,
but the reaction we experienced in Jakarta and Kolkata is overwhelming,” a
disbelieving coach Ottmar Hitzfeld commented. “the players were amazed too.
They’ve really enjoyed coming here,” the coach continued.
The Kolkata-based organisers of his last-ever match ensured the FCB skipper was given a fitting send-off, as Kahn took delivery of a raft of gifts including a trophy studded with 8,640 diamonds and a motor scooter, before accepting the applause of the 120,000 crowd. “I believe Oliver Kahn will remember this day for a very long time,” Hoeneß commented. “I’m really pleased for Oliver, because he’s been given the farewell he deserves,” said Hitzfeld....

This is the situation when the lord and masters of Indian football care a fig about the game they govern in the country. A team like Bayern Munich came to play and key players like Bhaichung Bhutia were not freed from the national duty which was to play another friendly set at the same day. Not much marketing was done by the organisers for the match and still this happened. These people came to the stadium for the sheer love of the game. Imagine where the game could have gone if the authorities took good care of it.

Pele as a Cosmos player had come to play against Mohun Bagan in Kolkata in 1977. For many people in their mid or late 30's, they saw television for the first time as the match, in which Bagan held Cosmos 2-2, was telecast live. Gone are those days when football used to be the game of the masses in India. Why longtime AIFF president P R Dasmunshi should not be held responsible for the slide of football in the country?

Happy new year

2007-12-31T02:07:00.000+05:30

Wish you a

Very Happy New Year 2008

If you are interested,

click here to know the history of the new year on

January 1

(image courtesy: larose.com)

Bhuttos & Gandhis: more similarities

2007-12-31T01:43:00.000+05:30

In an earlier post in this blog, the similarity of the Bhuttos and the Gandhis was discussed focussing on the long list of unnatural deaths that occurred in the families. After Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has been chosen the chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party, we can find another similarity (of dynastic rule) between the two families on the either side of the border.

Bilawal succeeded as PPP chief at the age of 19 after Benazir Bhutto's assassination on Thursday. Rajiv Gandhi succeeded his mother as the prime miniser of India after Indira Gandhi's assassination in 1984. He also inherited the Congress president's post after his mother's death. His grand father Jawaharlal Nehru too succeeded as Congress president after his father Motilal Nehru died a natural death in 1929.

Currently the Congress president is Rajiv Gandhi's widow Sonia Gandhi who declined to become the PM after the 2004 Parliamentary election and passed the post to Dr Manmohan Singh. Her son Rahul Gandhi is now a general secretary of the party and an MP.

For some past decades, Congress activists always needed a Gandhi to lead the party. PPP too needed a Bhutto at the head. At his first public appearance before the world, Bilawal's father Asif Ali Zardari announced that he would from now on be known by his mother's name - Bhutto.

More similarities may follow now. Like the Gandhi-Nehru family, Bilawal may also have to face blood relatives. Indira Gandhi's other son Sanjay was killed in a plane crash in 1980 when his mother was the prime minister. His widow Maneka, son Varun and Indira Gandhi's nephew Arun Nehru are not in Congress now.

Bilawal's maternal uncle Murtaza, a harsh critic of Benazir, was killed in a police firing in 1996 when she was the prime minister. After his death, Murtaza's widow, Ghinwa took up the leadership of his breakaway faction of the PPP. Murtaza's daughter by his first wife, Fatima Bhutto, has also emerged as a harsh critic of her estranged aunt.

Let's hope that the similarity of bloodshed in the two families has come to a stop with Benazir.

Please also read:
1. Profile of Bilawal Bhutto
2. Nehru Gandhi family
3. Political families of India
4. Politial families of Pakistan

Benazir Bhutto's death: why Pak govt changing accounts?

2007-12-30T01:21:00.000+05:30

The changing government versions of how Benazir Bhutto was killed is intriguing:

On Thursday, hours after Bhutto's death, the Pakistani Interior Ministry said she died from a gunshot wound to the neck. On Friday, the Interior Ministry said Bhutto was killed by shrapnel from the explosion. Then again, hours later, the ministry said she died from a skull fracture suffered when she either fell or ducked into the car as a result of the shots or the explosion and crashed her head into a sunroof latch.

Now, the question that comes up is why the government is trying to minimise the role of the attack. What will Musharraf gain from that?

Ken Robinson, who worked in U.S. intelligence in Pakistan during the Clinton administration, has the answer. Robinson suspects Bhutto's enemies are "trying to deny her a martyr's death, and in Islam, that's pretty important" as she threatens to become more influential in death than she was in life. "Her torch burns bright now forever. She's forever young; she's forever brave, challenging against all odds the party in power and challenging the military and Islamic extremism."

Only if Bhutto's family allows an autopsy, said Robinson, will the world know for certain the medical reasons behind her death. The Associated Press, quoting Cabinet sources, said Bhutto's husband, Asif Ali Zardari, refused to permit an autopsy before she was laid to rest Friday.
However, the government on Saturday said it has no problem if her mortal remains was exhumed for postmortem (Click here).

Zardari and Bhutto's party PPP has dismissed the latest government version maintaining that a bullet claimed her life.

But what will happen to the election scheduled on January 8? This is what a Reuters report says: PPP may take a decision on Sunday whether to take part in the poll which Nawaz Sharif's party will boycott. The PPP could expect a sympathy vote if it participated. But a boycott by both main opposition parties would render the vote virtually meaningless.

But with Bhutto's supporters rioting in parts of the country and suicide bombers on the prowl, some analysts expect only more bloodshed if the government pushes ahead as planned."It's very, very difficult to hold elections unless tempers are cooled off and it's not possible in such a short time," said retired general and political analyst Talat Masood.

The Election Commission said 11 of its offices in Sindh had been torched and voting material including electoral rolls destroyed. Security in two northwestern regions also raised doubts about voting there, it said.

Jamiat-e-ulema-e-Islam, an Islamist party strong in the volatile North West Frontier Province, said it was hard to see how people could vote safely."The situation in the country is very critical. Especially in Sindh province." .

Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, whose small party was already planning to boycott the poll, also questioned whether it was feasible to hold an election."There is so much tension on the street, how are they going to have polling booths manned?"

Musharraf, needing support from the next parliament, will have to weigh the risks of holding polls on time or seeking a postponement. The former army chief's popularity had already slumped after he clashed with the judiciary this year and imposed emergency rule for six weeks from early November. The party that backs him, the Pakistan Muslim League (Q), could gain from a Sharif party boycott, especially in the key province of Punjab.

The Bhuttos, the Gandhis and the Kennedys

2007-12-28T00:15:00.000+05:30

The assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Rawalpindi today marks the end of another dazzling political career from the Bhutto family and found similarities with the families of Gandhis and Kennedys.

Bhuttos:
Benazir's father Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, also a former Prime Minister, was hanged in 1979 by the then military regime of Zia ul Haq who had deposed him in a coup. Both of Benazir Bhutto's brothers -- Shahnawaz and Murtaza died earlier. While Shahnawaz was found dead in his French Riviera apartment in Nice in 1985 under mysterious circumstances, Murtaza died in a police encounter in Karachi in 1996 when she was the prime minister.

Gandhis:
Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister, was killed by her own bodyguards at her official residence in 1984.
Her successor and son Rajiv Gandhi was also assassinated by the LTTE in Tamil Nadu seven years later while bidding like Benazir Bhutto for another term in the prime ministerial office.
Sanjay, another son of Indira Gandhi, had died in a plane crash in the Indian capital in 1980, shortly after her mother, Indira, had made a triumphant return to power.

Kennedys:
The fate of the Kennedy dynasty in the United States has been somewhat similar.
John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas in 1963. His brother Robert was also shot dead five years later. JFK's son John Jr died in a plane crash in 1999.

(The above post is a slightly edited version of a PTI report published in Deccan Herald.)

Please also read:
1. Benazir Bhutto obituary
2. Q&A: Benazir Bhutto assassination
3. Life in pictures: Benazir Bhutto
4. Benazir was committed towards democracy: India

Two comeback men of Indian cricket

2007-12-17T01:37:00.000+05:30

Wow! That’s what you call a comeback year. He ended with a double ton, back-to-back centuries, man of the match and man of the series awards against Pakistan in 2007 December.
He started it in December 2006 against South Africa in an away Test series. There he scored the highest runs in the Indian team. He followed it up with four half-centuries on his return to ODIs. He continued his fine run in England, finishing as the second highest scorer in Tests.
So that is Sourav Ganguly, the comeback man.

For Ganguly's profile, look here. But before him we have Mohinder Amarnath as the comeback man. See what Cricinfo says about him:

He was cricket's Frank Sinatra - the master of the comeback. He started his career as suspect against short-pitched fast bowling, and finished it as one of the finest and bravest players of pace. His defining season was 1982-83: coming back to the side after three years, he stood tall to knock off 1182 runs - including five hundreds - in 11 away Tests against West Indies and Pakistan. He crowned the season with back-to-back Man of the Match awards at the climax of India's World Cup-winning campaign in 1983. But his world came crashing down again the following home season, when he managed only one run in six innings against that same West Indian team. "Mr Amarnought" got the axe. But it wasn't the end: he bounced back with renewed force and vigour and was soon hooking fast bowlers off his eyebrows again. He didn't go in for cheap runs - nine of his 11 Test centuries were scored overseas -- and he collected his share of bruises. He will be remembered as a batsman who didn't flinch in the face of fire.

(Image courtesy: Sourav: desifans.com. Mohinder: rediff.com)

Muslim boy marrying non-Muslim girl: an analysis

2007-12-17T00:32:00.000+05:30

Ever since Rizwanur’s mysterious death, a question, which have come to the fore many times earlier also, surfaced again: “Why do Muslim boys marry non-Muslim girls?” Obviously this is asked by Hindus who think there is more than just love behind this as, Muslim families generally accept a Muslim boy marrying a non-Muslim girl but oppose when the case is just the opposite -- Muslim girl marrying a non-Muslim boy.

Some reasons do the rounds but there was no detailed and analytical view. Then I find something. I had given some links on Rizwanur Rehman’s death on a small post on October 9. Two months later on December 8, Mrs Haseena Khatun wrote a comment on that. That comment, I think, will throw some light on the issue.

Going to Mrs Khatun’s blog (Khawatein Voice) I found that the comment she made is actually a post there with the title: “Muslim Guys Love to Flirt, Marry (and Dump) Non-Muslim Girls” giving an in-depth analysis of the average Muslim male psyche.

She gives four reasons:

First, Muslim girls are mostly kept in the confines of their homes and most
of the time they are not allowed to mix with boys. The repressed lust of the
Muslim boys finds a vent when they interact with non-Muslim girls whom they find
gullible and easy to flirt.

Second, they get support from the members of their own community. Muslims
love to see their men flirting non-Muslim women. It’s an act of chauvinism and
communal pride. Muslims feel macho at such instances of Muslim guys befriending
non-Muslim girls and see the other community as feminine and Islam as
masculine.

Third, Muslims have big families. You’d come across examples where the
youngest son or daughter of a father is younger in age compared to his eldest
grandson or grand daughter. Muslims breed in their old age as well. Islam
prohibits bachelorhood. The compulsions of the big families and poor standard of
living force them to think out-of-box. They cannot leave Islam. They would be
called “Murtad” or apostate which is a grave sin. As such, they want to
improvise their lifestyle by marrying non-Muslim girls and convert them to
Islam.

Fourth, the Muslims think long-term. They have not forgotten the fact that
their co-religionists ruled India for centuries. Today they are out of power.
Marrying Hindu women gives them temporary pride to feel chauvinistic. They feel
that India would become an Islamic state through high rates of breeding and
slowly converting the Hindu population into Islamic fold. Marrying non-Muslim
women is one of the several things that they can do.

Now, this is hard hitting but please read the entire post here for a better understanding. And do not forget to read her other posts. The blog is worth a visit.

Language of power

2007-12-04T01:24:00.000+05:30

President of Assam United Democratic Front, and the state president of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, recently demanded extradition of Taslima Nasrin in a letter written to the Prime Minster Mr. Manmohan Singh.

No problem with that. Many others had raised the same demand many times. But what is interesting is that he branded those Muslims who are in support of Nasrin are “either Leftists or BJP agents.”

This is the same “they and us” theory now made popular by CPI(M) chief minister of West Bengal Buddhadev Bhattacharjee. Either you are with me or you are against me, there is no middle path for you to tread on.

George Bush sometime back uttered quite the same line on Iraq issue.

The language is the same for everybody in power -- be it in a party, in a state of India, or in an unipolar world where the USA is the boss.

Taslima leaves Kolkata! Shame for the city!

2007-11-23T01:42:00.001+05:30

We the people of Kolkata should hang our heads in shame. After a long stay in the city, Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen has left for Jaipur in Rajasthan on November 22, a day after protests by a little known Muslim organization demanding cancellation of her visa turned so violent that army had to be called out to bring the situation under control.

After the violence, Chairman of the ruling Left Front Biman Bose said if Nasreen’s stay in Kolkata disturbs peace, she should leave. Though Bose backtracked overnight from that direct hit, West Bengal Assembly Speaker Hasim Abdul Halim echoed Bose’s earlier view that Nasreen should leave the state.

How nicely an act of hooliganism got appreciated. How beautifully the government, which calls itself Left, relented to an unhealthy demand of fundamentalists. If tomorrow the same set of people resort to the same degree of violence seeking the ouster of, say, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee or Lakshman Seth or Benoy Konar, will Bose and Halim readily agree to that demand?

No, because freedom of expression by Taslima Nasreen is not good for CPI(M) but M F Hussain’s is (similarly freedom of expression of Hussain is not palatable for BJP but Nasreen’s is). It’s all for votebank, silly.

All the more interesting is the silence of the political circle. The firebrand Mamata Banerjee, who perhaps could blame the CPI(M) for an untimely rain, is mum now. So is Congress. CPI(M) leaders who were in the foreground in justifying Nandigram violence, is nowhere to be seen. It’s all for minority votebank, silly.

Intelligentsia of Kolkata, including actor Soumitra Chatterjee who was not so vocal on the Nandigram violence, expressed outrage at the mindless surrender of the government to hardliners.

A last question, which I asked earlier too. Accepting that Nasreen’s views may be offending to a section of the Muslims, does the faith on a thousands year old religion is so fragile that it would be shattered by a couple of books of Taslima Nasreen? (The same question could be put forward to BJP and Shiv Sena too in a slightly different manner.)

(Photo courtsey: mukto-mona.com)

Entertainment value of politics

2007-11-22T01:17:00.000+05:30

It always amuses me, and I think most people, how political parties and leaders go about with their double standards on virtually every issue.

The following is from the website of the CPI(M) criticizing the Information and Broadcasting Miniser Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi for his outburst on Nandigram.

Normally one could ignore these rantings of Mr. Dasmunsi as coming from a person
whose role in Marxist baiting is well known since the days of the semi-fascist
terror in West Bengal. But it is a serious matter when a Minister in the Union
Cabinet behaves in such a manner.

Perhaps it is not so serious matter when Buddhadev Bhattacharjee utters his now famous ‘They have been paid back by their own coin’ comment and sticks to his ‘us’ and ‘they’ stand even the next day on the issue of recapture of Nandigram by the marxists. Perhaps he was behaving as a CPI(M) leader at that time of the press conference and not the chief minister West Bengal.

Another example of the entertainment value of political parties: The Congress and Trinamool Congress has lambasted the recent police action on intellectuals when they took to the streets on the Nandigram issue. They had forgotten (!) the time when police and goons of the Congress attacked theatre workers for staging plays not of their choice during the Siddhartha Shankar Ray’s regime in West Bengal during the 70s. Later 1989, Safdar Hashmi had to sacrifice his life while performing a street play in Delhi.

And yes, not to forget the BJP. The Atal Bihari Vajpayee government had formed a panel led by West Bengal Finance Minister Dr Asim Dasgupta to introduce VAT in the country. But before the completion of the process, the government changed and with that, the policy of BJP. The party had opposed the VAT with all its might.

An update: The BJP on November 22 attacked Biman Bose, chairman of the ruling Left Front in West Bengal, for asking controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen to leave Kolkata and demanded that she be granted permanent visa and thundered in favour of freedom of expression. The same party is not in favour of freedom of expression when it comes to paintings of M F Hussain. Left Front is also vocal in favour of FoE for Hussain but not for Nasreen. Perhaps actually they are afraid of freedom of expression of voters, isn’t it?

Nandigram: CPI(M) needs no diplomacy

2007-11-15T01:46:00.000+05:30

According to Cambridge Dictionary, ‘Diplomacy’ means: “skill in dealing with people without offending or upsetting them”, and ‘Diplomat’ is “a person who is skilled at dealing with difficult situations in a way which does not offend people”.

Perhaps after staying 30 years in power in West Bengal, the CPI(M) bosses have forgot these meanings. For them, the world is divided between ‘we’ and ‘they’; those who are with them and those who are not. And even the chief minister forgets when he is the CM and when he is a political leader.

On November 13, Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee held a press conference that has striking resemblance with that of his recruit, former Kolkata Police Commissioner Prasun Mukherjee on September 23. Both the CM and the CP backed wrong doings of party cadres and police officers on Nandigram violence and Rizwanur threatening respectively. Some say, in the dictionary of the CPI(M), both the words ‘policeman’ and ‘party cadre’ bear the same meaning.

The chief minister said in the press conference: “They have been paid back by the same coin” thereby justifying violence unleashed by the red brigade. And in this one sentence, he lost everything. He wanted to highlight the 11-month suffering of those evicted by the anti-land acquisition body ‘Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee’ (BUPC) from Nandigram for supporting the CPI(M) and it is true that they had been suffering. It is true that if ‘recapture’ is a crime,‘capture’ is also a crime, particularly when there is absolutely no administration in Nandigram for over a year.

He could have told reporters what The Hindu had said in a recent editorial:

According to one estimate, (in those 11 months) 15,000 children could not be
given pulse polio doses; Rs.2 crore worth of expenditure on health
infrastructure has had to be abandoned; health facilities have been unable to
function; and Rs.2 crore worth of investment on electrification could not be
made. People of the region, particularly peasant families owing allegiance to
the Left Front, were systematically evicted from their homes and villages, with
the number of refugees swelling to 3,500.

But Bhattacharjee’s one sentence made him fail. He had to be diplomatic in situations like this while facing reporters tilted heavily against his party. And by this, many strong supporters are now ashmed that they had supported the government move in Nandigram.

CPI(M) top boss Prakash Karat’s wife Brinda, originally from Kolkata and now a Rajya Sabha member from West Bengal, recently said that ‘Dumdum dawai’ (severe bashing, a slogan of the 1960s for the corrupt) should be administered to the people of Nandigram. Lakshman Seth, the ‘raja’ of Haldia, also added fuel to the fire by his statements.

Top leaders like Biman Bose (Left Front chairman) and Benoy Konar were not left behind in their fiery speeches. They should know (they actually know) that terror is terror, whether it is unleashed by BUPC activists or by CPI(M) workers.

For Buddhadev Bhattacharjee, it is nothing new. We had seen his arrogance like this earlier too. His comments on the protest by intellectuals, on the heavily unbalanced ratio of ruling and opposition MLAs (LF 230, Trinamool Congress 30, Congress 24, others six), on former Cricket Association Of Benal president Jagmohan Dalmiya, on demolishing the press corner of the state secretariat…. The list is long.

But, it is also true when top leader Shyamal Chakraborty said that it is always the CPI(M) who has to bear the brunt of everything. When BUPC activists cut off roads and did not allow journalists and others to visit Nandigram, there were no protests. When policemen and villagers were killed by them, there were no rallys. But again, the ruling party has much more responsibility.

An update:

Biman Bose, Benoy Konar and Shyamal Chakraborty went on spitting venom at High Court, media, intllectuals and everybody and with the same no-holds bar language. Read a report here.

NDTV releases Rizwanur's last call details, but ...

2007-10-24T23:03:00.000+05:30

NDTV claimed that it has access to the call list of Rizwanur's cell phone number and published the computer graphics teacher's last calls on September 21 when he died mysteriously.

Here is the details:

9.10 am: Rizwanur SMSes his father in law Ashok Todi - ''Papa, there is five minutes before I kill myself. Talk to me last time.''

9.14 am: Rizwanur SMSes his mother-in-law Bimla Todi.
9.15 am: Rizwanur talks to Ashok Todi for 147 seconds.
9.21 am: Rizwanur sends a second SMS to Ashok Todi.

10.11 am: Rizwanur calls Sujato Bhadra of the Association for the Protection of Democratic Rights and spoke for 79 seconds. According to Bhadra, Rizwanur asked if Bhadra was going to the police headquarters as planned. When Bhadra said yes, Rizwanur said he would meet him at 2.30 and give him some documents so that he, Bhadra, could argue Rizwanur's case well with the police.

10.12 am: Rizwanur talks to Swapnil Sengupta, an office colleague, for 148 seconds.
10.15 am: Rizwanur talks to Madhavi Chandak for 241 seconds. She is someone who he tutored.
10.21 am: Madhavi sends an SMS saying, ''You are my guiding star. Don't do this to me please.''
10.28 am: The word ''my'' is typed and saved in the draft messages folder of his mobile.

11.15 am: The phone receives an sms from Debraj Banerjee. The SMS was sent three times and said, ''Please talk to us. Me and Swapnil are ready to come and help and don't take any wrong step.''

11.20 am: The phone receives an SMS from Jolly, one of Rizwanur's students. It said, ''We need you please.''

12.21 pm: Jolly's another SMS saying, ''Call me please'' is received.

Rizwanur's body was found at Patipukur next to rail tracks at around 10.30 am.

There are some loose ends pointed out by NDTV:

If he committed suicide, why did he fix the meeting (with Bhadra)?
Why did Rizwanur go to Patipukur and what was he doing on the railway
tracks where his body was found. CBI officials say some of the injuries
mentioned in state forensic laboratory's report are not commonly seen when a
person commits suicide by jumping in front of a train.
Rizwan's head was smashed, neck severed and body bore several injury marks,
but the post-mortem report doesn't provide explanation for each injury.

But I have another question. His body was found at around 10.30 am. He was typing a message at 10.28. Can someone commite suicide while typing an SMS? Is it possible that it was an accident or is it that he was pushed or fatally hit to his death when he was busy with the mobile? Then again, one question remains: why had he gone to Patipukur railway tracks that day?

Open letter to Mr Todi

2007-10-23T01:36:00.000+05:30

In a hard hitting open letter to Ashok Todi in 'The Great Indian Mutiny, a mutineer says:

"By getting Rizwanur out of the way, you have not just saved your daughter from what could have been a very... broken marriage, you have set an example for every parent who feels ownership responsible for his/her child’s life. You have also warned those millions of youngsters out there, the dangers of going against their parents and the norms of the society. I am proud to call you a preserver of our culture."

Read the entire Letter to Mr Todi here.

Subho Bijaya

2007-10-21T20:41:00.000+05:30

Subho Bijaya to all of you.

It's the last day of four-day Durga puja.

If you are interested to know about Durga puja,

please click here or here.

If you know Bangla language, you can also visit this site.

Nandigram to Rizwanur: govt handling gets worse

2007-10-17T13:00:00.000+05:30

Did the Buddhadev Bhattacharjee government in West Bengal have reasons to drag its feet on taking steps against those responsible for the death of Rizwanur Rehman?

May be, because it's really hard to act tough with top policemen chosen by none other than the government, particularly because when the CM himself is the Home (police) Minister. But, this has put question on the credibility of the government.

First, Singur, then Nandigram, then Rizwanur, then Ration. Handling of all these by the 30-year old Left Front government is not go well with the public. According to veteran journalist Ashis Chakrabarti, handling of the Rizwanur case is a bigger blunder than that of Nandigram, even though 14 persons had lost their lives in firing by police (and CPIM cadres?) on March 14, 2007.

Even if the Nandigram tragedy sparked widespread condemnation, there was no
getting away from the fact that there were political players in it and, more
important, that it was not one-sided aggression on the government’s part.

For all the political and administrative miscalculations that the CPM and
the chief minister were accused of, there was no denying that policemen, too,
had been attacked by some armed people.

Contrast all this with the known facts of the Rizwanur case. It had nothing
to do with politics. The only way one could see him was as a victim. The only
rational reaction to the reports of the role of the police had to be one of
horror and revolt. ....

Even if the Nandigram tragedy sparked widespread condemnation, there was no
getting away from the fact that there were political players in it and, more
important, that it was not one-sided aggression on the government’s part.

For all the political and administrative miscalculations that the CPM and
the chief minister were accused of, there was no denying that policemen, too,
had been attacked by some armed people.
Contrast all this with the known facts of the Rizwanur case. It had nothing to do with politics. The only way one could see him was as a victim. The only rational reaction to the reports of the role of the police had to be one of horror and revolt.....

The one thing that could have made a huge impact on the public mood was not
done — the government took no action against the police officers who, according
to verifiable evidence, had done all sorts of illegal things to break up
Rizwanur’s marriage at the behest of Ashok Todi. An inquiry by the chief
secretary or the home secretary would have had the credibility that the CID
probe clearly lacked in the public mind.

The government’s bungling of the case would have been less evident had the
protest over Rizwanur’s death taken on a political character.

Despite Mamata Banerjee trying to cash in on it or someone like Siddiqullah
Choudhury seeking to mix his own agenda in it, the protest remained untouched by
partisan or sectarian politics. What’s more, the protesters only lit candles,
unlike the people in some districts who were burning down police jeeps and
dealers’ shops over the pilferage of grain from ration shops.

I request you to read the entire article. It's really worth it.

CBI probe, a verdict people wanted

2007-10-17T12:32:00.000+05:30

Ultimately, the people of Kolkata got what they had wanted. A CBI investigation into the mysterious death of Rizwanur Rehman. It's great for those participated in the silent movement by Kolkatans, thankfully not by any political party.

Parties only knows to disrupt life by carrying out rallies on a busy day on busy roads. It's just candle lights that illuminated the city, and this perhaps is more glowing than the Durga puja lightings.

And hats off to these people who made this success, at least in the first round. Want to know who I am talking of ? Then read on, from a story from The Telegraph.

A young lady with second-degree burns on her face and a deep-rooted fear of fire clasps a candle, eyes firmly shut.
A policeman in uniform overcomes his hesitation and steps forward to write: “I am heartbroken at the death of Rizwan.”
A middle-aged lady braves the rain to bring a bagful of sandwiches and biscuits for two strangers on vigil.
An elderly couple silently leave three cartons of candles, biscuits and bottled water.
Ms D’Costa, 65, struggles with her walker to the flex board to write: “Justice”.
A lady on her way to church carries two candles: one for Rizwan, the other for her God.
On Mahalaya morning, an old lady in a crisp cotton sari comes with candle in hand, takes off her slippers, walks barefoot on the pavement and lights a candle, little granddaughter by her side.
Ms Jacob, a cancer patient, promises to bring tea for all those on vigil.
Alka Mukherjee, 80, calls to say: “I am bed-ridden, will you please sign the condolence book for me?”
A family of five in a Merc stops on a Saturday night and spends an hour at the vigil.
A chauffeur, watching from a distance, asks a volunteer: “Likhna nahin aata, par mombatti jalane denge?”
An anonymous bystander suddenly stoops to clear the floor in front of Rizwanur’s picture of leaves and paper, as he would at a place of worship.
Sabir Azhari and two-year-old son Arhaam spend Id, from noon to midnight, at The Shrine.
Students wear black arm bands to school and plead with their parents for permission to keep vigil.
A young man who never knew Rizwanur stands in the pouring rain holding an umbrella over his photograph and the candles.
A foreigner asks the volunteers about the vigil and then writes: “Power+Money=Corruption. Power+People= Unity.”

A peculiar mixture of everything!

2007-10-10T00:35:00.000+05:30

Police atrocity, civil rights, politics, religion, money power, cricket, media war, industrial rivalry – Rizwanur Rehman’s mysterious death has made all these seemingly disjointed issues rolled into one. I think I have covered the first five points in my earlier posts on this computer graphics teacher.

Now, other interesting games are going on behind the scene. Snehasish Ganguly, brother of ex-Indian cricket captain Sourabh Ganguly, has been sucked into the controversy in two ways.

First: Snehasish, a director in Ashok Todi’s company Lux Hosiery, introduced Todi’s brother Pradip to police commissioner Prasun Mukherjee and what followed was Rizwanur’s harassment by the police. This is a non-cricketing issue.

Second: Ashok Todi, owner of the Lux brand of undergarments, was once allegedly picked up by police for cricket betting but he was freed for some ‘unknown’ reason. Prasun Mukherjee is also the president of Cricket Association of Bengal and Snehasish the assistant secretary. Why does he remain in the company of Todi?

After cricket, it is the turn of war, between media houses and industrial houses. It’s heard that Todi’s competitors are very eager (that is natural and this is a gifted opportunity) to crush the reputation of Lux brand. And they are using electronic and print media for a continuous onslaught against Todi from two frontiers – Rizwanur and betting.

Rizwanur: some links

2007-10-09T02:00:00.000+05:30

1. An exclusive blog meant for Rizwanur. Hat's off to Indian Citizen.
2. Todi's CAB link under scanner. Read the NDTV report.
3. Driver hole in Rizwanur theory. A report by The Telegraph
4. Wordpress tag for Rizwanur.
5. Justice for Rizwanur petition. Please sign here.

Rizwanur: Answers to some points raised

2007-10-09T01:13:00.000+05:30

I received three comments after writing a post (below this one) on the mysterious death of Rizwanur Rehman. The third comment with an 'alternate view', by ‘Truth Speaker’, has raised some points and I think I should answer to them. I had first thought to write this in the comments box, but later changed my mind as it will be too big for that section. Eight points, each followed by my answers, are given below.

1. Had been Rizwanur, not from the second majority community, would there
been so much hue & cry?

It’s a hypothetical question. The answer: May be or may be not. The main issue here is not about any religion, but of civil rights and the highhandedness of the top order of the police force in a legal marriage and due to that one precious life was lost. Rizwanur’s being Muslim added to the complexity of the case, as did his father-in-law’s being a very rich man. By the way, not all cases that cause hue and cry necessarily involve Muslims. Jessica Lal was not a Muslim. Neither was Manorama Devi.

2. Statistically speaking, about 20 thousand such cases happen in all over
India, where we don’t even know, how many Rizwanurs from other community have
suffered.

I don’t know from where this figure ’20 thousand’ (in a year? I believe so) was arrived at, but I accept this as true. Now, how can one raise an issue when he/she doesn’t know about it. Or does this mean that we should keep quiet in one known case of suffering since we are not aware of many other similar cases?

3. With all due respect to late Rizwanur Rehman, before proceeding, he should
have gauged certain circumstances & situation.

They (Rizwanur and Priyanka) did that, and that’s why they had informed two local police stations and the Kolkata Police authorities about their marriage in writing along with photocopies of their certificate of wedding under Special Marriage Act.

4. Rizwanur having less recognition in the society compared to Todi, in terms of
Money, Influence, Background, was given a chance by asking him to change his
religious identity, which he declined; May be, rightly so. But Rizwanur could
have sacrificed that for his love which he didnt. Everything cannot come in the
same platter. You lose some, you gain some.

Right or wrong, Rizwanur had agreed to convert to Hinduism to save his marriage. Here is the link of the Indian Express report about that: http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Rizwan-was-ready-to-convert-to-Hinduism/220517/ . The Statesman also reported the same. The link: http://thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?date=2007-10-05&usrsess=1&clid=1&id=199688 .

5. Priyanka Todi is to be accused the most, because, being born & brought up
so well, she should have compromised with the situation.... (She had let down
her parents) in front of their relatives, their social boundaries.

What sin or what crime has been committed by Priyanka? She loved and married a man who happened to be a Muslim and did not have a purse as fat as her father’s. The problem is, most parents think their wards are their property and not individual human beings. “If you marry according to your choice and become unhappy, it’s your fault. But if you marry according to our choice and become unhappy, then it’s your fate,” this is what parents think.

6. Religious difference can be nullified, if economic background is equivalent;
Economic difference can be nullified, if Religion is the same, but if both are
different, then its beyond bariers. So, if taken opinion polls of parents, who
wish to marry their daughters to opposite caste, religion & more importantly
huge economic disparity - Not even 1 % of the parents, will say they would like
to.

So what is exactly the cause of concern for the parents? Caste, religion, economic disparity – which one? Or, it’s nothing but the question of whose choice should prevail – the parent’s or the wards’? And there is another angle regarding caste. “I will not like my son/daughter marrying outside the caste, but there is a rider. I will not have any problem if the outside-the-caste the person is a higher caste.” Can’t we see this mindset in matrimonial advertisements. This difference can also be nullified. And that's why Priyanka wouldn't have let down his father Ashok Todi, owner of Lux undergarment brand, if he married, eg, Salman Khan or Zaheer Khan.

7. I would like to mention one thing, at times in our life, we have to
compromise, sacrifice, for the betterment of the society, our loved ones,
& people around us.

Indian society is a fragmented lot – by religion, caste, language, province…. And perhaps, for the betterment of the society, we should work hard so that these differences remain for good. Who was the fool who uttered this nonsense 'United we stand, divided we fall'.

8. While, all my condolences are with the Rizwan family, & I feel the people
invloved, if there was a murder, or pushing Rizwan to commit suicide, they
should be brought to justice, instead political parties, are taking mileage out
of this incident….The West Bengal police again showed, how unprofessional, lame
ducks they are, while dealing with tricky & sensitive issues, & as usual
they are completely unguarded, while tackling adverse situations.

Thanks Truth Speaker, at least for coming to this point though at the fag end of your comment. This is what most of the people want. If we see it as only a problem associated with a Hindu-Muslim marriage, the focus of police atrocities on a legal event will be lost and that’s what the political parties want.